UCLA Baseball: Bruins Crush Utah Utes, 16-3

The final score of last night’s baseball game looks more like a football score than a baseball score. That’s because the Bruins crushed the Utes, 16-3.

DaShawn Kiersey got the Utes on the board in the bottom of the first on a wild pitch by Jake Bird after singling up the middle, but Jeremy Ydens tied it up in the top of the third with a solo home run.

With two outs in the top of the fourth, Michael Toglia singled up the middle and then stole second to give the Bruins a runner in scoring position. After Daniel Amaral walked, Ryan Kreidler tripled to right center to give UCLA a 3-1 lead.

But it was a Bruin rally in the fifth that blew the game wide open. Utah starter Joshua Tedeschi had loaded the bases with one out when he hit Jake Pries with a pitch to score Daniel Rosica. Toglia followed with a two-run double which chased Tedeschi, but the Bruins weren’t done. Daniel Amaral doubled down the left field line off Kyle Robeniol to score boh Pries and Toglia and UCLA had an 8-1 lead.

UCLA added another 5 runs in the seventh, capped by Chase Strumpf’s two-run single through the left side and the Bruins led 13-2 after 6 and a half innings. The Bruins still weren’t finished as they added three more runs in the top of the ninth to take a 16-2 lead before Kyle Mora surrendered a run in the bottom of the ninth.

But, it was too little, too late for the Utes and the Bruins easily won the game, 16-3.

The teams return to Smith’s Ballpark this afternoon for a noon PT game. Bruin starter Zach Pettway (5-1, 3.09 ERA) will be looking to get back on track after last Saturday’s disaster against Stanford where he gave up 8 runs, 5 of them earned, in just 2¹⁄₃ innings. He will face Utah senior Tanner Thomas (2-2, 4.67 ERA).

There’s no TV this weekend, but the game will be streamed online. The details can be found in the sidebar above. Of course, Tim Wilhelm will have the audio call of the game.

This is your UCLA Bruins at Utah Utes game 2 open thread.


Go Bruins!!!