The Oregon Ducks moved one step closer to the NCAA Super Regionals after a 4-0 victory over Washington State on May 30 in front of a sellout crowd at PK Park. The win put the No. 11 seed Ducks at 2-0 in the NCAA Eugene Regional, positioning them for the regional final on Sunday.
Oregon (42-16) will face either Washington State (31-27) or Oregon State in Sunday’s regional final at 6 p.m., following an elimination game between the Cougars and Beavers earlier that day. The winner of that elimination game will need to defeat Oregon twice to advance.
Head coach Mark Wasikowski said, “Really competitive game tonight. They have a really, really good team and they pitched really well. They were competitive, and I was really excited about the effort that the club that I represent gave … I just love this team. I think these guys are really, really good. Excited to play for a regional championship tomorrow.” Wasikowski also praised his pitchers: “The pitching performance of all three guys that touched the mound tonight, I thought that was really remarkable.”
Starting pitcher Will Sanford led Oregon with a career-high 14 strikeouts while allowing only one hit over 6.1 scoreless innings. Tanner Bradley and Devin Bell combined for another 2.2 innings of relief and five additional strikeouts, bringing Oregon’s total to 19 strikeouts on the night.
Jax Gimenez delivered an RBI single in the fifth inning for Oregon’s first run, while Naulivou Lauaki Jr.’s three-run home run in the ninth provided insurance runs for the Ducks. After his clutch hit, Gimenez said, “That environment PK brought tonight with the crowd and how competitive it was, it was unmatched,” adding it is “the best there is in the country.” Lauaki described his approach as: “Same approach as always… Stick right side, don’t get too big and just hunt my pitch.” Sanford commented on pitching before a large crowd: “There is no tired when you have a crowd like that. Pure adrenaline, it was great.” He added about his teammates, “We have one of the best staffs in the country… Every time someone comes in there’s no doubt they’re going to get it done…”
Sanford’s performance tied him for most strikeouts by an Oregon player in an NCAA Regional game and marked several milestones within UO baseball history.
Oregon awaits its opponent for Sunday’s regional final at PK Park; both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
