No. 3 Bruins Split Doubleheader, Win Series Over Sac State

Jack Ralston logged seven innings of shutout ball on Sunday (photo: Scott Chandler)

LOS ANGELES – No. 3 UCLA split a doubleheader against Sacramento State on Sunday at Jackie Robinson Stadium, shutting out the Hornets 6-0 in the opener before falling 2-1 in the nightcap.

The split ensured a series win for the Bruins, who improved to 9-2 overall on the year. The Hornets improved to 4-6.

UCLA allowed just two runs over 18 innings in the twin bill. 

"I thought we pitched at a high level today," said UCLA head coach John Savage. "We just didn't have enough quality at-bats and didn't do enough to win in the second game."

UCLA, in the midst of a six-game homestand, returns to action on Tuesday night, hosting Pepperdine at 6:00 p.m. 

Game One Recap

Redshirt junior Jack Ralston tossed seven-plus shutout innings to lead the Bruins to a 6-0 win in the opener of the doubleheader. 

The 6-6 righty allowed just four hits over his outing, and the Hornets were only able to get runners into scoring position once after Bronson Grubbs doubled in the fifth inning. With two on and two outs, Ralston bounced back to get an inning-ending flyout from the next batter. 

Ralston was on a roll for large portions of his start, retiring seven straight on two separate occasions. He went three-up, three-down in four of his seven frames. 

Sunday's start added to what is becoming a breakout season for Ralston, particularly at home. In his two starts at Jackie Robinson Stadium, he has allowed just seven hits and no runs over 13 innings.

On the offensive side of the ball, four separate Bruins collected multiple hits as UCLA had a season-high 14 collectively. Senior DH Jake Pries and sophomore shortstop Kevin Kendall had three hits apiece to lead the way. It was third time in the last five games that Pries had three hits, while Kendall established a new season high. 

Pries scored what turned out to be the game-winning run in the second inning, hitting a line-drive solo home run over the left field fence – his first of the year – off Sac State starter Scott Randall.

UCLA put it away with a four-run seventh. The Bruins capitalized on Hornets miscues – two HBPs and an error – to load the bases with just one away. Junior left fielder Jack Stronach drew the first blood of the rally with a sac fly, then Kendall followed with a bases-clearing double into the left field corner. Freshman catcher Noah Cardenas added another two-bagger – his first career extra-base hit – to cash in Kendall before the inning expired. 

Junior right-hander Kyle Mora shut it down from there, needing just five batters to complete two innings of scoreless relief. Entering the game with one on and nobody out in the eighth, he promptly rolled up a 6-4-3 twin killing and then struck out Trevor Doyle to end the inning. He added a 1-2-3 ninth to close it out.

Game Two Recap

Steven Moretto hit a go-ahead, solo home run to lead off the top of the ninth inning and salvage the series for Sac State. 

The Hornets held a slim lead for the first half of the game after pushing across a run in the top of the first. UCLA would eventually tie the game in the bottom of the fifth on Ryan Kreidler's second home run of the season, setting up a battle of the bullpens down the stretch.

The first two pitchers of the bullpen for UCLA, Jack Filby and Nate Hadley, each turned in 1-2-3 innings. Moretto's ninth-inning blast was one of just three hits for the Hornets over the final six innings of the contest. 

Tanner Dalton tossed four innings of two-hit, scoreless relief to earn the win for Sac State. Catcher Martin Vincelli-Simard had an RBI single in the first, one of seven Hornets starters with a hit.

UCLA starter Jesse Bergin, in his third career outing, surrendered just one earned over six innings. He did a good job of pitching out of danger, matching a career-high with nine strikeouts and rolling up a pair of rally-killing double plays.