UCLA shut out in season opener by North Carolina ace
By David Gottlieb
Feb. 19, 2016 9:33 p.m.
No. 9 UCLA baseball started the season quietly Friday night, dropping the first of a three game series 4-0 against No. 21 North Carolina.
The Bruins couldn’t get anything going against Tar Heels starting pitcher Zac Gallen. Working mostly with a nasty two-seam fastball, the junior right-hander allowed only four hits – only two of which left the infield – over 7.2 innings while striking out 11.
Gallen showed signs of breaking down in the seventh, issuing walks to redshirt senior right fielder Eric Filia and junior designated hitter Kort Peterson to start the inning. A strikeout from sophomore first baseman Sean Bouchard and a 6-3 double play off the bat of redshirt sophomore center fielder Christoph Bono ended the threat, though.
UNC did most of their scoring in the sixth inning. In his third time through the Tar Heels lineup, junior starting pitcher Grant Dyer gave up three runs on a hit-by-pitch, a single and two doubles. Coach John Savage pulled the right-hander before he could record an out in the sixth.
In his first game with UCLA since the 2013 College World Series, Filia went 1-for-2 with two walks. He put the first pitch he saw in play, flying out to left field in the first. In his next at-bat, the outfielder smacked a grounder by the third baseman, rounding first base hard before pulling up. He drew walks his next two times up, frustrating Tar Heel pitchers with his ability to spoil pitches. Filia saw 19 pitches in all, including nine on a full-count walk in the ninth inning.
Sophomore first baseman Brian Miller led the Tar Heels’ offensive attack, going 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot with singles to all parts of the field. Freshman designated hitter Brandon Riley drove in two of UNC’s runs with a line-drive double to the center field fence in the sixth inning.
The Bruins will send sophomore right-hander Griffin Canning to the hill Saturday at 2 p.m. against Tar Heel sophomore right-hander J.B. Bukauskas.
Compiled by David Gottlieb, Bruin Sports reporter.
