Saint Mary's Stuns Top-Seeded UCLA in NCAA Baseball Regional, Ending 78-Game Winning Streak

Saint Mary's upset top-seeded UCLA with a 6-5 walk-off victory in 10 innings during NCAA baseball regional play, eliminating the Bruins and ending their historic 78-game winning streak in close games. The defeat marked a stunning collapse for the nation's premier team and became only the second time a No. 1 national seed has failed to advance to the regional final since the current tournament format began in 1999.

The Final Moments

UCLA entered the ninth inning protecting a 5-4 lead, needing just one more out to secure a spot in the regional final. Saint Mary's Ian Armstrong delivered a high-bouncing single over the infield to tie the game and send the contest to extra innings. The Bruins could not retake the lead in the top of the tenth, leaving the door open for the Gaels.

With runners on first and second and two outs in the bottom of the tenth, Makoa Sniffen ripped a single past diving third baseman Roman Martin into left field. Cody Kashimoto raced around third base and slid headfirst into home plate to end UCLA's season. The walk-off capped a remarkable regional run for the Gaels, who also defeated UCLA 3-2 in the regional opener on Friday through a ninth-inning solo homer.

Historic Collapse for the Top Seed

The loss marked an extraordinary reversal for UCLA, which had compiled 30 come-from-behind victories during the regular season—the most in Division I baseball. The Bruins had become synonymous with clutch performances, thriving in high-pressure situations all year. However, their unmatched resilience cracked under the weight of a double-elimination regional format, where Saint Mary's capitalized on multiple opportunities to stun the nation's most talented roster.

UCLA joins Vanderbilt as only the second No. 1 national seed to fail making the regional final in tournament history. Prior to these back-to-back occurrences, no top seed had ever stumbled at this stage since the format's implementation. The early exit also highlighted struggles for the Big Ten conference, leaving Oregon and USC as the conference's remaining representatives in the tournament.

Little Rock Makes History

While UCLA fell, a different four-seed story unfolded across the country. Little Rock achieved its first-ever super regional appearance by sweeping its regional 3-0, including victories over ninth-seeded Southern Miss and three-seeded Jacksonville State. Statistically, four seeds that went 2-0 in regional play have advanced to the super regionals in eight of the previous 11 instances, and Little Rock's perfect weekend validated that historical trend.