Bruins Drop to LSU, On Brink of Elimination

After their College World Series matchup against LSU on Monday was suspended and moved to Tuesday morning after three innings, the UCLA Bruins went into the morning matchup down 5-3 in hopes of turning it around on Tuesday.

The malaise of a two-day continuation game got to UCLA, though, and it wasn't able to get over the hump, dropping 9-5 to the Tigers and moving on to the elimination game against Arkansas Tuesday evening.

"Just seemed like we were swimming upstream a little bit most of the game," coach John Savage said. "Continuation game. We put up three and then they put up four. Then they come out and do a good job with two outs in the fourth, and they got two there. And it seemed like we were just trailing a little bit from the mound, mostly."

The Bruins went deep into the bullpen all game, just as they did last round against Murray State, using eight arms over the span of both days. Many struggled against the LSU offense and Savage was searching for answers all ball game.

The Bruins opened the game hot, scoring three runs off a Roman Martin RBI double, AJ Salgado RBI single and a Payton Brennan groundout that brought Martin home. UCLA entered the matchup 6-0 in the most season as a result of early offense in every matchup.

Their quick offense was flanked by quality early innings on the mound and a bullpen that has been among the best in college baseball for the better part of the second half of the season.

The No. 6 seeded Tigers, however, answered back immediately, scoring four runs off sophomore right hander Landon Stump off a Jake Brown RBI single that was immediately followed by a three-run home run off the bat of first baseman Jaren Jones.

Stump followed up his four-run first inning by retiring the side, finishing his night with rive runs, five hits and two walks in 2.0 innings. Chris Grothues took the mound with two runners on in the third inning. He allowed a hit which scored one of Stumps runner but struck out three batters and closed the inning.

Over the next two innings after opening the ball game with three in the first, Bruins batters weren't able to get to Anthony Eyanson, getting on base off a walk and getting as far as second base on a sacrifice bunt.

That was all on Monday. On Tuesday morning, the Tigers scored two more runs in the fourth inning (first of the morning) and another in the the seventh, extending their lead 8-3. The Bruins finally answered with two runs in the eighth inning but it was too little too late, as LSU scored another in the bottom of the frame and closed out the game in the ninth.

UCLA now takes on No. 3 Arkansas in a lose or go home game on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.