| Baseball |
|---|
| UCLA — 4 |
| Michigan St. — 3 |
No. 1 UCLA Bruins baseball (42-4, 23-0 Big Ten) wasted no time taking control Saturday, riding a four-run first inning to a 4-3 win over Michigan State Spartans (16-27, 10-16 Big Ten) at Jeff Ishbia Field in East Lansing.
With the win, UCLA improved to 42-4 overall and remained perfect in conference play at 23-0, continuing one of the most dominant seasons in program history.
The Bruins’ offense came alive immediately. Junior left fielder Dean West sparked the game with a leadoff double before junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky followed with a single. Junior first baseman Mulivai Levu drew a walk to load the bases, setting the stage for redshirt junior right fielder Payton Brennan, who drove a two-run single up the middle. Later in the inning, junior catcher Cashel Dugger added to the surge with another two-run single, giving UCLA a 4-0 lead before Michigan State recorded its third out.
That early burst proved to be just enough.
Michigan State chipped away throughout the game, scoring once in the second on an RBI double and adding another in the fifth via a bases-loaded walk. The Spartans pulled within one in the eighth inning after a run-scoring groundout, putting pressure on UCLA’s bullpen late.
But UCLA’s pitching staff held firm.
Senior starting pitcher Michael Barnett worked 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while navigating early traffic. Freshman right-handed pitcher Elai Iwanaga (2-0) earned the win in relief, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fifth to preserve the lead.
From there, the bullpen pieced together a steady finish. Freshman pitcher Angel Cervantes and junior pitcher Justin Lee combined for two scoreless innings before junior pitcher Cal Randall ran into trouble in the eighth, allowing a run and leaving two runners on base. Closer sophomore pitcher Easton Hawk entered in a high-pressure situation and delivered, stranding the tying run at third to end the inning.
Hawk returned for the ninth and shut the door with a perfect frame, securing his 11th save of the season and his second in as many days.
At the plate, Cholowsky and Dugger each recorded three hits to lead UCLA’s 10-hit performance, while West added two hits at the top of the lineup. Brennan’s two-run single ultimately stood as the difference in a game where every early run mattered.
Despite being outscored over the final eight innings, UCLA’s first-inning execution and bullpen composure proved decisive, clinching the series win for the Bruins.
UCLA will look to complete the sweep in the series finale Sunday morning as it continues its unbeaten run through Big Ten play.
