No. 1 UCLA Edges Pepperdine 3-2

LOS ANGELES – No. 1 UCLA used a go-ahead three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn a 3-2 midweek win over Pepperdine on Monday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Bruins (28-6) trailed 2-0 leading up to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," but broke out for a decisive three-spot against Pepperdine (17-15) righty reliever Benjamin Slattery.

The rally was kick-started by a Waves error, allowing Jarron Silva to reach with one out. UCLA proceeded to load the bases on a Noah Cardenas opposite field single and an eight-pitch walk to leadoff hitter Garrett Mitchell.

Junior infielder Ryan Kreidler got the Bruins on the board after chopping a grounder to second to plate Silva. Junior second baseman Chase Strumpf followed with the biggest hit of the game, driving a 3-1 offering from Slattery into left field for a two-run, go-ahead single.

Strumpf finished the day with a 2-4 line and two RBIs, both team-bests.

The UCLA bullpen shut it down after inheriting the lead, as Kyle Mora and Holden Powell teamed up to face the minimum over the final two innings of the game.

Mora received a big assist from his defense, as with two outs Cory Wills hit a liner into the right field corner that was destined for extra bases. Instead of settling for the double, Wills tried to test UCLA by taking third, but a Mitchell-Strumpf-Kreidler relay caught Wills for the final out at third base in plenty of time.

Powell followed with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to nail down his league-leading 11^th save of the season. As a staff, UCLA went the whole contest without allowing a walk for the second time this season. 

UCLA was stymied over the first six innings of the game by Pepperdine starter Trevor Kniskern, who scattered five hits over 5 1/3 scoreless frames.

His counterpart, the Bruins' Jesse Bergin, was solid in his six-inning start. He allowed just two earned runs over six full innings, walking none and striking out eight. He picked up multiple strikeouts In three of his six innings, and retired seven straight at one point from the first to third frames.

"You have to give their starter a lot of credit, he pitched really well," said UCLA head coach John Savage. "We pitched pretty well, didn't allow any big innings, didn't walk anybody. There were some parts that I thought were pretty good, but we feel pretty fortunate to come out of that with a win."

Senior righty Nate Hadley retired both batters he faced in the top of the seventh inning to become the pitcher of record, moving him to a team-best 6-0 on the year. He has now picked up the win in four of UCLA's seven midweek games.

With the victory, UCLA remained an unbeaten 7-0 in midweek contests. At seven straight wins overall, the Bruins are in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season.   

UCLA returns to Pac-12 play this week, hosting California for a three-game series starting on Thursday. The Pac-12 Networks will televise the Thursday and Friday matchups of the series, with both slated for 7:00 p.m. starts.