AJ Salgado’s two-run double capped a four-run fourth inning to give No. 15 UCLA the cushion it needed to hold off Murray State, 6-4, Saturday at the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
After promising first and second innings resulted in just one run each, UCLA (1-0) broke through in the pivotal fourth. Phoenix Call and Dean West singled, then Roch Cholowsky laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to score Call.
Roman Martin’s two-out RBI single preceded Salgado’s key double, giving the Bruins a 6-0 lead over the Racers.
Murray State (0-1) avoided early threats, escaping a bases-loaded, no-outs first inning giving up only one run. In the second, Dean West drove in Cashel Dugger with no outs, but West was caught returning to first after trying for two. The tag helped the Racers momentarily avoid further damage.
The Racers scored runs in the fifth and sixth on Carson Garner and Dan Tauken RBIs, and Dylan Zentko came on in relief to hold UCLA scoreless for 2 2/3 innings.
Jonathan Hogart, who went 3-for-5, reached third in the seventh but Murray State could not drive him home. The Racers cut the deficit to two runs with a pair scored on August Souza in the eighth, but Murray State came no closer.
Easton Hawk sat down the Racers in order in the ninth, earning the save and sending the Bruins to a Monday matchup with the winner of Saturday’s No. 3 Arkansas-No. 6 LSU game. Murray State draws the Arkansas-LSU loser in a Monday elimination game matinee.
–Field Level Media
