Charles Fischer

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Laya Delivers Walk-off to Clinch Series Sweep EUGENE, Ore. — Freshman Angel Laya delivered a one-out walk-off single to score Maddox Molony in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a come-from-behind 7-6 win over Indiana in Big Ten Conference action on Sunday at PK Park. The win completed a series sweep for the Ducks. The Ducks trailed 6-1 before rallying for six runs over the final four innings. Molony started the ninth inning rally with a leadoff base on balls before Smith doubled inside the third-base bag to put runners at second and third. Indiana (7-12, 1-5 Big Ten) elected to pitch to Laya with first base open and the Ducks’ seven-hole hitter made the Hoosiers pay lacing a hard-hit ball between first and second scoring Molony with the winning run. How It Happened: Indiana touched up Oregon fill-in starter Josh Hollis for four runs in 1.1 innings to start the game. Tanner Bradley relieved Hollis with the bases loaded and one out while trailing 3-0. Bradley only allowed one of the inherited runners to score before getting out of the jam. The Ducks (17-3, 5-1 Big Ten) nearly got all four back in the bottom of the second. The Ducks loaded the bases with no outs but a near grand slam turned into a single scoring one run with a second runner thrown out at the plate. Burke-Lee Mabeus lined a shot off the top of the wall that immediately ricocheted to the right fielder who hit the first baseman for a relay throw that got Smith out trying to score from second. Indiana added two more runs in the third thanks to a pair of Oregon throwing errors on the same play. Bradley fielded a sacrifice bunt attempt and threw wild to first allowing the first run to score. Ryan Cooney tracked down the ball and then also threw wildly to first trying to get the batter who rounded the bag widely allowing the second run to score. Angel Laya after the celebration... After stranding a pair of runners in the third and fifth innings, Oregon finally got much-needed hits with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth. Cooney lined a bases-clearing double into the right-field gap to score three and cut the lead to two. One out later, Dominic Hellman doubled to center field to score Cooney and make it a one-run game. Oregon tied it with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Schleichardt started the rally with a five-pitch walk before being replaced by pinch runner Jack Brooks. Cooney moved Brooks to second with a base hit through the left side. Hellman followed with a clutch two-out chopper through the middle scoring Brooks from second. Box Score Notes: Cal Scolari, Oregon’s normal Sunday starter on the mound, missed the game with the flu … Smith extended his reached base streak to 20 games this season and 22 games dating back to 2025 … Oregon’s last walk-off to win a game came on March 21, 2025, when Parker Stinson delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly. On Deck: The Ducks host Northwestern on Friday to open a three-game series. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. on B1G+. Quotes: Head Coach Mark Wasikowski On Angel Layas performance as a freshman… “He doesn’t act like a freshman. He’s a goliath, acted like an old guy. He looks like a pro, and it looks like if he continues his development he will be a really good pro. It’s a little early still on all that but he’s played very well and he went for it at the end. Lots of times a young guy might doubt himself or back down, he wasn’t scared at all.” On Drew Smith leading the team in RBI and home runs… “He’s a complete player. The bullpen was obviously a real story for us; the other real story was Drew Smith. You know there were offensive heroes. Dominic Hellman overcoming stuff to be able to have two really good at-bats, that’s mental toughness. He wasn’t having a great stretch, and yet when we needed him, he came through twice in the end. That’s leadership. Ryan Cooney, clutch, basis loaded, doubling the gap, that’s leadership. His best three at-bats were the last three at-bats. Drew Smith though, I think it was the third inning where he struck out in a big at-bat, and I think he got run up on a 3-2 count. The only thing that happened next was the next eight hitters came up to the plate for them, five of them shot rockets or balls right to Drews direction. He made every one of those plays, turned a double play, put-out on a double play, which was a rocket ship. Then, he made all the other challenging plays that were hit at him after his most negative part of the game. That’s mental toughness and leadership. That’s something I’m really lucky to be a part of, and I credit Drew Smith and the assistant coaches for helping him get to that mental state, that was special. That was one of the more mentally tough and special performances I’ve ever seen in my coaching career.” Toby Twists and overall team performance… “I thought Toby was really good. I thought Tanner (Bradley) limited the damage when he got in there, and he did a nice job. I thought the entire bullpen did a nice job. Tanner comes in and limits the damage and he extends it a bit, holds it. That was the mound visit that we took, and I don’t take very many mound visits, but when we’re stinking it up at home and we are trying to sweep somebody, and we didn’t get a quality start. We go out there and we are throwing the ball around the yard, it looks like a really bad, Bad News Bears game. The next thing you know, we had to reign guys in and go, hey let’s get over ourselves. We can’t do anything about how bad we’ve been so far, but if we shut them down from here on out, I think we are going to win this game. And sure enough, the guys believed it and as we went, you saw the productive at-bats and solid defensive plays. Without those defensive plays it could’ve gotten really loose. I’ve been a part of a lot of games where that thing gets really away from us because everybody’s quit already. That didn’t happen for us, and I was really happy with the guys to be able to do that.” Ryan Cooney drove in three runs! Dominic Hellman On having mature at-bats... “It was sweet. It was people setting the table before me that helped turn the lineup around. We had dudes all throughout the lineup that we can plug and play anywhere. That’s the neat thing about our team. There’s also a maturity part. Being in a regional and a super-regional, we’ve been there done that. I felt the place rocking today like it was a typical home regional which was sweet.” On Coach Wasikowski’s mid-game talk with the team... “He’s a temperature gauge for sure. He helps us calm down, and he’s a huge part of our success on and off the field whether that is baseball related or things off the field related. He a huge temp gauge for us in the sense that ‘Hey you guys got this and you guys are a good team. What happened, just flip it and get it done’.” On his double with two outs and two strikes... “The whole weekend they were spinning me and bluffing with heaters. I was reflecting and they weren’t landing their heaters that much, so I thought they were going to go to their go-to and try to get me out. As long as I saw it up, it was fine. I was nice and relaxed and just relaxed to it.” On a tide-changing moment in the game... “After Ryan Cooney’s double, I was like ‘we got this’. That moment solidified it. Even before we were getting momentum on our side by our relief pitchers coming in. They were being dominant and putting up zeros for us and holding them to that six for us to keep scoring.” Angel Laya On his walk-off win... “It means a lot. I’ve been preparing for that moment my whole life and I’m glad I was able to do it and do it for the team.” On his confidence at-bats... “I know I have good bat-to-ball skills. I was swinging at almost every pitch, and I got a good pitch today.” On close-game experiences... “It builds confidence. When you’re down six-to-one it’s all about not giving up and keeping our foot on the gas to keep moving.” Toby Twist On his thoughts of his performance... “I felt good from the start. I was trying to stay warmed up, ready to go, and trying to put my team in the best situation to win that game and I thought we did a good job.” On Drew Smith’s defensive performance... “He’s great. You don’t have to worry about anything because you have those guys behind you.” On Cal Scolari’s scratch and a good performance from the bullpen... “I think the bullpen was ready for today. Once we got the talk that Cal wasn’t going to start we got prepared for whatever was thrown at us.”

Well, you read about the call I made...that was right. We are all right about 50% of the time, but I make sure to crow loudly when I am!

Did you see that above in post number five written about an hour ago?

Ducks win 7-6! Devin Bell gave up a walk, but disposed of the rest as a great closer does! Maddox Molony walked, and Drew Smith showed bunt, but them pulled it back...a slash! He zings it down third base to get a hit and move Molony to third base. Then Angel Laya gets it drive through the right infield for the WALK-OFF win! Oregon never led the entire game until that hit! (Game summary always comes out about two hours after the game at the end of this thread)

6-6 after eight innings, as Michael Meckna came in and gave up a double, but dispensed with the rest. He has become a reliable option out of the 'Pen this year thus far. Josh Schleichardt walked, and Jack Brooks came in the pinch run. Ryan Cooney hits to short-LF, to get two on. Dominic Hellman nails one up the middle as Brooks jets for home to tie it up going into the ninth inning. Let's Go Ducks!

6-5 Hoosiers after seven innings. Toby Twist put them down 1-2-3...fantastic. Another new big-guy, Navivou Lauaki is in at first base for Gabe Miranda.

6-5 Hoosiers after six innings. Toby Twist was wonderful putting them away for Oregon. Boy the Ducks got the bats going! Drew Smith walked, and Angel Laya got a hit to mid-lin RF. Then Josh Schleichardt gets a hit through the gap on left to load the bases! Ryan Cooney nails the CF/RF gap that went to the wall and scored three! Dominic Hellman blasts one to the wall that scores Cooney. What a difference when the Indiana reliever is in there, not the starter...whew!

6-1 Hoosiers after four innings. Tanner Bradley got one, and then Toby Twist took over dispensed the rest. Sure wish one of them would have started the game! The opposing pitcher is in the zone, and Oregon stranded two...again.

6-1 Hoosiers after three innings as Our Beloved Ducks are just having a bad day with errors. Routine throws to first base were blown--not Bradley's fault and pretty surprising to see. Oregon strands two on base... (What a terrible game to have on TV!) Boy, are we in for a great comeback!

4-1 Hoosiers after two innings as Hollis gave up more hits, loaded the bases, and then Tanner Bradley came in to finish the inning. Maddox Molony hits a deep ball that dies in LF for a double, and then we get a walk and a plinked batter to load the bases with no outs. But we blow the opportunity as Drew Smith was tagged out at home.

2-0 Hoosiers after one inning. Oregon's stud starter for Sunday, Cal Scolari, must be hurt, as Josh Hollis, a true freshman, is on the hill, and already gave up as many hits in the first inning (two) as Ducks' pitchers did yesterday the entire game. The Indiana pitcher is good with a 3.12 ERA, so the Ducks have their hands full. So many other pitchers...why Hollis?

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Three Homers Back Clarke’s Strong Start EUGENE, Ore. — As if a lion in a cage, Collin Clarke stalked around the mound Saturday like the king of PK Park, letting out the occasional roar after one of his six strikeouts. The way Clark was throwing for the Oregon baseball team, he didn't need much offense to support him. The Ducks gave him some anyway, blasting three home runs in a 5-1 victory to secure a series win over Indiana. The series finale is Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 12:30 p.m. to accommodate a Big Ten Network telecast. Clarke (3-1) allowed two hits over seven innings Saturday, the only blemish on his line a third-inning solo homer. It was a loud performance, both statistically and in the way he stalked the mound between pitches, exuding competitive energy. Collin Clarke today... "It was a really good start for Collin," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "He's a super competitor. You've got to really appreciate how competitive the kid is, and his mix is really good. I mean, he's got an electric arm and he's got a good feel for the ball. … He misses on the over-competitive side sometimes, and I'd rather have that than anything else. So I'm happy that he's in our uniform." The solo homer was the only extra-base hit Clarke allowed. There might have been a couple more, but Jax Gimenez made a diving catch in the gap in left-center in the first inning, and freshman Angel Laya snared a potential home run in right-center in the seventh. "I thought that ball was gone," Clarke said. "I couldn't believe he brought it back. Hell of a play." Laya also hit one of three home runs on the day by the Ducks (16-3). The first was the seventh of the season for third baseman Drew Smith, a solo homer in the second that continued his streak of reaching base in every game so far this season. "Every day I'm still trying to get better and still trying to work on my game, because there's definitely parts of it I can still improve on," said Smith, who is hitting .458 after 1-for-2 on Saturday, with two walks. "So, just trying to crush it every single day and just let the results happen. If they come, they come; if they don't, they don't. As long as my process is right, I'm in a good spot." How It Happened: Smith homered with two out in the bottom of the second to break a scoreless tie. Indiana's only run of the day came in the top of the third, but the Ducks answered that in the bottom of the inning with a Ryan Cooney solo shot for a 2-1 lead. Smith next came to the plate with one out in the fourth. He worked the count full and then walked after falling behind 0-2, and Wasikowski later identified that as a turning point in the game. Drew Smith today... "I thought that was a critical at-bat," Wasikowski said. "And then I thought (assistant coach Jack) Marder did a really nice job of trying to break the rhythm of the pitcher, and called an offensive timeout. And immediately after that, we strung a couple of positive at-bats together." Indeed, Laya followed with a two-run homer, his seventh of the year. Brayden Jaksa then doubled, and two batters later Cooney drove him in with a single. Three innings after his two-run homer, Laya made the highlight-reel catch to rob a potential homer. "You've got to separate those two things," Laya said. "Go out there and play defense, and when it's time to hit, hit." Luke Morgan pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning in relief of Clarke. Blake Crawford opened the ninth with a strikeout before walking the next hitter, and Michael Meckna had a one-pitch outing to finish the game, coaxing a double-play ball to close out the top of the ninth. On Deck: The Ducks and Hoosiers play the series finale Sunday (12:30 p.m., Big Ten Network).

Ducks win 5-1 as Blake Crawford from West Linn comes in and gets a strikeout, but walks a batter. Taking no chances--Pitching Coach Matt Flores brings in Michael Meckna, who only needs ONE PITCH to create a double play to finish the game! All the Oregon pitchers combined to only give up two hits today? Outstanding effort. Three home runs today by the team leading the Big-10 in homers....OREGON!

5-1 Ducks after eight innings. Luke Morgan from Grants Pass took over and looked much more confident this time, and put them down 1-2-3.

5-1 Ducks after seven innings. Collin Clarke's scoreless inning was preserved by a great catch by Angel Laya chasing down the fly and running into the RF wall...but hung onto the ball! Clarke has 97 pitches, and a great game to be proud of. Ducks strand bases-loaded...

5-1 Ducks after six innings. Collin Clarke got in trouble with two hits, but Drew Smith bailed him out with a terrific double play of touching the force out at third, and whipping it to first to get the other out! Looks like Collin Clarke is coming out to pitch the seventh!

5-1 Ducks after five innings. Geez...Collin Clarke put out two batters in three pitches, but got in a jam with two hits and then closed out the inning. He has 75 pitches at this point.

5-1 Ducks after four innings. Collin Clarke has such an awesome changeup that looks like a fastball coming at you. Only 60 pitches through four innings, and I'd love to see him go seven, bring in Tanner Bradley for an inning and finish off with Devin Bell like yesterday. Drew Smith gets in a 0-2 hole, but pulls out a walk to get on base. Then Angel Laya hits a two-run dinger over the RF wall! Brayden Jaksa drills one to the LF corner for a double, and then moved to third on a groundout. Ryan Cooney beats the throw to first on a slow infield hit to score Jaksa!

2-1 Ducks after three innings. Collin Clarke gave up a homer, but finished out the others and he only has 45 pitches into three innings--so perhaps he can stretch to seven? Portland's own Ryan Cooney nailed a liner over the LF wall to help Oregon take the lead!

1-0 Ducks after two innings. Collin Clarke is feeling the warmth of the sunshine in Eugene, as he is getting hot. He kept them scoreless for another inning, and has a low pitch count. Drew Smith hit a welcome homer over the CF wall, as runs will be tough against Hoosier pitchers.

0-0 after the first inning. Oregon's Colin Clarke comes in with a great ERA at 2.55, but the Indiana pitcher has a lower one at 1.96 and both snuffed the batters in the first inning. Damn. Another low-scoring nail-biter!

He is a Rivals 4-Star, and besides being offered by Oregon, his offer list included: Ohio State, Miami, USC, LSU, Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia and Washington, of course. (Ha!) 😄

Our third game against Indiana will finally be on TV! First one this season, and the next one won't be for over a month. Only THREE games on television this season, all the rest on streaming, mostly on B1G+. So check in and watch our Diamond Ducks, and share the discussion with me!

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Ducks Open Indiana Series with a Come-from-Behind Win EUGENE, Ore. — Will Sanford, Tanner Bradley and Devin Bell combined on a five-hitter with 13 strikeouts while Oregon’s offense scored three late runs to rally from an early deficit in a 3-2 win over Indiana in a Big Ten Conference game at PK Park on Friday. Sanford struck out a career-high 10 over a career-best 6.2 innings of work before giving way to the relievers. Bradley (1-0) picked up the win after retiring the final batter in the seventh inning, before striking out the side after allowing a leadoff single in the eighth. Bell got his fourth save getting the final three outs in the ninth. How It Happened: After Indiana (7-10, 1-3 B1G) built a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and fourth innings, the Ducks (15-3, 3-1 B1G) cut the lead in half with a run in the fifth. Drew Smith led off the inning with a walk and moved to second when pinch-hitter Naulivou Lauaki was hit by a pitch. Ryan Cooney legged out an RBI double on a ball that glanced off the glove of the diving second baseman, scoring Smith from second. Maddox Molony tied it with a 436-foot solo shot over the left-field wall in the bottom of the sixth before Oregon scored again in the seventh to take the lead. Burke-Lee Mabeus led off the inning with a double off the center fielder’s glove, moved to third on a Josh Schleichardt sacrifice bunt and scored on a Cooney sacrifice fly. Box Score Notes: Molony’s home run was the 29th of his career, moving him one behind Tom Dodd (1977-79) for fourth all-time at Oregon … Dominic Hellman extended his reached base streak to 18 games with a first-inning double … Smith extended his reached base streak to 18 games with a fifth-inning base on balls … Indiana stranded eight runners, while Oregon left six on base. On Deck: The Ducks and Hoosiers meet in game two of the series on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. (B1G+). Quotes: Head Coach Mark Wasikowski On the bullpen guys closing out the game… “They pitch very well. Tanner Bradley came in and did his job. Will Sanford had a tremendous start. He did a really nice job. Then, Devin Bell to close the game. The boys played good defense and executed when they needed to. We got the timely hit. That was just a really good Friday night win. Indiana’s starter was out there throwing 94-97 miles an hour. They're back end closer guy is lighting it up at 94-95 miles an hour with a nasty slider and a really good feel for a change-up, too. That was a really good college baseball game and a good one to win.” On how Will Sanford can manage his wild pitches… “If he is throwing into the seventh inning every start, I like our chances. I’m not going to be too critical of Will. When you go six and two-thirds and strike out 10, I thought he pitched exceptionally well. Sometimes when your stuff is really nasty, you’re going to have a couple of wild pitches. That comes with the territory. Not only was his stuff good tonight, but it improved as the game went on. That tells me that Will is invested in the strength and conditioning program that Darrell Hunter is in charge of here. That’s why the guys are so strong and why Will was able to improve his velocity as the outing went on. I’m impressed with that.” On the pitching balance and Tanner Bradley’s performance… “He had a couple of strikeouts on his off-speed pitches, but his velocity was up, too. He was at 92-94 miles an hour on some. I think all of those guys have really good arms. We’re blessed right now. Coach Florer has done a nice job getting those guys to believe and developing good stuff.” Maddox Molony after his blast... Maddox Molony On his 436-foot home run… “That is probably the farthest one I’ve hit in my life. It’s pretty cool. I was looking for a fastball, and that is what he gave me.” On the team’s energy today, such as Gimenez diving to first with no one on base… “It’s awesome. It’s a lot of energy. That was a gritty win. It was a close game, and everyone was fighting. It wasn’t the biggest hit, but that fires the team up. That’s awesome.” On how it feels to have his pitchers throw so well as an infield player… “It’s awesome. Our job is to be back there and back them up. Our pitchers make our job easy, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.” On managing the base traffic and keeping Indiana to two runs… “That’s part of the game. Things happen, and sometimes it doesn’t go your way. It’s our job to stay calm and not try to do too much.” On what he liked about the weather and the crowd at home… “Yeah, it was nice. The rain tried to creep in a little bit. The Duck was here, the fans were here, and they were getting excited for the little things, like Jax diving to first. It was awesome and felt like a great home environment.” Ryan Cooney On how he was able to find grass… “I just try to put the ball in play, especially the one that has two strikes and runners in position. Good things happen when the ball is in play. On the other one, the sac fly, I did my job, guy on third. That was a big run we needed. I was glad I was in that spot for the guys and able to pick it up.” On how it feels as an infielder to see the pitching staff do well… “It’s awesome. It makes my job really easy. Obviously, I made an error out there today, but I know the guys are out there to pick me up, and I’m there to pick them up, too. It allows me to have the confidence to go for everything and do my job. It’s awesome to see Will, Tanner, and Devin do what they did. They’re special.” On the team’s energy… “I think it’s awesome. I think we want to be in these close games and have a challenge. I think it’s really important for us. I have to say this was a really big game for us, just as a culture, when it goes ugly, still being able to win. I think it’s important for us to go through that adversity now in the season against a good team and go back at it tomorrow.” On how the team was able to notch runs against Indiana’s pitchers… “They were doing a good job at mixing us early on. What we were really focusing on throughout the game was being able to adapt and change our approach. We found something that was working and ran with it.” Tanner Bradley Will Sanford On throwing a career-high 10 strikeouts... “I thought I was mixing well. Landing off-speed and hitters' counts and keeping them off balance, that's how I got the fastball on them.” On bouncing back after errors early in the game... “I think it's a big growth thing for me. We talked about it in our meeting last year; I would've crumbled in those spots, and it just shows that the work I put in with (Dan) Straily and (Matt) Florer, all that mental work, has been paying off. I have full belief in myself; those innings will happen, but it's how I bounce back. On Tanner Bradley coming in for the win... “I told him he's going to get me out of this. I trust that dude with anything; I trust all those guys. We have a really good pen. There are going to be multiple guys that come into those situations, and they're going to win for us, so I have full confidence.”

Oregon's Peyton Bair started the meet with a bang! opening the first event of the day with a collegiate record. The defending NCAA heptathlon champion ran 6.67 in the heptathlon 60 meters, an all-time heptathlon best. The record-breaking performance gives Bair 1003 points after the first event, putting him on an all-time pace.