Friday, May 9
Urbana-Champaign, IL
4:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
35-14, 0
10
at
9
Illinois
27-20, 0
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3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UCLA
0
0
2
4
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0
2
2
10
8
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Illinois
0
2
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
9
10
4
Payton Brennan
Photo by: Illinois Athletics
No. 18 UCLA Completes Comeback Over Illinois, 10-9
May 09, 2025 | Baseball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Payton Brennan's electrifying steal of home in the ninth inning completed an improbable comeback as No. 18 UCLA stunned Illinois, 10-9, on Friday night at Illinois Field.
In a wild contest that featured five lead changes, UCLA (35-14, 18-7 Big Ten) refused to buckle after Illinois' (27-20, 12-13 Big Ten) seven-run fifth inning appeared to shift the momentum.
Dean West and Roman Martin each collected two hits for the Bruins, who erased deficits of 2-0, 9-6, and 9-8 before Brennan's gutsy baserunning sealed the dramatic win. The victory pushed UCLA's winning streak to four games.
Easton Hawk fanned two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to secure his third save of the season.
Justin Lee (3-0) earned his third win of the campaign after shutting out the Fighting Illini for two consecutive innings in his relief outing. Roch Cholowsky drove in a pair of runs while extending his hitting streak to 13 games.
After both teams were blanked in the opening frame, Illinois seized the momentum in the second inning when Vytas Valincius unloaded a solo blast to break the scoreless tie. Kyle Schupmann followed with a towering shot of his own, giving the Fighting Illini a quick two-run cushion.
UCLA immediately answered in the top of the third, scoring twice to tie the game. Aidan Espinoza started the rally with a walk before Phoenix Call reached on an error. West sliced an RBI single in the left-center gap, then Cholowsky lifted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field to bring the tying run to home plate.
The Bruins took the lead in their next trip to the plate after erupting for four runs on five hits. Martin ignited the rally by hitting a scalding ground ball to the hot corner for an infield base hit. AJ Salgado then worked a full count before roping an RBI double that split the left-center gap. Espinoza's perfectly placed swinging bunt resulted in not just an infield single, but also a throwing error that brought Salgado home.
After Call drew a walk, West and Cholowsky delivered consecutive run-scoring singles to cap UCLA's offensive explosion in the fourth.
The long inning forced Illinois starting pitcher Tyler Schmitt to hurl 40 pitches in the inning, which forced the hosts to make a call to the bullpen.
Illinois seized control in the fifth, exploding for seven runs to regain the lead and stun the Bruins. The devastating rally, highlighted by Collin Jennings' three-run blast, featured six hits. The seven-run outburst equaled UCLA's worst defensive inning of the season.
UCLA mounted a comeback in the eighth, slicing the deficit to one. Brennan sparked the rally with a double down the right-field line before Cashel Dugger worked a walk. After Call's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, West ripped a hot shot that handcuffed the Illinois first baseman, allowing two runs to score and pulling the Bruins within one.
UCLA staged a dramatic ninth-inning rally to grab the improbable lead. After Martin worked a walk, Brennan followed with a free pass of his own. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, setting the stage for pinch-hitter Toussaint Bythewood, who tied the game with a clutch RBI groundout.
Brennan's daring baserunning instincts produced the game-winning run. After inching down the third base line following a 3-0 pitch to Call, he pounced when the catcher returned the ball to the mound, darting home and sliding under the tag to thrust UCLA in front.
Hawk slammed the door in the last of the ninth, hanging a zero to get the save and clinch the Friday night win for UCLA.
UCLA will take on Illinois in the middle game of the series tomorrow at 4 p.m. PT (6 p.m. CT). The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
In a wild contest that featured five lead changes, UCLA (35-14, 18-7 Big Ten) refused to buckle after Illinois' (27-20, 12-13 Big Ten) seven-run fifth inning appeared to shift the momentum.
WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT!?!?!
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) May 10, 2025
Brennan swipes home and the Bruins ??????????#GoBruins // B1G+ pic.twitter.com/hadZ6wCpQA
Dean West and Roman Martin each collected two hits for the Bruins, who erased deficits of 2-0, 9-6, and 9-8 before Brennan's gutsy baserunning sealed the dramatic win. The victory pushed UCLA's winning streak to four games.
Easton Hawk fanned two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to secure his third save of the season.
Justin Lee (3-0) earned his third win of the campaign after shutting out the Fighting Illini for two consecutive innings in his relief outing. Roch Cholowsky drove in a pair of runs while extending his hitting streak to 13 games.
After both teams were blanked in the opening frame, Illinois seized the momentum in the second inning when Vytas Valincius unloaded a solo blast to break the scoreless tie. Kyle Schupmann followed with a towering shot of his own, giving the Fighting Illini a quick two-run cushion.
UCLA immediately answered in the top of the third, scoring twice to tie the game. Aidan Espinoza started the rally with a walk before Phoenix Call reached on an error. West sliced an RBI single in the left-center gap, then Cholowsky lifted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field to bring the tying run to home plate.
The Bruins took the lead in their next trip to the plate after erupting for four runs on five hits. Martin ignited the rally by hitting a scalding ground ball to the hot corner for an infield base hit. AJ Salgado then worked a full count before roping an RBI double that split the left-center gap. Espinoza's perfectly placed swinging bunt resulted in not just an infield single, but also a throwing error that brought Salgado home.
After Call drew a walk, West and Cholowsky delivered consecutive run-scoring singles to cap UCLA's offensive explosion in the fourth.
The long inning forced Illinois starting pitcher Tyler Schmitt to hurl 40 pitches in the inning, which forced the hosts to make a call to the bullpen.
Illinois seized control in the fifth, exploding for seven runs to regain the lead and stun the Bruins. The devastating rally, highlighted by Collin Jennings' three-run blast, featured six hits. The seven-run outburst equaled UCLA's worst defensive inning of the season.
UCLA mounted a comeback in the eighth, slicing the deficit to one. Brennan sparked the rally with a double down the right-field line before Cashel Dugger worked a walk. After Call's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, West ripped a hot shot that handcuffed the Illinois first baseman, allowing two runs to score and pulling the Bruins within one.
UCLA staged a dramatic ninth-inning rally to grab the improbable lead. After Martin worked a walk, Brennan followed with a free pass of his own. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, setting the stage for pinch-hitter Toussaint Bythewood, who tied the game with a clutch RBI groundout.
Brennan's daring baserunning instincts produced the game-winning run. After inching down the third base line following a 3-0 pitch to Call, he pounced when the catcher returned the ball to the mound, darting home and sliding under the tag to thrust UCLA in front.
Hawk slammed the door in the last of the ninth, hanging a zero to get the save and clinch the Friday night win for UCLA.
UCLA will take on Illinois in the middle game of the series tomorrow at 4 p.m. PT (6 p.m. CT). The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lee, Justin (3-0)
L: Bates, Zach (1-1)
S: Hawk, Easton (3)
Batting:
2B: Salgado, AJ 1 ; Brennan, Payton 1
RBI: West, Dean 2 ; Cholowsky, Roch 2 ; Salgado, AJ 1 ; Bythewood, Toussaint 1
SH: Call, Phoenix 1
SF: Cholowsky, Roch 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Martin, Roman 1 ; Salgado, AJ 2 ; Brennan, Payton 2 ; Espinoza, Aidan 2 ; Dugger, Cashel 1 ; Call, Phoenix 2
SB: Cholowsky, Roch 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1 ; Brennan, Payton 1
HBP: West, Dean 2 ; Dugger, Cashel 1
Batting:
2B: Chee-Aloy, Cameron 1 ; Valincius, Vytas 1
HR: Jennings, Collin 1 ; Valincius, Vytas 1 ; Schupmann, Kyle 1
RBI: Chee-Aloy, Cameron 2 ; Jennings, Collin 3 ; Valincius, Vytas 1 ; Schupmann, Kyle 1 ; Westcott, Drake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Groves, Nick 1 ; Chee-Aloy, Cameron 1 ; Jennings, Collin 1 ; Valincius, Vytas 2 ; Schupmann, Kyle 2 ; Westcott, Drake 1 ; Quagliano, Coltin 1
SB: Schroeder, Jacob 1
HBP: Groves, Nick 1 ; Schupmann, Kyle 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
5
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
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OF
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INF
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OF
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RHP
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RHP
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