Sports

What started as a rather gloomy day in Springfield, Ore., turned sunny as the Bushnell Beacons continued their series against the Warner Pacific Knights, which began on Friday, the 20th. Now back for another doubleheader on Saturday, the 21st, the Beacons had an incredible first game; they took the win 21-1. They added a phenomenal second game, winning 16-3 to take the series. 

The first game of this doubleheader started with a bang, getting a homer from Dylan Carson, enabling Nate Stevens to score, ending the first inning with the Beacons leading the game 2-0. The Beacons put pressure on the Knights going into the second inning, not even letting the Knights get on first. 

It was a massive third inning for both teams. The Knights did not let the Beacons keep them down for long, starting the third inning with a homer to left field from Trenten Lowe, going a whopping 430 feet. But then Carson hit another homer with the bases loaded, his second of the game, with…

EUGENE, Ore. — Fans filled PK Park as the Oregon Ducks baseball team played their third game of the series against the Youngstown State Penguins. The Ducks had won both of the first games, beating the Penguins 18-1 in Game 1 and shutting them out 3-0 in the last meeting after an aggressive defensive effort from both teams. The Ducks were prepared for another strong defense from Youngstown State as the Penguins’ starting pitcher, Jack Messmore, was one of the pitchers who fought well against Auburn the previous weekend. The Ducks persevered and beat the Penguins 7-0. 

The Ducks showed their hunger for the win early. Starting pitcher Collin Clarke struck out two batters in the top of the first, and Angel Laya robbed Misael Uriepero of a home run with an incredible catch at the fence to end the frame.

“I think he brought one back in the first inning,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said of Laya. “You know that was a really well-hit and a great defensive play by the…

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…

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — Lions’ guard Cade May finished with two points before subbing out for the final time at home in a Cottage Grove uniform.

It was senior night, and May got the start despite suffering a torn ACL a little more than a week ago. The injury ended his season, but it was only right for the 3-point specialist to suit up and see the last minute of his high school career in front of the home crowd he’s so used to taking the court in front of.

“He’s an amazing kid,” Cottage Grove assistant coach Nick Garman said. “We were all very emotional watching him get that last opportunity as a high school player.”

The two teams exchanged baskets before May left the court. He was serenaded with applause and cheers as he made his way to the bench, receiving handshakes and much love from both coaches and players.
“It was great,” May said. “I miss it already, but it was great. I miss playing out there, and you know, tearing [ACL] is rough. But I have lots of people…

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks baseball team was electric after coming off a series win the previous weekend, sweeping the George Mason University Patriots in all four games, with three of those scores reaching double digits. With a 4-0 record, the Ducks looked to extend their success that weekend against the Youngstown State Penguins, who entered the series 0–3. Oregon extended its streak with an 18-1 win over the Penguins.

Starting pitcher Toby Twist opened the game with a strikeout, followed by a groundout. After a flyout, the Ducks came to bat, and second baseman Ryan Cooney doubled in his first plate appearance, narrowly missing a home run as the ball hit the top of the fence and bounced over.

After an error by the Penguins’ pitcher, Aidan English, left fielder Jax Gimenez reached first while Cooney advanced to third. The Ducks went on a roll as Cooney scored on a flyout and Gimenez scored after Moddox Molony singled. When left fielder Brady Shannon failed to…

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — An excellent defensive performance put on display by the Junction City Tigers (16–7, 7–3 4A), complemented by 17 points from senior guard Carter Franks, lifted them to a 60-22 road win over the Cottage Grove Lions (5–17, 3–7 4A) on Tuesday Night.

The Tigers' tenacious defense only allowed seven first-half points, enabling the offense to secure an early lead that Junction City never looked back on.

“Our defense started the whole thing, and we contained them,” Junction City head coach Bart Rothenberger said. “We didn’t exactly play well offensively in there, but we got enough.”

Senior guard Adam McNamar added 12 points to the Tigers’ total, and senior forward Kaden Schafer had eight more of his own. The performances helped them turn their success from last weekend into a two-game win streak with tonight’s result.

Junior forward Casey Pickle led Cottage Grove in scoring with six points, but with no response on the defensive end, the Lions…

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. —  Junior guard Alexandria Farrald finished with 19 points, and the Junction City Tigers (8–15, 4–6 4A) delivered on a 56–31 upset win over the Cottage Grove Lions (12–10, 4–6 4A) on the road Tuesday evening.

It doesn’t have to be considered an upset, as Junction City has won the last two matchups against the Lions after beating the Lions at home 48–26 back in January.

“It’s a great group of kids, and if we played as we practiced every day, we’d be contending for the league title.” Junction City head coach Mike Campbell said. “We got through those nerves early. I had to call a couple of quick timeouts because that’s what happens if we get started down on the road. But they compete; we don’t always get it done, but we compete. This is a big win for our team.”

Senior forward Aspen Gambee scored 10, and senior guard Riley Plumlee added on eight more for the Tigers as they wrapped up their four-game road trip, compiling a 2–2 record during the…

EUGENE, Ore. ‌— The Oregon Ducks baseball team faced off against the George Mason University Patriots in the fourth and final matchup of the series. Oregon secured the sweep, beating George Mason 11-1 on the back of great pitching and excellent hitting. 

Oregon took the first three games in dominant fashion, outscoring George Mason 34-11. Its offensive explosion was aided by true freshman Angel Laya and veteran senior Drew Smith, who both crushed two home runs headed into the last game of the series.

The Ducks started junior Ryan Featherston for the first time this season. The Patriots started graduate student Thomas Wrehe, a Rice University…

Every player is on the dugout fence. Over the fans, you can hear a band of teammates, who all wear the same pinstriped, green and white jersey. The Ducks are hungry. They want more than the No. 23 label, slapped onto them by USA Today before the season.

They return junior shortstop Maddox Molony, who was named to the preseason Golden Spikes watch list, and is widely projected to go late in the first round of the MLB draft this year. The hometown kid boasts a .969 OPS over his two seasons at PK Park and only looks to improve in 2026.

The Ducks also return senior designated hitter Dominic Hellman, a real threat to lead the NCAA in home runs, a year after hitting .326 with 13 bombs. He started his season off on Friday with a second-inning home run and tacked on a single in the second inning of Game 1 on Saturday.

Not to mention junior second baseman Ryan Cooney, who finished off his 2025 with two Big Ten Player of the Week honors in the last three weeks, propelling…

EUGENE, Ore. – Despite a quick start from George Mason, Oregon answered in the second inning and rode the wave to a dominant win in Game 1 of the doubleheader, 14-5.

Junior Collin Clarke received the start for the Ducks. He pieced together a strong outing, tossing six innings, giving up three hits, two home runs, and striking out 10. 

“It felt great going out there,” Clarke said, reflecting on his outing. “All pitches were in the zone, and that was the main focus.”

One of his two runs came on the second pitch of the game, when George Mason freshman Julius Bagnerise went deep to right, a lightning start for the Patriots.

The Ducks' response: a nine-run second inning, blowing the contest wide open. Freshman Angel Laya started the show with a two-run homer to right, the first of his collegiate career. Oregon, feeding off that energy, proceeded to dominate the inning.

Left fielder Jax Gimenez tacked on another with an RBI single up the middle.…