James Hepp barely got started before things went south for UCLA. The junior right-hander faced just three batters on Tuesday night and couldn’t retire any of them, setting the tone for what became a frustrating 5-3 loss to UC Irvine.
Despite a strong effort from the bullpen, the five-run opening inning from the Anteaters ended up being the difference. No. 12 UC Irvine improved to 29-9 (16-2 Big West), while the No. 15 Bruins dropped to 29-11 (13-5 Big Ten), adding another Quad 1 loss to a recent string of tough results.
It was a tough start in what was a milestone game — the 100th meeting between the two UC programs. Hepp’s outing ended quickly when UC Irvine shortstop Colin Yeaman launched his sixth pitch over the wall for a two-run homer. Right after that, Will Goldberg stepped in and gave up another bomb, this time to Chase Call, who smashed a two-run shot of his own.
The Bruins tried to punch back in the second inning with a solo homer from Jarrod Hocking — his second in three games — but that was the only extra-base hit they’d get all night. From there, the offense just couldn’t find rhythm. They had chances in the third and eighth innings with two runners on each time, but both rallies ended with double plays.
Roch Cholowsky, who went 2-for-4, summed it up simply: “We’re just not playing good enough. We’re not stringing enough at-bats together during the game, and that’s really what it’s come down to is scoring runs.”
The Bruins struck out 10 times and left seven runners stranded. Meanwhile, UC Irvine’s pitching held strong. Ricky Ojeda stayed perfect on the season, moving to 9-0, and Danny Suarez came in for 2.1 innings of relief, striking out five and letting just two Bruins reach base.
Still, UCLA nearly mounted a ninth-inning comeback. Cashel Dugger pinch hit with two outs and loaded the bases after a deflection off the first baseman’s glove. Aidan Espinoza came in and delivered a clutch two-RBI single to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. But Dean West, despite a three-hit night, struck out to end it.
While the offense stalled, UCLA’s bullpen did everything it could. The final five relievers tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just six baserunners and striking out nine. CJ Bott and Josh Alger each threw two solid frames.
It felt a lot like last week’s game against Oregon State, where the bullpen kept things close but the bats couldn’t do their part.
“This is probably the first time all season that we’ve had a little adversity,” Hocking said. “I’m just really excited to see how we’re going to deal with it because I think we’re going to attack it, and it’s going to make us better ultimately.”
Now the question is whether the Bruins can regroup before this slump snowballs.