Sunday was a similar story as the previous two games for Oregon baseball against UCLA. The Ducks scored first and had a two-run lead in all three games, but they wound up losing all three by one-run margins.

The score was 5-4 on Sunday at Jackie Robinson Stadium, as Oregon was unable to come out on the positive side of another tight matchup with the Bruins. The Ducks scored one run in each of the first four innings, but they were silent after that.

As they’ve had to do quite often this season, the Ducks went with a bullpen game. They worked around heaps of baserunners early on to stay in the game, but the Bruins used a critical two-run double in the sixth and a solo homer in the seventh to secure a three-game sweep.

Tanner Smith led off the game with a four-pitch walk for Oregon. The Bruins nearly turned a double play, but a throwing error allowed Smith to advance to third. 

With a 2-2 count on Brennan Milone, UCLA pitcher Thatcher Hurd started wincing with pain. UCLA’s trainer came out to check on him. Hurd paced gingerly around the mound before limping off the field.

Milone greeted new Bruins pitcher Charles Harrison with an RBI groundout that put the Ducks up 1-0. Oregon scored first against UCLA for the third straight game.

Matt Dallas got off to a shaky start in the first inning. Like Hurd in the top half of the inning, Dallas walked the first batter. A hit by pitch and a single quickly tied the game at 1-1.

Dallas got out of the inning without any further damage thanks to a fantastic double play turned by Josh Kasevich. Kasevich initially booted it, but he recovered and flipped it to Gavin Grant, who somehow threw to first in time for the double play.

Just a few minutes after his impressive play, Kasevich led off the second inning with a solo homer. Oregon retook the lead, 2-1.

Colby Shade and Milone drew back-to-back walks in the third. Shade was thrown out trying to steal third, but Jacob Walsh lined a single up the middle to extend the Ducks’ lead to 3-1.

Dallas gave up a homer to the first batter he faced in the bottom of the inning, getting the Bruins back within a run. After allowing a walk and a single, he was pulled for Rio Britton.

Britton walked the first batter he faced, loading the bases with no outs. He navigated trouble by inducing a huge double play, as the Ducks got the force out at home. He ended the inning with a pop out, miraculously holding on to Oregon’s 3-2 lead.

Anthony Hall led off the fourth inning with a monstrous home run as the teams continued to trade runs. It was Hall’s second straight game with a homer, putting the Ducks back up by a pair.

Dylan Sabia entered in the fourth. Like Dallas and Britton before him, Sabia walked the first batter he faced. A single and another walk loaded the bases again for UCLA, this time with one out.

Once again, Oregon escaped without giving up any runs. Sabia gave up a scorching liner that was caught by Kasevich for the second out and a grounder to Kasevich for the third out. The Ducks held on to their 4-2 lead, escaping a bases-loaded situation for the second straight inning.

Caleb Sloan came in for the fifth. His first pitch hit the UCLA batter on the foot, making Sloan the fourth Oregon pitcher to issue a free pass to the first batter he faced. Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski didn’t agree with the call, emerging from the dugout to argue with the umpire to no avail.

Sloan was not so fortunate in the sixth. After allowing two singles, he gave up a two-out double that tied the game at four.

All-American closer Kolby Somers entered in the seventh. Unlike the four Oregon pitchers before him, he didn’t issue a free pass to his first batter. Instead, he gave up a solo home run, putting UCLA on top 5-4.

Somers bounced back to pitch a scoreless eighth, but the Ducks’ hitters couldn’t get anything going. Tyler Ganus drew a pinch-hit walk in the ninth, but Sam Novitske grounded into a double play to end the game.

It was the Ducks’ third straight one-run loss to the Bruins, as they were swept in their first Pac-12 series loss of the year.

Oregon (18-10) will now look to regroup for a series in Eugene against Ball State (17-9) that kicks off Friday at 4 p.m.