LOS ANGELES – In their first-ever Super Regional appearance, the University of Texas at San Antonio fell to the University of California, Los Angeles, 5-2 in Game 1 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Roadrunners struck first in the opening inning when Mason Lytle smoked a solo home run over the left field wall, giving UTSA an early 1-0 lead.
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UTSA then put their aggressive base-running on display in the second inning, as Caden Miller stole home with two outs, pushing the lead to 2-0.
UCLA responded in the third, tying the game at 2-2.
Mulivai Levu drove in Dean West with an RBI double down the right-field line, and Roman Martin followed with an RBI groundout.
The Bruins took their first lead in the fourth after loading the bases with one out. Dean West’s sacrifice fly scored Payton Brennan, but UTSA limited the damage, keeping it a one-run game at 3-2.
Despite being outhit 9-6, UTSA stayed within striking distance through the sixth inning.
Starter Royse went 5.0 innings, striking out three but allowing nine hits and three runs.
Connor Kelley took over in relief, holding UCLA scoreless until the eighth. The Bruins, who had squandered multiple scoring chances, finally broke through late.
With two outs and runners at the corners, Roman Martin’s two-RBI triple to right-center sealed the 5-2 victory for UCLA.
UTSA’s offense struggled to capitalize after the early innings, and their typically disruptive base-running couldn’t spark a comeback.
The Roadrunners now face a must-win Game 2 to keep their season alive against UCLA at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
