Oregon falls to UCLA Falls in the opener, 8-4

Angels – The UCLA baseball team lost 8-4 to No. 20 Oregon in the series opener Friday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Bruins (11-16, 4-9 Pac-12) allowed just three earned runs in the contest, but Oregon (21-7, 7-3) had 14 hits as a team while holding UCLA to just six.

UCLA took a brief lead after plating a pair in the third to make it 2-1, but Oregon rallied for good with four in the fourth. The Ducks broke away with a two-run double in the sixth and two outs in the ninth.

The latter spoiled a great effort by the UCLA bullpen as right-handers Caden Goettinger And John John Vance Limited the visitors to one unearned run over 4 2/3 innings.

Six different Bruins won Friday's contest. UCLA had two extra-base hits on the night, and they came in back-to-back at-bats to lead the Bruins to third.

Redshirt junior right fielder AJ Salgado Going the other way with a 1-2 offering and lining it over the net over the left-field wall, the Bruins got on the board with a solo homer to left. Freshman left fielder Payton Brennan He followed with a triple off the top of the wall in right and would come around to score moments later on a base hit by the junior center fielder. Malachi Knight.

UCLA would score two more runs in the sixth inning to make it a two-run game. The newcomer is the catcher Cashel Tucker The big knock in that rally was Oregon starter R.J. The freshman first baseman lined a 3-2 pitch from Gordon into shallow right field Tails of Ashes. Later in the inning, Salgado picked up his second RBI of the game with a liner to center field that required a diving catch. Roche Solovsky per bag.

Oregon dominated the middle of its lineup as the 3-4-5-6 combo of Jacob Walsh, Jeffrey Heard, Anson Arrows and DH Smith went 9-for-19 with six RBIs. Walsh put the Ducks ahead for good with a two-run homer in the fourth, and Heard added a two-run two-backer in the ninth.

UCLA and Oregon continue the series Saturday at 6pm PT on the Pac-12 Networks.