Oregon Ducks Beat Washington State To Advance To Eugene Regional Final

Here's how the Oregon Ducks reached the Eugene Regional Final with a dominating 4-0 shutout win over the Washington State Cougars.

Oregon baseball Mark Wasikowski walks back to the dugout during the game against UCLA at PK Park in Eugene April 19, 2025 | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks put on a show to open the Eugene Regional with a 14-2 win over the Yale Bulldogs on Friday night at PK Park.

Fresh off an impressive victory, the Ducks look to continue that success as they face off against a former Pac-12 rival, the Washington State Cougars, on Saturday night in the winners' bracket. The Ducks recorded their ninth shutout win of the season, defeating the Cougars 4-0 at PK Park to advance to the Eugene Regional Final.

Oregon sophomore right-handed pitcher Will Sanford put together a memorable tournament performance on the mound for the Ducks, striking out 14 Cougar batters in the win. The Ducks' pitching of Sanford, Tanner Bradley, and Devin Bell allowed a total of two hits against the Cougars.

With the Ducks up 1-0 in the top of the ninth and looking to put the game out of reach, Naulivou Lauaki Jr. came through again for Oregon, recording a three-run home run for the second consecutive game in the Eugene Regional. It was Lauaki Jr.'s 14th home run of what has been a remarkable freshman season.

The Ducks are now one win away from advancing to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2024, as a victory against either Washington State or Oregon State on Sunday will clinch them a spot against what is likely to be the No. 6 overall seed, the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

Below are live updates of the game.

Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski, center, points out features of PK Park to Indiana coach Jeff Mercer before their game at PK Park in Eugene March 13, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LIVE SCORE UPDATES

FINAL SCORE: OREGON 4, WASHINGTON STATE 0

BOTTOM OF NINTH: OREGON 4, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Priest strikes out and Robinson strikes out swinging to end it.

-Roy grounds out and Hartman singles to right center.

TOP OF NINTH: OREGON 4, WASHINGTON STATE 0

Oregon’s Naulivou Lauaki Jr. celebrates his eighth-inning home run with fans during the NCAA Eugene Regional Baseball Tournament game against Yale at PK Park n Eugene May 29, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

-Lauaki Jr. does it again for Oregon with a three-run blast, 4-0 Oregon. 14th home run of the season for Lauaki.

𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄?@junior_lauaki with the HUGE 3-run HR in the top of the 9th to put the Ducks up four runs!#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/4x5oKiA1Xk

— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) May 31, 2026

-Runners on first and third with two outs as Mabues advances on fielder's choice.

-Laya singles to left.

BOTTOM OF EIGHTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Northrop and Smith strike out for Washington State.

TOP OF EIGHTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Cooney strikes out to end the top of the eighth.

-Scott Rienguette now on the mound for Washington State.

-Gimenez singles to left for Oregon to lead off top of the eighth.

BOTTOM OF SEVENTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Obenour strikes out swinging to end the bottom of the seventh.

-Skjonsby grounds out, Robinson advances to second.

-Tanner Bradley replaces Sanford on the mound for the Ducks.

-Priest strikes out and Robinson walked with one out.

TOP OF SEVENTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Molony also grounds out for Oregon.

-Lauaki Jr. grounds out, double play for the Cougars.

-Mabeus walked to lead off the seventh.

BOTTOM OF SIXTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Hartman strikes out to end the sixth. Sanford's dominance on the mound continues as he reaches 13 strikeouts in the game.

-Smith grounds out and Roy flied out for the Cougars.

LINEUPS

TOP OF SIXTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Washington State ends the top of the sixth with a double play.

-Smith singles to put runners on first and second for Oregon with one out.

-Cooney singles to left and Laya flied out to center field.

BOTTOM OF FIFTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

Oregon pitcher Will Sanford throws the ball against Indiana during the first inning at PK Park in Eugene March 13, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

-Northrop strikes out as Sanford and the Ducks get out of the jam. Sanford has 12 strikeouts through five innings.

-Macleod singled to left to put runners on first and second with two outs.

-Obenour walked with two outs.

-Robinson strikes out and Skjonsby grounds out to short.

TOP OF FIFTH: OREGON 1, WASHINGTON STATE 0

Oregon infielder/outfielder Jax Gimenez scores off an errant pitch as the Oregon Ducks host the Youngstown State Penguins on Feb. 20, 2026, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

-Jack Brooks grounds out to end the top of the fifth.

𝐃𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝@JaxGimenez single drives in a runner to put the Ducks ahead!#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/fSOxW0Q6kV

— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) May 31, 2026

-Gimenez singles to right to put the Ducks on the board, Molony scores.

-Lauaki Jr. strikes out and Molony walked to put runners on first and second.

-Mabeus records first hit of the game with a one out double.

-Jaksa strikes out.

BOTTOM OF FOURTH: OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Roy, Hartman, and Priest all strike out as Sanford reaches 10 strikeouts.

TOP OF FOURTH: OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Smith strikes out to end the top of the fourth. Still no hits for Oregon and Washington State.

-Cooney grounds out and Laya strikes out.

BOTTOM OF THIRD: OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Smith strikes out to end the bottom of the third. Washington State strands a runner at second.

-Cam Macleod hit by a pitch and Kyler Northrop strikes out.

-Ollie Obenour grounds out.

-Will Sanford has struck out his first five batters.

TOP OF THIRD : OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Jack Brooks strikes out to end the top of the third.

-Maddox Molony grounds out and Jax Gimenez flied out.

BOTTOM OF SECOND: OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Ryan Skjonsby pops up to end bottom of the second.

-Matt Priest and Dustin Robinson strike out for Oregon.

TOP OF SECOND: OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Naulivou Lauaki Jr. grounds out for Oregon.

-Brayden Jaksa lines out and Burke-Lee Mabeus grounds out.

BOTTOM OF FIRST: OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Trevor Smith, Gavin Roy, and Max Hartman all strike out.

-Will Sanford starts on the mound for Oregon.

TOP OF FIRST: OREGON 0, WASHINGTON STATE 0

-Drew Smith strikes out to end the top of the first.

-Ryan Cooney and Angel Laya flied out to left field to start.

-Luke Meyers starts on the mound for Washington State.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS

1. CF Trevor Smith
2. 2B Gavin Roy
3. RF Max Hartman
4. DH Matt Priest
5. LF Dustin Robinson
6. 1B Ryan Skjonsby
7. 3B Ollie Obenour
8. C Cam Macleod
9. SS Kyler Northrop
10. P Luke Meyers

OREGON DUCKS

1. 2B Ryan Cooney
2. RF Angel Laya
3. 3B Drew Smith 
4. 1B Brayden Jaksa
5. C Burke-Lee Mabeus
6. DH Naulivou Lauaki Jr.
7. SS Maddox Molony
8. LF Jax Gimenez
9. CF Jack Brooks
10. P Will Sanford

PREVIEW

Oregon’s Naulivou Lauaki Jr., center, celebrates with teammates after the Ducks defeated Yale to advance in the NCAA Eugene Regional Baseball Tournament game at PK Park n Eugene May 29, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In Oregon’s win over Yale on Friday night, many impressive performances stood out for the Ducks. The Ducks scored eight of their 14 runs in the eighth inning, which was highlighted by redshirt freshman infielder Naulivou Lauaki Jr.’s three-run blast. 

Oregon recorded 18 total hits in Friday night’s win over Yale, as their starting lineup was a focal point of their success. Junior second baseman Ryan Cooney, freshman right fielder Angel Laya, and freshman first baseman Brayden Jaksa, the top of Oregon’s batting order, all played pivotal roles in the Ducks' dominant victory over the Bulldogs.

Oregon redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Cal Scolari also put together another shutout for the Ducks, recording five strikeouts in four innings pitched. Junior left-handed pitcher Toby Twist added to the Ducks dominance with a strong showing on the mound, recording five additional strikeouts and only allowing one hit in three innings he pitched. With both pitchers matching zeroes, it was Twist that was ultimately given his fourth pitching win of the season.  

Entering Saturday’s winners' bracket matchup against Washington State, Oregon looks to build off its strong offensive performance to end the win over Yale by remaining efficient on the mound. Oregon has won five out of its last six games, with its only loss coming against the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins, in which the Ducks lost 3-2 in eleven innings. 

Oregon pitcher Cal Scolari throws a pitch as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To the pleasure of many Oregon fans, Washington State pulled off the 3-2 upset win over Oregon State on Friday. The Cougars were led in the victory by redshirt freshman Matt Priest, and redshirt sophomore outfielder Dustin Robinson’s RBI’s late in the game helped lift Washington State to the upset win over Oregon State. These are two players for the Cougars who look to play a critical role in upsetting Oregon on Saturday night.

Priest is one of the top leaders for the Cougars this season with a team-leading batting average of .372 and an OPS of .972. This season for the Cougars, Priest has also recorded 54 hits, 38 RBIs, 27 runs, and four home runs.

Washington State senior infielder Gavin Roy is another player who could have an impact in Saturday night’s matchup against Oregon, recording 77 hits, 50 runs, 42 RBIs, and two home runs with a batting average of .367.

The Oregon Ducks are introduced before the game against Yale before the NCAA Eugene Regional Baseball Tournament game in Eugene May 29, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cougars reached the NCAA Tournament following winning the Mountain West Tournament with a 14-4 win over the San Diego State Aztecs in the Mountain West Conference title game. Washington State posts a 31-26 overall record and looks to continue its hot streak with another upset win over Oregon on Saturday night. 

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