GAME RECAP: #1 UCLA Opens the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, TX with Dominant Win Over #20 Tennessee

ARLINGTON, TX – Will Gasparino delivered the fireworks with a pair of towering home runs, and the No. 1 UCLA Bruins put on a power display with five total long balls to cruise past No. 20 Tennessee 12-5 on Friday afternoon at Globe Life Field, kicking off the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in dominant fashion.

The Bruins (7-2) wasted no time flexing their bats against Vols starter Tegan Kuhns. Cashel Dugger doubled home Aidan Aguayo in the second for a 1-0 lead. In the third, Roch Cholowsky doubled and Mulivai Levu crushed a two-run homer to right, making it 3-0. Payton Brennan added a solo shot to left in the fourth, and Cholowsky drove in another with a sacrifice fly in the fifth to push the advantage to 5-0.

Tennessee (6-3) refused to go quietly, exploding for four runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to 5-4. Chris Newstrom sparked the rally with a triple and later added a homer, while Tyler Myatt delivered a two-RBI single and Stone Lawless knocked in one more.

But the Bruins answered with a thunderous six-run seventh inning that put the game away. Gasparino led it off with a solo blast to right-center. After a pair of hit-by-pitches and a Tennessee error, Roman Martin unloaded for a three-run homer to left. More chaos followed with defensive miscues and a Dugger double, plating two additional runs and ballooning the lead to 11-4. Tennessee scratched across one in the bottom half, but that was all.

Gasparino capped his day with a solo homer in the ninth — his second of the game and another reminder why he’s among the nation’s top power threats — for the final 12-5 margin.

The Bruins pounded out 11 hits and drew four walks while committing just one error. Gasparino finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Martin drove in three, Levu went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs, Brennan homered and scored twice, and Dugger added two hits and two RBIs. UCLA’s five home runs (Levu, Brennan, Gasparino twice, Martin) overwhelmed a Tennessee staff that entered the day with one of the SEC’s stingiest ERAs.

On the mound, Logan Reddemann (3-0) earned the victory with 5.1 strong innings, allowing three runs on four hits, walking one and striking out seven with his electric fastball. The Bruins bullpen — Ian May, Jake Swenson, Jack O’Connor, Elai Iwanaga and Easton Hawk — shut the door from there. Hawk was especially filthy, punching out four in 1.2 scoreless frames. Kuhns struck out 10 in six innings but took the loss (1-1) after surrendering six runs (four earned) on six hits.

This was exactly the statement win the top-ranked Bruins wanted on the big stage at the home of the Texas Rangers — showcasing depth, power and bullpen resilience against a ranked SEC foe. UCLA improves to 7-2 while Tennessee falls to 6-3.

The series continues Saturday for the Bruins with another heavyweight clash in Arlington vs the Texas A&M Aggies.