UCLA
25-5
San Diego
6-24
No. 14 UCLA Edges San Diego, 7-6, for Ninth Straight Win
April 05, 2025 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES - The No. 14-ranked UCLA baseball team rallied from behind to secure its ninth consecutive victory, edging out San Diego 7-6 on Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
With its 13th come-from-behind win of the season, UCLA (25-5, 10-2 Big Ten) clinched its eighth consecutive winning weekend. The Bruins' current winning streak stands at nine games, marking their longest streak since the 2020 season.
Big flies from AJ Salgado and Phoenix Call fueled UCLA's four-run sixth inning that proved to be the difference in the game. The explosive frame gave the Bruins their first lead and they did not trail for the remainder of the contest.
Roch Cholowsky banged out three hits on the day, smacking a double and scoring a run.
Cal Randall (1-0) picked up his first collegiate win after UCLA took the lead after his one inning of work. Jack O'Connor was the only Bruin reliever to complete his outing without allowing a run, tossing a scoreless eighth inning.
San Diego opened the scoring in the top of the first inning when Isaiah Lane launched a two-run home run to give his team an early lead.
The Bruins replied in the bottom half of the inning when Cholowsky worked a full count before ripping a double in the gap, eventually scoring on Mulivai Levu's RBI groundout to cut the lead in half.
USD restored its two-run advantage in the top of the fourth when Austin Smith hit a solo shot.
UCLA immediately answered with two runs in the home half of the inning. Cashel Dugger slapped a grounder through the right side to score AJ Salgado to plate the first run of the inning. Then Blake Balsz, who walked earlier in the inning, came around to score on a wild pitch to even the game at 3-3.
The Bruins seized their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth when home runs off the bat of Salgado and Call fueled a four-run frame. Salgado started the rally with an opposite field home run, his seventh of the season. Payton Brennan was hit by a pitch and Dugger followed with a walk, setting stage for Call. UCLA's second baseman jumped on an 0-1 pitch and smashed it over the wall in left-center field for a three-run bomb. This was the first home run of Call's career.
The Toreros scored twice and clawed within two runs when Rex Watson hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh.
Justin Lee came on to pitch the ninth and drama ensued when the Toreros used a pair of hits to whittle the lead to one run. With the tying run in scoring position with one out, Lee induced a 5-4-3 double play to end the game and clinch the victory for the Bruins. Lee earned his fifth save of the campaign.
The Bruins will return to Jackie Robinson Stadium for the series finale tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT. The game will be available to watch on B1G+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Randall, Cal (1-0)
L: MOSIELLO, Andrew (1-4)
S: Lee, Justin (5)
Batting:
2B: LOBLINER, Jayden 1 ; WARD, Ryan 1
HR: LANE, Isaiah 1 ; SMITH, Austin 1 ; WATSON, Rex 1
RBI: GUREVITCH, Jack 1 ; LANE, Isaiah 2 ; SMITH, Austin 1 ; WATSON, Rex 2
Base Running:
RUNS: GUREVITCH, Jack 1 ; LANE, Isaiah 1 ; SMITH, Austin 1 ; LOBLINER, Jayden 1 ; WATSON, Rex 1 ; WARD, Ryan 1
CS: WATSON, Rex 1
HBP: LOBLINER, Jayden 1 ; WATSON, Rex 1
Batting:
2B: Cholowsky, Roch 1
HR: Salgado, AJ 1 ; Call, Phoenix 1
RBI: Levu, Mulivai 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1 ; Dugger, Cashel 1 ; Call, Phoenix 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Cholowsky, Roch 1 ; Salgado, AJ 2 ; Brennan, Payton 1 ; Balsz, Blake 1 ; Dugger, Cashel 1 ; Call, Phoenix 1
SB: West, Dean 1 ; Balsz, Blake 1
HBP: Levu, Mulivai 1 ; Martin, Roman 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1 ; Brennan, Payton 1
PO: Cholowsky, Roch 1
