UCLA starter Barnett is efficient and effective in limiting Hoosier bats and ending Indiana’s 6-game winning streak
By Carl James @jovian34 March 23rd, 2025
Indiana Hoosiers 4, UCLA Bruins 7
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Indiana was holding on to a 1-run lead in the 6th inning of a great match-up of starting pitching. Ben Grable was a tad wild, but effective and improving command during the course of his outing. One of the toughest decisions to make in a game like this, especially when the other bullpen is deeper and the other starter more efficient, how long do you ride your ace. Grable was getting over 90 pitches in his longest outing of the season. He only needed one more out to get the Hoosiers back into the dugout with a lead and three innings to play: it just wasn’t to be.
A single and a towering homer gave UCLA their second one-run lead of the day. With UCLA starter Michael Barnett cruising, Dustin Glant and Jeff Mercer chose veteran Grant Holderfield to finish the sixth and eat some innings. Holderfield has emerged as a “high leverage” option of late, and a different look from Grable, but given options like Pete Haas, not the “go all in” choice given Sunday would provide another chance for Indiana to win the series in LA.
Barnett was executing well. UCLA clearly did their homework in scouting the Hoosiers. It was reminiscent of the 2024 B1G Tournament when Nebraska veteran Will Walsh tossed a complete game comprising of 90% varying off-speed. While the Hoosier bats stayed on time for a solid fastball (that the pitcher did have) he rarely used it and kept the hitters off-balance. Barnett allowed 5 hits, but most of those were well placed infield hits. In my memory of the game on Devin Taylor and Tyler Cerny managed to hit the ball hard off Barnett and Cerny’s was right at an outfielder.
Holderfield would go on to allow a run in 7th inning. In the top of the 8th, despite Barnett only being at 86 pitches, UCLA went to a bullpen arm with an impressive 1.16 WHIP in Luke Rodriguez who allows two of three to reach base, forcing UCLA to go early to closer Justin Lee who shut down the threat.
Holderfield then allowed one more in the 8th seemingly putting the game out of reach. Glant and Mercer took this as a chance to give freshman righty from California Trey Telfer an opportunity. Telfer allowed an inherited runner to score and one run of his own before ending the frame with the Hoosiers down by 5 runs.
Indiana got to Lee in the top of the 9th, with Jake Hanley hitting a solo shot and Cooper Malamazian hitting an RBI double before the bases ended up loaded for Korbyn Dickerson with two outs. The five-run lead was just too much to overcome, and a groundout ended the game.
There were several mistakes on both sides, but also a lot of great fundamental play. Tyler Cerny and Jasen Oliver turned three double plays up the middle and Malamazian and Dickerson made a pair of really tough plays look routine. Cerny did commit a costly error on a relatively routine ball hit right at him. Jake Hanley failed to slide on play at the plate which may or may not have impacted the result. There was enough left there at the end that Indiana could be thinking what if. That being said, just being competitive in the game that Barnett was sharp, and Grable wasn’t his absolute best, is a testament that Indiana is able to play with a team of UCLA’s caliber.
With Lee throwing 32 pitches and giving up three runs, if the Bruins get into a closing situation on Sunday, they will have to go with Freshman righty Wylan Moss who has two saves on the year already and is striking out almost a third of the batters he faces. Overall though, both Indiana and UCLA have strong pitching options to cover 9 innings on Sunday.