Redshirt freshman outfielder Aidan Espinoza said after Tuesday’s loss in Long Beach that the Bruins will need to win on the road if they expect to find success come the playoffs.

And in Champaign, Illinois, No. 14 UCLA baseball (37-14, 20-7 Big Ten) responded to its first three-game skid of the season with a three-game series sweep of Illinois (27-22, 12-15) at Illinois Field from Friday to Sunday. UCLA now sits just one game behind first-place Iowa in the Big Ten standings.

The first of UCLA’s three wins came from a 10-9 dogfight Friday. A seven-run Fighting Illini bottom of the fifth turned the Bruins’ four-run lead into a three-run deficit. But sophomore right-handers Cal Randall and Justin Lee, as well as freshman right-hander Easton Hawk, shutout Illinois over the final four frames. Amid that Illini drought, UCLA scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth – the game winner coming from redshirt sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan’s delayed steal of home.

“We battled back on Friday and had a real clean game on Saturday. And we had a pretty good game today (Sunday),” said coach John Savage. “And at the end of the day, it was a very successful trip.”

After putting up 10 runs on Friday, the Bruin offense did not slow down in the following two contests, taking the series with a 9-1 win Saturday. Sophomore second baseman Phoenix Call, sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu and redshirt senior outfielder AJ Salgado led the pack going 2-for-4, 3-for-5 and 4-for-5, respectively.

In Sunday’s finale, UCLA led 8-0 after five and ultimately completed the sweep 8-4, largely thanks to Call’s 3-for-3, two-home run and four RBI performance – the sophomore’s most total bases in a single contest.

“I was feeling really good,” Call said. “Made a few adjustments, more just mental adjustments than physical, but made a few adjustments, and it helped our team get the win, so that’s all I was happy about.”

Despite the offense’s success, the pitching seemed to struggle at times throughout the weekend, surrendering 23 hits and 17 walks across the series. Friday starter redshirt junior southpaw Ian May surrendered five runs in his four innings of work and reliever redshirt sophomore Chris Grothues allowed seven runs across his two appearances, totaling two innings, over the weekend.

“(Grothues) really struggled Friday night and then struggled again today (Sunday),” Savage said. “So, we just got to get back down to basics with him.”

However, the sweep was ultimately defined by UCLA’s ability to pitch out of jams.

Saturday starter junior right-hander Michael Barnett surrendered seven hits and walked two, but gave up just one run across six innings of work, leaving six on base and inducing two double plays.

And sophomore Landon Stump gave up two hits, walked four and plunked a batter in his Sunday start, but also stranded six and finished his day with five shutout frames.

“Barnett was really, really good last night,” Savage said. “He did pitch out some problems, as did Stump, but Barnett was pretty much in control that game.”

Lee finished the weekend tossing three shutout frames across two appearances, picking up the win Friday, while Hawk collected his third and fourth saves of the season on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

“(It’s) kind of easy when you have your defense and hitters behind you, who’s had those innings to come back and get the lead,” Hawk said.

With no upcoming midweek affair, Savage said UCLA will take Monday off before practicing Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for its final series of the regular season, beginning Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium against Northwestern.