After winning Saturday to snap a road losing streak to the Bruins, WSU baseball (10-8, 2-4 Pac-12) fell to UCLA (7-11, 2-4) 9-4 in the series rubber match. Giving up a four-spot in the first inning, the WSU comeback attempt to secure the series win fell short.

Max Hartman walked to start the game, but UCLA starter Landon Stump retired the next three batters to get out of the inning without any damage. 

WSU starter Spencer Jones followed his predecessor, walking the first batter he faced, but he did not fare as well from there. After a wild pitch quickly put a runner in scoring position, he gave up a single to Roman Martin to set up a first-and-third situation with no outs. 

Another walk loaded the bases and as Jones hit a batter, the game’s first run crossed home plate. Back-to-back singles brought in three more runs, giving the Bruins a quick 4-0 lead. While Jones got a double play and strikeout to close out the inning, the damage had been done. 

While he found stability in the second and third innings, Jones struggled with his command early on. Just 33 of his 57 pitchers were strikes, a slightly below-average rate of roughly 58%. All told he pitched 3.2 innings, giving up five earned runs on five hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. 

In the top of the third inning, doubles from Kyle Russell and Joey Kramer both drove in one run, respectively, cutting the Bruins lead in half. In the next inning, a sacrifice fly by Hartman and another Russell double tied the game up. 

Now with momentum from tying the game and Jones pitching a clean two innings, the Cougs had the opportunity to secure their first series win in Los Angeles against the Bruins since 2002. 

But, as the Bruins responded in the bottom of the fourth with two runs of their own, the game had been effectively decided. 

UCLA scored three more runs in the bottom of the eighth, and over their final 15 outs, the Cougs failed to score another run. 

Despite losing by five, the Cougs tallied eight hits as a team, just one less than their adversaries. The biggest difference came from hitting with runners in scoring position. As WSU managed to go just 2-for-13 (.154), the Bruins hit an impressive 6-for-15 (.400). 

WSU constantly started with a runner on, leadoff hitters going 5-for-9 (.556), but hitting 4-for-20 (.200) with runners on failed to get things moving from there. 

Despite the loss, Nate Swarts continues his impressive on-base stretch, as his fourth-inning walk marked the 17th-straight game he made it on base at least once, which has been every game this season. Kramer, who doubled in the third, is not too far behind with his own 11-game streak.

Thus far, Swarts is slashing .333/.440/.619 for an OPS of 1.059, with all but his batting average being a career-high for the fifth-year outfielder. With 10 extra-base hits, Swarts has found a new power stroke, as the 2024 season has been the first time he reached double-digits in the category over a season. 

Although he sports a .440 on-base percentage, he is not the best at drawing traditional walks. He’s drawn just four walks in 2024, but a magnet of the ball, he’s been hit by pitches eight times through the first 17 games. 

Swarts and Co. have a quick turnaround, as a 4:05 p.m. Tuesday, they take on Seattle U at home at Bailey-Brayton Field for a two-game set.