UCLA staves off elimination, defeating Virginia Tech 6-5 in a back-and-forth thriller in the Los Angeles regional.
UCLA 6, Virginia Tech 5
In a game that featured five lead changes and five home runs, UCLA outlasted Virginia Tech 6-5 in an elimination game of the Los Angeles regional. The Bruins tied the game with solo home runs in the fifth and seventh innings before taking the lead for good on an RBI single in the eighth.
Key Plays
- Top 3rd: Virginia Tech struck first. Sam Grube delivered a two-out single to score Owen Petrich, giving the Hokies a 1-0 lead.
- Top 4th: UCLA responded immediately. Cashel Dugger led off with a home run, and Jarrod Hocking followed with an RBI double to give the Bruins a 2-1 advantage.
- Bottom 5th: The Hokies answered back. With two outs, Owen Petrich launched a solo home run to tie the game at 2-2.
- Top 6th: The Bruins regained the lead. Will Gasparino crushed a solo home run, putting UCLA up 3-2.
- Bottom 7th: Virginia Tech tied it again. Ethan Gibson led off the inning with a solo home run, knotting the score at 3-3.
- Top 8th: The Hokies took their first lead since the third inning. Ethan Ball hit a solo home run to make it 4-3 Virginia Tech.
- Bottom 8th: UCLA stormed back. Cashel Dugger and Jarrod Hocking hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game. Later, an RBI single gave UCLA a 5-4 lead.
- Top 9th: Virginia Tech added an insurance run on an RBI single by Hudson Lutterman, making it 5-3? (Note: contradictory scores in input)
- Bottom 9th: UCLA closed the game with two runs to take a 6-5 lead, including a solo home run by Will Gasparino? (Note: input is inconsistent)
Correction: The input text contains conflicting information. The final score is UCLA 6, Virginia Tech 5.
Pregame
Virginia Tech faced elimination against No. 1 national seed UCLA. The Hokies' lineup included Pete Daniel (SS), Sam Grube (RF), Ethan Ball (2B), Henry Cooke (C), Ethan Gibson (1B), Hudson Letterman (DH), Nick Locurto (LF), Sam Gates (CF), and Owen Petrich (3B). Starting pitcher was Brett Renfrow.