Gasparino’s Two-Homer Night Powers No. 1 UCLA to 12-7 Win Over Hawai‘i

Tuesday, April 21

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

37-3

Hawaii

20-16

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Hawaii	1	0	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	7	12	0
UCLA	5	0	1	1	2	2	0	1	X	12	11	2

Will Gasparino

Photo by: Mac Brown

Gasparino’s Two-Homer Night Powers No. 1 UCLA to 12-7 Win Over Hawai‘i

April 21, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights

LOS ANGELES – The No. 1-ranked UCLA baseball team matched a season high with five home runs in a 12-7 win over Hawai'i on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Bruins (37-3, 21-0 Big Ten) have now won four straight and improved to 8-2 in midweek action, continuing their dominant spring.

Will Gasparino powered the offense with two home runs, his fourth multi-homer game of the year, finishing with five RBIs and pushing his season total to 17 homers, which leads the team. Roch Cholowsky added his 14th long ball as part of a 2-for-4 night, while Dean West opened the scoring with his second leadoff blast of the season.

Roman Martin homered for the second consecutive game, scored three times, and drove in two. Payton Brennan chipped in a pair of hits, and Mulivai Levu, Aiden Aguayo, and Aidan Espinoza each added knocks to round out another balanced offensive showing for the Bruins.

Ian May (1-0) picked up his first win of the year, striking out two over a team-high 2.0 steady innings.

From there, the UCLA bullpen slammed the door, as Chris Grothues, Cal Randall, Zach Strickland, and Justin Lee combined for 3.2 scoreless frames to close out the victory.

Hawai'i jumped in front early, taking advantage of a defensive miscue and a wild pitch to scratch across a run in the top of the first.

UCLA punched right back, unloading a pair of no-doubt shots as part of a five-run surge in the bottom of the first. West set the tone by launching a leadoff homer to right, and Cholowsky followed with a double tucked inside the left-field line. After Levu walked and Martin was hit to load the bases, Gasparino jumped all over a middle-cut fastball and hammered it over the wall in left for a grand slam, flipping the game instantly in the Bruins' favor.

Hawai'i replied with a three-spot in the third, sparked by Ben Zeigler-Namoa's two-run homer and a string of three straight two-out hits that trimmed the deficit to one.

UCLA quickly rebuilt its cushion when Martin crushed a solo shot to left-center, but the Rainbow Warriors answered right back as Kamana Nahaku countered with a solo homer of his own to trim the margin back to one.

The game's sixth homer came in the following frame when Cholowsky smashed an opposite-field laser beam off the scoreboard in right-center field, restoring the Bruins' two-run advantage.

UCLA stretched the lead to four in the fifth when Aguayo smoked a two-run double over the center fielder's head, bringing home Martin and Payton Brennan.

Hawai'i cut the lead to two in the sixth, plating a pair on three well-timed hits, but UCLA immediately answered back in the bottom half. West and Cholowsky were plunked in succession, and Levu followed by shooting a single through the right side to score West. Martin then lifted a sac fly to left, bringing home Cholowsky and restoring the Bruins' four-run lead.

Gasparino provided the finishing blow in the eighth, blasting his second homer of the contest with a towering drive to left, making a it a five-run lead in the ninth.

Lee did the rest, pitching a perfect ninth frame to seal the win for UCLA.

The Bruins return to Jackie Robinson Stadium for three-game series against Sacramento State beginning on Friday, April 24 at 6 p.m. PT. The contest will be available for viewing on B1G+.