UCLA Rematches LMU on Tuesday

No. 10 UCLA (12-6) vs. Loyola Marymount (7-11)
Tuesday, Mar. 23, 2021 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Jackie Robinson Stadium
Live Stream
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Play-by-Play Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Live Stats

UCLA Hosts Loyola Marymount on Tuesday    
No. 10 UCLA (12-6) wraps up a four-game homestand on Tuesday night, hosting WCC-member Loyola Marymount for a Tuesday tune-up starting at 6:00 p.m. It's the second midweek of the season between the two, with the Bruins taking a 5-2 decision at home on Feb. 23. The contest will be streamed live on UCLABruins.com. Fans can also follow along with an audio broadcast and live stats on UCLABruins.com as well as live updates from the team Twitter account, @UCLABaseball. 

Jackie Robinson Stadium Remains Spectator-Free    
Due to local and state health guidelines, all UCLA Athletics competitions will be hosted in a spectator-free environment. For updates regarding in-person attendance at UCLA Athletics events, please check UCLABruins.com.

Projected Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, Mar. 23 - 6:00 p.m. PT 
UCLA - Jake Brooks, RHP, Fr. (0-0, 2.70 ERA)
LMU - Owen Hackman, RHP, Fr. (1-1, 5.40 ERA)

The Week In Review    
UCLA is coming off a series victory over Arizona last weekend, taking two of three from the 17th-ranked Wildcats at Jackie Robinson Stadium. It was the first Pac-12 series of the year for both squads. 

• UCLA did not play a midweek last week due to finals. It was the first week without a Tuesday game for UCLA this year. 
• The Bruins opened Pac-12 play with a walk-off 3-2 win over Arizona on Friday night. Jack Filby plated the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth, drawing a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded to force the run in. It was the second time this season Filby walked on four pitches to clinch a UCLA walk-off victory (Feb. 26 vs. UC Irvine). UCLA led 2-0 for most of the game, but had to rally after Arizona tied it with a two-run homer in the eighth. Zach Pettway threw five scoreless on the mound for the Bruins, his longest start yet in 2021. Michael Curialle put the Bruins up by a pair with a two-run single in the fourth. 
• Arizona evened the series with a 7-3 win on Saturday. Each of the top six hitters in the UCLA lineup recorded a hit, including Noah Cardenas (2-3) and Kevin Kendall (2-5). Falling behind 3-0, UCLA fought back to tie the game at 3-3 after scoring one in the sixth and two in the seventh, but Arizona responded with four runs over the next two innings to cement the win. 
• The Bruins clinched the series with an 11-3 rubber match win on Sunday. UCLA fell behind early 2-0, but scored in six consecutive innings starting in the second to quickly re-take control. The Bruins scored nine unanswered runs at one point. Eight of nine UCLA starters had a hit, while JT Schwartz (3-5, two RBIs) and Matt McLain (1-4) each homered to lead the Bruin charge. McLain's solo shot in the fourth put the Bruins ahead for good. After scoring two runs in the the first, Arizona was limited to one run and three hits the rest of the way. Jake Saum and Jared Karros did the heavy lifting on the mound, pitching 2 2/3 innings of relief each. Saum was credited with the win, the first of his career.

In This Week's Polls    
UCLA appeared in all five major national polls on Monday, ranking as high as No. 10 (D1Baseball) and remaining in the top-25 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, (No. 11), NCBWA (No. 11), Collegiate Baseball (No. 11), and Baseball America (No. 17). LMU is unranked in all polls. 

Midweek Notes
UCLA is 16-1 in midweeks over the last two-plus seasons, including an unbeaten 11-0 mark in 2019 and three wins in three games this season. UCLA has defeated LMU (once) and Cal St. Fullerton (twice) in midweek action this year, outscoring their opponents 25-5 in those games. The Bruins went 2-1 in midweeks last year, topping Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine at home before falling on the road at UC Santa Barbara for the team's first loss of the year. The Bruins are slated to face just four teams in midweeks in 2021: Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton, Pepperdine, and Nevada.

The All-Time Series Against Loyola Marymount    
UCLA owns a 58-48-1 record all-time against Loyola Marymount, including a 14-6 mark under head coach John Savage. This is the fourth consecutive season that the Bruins and Lions have matched up. UCLA and LMU played each other five times during the 2019 season (two midweeks, three postseason games) and are scheduled to play four midweeks agaainst each other in 2021. 

Last Time Out Against the Lions    
UCLA defeated the Lions, 5-2, on Feb. 23 of this year. After falling behind 2-0 in the second, UCLA went ahead for good with a four-run rally in the sixth. Sean Mullen was dominant on the mound for UCLA, allowing just two unearned runs and striking out seven over 7 1/3 innings. 

Hits At A Premium For the Opposition
Over the first 18 games of the 2021 season, UCLA's pitching staff has held its opponents to:

• 3 hits or fewer in three games
• 4 hits or fewer in four games
• 5 hits or fewer in five games
• Zero extra-base hits in five games (including three of the last four Sundays)

Friendly Confines    
UCLA is 10-3 at home this year and has gone 89-29 (.754) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. The Bruins have won 19 of their last 20 regular season home series. 

Seeing Double
UCLA has produced double figures in the run column in five of the team's last 11 games, a first for the program since accomplishing the feat from Mar. 22 - Apr. 7, 2019. The Bruins have outscored their opponents 91-50 over the last 11 games.

Going For A Walk
The Bruins drew their 100th team walk of the season on Sunday against Arizona, placing them 22nd nationally. UCLA has drawn at least three walks in every game this season, and has drawn six or more walks in 9-of-18 games. Jack Filby (19, second) and Matt McLain (13, seventh) both rank top-10 in the league in walks this year.