UCLA falls to Florida State to open NCAA baseball tournament’s Auburn Regional

AUBURN, Ala.  —  Jordan Carrion hit his first triple of the season, Alex Toral added an insurance run in the ninth inning with a home run, and No. 3 seed Florida State beat second-seeded UCLA 5-3 on Friday in the Seminoles’ 44th consecutive NCAA baseball regional appearance.

Carrion brought in two runs with his fifth-inning triple to give Florida State (34-23) a 3-0 lead in the first game of the Auburn Regional. Toral hit his 15th home run of the season in the ninth for a two-run lead.

Florida State starter Parker Messick (7-5) gave up two runs in five innings and struck out four to earn the win. Davis Hare picked up his fourth save of the season with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bruins (38-23) had two runners on with one out in the eighth, but they scored only one run on a wild pitch to get to within 4-3.

UCLA starter Max Rajcic (8-5) surrendered four runs and five hits in six innings and took the loss.

Right fielder Michael Curialle helped the Bruins end the top of the fifth with a double play on a flyout, throwing out Carrion at home.

UCLA scored twice in the bottom of the fifth. Carson Yates hit a solo homer to left field, his sixth of the season, and Jake Palmer had an RBI single with two outs.

In the NCAA regionals’ double-elimination format, the Bruins will face the loser of Friday’s second game — No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana, which fell 19-7 to No. 1 seed Auburn — on Saturday at 10 a.m. PDT in an elimination game.