The UCLA Bruins baseball team handled its business on Sunday afternoon, defeating the University of San Francisco Dons 4-1 in a must-win elimination game for both teams. The Dons had defeated UCLA to open the tournament but were unable to duplicate the feat Sunday afternoon. UCLA advances on in the 2011 NCAA baseball tournament to face the UC Irvine Anteaters. UCLA needs to sweep two games Sunday night and Monday morning to advance to the super regional. Irvine only needs one win to advance.
The Bruins jumped on top early with a run in the second inning and two runs in the third inning. Pat Valaika and Dean Espy had RBI singles, while Cody Regis had an RBI double to secure the 3-0 lead. Jeff Gelalich added an RBI double in the seventh inning. USF tried to put together a rally in the ninth inning and much like the day before against UC Irvine, they had a chance to tie the game. However, they fell short for the second day in a row and were eliminated from the tournament.
UCLA is now in the finals with UC Irvine and they are in the midst of the first game. UCLA leads 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth. If the Bruins win tonight, the two teams will meet Monday evening in a winner-take-all elimination match, with the winner moving on to the super regionals.