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Bruins Clinch Series Over No. 2 OSU With 7-4 Win

by uclabruins.com
May 20, 2022
Carson Yates (photo: Scobel Wiggins)

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Behind five shutout innings from the bullpen and strong offensive days from Carson Yates and Jake Palmer, the No. 22-ranked UCLA baseball team recorded a 7-4 win over No. 2 Oregon State on Friday night at Goss Stadium.

The victory clinched the set for the Bruins (35-19, 19-10 Pac-12), who picked up their first series win in Corvallis since 2010. UCLA has now won five consecutive league games, and has ensured it will receive no lower than the third seed in next week's inaugural Pac-12 Tournament.

Oregon State meanwhile lost its fourth consecutive game, dropping its record to 40-13, 19-10.

Saturday's series finale between the Beavers and Bruins, scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. PT start, will determine who receives the No. 2 seed in the tourney, with Stanford having wrapped up the top seed by virtue of its 22-3 victory over USC.

The Bruins drew first blood on Friday, plating a single run in the top of the first to take the early lead. Jake Palmer did most of the work to bring in that run, scorching an 0-2 pitch inside the third-base bag for a one-out double before moving to third on a Michael Curialle fly ball and scoring on a wild pitch.

Oregon State took the lead with a three-spot in the bottom half of the first, but UCLA immediately answered back with a three-run rally of its own to re-establish the lead in the second.

Yates had the big hit of that rally, pouncing on the first pitch he saw from OSU starter Jacob Kmatz and sending it over the wall in left-center for a go-ahead three-run homer. UCLA would not trail the rest of the contest.

Palmer was at the center of another go-ahead rally in the sixth, driving a base hit through the left side of the infield to score Kenny Oyama from second.

The Bruins rallied for a couple insurance runs in the ninth, with Ethan Gourson singling home Palmer before Kyle Karros drove one off the wall in left for an RBI double.

After the early back-and-forth, UCLA's relief corps settled the game down starting in the fifth.

Junior righty Charles Harrison was the first man out of the pen, and proceeded to throw three scoreless frames – the second-longest outing for him this season. He ran into little trouble, but had to wiggle out of a two-on jam in the seventh after a pair of walks, getting pinch-hitter Gavin Logan to fly to left for the inning-ending out.

Freshman right-hander Alonzo Tredwell pitched the final 1 2/3 innings of the game, giving up just a pair of singles en route to his fifth save of the season (and second of the weekend).

Overall, UCLA's pitchers held OSU to a 1-7 line with runners in scoring position. The Beavers ultimately stranded 11 runners on the night.

Curialle (3-5) led the Bruins in hits for the night with three singles. Oyama (2-4) and Palmer (2-4) each had multi-hit outings.

OSU was led by Jacob Melton (1-4, three-run homer) and Justin Boyd (3-4, HR). The bottom four spots in the Beavers' order combined to go 0-14.  

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