The song played in ballparks across the country may be failing to capture a key part of baseball.

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” ends with, “For it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out, / At the old ballgame.”

But batters typically get more than a single plate appearance. And baseball is an almost-everyday sport.

Payton Brennan went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts Saturday. Sunday, the redshirt junior right fielder got bumped down to the eight hole and still went 0-for-2.

But Tuesday, in the bottom of the seventh, Brennan would not reach strike three – or even two.

The designated hitter walloped the 0-1 pitch for a solo shot that would win No. 1 UCLA baseball (18-2, 6-0 Big Ten) its Tuesday contest 5-4 against Pepperdine (4-16) at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

“It’s always fun to hit home runs,” Brennan said. “They don’t come too often, so you always want to enjoy it.”

The longball ended Brennan’s home run drought, which dated back to Feb. 27. The 3-for-4 Tuesday night came after Brennan hit .145 across his previous 65 games and .138 across his last eight.

But Brennan was not the only example of just how much can change between trips to the plate or the mound.

Jarrod Hocking boasted 34 hits in 36 games as a freshman. Entering Tuesday, he garnered just 31 hits in 57 games across his sophomore, junior and now senior seasons.

But, against the Waves, the senior right fielder looked how you would expect a four-year veteran to look, Savage said.

“He was the player of the game,” Savage said. “I was really proud of him. … It was really fun to see him step up and contribute today.”

Hocking – taking the field for the first time all season – finished 2-for-3 with a single, double, sacrifice bunt and made a diving catch in right field.

The only thing missing from Hocking was the Bruins’ team-wide celebrations after both hits – instead, electing to do nothing – but that did not seem to surprise his teammates.

“That’s his signature,” said junior first baseman Mulivai Levu, who went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run. “He’s been doing it since last year, and we just let him do it because we find it pretty funny.”

In a move Savage said caught him off guard, Pepperdine elected to intentionally walk Aidan Espinoza after the redshirt sophomore pinch hitter started his eighth-inning at-bat off 2-0.

Though the Waves’ decision would ultimately mean Roch Cholowsky got up with the bases loaded in the same frame, the junior shortstop grounded out without causing any damage.

However, Espinoza’s perfect pinch-hitting streak continued, accumulating three hits and four walks through seven plate appearances off the bench this season.

“He delivers when we need it the most,” Levu said. “I would walk him, too, if I was a coach.”

Freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes regressed from his three-perfect-inning performance against UC Irvine on March 10, surrendering three runs in just 2.2 frames.

But the tenured Bruins kept the ship afloat.

Junior right-hander Justin Lee, who Savage said reached 98-99 mph Tuesday, faced four batters, striking out two, in his inning of work.

Jack O’Connor rebounded from his March 13 outing against Michigan – where he recorded just one out in the ninth before Savage pulled the senior right-hander – with a shutout frame against Pepperdine.

UCLA’s one-run lead appeared to have one foot in the grave when Pepperdine led off the ninth with a bloop single to right field, and junior catcher Cashel Dugger – who came in as a defensive replacement at the start of the inning – allowed a second Wave to reach with an errant throw to first.

But Dean West kept the Bruins from flatlining.

Despite an 0-for-3 day at the plate, the junior left fielder arguably had the play of the game – cutting down Pepperdine center fielder Nash Horton at the plate to keep UCLA ahead by one.

Savage went to Cal Randall for Tuesday’s final out – despite the junior right-hander allowing two runs in just 0.2 innings Sunday – visibly expressing his frustration as he made his way off the mound and, eventually, the clubhouse.

“It was the right button (decision) regardless of what happened,” Savage said. “If he gives up a flare single there, or a six-hop single, I still think it was 100% the right move to go back to him (Randall), showing confidence in him, showing that I certainly believe in him.”

Maybe this is where the stretch’s final line fits best.

Randall’s 1-2 pitch got third baseman Daniel Patterson swinging to end the ball game. What was the junior’s frustration Sunday seemed to be Tuesday’s joy – with Randall spinning off the mound and marching toward the Bruin dugout while bellowing toward the sky.