Ducks Rally Late to Win at Washington

Friday, May 1

Seattle, Wash.

7:05 p.m.

University of Oregon

34-11, 0

Washington

20-25, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Oregon	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0	6	6	0
Washington	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	7	2

Photo by: Zoe Rivers

05/02/26 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: #13 Oregon 6, Washington 4 Photo Gallery

SEATTLE, Wash. — Burke-Lee Mabeus and Naulivou Lauaki Jr. belted back-to-back eighth-inning home runs while four Oregon relief pitchers combined to throw 5.2 scoreless innings to lead the No. 13 Ducks to a 6-4 come-from-behind win over Washington at Husky Stadium on Friday night.

Washington led 4-2 in eighth inning thanks to a pair of spectacular defensive plays by the Huskies late in the game. Right-fielder Aiden Dougherty robbed Jack Brooks of what would have been a game-tying two-run home run in the seventh inning. In the eighth, shortstop Sam DeCarlo made a leaping grab to take away a hit from Drew Smith that would have put two runners on with no outs.

The two defensive plays only put off the pain Oregon was going to inflict on the Huskies. After Smith was robbed, Angel Laya picked up his second hit of the game, putting runners at the corners. After the second out of the inning, Mabeus stepped to the plate and launched a three-run home run over the right-field wall to give Oregon the lead. Lauaki followed four pitches later with a monster shot that traveled 433 feet with an exit velocity of 113 miles per hour.

Tanner Bradley came out of the pen to get the final six outs to pick up his first career save. Gabe Howard (1-0) tossed a scoreless seventh inning to pick up the win.

How It Happened: Oregon (34-11, 16-6 Big Ten) took advantage of some Washington (20-25, 9-13 Big Ten) mistakes to take an early lead in the top of the first. After Brayden Jaksa reached on a hit-by-pitch, he moved to third on a throwing error on a Ryan Cooney ground ball to put runners on the corners. Smith executed a squeeze bunt to score Jaksa for a 1-0 lead.

Washington responded with three in its half of the first, before adding a fourth run in the second without the benefit of a hit.

Oregon cut the lead to two with an unearned run in the fourth. Angel Laya reached on an error before moving to second on a Maddox Molony ground out. After a walk, Lauaki banked a ground ball off the pitcher which ricocheted through the hole between first and second, allowing Laya to score.

Oregon had to go to the bullpen in the fourth inning after a pair of runners reached with one out. Luke Morgan came in to retire both of the batters he faced to get out of the jam.

Toby Twist entered the game to start the bottom of the fifth. He tossed a pair of scoreless innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the seventh with a strikeout to end the frame. That brought on Howard and Bradley to wrap up the win.

Box Score Notes: Cooney returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game against Gonzaga … Tyler Jones made his second consecutive start in left field and the second of his career … Oregon starter Will Sanford lasted just 3.1 innings, his second shortest outing of the season … The Ducks have won six in a row against the Huskies … Lauaki led Oregon with three hits while Laya had two …

On Deck: Game two of the series is Saturday at 7:05 p.m. (Big Ten Network).