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A Big Ten Tournament championship game that had already stretched into the 11th inning was ultimately decided not by inches, but centimeters.
No. 1 UCLA capped off its decorated 2026 regular season with a 3-2 victory against No. 12 Oregon in the conference title game on Sunday, May 24, a result that came after the closest of close calls.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Bruins second baseman Phoenix Call took a pitch high and inside from Ducks reliever Devin Bell. After the play, Call turned to home plate umpire Rick Allen, who ruled that Call had been hit by the pitch, bringing in Roman Martin from third base for the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
MORE: College baseball tournament automatic bids tracker
The play was reviewed for several minutes before being upheld.
It was the first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship for UCLA, which is in its second season in the league. The Bruins finished the regular season with a 51-6 record and are virtually assured of the No. 1 national seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament field, which will be unveiled on Monday, May 25.
The controversial hit-by-pitch call ended what had been a contentious game between the former Pac-12 foes, who had gotten into a heated back-and-forth in a 9-6 Oregon victory on May 9.
UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino, a first-team All-Big Ten honoree, was ejected in the fourth inning for malicious contact after being caught in a pickle that ended with him plowing over Ducks third baseman Drew Smith.
Later, Oregon catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after admiring a solo home run that tied the game in the top of the sixth inning.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA baseball beats Oregon for Big Ten title on walk-off hit-by-pitch
Continue reading...
No. 1 UCLA capped off its decorated 2026 regular season with a 3-2 victory against No. 12 Oregon in the conference title game on Sunday, May 24, a result that came after the closest of close calls.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Bruins second baseman Phoenix Call took a pitch high and inside from Ducks reliever Devin Bell. After the play, Call turned to home plate umpire Rick Allen, who ruled that Call had been hit by the pitch, bringing in Roman Martin from third base for the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
MORE: College baseball tournament automatic bids tracker
The play was reviewed for several minutes before being upheld.
It was the first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship for UCLA, which is in its second season in the league. The Bruins finished the regular season with a 51-6 record and are virtually assured of the No. 1 national seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament field, which will be unveiled on Monday, May 25.
The controversial hit-by-pitch call ended what had been a contentious game between the former Pac-12 foes, who had gotten into a heated back-and-forth in a 9-6 Oregon victory on May 9.
UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino, a first-team All-Big Ten honoree, was ejected in the fourth inning for malicious contact after being caught in a pickle that ended with him plowing over Ducks third baseman Drew Smith.
Later, Oregon catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after admiring a solo home run that tied the game in the top of the sixth inning.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA baseball beats Oregon for Big Ten title on walk-off hit-by-pitch
Continue reading...
