Bruins' Matchup Set for Big Ten Tournament Semifinal

After defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini on Wednesday, the Bruins knew they were already advancing to the weekend round, but continued to bolster their hopes at hosting an NCAA Regional with a 7-5 comeback win over the Michigan Wolverines, the third team in Pool B.

UCLA took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning that quickly vanished over the next few frames. They found themselves trailing 5-4 going into the bottom of the eighth inning and immediately posted three runs to overcome the deficit and cruise to another Big Ten tournament win.

Star sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky continues to stay unconscious at the plate as he drilled a game-tying solo home run to tie the game, 5-5, in the eighth. It marks his second homer of the tournament and his 22nd of the season, proving why he won multiple Big Ten season awards.

Redshirt freshman designated hitter Aidan Espinoza delivered the go-ahead, RBI base hit just a few batters later to give the Bruins a 6-5 lead. They would scratch together one more run on sophomore second baseman Phoenix Call's RBI groundout.

The Bruins will now enjoy a day off on Friday before getting back to action against a very good Hawkeye team that crumbled away their chances at earning a Big Ten regular season title.

Iowa led the Big Ten standings for almost the entire season until they were swept by No. 5-seeded Oregon in the regular season series finale last weekend. That allowed the Bruins and Ducks to each earn a share of the Big Ten title as the two newest teams in the conference became co-champions in 2025.

UCLA and the Hawkeyes did not face each other once this season, but there will be a lot on the line. Not only is a Big Ten Tournament championship game appearance at stake, but a chance to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Win or lose, the Bruins will more than likely be one of the 16 host teams for the NCAA Regional that begins at the end of May, but for Iowa, things could be different. Iowa will certainly not be a host team, and they may need to win the conference tournament to make the national tournament at all.

First pitch is set for Saturday at 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. ET with coverage featured on Big Ten Network or the FOX Sports App. The winner will advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship game with a chance to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, starting May 30.

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