| Baseball |
|---|
| UCLA — 4 |
| Rutgers — 1 |
Junior pitcher Logan Reddemann made Bruin history against Rutgers with his special performance, notching 18 strikeouts in the outing, the most by a UCLA pitcher ever. Reddemann was a massive help to secure the Bruins’ victory in their battle of attrition against Rutgers.
No. 1 UCLA baseball (31-2, 16-0 Big Ten) faced Rutgers (17-16, 5-8 Big Ten) in the Bruins’ first-ever matchup at Piscataway, New Jersey, on Friday, April 10 at 3 p.m. PST. UCLA just marginally escaped with a 4-1 victory in the almost five-hour matchup against the Scarlett Knights.
The starting pitcher for the Bruins was Reddemann, who had a historic performance, pitching eight innings, allowing only two hits and one run, with 18 strikeouts. For the Scarlett Knights, redshirt sophomore Zach Konstantinovsky pitched three innings, allowing only one hit and one run.
Rutgers would open the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with the third baseman Charlie Meglio, hitting a ground ball to center field, allowing the left fielder Tristian Salinas to round home plate, giving the Scarlett Knights the early lead, 1-0.
The game would remain scoreless in the second inning, with both teams relying on their elite pitching and infield throws to slow the offense down. However, UCLA’s junior catcher Cashel Dugger found some success in the inning, batting a single to mid-center field.
UCLA would finally get on the board in the third inning, after junior right fielder Payton Brennan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing the junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky to score and give the Bruins the 1-1 tie.
The Bruins would have another immaculate defensive performance in the third inning to keep the game scoreless. The third inning was highlighted by a leaping catch at full speed by Brennan, one of the most athletic plays of the night.
The fifth inning saw an impressive defensive play by Rutgers, with right fielder Chase Krewson ascending and stretching up at the wall to deny junior third baseman Roman Martin from what most certainly should have been a home run.
In the bottom of the fifth, Reddemann would pick up three more strikeouts to increase his total to 10 strikeouts on the day.
The sixth inning was more of the same, with Reddemann gaining two more strikeouts and completely shutting down the Rutgers batters.
The Bruins would go scoreless in the seventh inning with Andrew Rondini now pitching for the Scarlett Knights. Rutgers would also go scoreless in the seventh inning with Ruddeman having another three-strikeout inning, his second of the evening.
The eighth inning was more of the same from Reddemann, having yet another three-strikeout inning, completely shutting down Rutgers and keeping the game at one a piece. Reddemann would pick up his 18th strikeout in the inning, tying a school record.
The record was set by Rob Henkel in a 2-1 victory on March 25, 2000. The record had stood alone for twenty-six years before Reddemann’s performance against Rutgers, solidifying his place in Bruin history.
After a scoreless ninth inning, the game would require extra innings to settle who would remain victorious after such a stalemate
The game remained scoreless for another three innings; however, the Bruins’ best chance would come in the fourteenth inning.
At the top of the fourteenth inning with the bases loaded, Dugger would come up clutch, hitting a ground ball to third base with Martin outrunning the throw home to score and give the Bruins the lead 2-1. But they were not done.
At the very next at bat, sophomore designated hitter Aidan Espinoza would hit a ground ball to right field, with Brennan and junior center fielder Will Gasparino scoring to extend UCLA’s lead to three runs, 4-1 being the score.
Sophomore Easton Hawk would pitch the bottom of the 14th inning and would fittingly close out the game with three straight strikeouts to bring UCLA’s total to 30 and secure the victory.
The Bruins’ pitching was the saving grace for UCLA, consistently keeping the game close throughout the scrappy innings. While not the prettiest win, the Bruins showed heart, not giving up and staying motivated to claw out their longest game of the year.
UCLA will face Rutgers on Saturday, April 11, at 12 p.m. PST, looking to take a two-game lead in the series and keep their 25-game win streak alive.
