The No. 1 UCLA baseball team dropped their second Big Ten Conference game of the season in a surprising 8-0 shutout by Washington in the series opener at Husky Ballpark in Seattle, Wash. on Thursday.
The Bruins dropped to a 26-2 conference record with their only other Big Ten loss coming in their second game against No. 15 Oregon. UCLA’s batters struggled against the Huskies two-man right-handed pitching crew of graduate student Jackson Thomas and senior Gunnar Nichols, whom registered five strikeouts, five walks and allowed three hits for no runs.
Scoreless first three innings
Both teams’ pitching held their own to keep the game scoreless in the first three innings. UCLA got two runners on base in the top of the first with junior outfielder Dean West being hit by a pitch and junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky being walked, but neither would cross home plate. The Bruins first hit of the game came in the third for a single by junior first baseman Mulivai Levu.
First run in the fourth
UCLA started the top of the fourth with their second hit off of Thomas for a triple to center field by redshirt junior outfielder Payton Brennan. Despite the early success, the Bruins couldn’t get Brennan to run one more base to get home and they remained scoreless.
Washington got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a 368-foot homer to left field by redshirt junior catcher Colton Bower.
Huskies have a massive fifth
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Wylan Moss allowed two more runs to begin the fifth and junior right-handed pitcher Jake Swenson stepped on the mound to relieve him. Swenson struggled against the Huskies vicious batting attack as well though and after allowing another run, he gave up a two-run, 394-foot homer to center field by Bower.
UCLA almost run-ruled
Washington’s offensive onslaught subsided after a pair of pitching changes in the sixth that kept the Huskies at six-runs. However, it didn’t last long as the Huskies fetched another late-inning run in the bottom of the seventh off of a wild pitch that had Bower running across home plate for the third time.
Shutout completed
UCLA’s batters continued to struggle generate offense and despite two Bruins getting on base with hit by a pitch and a walk, UCLA couldn’t get them home in the eighth. Washington took advantage of the UCLA’s offensive struggles and scored their final run of the game off of a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth.
The Bruins final chance to get on the board was in the top of the ninth, but UCLA’s batters weren’t up for the challenge. Just three batters stepped up to the plate and the game was done.
UCLA will have a chance at redemption in their second game against Washington on Friday with an anticipated start time of 6:05 p.m. PT.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA Bruins baseball shutout 8-0 by the Washington Huskies
