Amid the winter chill that hit Jackie Robinson Stadium this week, the Bruin faithful were warmed with victory.

No. 17 UCLA baseball (6-2) came out with a 9-4 home win against Michigan (4-4) after a weekend on the road. The win marked the Bruins’ first victory following their series against No. 7 Vanderbilt, in which they dropped two out of three games.

Even on the back of the losses and the postponement of Tuesday’s contest against Loyola Marymount due to expected rain, coach John Savage saw the Michigan matchup as a new opportunity for his team.

“New week, new opportunity,” Savage said. “Michigan’s clearly going to win some games. At the end of the day, I thought we played a pretty complete game.”

Similar to last Tuesday’s contest for the Bruins, Savage went to his bullpen often, utilizing nine different pitchers throughout the match. Freshman right-hander Michael Barnett was tapped to start the game, going on to pitch for the first three innings.

UCLA’s offense was able to put runs on the board from the first inning, as the Wolverines allowed a pair of two-out walks. This paved the way for senior catcher Darius Perry and junior outfielder Carson Yates to hit a single and double, respectively, sending two runners home.

The highlight play for the Bruins came in the third inning, however, as junior third baseman Kyle Karros sailed a home run over the left field fence.

“As a right-handed bat, whenever there’s a lefty starter, there’s a responsibility,” Karros said. “I was looking to do some damage, and I got a changeup that I could hit, and I hit it out.”

Karros led the team with four runs on the night and tied sophomore center fielder Malakhi Knight in RBIs with two each. In the fourth inning, two more walked batters, as well as singles from sophomore shortstop Cody Schrier and sophomore second baseman Duce Gourson, led to the Bruins piling on four more runs.

Defensively, the Bruins were able to shut out the Wolverines for the first seven innings. The depth in the bullpen and the team’s fielding kept the score line clean for a majority of the contest, with a first-inning single representing the only hit through seven frames.

One pitcher of note for the Bruins was freshman right-hander Finn McIlroy. The Carlsbad native struck out all three hitters he faced, attracting the adoration of the crowd in the process.

“It’s just always the best in Jackie,” McIlroy said. “It’s honestly a dream come true to be out here, and it makes it so much better when you have great fans and people that are just there to support you.”

The only disruptor to the blue and gold’s clean sheet came in the eighth inning. A series of hits and walks and a wild pitch led to the Wolverines reaching base in a frame that saw three different pitchers take the mound. A three-run home run capped off a four-run inning for Michigan.

In the ninth, relief pitching from senior right-hander Charles Harrison led to three strikeouts and secured the win for the blue and gold.

“Charles has been a big part of our bullpen. He’s been one of the best relievers in the country,” Savage said.

With the win against Michigan taken care of, the Bruins will prepare to host the Southern California College Baseball Classic. The tournament will see UCLA face off against Tulane, Sacramento State and USC.

UCLA will play the first game of the tournament against Tulane on Friday at 5 p.m.