Another Bruin Walk-off Wins UCLA's First Big Ten Baseball Tournament Title
With the bases loaded in the 11th inning, Phoenix Call was hit by a pitch to score the winning run.
The replay looked…questionable. But, following the video review, the call on the field stood and the UCLA Bruins have won their first Big Ten Baseball Tournament Championship.
Today’s game proved to be a real pitchers’ duel. In fact, the game remained scoreless through the first three and a half innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Payton Brennan walked with one out and Will Gasparino followed with a triple to left which scored Brennan and gave UCLA a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Gasparino was called out at third on a fielder’s choice by Cashel Dugger. It went from bad to worse when Gasparino was ejected following the play for malicious contact on the play.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Oregon’s Burke-Lee Mabius and Naulivou Lauaki hit a pair of back-to-back homers off Bruin reliever Justin Lee to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead. They would be the only two batters Lee would face in this game as John Savage quickly went to the pen for Ian May. May, Landon Stump and Easton Hawk would go on to hold Oregon scoreless over six innings total.
In the bottom of the sixth, Brennan tripled to left with one out, but he was stranded there. The tying run would get on again in the eighth inning when Roch Cholowsky was hit by a pitch, but after Mulivai Levu struck out, Roman Martin hit into an inning-ending double play. And, the Bruins were running out of outs.
In the bottom of the ninth, Brennan led off the inning with a walk and Jarrod Hocking, who had replaced Gasparino following his ejection, moved Brennan to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Dugger struck out, Aidan Espinoza drove a single to right which scored Brennan to tie the game up, 2-2, but Espinoza was stranded and the game went into extra innings.
Thankfully, there’s no silly “ghost runner” in college baseball.
In the bottom of the 11th, Martin and Brennan both singled and Hocking reached on a fielder’s choice sacrifice bunt. The throw went to third but Martin was called safe and replay allowed the call to stand. With the bases now loaded, Dugger and Espinoza both struck out and the winning run still just 90 feet away.
That brought Phoenix Call to the plate, and the first pitch was high and tight. Call told the umpire it hit him. Meanwhile, home plate umpire Rick Allen said, “I got it.” and sent Call to first base. Oregon challenged the call and, after a lengthy review, the call on the field stood. The HBP scored Martin and the Bruins are your 2026 Big Ten baseball regular season and tournament champs.
Of course, the last time a Bruin team won both a Big Ten regular season and tournament title, UCLA went on to win the national championship. That was the women’s basketball team.
Next up for these Bruins will be the NCAA Baseball tournament selection show which should see the #1 team in the nation be named the top seed for the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The NCAA Baseball Championship Selection Show will air tomorrow morning, May 25th at 9 am PT on ESPN2.
Go Bruins!!! Bring home NC #128 (or 129 if softball wins the natty too)!!!
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