No. 1 UCLA takes over first place in Pac-12 baseball behind Garrett Mitchell

UCLA, ranked No. 1 in collegiate baseball for 10 consecutive weeks, took over sole possession of first place in the Pacific 12 Conference this weekend with a three-game sweep of Washington in Westwood.

The Bruins (45-8, 22-5), a winner of eight straight games and 16 of their last 17, have a 1 1/2-game lead over Stanford (39-10, 20-6) and Oregon State (35-16-1, 20-6) with one week left in the regular season. UCLA ends conference play next weekend with a three-game series at Oregon.

Garrett Mitchell, a sophomore outfielder who starred at Orange Lutheran, got his fourth triple during the three-game series in a 14-2 victory on Sunday. He has nine triples on the season. He also hit a two-run home run, one of six home runs hit by Bruins. Ryan Kreidler had four hits, including two home runs, and finished with four RBIs. Jeremy Ydens hit two home runs and had five RBIs and Michael Toglia hit his 13th home run.

If there’s one concern for the Bruins, it’s their No. 3 pitcher spot. For the third consecutive weekend, freshman Jesse Bergin struggled and was pulled in the second inning even though UCLA had a 5-2 lead.

UCLA is expected to host a regional series when the NCAA playoffs begin in two weeks.

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