Bruins Take Rubber Match Over Arizona, 7-3
TUCSON, Ariz. – Junior DH Josh Hahn hit a decisive two-run home run and freshman right-hander Thatcher Hurd allowed just one run over six innings as UCLA recorded a 7-3 victory over No. 9 Arizona on Sunday afternoon at Hi Corbett Field.
The result clinched the series for the Bruins (15-8, 3-3 Pac-12), who took a set from the Wildcats (17-7, 6-3) at Hi Corbett for the first time since 2012.
UCLA ended up holding Arizona – which entered the weekend averaging 8.3 runs per game – to nine runs overall on the weekend. The Wildcats' six hits on Sunday was just one above their 2022 season-low.
Hahn was one of several Bruin standouts offensively, as the top eight batters in the order all reached at least once. Freshman center fielder Malakhi Knight (2-6, two RBIs), freshman second baseman Ethan Gourson (1-3, two walks), graduate first baseman Jake Palmer (1-2, walk, two HBPs), and graduate left fielder Kenny Oyama (2-4, walk) all reached multiple times.
The Bruins never trailed in Sunday's contest, going ahead with a two-spot in the top of the first. Knight and Gourson set the table with an infield single and six-pitch walk, respectively, which allowed the first run of the game to come in after Arizona starter Dawson Netz plunked back-to-back Bruins. A second run would come in on a Hahn sac fly to center.
UCLA went on to take a comfortable lead after scoring in three of its final four offensive innings.
Hahn started that charge in the sixth inning by rocking a 3-2 fastball from Netz over the fence-line in right field for a two-run home run, his second of the year. The blast chased Netz from the game and stood up as the game-winning hit.
The Bruins would go on to add insurance with a pinch-hit RBI single from Daylen Reyes in the seventh, and a two-run knock up the middle from Knight in the eighth.
Hurd delivered six innings of two-run ball for the Bruins, picking up the win to improve to 2-0 on the year.
He was especially dominant early on, retiring the first 13 batters of the game in a row. Arizona broke up that streak with back-to-back singles in the fifth, and the hosts ultimately cashed in both those runs to briefly tie it up.
After Hahn's go-ahead roundtripper, Hurd came back with a five-pitch shutdown inning in the sixth to end his day on a high note.
Freshmen Gage Jump and Alonzo Tredwell took over the rest of the way. Jump overcame a leadoff error in the seventh, retiring the next three batters in order to get the zero. Tredwell got the final six outs of the contest, rolling up a key double play ball in the eighth inning to snuff out Arizona's last potential rally.
UCLA plays its next five games at home, starting on Tuesday night with a 6:00 p.m. matchup against UC Santa Barbara. That contest will be streamed live on Pac-12.com and Pac-12 Insider.