UCLA loses regional opener at home to Saint Mary's

NCAA Baseball Tournament Stunner: No. 1 UCLA Falls to Saint Mary's in Regional Opener

Original Story by Ian Casselberry

The 2026 NCAA baseball tournament wasted no time delivering its first major upset on Friday, as the No. 1 overall seed UCLA Bruins were stunned 3-2 by the No. 4 seed Saint Mary’s Gaels. Playing on their home field at Jackie Robinson Stadium in the Los Angeles Regional, the heavily favored Bruins suffered a shocking defeat that immediately put their College World Series aspirations in jeopardy.

The decisive blow came in the top of the ninth inning when Saint Mary’s sophomore infielder Jacob Johnson launched his second home run of the game, a solo shot off UCLA pitcher Easton Hawk, to put the Gaels ahead 3-2. Saint Mary’s closer Cam Staton then shut down the Bruins in the bottom of the ninth, securing the improbable victory by striking out two and inducing a fly ball from National Player of the Year Roch Cholowsky for the final out. Saint Mary’s drew first blood in the fourth inning when Johnson hit his first solo homer off UCLA starter Wylan Moss.

However, the Bruins quickly answered in the bottom of the same frame, with Roman Martin evening the score at 1-1 with a solo blast of his own, signaling a tightly contested battle ahead. UCLA briefly took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning after Trey Gudoy singled and Dean West walked, setting up Roch Cholowsky for a sacrifice fly. But the Gaels refused to fold, tying the game once again in the top of the sixth. Makoa Sniffen delivered an RBI double down the first-base line, bringing home Tanner Griffith and setting the stage for Johnson's late-game heroics. On the mound, Saint Mary’s received a masterful performance from starter John Damozonio, who pitched seven strong innings, surrendering only two runs on five hits while striking out six. Relief pitcher Cam Staton earned the win with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. For UCLA, Easton Hawk, who entered the tournament with an impressive 1.81 ERA, 14 saves, and a strikeout rate of 11 per nine innings, was tagged with the loss.

Despite the opening-game loss, the No. 1 Bruins are not yet eliminated from the tournament, which features a double-elimination format in the regional round. UCLA now faces a do-or-die situation, needing to defeat the loser of Friday night’s matchup between No. 2 Virginia Tech and No. 3 Cal Poly to stay alive and continue their quest for the College World Series.

Well, folks, you just witnessed what makes college baseball so absolutely captivating! The No. 1 seed, at home, in their opener, goes down to an unranked opponent – unbelievable! This is why we watch, for these moments of pure, unadulterated sports drama, where anything truly can happen on any given day. What a start to the tournament!

Source: Original Article

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