UCLA baseball trumps Stanford 2-0 in a complete shutout
Junior pitcher Griffin Canning threw a 122-pitch shutout with 12 strikeouts against No. 18 Stanford. It was the fifth complete game of his career, as he improved his record to 3-2 and his ERA to 2.77. (Ken Shin/Daily Bruin)
By Kyle Cardoza
April 13, 2017 11:38 p.m.
Griffin Canning didn’t miss many bats in his last start, allowing a season-high 10 hits against Washington.
That wasn’t an issue Thursday night.
[Related: Baseball falls to Washington 7-3 after offensive struggles]
The junior ace twirled a complete-game shutout and collected 12 strikeouts, helping UCLA (15-15, 8-5 Pac-12) claim a 2-0 victory against Stanford (18-11, 4-6).
The Bruins’ discipline at the plate paid off early in the game.
After sophomore center field Daniel Amaral was hit by a pitch, UCLA stroked back-to-back singles to load the bases in the first inning. Freshman second baseman Chase Strumpf then drew a walk to score a run, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
UCLA added a run in the seventh after freshman third baseman Jack Stronach smacked an RBI-single down the left-field line to make it 2-0.
The Bruins didn’t have issues getting on base, as Cardinal pitchers allowed eight players to reach base via walks or hit-by-pitches. Stanford also struggled defensively, committing two errors in the fourth and the sixth. But UCLA couldn’t capitalize, as the team left 12 men on base overall.
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Despite the lack of clutch hits from the offense, Canning didn’t need them.
The righty limited the Cardinal to four singles on the night and didn’t allow a runner past second base. He threw 83 of 122 pitches for strikes – 68 percent – and notched a first-pitch strike against 22 of the 32 batters he faced.
Canning entered the affair with a 3.25 ERA. He now owns a 3-2 record with a 2.77 ERA.
UCLA enters Friday’s matchup with a chance to notch back-to-back wins against Stanford for just the second time since 2010. Senior pitcher Moises Ceja will get the nod on the bump. He owns a 2.68 ERA in 37 innings pitched. Stanford will counter with junior southpaw Andrew Summerville, who boasts a 3.00 ERA.
