Pac-12 teams averaged 9.75 hits per game last season.
And the Bruins, despite the second-worst batting average in the conference, still recorded 8.98 base knocks per contest.
However, they have managed just seven hits in the past two games combined.
No.14 Vanderbilt (9-1) defeated UCLA baseball (7-3) by an 8-3 score in the schools’ first contest of the Southern California College Baseball Classic at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Commodores scored four in both the first and third innings Friday, while the Bruins amassed just three hits all game.
“When you play high-level people and you dig yourself that big of a hole, it’s hard to come back,” said coach John Savage. “It’s hard to come back against that sort of pitching. You can do that against certain people, but against a program like Vanderbilt, it’s pretty hard to do with those arms.”
In the top of the first, Commodore third baseman Brodie Johnston and designated hitter Mac Rose went back-to-back off junior right-hander Cody Delvecchio – the former hitting a three-run homer and the latter a solo shot.
But the Bruin offense responded in the bottom of the second, as sophomore third baseman Roman Martin and junior right fielder Jarrod Hocking led off the inning with a walk and a double. Redshirt sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan then reached on a dropped third strike to load the bases with nobody out.
A sac-fly by sophomore designated hitter Cameron Kim and a successful safety squeeze by sophomore catcher Cashel Dugger cut Vanderbilt’s lead in half to 4-2.
In the third, Delvecchio was removed after allowing the first four Commodores to reach. But after junior right-hander Michael Barnett allowed two of three inherited runners to score, Delvecchio’s final line reflected eight earned runs – raising his ERA to 10.03 on the season.
Both offenses stalled after Vanderbilt extended its lead to 8-2. The Bruins didn’t manage a single hit following Hocking’s second inning double until a leadoff single from Kim in the seventh.
Left-hander JD Thompson, the No. 65 draft prospect for 2025 according to MLB Pipeline, surrendered just the Hocking double, two hit-by-pitches and a walk across his five-inning outing, accumulating eight strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt right-hander Connor Fennell struck out two in his only inning of work while right-hander Alex Kranzler collected a three-inning save.
“With their pitching, it just was one of those nights where they kind of had their way with us,” Savage said.
Likewise, the Bruins’ bullpen found success following their starter’s exit, as freshman right-hander CJ Bott, redshirt junior right-hander Josh Alger, graduate student left-hander Ryan Rissas, sophomore right-hander Cal Randall and sophomore left-hander Kaena Kiakona combined for six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
“I mean, our pen (bullpen) is strong,” Bott said. “We’ve been working on that all fall, winter, and I’m happy that we’re showing it.”
While UCLA’s weekend starters have a 6.37 ERA, the rest of the pitching staff has posted a 1.67 ERA.
After the second inning, no Bruin advanced past second until the eighth, when sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu smoked a solo home run – the Bruins’ third and final hit of the day.
“At the beginning of the game, we were just a little sped up,” Kim said. “We’ll be good. We just have to get back to it tomorrow.”
The Southern California College Classic will continue through the weekend. UCLA will have a chance to rebound against Connecticut on Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by a clash against USC on Sunday at 2 p.m. as well.
“This is a good opportunity for us to see where we’re at,” Savage said. “We lost last Friday and ended up winning the weekend. We’ve been in this position before.”
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