| Baseball |
|---|
| Virginia Tech — 5 |
| UCLA — 6 |
On Saturday afternoon, the No. 1 UCLA Bruins baseball team (51-7, 28-2 Big Ten) took on the Virginia Tech Hokies (30-26, 15-15 ACC) in the elimination match of the Los Angeles Regional Bracket of the NCAA tournament. After being down 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Bruins made yet another comeback to win the game 6-5, escaping elimination.
The game started off slow with only one hit from junior left fielder Dean West in the entirety of the two innings. In the top of the third inning, Virginia Tech’s Owen Petrich got the first run of the game off a hit just over junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky. The bottom of the third began with Cholowsky hitting into the left field to get on first and then advancing to second when junior first baseman Mulivai Levu was walked. With two runners on base, junior centerfielder Will Gasparino went up to bat but hit a pop-out to second, ending the inning with two Bruins on base.
The top of the fourth went fast for the Hokies with all three of their at-bats ending in outs. The Bruins then came out strong in the bottom of the fourth with the first at-bat being a home run from junior catcher Cashel Dugger. Later in the fourth, junior second baseman Phoenix Call hit a ground-rule double to the deep right center. In the next at-bat, senior right fielder Jarrod Hocking doubled into the deep left allowing for Call to slide into home for the Bruins’ second run of the game.
Back up to bat in the top of the fifth, Virginia Tech’s Petrich hit a homer to the left, tying up the game at two runs each. In response, Gasparino, who returned today from serving a one-game suspension for malicious contact in the Big Ten Conference Championship game against Oregon, hit a home run to put the Bruins up 3-2.
Virginia seemed to stall after Gasparino’s homer, having no hits and no runs in the sixth inning. The Bruins, however, excelled defensively, with senior pitcher Michael Barnett on top of his game and the infield facilitating multiple smart plays, ending in outs for the Hokies. The Bruins also struggled to score, having multiple players get on base but none took it all the way.
After a home run from VT’s Ethan Gibson in the top of the seventh, the Bruins swapped pitchers, junior Cal Randall going in for Barnett. Randall was a much needed change of pace for the Bruins, finishing off the top of the seventh with back-to-back strikeouts. Even so, the Bruins’ offense stayed stagnant with two ground-outs and a strikeout to close out the seventh.
UCLA’s defensive prowess continued in the eighth inning even as the Bruins changed pitchers, subbing in freshman Zach Strickland. The first out of the inning was earned by Cholowsky from a diving catch at shortstop. After that, Strickland forced a strikeout and fans seemed hopeful until Virginia Tech’s Ethan Ball hit a homer to put the Hokies in the lead. In the bottom of the eighth, VT struggled pitching-wise, walking both freshman designated hitter Trey Gudoy and redshirt sophomore pinch hitter Aidan Espinoza before changing pitchers. The Bruins, however, failed to take advantage of this, not scoring any runs or making any hits.
Going into the final inning, UCLA changed pitchers one final time, putting sophomore Easton Hawk on the mound. The Hokies, looking to secure the win, put the ball into right field with a runner on second who made it home after a Bruin fumble in the outfield, increasing their lead to 5-3. Hawk, not wanting to give up any more runs, struck out the next two batters to go into the bottom of the ninth.
The Bruins went into the bottom of the ninth down 5-3, desperate for runs and looking for a win to keep them in the tournament. In their first at-bat of the inning, their prayers were answered when Levu, who already has two strikes, hit into the right field and the ball sailed out of Jackie Robinson Stadium. The crowd erupted into applause as Levu ran the bases and celebrated with his teammates in the dugout. At the next at-bat, junior third baseman Roman Martin, also with two strikes, hit the ball out of the park for back-to-back homers. The game was all tied up at five runs each and every fan sat on the edge of their seat as Gasparino went up to bat. The centerfielder got a base hit and made it to first. Dugger was up next but struck out, giving the Bruins their first out. The Bruins put in freshman pinch hitter Dominic Cadiz next. Cadiz, with two strikes, got a hit to left field, giving Gasparino the chance to get to third and giving himself time to get to first. With runners on first and third and only one out, Call goes up to bat for the Bruins. Call, after two strikes, hits a Hail Mary to left field and takes off. Gasparino sprints home and beats the ball, securing the victory for the Bruins.
In an insane ninth inning comeback, the Bruins captured the 6-5 win over Virginia Tech and avoided elimination from the tournament. Moving on, the Bruins will rematch Saint Mary’s on Sunday, May 31 at 1 p.m. PT in Jackie Robinson Stadium to determine who will take on the Cal Poly Mustangs in the Los Angeles Regional finals.
