University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Tuesday, April 28
Santa Barbara, CA
4:35 PM (PT)
UCLA
40-4
15
at
3
UC Santa Barbara
27-15
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| UC Santa Barb. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
Payton Brennan
Photo by: UCLA Athletics
No. 1 UCLA Offense Explodes in 15-3 Run-Rule Win at UC Santa Barbara
April 28, 2026 | Baseball
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 1-ranked UCLA baseball team erupted for 15 runs in a commanding 15-3 run-rule win over UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday afternoon at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The Bruins (40-4) handed the Gauchos (27-15) their largest loss of the season, tagging a staff that entered with the nation's best ERA (3.09) for a season-high 15 runs.
UCLA matched its offensive outburst with a season-high 15 hits, featuring six multi-hit performances. Roch Cholowsky and Payton Brennan each homered as part of two-hit days, while Dean West, Mulivai Levu, Roman Martin, and Phoenix Call all added two hits of their own. Cashel Dugger, Dominic Cadiz, and Jarrod Hocking chipped in with one hit apiece to round out a relentless Bruins lineup.
On the mound, Angel Cervantes (3-1) delivered one of the best outings of his young career. The right-hander earned his third win after tossing a career-high 5.0 innings, allowing just one run on four hits with three strikeouts. His only blemish came on a solo homer in the fifth.
UCLA wasted no time seizing control, erupting for five runs in the opening inning and setting an immediate tone. West sparked the rally with a leadoff single, and Cholowsky followed by unloading on a pitch for a towering two-run homer. Levu and Martin kept the pressure on with back-to-back singles, and Brennan's walk loaded the bases for Dugger, who lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Cadiz then worked a four-pitch walk to reload the bases, and Call delivered the knockout swing of the frame, lacing a double down the left-field line to drive in two more and complete the five-run outburst.
The Bruins tacked on another run in the second, with Cholowsky working a walk and Levu following by punching his second hit of the night into the outfield. That set the table for Brennan, who delivered a sacrifice fly to push the lead to six and keep UCLA firmly in control.
UCLA blew the game open in the fifth, exploding for six runs to stretch the lead to 12 and bury any hope of a comeback. Brennan ignited the surge by launching a towering 453-foot blast to straightaway center, a no-doubt moonshot that set the tone for the inning. Dugger followed with a walk, Cadiz singled, and Call was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and West's RBI groundout pushed across another run. Cholowsky then lined a sharp single to left to make it three in the frame, and Levu's walk reloaded the bases.
Martin delivered a clutch two-strike knock to score West, and Brennan, batting for the second time in the inning, hammered a double into right field to cap the six-run outburst and put the game firmly out of reach.
UC Santa Barbara briefly cut into the deficit with Noah Karliner's solo shot in the fifth, but UCLA immediately answered in the sixth by manufacturing a run to restore the cushion.
The Bruins kept piling on in the seventh, stringing together hits from Hocking and Dugger before Call ripped his second double of the night, driving in two more and stretching the margin to 14 runs.
Karliner hit his second homer of the contest in the seventh, but Ian May would close it out on the mound to clinch the win for UCLA.
The Bruins will travel to East Lansing, Mich. for a three-game Big Ten Conference series against Michigan State beginning on Friday, May 1 at 3:05 p.m. PT.
The Bruins (40-4) handed the Gauchos (27-15) their largest loss of the season, tagging a staff that entered with the nation's best ERA (3.09) for a season-high 15 runs.
UCLA matched its offensive outburst with a season-high 15 hits, featuring six multi-hit performances. Roch Cholowsky and Payton Brennan each homered as part of two-hit days, while Dean West, Mulivai Levu, Roman Martin, and Phoenix Call all added two hits of their own. Cashel Dugger, Dominic Cadiz, and Jarrod Hocking chipped in with one hit apiece to round out a relentless Bruins lineup.
On the mound, Angel Cervantes (3-1) delivered one of the best outings of his young career. The right-hander earned his third win after tossing a career-high 5.0 innings, allowing just one run on four hits with three strikeouts. His only blemish came on a solo homer in the fifth.
UCLA wasted no time seizing control, erupting for five runs in the opening inning and setting an immediate tone. West sparked the rally with a leadoff single, and Cholowsky followed by unloading on a pitch for a towering two-run homer. Levu and Martin kept the pressure on with back-to-back singles, and Brennan's walk loaded the bases for Dugger, who lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Cadiz then worked a four-pitch walk to reload the bases, and Call delivered the knockout swing of the frame, lacing a double down the left-field line to drive in two more and complete the five-run outburst.
The Bruins tacked on another run in the second, with Cholowsky working a walk and Levu following by punching his second hit of the night into the outfield. That set the table for Brennan, who delivered a sacrifice fly to push the lead to six and keep UCLA firmly in control.
UCLA blew the game open in the fifth, exploding for six runs to stretch the lead to 12 and bury any hope of a comeback. Brennan ignited the surge by launching a towering 453-foot blast to straightaway center, a no-doubt moonshot that set the tone for the inning. Dugger followed with a walk, Cadiz singled, and Call was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and West's RBI groundout pushed across another run. Cholowsky then lined a sharp single to left to make it three in the frame, and Levu's walk reloaded the bases.
Martin delivered a clutch two-strike knock to score West, and Brennan, batting for the second time in the inning, hammered a double into right field to cap the six-run outburst and put the game firmly out of reach.
UC Santa Barbara briefly cut into the deficit with Noah Karliner's solo shot in the fifth, but UCLA immediately answered in the sixth by manufacturing a run to restore the cushion.
The Bruins kept piling on in the seventh, stringing together hits from Hocking and Dugger before Call ripped his second double of the night, driving in two more and stretching the margin to 14 runs.
Karliner hit his second homer of the contest in the seventh, but Ian May would close it out on the mound to clinch the win for UCLA.
The Bruins will travel to East Lansing, Mich. for a three-game Big Ten Conference series against Michigan State beginning on Friday, May 1 at 3:05 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cervantes, Angel (3-1)
L: Van Froling (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Brennan, Payton 1 ; Call, Phoenix 2
HR: Cholowsky, Roch 1 ; Brennan, Payton 1
RBI: West, Dean 2 ; Cholowsky, Roch 3 ; Martin, Roman 1 ; Brennan, Payton 4 ; Dugger, Cashel 1 ; Call, Phoenix 3
SF: Brennan, Payton 1 ; Dugger, Cashel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: West, Dean 2 ; Cholowsky, Roch 3 ; Levu, Mulivai 2 ; Martin, Roman 1 ; Brennan, Payton 2 ; Hocking, Jarrod 1 ; Dugger, Cashel 1 ; Cadiz, Dominic 2 ; Call, Phoenix 1
HBP: Call, Phoenix 1
Batting:
HR: Noah Karliner 2
RBI: Noah Karliner 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Nick Husovsky 1 ; Noah Karliner 2
HBP: Nico Libed 1 ; William Vasseur 1 ; Cole Kosciusko 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball1B
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
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