This post was updated May 23 at 9:45 p.m.
On the day they honored their departing seniors pregame, the Bruins staved off the Golden Bears to avoid a series sweep.
No. 18 UCLA baseball (32-18, 15-12 Pac-12) defeated California (28-24, 14-13) 7-4 on Sunday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Following losses to the Bears on Friday and Saturday, the win also helped the hosts dodge getting swept for the first time since May 2018.
“We drop this one, we’re at a pretty tough spot,” said coach John Savage. “This team has been in tough spots all year – I mean we don’t ever really get any house money. We just don’t get ahead. … I’m proud of our guys, how we fought and it was a big win, big response from the last two days.”
Sunday was the last home game of the season, and the Bruins celebrated Senior Day with a ceremony before the contest to honor the six seniors on the team, including redshirt senior left fielder Kyle Cuellar and senior right-hander Adrian Chaidez who both made appearances in the contest.
“Our seniors are big,” said junior third baseman Jake Moberg. “We have two captains that are seniors, two (veteran) pitchers. I’m pretty close with all the seniors. They all work really hard, they set examples for the younger guys and it was just big to get a win for them on their last home game, regular season.”
In similar fashion to his last four starts, junior right-hander Jesse Bergin kicked off his time on the mound allowing an earned run in the opening frame. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for left fielder Steven Zobac, who grounded out to junior second baseman Mikey Perez, scoring a run and giving the Bears the early lead.
Bergin settled into his outing in the second, retiring the side on seven pitches.
Moberg got the Bruins on the board in the bottom half of the inning, launching his first career home run to right center and giving UCLA a two-run lead.
“It was amazing, especially trying to take the game on Sunday after losing two,” Moberg said. “It came at a good time. Two strikes, got a good swing off, felt good.”
A solo shot from Zobac in the fourth – Cal’s fifth of the weekend – brought the Bears within one, but Moberg again put the Bruins up a pair on a double to left center in the following frame to bring freshman center fielder JonJon Vaughns home for the second time in the contest.
Bergin allowed four more hits in the remainder of his outing, including Zobac’s home run, and finished the afternoon with two earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts over five innings. The junior walked away with the win for the first time since April 18, bringing his record to 5-3.
“Today I kind of was just in a ‘screw it’ mindset,” Bergin said. “Two guys getting on – I didn’t really let it affect me, I (just kept) making pitches and attacking the hitters. … I think I did a good job of that today, versus other starts where I let it affect me and it makes me overdo it and try more.”
Freshman first baseman Kyle Karros led off the bottom of the sixth for the Bruins with a base hit, and Vaughns replaced him on a fielder’s choice. Redshirt junior second baseman Kevin Kendall singled to advance Vaughns to third, and sophomore right fielder Michael Curialle brought the pair home on a triple. Cuellar capped off UCLA’s rally and its scoring on the afternoon with a single to center field, scoring Kendall and bringing the score to 7-2.
The Bears picked up a pair of unearned runs in the eighth off freshman right-hander Max Rajcic, but a swinging strikeout stifled the rally. Designated hitter Jag Burden hit a hard line drive to the left side in the ninth, but Moberg made a jumping catch to corral the line drive and secure the win for the Bruins.
“(The catch) was big,” Moberg said. “Max was pitching good for us, he was going for another six-out day for us. Ball was just smoked and I just jumped up and grabbed it. Felt good to just put a period on that game.”
UCLA will play its last series of the season against Arizona State next weekend, with first pitch set for Thursday night in Phoenix.
