Some say April showers bring May flowers, and today the Ducks earned theirs after a strong win to close out the series against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

No. 21 Oregon baseball (26-10, 10-5 Big Ten) secured its series against Nebraska (27-9, 12-3 Big Ten) with a 5-4 win today on a short performance from starting pitcher Cal Scolari (3.2 IP, 6 K, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB). Angel Laya’s (2-3, 3 RBI, 2 HR, HBP) two home runs secured the all-time freshman home run record and the series for the Ducks.

“It’s a good win,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “Nebraska’s a good club, and, you know, to beat them two out of three is really good.”

Scolari got off to a rocky start against the Cornhuskers, letting leadoff man Mac Moyer on with a single through the left side of the infield, but bounced back after fielding a comebacker and turning a double play on the next at-bat. The momentum was cut short quickly after first baseman Case Sanderson launched a ball deep to the field foul pole for a solo home run.

In the top of the second, Scolari struck out three batters, with one reaching on a hit by pitch. His approach was pretty aggressive, throwing only three balls out of 14 pitches. 

The Ducks’ offense was able to get rolling against Nebraska starter Cooper Katskee in the bottom half of the second with Drew Smith labeling a ball down the left field line on the first pitch for a double. Laya put the Ducks on the board shortly after with a deep shot over the right field wall to make it 2-1. After Maddox Molony reached on a walk, Oregon nearly doubled its lead after Burke-Lee Mabeus sent a ball deep to right-center, but Moyer robbed the potential home run and killed any momentum the Ducks had.

Nebraska responded quickly with leadoff hitter and second baseman Rhett Stokes bunting for a base hit, and Moyer reaching on a walk before a double from catcher Jeter Worthley sent home both runners to retake the lead. Worthley was sent home shortly after on an RBI single from Sanderson to make it 4-2.

After recording two outs in the top of the fourth, Wasikowski made the call to the bullpen to bring out Tanner Bradley to relieve Scolari with a runner on first. 

Things went quiet after the fourth inning until the bottom of the sixth, when Laya sent a ball deep over the right field wall for his second home run of the game.  

“Pretty amazing, right?” Wasikowski said. “The kid’s a pretty spectacular talent. Between him and Jaksa, those two freshmen have been really spectacular.”

Molony kept things going with a single to center field before Nebraska head coach Will Bolt called Grant Cleavinger out of the bullpen to relieve Katskee. Shortly after the change, Mabeus knocked a ball to deep right for an RBI double before an RBI single from Jack Brooks sent Naulivou Lauaki home to retake the lead 5-4. 

In the top of the seventh, Miles Gosztola came in to relieve Bradley (2.1 IP, 3 K, 0 H) and walked Stokes before a double play ignited a brief altercation between Cooney and Stokes after he slid hard into the bag. Almost immediately, the entire Oregon dugout stormed the field, but quickly returned after the players were separated.

“I think guys were playing hard, and when they are playing hard, and guy lands on top another, and guy does, I don’t think guys traditionally like it when they’re laying on top of each other on a baseball field, and they want to get them off of them, and so there could be a little pushing and shoving, and get off me kind of stuff,” Wasikowski said. “It sounded like that’s what it was, all good competitive stuff. I thought it was great.”

Devin Bell came in to relieve Gosztola at the top of the eighth and struck out two to give the Ducks enough momentum to close things out strong through the ninth with a final score of 5-4.

“I thought [Bell] was tremendous,” Wasikowski said. “[He] had really good feel of the ball, really good command of his pitches, and just [a] warrior. At the beginning of the year, he wasn’t ready to do that and he is now, which is great. It was good to see.”

The Ducks head on the road to Hillsboro to take on No. 7 Oregon State in the rivalry series finale on April 14, at 6 p.m. PST.