Early Struggles Hand No. 23 Texas A&M First Loss of Season Vs. No. 1 UCLA

Just 24 hours after a 10-0 run-rule-shortened win over the Virginia Tech Hokies, the No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies found themselves on the shorter end of the same situation, dropping Saturday night's game against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins 11-1.

Things got ugly quickly for the Aggies from the start, allowing six runs in just the first two innings, and for the longest time were only held to one hit on the night.

The loss brings Texas A&M to 9-1 on the year, while the Bruins swell to 8-2.

Aggies Drop First Game of 2026 in Mercy Rule Loss to UCLA

Texas A&M Aggies left fielder Caden Sorrell (13) scores during the second inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Weston Moss took the loss for the Aggies, his first of the season. In just two innings of work, he allowed six hits, six runs (all earned), walked three batters, and struck out one batter in a shaky night for the junior out of Spring Creek.

After Texas A&M went down in order in the first inning, the Bruins wasted no time showing off their No. 1 ranking, scoring four runs off of a single by Mulivai Levu, a sacrifice fly from Payton Brennan, and a two-RBI single by Cashel Dugger.

Jake Duer led off the top of the second inning with the Aggies' only run support of the game, a solo home run into the home team's bullpen to cut the lead to 4-1 in favor of the Bruins.

But UCLA left no room for the Aggies to breathe, as third baseman Roman Martin roped a single into center that brought home two runs in the bottom of the second inning, quickly burying the Maroon and White with a 6-1 lead.

After an RBI single from left fielder Dean West in the bottom of the fifth inning, the sixth inning saw the Bruins stick the dagger in Texas A&M, as Payton Brennan doubled to right to score Mulivai Levu, and Will Gasparino, who is no stranger to the Aggies after his tenure with the Texas Longhorns, demolished a three-run home run into the left field stands to give UCLA the 11-1 lead.

And in the top of the seventh, there was no response from the Ags, as Nico Partida, Boston Kellner, and Jorian Wilson were sat down in order, handing the Aggies their first loss of the 2026 campaign.

Head coach Michael Earley made sure to give credit where it was due to the No. 1 team and finished by pledging that his team would be back stronger on Sunday.

"They (UCLA) played an awesome game, I mean they completely outplayed us on that end and when they got balls hit, they hammered them," Earley told the media after the loss. "In the end, you gotta play better baseball. It's never acceptable to lose like that. We're gonna be better, we're gonna bounce back tomorrow, and we're gonna give a good effort tomorrow."

The Aggies finish up their weekend in Arlington with a 6:30 PM matchup against the Arizona State Sun Devils, who currently sit at 0-2 on the series after losses to Mississippi State and Tennessee.