UCLA baseball (7-2) faced its first loss of the season where the bats remained silent, as Arizona State (7-2) handed the Bruins a 2-0 shutout at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Wednesday.
The Bruins, who averaged over 10 runs per game prior to this match, were kept scoreless by four Sun Devils pitchers, marking Arizona State’s first shutout of a Power Four school in over 20 years.
“We just didn’t hit,” said head coach John Savage. “They really pounded the zone with multiple pitches and power stuff. That was as good of pitching as we’ve seen all year.”
Arizona State entered the game with a 5.70 ERA but limited UCLA to just four hits and two walks while striking out 12. Right-hander Derek Schaefer, a 2024 College World Series champion with Tennessee, made an impressive start, allowing just two hits and striking out five in four innings.
Left-hander Cole Carlon then came in for the middle innings, fanning five batters over three frames to secure the win. The Sun Devils’ bullpen closed out the game with two more innings, allowing only one walk and one hit.
“We weren’t ready for his stuff,” said UCLA’s sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu, one of only three Bruins to register a hit. “He had good tempo, and he caught us off guard.”
Arizona State broke the deadlock in the top of the seventh inning. Graduate student left-hander Ryan Rissas walked designated hitter Landon Hairston with two outs. Hairston stole second, and Isaiah Jackson followed with an RBI double over UCLA’s right fielder to make it 1-0.
Rissas then hit the next batter, and a fielding error by third baseman Roman Martin prolonged the inning. Relief pitcher Josh Alger took over but allowed another RBI single, giving the Sun Devils a 2-0 lead.
UCLA had a chance to rally in the bottom of the ninth. Sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky walked to lead off the inning, and third baseman Roman Martin followed with a single. However, pinch hitter Cameron Kim fouled out, and Jarrod Hocking struck out to end the game.
UCLA’s Luke Rodriguez, who made a spot start after pitching in relief over the weekend, gave a solid performance. The sophomore right-hander allowed just three baserunners in five innings, striking out four while needing just 59 pitches to get through his outing.
“I trusted Coach Savage’s game plan,” Rodriguez said. “He studied these guys, and I just focused on pounding the strike zone.”
Despite the loss, Savage remained optimistic. “We pitched well enough to win, but that’s baseball. We just didn’t score.”
Related topics: