The No. 10 UCLA Bruins (28-8, 12-3) got its first taste of the type of competition they could be facing in a Super Regional or College World Series contest. They fell to their former Pac-12 foes, No. 6 Oregon State Beavers (27-7) by a score of 7-1 on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The Bruins mustered just one run on four hits with seven runners left on base. After taking a 2-0 deficit in the first inning, sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu drove in sophomore outfielder Dean West for the lone UCLA run of the ballgame. Just two hits were earned in the final six innings of play.
Oregon State set themselves apart with a five-run fifth inning, involving a two-run homer, an RBI single that led throwing error from West to score two more. A wild pitch would earn the Beavers their seventh and final run, cruising to their biggest win of the season.
The heavy hitters in UCLA's lineup struggled heavily against a three-man staff that was shown from the Beavers. Sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky, sophomore infielder Roman Martin and Levu were a combined 2-10 with one RBI and two walks. Oregon State struck out seven total Bruins.
On the bump for the Bruins, it was a bullpen by committee all night long. The longest pitcher of record was starting junior left-hander Ian May, throwing two innings, allowing two runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts. He would earn the loss, falling to a 5-2 record on the season.
Seven more Bruins arms would throw as nobody tossed more or less than one inning. Graduate lefty Ryan Rissas allowed the other five runs in the fifth inning, only three of those runs were earned.
The only other notable pitching performance came from freshman right-hander Easton Hawk, striking out two of the three batters that he faced in a spotless ninth inning. He was the only Bruin pitcher to not allow a Beaver baserunner.
Oregon State has been a nationally ranked team year after year, winning a College World Series title in 2018 with MLB star catcher Adley Rutschman. This year's team has been different, nearing their 16th-straight 30-win season. This is the type of team UCLA would play deep into the postseason.
UCLA will look to bounce back off the loss, but its next toughest opponent is in waiting. A three-game weekend series against No. 16 Oregon (25-10, 12-6) will start this Friday in Eugene. The Bruins look to stay atop the Big Ten standings with another series victory.
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