It felt like déjà vu by the fourth fly.

UC San Diego walloped a quartet of home runs in the series finale – each one coming with the score tied or the Bruins ahead – resulting in the Tritons taking the lead.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (2-1) sustained its first loss of the 2026 campaign, falling 8-7 to UCSD (1-2) in the final match of opening weekend Sunday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The first home run came against the Bruins’ starter, junior right-hander Landon Stump, as center fielder Michael Crossland blasted a third-inning no-doubter off a fastball over the plate.

That would be the only run Stump allowed, but he was limited to just 3.1 innings of work after he allowed a consecutive walk and single in the fourth inning. Stump allowed six Tritons to reach base on three walks and three hits.

“Stump was uncharacteristically wild,” coach John Savage said. “Poor pitching, poor approach all around, so we’ll get better from it. We’ve been doing this too long to look at one game and start talking about it.”

Savage elected to bring in redshirt junior southpaw Chris Grothues, setting up two left-on-left matchups – ideal for Grothues and his sweeping slider. He induced a fly out to left before punching out the next batter and pumping his fist.

UCLA responded in the bottom of the frame, with junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky roping a one-out single into left field for the Bruins’ first hit. Cholowsky went 4-for-12 with a home run and two doubles on the weekend.

Junior first baseman Mulivai Levu continued the pressure, drawing a walk before junior third baseman Roman Martin sent a two-strike curveball into deep right-center field for a double, tying the score. The double was UCLA’s 11th two-strike hit of the weekend, and the squad only struck out twice Sunday.

But Crossland put the Tritons back in front, sending a hanging curveball well beyond the left-field fence for his second homer of the afternoon.

Although the Bruins are a squad of veteran players, multiple newcomers contributed Sunday.

Making his first collegiate start after coming off the bench yesterday with a walk and a single, freshman designated hitter Trey Gudoy worked a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth. Fellow freshman second baseman Aiden Aguayo then sent a high-and-away fastball off the batting cages in right field, tying the game with his first collegiate hit.

“It was a surreal feeling,” Aguayo said. “I didn’t think it was going out at first until I saw him turn around.”

The jump from high school to collegiate baseball is often a tough transition, but the Bruins’ unity helped ease the change.

Paired up in the middle infield, Cholowsky had mentored Aguayo.

“Roch has been an awesome leader, he’s been a great role model for me,” Aguayo said. “It’s been a pleasure playing with him.”

However, even veteran and new Bruin pitchers could not find their footing.

Junior right hander Cal Randall entered and walked the first two hitters he faced, forcing Savage to bring in his closer, sophomore right-handed pitcher Easton Hawk.

The Bruins closer appeared in Friday’s game but could not produce the same outcome Sunday.

After falling behind 2-0 in the count, Hawk served up a fastball over the plate, which first baseman Gabe Camacho blasted over the fence for the Triton’s third home run of the afternoon – his second of the weekend.

But as they did in game one and all of last year, the Bruins clawed their way back.

Redshirt junior right fielder Payton Brennan fought off a tough breaking ball before taking three-straight errant pitches for a walk. Gasparino followed with the fifth lead-changing home run of the game, obliterating a hanging breaking ball to even the score at six.

UCLA then went down in order, however, and Hawk came back out after a 12-pitch inning. A leadoff single put the go-ahead run on base, but the sophomore settled in with a pop out and a fly out.

Then came the fourth and final dagger.

Right fielder Nick Costello launched a two-run homer on a hanging slider, which the Bruins would never relinquish.

Levu hit the game’s seventh home run to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the ninth, but a game-ending strikeout sealed the Bruins’ loss.

“We’re forgetting about this loss and moving on,” Levu said. “Obviously you have to live with it, but we’re just looking forward to the Tuesday game now.”