Gritty Win, Ducks Rally To Set Up Big Ten Title Showdown

Friday, May 16

Iowa City, Iowa

4:02 p.m.

University of Oregon

40-13, 21-8

Iowa

32-19-1, 21-8

Oregon

Iowa

Photo by: Zoe Rivers

Gritty Win, Ducks Rally To Set Up Big Ten Title Showdown

05/16/25 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: #5 Oregon 9, Iowa 6

IOWA CITY, Iowa — No. 5 Oregon rallied from a four-run deficit for a 9-6 win at Iowa on Friday setting up a battle for a Big Ten Conference championship on Saturday in Iowa City.

Oregon (40-13) scored eight of its nine runs in the final five innings after falling behind 6-2 after five innings. Jacob Walsh led Oregon, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored, while four Ducks' relievers combined to throw 4.2 scoreless innings.

With the win, Oregon pulled into a first-place tie with Iowa at 21-8 in the Big Ten Conference. UCLA also picked up a win on Friday against Northwestern to move to 21-8. An Oregon win on Saturday would secure the top seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament, while a loss would leave the Ducks as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed depending on the result of the UCLA-Northwestern game on Saturday.

How It Happened: For the second consecutive game Drew Smith got the Ducks on the board in the top of the first inning. After Jacob Walsh doubled with two outs, Smith singled to right field, scoring Walsh for a 1-0 lead.

Iowa (32-19-1) scored three runs in the third and another in the fourth to take lead, before Walsh cut into the lead with a solo home run in the top of the fifth.

The Hawkeyes built on the lead with a pair of solo home runs in their half of the fifth, then Anson Aroz answered with a solo shot of his own to make it a 6-3 game.

Oregon rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take the lead. Mason Neville led off the frame with a double into the left-field corner before Dominic Hellman reached on a hit-by-pitch, setting up a Walsh RBI double into right-center field. Smith picked up his second RBI of the game with an infield hit off the diving third baseman's glove. Chase Meggers walked to load the bases setting the table for Ryan Cooney who laced a two-out, two-run double down into the left-field corner to give the lead.

The Ducks tacked on two insurance runs in the ninth. Aroz reached on a bunt single and came around to score on a Meggers bunt single. Maddox Moloney, who walked before Meggers' RBI, scored on a wild pitch later in the inning.

Ian Umlandt (6-1) picked up the win, tossing two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He gave way to Cole Stokes who fanned three in 1.1 innings of work. Santiago Garcia got the final out in the eighth and the first in the ninth, before Seth Mattox came on to retire the only two batters he faced for his seventh save.

Box Score Notes: Oregon's two home runs gave the Ducks 102 for the season, setting a new program record … Walsh's two doubles were the 58th and 59th of his career, moving him into second all-time at Oregon passing Gabe Matthews (2017-21) … Neville scored one run to move into a tie for first in single-season runs scored … The win was Oregon's ninth consecutive victory.

On Deck: The Ducks will look to finish off a series sweep and clinch the No. 1 seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament on Saturday (10:02 a.m. PT / Big Ten Network).