usd baseball wins at #14 ucla - 4-6-25 - credit anderson haigler
4
Winner San Diego USD 7-24
3
UCLA UCLA 25-6
Winner
San Diego USD
7-24
4
Final
3
UCLA UCLA
25-6
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 R H E
San Diego USD 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 9 1
UCLA UCLA 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 0

W: Harrison, Dallin (1-0) L: Bott, CJ (2-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

USD Baseball Outlasts No. 14 UCLA in Unforgettable 14-Inning Win

Toreros prevail by 4-3 margin on Sunday in Los Angeles after lights-out bullpen performance, go-ahead homer from Smith

LOS ANGELES — Two home runs from Austin Smith and an incredible performance from the USD bullpen helped San Diego baseball (7-24, 3-3 WCC) earn a stunning 4-3 victory over No. 14 UCLA (25-6, 10-2 Big 10) in 14 innings at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Smith drove in three of the Toreros' four runs in the weekend finale, starting the scoring in the top of the first with a two-run shot before giving USD the lead in the top of the 14th with a go-ahead solo homer. AJ Beltre worked a full count before drawing a bases-loaded walk to tie the score at 3-3 in the top of the eighth.

After San Diego starter David Horn Jr. battled through three solid innings, five Toreros teamed up to hold the Bruins off the board for the game's final 11 frames. Graduate student Hayden Cody turned in three hitless innings, and was followed by Porter Rovin, AJ Frausto, Jamie Robertson, and Dallin Harrison, who each totaled two scoreless innings of their own.

UCLA tied the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly and an RBI fielder' choice, then took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third on an RBI single. It had the go-ahead run in scoring position in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings and the bases loaded and less than two outs in the 12th and 13th, but the USD bullpen held strong.

Robertson was able to strand a trio of runners in the 12th inning after left fielder Rex Watson notched an outfield assist on a would-be sacrifice fly, delivering a well-placed one-hop throw to USD catcher Jayden Lobliner, who tagged out UCLA's Grant Gray as he slid headfirst on a bang-bang play at home plate.

Watson's thrilling putout was made even more remarkable by San Diego's defensive positioning. Prior to the play, Smith moved from center field to third base to create a five-man infield, leaving Watson and right-fielder Aden Howard alone in the outfield gaps. The all-or-nothing strategy proved prescient when Watson's newfound spot in right-center had him just a step away from the fly ball he gloved and threw home. 

The 13th inning saw Harrison strand the winning run on third base by getting Bruins' catcher AJ Salgado to fly out to center field. Harrison went on to close the game out for San Diego, striking out two across a 1-2-3 14th that secured the Toreros an unforgettable extra-innings win on a sun-soaked afternoon in Los Angeles.

NOTABLE
  • Smith's first-inning home run extended his hit streak to 22 games.
  • Sunday marked San Diego's first win over a ranked opponent since March 9, 2024, when it prevailed 9-8 at No. 14 Dallas Baptist.
  • Sunday's 14-frame affair was the Toreros' longest game (by innings) since April 14, 2022, when USD bested Loyola Marymount 9-8 in a 14-inning, four-hour, 56-minute contest that had to be completed the following morning due to Fowler Park's light and noise curfew.
  • Sunday's game spanned five hours and two minutes, marking USD's only five-hour contest in at least the last four seasons.
  • In total, San Diego stranded 18 UCLA runners on Sunday.
UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action on Tuesday, when they return home to host crosstown rival UC San Diego in a non-conference matchup at Fowler Park. First pitch against the Tritons is set for 6:05 p.m.
 
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