Bruins Cruise Past UTSA, Advance to College World Series

A run 12 years in the making, the UCLA Bruins are going back to the College World Series for the first time since 2013 after defeating the UTSA Roadrunners 7-0 in the second game of the Los Angeles Super Regional series.

The Bruins are yet to lose in five postseason games. The offense has been rolling and the arm have been shoving, as evidenced by the roadrunners getting shutout in their last 16 innings of the series.

Coach John Savage reflected on the win, crediting the team effort en route to the program's sixth trip to Omaha in its history.

"Again, I think it was a team effort, a lot of guys being on the same page," Savage said. "That's what we've been throughout the season. We've taken some lumps along the way, but for the most part, they've stayed together through thick and thin. To their credit, they believe in one another. We had outstanding pitching this weekend. We had a bunch of naysayers questioning our pitching, and you can't question that now. At the end of the day, we had a lot of really good at-bats.

"Our defense was championship-level, clearly. On to the next tournament. I think this team doesn't feel like this is the end of the journey. It wasn't our goal to just get to Omaha. We've talked a lot about going and playing well, taking our game to whoever we play. I'm really excited for the guys, excited for the alumni, the fans. I'm excited for everyone involved. At the end of the day, it's an appreciation on my behalf towards a lot of people." 

Sophomore starting pitcher Landon Stump initiated the dominance from the mound in Jackie Robinson Stadium, pitching 4.0 shutout innings and allowing just four hits while fanning five batters and walking one.

UCLA didn't see the board until the fourth inning when designated hitter Toussaint Blythewood brought center fielder Payton Brenna home from second on a two-out single.

The next inning, shortstop Roch Cholowsky brought in another run. The Bruins added five more runs in the eighth and ninth innings to closeout UTSA.

The last time UCLA held an opponent scoreless in a postseason game was when they clinched the World Series title, defeating Mississippi State 8-0.

The Bruins take on the winner of Duke and Murray State's series in game three of the Durham Super Regional.