A four-run Bruin lead became a two-run deficit after the Lions scored three in the sixth and four in the seventh.

And after responding with just one run in the seventh, No. 24 UCLA baseball (19-5, 7-2 Big Ten) headed to the bottom of the ninth down a run – and three outs away from falling to an unranked mid-major opponent in Loyola Marymount (14-11, 2-1 WCC) on Tuesday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

But the Bruins rallied to load the bases with nobody out, and sophomore designated hitter Blake Balsz grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice to tie the game just before sophomore second baseman Cameron Kim delivered the knockout blow – a walk-off, RBI single over the right fielder’s head for the 9-8 victory.

“I thought Blake was going to do it,” Kim said. “And then I kept telling myself that I was going to do it. I just tried to stay off the ground – I didn’t want to run into a double play – and I just tried to stay slow and hit the ball in the air the other way and get a run in. It worked out in my favor.”

Kim’s heroics came just two innings after a defensive miscue coincided with LMU’s four-run seventh inning.

With a runner on first and one away, Lions shortstop Cam Hassert hit a ground ball up the middle toward Kim, who made just his third career start at second base. The ball ricocheted off Kim’s glove – after which he tried fielding it on a backhand – and into center field.

Had the sophomore fielded it cleanly, he may have been able to get the force out at second base. Instead, the Lions scored three two-out runs on back-to-back two-out hits.

“I’ve grown a lot mentally – I don’t get as upset as I used to,” Kim said. “Last year, I would have dwelled on that. But this year, I trust my team so much to the point where, if i mess up, I know they got me. And I know I got the next one because they believe in me.”

To Kim’s point, the win over the Lions was the Bruins’ 11th comeback victory of 2025.

Tuesday’s chess match saw a combined 41 players appear on Steele Field. LMU sent nine pitchers to the mound, while UCLA sent eight.

For Bruin hitters, Kim said seeing a new pitcher nearly every at-bat meant constant scouting reports and updates from the coaching staff.

Meanwhile, coach John Savage got to evaluate the performance and depth of his bullpen.

“Souza (graduate student right-hander August Souza) was good and Rodriguez (sophomore right-hander Luke Rodriguez) was good,” Savage said. “We need more arms, and I think Randall (sophomore right-hander Cal Randall) threw the ball really well. Moss (freshman right-hander Wylan Moss) looked like he was back. And then Hawk (freshman right-hander Easton Hawk) now is a nice addition.”

Hawk made his collegiate debut Tuesday, tossing a perfect top of the third where he struck out a batter. Savage said the freshman topped out at 98 miles an hour on his fastball against the Lions after sitting around 94 in practice.

Savage added that Hawk hadn’t pitched in games previously because he wanted to be patient with the right-hander’s once-tender forearm.

Grant Gray made his first start for the Bruins on Tuesday in left field. And the sophomore’s first collegiate hit – a two-run shot to the palm trees in left field – put an exclamation point on UCLA’s five-run fourth inning.

“Super nice,” Gray said. “Able to get that monkey off my shoulder.”

Gray, also a wide receiver for UCLA football, said former teammate and two-sport athlete JonJon Vaughns – who made 113 tackles on the gridiron, slugged 19 homers from the batter’s box and struck out 16 from the mound in his Bruin career – was a major factor in his decision to come to UCLA.

“The whole reason that I came here is really because of JonJon,” Gray said. “I had a bunch of schools tell me that I was going to be able to play both, and no one had really done it for them yet. But seeing JonJon do it here kind of led me on the right path.”

Winners in 12 of their last 14 games, UCLA closed out its homestand 7-1 and will fly to West Lafayette, Indiana, on Wednesday for its upcoming weekend series against Purdue.

After Tuesday’s contest ended at 9:43 p.m., Savage said his focus is ensuring the team gets a good night’s rest.