Virginia Tech came within three outs of eliminating top-seeded UCLA from the NCAA Tournament before the Bruins staged a dramatic ninth-inning rally for a 6-5 victory Saturday in the Los Angeles Regional elimination bracket.
The Hokies (30-25) carried a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and appeared poised to send the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed home. Instead, UCLA opened the inning with back-to-back home runs from Mulivai Levu and Roman Martin to tie the game before Phoenix Call delivered a walk-off single later in the frame.
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Virginia Tech had entered the elimination game after falling 6-2 to Cal Poly in its regional opener Friday. Facing a win-or-go-home scenario, the Hokies responded with one of their strongest performances of the postseason and put UCLA on the brink of a historic early exit.
The Bruins, however, continued a season-long trend of late-game comebacks. UCLA erased the two-run deficit in the ninth inning and completed its rally when Call’s single brought home the winning run, sending the host team into another elimination game.
Virginia Tech’s loss ended its 2026 season after the Hokies earned an at-large berth and the No. 2 seed in the Los Angeles Regional. The appearance marked the program’s return to NCAA Tournament play following a late-season surge that secured a postseason bid.
UCLA advanced in the regional despite opening the tournament with a surprising loss to Saint Mary’s, becoming the first No. 1 overall seed since 1999 to lose its regional opener before battling back to stay alive.