| Baseball |
|---|
| UCLA — 5 |
| Saint Mary’s — 6 |
With the game tied in extra innings, bottom of the tenth with two outs on, UCLA sophomore right-handed pitcher Easton Hawk would throw a strike down the middle, and with a swing of the bat, it was all over.
No. 1 UCLA baseball (52-8, 28-2 Big Ten) rematched against No. 4 Saint Mary’s College, or SMC, (36-27, 15-12 West Coast Conference) on Sunday, May 31 at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The Bruins are facing off against the Gaels for the second time in the Los Angeles Regional after their 3-2 loss against SMC on Friday, May 29.
The second time was not the charm for the Bruins as they were once again defeated at the hands of the Gaels, a 6-5 extra-innings loss in the matchup.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Angel Cervantes got the start on the mound for the Bruins, where he threw seven strikeouts and gave up four runs and nine hits.
UCLA head coach John Savage was impressed with Cervantes’ performance, “He threw the ball very well. I thought Angel really grew up and turned a corner. He is fun to watch, and he’s fun to call pitches for; he is going to be a star.”
For the Gaels, Sam Kretsch received the starting call and was shaky, throwing three strikeouts and also giving up seven hits and five runs.
UCLA got off to a hot start in the first inning, with junior third baseman Roman Martin hitting an RBI single to center field and junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky would round home base off the hit from Martin, taking the 1-0 lead.
The Bruins would continue their offensive onslaught in the second inning when freshman designated hitter Trey Gudoy crushed a ball to deep center field for an RBI double with freshman second baseman Aiden Aguayo rounding home for the 2-0 lead. Junior left fielder Dean West followed up with a groundout to second base for an RBI with Gudoy sprinting home, and extended the Bruins’ lead to three.
However, Saint Mary’s College would immediately respond in the bottom of the second, when center fielder Tanner Griffith singled to center field for an RBI, with left fielder Nick Allred scoring and the Gaels getting on the scoreboard, 3-1.
After a scoreless third inning from the Bruins, Saint Mary’s College would score once more in the bottom of the third inning when sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong hit a solo home run to center field to cut the Bruins’ lead down to one, with a 3-2 score.
The Bruins extended their lead in the fifth inning, when West homered to right field to put UCLA up by two. Later in the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, junior center fielder Will Gasparino was hit by a pitch and Cholowsky scored his second run of the day, giving the Bruins a 5-2 lead.
From here on out, the game would be controlled by the Gaels, with their offense being too much to handle for the Bruins, while also playing lockdown defense.
The Gaels slowly cut down the lead in the fifth inning when designated hitter Jacob Johnson hit a solo home run to left field and cut the gap down to two, 5-3.
The Bruins would give up another run in the sixth inning, this time to senior infielder Cody Kashimoto off a single to center field by junior outfielder Diego Castellanos, coming within one run of the Bruins, 5-4.
The Gaels would tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning when, after closer Hawk entered the game, Armstrong would single through the right side line for an RBI and Griffith would score, extending the game to extra innings and tying the score at five runs apiece.
In the tenth and final inning, sophomore infielder Makoa Sniffen hit an RBI single through left field, just out of reach for Martin. As the ball rolled to West in the outfield, Kashimoto slid home, winning the game for the Gaels 6-5, with cheers coming from behind the Saint Mary’s College dugout and the Gaels rushing the field.
“When you are in a post-season like this, these kinds of games will be behind us. It is about the moment right now, and going into this next game prepared and ready,” stated Gael Head Coach Eric Valenzuela. SMC would now have to refocus and prepare for a match-up against the Cal Poly Mustangs just over an hour later.
For the Bruins, their playoff ambitions are now officially over after being eliminated from the NCAA College Baseball Playoffs by Saint Mary’s College, with some Bruins looking elsewhere for the 2027 season.
With the season now at its end, this will be the last time many Bruins will don the blue and gold, including pivotal players to this year’s success, such as Cholowsky, Martin and even Gasparino.
“I mean, Roch just meant so much to the program; he had such an impact on people, the fanbase and the community. He was such a winning player, and it’s hard to watch a guy like that leave. Roman and all kinds of guys are going to get drafted in July,” stated Coach Savage.
