LOS ANGELES -- A No. 1 overall seed had never lost a regional opener under the NCAA Baseball Tournament’s current format. That changed on Friday.
Four-seeded Saint Mary’s ousted top-seeded UCLA, 3-2, in the opening game of the Los Angeles regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Saint Mary’s (35-25) victory was stunning. But it also correlated with the Bruins’ (51-7) shaky form lately.
“The same thing that makes you laugh will make you cry at times,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “We’ve kind of been playing on … that tight rope a little bit.”
The wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the country has flirted with countless upset defeats over the previous weeks. Yet, they almost always evaded disaster.
So, when the Bruins and Gaels entered Friday’s ninth inning in a 2-2 tie, the expectation remained the same: UCLA would somehow find a way to win. Then, Gaels senior Jacob Johnson cast a serious shade of doubt upon that belief.
Johnson — who opened the scoring with an opposite field solo homer in the fourth inning — lofted a seemingly routine fly ball to right field with one out in the ninth. The Saint Mary’s designated hitter said he wasn’t sure if he’d gotten his second home run of the game, but thought he “put a great swing on it.”.
Bruin right fielder Jarred Hocking had a beat on the ball, although he kept drifting. The senior outfielder continued shuffling backward, stepping on the warning track as a hush fell upon the JRS crowd.
Then, an eruption occurred — from a concentrated section of red and navy blue. The patch of Saint Mary’s fans sitting above the first base dugout roared as the ball sailed over the wall, and beyond the reach of a leaping Hocking.
But even with the Gaels holding a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, UCLA still had a reasonable shot at victory. And naturally, the game came down to Roch Cholowsky, who stepped to the dish with a man on first and two outs.
The projected first overall pick in this summer’s MLB Draft had an RBI, but was 0-for-3 at that point. He was also seeking the first extra-base hit of his NCAA tournament career after failing to register one during UCLA’s College World Series run last year.
Facing a 2-2 count with the chance to deliver the most important swing of his career, Cholowsky lifted a fastball into center field. Gasps reverberated around JRS, but they were brief.
Saint Mary’s centerfielder Tanner Griffith settled under the ball several steps in front of the warning track. He squeezed the final out, drawing another roar from the Gaels’ faithful. Some Saint Mary’s fans even belted out a brief “Beat LA” chant as UCLA supporters departed.
“They travel everywhere,” Saint Mary’s right-hander John Damozonio said. “It’s so awesome. We always have a square [of fans].”
Damozonio, the Gaels’ ace, limited UCLA to two runs across seven innings. The Bruins mustered five knocks against the senior, with Roman Martin’s fourth-inning solo homer being the only hit that produced a run.
Damozonio credited much of Friday’s success to his two-seam fastball, which he often spotted inside to right-handed hitters. Though, the Bruins lack of production against the Saint Mary’s starter was a continuation of the same offensive inconsistency that’s forced them to play from behind so frequently of late.
What’s next for the Bruins?
UCLA’s charge to win the Los Angeles Regional will require four consecutive wins, starting with Saturday’s 1 pm game against Virginia Tech (30-25).
The Hokies “pitched off” in their 6-2 loss to Cal Poly (37-22), preserving ace Brett Renfrow for their second game of the regional. Virginia Tech likely employed the strategy to have its best arm available for a potential winner’s bracket game against the Bruins on Saturday. Renfrow will get that matchup against UCLA, ironically, in a win-or-go-home contest.
The Bruins will turn to right-hander Michael Barnett. The senior, who relies on deception as opposed to overpowering stuff, hasn’t gone past five innings in a start since late March. Though UCLA is 27-2 in games started by Barnett over the past two seasons.
“We’ve been through a lot as a core — especially our junior class,” Martin said. “We know how to lose, and we know what it takes to respond.”