The Oregon Ducks Take a Grueling Eleventh Inning Loss to USC Trojans

The postseason stakes continue to ride on the No. 16 Oregon Ducks (36-15, 18-10 Big Ten) as they take an eleventh inning first game loss in their final three-game home series at PK Park to the No. 17 USC Trojans (42-12, 20-8 Big Ten). The bats were cold as ice for six straight innings, as both bullpens fought inning for inning in a tense pitching battle.

Dean Carpentier for the Trojans was the first to put a run on the board, helping Jack Basseer find home at the top of the second inning. The Ducks didn't find much offensive momentum till the ninth inning, with a home run for Naulivou Lauaki Jr. in the first pitch. USC secured the win with a homer back in the eleventh thanks to Issac Cadena.

Teammates congratulate Oregon pitcher Will Sanford, center, after he got the Ducks out of the second inning against Indiana at PK Park in Eugene March 13, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the mound, USC's Mason Edwards had a monster game, pitching for six innings with 12 kills after facing 23 batters. The Ducks' Cal Scolari took the brunt of the pitching work, going for five innings with five strikeouts, four hits, one run, and one error with 19 batters faced. Tanner Bradley brought the Ducks home setting Oregon up with a one, two, three after the home run in the eleventh.

With the bases loaded, it was Maddox Molony who struck out looking on the plate and Jack Brooks who flied out to seal the Ducks' fate.

This series is a make or break for the Ducks, with not only a higher seeding for the Big Ten Conference tournament on the line, but also a chance for the Ducks to host a regional series for the NCAA tournament.

Below is a rundown of the game. The latest updates are at the top.

FINAL: OREGON 1 - USC 2

BOTTOM OF THE ELEVENTH: OREGON 1 - USC 2

- Brooks flies out. The Trojans seal the victory with game one.

- Molony strikes out looking, One more out needed for the Trojans.

- Mabeus walks. Bases loaded. Molony is up to bat to call the game.

- Jaksa advances to second on a wild pitch as Smith goes to third.

- Lauaki strikes out swinging.

- USC makes a pitching change to Adam Troy. Johnson ends the day with 3.1 innings, three strikeouts, four hits, one run, and one error, with 13 batters faced.

- Jaksa singles and heads to first. Smith takes second.

- Smith singles and heads to first.

TOP OF THE ELEVENTH: OREGON 1 - USC 2

- Lopez and Basseer grounds out.

- Takeuchi grounds out.

- Cadena homers to right field with Laya struggling to catch the ball in the backfield. Trojans are up in extra time.

BOTTOM OF THE TENTH: OREGON 1 - USC 1

- Johnson matches Bradley's previous inning with a 1-2-3 inning taking out Cooney and Laya.

- Josh Schleichardt is up at bat for Oregon. He's grounded out.

TOP OF THE TENTH: OREGON 1 - USC 1

- Lopez flied out. End of the inning. Josh Schleichardt comes up with the ball with an impressive catch.

- Urbon flied out.

- Carpetnier struck out swinging.

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH: OREGON 1 - USC 1

- Brooks is caught stealing second and the fans at PK Park get some free baseball on this Thursday evening.

- Dominic Hellman comes in as a designated hitter for Oregon after Brooks is walked.

- USC gets a double play off Mabeus and Maddox Molony who hits short right and the ball is tossed to second and first for the two outs.

- Mabeus singles to center field and gets on first base. Trojans meet on the mound for a potential pitching change.

𝐋𝐄𝐓'𝐒 𝐆𝐎 𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐒!@junior_lauaki with the solo shot to tie the game at one a piece!#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/PvUy45UTeM
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) May 15, 2026

- Oregon scores on the first pitch of the inning with Lauaki putting in a backside bomb to the right side of the diamond. That homerun sends Lauaki sailing through to home.

- USC changes out their left fielder and catcher prior to the start of the inning.

TOP OF THE NINTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Martinez grounds out. It's done for the Trojans offensively. It's a 1-2-3 for Bradley.

- Lamb struck out swinging. Bradley is currently at four strikeouts for nine batters faced.

- Basseer struck out swinging.

BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Jaksa struck out swinging. An impressive showing from USC's pitching crew this game with Andrew Johnson putting in one strikeout with four batters faced.

- Smith grounded out.

- Laya is grounded out.

TOP OF THE EIGHTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏!@t_bradley2024 with the K to get out of the bases loaded jam.#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/QOXHPZc6Pc
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) May 15, 2026

- Bradley stripes out Lopez when he's needed most. As "Shout" plays, the Ducks are down to the wire.

- Takeuchi walks. Cadena hits second while Urbon hits third. Bases loaded.

- Cadena was hit by a pitch, moving to the bases.

- Urbon advances to second after Lopez grounds out.

- Urbon singled to third base. He gets on first base.

- Carpentier is struck out swinging.

- Elijah Cook goes to left field.

- Tanner Bradley comes in for Twist.

BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- There's life in the Ducks as Brooks singles to right field. He advances to second after Miranda reaches a fielding error. Trojans meets on the mound to switch out their pitcher.

- Mabeus is hit by a pitch from Matson. Molony is then grounded into a double play that knocks out Mabeus as well.

- Sax Matson in for Edwards. Edwards put in 12 strikeouts out of 23 batters faced. He recorded 4 hits, 0 errors, and only 3 walks.

TOP OF THE SEVENTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Basseer and Lamb grounds out as Martinez flies out. Another quick inning for the Ducks with Twist on the mound.

BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Edwards gets three more kills in a row sending Jaksa, Smith, and Lauaki to the dugout.

- Mason Edwards closes out Brayden Jaksa for the third time this game. He's on a real hot streak a 50% kill rate (11 strikeouts for 22 batters faced).

TOP OF THE SIXTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Cadena struck out swinging, Takeuchi grounded out, and Lopez is struck out looking.

- Toby Twist comes in to relieve Cal Scolari. Scolari ends the matchup with five innings pitched with four hits, one run, one error, and five strikeouts after facing 19 batters.

BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Cooney singles to left center and gets on first base. His second hit of the game. Cooney is eventually out at second base as Laya takes fielders choice to cap out the Ducks' chances.

- Mason Edwards gets back to back strikeouts against Brooks and Miranda. He's at nine kills for 19 batters faced.

TOP OF THE FIFTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Urbon singles to left field and gets on bases, but he and Lopez are taken out in a double play of a 3-2-1 on bases. This is a pitching duel between Scolari and Edwards right now.

- Carpentier struck out looking.

BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Mabeus is walked. After a Maddox Molony fly out, Mabeus is caught trying to steal second base.

- Lauaki struck out looking.

TOP OF THE FOURTH: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Martinez struck out looking.

- Lamb reached on a fielders choice as Basseer steals second.

- Basseer singles up the middle to advance to first base.

- Scolari gets his second kill of the day (since the first inning) as Lopez strikes out swinging.

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Angel Laya, Drew Smith, Brayden Jaksa both strike out swinging. Mason Edward's back to back kills come after a meeting on the mound. Ducks exit the inning with one hit and two runners on base.

- Miranda was walked, then advanced to third after Ryan Cooney doubled.

TOP OF THE THIRD: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Lopez and Cadena ground out while Takeuchi lines out, making it a quick inning for Cal Scolari and the Ducks.

BOTTOM OF THE SECOND: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Brooks strikes out looking to end the inning.

- Maebus singles out to get on base, but is taken out by USC in a double play off a Maddox Molony grounder.

TOP OF THE SECOND: OREGON 0 - USC 1

- Urbon grounds out to end the inning.

- USC scores a run with Carpentier grounding out to third base with a bunt as Basseer runs into home and Martinez advances to third.

- Drew Smith makes a diving catch to stop a run from USC.

- Basseer flies out after Lopez doubles to right center clocking in the first hit of the game. Lopez moves to third base after Lamb singles to the left side for a first base occupation.

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST: OREGON 0 - USC 0

- Naulivou Lauaki strikes out swinging. The Ducks are retired for the inning with USC's Mason Edwards clocking in two kills on five batters faced.

- Brayden Jaksa strikes out looking.

- Drew Smith is walked as Laya moves to second.

- Angel Laya strikes out swinging and moves to first base.

- Ryan Cooney strikes out swinging.

TOP OF THE FIRST: OREGON 0 - USC 0

- Adrian Lopez grounds out to second base. Cal Scolari, the starting pitcher for Oregon, strikes out both Isaac Cadena and Kevin Takeduchi to close out the top of the first inning.

USC is first to bat.

PREGAME

LINEUPS

Oregon Ducks

1. Ryan Cooney
2. Angel Laya
3. Drew Smith
4. Brayden Jaksa
5. Naulivou Lauaki
6. Burke-Lee Mabeus
7. Maddox Molony
8. Jack Brooks
9. Jax Gimenez
10. Cal Scolari

USC Trojans

1. Adrian Lopez
2. Isaac Cadena
3. Kevin Takeuchi
4. Augie Lopez
5. Jack Basseer
6. Andrew Lamb
7. Maximo Martinez
8. Dean Carpentier
9. Walter Urbon
10. Mason Edwards

Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski returns to the dugout as the Oregon Ducks host the George Mason Patriots on Feb. 14, 2026, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mark Wasikowski Calls For Heightened Attendance

During a Wednesday media availability, Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski put out a public request for fans to support the team to add additional cause for hosting a regional tournament.

"Do what you can to be a difference at PK Par. You see it at Autzen Stadium. You see teams come into Autzen Stadium, and the fans just dominate them. The fans take it into their own hands. They make sure there are false starts, whatever the penalites are. They make a difference in the game ... That's the best thing they can do at PK Park," Wasikowski said.

"During the timeouts should be a point of emphasis for fans. That's actually the time to really rise up and get on somebody. A pitching coach goes to the mound, that type of stuff. That's when you can really make a difference in the outcome of a game and affect the visiting team's mentality," Wasikowski added.

Oregon pitcher Josh Hollis pitches as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers on March 3, 2026, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon's Complicated UCLA Series

The Ducks are coming off a sweet and sour series loss against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins. The Ducks were run-ruled 11-1 in the first Friday game with barely a gasp offensively. Then, the Ducks came back with an eighth inning surge to finish a surprise 9-6 win on Saturday. After the shocker victory, the Ducks got up early in the top of the fourth quarter for game three, but the Bruins put the game away in the eighth with a grand slam scoring four runners.

Postseason Projections

According to D1Baseball, the Ducks are projected to finish No. 16 nationally prior to entering the postseason. If the Ducks pick up the bid to host the regional, it will be their second consecutive time hosting.

UCLA cemented the No. 1 seed after their brush with Oregon. Nebraska, USC, Oregon, Purdue, Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois and Iowa also secured spots in the tournament.

Oregon lines the dugout as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers on March 3, 2026, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sizing Up USC Trojans Baseball

USC closed out their home series last week with a sweep of the Nevada Wolfpack with a combined score of 31-7 over the series. In total, the Trojans clocked in a 32-1 overall record, the best in program history breaking a record set in 1978. Their only loss of the season was to the Oregon State Beavers.

Adrian Lopez, Augie Lopez, and Maximo Martinez all scored home runs during a Tuesday meeting with Cal State Fullerton prior to their Nevada series and outfielder Jack Basseer received national and Big Ten recognition for his performance in the week of May 4 to May 10. The Trojans ramp up their offense early, which means the pressure is on for Oregon's starting pitchers during this series.

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