GAME RECAP: #1 UCLA Explodes for Seven Runs in the 8th, Cruises Past #12 USC 12-4 in Battle of LA Opener

WESTWOOD, CA – The top-ranked Bruins put an emphatic stamp on Game 1 of the Battle of LA Friday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium, erupting for seven runs in the eighth inning to blow open a tight contest and roll to a 12-4 victory over crosstown rival No. 12 USC.

UCLA (27-2) pounded out 14 hits and took advantage of five USC errors while committing none of their own. The Bruins trailed or were tied early but steadily built the lead before the decisive eighth-inning explosion turned a one-run game into a rout.

Logan Reddemann got the start and delivered a solid six innings, allowing four runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Zach Strickland (3-1) earned the win with 1⅓ scoreless innings of relief, and Easton Hawk notched his fourth save with 1⅔ perfect frames to close it out.

Offensively, the Bruins were led by a balanced attack that featured timely hitting and power. Payton Brennan went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Roman Martin was 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, and two runs. Will Gasparino added three hits in four at-bats with two RBI, while Mulivai Levu chipped in two RBI and Dean West drove in one with a double and scored twice. Roch Cholowsky and Dominic Cadiz each had two hits as well.

The game started with UCLA grabbing a 1-0 lead in the first on Brennan’s RBI single (aided by a USC error). USC answered with a two-run homer from Andrew Lamb in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Martin tied it with a solo shot in the third, and the Bruins went ahead for good with two more in the fourth on West’s RBI double and Martin’s RBI walk.

USC scratched across single runs in the fifth and sixth to make it 4-4, but UCLA pushed back with one in the seventh to regain the lead. Then came the eighth.

The Bruins sent 11 men to the plate and sent seven across in a frame that featured four hits, a walk, and multiple USC defensive miscues. Brennan, Gasparino, Levu, and Martin all contributed key knocks as the floodgates opened, turning a 5-4 game into a 12-4 laugher heading into the ninth.

For the Trojans, Augie Lopez and Andrew Lamb each homered, accounting for three of USC’s four runs. Starter Gavin Lauridsen (2-1) took the loss after allowing three runs in 2⅓ innings of relief. USC’s bullpen was gashed in the eighth, with Sax Matson allowing four runs without recording an out.

The Bruins’ offense continues to roll at a championship level, and their bullpen showed the composure that has defined them all season. Friday’s win marked yet another statement performance in what has been a dominant 2026 campaign.

Game 2 of the Battle of LA is set for tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. back at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Westwood. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. PT, with the series finale to follow on Sunday.