LOS ANGELES — After a last-inning, one-run victory on Friday, April 25 and an easier 9-1 win on Saturday, April 26, the No. 15 UCLA Bruins finished their weekend sweep of Penn State with a 6-3 triumph in the finale on Sunday, April 27.
Playing at home at Jackie Robinson Stadium, UCLA scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning on Sunday, April 27, to take an early 3-1 lead.
But Penn State cut that lead to one run twice, once in the fourth to 3-2 and then in the sixth to 4-3.
UCLA, however, had the final say in this game.
In the bottom of the seventh on 2B Roch Cholowsky’s 16th home run of the season, a two-run shot that put the Bruins ahead for good at 6-3.
UCLA relievers Chris Grothues and Easton Hawk finished up for starter Landon Stump without giving up a run over the final three innings.
Penn State’s Joe and Jesse Jaconski combined for four hits and two RBIs in the game. Jesse Jaconski hit two doubles and drove in a run in the first inning that gave the Lions a 1-0 lead. Jesse later scored the Lions’ third run after hitting a double in the sixth inning and scoring on a wild pitch.
Joe Jaconski led off the Penn State fourth inning with a home run to right field that at the time brought the Lions to within a run, 3-2.
Penn State lost a heartbreaker in the first game of the series on Friday, April 25.
Going into the ninth inning behind 5-2, the Nittany Lions put up four runs to take a 6-5 lead over the Bruins.
In the bottom of the ninth, though, UCLA scored a run on an error to tie the game, and then Penn State loaded the bases, hoping for a double-play to force extra innings.
Mulival Levu sent a grounder up the middle that was fielded by Derek Cease, but the double play failed as Levu just beat the throw to first base and allowed the winning run to score.
In the Penn State ninth, Jack Porter hit a two run, bases loaded single that tied the game at 5-5, and then Jesse Jaconski put the Lions ahead with a clutch RBI hit to left field.
On Saturday, April 26, it was all UCLA as the Bruins scored eight runs in the middle innings and picked up a 9-1 victory.
Four Bruin pitchers, led by starter Michael Barnett, held the Lions to seven hits and one run as UCLA wrapped up its 31st win.
Jesse Jaconski accounted for the PSU run with an RBI single in the top of the ninth.
The series loss set the Penn State record at 25-17 overall and 12-12 in the Big Ten.
Coming up, the Lions headed home to take on Rider on Wednesday, April 30, and then are off to entertain Big Ten rival Maryland in a three-game series on Friday, May 2, Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, at Medlar Field.
After that, the Lions will have just one more conference series, at Rutgers, and seven games total before the beginning of the Big Ten Tournament on Monday, May 19.
