Freshman sensation Angel Laya blasted a three-run homer in the 7th inning to give Oregon baseball breathing room as they dumped the Dawgs in Seattle for the second night in a row, clinching the series while extending an eight-game winning streak.
The 10-4 win moved them into a second-place tie with Nebraska at 17-6. The Ducks paddle six games behind undefeated UCLA with seven conference games remaining, the getaway game in Depression City at 1:05 p.m. on Big Ten+, then three-game sets at UCLA and home against USC. At 35-11 and No. 13 in the country they are on the bubble for hosting a NCAA regional again.
Laya's blast to straightaway centerfield was his 13th of the year, tops among B1G freshmen. He's hitting .308 with 40 RBI. Ducks shortstop Maddox Molony clubbed two home runs, a single and added a sacrifice fly in the series decider, good for six RBI.
"No major damage tonight, yet..." 🗣️ @ConnorOnion, as Angel Laya awaited the pitch
— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) May 3, 2026
The @oregonbaseball freshman star immediately went deep to center for his 13th blast of the season pic.twitter.com/n61dl3cZMm
Head coach Mark Wasikowski used six pitchers in the slugfest, Devin Bell nailing it down with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief while striking out three. Including Bell, five Oregon relievers, Leo Uelmen, Jonah Barkoff, Cal Scolari and Shane Johnson combined to blank the Huskies over the final five frames as Oregon offense pulled away.
Softball overtakes Bruins with offensive barrage
In Los Angeles, Oregon softhall's Version 8 outslugged UCLA 13-11 to take over second in the Big Ten at 20-3. Ma'ake drove in three while leftfielder Amari Harper homered and doubled, 3-4 on the day. Harper's hitting an even .400 for the season, with 15 homers and 48 RBI.
Both the series and the regular season wrap up today with an 11 a.m. PT game on the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten Tournament begins Thursday in College Park, Maryland. Currently No. 15 in the D1 rankings, the Oregon women could cinch a home regional with a strong finish today and a run in the conference tourney.
In two seasons Melyssa Lombardi's squad has played 16 series in the Big Ten and won them all. In an 8-2 win on Friday, Ma'ake clubbed a pair of home runs and drove in four.
No. 14 @OregonSB put up 6️⃣ runs in the 7th inning, highlighted by this homer from Stefini Ma’ake in their win over No. 6 UCLA 😤 pic.twitter.com/e5bqONl4KP
— Big Ten Softball (@B1Gsoftball) May 2, 2026
Add us as a preferred source on Google