Rinse and Repeat, Ducks Power and Pitch Their Way into Championship Game

Saturday, May 23

Omaha, Neb.

4:00 p.m.

University of Oregon

40-15

Nebraska

42-15

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

Photo by: David Hammel

Rinse and Repeat, Ducks Power and Pitch Their Way into Championship Game

05/23/26 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: #14 Oregon 8, #20 Nebraska 0 Photo Gallery

OMAHA, Neb. — No. 14 Oregon used the same formula to advance to Sunday's Big Ten Tournament Championship game against No. 1 UCLA that it used earlier in the day to beat Washington. The Ducks' belted three home runs while getting stellar pitching from three pitchers in an 8-0 win over No. 20 Nebraska on Saturday night at Charles Schwab Field in front of 12,083 mostly Huskers fans.

Oregon starter Will Sanford (8-2) followed teammate Cal Scolari's dominant performance against Washington with maybe a more dominant outing. The Ducks' right-hander allowed just two hits over 6.0 innings of work while fanning nine.

Sanford retired the first 10 batters he faced, seven on strikeouts before allowing back-to-back walks in the top of the fourth. The Ducks' sophomore responded, getting the next two batters including a strikeout to end the threat. In the fifth Sanford escaped a runners at the corners with one out situation, getting a pop out on a bunt attempt and a weak ground ball to end the inning.

In the sixth, Oregon turned a line drive into a double play after the leadoff batter doubled on a soft seeing-eye hit inside the first-base bag. Sanford wrapped up his night fanning the final hitter he faced.

Tanner Bradley came out of the bullpen to toss two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Luke Morgan got the final three outs of the game.

How It Happened: Oregon (40-15) drew first blood scoring a run in the top of the first. Ryan Cooney led off the game with a two-bagger before moving to third on an Angel Laya ground out. Drew Smith picked up the RBI with a ground out giving UO a 1-0 lead.

The Ducks built the lead to 3-0 with a couple of solo home runs. Maddox Molony hit one into the left-field bullpen in the fourth and Laya followed with one into the right-field bullpen in the fifth.

Oregon broke the game open scoring four runs against Nebraska (42-15) in the seventh inning. Cooney reached on a fielder's choice and moved to second on a Laya walk, where the freshman worked a nine-pitch at-bat that included three foul balls with two strikes. After the walk, Smith ripped a two-run triple into the right-center field gap scoring Cooney and Laya. Freshman Brayden Jaksa made it a four-run inning when he belted his second homer of the day, with the first coming vs. UW in the morning game.

The Ducks tacked on a run in the ninth when Elijah Cook scored on a Smith sacrifice fly.

Box Score Notes: Cooney's leadoff double moved him into sole possession of seventh on Oregon's single-season doubles list with 19 … Naulivou Lauaki Jr. lined a ball of the fence in the second inning with an exit velocity of 118 miles per hour … Oregon's hardest hit ball coming into the game was 115 miles per hour … Will Sanford recorded his 100th strikeout of the season in the second inning, becoming just the sixth Duck to have a 100-strikeout season … He joined David Petrson (2017), Tyler Andderson (2011, 2010), Ryne Nelson (2019) and Grayson Grinsell (2025) … Sanford ended the game with 105 career Ks, which ties Anderson (2010) for the third most in school history.

Up next: Oregon will face UCLA in the championship game at 12 p.m. (PT) on Sunday (Big Ten Network) at Charles Schwab Field.