LOS ANGELES — The UCLA baseball had not lost consecutive games in 2026.
The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA baseball tournament kept that trend alive Saturday – along with any hope of reaching the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska — with a three-run, ninth-inning rally for a shocking 6-5 elimination-game victory over Virginia Tech.
It was win or go home for both teams after each lost its first Los Angeles Regional game Friday.
Down two runs heading to the ninth, the Bruins (53-7) went deep back-to-back to tie the contest before Phoenix Call’s game-winning single brought in Will Gasparino.
Mulivai Levu started the rally, crushing a solo blast over the wall in right. Roman Martin did the same to left, chasing Hokies reliever Madden Clement.
Will Gasparino beat out an infield single to shortstop against new pitcher Ethan Grimm. A hit-and-run single by Dominic Cadiz sent Gasparino to third, and the lanky Bruins center fielder came home when Call lined the winning hit to left.
UCLA tried to jump ahead instead of playing another nailbiter, loading the bases with one out in the first, but Hokies starter Brett Renfrow pitched his way out of the jam.
The Hokies jumped ahead when Sam Grube’s line drive cleared a leaping Roch Cholowsky at short, driving in Owen Petrich with one out in the top of the third inning.
After leaving the bases loaded in the first, Gasparino stranded two more runners in the third when he popped out.
UCLA put two on the board to grab a short-lived lead in the bottom of the fourth. Bruins catcher Cashel Dugger hammered the first pitch he saw over 370 sign in right field to make it 1-1.
One out after Dugger’s fifth home run of the year, Call connected on a ground-rule double. Right fielder Jarrod Hocking followed with a two-bagger off the top of the wall in left for a one-run lead.
The Bruins threatened for more, but with runners on the corners Cholowsky flew out to the warning track in center and Levu lined out to second.
Virginia Tech tied it 2-2 with two outs in the top of the fifth when Petrich, the No. 9 hitter, smoked a ball over the wall in left-center field.
In the bottom half of the inning, Gasparino stepped up to the plate with the bases empty and drilled a homer to the opposite field for a 3-2 lead.
The Hokies’ third solo home run tied it at three apiece with no outs in the top of the seventh. Ethan Gibson’s shot covered the deepest part of the park and chased Barnett after six-plus innings.
Virginia Tech snatched the lead, 4-3, in the eighth when Ethan Ball slammed the first pitch over the wall in right. It was Ball’s team-leading 17th homer run of the year.
In the ninth, the visiting Hokies (30-27) added what appeared to be an insurance run, going up 5-3 when a single off the end of the bat by Hudson Lutterman scored Gibson, who had doubled.
More to come on this story.