Bruin baseball sweeps Utes for third time since 2017 in successful weekend

For the third straight year, the Bruins swept the Utes.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (34-7, 14-4 Pac-12) took down Utah (12-25, 4-17) 6-4 on Sunday to extend its winning streak to four games and finish the series sweep. The Bruins have now won 10 straight games against the Utes, dating back to 2016.

UCLA’s offense drove in three runs in the bottom of the first. Sophomore right fielder Garrett Mitchell led off the game with a nine-pitch at-bat that ended in a single up the middle before junior second baseman Chase Strumpf smacked an RBI triple into the left-center gap and scored on a sacrifice fly from junior left fielder Jack Stronach.

“We always work to try to get the leadoff batter on,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of the team goals that we have. Getting the leadoff batter on is important because we have a really high percentage of scoring when that happens.”

Junior first baseman Michael Toglia capped off the rally with a towering solo shot to right field for his eighth home run of the season.

Working with three runs of support, freshman right-hander Jesse Bergin did not allow a hit through his first four innings of work. However, he walked two batters in the top of the third and moved them over to second and third with a wild pitch.

After coach John Savage visited the mound, Bergin bounced back and got the fly out to keep the runners from scoring.

“I felt like I let some at-bats and counts get away from me,” Bergin said. “I just need to be more focused every pitch. … My defense really picked me up in that inning.”

The Utes broke through with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth. After walking his fourth batter of the day, Bergin gave up his first hit on an RBI double into the left-center gap by second baseman Oliver Dunn.

Savage pulled Bergin in favor of freshman right-hander Jack Filby, only for third baseman Tom Rykker to drive in a second Utah run with a single to left.

UCLA wasted no time getting a run back in the bottom of the fifth. Mitchell led off with a double off the left field wall, and junior third baseman Ryan Kreidler hit a line drive single to right field to bring him home.

The Bruins added another run when they loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a wild pitch from right-hander Zac McCleve. Strumpf drew a full-count walk to load the bases again, but UCLA could not capitalize as Stronach grounded out to end the inning.

Utah cut into UCLA’s lead in the top of the eighth, putting runners at the corners with no outs against sophomore right-hander Holden Powell. A groundout by catcher Zack Moeller brought the runner home from third, and another run crossed the plate on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from left fielder Chandler Anderson.

With the Utes threatening to tie the game, Powell threw a pitch in the dirt that got away from freshman catcher Noah Cardenas. Utah tried to send the runner from third home, but Cardenas recovered the ball and tossed it to Powell for the tag-out.

According to Savage, there was never any question whether Powell would stay in the game.

“He’s gonna finish that game every time,” Savage said. “He’s our closer and it’s his game to save. The eighth inning didn’t go as well as we planned, but it happens.”

The Bruins added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Mitchell launched a triple into the left-center gap for his third hit of the game and Kreidler again drove him in with a single. Mitchell finished the game with three-quarters of the cycle and two runs scored.

“(Mitchell) has been exceptional,” Savage said. “He’s been a guy that can hit the ball all over the ballpark. He’s been our catalyst this season and he had some big at-bats today.”

Powell came back out to pitch the ninth and walked a batter, but got the final two outs to earn the save.

UCLA will play next at Pepperdine on Tuesday, beginning a stretch of eight out of nine games on the road.