The popcorn machine at Jackie Robinson Stadium gets going well before the first pitch.

The cracks, bursts and snaps are a product of the kernels getting hot at different times and popping at different temperatures.

And perhaps the Bruins could be considered a giant baseball-themed popcorn machine themselves.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (37-3, 21-0 Big Ten) bested Hawaiʻi (20-16, 10-11 Big West) 12-7 at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday evening, extending its winning streak to four after its 27-game streak was snapped the Tuesday prior.

Angel Cervantes looks like a kernel yet to pop. The freshman right-hander arrived in Westwood with lofty expectations after getting drafted No. 50 overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, but he pitched just two innings Tuesday, surrendering two runs on four hits.

“It’s not the start that we wanted, or he wanted,” said coach John Savage. “It’s still a work in progress.”

With his starter at 42 pitches – and a target of 50 for the night in mind – Savage ran out Cervantes for the third inning. But when Cervantes’ first pitch turned into a single, the head honcho took the long trek to the mound.

Ian May quieted the game down in the fourth and fifth innings, Savage said.

After the Bruins deployed three pitchers across the game’s first three innings only to allow four runs, the redshirt senior southpaw held the Rainbow Warriors to a solo shot over two frames.

May – California’s Friday night starter to open 2023 – ended his first UCLA campaign with a 4.97 ERA and 1.29 WHIP as he filled a variety of roles, totaling 12 starts and 27 appearances for 70.2 innings pitched.”

This season, primarily filling in as a middle reliever and left-handed option, May’s ERA is down to 2.42 and his WHIP is down to 1.08 through 26 innings.

Additionally, between 2025 and 2026, May’s K/9, BB/9 and FIP have gone from 5.99, 3.44 and 6.75 to 9.75, 1.88 and 3.42.

“I don’t necessarily put myself in a single category,” May said. “(I) just try to stay ready for the team and whatever the team needs that day.”

Junior right-handers Cal Randall and Justin Lee both appeared Tuesday in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively.

The duo, which has oscillated between roles as high-leverage relievers and last resorts, faced just one over the minimum.

“They both have really turned a corner,” Savage said. “They’re throwing about as hard as they ever have. … It’s just fun to see (and) pretty attractive, I would say, to an organization when you’re seeing 98 to 100 (mph) day in and day out.”

Randall’s strikeout percentage has jumped from 26.7% last season to 48.1% this season and his FIP has fallen from 5.20 to 3.24. Meanwhile, Lee’s K/9 and BB/9 have gone from 7.88 and 7.59 his sophomore season to 11.37 and 4.26 as a junior.

The Bruin offense was supercharged with five home runs – tied for their most in a single game this season.

Juniors left fielder Dean West, shortstop Roch Cholowsky and third baseman Roman Martin all homered, but only center fielder Will Gasparino managed to do it twice.

Gasparino hit 12 home runs as a freshman at Texas and 13 as a sophomore, but in just his first 13 games at UCLA, the junior had 11 long balls.

Though the Los Angeles local was held homerless for his next 13 games, his 13 most recent have seen six home runs. This puts him at a career- and team-high of 17.

“That’s just baseball,” Gasparino said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs. You ride your hot streaks and try to get out of your cold streaks as quickly as possible. It helps when you’re emotionally mature and trust your process.”

The center fielder added that he’s been able to stay a lot more internally stable through his ups and downs than he has in seasons prior.

Yet Savage saved his props for a Bruin who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts: sophomore catcher Kasen Khansarinia.

“He hadn’t played in a while,” Savage said. “He caught nine different guys – that’s not easy to do. (He is a) converted guy. He got the bunt down with two strikes (in the seventh inning).

Though junior Cashel Dugger remains UCLA’s everyday catcher, Savage said he could see Khansarinia popping into a starting job later in his collegiate career.

“That room (the catchers’) is elite,” Savage said, referring to Dugger, Khansarinia, junior catcher Blake Balsz and assistant coach Griffin Barnes. “From where he (Khansarinia) was to where he is today is really a product of those guys, because he’s been exceptional when he’s caught.”