LOS ANGELES – The Cal baseball team knocked around one of the nation's best pitching staffs Thursday night but couldn't finish off an upset.

Top-ranked UCLA scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a bases-loaded walk for an 8-7 victory to open this three-game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Cal led 7-3 midway through the game, powered by two homers from catcher Korey Lee, and went deep three times total against a Bruins pitching staff that entered the night with the second-lowest ERA in the country.

But UCLA (29-6, 10-3 Pac-12) wouldn't go away. The home team answered a five-run Cal rally in the top of the fifth with two runs of its own in the bottom half to cut the Bears' lead to 7-5.

The Bruins tied it with two runs in the eighth. Kevin Kendall singled home a run and Ryan Kreidler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 7-7.

Cal put the go-ahead run aboard in the top of the ninth but couldn't  get him home. In the bottom half, with  the bases loaded and  two outs, Garrett Mitchell worked a full count against Cal freshman reliever Sean Sullivan and then drew a walk to force home the game winner.

The Bears (19-13, 7-6) altered their batting order a bit, and it paid off against a UCLA pitching staff that entered with the nation's second-lowest team ERA at 2.57.

Quentin Selma, who normally has hit ninth, was moved up to the No. 2 spot. He responded with a three-run homer in Cal's big fifth inning, a monster shot that cleared the giant batting cage beyond  the right field wall.

Andrew Vaughn and Lee both moved down a spot to the third and fourth positions in the order, respectively. Lee, who's been on a tear lately, hit a solo shot to the opposite field in the second for the game's first run.

After Selma's three-run shot in the fifth, Vaughn (2-for-5, RBI) doubled to left-center and Lee hit a laser over the wall in center for a two-run homer, his second of  the game and ninth of the season. He leads the team with 35 RBI.

Cal second baseman Darren Baker turned in two spectacular players in the field. He made a diving backhanded stop and throw to first to retire
Michael Toglia in the fourth. Then the sophomore ranged behind the second base bag in the seventh, slid to a knee to field a grounder, popped up quickly and threw out Jake Pries at first.

Game two of this three-game series is Friday night at 7:05 and will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.