The No. 1 UCLA baseball team won Game 2 of its series with a 9-8 victory over the No. 12 USC Trojans on Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Bruins won the game by just one point, unlike their 12-4 victory in Friday’s series opener. UCLA’s hitters continued to stay in contact and had the best of the Trojan bullpen, totaling 12 hits in nine runs with eight RBIs.
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quick start
The Trojans scored the game’s first run, but after three hits, the Bruins wouldn’t allow them to add to their lead as USC left two runners on in the top of the first. UCLA loaded the bases in the bottom half of the second and had five hits to take a 3-1 lead.
Falling behind in the third game
The Trojans responded in the top half of the third quarter, scoring four runs on five hits to regain the lead at 5-3. UCLA managed to cut into USC’s lead in the bottom half of the third when redshirt junior outfielder Payton Brennan hit the Bruins’ only home run of the game.
Out of control in the fifth inning
UCLA trailed USC even further in the top of the fifth inning, allowing two more runs on a hit and an error. The Trojans were in complete control of the game.
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UCLA’s comeback
The Bruins took the lead with a gritty hitting performance, scoring four runs on three hits and leading 8-7 at the end of the sixth quarter.
end another victory
USC scored one more run in the top of the eighth to tie the game at eight, but UCLA got the tiebreaker in the bottom of the inning on wild pitching. UCLA allowed a fielding error to a baserunner in the top of the ninth but did not allow any runs to secure the win.
UCLA will play its final game of the series on Sunday, with an expected start time of 4 p.m. PT.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA beats USC by one point in second game of series