Oregon’s bats erupt again as Ducks homer their way into Big Ten Tournament Championship

The rain canceling Friday's game in the Big Ten Tournament meant that if the Ducks were going to make the tournament final, they needed to win a pair on Saturday. After ending Washington's season in the Morning, the Ducks had to go through the hometown Nebraska Cornhuskers in what easily could be a Super Regional matchup or a game we see in Omaha.

The first game of the day was a display of Oregon's offensive firepower as the Ducks hit 5 home runs to overwhelm the Huskies. Heading into the second game of the day, the hope was that the Ducks didn't waste all of their homers.

The 3rd seeded Ducks were the visiting team in this game, which allowed the offense to try and strike first. Ryan Cooney started the game off perfectly with a double in the left center gap which allowed the Ducks to score with a pair of productive ground balls.

In the fourth inning, the Ducks were able to double their lead as Maddox Molony joined in on the home run party.

With all the home runs the Ducks hit on the day, it was only a matter of time before Angel Laya joined in on the fun, and he connected in the 5th inning with a laser into the right field bullpen.

Failing to turn an inning ending double play proved costly for Nebraska as two batters later, Drew Smith gave the Ducks a 5-0 lead with a 2-RBI triple.

Brayden Jaksa continued to pour it on the Huskers as Brayden Jaksa followed Smith's triple with a blast to left field marking the Ducks' 100th home run of the season.

In the top of the 9th, Elijah Cook knocked a single to left field before stealing second base, giving the Ducks a chance to add even more insurance. A Josh Schleichardt sacrifice fly advanced Cook to 3rd, and the Ducks made it 8-0 on a Drew Smith sacrifice fly.

The story of the game for the Ducks was starting pitcher Will Sanford, who turned in 6 scoreless innings. Sanford got himself in trouble in the 4th inning, issuing a pair of walks, but he got a flyout and a strikeout to keep the Huskers off the board. Sanford allowed his first hit of the night in the 5th inning but was able to strand runners at 1st and 3rd with a lineout and a groundout. Even in the 6th inning, the Huskers got the leadoff man on 2nd, but Molony turned a stellar double play on a liner to eliminate the threat.

Getting 11 innings of scoreless baseball from Will Sanford and Cal Scolari today was massive for the Ducks as it preserves arms for the Big Ten Tournament Championship on Sunday. Allowing the offense to get out to big leads in both games proved to be crucial, as there wasn't much pressure on the staff or the fielders. Tanner Bradley and Luke Morgan, combining for 3 scoreless innings, only made it a more impressive outing for the Ducks.

The Ducks are now set for a clash against the UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game on Sunday. While the Bruins took the series two weeks ago, they haven't looked invincible as of late, as they dropped a game to Washington before needing walk-offs in both Tournament games.

Coming into the week, Oregon was on the bubble of being a regional host as some of the teams the Ducks are jockeying with have made tournament runs as well. If the Ducks are going to feel safe when the regional hosts are revealed, they may need to take tomorrow's game against the Bruins.

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