Ducks Will Look for Series Win on Sunday

Saturday, April 11

Eugene, Ore.

12:05 p.m.

University of Oregon

25-10, 9-5

Nebraska

27-8, 12-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Nebraska	0	0	0	6	2	0	0	2	0	10	15	0
Oregon	2	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	8	11	1

Photo by: Deborah Mundorff

04/11/26 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: #19 Nebraska 10, #21 Oregon 8 Photo Gallery

EUGENE, Ore. — Ryan Cooney had a pair of two-run doubles to stake No. 21 Oregon to a 5-0 lead early and Naulivou Lauaki added a pair of solo home runs but No. 19 Nebraska rallied for a come-from-behind 10-8 win in Big Ten Conference action at PK Park on Saturday.

Cooney reached base five times (3-for-3, 2 2B, 2 BB) and drove in four runs while Naulivou went 3-for-5 with a pair of long balls and three RBI. Brayden Jackson went 2-for4 and was hit by a pitch while scoring two runs. Jax Gimenez also reached base three times (2 HBP, BB) and scored twice.

Nebraska (27-8, 12-2 Big Ten) evened the series with the win after Oregon won game one on Friday.

How It Happened: Oregon did not waste any time jumping on top, scoring two runs in the first inning. After Gimenez walked and moved to second on a Jaksa base hit, Cooney roped a double into the right-center field gap scoring both runners.

The same three players teamed up to make it 4-0 in the second inning. Gimenez reached on a two-out hit-by-pitch before moving to third on a Jaksa base hit. After Jaksa swiped second, Cooney delivered his second two-run double in as many innings, this time into the left-field corner.

The Ducks pushed the lead to five in the third thanks to a pair of freshmen. Angel Laya led off the inning with a two-bagger off the center-field wall before Lauaki plated him with a two-out base hit.

Nebraska stormed back, scoring six runs on eight hits with three home runs in the fourth before tacking on two unearned runs in the fifth for an 8-5 lead.

Lauaki continued his hot hitting, homering in both the fifth and seventh innings. The Ducks' designated hitter crushed a solo home run 438 feet over the batter's eye in dead-center field in the fifth, and then did it again with a 435-foot bomb in the seventh.

Nebraska added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning. Oregon threatened to send the game to extra innings in the bottom of the ninth. Burke-Lee Mabeus doubled in Maddox Molony to cut the lead to two with just one out, but Cornhusker closer J'Shawn Unger fanned the next two batters to end the game.

Box Score Notes: Lauaki had multiple home runs in a game for the first time in his career … Since moving into the starting lineup on Wednesday at Portland, Lauaki is 7-for-13 (.538) with six extra-base hits (3 HR, 3 2B), six RBI and four runs scored … Cooney's four RBI is a season high … Cooney notched his 33rd career multiple-hit and 24th multiple- RBI game … Gimenez extended his consecutive games reached base streak to 25 games when he worked a leadoff walk in the first inning …

On Deck: The series rubber match is Sunday at 12:05 p.m. (B1G+).

Head Coach Mark Wasikowski Quotes:

On the team's performance today...
"I thought it was a competitive game. It was a great one to win and a tough one to lose. Both offenses clearly showed up, and it was a slugfest. It felt like a heavyweight fight. Their pitcher was pitcher of the week a couple of weeks ago, and he got bounced in the fourth. We had him on the ropes early and scored every inning off of him, so he had a tough day. Our starter had a pretty good day until around the fourth inning, and then they touched him up good. It wasn't a matter of him walking guys and being sloppy, he just got hit. At the end of the day, they got one more hit than we did. For us to have the tying run in the last inning I thought it was a heck of a college baseball game but disappointing to lose."

On Naulivou Lauaki Jr.'s development and hitting streak...
"I'd love to have seen him do it again at that last at-bat, as all Duck fans would have. He had an opportunity, and he's coming along nicely. He's developing, and he's providing us with a real fight mentality, and that's what we've been teaching and preaching."

On moving Jax Gimenez to the leadoff spot...
"He's been getting on base a ton; you see how good he is. He's not afraid to get hit by the pitch and get on first and steal bases and run. I think he's done a heck of a job. Since we made the switch, I think our run production has been up, and our offensive quality at-bats have been up. I think we've been able to score more runs, and that was the objective of the whole thing. So far on the short sample size it's been a good decision."

On Ryan Cooney moving to the third slot in the lineup...
"He had five quality at-bats out of five tries today. He was the best player on the baseball field today in my opinion. Even though he played for the team that didn't win, he was an outstanding player today. He gave us a ton of grit and a ton of toughness, and I loved what I saw in the third slot tonight."