Jackie Robinson famously lettered in four sports at UCLA, and he may have been best at football.

Though the MLB trailblazer is remembered by the “42” he wore as a Brooklyn Dodger, the Bruin donned “28” on the gridiron when he led the nation in yards per punt return in back-to-back seasons in 1939 and 1940.

A win Tuesday would have extended No. 1 UCLA baseball’s (33-3, 18-0 Big Ten) win streak to 28.

But even with the Bruins competing on their home field – Jackie Robinson Stadium –and playing the first of their four games celebrating Jackie Robinson Week, no amount of 42s could make up for the zero that sat on the scoreboard.

UC Santa Barbara (23-11, 10-5 Big West) shut out UCLA 4-0, handing the latter its first loss since Feb. 24.

Still, the Bruins may have suffered a fate worse than the end of their 27-game win streak.

Roch Cholowsky had his first-inning slide into second base ruled as interference, with the junior shortstop seemingly attempting to break up a double play. Adding insult to injury, Gaucho shortstop Corey Nunez’s throw toward first hit Cholowsky’s right hand point blank.

“I hope he’s OK,” said coach John Savage, who added that he was unsure if the collision affected Cholowsky’s performance Tuesday. “He got hit hard with the throw. … I just hope he’s OK.”

Ayo Robinson, a granddaughter of Jackie Robinson, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes threw the next.

Cervantes cruised through the first two innings – facing the minimum – but gave up three knocks and two runs in his third and final inning of work.

Still, Savage said he was impressed.

“I really liked Angel,” Savage said. “The first two innings were pretty clean and then the third inning, obviously, he gave up a couple runs, but he’s making strides. He’s learning how to pitch at this level.”

Savage deployed seven pitchers for the remaining 18 outs, and six kept the Gauchos off the board.

Freshman right-hander Zach Strickland was the lone exception, allowing two of the three batters he faced to reach in the eighth, with both coming around to score.

But redshirt senior southpaw Ian May faced the minimum in the fourth and fifth, and junior right-hander Justin Lee struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect sixth.

Cal Randall walked two of his first three hitters before Savage went out to meet the junior right-hander on the mound.

Though the coach has been quick to pull Randall this season when control becomes an issue – the right-hander got the hook Feb. 15 and 20 before recording an out – Tuesday, Savage left the junior to clean up the mess he made.

Randall struck out two of his next three, stranding the bases loaded and keeping the Gauchos’ lead to two.

“I’ve just been handling batters better, just staying present more,” Randall said. “It makes it easier to win battles when you know that you have the stuff to do it. He’s (Savage is) starting to trust that, and I’m trusting that.”

Despite all the praise and excitement the team’s retro Jackie-Robinson-inspired uniforms have received, they seem to have stuck the Bruins’ bats in the deadball era – at least in their season debut against the Gauchos.

UCLA recorded just five hits – all singles.

The Bruins went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, 1-for-10 with two outs and 1-for-13 with runners on.

“They made a lot of big pitches in big situations,” said junior left fielder Dean West, who went 2-for-4 Tuesday. “They did a really good job of winning their 3-2 counts. That’s something that we always take pride in, and I thought they beat us there.”

Cholowsky came to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, but was left bent at the hip with his head in his hands after looking at strike three.

For whatever reason, the Jackie Robinson Stadium speakers played Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet’s “Narco” – the walkout song of three-time MLB All-Star closer Edwin Díaz – before the Bruins batted in the bottom of the ninth.

Maybe unsurprisingly, Gauchos southpaw Cole Tryba tossed a perfect ninth and completed his 2.2-inning save.

While no win streak lasts forever, new ones can always begin.

With 18 games left in the regular season, winning 28 in a row – beginning Friday – would put the Bruins one win away from the Men’s College World Series final.