UCLA Baseball comes back to beat USC in the Dodger Stadium Classic

Once again, the UCLA baseball team was able to top USC in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic as the Bruins rally to come back from four runs down and beat the Trojans.

It was a weekend of slow starts for the no. 2 UCLA baseball team as they participated in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, going 2-1 on the weekend. Though their efforts had them claim a 5-7 loss to Michigan on Friday, the Bruins were able to rally from behind in their next two games, which included another victory over USC.

Despite a tough loss to the Wolverines, the Bruins managed to get back on the winning track on Saturday against Oklahoma State. After going down 3-1 in the fourth inning, UCLA belted out five more runs in the game to complete the comeback and get the 6-3 over the Cowboys.

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It was a similar situation on Sunday when UCLA and USC met in their annual non-conference game at Chavez Ravine. The Trojans had managed to jump out to a 4-0 lead after 2.5 innings and were looking like they would be able to take down the Bruins who had not been able to get a hit through two, but after USC scored their fourth run in the third, UCLA finally woke up.

Chase Strumpf and Ryan Kreidler started things off with singles that were able to bring in runs. Strumpf’s single to right field allowed Garrett Mitchell to score, while the Bruins benefitted from a Trojan error when Kreidler’s hit sailed into right field and brought in both Strumpf and Michael Toglia, closing the gap to 4-3 in favor of the Trojans.

More mistakes by USC allowed UCLA to gain two runs in both the 7th and 8th innings. The Bruins had the bases loaded to start the 7th after just one out but a passed ball gave Jarron Silva the opportunity to score and tie the game at four. A short time later, the Bruins would take the 5-4 lead after a throwing error by USC allowed Mitchell to score.

The Bruins followed that up in the next inning as Matt McLain sent a two-RBI shot down the right-field line which brought in Kevin Kendall and Jordan Prendiz, giving UCLA the 7-4 lead. USC was able to score one run in the 9th inning but it was not enough as the Bruins would take the “W” in this game.

UCLA now moves to 11-3 on the year while USC falls to 5-9. The Bruins will play one more non-conference game on Tuesday against Long Beach State before starting Pac-12 play on Friday as UCLA hosts Oregon State.