UCLA had the tying run on third
base with one out in the eighth inning but the Bruins could not push the
run across and eventually dropped game two of this weekend's Kia Baseball
Bash 7-3 to Nevada Saturday afternoon at Goodwin Field in Fullerton.
Nevada's four-run eighth inning put the game out of reach for UCLA, who
had at one point held a 1-0 lead through the fourth inning and trailed
only by one heading into the game's final two frames.
The Bruins (7-8) have now lost four straight for the first time since
March 6-12 of last season.
Jarrad Page's ninth-inning double, his third hit of the afternoon, scored
pinch-hitter Sean Carpenter from second and narrowed the gap to four runs
but second baseman Tommy Lansdon struck out with two runners on base to
end the game.
In a game that seemed to mark the first time UCLA had played under blue
skies and sunshine this season, the Bruins took an early 1-0 lead, but
like Friday night, UCLA could not respond as Nevada outscored them 7-2
from the fourth inning on.
Page got the Bruins going in the second when he drilled a Ryan Rodriguez
1-2 pitch into right field for an RBI single scoring designated hitter
Hector Ambriz. Ambriz had led off with a single to right and advanced
to second on a Mike Metzger base on balls.
In the third, Bruin starter and eventual loser Bryan Beck (0-2) escaped
a small jam by striking out Nevada's leading hitter, Brett Hayes, with
a runner on second base to protect the Bruins' 1-0 lead.
But in the fourth, a Ben Mummy two-run home run gave the Wolfpack a 2-1
lead and a two-out Brett Hayes single brought in another run for Nevada
in the fifth. The eventual game-winning runs scored in the bottom of the
eighth on Ryan Sharman's three-RBI single to left field. With the bases
loaded, Sharman sent a fly ball towards the right field line that UCLA
right fielder Mike Metzger dove for but could not come up with. Metzger
did not initially find the ball, and with two outs and the runners going
on contact, the base hit was enough to clear the bases.
For Nevada, Rodriguez picked up the victory, allowing just one run on
five hits over seven solid innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Wesley Dorsett earned his fourth save with two innings of relief for the
Wolfpack.
Beck allowed three runs on seven hits over his season-high 6.1 innings
of work. He also tied a season-high with six strikeouts.
Bruin second baseman Sean Smith left the game in the sixth after experiencing
back spasms. Reliever Adam Simon, who allowed the four runs in the Nevada
eighth inning also left the game abruptly after experiencing discomfort
in his right elbow. Both are listed as day to day.
