UCLA
5-9, 0-3
California
11-3, 3-0
UCLA Edged by Cal in Series Finale, 6-5
March 10, 2024 | Baseball
BERKELEY, Calif. โ Freshman first baseman Mulivai Levu hit a pair of home runs, but the UCLA baseball team lost to California in walk-off fashion, 6-5, in Sunday's series finale at Stu Gordon Stadium.
The result clinched a weekend sweep for the Golden Bears (11-3, 3-0 Pac-12), who took Sunday's game on a three-run blast in the bottom of the ninth from catcher Caleb Lomavita. UCLA dropped to 5-9, 0-3.
The Bruins never trailed until Lomavita's game-winner, going up 3-0 in the fourth inning and stretching the lead to 5-1 with a two-spot in the seventh. Cal went on to plate single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to make it 5-3 heading into the ninth.
Levu went 3-5 to lead the Bruins offensively, going the opposite way for both of his roundtrippers. It was his first-career multi-homer day, and he's the first Bruin this season to leave the park twice in a single game. Junior DH Jack Holman also had his strongest offensive performance of the year to date, going 2-3 with a solo homer (his first of the year).
UCLA did most of its damage in the fourth, batting around to produce three runs. Levu started that inning off with a solo shot to left-center, and each of the next five batters reached via walk or single to plate two more runs. Senior left fielder JonJon Vaughns capped the rally with a solid RBI knock to right field.
Vaughns also made a key play on the defensive end in the sixth inning to keep the Bruins ahead at 3-1, ranging to the wall in left and making a snag atop the fence line to rob a potential go-ahead three-run homer off the bat of Matthew Thomas.
That web gem allowed the Bruins to stretch the lead in the seventh after Levu and Holman each hit solo homers.
Sophomore righty Michael Barnett was sharp while pitching into the sixth on Sunday, holding the Golden Bears to three hits and no runs over his first four frames. He ended his day having allowed just one earned run over 5 1/3 innings while striking out four.
Graduate right-hander Rashad Ruff took the loss for UCLA.
The Bruins return home for their next eight games, starting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT against Connecticut.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stasiowski,Tyler (1-0)
L: Ruff, Rashad (1-1)
Batting:
HR: Levu, Mulivai 2 ; Holman, Jack 1
RBI: Levu, Mulivai 2 ; Holman, Jack 1 ; Vaughns, JonJon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Levu, Mulivai 2 ; Salgado, AJ 1 ; Holman, Jack 2
Batting:
2B: Moutzouridis,PJ 1 ; Schulze,Peyton 1 ; Crawford,Carson 1
HR: Lomavita,Caleb 1
RBI: Moutzouridis,PJ 1 ; Lomavita,Caleb 3 ; Handron,Max 1 ; Crawford,Carson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Moutzouridis,PJ 1 ; Green Jr.,Rodney 1 ; Lomavita,Caleb 1 ; Schulze,Peyton 1 ; Gwynn,Seth 1 ; Advincula,Jarren 1
SB: Green Jr.,Rodney 1
HBP: Handron,Max 1
