Fourth-seeded Saint Mary's College eliminated top-seeded UCLA from the NCAA Tournament on Sunday with a 6-5 extra-inning victory in the Los Angeles Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Makoa Sniffen drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the bottom of the 10th inning, capping a comeback after UCLA had led 3-0 and 5-2.
The defeat makes the Bruins, who finished 52-8, just the fifth top overall seed in tournament history to be eliminated in the Regional round.
UCLA held a 5-4 lead in the ninth inning before Saint Mary's tied the game off closer Easton Hawk.
The Bruins built their early advantage on run-scoring hits from Roman Martin and Trey Gudoy, supported by a pitching performance from Angel Cervantes, but stranded 10 baserunners overall.
“Obviously this weekend, we did not play up to our standards,” said UCLA coach John Savage.
“Really felt it was a struggle for whatever reason — all three games, really.”
Savage used reliever Cal Randall to start the ninth inning before turning to Hawk after a single by Tanner Griffith.
Ian Armstrong then delivered a game-tying single past a shifted infield.
“A little Baltimore chopper,” Savage said. “A good pitch — unfortunate.”
In the 10th, Cody Kashimoto reached on an infield single and advanced on a groundout and an intentional walk, setting up Sniffen's game-winning hit.
Savage noted that the inability to secure late-inning insurance runs placed an immense burden on the bullpen.
“We just could not break away from anybody, it felt like — 3-2, 2-1, 4-3, 5-4 [scores], and it just took a toll on Easton,” Savage said.
“And we couldn’t get those insurance runs and paid the price at the end.”
The roster had experienced a shift in pitching roles after losing ace Logan Reddemann to arm fatigue in mid-April.
According to Savage, missing the potential first-round Major League Baseball draft pick disrupted both the starting rotation and bullpen usage over the final six weeks of the season.
“It had a ripple effect on the starters, it had a ripple effect on the bullpen,” Savage said.
“The effect it had on roles, the effect it had on usage — major, major deal.
No excuses, we still won, but at the same time it looked a little different and felt a little different, and at the end it really hurt losing a potential first-rounder [in the Major League Baseball draft] the last six weeks.”
The current senior group concludes their collegiate careers two years removed from a 19-33 season in 2024, having since achieved more than 100 victories and a trip to the College World Series.
“They had a wonderful, wonderful career that came to a harsh ending,” Savage said.
“But you can’t take away what they did, and they left this place in a much better place than where they found it.”
