On Saturday afternoon, UCLA hosted Penn State for the second matchup of a three-game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium. After a 7-6 win over the Nittany Lions on Friday, the Bruins entered the game with confidence, looking to stay perfect against Penn State, and they did exactly that, delivering a dominant 9-1 victory.
The game started off slow, with neither team finding much momentum early. Both teams were held scoreless through the first inning, as pitching and defense controlled the game. However, it didn’t take long for UCLA to break through. In the second inning, AJ Salgado became the first to cross home plate after Payton Brennan singled through the right side, putting UCLA up 1-0.
Penn State tried to respond, but UCLA’s defense remained steady, shutting it out in the third inning. Then, the fourth inning turned into a game-changer. The Bruins exploded for five runs in an electric offensive showcase. Roch Cholowsky sent the ball over the fence for a home run. Not long after, Brennan followed up with a home run of his own, helping UCLA build a commanding lead that Penn State could not recover from.
With a 6-0 advantage heading into the fifth, the Bruins kept their feet on the gas. Salgado added to his already strong performance by blasting a solo home run, and UCLA tacked on another run shortly after. By the end of the inning, the Bruins were up 8-0.
The sixth inning saw even more offense from UCLA, which scored another run to stretch the lead to 9-0. From there, UCLA’s focus shifted to maintaining its defensive dominance. Despite Penn State’s attempts to get something going, the Bruins kept it off the scoreboard through the seventh and eighth innings.
In the top of the ninth, Penn State broke through and scored a single run, avoiding a shutout. However, it was too late to mount a comeback. With such a large lead, UCLA didn’t need to bat in the bottom of the ninth, and the game ended with a final score of 9-1.
Saturday’s win marked UCLA’s second straight victory over Penn State this series. The Bruins will look to close out the series with a sweep when they face the Nittany Lions one more time Sunday. With momentum fully on its side, UCLA is poised to continue its winning ways and finish the weekend strong.
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Featured Image Photographed by Luana Caravalho/BruinLife.
