Phoenix Call delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a stunning three-run rally as the UCLA Bruins staved off elimination with a 6-5 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in the NCAA Los Angeles Regional on Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Entering the bottom of the ninth trailing 5-3, the Bruins' season was on the line. Mulivai Levu led off the inning with a solo home run to cut the deficit to one. The very next batter, Roman Martin, tied the game with a solo shot of his own. Will Gasparino followed with a single, and after a strikeout, Dominic Cadiz singled to put the winning run on third base, setting the stage for Call's game-winning hit. Gasparino finished 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored. Levu went 1-for-3 with his crucial homer, and Martin was 1-for-4 with his game-tying blast. Cashel Dugger also homered for UCLA, and Jarrod Hocking added an RBI double, going 2-for-3.

Virginia Tech built its late lead through the long ball in a back-and-forth contest. The Hokies took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI single from Sam Grube. After UCLA went ahead 2-1, Owen Petrich tied it with a solo home run in the fifth. Ethan Gibson's solo homer in the seventh knotted the game at 3-3, and Ethan Ball gave the Hokies a 4-3 lead with a solo shot in the eighth. Virginia Tech added what seemed to be a critical insurance run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Hudson Lutterman. Gibson led the Hokies' offense, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a double.

UCLA starter Michael Barnett pitched six innings, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out five. His counterpart, Brett Renfrow, went four innings for Virginia Tech, surrendering two runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts. The Bruins, the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time all season.

Up next: Regional play in the NCAA baseball tournament continues Sunday.

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