Tuesday night, No. 21 UCLA demonstrated how every small contribution can be the difference between winning and losing.
Junior infielder Chris Keck, redshirt sophomore outfielder Christoph Bono and freshman outfielder Kort Peterson scored a run and an RBI each, while two other Bruins scored a run each to give UCLA a 5-3 win against Loyola Marymount.
“We played well as a team and executed well on the plate,” said senior outfielder Brian Carroll. “(Freshman pitcher) Grant (Dyer) threw a good game for us, we played well on defense and it was a pretty good win for us.”
Dyer came out on top, earning his fourth victory and allowing only two runs in five innings pitched.
“We have been getting better at practice and our coach has been doing a great job on the scouting reports so I think we were very prepared and ready to play tonight,” Carroll said.
UCLA kicked off the game with sophomore outfielder Ty Moore singling to right field, earning an RBI as Bono scored.
The Lions caught up and surpassed the Bruins as they scored at the bottom of the first and third innings.
The Bruins did not see any more scoring action until Keck got on base in the fifth inning, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt and scoring after Bono doubled.
The next inning really illustrated how well the Bruins can relay off each other’s plays.
At the top of the sixth inning, redshirt sophomore infielder Justin Hazard singled to center field, putting runners on first and third. Sophomore infielder Trent Chatteron was then walked, loading the bases for the Bruins.
Keck was up next, and he singled to right field, allowing Peterson to score.
With a one-run lead, Carroll went up and hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Hazard to score and giving the Bruins a 4-2 lead.
“We need to keep executing on offense and just doing what we do. That’s given us success,” Carroll said.
UCLA will go on to face Long Beach State in a three-game series this weekend after defeating it in a midweek game last week.
