UCLA’s Dean West, left, celebrates his first inning home run with teammate Roman Martin at PK Park in Eugene. Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bruins Rout Fresno State to Open Los Angeles Regional

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 31, 2025 4:05 PM ET

UCLA baseball is off to a strong start in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bruins opened regional play with a statement 19-4 victory over Fresno State on Friday. They set a season record of 22 hits, two of which were homers.

Sophomore infielder Roman Martin led the way, going 4-of-6, finishing with three runs and three RBIs. Sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu was close behind with three hits on six attempts, posting two runs and five RBIs.

On the mound, junior right-hander Michael Barnett got the start, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing six hits and two runs. He was one of five Bruins to have pitched on Friday and was relieved by redshirt sophomore left-hander Chris Grothues.

The game immediately looked like it had the potential of getting out of hand when UCLA went up, 4-0, in the very first inning.

“(Fresno State junior right-handed pitcher Jack) Anker is a very polished guy; there’s no panic in him," said Bruins coach John Savage. "We were fortunate. There were some balls that weren’t hit that hard that went through. But there were a bunch of foul balls, I like that.

"We battled them. We ran up the pitch count. I know that pitch count is not a deal for a starter in the playoffs so much, but at the end of the day, we did a good job of battling him."

The Bruins scored 13 runs in the seventh and eighth innings combined.

Normally, UCLA star sophomore infielder Roch Cholowsky, the Big Ten Player of the Year, is the headliner, but the success was well-rounded on Friday.

“I think it just goes to show the balance of the offense. Roch didn’t have his best day, clearly, which is fine," Savage said. "It's an everyday game, and good players have tough games. He still had two hits, but at the end of the day,

"West, Roman, and Blake (Balsz) really had big games. Any good team has a really good player; it’s all about the lineup and continuing at-bats throughout the lineup. We did a really good job of that today. I thought that Blake and Roman had some really good at-bats that got the next guy to the plate. "

UCLA will be back in action against Arizona State at Jackie Robinson Stadium at 6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT on Saturday.