1-0 Ducks after one inning. Oregon is taking on a freshman pitcher, Aidan Flinn, who has an ERA of 3.37 and both sides will deal with a stiff wind blowing out over CF. The sleeves of players were whipping at times from the wind already...

Jax Gimenez nails a pitch down the 3rd baseline for an opening double, and then Brayden Jaksa follows that up with a line-drive to CF that scores Gimenez. Then the disturbing trend of the weekend continues as Oregon strands bases-loaded...again.

It would appear that Cal Scolari is either injured or lost his starting spot, as Miles Gosztola (4.62 ERA) is the Sunday starter. He gave up two hits, but retired the rest for no-score by the Illini in this inning.

We have a change in the outfield as Brayden Jaksa has switched with Jax Gimenez in moving from RF to LF, as they switch. Perhaps moving the speedy Gimenez due to the wind?

Dominic Hellman is at first base with Burke-Lee Mabeus catching today.

2-1 Illinois after two innings. Oregon stranded two on base this inning for a total of five in just two innings. In Friday's win, we stranded five the entire game, and in yesterday's loss we stranded a ridiculous 15.

Miles Gosztola gave up hits and two runs...

2-1 Illinois after three innings. Oregon strands another base runner, but Miles Gosztola kept the Illini scoreless this inning.

2-1 Illinois after four innings. The Ducks strand one, and Miles Gosztola gave us another scoreless inning.

4-3 Ducks after five innings.

Ryan Cooney blasted a solo home run, and not much later--Naulivou Lauaki just tore into the pitch and sent it hitting the camera deck past the CF wall. This RS freshman has quite a swing to back up his 6'5" 265 pound frame that just shouts power.

Then, the Pride of Springfield, Maddox Molony made it back-to-back homers that his the camera deck as well! Oregon was facing a relief pitcher who had an ERA below 3.00 but today was not his day. Now a new Illini pitcher is in with an ERA below 3.00 as well.

Miles Gosztola gave up a solo dinger, and a walk to yield the hill to Leo Uelmen, who redshirted last year due to injury, but was an important part of the staff as a freshman in 2024. He is rounding into form, and got the last two outs of the inning.

6-4 Ducks after six innings. Things are getting lively with relief pitchers in as Brayden Jaksa walks to start, and then the Pride of Portland, Ryan Cooney blasts a 2-run dinger over the corner LF wall to put Our Beloved Ducks up three.

Leo Uelmen gave up a solo homer, and that was it for the inning.

10-4 Ducks after seven innings. Burke-Lee Mabeus starts it out with a walk, followed up by a Dominic Hellman line-drive hit to CF that moves Mabeus to third base. Jack Brooks walked, so now we have bases loaded with one out. A new Illini pitcher comes in with an impressive 2.16 ERA, and he's pitched a ton at 25 innings this season thus far.

Jax Gimenez shows no respect, as he gets under a curve/drop-ball pitch and nails it to center field, where it is bobbled. The speedy Gimenez makes it to third and scores three runs! Finally...an important timely hit with the Ducks-on-a-Pond!

A wild pitch scores Gimenez, but remember---with this wind and relief pitching--no lead is safe!

Holy Crap! Waz put in true freshman Cooper Markham to pitch? He is a highly heralded recruit from Washington, but he has seen little action this year. To put him in during such a crucial time...in this ball-park?

Then he goes out to create the only 1-2-3 inning of either team today!

11-4 Ducks after eight innings. Drew Smith beat out the throw from 3rd for an infield single, and Naulivou Lauaki nails a grounder to CF as Smith races to third. Maddox Molony grounds out, but scores Smith to add a run this inning.

Cooper Markham gave up a walk, but finished off the rest of the batters. If Illinois was going to make a comeback--the eight inning was crucial in scoring a few runs...but didn't. It increase our odds much better with three outs left.

Ducks win 11-5, as Tanner Bradley came in got two strikeouts, and then a walk. The next batter hit the pitch deep, and Jack Brooks caught it, but when he hit the wall--the ball came out to score an Illini run. Oh well...

Official game recap will be on this thread much later...

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2026

BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball

 

Ducks Homer Four Times in Series Win

Champaign, Ill. — Ryan Cooney hit two of No. 19 Oregon’s four home runs to lead the Ducks to a series win at Illinois on Sunday with a 11-5 Big Ten Conference win at Illinois Field.

 

Cooney went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored leading Oregon to their 21st series win in the last two seasons covering a span of 23 weeks.

 

How It Happened:  Oregon (28-11, 12-6 Big Ten) jumped on top early scoring a run in the top of the first. Jax Gimenez led off the inning with a double over the third-base bag before scoring on a Brayden Jaksa base hit to center field.

 

Illinois (20-18, 8-10 Big Ten) answered with a pair of runs in the second inning to take the lead, but Oregon took the lead back with three solo home runs in the top of the fifth. Ryan Cooney led off the frame with a line drive over the left-field wall, before Naulivou Lauaki Jr. and Maddox Molony went back-to-back with both homers off the TV tower just to the left of the batter’s eye.

 

The Fighting Illini hit a solo home run of their own in the bottom of the inning to chase Oregon starter Miles Gosztola after he followed the homer with a four-pitch walk.

RS Freshman Naulivou Lauaki after his Dinger...

Oregon tacked on two runs in the sixth inning. After Jaksa reached for the third time in the game on a walk, Cooney went yard in the second consecutive inning for a 6-3 lead.

 

Illinois cut it to two in the sixth, but Oregon answered with four runs in the top of the seventh. Gimenez came through with the bases loaded, ripping a one-out triple that scored all three runners. The Ducks’ right-fielder then scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-4.

 

The Ducks tacked on an insurance run in the eighth. After hits by Drew Smith and Lauaki put runners at the corners, Molony drove in a run on a fielder’s choice for an 11-4 lead.

 

Box Score Notes: Molony homered in all three games of the series to run his career total to 33 home runs … The back-to-back homers by Lauaki and Molony were the first back-to-back homers since Jaksa and Cooney did it against Nebraska on April 10 … The three home runs in an inning were the first since Chase Meggers, Anson Aroz and did it in the first inning at Texas A&M on June 9, 2024 … Cooney’s two home runs were his first multi-homer game of his career … Dominic Hellman made his 100th career start … Gimenez extended his reached base streak to 29 games with a leadoff double …

 

On Deck: The Ducks travel to Oregon State for a nonconference game on Wednesday (5:35 p.m.)

Ducks sweep the softball series with Washington. Huskies now 15-3 in conference...all 3 losses to the Ducks (16-2).

Softball plays 8 conference opponents each season for 24 games out of the 16 B1G opponents possible.

Since joining the B1G last season the Ducks are 14-0 in series wins with 2 more series on the schedule this season: Ohio State and UCLA.

In addition to Ohio State, the Ducks will have not yet played Nebraska or Wisconsin in either regular season. Nebraska is currently leading the B1G at 17-1.