If there’s one positive that a 54-game schedule offers, it’s opportunity.

And one shot is all it takes for a player to break out of a slump.

Cody Delvecchio entered Friday’s series opener with a 9.18 ERA but exited the affair after tossing five shutout innings in UCLA baseball’s (14-4, 3-1 Big Ten) 5-2 victory over Nebraska (7-9, 1-3). After giving up at least four earned runs in each of his last three starts, the junior right-hander turned in his best performance of 2025 against the Cornhuskers on Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

“Deli (Delvecchio) needed that,” said coach John Savage. “We need him, and I thought he got himself on track tonight.”

Savage could’ve sent the Mission Hills, California, local back to the bullpen, where he spent each of the last two seasons. But the Bruins’ head coach added that the team’s winning ways allowed him to stick with the veteran hurler through his early-season struggles.

“Last year, I was out of the bullpen, and I was an electric guy,” Delvecchio said. “I’m trying to bring that stuff on Friday and set the tone for the weekend.”

Offensively, the Bruins struck first when sophomore designated hitter Cameron Kim singled in redshirt sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan, who smoked a two-out double to right center.

Brennan later doubled UCLA’s lead, launching Husker left-hander Will Walsh’s 1-1 offering 372 feet the other way and clearing the left field wall.

“We all have each other’s backs,” Brennan said. “(The pitchers) have our backs, and we build off of each other.”

Heading into 2025, the redshirt sophomore had just one career home run and a .716 OPS across 132 plate appearances. However, as the Bruins’ regular center fielder this season, Brennan has already slugged three home runs as his OPS sits at 1.097 through 52 trips to the plate.

Savage tapped junior right-hander Jack O’Connor to relieve Delvecchio and pitch the top of the sixth, but Nebraska designated hitter Tyler Stone smashed a two-out, two-run homer to knot the game at two.

While Delvecchio didn’t lose his starting job heading into UCLA’s Big Ten home opener, former Saturday starter Ian May did. However, the redshirt junior southpaw excelled out of the bullpen, tossing 1.2 one-hit innings while garnering one walk and two strikeouts Friday.

“He could have felt sorry for himself,” Savage said. “You have to tip your hat to a guy that got demoted in some ways – got taken out of the rotation – and went out there, fought and made pitches.”

The Bruins broke the game open right as the lingering clouds began to open up above Jackie Robinson Stadium. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky’s sacrifice fly to right field was deep enough to score the game-winning run.

Sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu’s RBI single then drove home an insurance run before a wild pitch from Nebraska right-hander Drew Christo put UCLA up by three.

While two baserunners would reach in the top of the ninth, sophomore right-hander Justin Lee held the Huskers scoreless to record his first career save – striking out two and picking off a baserunner to seal the game.

Following its second consecutive series opener win, UCLA will send junior right-hander Michael Barnett to the mound for his first start of the season, while right-hander Ty Horn will get the start for Nebraska in Saturday’s contest, with first pitch at 2 p.m.

“They’re a good team,” Brennan said. “We have to come out tomorrow ready to fight and play like we did tonight.”