The University of California, Los Angeles baseball team defeated the University of Southern California 12-4 in a series opener at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Apr. 3. The win extended UCLA’s winning streak to 21 games, leaving the Bruins one victory away from tying their program record set in the 2010 season.
This matchup was significant as it featured two highly ranked teams, with UCLA holding the top spot and USC ranked twelfth. The game remained close through six innings before UCLA pulled ahead with a strong offensive performance late in the contest.
Tied at four runs each after six innings, Will Gasparino hit an RBI single in the seventh inning to give UCLA the lead. The Bruins then broke open the game with a seven-run eighth inning that included key hits from several players and capitalized on errors by USC. Five Bruins had multi-hit performances, including Payton Brennan and Gasparino with three hits each. Roman Martin contributed his fourth home run of the season as part of a two-hit night.
On the pitching side, Logan Reddemann started for UCLA and pitched six innings, allowing four earned runs while striking out five batters. Zach Strickland and Easton Hawk came out of the bullpen to help secure the win, with Hawk earning his fourth save after closing out a perfect ninth inning.
The rivalry between these teams added intensity to Friday night’s game as both sides traded leads until UCLA’s offense surged late in front of their home crowd. With this victory, UCLA remains undefeated in Big Ten play at 13-0 and improves its overall record to 27-2 for the season.
UCLA is scheduled to return for game two against USC at Jackie Robinson Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
