EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon battled back from a 3-1 deficit but could not complete the comeback as they fell to No. 2 UCLA, 4-3, on Friday at PK Park.

How It Happened: Scott Heineman gave Oregon (35-23, 14-14 Pac-12) an early 1-0 lead with a solo home run to left field off of UCLA starter James Kaprielian in the second inning. The Bruins (42-12, 22-6 Pac-12) answered quickly in the top of the third, scoring three runs off of Oregon starter Cole Irvin to take a 3-1 lead. Irvin allowed just two hits in the inning but struggled with his command, issuing three walks in the frame.

After struggling with runners on for most of the game, the Ducks picked up the equalizer when Tim Susnara delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Heineman opened the inning with a base hit and pinch-hitter Brandon Cuddy moved him to second with a single to center. Heineman and pinch runner Spencer Smith then pulled off a double steal of second and third to set up Susnara's game-tying hit.

Reliever Stephen Nogosek (6-2) entered the game to work the ninth inning and loaded the bases with one out on a base hit and a pair of walks. Garrett Cleavinger came on and got his first batter to ground into a fielder's choice for the second out but couldn't find the zone to the next batter, issuing a four-pitch walk to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead.

A Mitchell Tolman single and a sacrifice bunt in the ninth inning gave the Ducks a chance to even the score, but UCLA reliever David Berg (7-1) retired the next two men to end the threat and preserve the win for the Bruins.

Too Many Ducks Left On The Pond: The Ducks gave themselves plenty of chances to put runs on the board against a tough UCLA pitching staff, but were unable to come up with the big hit to put them over the top. Oregon left 12 men on base and came up short in many key opportunities, leaving runners on the corners in the second and third innings and the bases loaded in the fifth. Oregon finished the night 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Irvin Fights Through Command Issues: Despite hitting a batter and issuing a career-high four walks, including three in the third inning, Irvin was able to battle through 7.1 strong innings, his longest outing of the season. The sophomore southpaw allowed three runs on five hits while striking out two. It was the fourth straight quality start for Irvin and his fifth of the season.  

What It Means: The loss snaps a seven-game winning streak for an Oregon team fighting to remain in postseason contention. Oregon entered the game at No. 64 in the RPI rankings and will need to win the final two games of the series to provide a significant boost its postseason hopes. UCLA entered the game at No. 3 in the rankings.

Odds And Ends: Heineman's second-inning home run was his third of the season and the eighth of his career … The home run snapped a 24.2 inning scoreless streak for UCLA's Kaprielian … Heineman's steal of third in the eighth inning was the 35th of his career, tying him with KC Serna for third in program history … Tolman finished the night 2-for-5, recording his 21st multi-hit game of the season and the 55th of his career.

Up Next: Oregon will look to even the series at a game apiece on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Ducks will send freshman left-hander David Peterson (4-6, 4.62) to mound with UCLA set to counter with left-hander Grant Watson (8-2, 2.02).