See more of our coverage in your search results.
Beyond the absurdity of playing the Big Ten Tournament in the rainy Midwest when perfect Southern California weather was available, the top-ranked UCLA baseball team had to contend with something far more menacing Friday.
A gritty bunch of Purdue Boilermakers.
Falling behind early after a couple of blunders and trailing deep into the eighth inning, the Bruins eventually summoned some magic, as if those rainbows in the sky before the first pitch had finally unveiled their treasure.
HEY BRUINS, WELCOME TO THE BIG 10 SEMIFINALS 😋A rally by UCLA in the last two innings to give them this 4-3 win!#NCAABaseballx 🎥 BTN /@UCLABaseballpic.twitter.com/5hObOvpJU9
After tying the score with two runs in the eighth inning and loading the bases with one out in the ninth, Mulivai Levu’s run-scoring sacrifice fly completed UCLA’s 4-3 comeback in a dramatic quarterfinal victory at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
The Bruins surged out of their dugout to mob Levu, who had also sparked their rally an inning earlier.
“We’re gritty and we’re all well-connected and we just don’t give up,” Levu told the Big Ten Network after helping his team improve to 8-4 when trailing after seven innings.
UCLA (49-6) benefited from a fielding error and a throwing error that put two runners on to start the ninth inning. Leadoff hitter Dean West then sacrificed both runners into scoring position, prompting Purdue (37-20) to intentionally walk Roch Cholowsky to load the bases.
Levu then lifted a 2-and-1 pitch into right field, easily scoring pinch-runner Jarrod Hocking from third base with the winning run.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
