Coach John Savage didn’t mince words after Sunday’s ballgame, saying the Cornhuskers were in pursuit of redemption after losing two straight to the Bruins.

“Got to give Nebraska credit,” Savage said. “Down 2-0 (in the series) on the road, we knew they were going to come out and fight. That’s what people do at this level.”

And after the Huskers tagged Bruins starter Landon Stump for three runs on 82 pitches through the first four frames Sunday, Savage said the sophomore right-hander’s day was done.

But UCLA baseball (16-4, 5-1 Big Ten) battled back from the early three-run deficit, defeating Nebraska (7-11, 1-5) by a score of 5-3 to sweep its first Big Ten series at Jackie Robinson Stadium. With the comeback win, the Bruins extend their winning streak to five and have won nine of their last 10 games.

Stump struck out the side in the top of the first, but it cost him 23 pitches. And a two-RBI double from shortstop Dylan Carey in the second – later followed by a sacrifice fly from first baseman Tyler Stone – put Nebraska in the driver’s seat.

“He (Stump) was okay. Wasn’t clearly as sharp as he has been,” Savage said. “Change-up wasn’t there against a pretty dominant left-handed hitting lineup. … I thought they saw him pretty good.”

But sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky got the Bruins on the board with a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the fourth – sending Nebraska left-hander Jackson Brockett’s 408 feet to left, tying him with sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu for the team lead in homers this season at seven each.

An inning later, redshirt senior right fielder AJ Salgado singled to Cayden Brumbaugh, but the center fielder let the ball get past him – allowing Salgado to pull into second and sending sophomore catcher Blake Balsz, who reached on base with a hit-by-pitch, to third. Sophomore left fielder Dean West delivered a two-RBI single to right center, knotting the ballgame at three.

Junior left fielder Jarrod Hocking hit the game-winning solo shot to left – his first longball since May 2023 – to lead off the sixth before Balsz drove in redshirt sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan, who reached first base on a bunt, for the insurance run.

”We had some big hits when we had to,” Savage said. “Roch’s home run was big. Hocking’s home run was big. Got us back in the game.”

Redshirt junior left-hander Ian May was the first out of the Bruin bullpen Sunday, making his second relief appearance of the weekend and third since being moved out of a rotation spot. May set down his first five batters on 18 pitches before Savage yanked the southpaw after a two-out single in the sixth.

“I don’t really care if it’s starting or the bullpen,” May said. “I just want to do what I can to help the team win.”

Across his three relief appearances, May has surrendered just one run through 5.2 innings pitched compared to the 14 he allowed over 15.2 frames as a starting pitcher.

Junior right-hander Jack O’Connor and freshman right-hander Wylan Moss pitched the next 2.1 innings and allowed three hits but prevented the Huskers from scoring a run.

Sophomore right-hander Justin Lee closed out the ballgame and recorded his second save of the weekend, pitching a 1-2-3 frame with two punchouts.

After UCLA’s win – and Oregon’s 9-1 loss to Minnesota in eight innings Sunday – UCLA and Oregon are tied at the top of the Big Ten standings.

“It’s been really nice to see us turn it around from last year in the early phases,” Cholowsky said. ”We just have to keep sticking to what we’re doing – winning weekends.”

UCLA will go without a midweek affair ahead of a weekend series against Indiana to accommodate finals week.

“It’s for finals,” Savage said. “I do care about school.”