The Oregon Ducks baseball team achieved a significant series victory against Nebraska, moving up to No. 19 in the national rankings despite a mixed week. They are set to face No. 6 Oregon State next.
Coming off the worst week of the season, the Oregon Ducks rebounded for a major series victory that stands as one of the biggest accomplishments for the Ducks this season. Although they finished the week 2-2, which included another midweek loss to Portland, the Ducks took a ranked weekend series from Nebraska at PK Park.
By taking the bread games in the series, the Ducks also earned a small boost in the national polls. The USA TODAY Sports coaches poll moved the Ducks up one spot to No. 19. The Ducks likely would have made a much bigger jump with a pair of ranked wins if they had not collapsed against Portland in the midweek game. Still, the Ducks are moving in the right direction again, heading into a midweek matchup against Oregon State, which is ranked No. 6 in the coaches poll.
The rankings from D1Baseball, which are commonly used by teams as the official rankings, moved two spots to No. 19 as well. The Beavers are also No. 6 in the rankings.
Last week, when the Ducks fell in the rankings after losses to Portland and Michigan, Oregon couldn't find the big hit at the plate and relied on its pitching staff to carry them through games. This week, the script was flipped. While the Ducks did leave some scoring opportunities on the table, they hit much better, but the bullpen collapsed in big spots.
On the road against Portland, the Ducks gave up six runs in the seventh inning and committed three errors in the field, falling 13-9 and dropping a game to the Pilots for the second time in as many weeks. When Nebraska rolled into Eugene, the Ducks had to slug their way to victory.
Will Sanford gave the Ducks a good start on Friday, which included a career-high 12 strikeouts, and the Oregon lineup mashed three home runs to take a commanding lead. The Cornhuskers got to the Ducks' bullpen, however, and nearly tied the game in the final two innings before the Ducks ultimately sealed the win.
Nebraska took game two after Oregon's Collin Clarke turned in his worst start of the season, allowing six runs over four innings. Oregon held an early 5-0 lead but quickly blew it in a 10-8 loss. The bullpen managed to turn things around in the series finale, holding the Cornhuskers scoreless for the final 5 ā Ā innings after Cal Scolari departed early.
The Ducks hit well at the plate, which was a welcome sight after a prolonged slump. The young guys really stood out, as redshirt-freshman Naulivou Lauaki Jr. homered twice in the series, as did freshman right fielder Angel Laya.
Laya's two homers on Sunday gave him 11 big flies for the season, setting the new Oregon freshman record for home runs in a season. The record was previously held by current Ducks shortstop Maddox Molony with 10.
While the pitching staff is suddenly in question, the Ducks are heating up again at the plate at the right time. Oregon will head north to face Oregon State in Hillsboro on Tuesday and then pack up and travel to face Illinois in a three-game set over the weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon baseball moves up rankings after series victory over Nebraska
The Ducks secured a series win against ranked Nebraska, which was a major accomplishment following a tough week.
The Ducks are currently ranked No. 19 in both the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll and D1Baseball rankings.
The Ducks struggled with hitting and suffered losses to Portland and Michigan prior to their recent series win.
The Ducks are scheduled to play against Oregon State, which is currently ranked No. 6.
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