On Tuesday, April 14, the UCLA Bruins lost to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 4-0. This was the first loss for the Bruins since February 24. On that day, UCLA lost to the San Diego State Aztecs by a score of 4-3.
In between the losses against San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara, the Bruins won 27-straight games. During those 27 games, UCLA has won 18 Big Ten games, leading to an undefeated record this season in conference play.
The Bruins’ loss on Tuesday against the Gauchos was just their third of the season.
What happened against UC Santa Barbara?
UCLA’s game against UC Santa Barbara was an uncharacteristic one offensively. It was the first time the Bruins were shut out by an opponent this season.
In the game, UCLA had five hits as a team. The bulk of the hitting came from Mulivai Levu and Dean West. Both of those players had two hits apiece.
Plenty of big-time contributors to this UCLA team had hitless performances against UC Santa Barbara. Roch Cholowsky, Roman Martin, and Payton Brennan went a combined 0-for-8 against the Gauchos.
Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Bruins were averaging 9.2 runs per game. They usually are capable of beating a team that scores four runs against them. However, a quiet offensive night led to a different story.
Up next for UCLA
The UCLA Bruins are the number one team in the country, according to D1 Baseball’s top 25 rankings.
They have six more Big Ten wins than Nebraska, who is ranked second in the current conference standings.
The Bruins’ next game is on Friday, April 17, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The game is at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, and the first pitch is at 10 p.m. ET.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: UCLA’s Dean West runs during an NCAA baseball game against Texas Christian on Friday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
