The Bruins fell from third to fifth in the Pac-12 standings following a series loss at Dedeaux Field this weekend.

After splitting the first two games of the series, UCLA baseball (22-13-1, 9-7-1 Pac-12) dropped Sunday’s rubber match to USC (24-14-1, 11-7) in walk-off fashion. The Bruins have lost three of their last four series against conference opponents, matching the total number of series’ lost to conference opponents in all of 2022.

Coach John Savage emphasized his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance.

“It’s just disappointing,” Savage said. “We’re up against it. We have a lot of work to do. We’ve got to get better each and every day, and tomorrow we’ll have another opportunity for practice.”

Friday’s game featured early offense – with both teams scoring runs in the first and second innings – but the night ultimately resulted in a comfortable 9-3 victory for the Bruins. UCLA took the lead for the second time with a four-run second inning and never looked back, adding another three-run frame in the sixth to cap off an offensive performance in which all RBIs came from the top three spots in the batting order.

Junior right-hander Jake Brooks delivered five frames with two earned runs and seven strikeouts in the Bruins’ win, his third consecutive start of at least five innings pitched and fewer than two runs earned. In the month of April, the righty has posted a 2.12 earned run average alongside a strikeout-to-walk ratio of eight.

Savage praised his starter – who leads the team in innings pitched – for his recent strong outings.

“He’s getting back to that competitive edge,” Savage said. “We need more competitiveness out of our guys. And he certainly has taken that step…he’s going in the right direction.”

Brooks was followed in the bullpen by senior right-hander Kelly Austin’s first of two relief appearances on the weekend. Austin recovered from his worst appearance of the season against UC Davis to deliver 2.2 innings of shutout work.

Coming out of the bullpen is nothing new for Austin. He made nine appearances in relief last season and has now made four in 2023. Between his two outings at USC, Austin did not allow an earned run across 4.2 innings. As for his usage going forward, Savage said to expect to see Austin coming out of the pen in order to maximize his usage opportunities.

Austin noted that he only cares about what is best for the team.

“Hell, if you’d have told me that I need to sit the bench for us to have a better shot at going to Omaha, I’d be riding the bench in a heartbeat,” Austin said. “I just want to pitch, so I’m thankful to God every day that I’m in a position to pitch. I’m healthy and I’m throwing well, so I’ve got no frustrations there as long as it puts my team in a better spot.”

In the second game of the series, the Bruins took an early lead on sophomore first baseman Jack Holman’s seventh home run of the season, a hanging breaking ball that Holman launched off one of the trees beyond the right-field fence.

T4 | Jack Holman was NOT fooled by this breaking ball. UCLA is on the board first after this solo shot!

UCLA 1, USC 0

📺 | Pac-12 Networks
📲 | https://t.co/GqqvrRsm1l
📻 | https://t.co/jpIFQeWOf6#GoBruins | @JackHolman_7 pic.twitter.com/YAOfYhukgh

— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) April 23, 2023

In the bottom half of the fourth, senior catcher Darius Perry – who already leads the conference in caught stealings – added two more to his tally, the second of which came on a breaking pitch that bounced well in front of the plate.

Savage praised his veteran catcher for his defensive prowess.

“He’s as good as there is in this conference,” Savage said. “I haven’t seen a better catcher than Darius. He really receives and throws well, and he’s really an elite defensive catcher.”

However, UCLA’s lead wouldn’t hold past the sixth inning. After five shutout frames, sophomore right-hander Alonzo Tredwell allowed four of five men to reach to start the sixth, including a two-run home run from third baseman Johnny Olmstead. The Trojans batted around and scored all five of their runs to build the lead they would never surrender, while the Bruins managed just one total base over the game’s final four innings.

Sunday’s rubber match was a back-and-forth affair that ended in defeat for UCLA. Olmstead hit his second homer in as many games to open the scoring for USC in the second against sophomore left-hander Ethan Flanagan, who replaced Austin in the starting rotation. Another home run in the second followed by a double in the third powered the Trojans to an early 3-0 lead.

The Bruins would roar back with a four-run seventh – powered by a bases clearing double from junior third baseman Kyle Karros – but allowed their rivals to tie the game back up in the bottom half of the frame thanks to an error-extended inning. Freshman right-hander Cody Delvecchio surrendered his first earned run of conference play in the ninth, and USC walked it off on a single that sailed over the head of junior outfielder JonJon Vaughns.

Austin said the team can’t afford to let this weekend keep them down.

“This definitely doesn’t help us,” Austin said. “We know as a team, we’ve got to bounce back from this. We got to bite down and hold on, because we’re still in a position to end up in a really good spot if we handle business these last few weeks.”