Ethan Gourson Launches Walk-Off Home Run, UCLA Baseball Wins Series Against CSUN
Ethan Gourson had been actively playing college baseball for all of three days, and the Bruins necessary him to pull through with the recreation and collection on the line.
The freshman 2nd baseman rose to the problem.
UCLA baseball (2-1) was in the 13th inning versus CSUN (1-2), on the verge of blowing Sunday’s rubbermatch at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins had led 3- late but allow the Matadors pressure extras, then stranded six runners via the very first a few reward frames.
Gourson, who experienced previously gotten on foundation four periods in the sport, was stepping up to the plate with no outs and a man on first. An added-foundation hit would undoubtedly score fast still left fielder Kenny Oyama, but by way of 14 job plate appearances, Gourson didn’t have one particular to his title just nonetheless.
The lefty infielder took the 1st pitch he observed deep to still left-middle, and it just got more than the fence to give UCLA the 5-3 walk-off victory.
The stakes have been greater than just one particular large second for a refreshing confront, however, taking into consideration the Bruins adopted up Friday’s earn with a 6-4 loss Saturday. In the latter contest, UCLA trailed 6- prior to scoring four in the base of the ninth, and they obtained the tying operate to second right before popping out to conclude the match.
The Bruins had been about to make up for the limited reduction by closing points out Sunday, driving Orange Coastline College transfer suitable-hander Kelly Austin’s six scoreless innings and eight strikeouts to an early lead. Freshman appropriate-hander Thatcher Hurd pitched excellent frames in the seventh and eighth, so heading into the ninth, the Matadors experienced only gotten 3 adult men on base all day extensive.
With junior correct-hander Charles Harrison getting the mound on the lookout to protected the save, CSUN got a few much more adult men on base, and they all scored. Appropriate fielder Andrew Sojka took Harrison garden on the very first pitch with two guys aboard, and it was instantly all tied up at 3-3.
UCLA was on the verge of allowing its opponent do what they by themselves had been not able to do the day right before, likely dropping the very first series of the yr in the approach. Performing so would have mirrored last year’s season-opening sequence reduction to San Francisco, which was the starting of the program’s worst regular season considering the fact that 2017.
Stranding two adult males in the 10th and the bases loaded in the 12th did not do anything to avoid a comparable fate to past calendar year, and it was Gourson who wound up switching the Bruins’ favors in the 13th.
UCLA obtained its initially three runs one at a time, with UC Irvine first baseman Jake Palmer singling in junior suitable fielder Michael Curialle in the to start with, Oyama thieving third and scoring on an mistake in the fifth and freshman center fielder Malakhi Knight driving in freshman pinch-runner Alex Fernandes in the sixth on a single up the center.
The Bruins essential every and each a person of these operates to keep alive in further innings, and they finished the weekend averaging 6 operates, 12 hits and 20 gentlemen on base for every game.
UCLA will return to Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday night to consider on Pepperdine at 6 p.m., the fourth video game of the Bruins’ nine-sport homestand to open the period.
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