They haven’t come easy, but they all count the same.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (39-3, 21-0 Big Ten) beat Sacramento State (19-25, 5-4 WAC) 5-3 on Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium for the team’s sixth consecutive win, four of which have come in comeback fashion.

“We left 11 guys on base and had some opportunities to really knock the door down,” said coach John Savage. “It seems like right now we’re playing a lot of close games. We played a lot of close games against Minnesota, Hawaiʻi, and then Sacramento State. … I would like to see us have better at-bats throughout the lineup.”

With two outs in the top of the first inning, senior right-hander Michael Barnett surrendered a two-run blast, just his eighth home run allowed this season. He would work through traffic on the basepaths in the second and third innings as well, navigating around a single and multiple free passes.

Utilizing his sinker and changeup, both pitches with strong depth, Barnett induced multiple critical ground balls to keep the deficit at two.

“He was a little careless,” Savage said. “He doesn’t usually walk people, he ended up having three walks. A couple four-pitch walks, it’s not championship type pitching. We have a very high standard and know what it looks like.”

Following a third inning mound visit from Savage, Barnett settled in and retired seven consecutive Hornet batters. He completed five innings with two or fewer runs allowed for the seventh time this season.

The Bruins clawed back slowly but surely on three separate occasions.

Junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky launched his 15th home run of the season, a third inning solo shot over the left field wall. Despite not getting his arms fully extended on an inside fastball, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft had enough strength to send the ball out of the ballpark, a testament to his power ability.

Junior first baseman Mulivai Levu tied the score 2-2 in the fifth with a solo blast of his own, an equally impressive swing, taking a left-on-left slider well beyond the wall in left-center field.

“We were told to be in a fastball, spit approach,” Levu said. “I just checked my fastball adjust, and I saw a slider up and went for it.”

Junior center fielder Will Gasparino completed the trifecta an inning later, walloping an outside fastball on top of the batting cages past the right field fence for his team-leading 18th home run.

With a one run lead in the seventh, Savage sent freshman right-hander Zach Strickland back out for a second inning of work. After allowing a leadoff single and falling behind the next hitter 2-0 – with the rain starting to pour – the plans changed.

“I went off script a little bit and I wish I hadn’t,” Savage said. “Strickland was going to be our long guy today and have him get to the seventh and Randall (junior right-hander Cal Randall) start the eighth, and then Hawk (sophomore right-hander Easton Hawk) in the ninth. It got a little off script, the rain came down. When we usually follow our script good things happen, when you usually get off your script, bad things happen. I’ve learned that, and I learned it today.”

A walk and a passed ball put runners on first and third, and the tying run came in on a sacrifice fly to left field. Randall would induce three swing-and-misses on his high-octane fastball to close out the inning.

With the Bruins held scoreless in the bottom of the frame, Savage sent Randall out for a second inning, although he was quickly forced to turn to Hawk with runners on first and second and one out. The closer would strike out two consecutive Hornets to shut down the threat.

“He’s been very, very, very good,” Savage said. “I thought a really good heart rate, a lot of high pitchability, a big mix, 96-97 (mph) fastball with an elite slider, a really good changeup. He can pitch a lot of different ways to get you out.”

And the comeback Bruins made another appearance this weekend.

Junior catcher Cashel Dugger and a double from redshirt junior right fielder Payton Brennan blasted off the left-center wall to move the runner up on the base paths. A wild pitch slipped out of the wet hands of Hornets right-hander Colin Hunter, allowing Dugger to score as the go-ahead run. Junior left fielder Dean West would add on an insurance run, lining a single to center field to plate Brennan.

Hawk would not relinquish the lead, sealing the victory and his 15th consecutive scoreless appearance.

“I feel really, really confident,” Hawk said. “The first couple outings that didn’t go the way I wanted gave me some constructive criticism, what to throw, what not to throw, and I feel really confident now. … I had a lot of walks in the beginning of the season. I take pride in not walking people. I hate it, it’s uncompetitive.”