For the second game in a row, junior first baseman Mulivai Levu came through as a hero for No. 1 UCLA baseball in the Big Ten Tournament.
After sending UCLA to the semifinals with a walk-off sacrifice fly against Purdue on Friday, Levu launched a three-run walk-off homer with two outs on the board against No. 25 USC on Saturday. Levu’s home run led the Bruins to a 7-5 victory over their crosstown rivals and sent UCLA to the Big Ten title game.
“Just like yesterday, I tried to calm my heart rate down,” Levu told Big Ten Network after the game. “It was beating, so I just tried to get my breath and hunt for a fastball and luckily got one over the plate.”
Two games, two walk-offs in the Big Ten Tourney for Mulivai Levu 💥@UCLABaseball x @B1Gbaseballpic.twitter.com/62YwcjT0J2
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) May 23, 2026
UCLA gave up its one-run lead over USC in the top of the ninth inning. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, redshirt sophomore outfielder Aidan Espinoza got on base with a single, and junior outfielder Dean West got on base with a walk.
After Roch Cholowsky, who is the back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year and the No. 1 prospect entering the 2026 MLB Draft, fouled out, UCLA was down to its final out. That is when Levu stepped to the plate and kept UCLA’s tournament run live.
Levu finished the semifinal game going 3-for-5 with four RBIs. His home run marked his 17th of the season and the 35th of his collegiate career.
The Bruins won the Big Ten regular season title after going 28-2 in conference play. Now, UCLA will have a chance to battle for the Big Ten Tournament title.
UCLA is will play the winner of the semifinal game between No. 2-seed Nebraska and No. 3-seed Oregon. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 12 pm PT.
Photo Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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