Sunday, April 12
Eugene, Ore.
12:05 p.m.
University of Oregon
26-10, 10-5
5
vs
4
Nebraska
27-9, 12-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| Oregon | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 7 | 1 |
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Laya Sets Record As Ducks Win Rubber Match
04/12/26 | Baseball
Angel Laya's two homers Sunday broke the UO record for a freshman and helped the Ducks win a top-25 series over Nebraska.
EUGENE, Ore. — A record-breaking day from a freshman kept Oregon in the game early, and a shutdown bullpen sealed it for the Ducks late.
Angel Laya homered twice to break the UO single-season record by a freshman, and the Oregon bullpen threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings as the No. 21 Ducks won the rubber match of a series with No. 19 Nebraska on Sunday at PK Park, 5-4.
Laya hit a two-run shot that gave the Ducks (26-10, 10-5 Big Ten) an early lead in the second, tying teammate Maddox Molony's two-year-old record for homers by a UO freshman with 10. Laya broke the record with a solo shot that sparked a three-run rally in the sixth, bringing Oregon back from a 4-2 deficit.
"It feels good," Laya said. "(But) it wasn't a goal of mine at all; I came into the season just trying to help the team win and make it to Omaha."
Wins like Sunday's can help fuel those aspirations. The Ducks won the rubber match against a conference rival and fellow top-25 team, bouncing back from defeat to build some momentum before a match-up with rival Oregon State on Tuesday and then a weekend road trip to Illinois.
"It definitely feels good — pops us up going into this midweek and for the next weekend," said Tanner Bradley (3-0), who got seven outs in middle relief to start the shutout effort by the UO bullpen. "But we also like to keep it flat-line, not get too high, not get too low."
Miles Gosztola took the ball from Bradley and pitched a scoreless seventh inning, keeping his cool despite tempers flaring after a hard slide at second by the Huskers on one of Oregon's season-high three double plays. Devin Bell then earned his ninth save of the season by getting the last six outs.
"Just amazing — awesome," Bell said of the overall relief effort. "I mean, I want to say I think we do have the best bullpen in the country when we free ourselves up. … We just keep going forward, I think we'll keep getting better."
How It Happened: After Nebraska took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer in the first, Laya gave Oregon a 2-1 lead in the second by following Drew Smith's leadoff double with the homer to tie Molony's UO freshman record.
The first four Huskers in the third all reached, a three-run inning that put them back in front 4-2. Bradley came on in relief of Cal Scolari to get the last out of the fourth, and he threw two more scoreless innings to keep it 4-2 until Oregon's bats got going again.
That happened in the sixth, sparked by Laya's record-setting soloshot with one out. Molony followed with a single and Burke-Lee Mabeus doubled him in to tie the score, 4-4. Two batters later, Jack Brooks singled and Oregon had the lead.
Gosztola walked the leadoff batter in the seventh but then coaxed a double-play ball. A hard slide into second caused a brief confrontation between UO second baseman Ryan Cooney and the baserunner, but cooler heads prevailed and Gosztola finished off a scoreless inning after allowing a two-out single.
Laya was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh, after launching a deep drive to left that curled outside the foul pole. Bell then came in and pitched around a two-out single in the eighth and a one-out double in the ninth, slamming the door on the Huskers to end a game in which tensions were high due to the pregame implications and the seventh-inning confrontation.
"I think as a team, when we free ourselves up, we play our best," Bell said. "Just putting those extra stressors on us just doesn't really help you. So when we free ourselves up, we play our best."
Up Next: The Ducks face Oregon State at Hops Stadium in Hillsboro on Tuesday (6 p.m., KOIN.com).
Angel Laya homered twice to break the UO single-season record by a freshman, and the Oregon bullpen threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings as the No. 21 Ducks won the rubber match of a series with No. 19 Nebraska on Sunday at PK Park, 5-4.
Laya hit a two-run shot that gave the Ducks (26-10, 10-5 Big Ten) an early lead in the second, tying teammate Maddox Molony's two-year-old record for homers by a UO freshman with 10. Laya broke the record with a solo shot that sparked a three-run rally in the sixth, bringing Oregon back from a 4-2 deficit.
"It feels good," Laya said. "(But) it wasn't a goal of mine at all; I came into the season just trying to help the team win and make it to Omaha."
Wins like Sunday's can help fuel those aspirations. The Ducks won the rubber match against a conference rival and fellow top-25 team, bouncing back from defeat to build some momentum before a match-up with rival Oregon State on Tuesday and then a weekend road trip to Illinois.
"It definitely feels good — pops us up going into this midweek and for the next weekend," said Tanner Bradley (3-0), who got seven outs in middle relief to start the shutout effort by the UO bullpen. "But we also like to keep it flat-line, not get too high, not get too low."
Miles Gosztola took the ball from Bradley and pitched a scoreless seventh inning, keeping his cool despite tempers flaring after a hard slide at second by the Huskers on one of Oregon's season-high three double plays. Devin Bell then earned his ninth save of the season by getting the last six outs.
"Just amazing — awesome," Bell said of the overall relief effort. "I mean, I want to say I think we do have the best bullpen in the country when we free ourselves up. … We just keep going forward, I think we'll keep getting better."
How It Happened: After Nebraska took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer in the first, Laya gave Oregon a 2-1 lead in the second by following Drew Smith's leadoff double with the homer to tie Molony's UO freshman record.
The first four Huskers in the third all reached, a three-run inning that put them back in front 4-2. Bradley came on in relief of Cal Scolari to get the last out of the fourth, and he threw two more scoreless innings to keep it 4-2 until Oregon's bats got going again.
That happened in the sixth, sparked by Laya's record-setting soloshot with one out. Molony followed with a single and Burke-Lee Mabeus doubled him in to tie the score, 4-4. Two batters later, Jack Brooks singled and Oregon had the lead.
Gosztola walked the leadoff batter in the seventh but then coaxed a double-play ball. A hard slide into second caused a brief confrontation between UO second baseman Ryan Cooney and the baserunner, but cooler heads prevailed and Gosztola finished off a scoreless inning after allowing a two-out single.
Laya was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh, after launching a deep drive to left that curled outside the foul pole. Bell then came in and pitched around a two-out single in the eighth and a one-out double in the ninth, slamming the door on the Huskers to end a game in which tensions were high due to the pregame implications and the seventh-inning confrontation.
"I think as a team, when we free ourselves up, we play our best," Bell said. "Just putting those extra stressors on us just doesn't really help you. So when we free ourselves up, we play our best."
Up Next: The Ducks face Oregon State at Hops Stadium in Hillsboro on Tuesday (6 p.m., KOIN.com).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bradley, Tanner (3-0)
L: Cleavinger, Grant (0-1)
S: Bell, Devin (9)
Batting:
2B: Worthley, Jeter 1 ; Stokes, Rhett 1
HR: Sanderson, Case 1
RBI: Worthley, Jeter 2 ; Sanderson, Case 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Moyer, Mac 1 ; Worthley, Jeter 1 ; Sanderson, Case 1 ; Stokes, Rhett 1
HBP: Overbeek, Joshua 1
Batting:
2B: Smith, Drew 1 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 1
HR: Laya, Angel 2
RBI: Laya, Angel 3 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 1 ; Brooks, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, Drew 1 ; Laya, Angel 2 ; Molony, Maddox 1 ; Lauaki Jr., Naulivou 1
SB: Gimenez, Jax 1 ; Brooks, Jack 1
HBP: Laya, Angel 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
UTL
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ BaseballOregon Baseball vs. Nebraska | 3 GAME SERIES HIGHLIGHTS (2026)
Monday, April 13
Devin Bell | Postgame vs. Nebraska (Game 3)
Sunday, April 12
Angel Laya | Postgame vs. Nebraska (Game 3)
Sunday, April 12
Tanner Bradley | Postgame vs. Nebraska (Game 3)
Sunday, April 12
