UCLA Baseball Looks to Wrap Up LA Regional Tonight
The Bruin Bashers put up double digits for the second straight game.
We now interrupt the drama from Oklahoma City for some Bruin baseball.
Tonight, the UCLA baseball team will look to wrap up the Los Angeles Regional when they face the winner of ASU vs. UC Irvine, who play an elimination game against each other this afternoon.
A win by the Bruins will send UCLA off to the Super Regionals, which they could host if #2 seed Texas fails to win the Austin Regional. The Longhorns lost to the UTSA Roadrunners by a score of 9-7 yesterday. So, if Texas loses to either Kansas State this afternoon or one of two possible games to the Roadrunners, the Bruins should get to host a Super Regional next weekend.
To get there, UCLA just needs to keep tearing the cover off the ball the way they have been all weekend.
Last Time Out
Yesterday, the Bruins scored in double digits for the second straight game. It’s worth noting that UCLA has put up double digits in three consecutive games twice this season and in 20 of the 44 wins. So, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that they could do it again this evening.
After both teams failed to score in the first, UCLA got on the board in the second. AJ Salgado started the inning off with a single to center. Payton Brennan followed and he tripled down the right field line to score Salgado. Brennan also scored on a throwing error by ASU’s Kyle Walker. With one out, Cashel Duggar laid a bunt down on the third base side which he beat out for a hit. ASU starter Jack Martinez then hit the next two batters, Phoenix Call and Dean West, to load the bases.
That brought up Roch Cholowsky, but he grounded to Beckett Zavorek at third who forced out Duggar at home. With the bases still loaded, Mulivai Levu walked scoring Call to make it 3-0, Bruins. Roman Martin came up and sent the first pitch he saw deep over the wall in right for a grand slam and the Bruins led 7-0, after an inning and a half.
That would prove to be enough to win this game, though the Sun Devils would claw back a run in the bottom of the second.
UCLA would add a pair of insurance runs in the third to make it 9-1 while Arizona State would add a breadstick in the bottom of the fourth. The Bruins added another insurance run in the top of the fifth and now led, 10-2.
ASU scored another run in the bottom of the seventh which UCLA got back in the top of the eighth.
With it now 11-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Sun Devils added two more runs in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough and Easton Hawk wrapped up the game on the mound for the Bruins.
Today’s Action
One of the more interesting things of the NCAA baseball postseason is who takes the mound for the teams playing. To be honest, the probable pitchers for both games are nothing but an educated guess based on recent games. There’s a reasonably good chance that all three listed probable pitchers will start today’s games, but there’s an equal possibility that none of them will.
For the Bruins, the logical choice to start today probably would have been Ian May, except for the fact that May threw five middle innings in yesterday’s game. That means the start may go to CJ Bott and hold back Michael Barnett in case the Bruins have to play a deciding game tomorrow.
NCAA Baseball Los Angeles Regional, Day 3
When: Sunday, June 1, 2025
Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Game 5
Teams: UC Irvine Anteaters (42-16) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (36-23)
Game Time: 3:00 pm PT
Live TV: None
Live Stream: ESPN+/WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: ASU StatBroadcast
Probable Pitchers:
ASU - Easton Barrett, LHP, Fr. (4-2, 4.38 ERA)
UC Irvine - Ryder Brooks, LHP, R-So. (6-3, 4.81 ERA)
Game 6
Teams: Game 5 Winner vs. #15 seed UCLA Bruins (44-16)
Game Time: 7:00 pm PT
Live TV: None
Live Stream: ESPN+/WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Audio: uclabruins.com
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Probable Pitchers:
TBD - TBD
UCLA - CJ Bott, RHP, Fr. (2-1, 5.00 ERA)
Los Angeles Regional Tournament Hub
Regional Notes
UCLA
Arizona State
UC Irvine
This is your Los Angeles Regional games five and six game thread.
Go Bruins!!
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Very good energy here at the stadium, should be a good one.
Great write up as usual. Looks like we have UC Irvine to play tonight (after 7 innings they are beating ASU). The Anteaters are a well balanced team. They mirror the Bruins in many ways. Similar teams. We have a lot of very good well rested pitchers. Hopefully that will play to our advantage. Coach Savage is a pitchers coach. Go Bruins.