UCLA baseball pulls ahead in 9th inning to clinch win against Pepperdine

The Bruins emerged victorious in a back-and-forth midweek matchup.

No. 12 UCLA baseball (23-9, 8-4 Pac-12) defeated Pepperdine (17-14, 6-6 WCC) by a score of 9-7 on Tuesday night at Eddy D. Field Stadium. In a game that featured four lead changes, it was the blue and gold that came out on top behind junior left fielder Michael Curialle’s ninth-inning homer that secured coach John Savage’s 700th career win.

The Bruins entered the ninth down 7-6, having lost a one-run lead the prior inning. After a leadoff single, a passed ball and a sacrifice bunt, sophomore second baseman Daylen Reyes drove in the tying run on a single. Then, with two outs, the Bruins took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish on the home run from Curialle.

Savage said Curialle’s mentality and commitment to the team helped push the Bruins over the edge Tuesday.

“He stayed mentally connected over the weekend and came up big today (Tuesday) with a huge home run,” Savage said. “It’s as big a home run as we’ve had in quite a while.”

Savage called on redshirt freshman right-hander Chris Aldrich to handle the ninth inning after five other pitchers had taken the mound for UCLA. The Waves put the winning run aboard as they sprinkled three singles across the frame but stranded their final three runners of the game to give Aldrich the save.

Aldrich and redshirt sophomore right-hander Kelly Austin were the only Bruin pitchers to not allow runs, with the pair combining for five hits and three strikeouts across four innings of work. Austin started the game for UCLA, holding the Waves scoreless through the first three innings.

Savage said Austin’s maturity in assuming different roles has been a boost for the Bruins.

“He’s been so flexible and versatile and so important to our staff in so many ways,” Savage said. “He’s done a great job.”

Austin’s appearance against Pepperdine was his fifth straight scoreless outing and third in five days, lowering his season ERA to 2.59. The redshirt sophomore said he feels good after being in a bad spot earlier in the season.

“I got out of sync for a couple of outings,” Austin said. “Being able to get back to my mentality, not get out of my identity and being able to stick to who I know I am and how I know I’m going to succeed, … that was probably the biggest thing.”

The back-and-forth nature of the contest began following Austin’s innings when the Waves scored five runs between the fourth and sixth frames before adding two more in the eighth. During that time, the Bruins scored a run of their own in the fifth and a three spot in their half of the eighth.

Senior left-hander Daniel Colwell was called on with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning, inducing a double play before recording a strikeout to end the frame while allowing one run. Bruin pitchers worked around baserunners nearly every inning, stranding 13 overall.

“There was traffic all day,” Savage said. “There’s games like that. There’s games like that in the major leagues. The bottom line is you have to be able to find a way to win, and we did that.”

Offensively, graduate student first baseman Jake Palmer picked up his first triple of the season in the eighth inning, which gave the Bruins a 6-5 lead they would later lose heading into the contested ninth inning.

Sophomore center fielder Carson Yates said a simplified approach helped the team with its at-bats.

“Everyone being on time for the fastball and seeing the ball as much as they can, it makes hitting so much easier when you simplify it to that,” Yates said. “Everyone committed to that approach, so we had a great day at the plate.”

Austin said the offense’s supporting the pitching staff played into the team’s philosophy.

“When our pitching staff struggles, our offense is going to pick us up. When our offense struggles, our pitching staff is going to pick us up,” Austin said. “We’re going to do whatever we need to do to win games.”