Charles Fischer

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Ducks Fight Through Adversity to Win Series Opener EUGENE, Ore. — A dominant start and a dominant re-start were the keys to victory Friday for Oregon baseball. The No. 21 Ducks got six elite innings of work from right-hander Will Sanford, then were the better team coming out of a long mid-game rain delay on the way to a 7-6 win at PK Park over No. 19 Nebraska. Sanford (5-1) provided exactly what the Ducks needed after they’d dropped four of their previous five games. The sophomore scattered seven hits over six innings and struck out a career-high 12 to give Oregon (25-9, 9-4 Big Ten) a series-opening win in a match-up of ranked teams. “I’ve been trying to say this since the beginning of the year, but my job is to set the tone,” said Sanford, who was coming off his first loss of the season. “Even through adversity, I want to keep competing the way I did. I thought I did a good job at that, and it was a good win.” Sanford bounded off the mound with a roar after striking out his 12th batter to end the top of the sixth. With one out in the bottom of the inning, the two teams were sidelined by what ended up being a weather delay that lasted 1:42, but when play resumed Brayden Jaksa and Ryan Cooney hit back-to-back homers that proved to be the difference after a late Nebraska rally. Will Sanford Playing well coming out of a weather delay was something UO coach Mark Wasikowski and his staff have emphasized with this year’s team. It paid dividends Friday. “I told the group, I thought I really did a poor job of that last year as leader of the program, and it was one of the things that was a focal point that I really wanted to address; so did my coaches,” Wasikowski said. “We didn't feel like we came out of rain delays — or played through the rain delays or challenging conditions — very successfully last year. We've really tried to make that adjustment, and so I was pleased with the way they came out. I mean, if we didn't do that, we wouldn't have won.” How It Happened: A leadoff double and a two-out single gave the Cornhuskers a 1-0 lead in the first. They would manage just one more run off Sanford, a solo homer in the fifth. After the trouble in the first, Sanford allowed a single and a walk to open the second. But he retired the next three batters in order, the last two on strikeouts. “Metrically, he's got one of the best — if not the best — fastballs in the country,” Wasikowski said. “And it showed tonight.” The Ducks took a 2-1 lead in the fourth, on a two-run double by Naulivou Lauaki Jr. He struck out on a steady diet of sliders in his first at-bat, then got another on the first pitch of his next at-bat and pounced on it. RS Freshman Naulivou Lauaki Jr. and Drew Smith after his bomb. “Me and Waz have a little saying, ‘hit it through the Pepsi sign,’ right here in right-center,” Lauaki said. “So I was just thinking that, and then he hung a slider and I stayed through it.” After coming two pitches shy of an “immaculate inning” while striking out the side in the fourth, Sanford allowed a leadoff homer in the fifth. He promptly struck out two more in a row to reach 10 strikeouts through five innings, then struck out the last two hitters he faced to make it a dozen. In between, Drew Smith hit his 11th homer of the season in the bottom of the fifth, a two-run shot that made it 4-2 when Sanford returned to the mound in the sixth. After his final strikeout of the game, Sanford turned toward left field and let out a roar, then pivoted back toward Oregon’s dugout and pumped his fist. “His stuff's electric, and he competes like a son of a (gun) out there,” Smith said. “Just a tough, great kid.” The long delay for lightning and rain lasted nearly two hours. When it ended with Oregon batting in the bottom of the sixth, Jax Gimenez doubled with two outs, Jaksa plated him with a two-run homer and Cooney followed with a solo shot for a 7-2 lead. Those insurance runs made all the difference after Nebraska rallied for four runs in the eighth. It might have been worse for the Ducks, but with two outs and runners at the corners, the Cornhuskers tried to steal second, the runner from third broke for home when the Ducks threw down to second, and UO shortstop Maddox Molony gunned down the lead runner at home plate to end the threat. “That readiness and just being prepared mentally was really elite by Maddox Maloney,” Wasikowski said. “Just being in the game mentally at that level is why he's been such a good player for us.” Devin Bell got the last three outs of the eighth to stanch the bleeding in that long inning by the Huskers, then stranded two runners in scoring position in the ninth to earn his eighth save. On Deck: Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday (12 p.m., B1G+).

Ducks win 7-6 as Devin Bell gave up base runners, but got it done. Whew!

7-6 Ducks after eight innings. A familiar late-game meltdown by our pitchers that saw Blake Crawford give up a 2-run homer, and Leo Ulemen gave up hits and a run to go with two wild pitches in the inning. I was eating dinner and could not recall the rest, or maybe I just spaced it out. Devin Bell came in to get the third out. He was poised at Portland for another save, but gave up the hits that lost the game; how will he do in the upcoming ninth inning?

7-2 Ducks after seven innings. Tanner Bradley is in relief, and he put down the Nebraska batters 1-2-3. It is spring in Oregon, as the sun is shining....while it is raining again. Game is still going though...

7-2 Ducks after six innings. Will Sanford kept them scoreless, and finished with a career KO mark of 12, and with 110 pitches. Jax Gimenez nailed a pitch to the RF corner for a double, and then Brayden Jaksa torqued the ball over the CF wall and hit the scoreboard. A two-run bomb! Then Ryan Cooney hits a solo HR to bring...Back-to-back JACKS!

In the sixth inning...we only got through the Nebraska side as Will Sanford disposed of them, but damn....the dark skies began to just UNLOAD rain. We have quite a lightning/rain delay as the big drops obscured visibility--even up close. Flashes of lightning and thunder to do not promise a rapid return to the game...

4-2 Ducks after five innings. Will Sanford gave up a solo homer, but tied a career high with his TENTH strikeout of the day! True freshman Braden Jaksa nailed a grounder through the infield to get on base, and then stole second. The new clean-up hitter, Drew Smith, blasted a pitch over the LF Wall and hit his own image on the scoreboard for a two-run homer!

1-0 Nebraska after one inning. Will Sanford gave up two hits, but stranded two and limited the damage. 1-0 Nebraska after two innings, as Oregon stranded two runners in scoring position, and Will Sanford held them down. 1-0 Cornhuskers after three innings as Sanford gave up base runners, but held off the scoring. 2-1 Ducks after four innings, as Drew Smith nails a line-drive to medium CF depth, and Burke-Lee Mabeus zips a pitch down the middle to get on base and move Smith to third. Then RS freshman Naulivou Lauaki hit deep the LF/CF gap and to the wall to score both!

Oregon's Will Sanford (2.54 ERA) will take on Ty Horn (4.70 ERA) of the Cornhuskers today. Yes, the time was moved up two hours because of weather, so unfortunately....I have an appointment this afternoon that I cannot miss. I will probably begin posting in the fourth or fifth inning, and will try to catch you all up gradually. Let's go Ducks!

Those are great story lines to follow, and I would add watching the young-guns on the defensive line--are they ready to step up?

The Direction of Oregon Mens Basketball?

Ducks lose 13-9...fourth loss to the Pilots in a row. Un-fricken-believable.

13-8 Pilots after seven innings. Too ugly to report as both Luke Morgan and Michael Meckna gave up three-run homers.

7-5 Pilots after six innings. Toby Twist gave up a couple of hits and a run. Luke Morgan came in to pitch for the Ducks, and closed out the inning.

6-5 Pilots after five innings. Nothing on offense of consequence, and Toby Twist came in for relief for Oregon and easily retired the side.