UCSB couldn’t hold back the No. 12 UCLA offense on Tuesday afternoon, falling to the Bruins by a score of 12-3 at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
With the loss, UCSB falls to an even .500 at 4-4, while UCLA improved to 5-2.
UCSB starter Greg Mahle started off the game well enough, allowing no runs and just one hit over the first two innings, including a pair of strikeouts.
A leadoff walk to Ty Moore in the third inning was the spark UCLA needed as it quickly followed with a Trent Chatterton single and an Eric Filia sacrifice bunt. After an RBI groundout, Kevin Kramer laced a ball down the left field line to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead before Mahle could extinguish the rally.
UCSB’s sophomore lefty settled down in the fourth, but ran into problems in the fifth, allowing the first two batters of the innings to reach base before getting an out on another Filia sacrifice. UCLA’s Brian Carroll followed that up with a line-drive to left center, cashing in both runs, the latter which would end up being the game winner at 4-0.
Mahle (0-1) ended the day with a line of five innings pitched, six hits allowed, four runs allowed, three strikeouts, and two walks.
The UCLA offense exploded after Mahle was pulled, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning and adding another in the ninth. Four of their starters finished with multiple RBIs.
UCSB’s offense struggled against UCLA’s pitchers, mustering just four hits in the loss. Luke Swenson had the most notable bat for the Gauchos, going 1-2 with an RBI and a stolen base. Freshman infielder Devon Gradford had an RBI pinch-hit single to the opposite field in his first at bat in a UCSB uniform. Junior shortstop Brandon Trinkwon and freshman right fielder Andrew Calica also added hits for the Gauchos.
Freshman Cody Poteet picked up the win for the Bruins in his first collegiate start
