UCLA
18-5, 7-2
Indiana
13-11, 5-4
Bruins Secure Series Victory Over Indiana with 6-3 Win
March 23, 2025 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA baseball team claimed a series victory over Indiana with its 6-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
UCLA (18-5, 7-2 Big Ten) continues its unbeaten streak in weekend series this season, securing victories in both Saturday and Sunday games against Indiana (13-11, 5-4 Big Ten).
The Bruins scored two runs in the first and never looked back, earning a wire-to-wire victory over the Hoosiers. UCLA is undefeated when scoring first, posting a perfect 8-0 record.
Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu enjoyed three-hit days to lead the UCLA offense. Levu finished the weekend 6-for-12 at the plate with five RBI and four runs scored. Cholowsky scored a pair of runs in his 3-for-5 effort, finishing a home run shy of the cycle.
Landon Stump (2-0) delivered a solid outing to earn his second win of the campaign, tossing five innings and surrendering just one earned run.
Roman Martin came up with an important two-RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to help give UCLA a sizable cushion going into the ninth. He went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a pair of walks.
The Bruins' bullpen brigade kept the Indiana bats in check down the stretch to help preserve the lead. August Souza, Ian May, and Jack O'Connor combined to get UCLA through the sixth, seventh, and eighth frames before Justin Lee slammed the door in the ninth.
UCLA scored twice in its first trip to the plate to quickly jump out to a 2-0 lead. Cholowsky roped a double off the left-center field wall to start the rally, then Levu promptly brought him around to score with his base hit to left. With two outs and the bases juiced, Payton Brennan legged out an infield hit to score Levu and double the Bruins' lead.
Levu delivered a sacrifice fly in the second inning to make it a three-run advantage, scoring Dean West who led off with a walk.
Indiana used a pair of hits to get a run back in the top of the fourth, then scratched another across in the eighth to make it a one-run game.
After going scoreless for five straight frames, UCLA added some much-needed insurance in the bottom of the eighth, rallying for three runs. Cholowsky led off the inning with a triple, dodging the tag at third base with an impressive slide to reach safely. Levu was walked intentionally and quickly swiped second base, setting the stage for Martin.
UCLA's third baseman smacked a ground ball through the drawn-in infield to plate both runners for the two-RBI single. Jarrod Hocking then lifted a sacrifice fly later in the inning to add to the Bruins' cushion.
In the ninth, Justin Lee surrendered a solo home run, but managed to settle down by getting back-to-back strikeouts and a game-ending fly ball to clinch the series victory.
The Bruins will host Loyola Marymount for a midweek contest on Tuesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be available to watch on B1G+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stump, Landon (2-0)
L: Swanson, Deron (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Wiggins, Andrew 1 ; Cerny, Tyler 1
HR: Cerny, Tyler 1
RBI: Hanley, Jake 1 ; Cerny, Tyler 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Hanley, Jake 1 ; Cerny, Tyler 1 ; Decker, Cole 1
HBP: Brenczewski, Joey 1
Batting:
2B: Cholowsky, Roch 1
3B: Cholowsky, Roch 1
RBI: Levu, Mulivai 2 ; Martin, Roman 2 ; Hocking, Jarrod 1 ; Brennan, Payton 1
SF: Levu, Mulivai 1 ; Hocking, Jarrod 1
Base Running:
RUNS: West, Dean 1 ; Cholowsky, Roch 2 ; Levu, Mulivai 2 ; Martin, Roman 1
SB: Levu, Mulivai 1 ; Martin, Roman 1
HBP: Martin, Roman 1 ; Balsz, Blake 1
