No. 12 USC Baseball Falls to No. 1 UCLA 9-8

Saturday, April 4

Westwood, Calif.

2:00 p.m. PT

USC

27-5, 10-4

UCLA

28-2, 14-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
USC	1	0	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	8	11	1
UCLA	0	3	1	0	0	4	0	1	X	9	12	3

Augie Lopez advancing to third base during second game against UCLA

Photo by: Chris Mora

No. 12 USC Baseball Falls to No. 1 UCLA 9-8

April 04, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

The Trojans led by as many as three runs before the Bruins staged a late comeback.

WESTWOOD, Calif. — The No. 12 USC baseball team (27-5, 10-4 Big Ten) fell to No. 1 UCLA (28-2, 14-0 Big Ten) 9-8 in the second game of the crosstown rivalry series on Saturday, April 4 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Westwood, Calif.

With two outs in an 8-8 game in the bottom of the eighth, UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch from Adam Troy with two outs. The Trojans managed to get one man aboard in the top of the ninth but couldn't break through.

This is the first series the Trojans have lost all season and the first time they have lost consecutive games.

The Trojans had several opportunities to earn their first win over the nation's No. 1 team in seven years. USC led 5-3 after the top of the third inning, then 7-4 heading into the sixth inning, but UCLA scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to flip the script.

Trailing 3-1, USC's bats came alive in the third inning to make the score 5-3. Augie Lopez helped put up the first run with a one-out, RBI single, then Kevin Takeuchi and Isaac Cadena kept the line moving with RBI singles of their own before Takeuchi scored on a wild pitch on the next at-bat.

Bruin outfielder Payton Brennan tied the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the third, then Cadena's RBI double helped the Trojans go up 6-4 before Dean Carpentier had a productive out that drove in Takeuchi for a 7-4 lead.

UCLA rallied in the sixth inning with four runs. An RBI triple by Levu and a two-RBI single by Brennan shifted the momentum, putting the Bruins up 8-7 after the sixth inning. USC tied the game when Will Stickney, pinch-hitting for Maddox Riske, walked and scored on a ground-out by Andrew Lamb. But the tie was short-lived, as UCLA would score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.

Adam Troy (1-2) was credited with the loss, while UCLA's Cal Randall (2-0) earned the win and Easton Hawk was credited with his fifth save of the year.

TOP PERFORMERS

Isaac Cadena: 2-for-5, 2 RBI
Abbrie Covarrubias: 3-for-4, 2R, 1 SB
Kevin Takeuchi: 2-for-5, 2R, RBI

COMING UP
The final game of the crosstown rivalry series is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcasted on B1G+. All pertinent information can be found on the baseball team's schedule page on usctrojans.com.