No. 11 Oregon Blanks Washington State 4-0 as Sanford Fans 14 in Regional
Updated
Updated · The Register-Guard · May 31
No. 11 Oregon Blanks Washington State 4-0 as Sanford Fans 14 in Regional
10 articles · Updated · The Register-Guard · May 31
Will Sanford struck out a career-high 14 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings, tying Oregon’s modern postseason single-game record and driving the Ducks into Sunday’s Eugene Regional final.
Oregon broke a scoreless game in the fifth when Jax Gimenez singled home Burke-Lee Mabeus, then Naulivou Lauaki added a three-run homer in the ninth—his second of the weekend.
The Ducks finished with seven hits and a combined 19 strikeouts, with Tanner Bradley and Devin Bell closing the two-hit shutout after Sanford exited at 111 pitches.
At 42-16, Oregon now awaits either Washington State or Oregon State at 6 p.m. Sunday; a win sends the Ducks to a super regional, while a loss would force a winner-take-all game Monday.
After a historic 19 strikeouts, can Washington State's offense recover overnight to survive elimination against their longtime rivals?
Is this tournament run a sign of a program revival, or will this crushing defeat expose the team's underlying weaknesses?