UCLA loses tight duel with Texas in NCAA baseball regional opener

LONG BEACH >> UCLA got almost everything it wanted from its first postseason game since 2015: a tight pitchers duel, a full crowd at Blair Field, a historic performance from pitcher Griffin Caing.

The only thing the Bruins didn’t get was a win.

Caing became the sixth UCLA pitcher to reach 300 career strikeouts Friday, but the Bruins couldn’t muster enough run support for their ace in a 3-2 loss to Texas in the opening game of the Long Beach Regional in the NCAA touament.

“It was everything we thought it was going to be,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “At the end of the day we didn’t quite play clean enough baseball.”

Caing, a Santa Margarita High alum, scattered six hits in 7 2/3 iings with two walks and six strikeouts to bring his career total to 301. The All-Pac-12 right-hander has 140 strikeouts this season, but was chased from Friday’s game in the eighth after giving up a two-out RBI double to Travis Jones.

“There’s stuff I can take from it, positive things, but it ultimately comes down to what I can do for my team, and it wasn’t good enough today,” Caing said.

Two UCLA errors in the seventh iing and a two-out walk in the eighth ultimately cost the junior a win as UCLA’s ninth-iing rally fell short.

After Kacy Clemens gave Texas a one-run lead in the fourth iing with a solo home run, UCLA freshman Ryan Kreidler missed an easy catch in the seventh that allowed Jones to reach first. The Texas designated hitter stole second and advanced to third on an error by catcher Daniel Rosica, then scored on a single from Bret Boswell.

Kreidler bounced back quickly as the shortstop scored UCLA’s first run with a solo home run to lead off the eighth. The Bruins nearly tied the game, but stranded Daniel Amaral at second.

Caing walked Patrick Mathis with two outs in the eighth, then gave up back-to-back hits, including the double from Jones that gave the Longhos a two-run lead.

“I thought the two best at-bats they had were Boswell’s at-bat and Jones’ at-bat,” Savage said. “Those were the two best at-bats of the day for Texas and I thought they basically won that game.”

UCLA got one run back in the ninth when Micheal Toglia came home on a single from Jack Stronach, but stranded two ruers when Jake Pries popped up for the final out.

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The Bruins were only 2 for 15 with ruers on and 1 for 7 with ruers in scoring position. UCLA had eight hits but left seven on base.

Needing a win Saturday to stave off elimination, the Bruins find themselves in familiar territory. After limping to a 7-11 start, UCLA powered back to ea a postseason berth. They saved their season with a third-place finish in the Pac-12 and are ready to do it again with a win Saturday.

“We’re here, so we’re just going to keep playing how we’re playing,” Kreidler said. “Take tomorrow for what it is and just play our butts off and see what happens.”

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