Cholowsky Homers Twice in 11-4 Rubber-Match Win Over CSF
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA baseball team built a double-digit lead by the end of the fourth and never looked back in an 11-4 win over Cal State Fullerton on Sunday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The rubber-match win clinched the series for the Bruins (16-29), who also took a Saturday decision at Goodwin Field in Fullerton. The two teams opened the tri-venue series at Angel Stadium on Friday night.
Freshman third baseman Roch Cholowsky paced the Bruins offensively on Sunday, going 2-3 with two home runs and four RBIs. It was his second multi-homer game of the season, and gave him the team lead on the year at seven roundtrippers.
Cholowsky joins fellow frosh Mulivai Levu as the only two Bruin players in the John Savage era (since 2005) to record multiple two-homer games during their freshman season.
Elsewhere, sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan went 3-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, and Jack Holman went 2-2, reached base four times, and scored three runs.
Freshman righty Luke Rodriguez put up four consecutive zeroes to open his outing, and ultimately finished one out short of qualifying for the win.
Right-handed relievers Justin Lee and JonJon Vaughns held the Titans (14-30) to one run over the final 4 1/3 innings of the game.
UCLA jumped all over CSF starter Derek Turner, batting around to chase him before he could get out of the first inning. The Bruins ultimately posted six runs during the bottom of the first, including a two-run double from Brennan and an RBI base hit to center from freshman left fielder Cameron Kim.
Cholowsky then left the yard in the second and fourth innings to put the Bruins ahead 10-0, both times plating Holman. His second shot went off the batter's eye in center field on a two-strike count.
Fullerton was led by third baseman Eli Lopez, who hit a two-run homer in the fifth as part of a three-RBI performance.
UCLA returns to action on Tuesday night, wrapping its 2024 midweek slate with a contest at UC Irvine starting at 6 p.m. PT.