EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks baseball team returned to face the Youngstown State Penguins for Game 2 of the four-game series after dominating the opener, 18-1, with home runs from Maddox Molony and Josh Schleichardt. Hoping for a similar outcome the second time around, Oregon prepared for a tougher defense, as Penguins starting pitcher Braden Gebhardt had recorded 11 strikeouts against Auburn from the previous weekend. After the first game, head coach Mark Wasikowski addressed the upcoming matchup.
“I know the guy they’re starting was the guy that really held down Auburn,” Wasikowski said. “I know he’s going to be a really stiff test for us.””
Despite a tougher defense, the Ducks secured the win 3-0.
The first inning moved quickly. Unlike the series opener, when Oregon scored four runs in the first, both teams were held scoreless after a flyout and a double play.
Defense dominated early. Will Sanford recorded five strikeouts through the first several innings, while Gebhardt threw more than 50 percent of his pitches for strikes. The Penguins collected three hits but were unable to bring a runner home.
Oregon failed to record its first hit until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Dominic Hellman doubled, and Jax Gimenez advanced to third. The Ducks broke through when Gimenez scored on a passed ball, giving Oregon a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore Tanner Bradley relieved Sanford in the top of the seventh after Sanford had a scoreless six innings for the Ducks with six strikeouts. Bradley had two strikeouts to start his game off. “Just knowing I had a good defense behind me when the ball was in play, I felt that I could beat them with my fastball, and that’s what I did,” Sanford said. “There was definitely stuff I wanted to work on, and now we’re going to work on it.”In the bottom of the eighth, pinch-hitter Owen Morgan, batting for Brayden Jaksa, singled to second base. Morgan stole second and advanced to third after a throwing error, then scored on a wild pitch, thus giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead.
With a walk for Jack Brooks, he mirrored Morgan’s aggressiveness by stealing second and advanced to third after a wild pitch by relief pitcher Luke Zmolik. With an RBI from Gimenez, Brooks scored and ended the inning 3-0 for Oregon.
In the top of the ninth, the Ducks aimed to close out the game. With one out and the bases loaded, senior Devin Bell entered from the bullpen in relief of Bradley. Bell struck out the first batter he faced, and after Drew Smith secured a pop-up for the final out, the Ducks sealed the 3-0 win.
“I mean, he was walking into a bases-loaded situation with one out and just executed pitch after pitch,” Wasikowski said. “I was really proud of him.”
Both teams relied heavily on defense, with Oregon scoring only in the fourth and eighth innings. Gebhardt finished with five strikeouts over seven innings, allowing just two hits and one run.
The victory marked Wasikowski's 300th win with Oregon. When asked about the milestone, he kept his focus on the team.
“Just happy to get a win today,” Wasikowski said. “Just blessed to be at this place, working at the University of Oregon is unbelievable. It’s a dream of mine, and I got an opportunity to do it.”
The Ducks play the Penguins once again on Saturday, February 21st, for their third game against Youngstown State.