Under the Friday night lights, the Indiana Hoosiers stormed into Westwood, launching three moonshots in the first four innings while holding UCLA to only four total hits. The Bruins’ five-game win streak was extinguished as a result of the Hoosiers’ dominant batting and lights-out pitching.
In the first showdown of a three-game set, UCLA (16-5, 4-2) fell short 5-1 to Indiana (13-9, 5-2) at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Coming into this match, the Bruins were tied for first in the Big Ten and had won nine of their last ten contests. However, with the loss, they are now stuck in a three-way tie for second in the conference and their eight-game home win streak has come to an end.
UCLA struggled from the very start, as Indiana’s Andrew Wiggins reached first on a throwing error in the game’s first at-bat. The Hoosiers capitalized on this by ripping a 2-run homer to center in the following plate appearance, giving them an early 2-0 lead. At this time, the Bruins were still looking for their first out and it was shaping up to be a long night for UCLA.
Nonetheless, UCLA’s starting pitcher Cody Delvecchio (0-3) locked in and recorded eight consecutive outs, keeping the game within reach. Despite that, the Bruins’ struggled to find their rhythm offensively and soon enough, the Hoosiers began to pull away as rising star Korbyn Dickerson smashed a solo home run to center – his eleventh of the season.
Shortly after, in the following inning, Indiana’s Jake Stadler hit a double that opened the gates for shortstop Tyler Cerny, who crushed a two-run homer to left giving the Hoosiers a demanding 5-0 lead. Throughout all of this, UCLA continued to flounder at the plate, getting only two hits in the first five innings.
The Bruins found a sliver of hope in the sixth inning when first baseman Mulivai Levu blasted a solo home run to right. Nevertheless, that spark was short-lived as Indiana shut down UCLA’s offense for the remainder of the night, allowing just one more hit.
UCLA had a rough setback on Friday night, but they still have opportunities to bounce back. The Bruins will return to Jackie Robinson Stadium to face Indiana once again on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
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Featured Image Photographed by Jeannie Kim/Daily Bruin
