Ducks Close Strong, Even Series at Michigan

Friday, April 3

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 p.m.

University of Oregon

24-7, 8-4

Michigan

15-14, 4-7

Oregon

Michigan

Photo by: Zoe Rivers

04/03/26 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: #15 Oregon 5, Michigan 2 Photo Gallery

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Collin Clarke gave No. 15 Oregon a strong start on the mound while Jack Brooks provided the Oregon offense with the spark it needed on Friday in a 5-2 Big Ten Conference win at Ray Fisher Stadium to even the series.

Minus giving up a second-inning run on back-to-back doubles, Clarke (5-2) was in control through six innings scattering five hits while striking out seven and walking just one.

After giving up the run, Clarke retired 14 of the final 19 batters he faced, while not allowing more than one base runner in any of his final four innings. The biggest threat came when Cooper Mullens doubled to lead off the third, but Clarke retired the next five hitters he faced, including three strikeouts.

While Clarke was cruising, the Ducks offense continued to scuffle over the first four innings managing just three hits during the stretch, while also leaving the bases loaded in the third inning with just one out after a hit, walk and hit by pitch.

Brooks changed all that with one swing of the bat in the fifth. The Ducks' center fielder homered over the right-center field wall to tie the game. After that homer, the Ducks added four more runs on seven hits in the final four innings.

How It Happened: Michigan (15-14, 4-7 Big Ten) took the early lead with a run in the second, before Oregon tied it on the Brooks home run in the fifth.

After a scoreless sixth, Oregon (24-7, 8-4 Big Ten) took its first lead of the series scoring a run in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Burke-Lee Mabeus led off the inning with a pinch-hit double that landed inside the left-field line and spun left bouncing into the Wolverines bullpen. After a Brooks walk, Ryan Cooney singled through the left side scoring Mabeus to give UO the lead.

The Ducks tacked on three runs in the eighth. Drew Smith singled to lead off the inning, before stealing second and moving to third on an Angel Laya ground out to the second baseman. Maddox Molony executed a squeeze bunt to score Smith from third and motored all the way to second when Wolverine pitcher Gavin DeVooght (0-3) flipped the ball with his glove over the catcher's head to the backstop.

Mabeus followed with an RBI single scoring Molony from third before Cooney picked up his second RBI with a single that scored Mabeus from second.

Box Score Notes: Jax Gimenez's first-inning base hit extended his reached base streak to 21 games, two shy or Oregon's season high of 23 by Smith … Cooney went 2-for-4 with two RBI, his 31st career multiple-hit game and his 23rd multiple-RBI game … Mabeus had two hits in two at-bats, his 10th career multiple-hit game … Brooks a had a pair of hits, his seventh career multiple-hit game … His home run was his fifth in his last 12 starts … Devin Bell pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his seventh save, one shy of cracking the single-season top 10 at Oregon.

On Deck: The Ducks and Wolverines will play the rubber match in the series on Saturday. First pitch has been moved up an hour to 8:02 a.m. (PT) because of expected weather issues later in the day.