It’s a risk putting all of your eggs into one basket – especially against a former Pac-12 rival.

And by the end of Easter Sunday, the Bruins had hatched just one win against the Ducks.

For the first time since May 12, 2024, No. 15 UCLA baseball (29-10, 13-5 Big Ten) dropped a weekend series, with No. 13 Oregon (27-11, 14-7 Big Ten) taking two of three at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. The Bruins outscored the Ducks 21-16 over the series, but Oregon took Friday’s opener 2-1 and Sunday’s rubber match 10-6, with UCLA’s lone win coming Saturday 14-4 after eight innings.

“It was anticipated that we’re going to have some really competitive games, and it turned out that way,” said coach John Savage.

Friday’s affair was an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel. Freshman right-hander Wylan Moss tossed five innings of one-run ball in his third consecutive Friday start, striking out a trio of Ducks. And redshirt sophomore southpaw Chris Grothues punched out four over 2.2 innings, while surrendering just one run. But the Bruins’ pitching staff would be outdone by Ducks’ southpaw Grayson Grinsell, who dusted seven on strikes and allowed just two baserunners in his first collegiate complete game.

“The two-to-one game was a really good game on Friday,” Savage said. “Very clean game.”

The Bruins would return to offensive form Saturday, with eight of their nine starters recording a base hit. Sophomore left fielder Dean West, sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky – who hit a solo shot Friday – and junior outfielder Jarrod Hocking all left the park, with sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu recording his third four-hit performance of the season.

“We really just stayed diligent to our scouting reports of the pitchers,” West said. “Just tried to execute it to the best of our ability. I think we did that pretty well.”

UCLA’s pitching held up its end of business. Junior right-hander Michael Barnett ground out four innings and 87 pitches – the latter figure just one shy of his single-game season-high – while giving up five hits, three runs and three walks as well as recording two strikeouts. And the rest of the bullpen combined for three hits and one run while punching out one.

“I was able to use my experience in a spot where we’re down a game,” Barnett said. “I was able to use my experience and trust coach Savage.”

On the flip side, Oregon tapped six pitchers to stop the bleeding, but none found a remedy. The Ducks gave up 12 hits, 14 runs and plunked seven – the most they’ve dished in a game since 2018.

“Every time we’re on offense, we’re always trying to score first, win innings,” said West. “And if that comes from getting hit by a pitch, taking your walks, even just a line drive to anywhere in the field … that’s kind of just what we all preach on.”

And Sunday looked like it had all the makings of the Bruins’ 17th comeback victory of the season when they turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead after the top of the fourth – which included sophomore third baseman Roman Martin’s third home run of the 2025 campaign. But Oregon would tag sophomore right-hander Landon Stump for six runs through just 3.2 innings pitched – and put up four more runs in the eighth against freshman right-hander Easton Hawk and sophomore right-hander Justin Lee.

“We understand that championships are won on the road and we can only bring so many of our guys,” Barnett said. “But the guys that come are definitely ready to pitch.”

Five Ducks hit home runs over the weekend, with center fielder Mason Neville hitting the 18th and 19th of his season to break the program’s single-season long ball record, set by first baseman Jacob Walsh – who hit a pair of homers Saturday – in 2024. UCLA matched the five-homer figure, but three of those would be kept to Saturday’s scoring spree, as the Bruins couldn’t keep up with the Ducks in the late innings Sunday.

The tables turned on UCLA’s pitching staff in the final contest as seven arms were called up to the mound, but they couldn’t subdue Oregon’s offensive surge. The Ducks combined for 12 hits, 10 runs, eight walks, and only three strikeouts.

“Our starting pitching was pretty average this weekend,” Savage said. “And they know that, they’ve been hit over the head with that … It’s something they understand the importance of.”