UCLA Falls to Cal State Fullerton in 12 Innings, 2-1

Anaheim, Calif. - Colby Wallace hit a two-run homer to break a scoreless tie in the 12th inning to give Cal State Fullerton a 2-1 win over UCLA on Friday night at Angel Stadium.

The result spoiled a career outing from UCLA junior right-hander Luke Jewett, who took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished the night either setting or matching career-bests in innings (8.0) and strikeouts (nine).

Prior to the decisive homer, Cal State Fullerton (14-28) had put the leadoff man on in the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings but was unable to score in each inning. 

UCLA (14-29) had a solid chance to win it in the 11th after a leadoff single from AJ Salgado, but he was ultimately left aboard. The Bruins did cash in a leadoff single from Duce Gourson to break up the shutout in the last of the 12th but could not get the tying run home. 

The first half of the game was a classic pitcher's duel between Jewett and Cal State Fullerton starter Mikiah Negrete, who threw six shutout innings, striking out six. 

Jewett hit leadoff batter Eli Lopez with the first pitch of the game but got out of it quickly when he started a double play off the bat of Jakob Schardt. Jewett then retired the next 14 batters before Wallace broke up the no-hitter with a single to left-center. A sacrifice bunt advanced Wallace to second, but he was stranded there when Jewett struck out Jack Haley to end the inning. 

UCLA's best chance to score in regulation came in the bottom of the fourth. After a Mulivai Levu single, Roman Martin laced a double down the left field line, but Levu was thrown out at the plate. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Martin and Salgado each hit two-out singles before Jarrod Hocking flew out to right field to keep the game scoreless.

The Titans threatened in the top of the seventh when Nico Regino drew a one-out walk. Jewett, however, struck out clean-up hitter Moisen Guzman, and Bruin catcher Cashel Dugger threw out Regino trying to steal second. In the eighth inning, Titan shortstop Max Latta led off with a single and was bunted over to second and advanced to third on a check-swing groundout. After a walk to Wallace, however, Jewett struck out pinch-hitter Alijah Ramos looking on a full count to end the inning.

Both teams came close to scoring in the ninth inning. Schardt put down a two-strike bunt to advance Eli Lopez, who had opened the inning with a walk. The Bruins shut down the threat, however, when UCLA reliever Rashad Ruff struck out Regino, and third baseman Roch Cholowsky made a superb backhand stab of a well-struck Guzman grounder and threw him out to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, leadoff pinch-hitter Payton Brennan sent a long drive to center field that was caught at the warning track. 

Cholowsky made another great play in the top of the 10th, racing up to field a chopper and throwing out Max Ortega at first for the first out. A lineout to Salgado got the Bruins the second out, and after a two-out walk, Ruff induced a first-pitch popup. 

UCLA returns to action on Saturday afternoon, facing the Titans at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif. starting at 4 p.m. PT. Sophomore righty Michael Barnett (3-3, 5.07 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Bruins opposite CSF right-hander Christian Rodriguez (2-5, 5.81 ERA).