UCLA softball
The Bruins defeated Minnesota 2-1 in the NCAA Los Angeles Regional final on Sunday.
Cody Poteet figures he has been pitching to keep his job every time out, and the Miami Marlins are happy to keep giving him work.
The surprising rookie out of UCLA threw seven scoreless innings in his third career start and retired his last 14 batters, helping Miami beat the New York Mets 5-1 Sunday.
Poteet also collected his first major league hit and RBI on a 40-foot single during the Marlins’ five-run second inning.
“It was fun to be out there. I felt like a little kid,” Poteet said. “I never know when it could be my last day in the big leagues. I’m thankful to be here, and want to do the best I can.”
Miami took the rubber game of the three-game series to close within two games of the NL East-leading Mets (21-19), who have been riddled by injuries and finished 3-6 on a threecity Southern swing.
Poteet (2-0) allowed three hits and walked none while lowering his ERA to 1.06. The right-hander, a fourth-round draft pick by Miami in 2015, posted a 19-39 record in the minors before reaching the majors this month at age 26.
“It has been very special for me,” he said. “I’ve been able to keep, for the most part, my emotions under control.”
Poteet flummoxed the Mets with a changeup, slider and 95 mph fastball. In 17 innings he has given two runs, 10 hits and two walks.
“You start to have that confidence that he’s going to get you into a game,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “Hopefully this continues. He’s throwing the ball good. He has good stuff.”
The Mets, who rank last in the majors in slugging, managed just six hits and totaled 19 in 30 innings in the series. They didn’t get a runner to second against Poteet.
PADRES 9, MARINERS 2 » Fernando Tatis Jr. homered twice, including a 447-foot grand slam in the seventh inning, and drove in six runs for San Diego, who beat Seattle to sweep a nine-game homestand.
It was the 22-year-old shortstop’s 13th homer this season and his second career grand slam.
Tatis also hit a 441-foot home run into Petco Park’s second deck leading off the second inning and singled in the go-ahead run during a three-run sixth.
Tatis has 11 hits, including four homers, and 12 RBIs in four games batting cleanup since returning from the COVID-19 injured list on Wednesday.
The Padres took threegame series against St. Louis, Colorado and Seattle. Overall, they have won 12 of 13 games.
Yu Darvish (5-1) pitched seven strong innings to win his second straight start, holding Seattle to one run and seven hits while striking out five and walking none.
YANKEES 5, WHITE SOX 4 » Aaron Judge walked against Liam Hendriks with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to overcome Aroldis Chapman’s blown save, and New York extended its winning streak to six by beating Chicago.
Jameson Taillon completed a historic scoreless turn through the New York rotation. But pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn sprinted around the bases after tying it at 4 with his one-out opposite-field homer to right in the ninth.
It was the first blown save by Chapman in 12 chances this year and the first earned run allowed by the closer.
Following Corey Kluber’s no-hitter at Texas and seven-inning scoreless starts by Domingo Germán, Jordan Montgomery and Gerrit Cole, Taillon pitched two-hit ball for five innings to extend the shutout streak by Yankees starters to 35 innings. That matched a string in 1947 for the second-longest in team history behind 40 innings in 1932, according to STATS. ROCKIES 4, DIAMONDBACKS 3 » Trevor Story hit a home run leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Colorado over Arizona.
Story hit a 1-1 curveball from Stefan Crichton (0-3) to complete a sweep of the Diamondbacks, who havelost eight in a row and 13 straight on the road. BRAVES 7, PIRATES 1 » Austin Riley drove in five runs while hitting two of Atlanta’s three homers and the Braves capped their impressive power display in the series against Pittsburgh.
Dansby Swanson added a two-run homer. The Braves hit 15 homers, adding to their major league lead, while winning three of four against the Pirates.
Max Fried (2-2) allowed one run and four hits and three walks in seven innings. It was his fourth consecutive start allowing only one run. After finishing April with an 11.45 ERA, the left-hander has lowered the mark to 4.63.
BREWERS 9, REDS 4 » Christian Yelich hit his first homer of the season and Kolten Wong had three hits, helping Milwaukee defeat Cincinnati.
Yelich, who has been hampered by back trouble for much of the season, finished with two hits and two RBIs.
PHILLIES 6, RED SOX 2 » Zack Wheeler struck out a career high-tying 12 and Philadelphia ended a four-game skid by beating Boston.
Brad Miller hit a threerun homer as the Phillies averted a sweep and stopped the Red Sox’s fourgame winning string.
Wheeler allowed only three hits in 7 1/3 innings, and retired 17 straight batters after a leadoff single.
CUBS 2, CARDINALS 1 » Jávier Báez hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to break a scoreless tie and propel host Chicago past St. Louis.
Báez hit the second pitch he saw from Alex Reyes (21) 417 feet onto the center field batter’s eye for his 11th home run of the season.
The Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright allowed just one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts in eight innings.