The Bruins were three outs from snapping their two-game skid.

Then the Nittany Lions scored four in the top of the ninth, and suddenly, the Bruins were down one and three outs away from a season-long three-game losing streak.

But all Penn State (25-15, 12-10 Big Ten) did was make No. 15 UCLA baseball’s (30-11, 14-5) 16th comeback win of the year all the more dramatic. The Bruins walked off the Nittany Lions 7-6 at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday night.

“It was just us knowing what we were capable of,” said sophomore left fielder Dean West. “Just staying within ourselves, not trying to play hero and just passing the baton to the next guy.”

With two runners on and one out in the bottom of the ninth, West tied the game with a bloop RBI single into left field.

After the Nittany Lions intentionally walked sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the Bruins’ OPS leader, the baton was handed to sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu with the bases loaded.

And Levu grounded to a diving Derek Cease. But the second baseman was slow to get the ball to shortstop Ryan Weingartner, who tossed an errant throw to first, allowing freshman pinch runner Logan de Groot to trot home safely.

“It felt good. I just tried to go up there and get the job done,” Levu said. “I went up there with some confidence.”

Despite freshman right-hander Wylan Moss – who started the Bruins’ last three Friday games – being ready to go this weekend, coach John Savage said, southpaw Ian May took the bump against Penn State.

And while May, who previously lost his job as the Saturday starter, would pitch 3.1 scoreless innings to wrap up his outing, the redshirt junior allowed two to score in the top of the first as UCLA failed to score first for the 27th time this year.

But in the bottom of the first, Cholowsky tied the game with a two-run shot to center and redshirt senior center fielder AJ Salgado swatted a two-run blast of his own to right center for his eighth home run of the year.

And, with a leaping snag at the wall in the third, sophomore right fielder Grant Gray robbed Weingartner of a home run to preserve the Bruins’ two-run lead.

But like May, Penn State starter left-hander Ryan DeSanto settled in after his first inning, holding UCLA scoreless across his final five innings Friday.

And the Bruins’ four-run first inning may have been enough anyway – if not for their struggles on the mound.

Although Penn State only recorded four hits Friday, UCLA sent five pitchers to the mound, plunking two and walking ten. The Bruins had only allowed double digit walks once previously this season.

“We just didn’t throw enough strikes, so we got to be better tomorrow,” Savage said. “We’re not going to win any championships pitching that way.”

Sophomore right-hander Justin Lee recorded just one out in the ninth, and was charged with three earned runs for the fourth time in his last three appearances.

“We have a lot of faith in Justin. We have a lot of confidence in Justin. He’s going through a hard time right now, but that’s OK. I mean, that’s part of growing up,” Savage said. “I would have done the same thing if I was managing right now again.”

The coach added that setup man junior right-hander Jack O’Connor has been out with a forearm strain, last pitching April 13.

But the Bruins should be getting reinforcements Saturday – at least to their lineup. Redshirt sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan, who hasn’t played since April 6 due to a hamstring strain, is expected to play tomorrow, Savage said.

UCLA will send Michael Barnett to the mound Saturday. The junior right-hander owns a 7.02 ERA over his last four starts, but will have the opportunity to return to his early season form – when he had a 3.04 ERA across his first seven appearances.

And on the other side, Penn State is giving right-hander Mason Horwat, who has a 7.34 ERA across 38 innings, the nod.

First pitch of game two is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.