Thursday, February 19
Eugene, Ore.
2:05 p.m.
University of Oregon
5-0
18
vs
1
Youngstown State
0-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Youngstown State
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
4
Oregon
4
0
6
0
0
5
0
3
X
18
15
0
Photo by: David Hammel
Ducks Move to 5-0 with Impressive Win
02/19/26 | Baseball
EUGENE, Ore. — Five games, five solid starts from five different pitchers on Oregon's pitching staff. Toby Twist is the latest Ducks' hurler to impress, allowing just one run on two hits over 5.1 innings in an 18-1 nonconference win over Youngstown State on Thursday afternoon at PK Park.
Coming off a weekend where four Oregon starters allowed just two runs on five hits in four games, Twist added to the hot start for the staff while picking up his first career win.
Twist (1-0) got plenty of help from an Oregon offense that scored multiple runs in four different innings. The Ducks had 6-run, 5-run, 4-run and 3-run innings while putting the game away early with 10 runs in the first three innings.
Twist surrendered a second-inning solo home run and a single to lead off the fourth. On the single, he proceeded to pick off the runner at first. The Ducks' lefty finished with five strikeouts and just one walk.
How It Happened: Oregon did not waste any time getting on the board scoring four unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Ryan Cooney, who led off the first with a double off the top of the left-center field wall, scored on a Gabe Miranda sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.
Maddox Molony followed with a RBI single to left field scoring Jax Gimenez, before stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error by catcher Caleb Hadley. Drew Smith drove in Molony with a triple to left before he scored on a Burke-Lee Mabeus base hit through the right side.
After YSU (0-4) got a run back with a solo homer in the second, Oregon answered in the third. Molony delivered a run-scoring double inside the third-base bag scoring Miranda from first. Mabeus picked up his second RBI driving in Molony on a fielder's choice.
Oregon (5-0) added a third run on a Cooney bases-loaded walk before Dominic Hellman made it a five-run inning with a two-out, two-RBI base hit to right field. Miranda added his second RBI of the inning with a base hit scoring Gimenez.
Oregon put together another big inning in the sixth. Molony led off the frame with a home run off the left-field foul pole for an 11-1 lead. Three consecutive singles after the home run led to two more runs. Angel Laya, the reigning Perfect Game and Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, delivered the third to drive in both runs.
After a pitching change, Oregon added two more runs in the sixth. Gimenez legged out a double that scored Laya from second, before pinch hitter Josh Schleichardt capped the scoring with an RBI on a ground out to first.
The Ducks put three more on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth inning when Josh Schleichardt belted his first career home run as a Duck.
Box Score Notes: Molony made his 100th career start … Molony's home run was his 27th, moving him into a tie with Guy Krause (1971-74) for fifth all-time at Oregon … Seven Ducks had multiple RBI led by Schleichardt's four … Four Ducks had multiple hits with Molony finishing with three and Gimenez, Smith Mabeus all picking up two hits … Molony and Gimenez both scored three runs … Josh Hollis and Cooper Markham made their Ducks debut on the mound in relief of twist … Hollis tossed three hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts … Markham got the final three outs and fanned two.
On Deck: The teams will play game two of the four-game series on Friday with a 2 p.m. first pitch.
Quotes:
Head Coach Mark Wasikowski
On a win to start the series…
"A good win, happy the guys played well. They pitched well. Toby Twist getting a start and handing it off to Josh Hollis' first college outing. Cooper Markham had his first college outing. To be able to get those guys into the game, and to see them throw exceptionally well was really good."
On Josh Hollis' performance…
"Those guys have really good arms, the freshman, and you saw that today. (Josh) Hollis has been a guy that could easily be a midweek starter for us and will be this year. Then down the road he could easily be a weekend starter. Cooper (Markham) has a power arm and so getting those guys out there, I thought they pitched well. They threw multiple pitches for strikes and were in control of it."
On Toby Twist coming back to the mound…
"He has worked really hard; he has always had good stuff. He has always been a good pitcher. Those guys that come back from arm injuries though, it usually takes them a little bit. Theres a hurdle that those guys have to get over. I feel like he was really clawing to get over that hurdle last year. It took him a few outings before he was able to really clear that hurdle and that' what you saw today. It's what we saw in our scrimmages."
On Malosi seeing the field…
"Another talented freshman. Really good player. It was a game-knows moment he gets inserted into the game and the ball finds him, it happens a lot. A very talented player, he squared the ball up with his at-bat, so it was good to see him play well."
Maddox Molony
On Josh Schleichardt's first hit as an Oregon Duck...
"Everyone in the dugout is waiting for that to come back in, and you take a peek at the flag, the winds blowing a little bit out to the right. That's just meant to happen ... He works. He works really hard. I expect that that's what he's going to be doing. He's going to be doing that a lot for us this year."
On teammate Josh Hollis performance...
"He looks like he's been doing this for three years, and you can see it and you can feel it. That's what we want out of him."
On today's appearance after struggles at the plate last week...
"It's just a testament to the work I put in. The game has ebb and flows. It goes up, it goes down, but as long as you can stay steady, stuff like that happens."
Toby Twist
On his journey throughout his collegiate experience...
"It's been great, definitely. Family and friends and teammates, just day by day, keeping my spirits up, but just staying with our guys next to us is the big thing. Just keeping their spirits high."
On Josh Hollis…
"He just looks old, looks like he's done it before. He's ready whenever as well."
On his first career win, and being part of a pitching staff that has been so effective to start the year...
"It shows you the depth that we have with this pitching staff. Everyone's ready, and we all have a lot of belief in the next guy."
Coming off a weekend where four Oregon starters allowed just two runs on five hits in four games, Twist added to the hot start for the staff while picking up his first career win.
Twist (1-0) got plenty of help from an Oregon offense that scored multiple runs in four different innings. The Ducks had 6-run, 5-run, 4-run and 3-run innings while putting the game away early with 10 runs in the first three innings.
Twist surrendered a second-inning solo home run and a single to lead off the fourth. On the single, he proceeded to pick off the runner at first. The Ducks' lefty finished with five strikeouts and just one walk.
How It Happened: Oregon did not waste any time getting on the board scoring four unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Ryan Cooney, who led off the first with a double off the top of the left-center field wall, scored on a Gabe Miranda sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.
Maddox Molony followed with a RBI single to left field scoring Jax Gimenez, before stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error by catcher Caleb Hadley. Drew Smith drove in Molony with a triple to left before he scored on a Burke-Lee Mabeus base hit through the right side.
After YSU (0-4) got a run back with a solo homer in the second, Oregon answered in the third. Molony delivered a run-scoring double inside the third-base bag scoring Miranda from first. Mabeus picked up his second RBI driving in Molony on a fielder's choice.
Oregon (5-0) added a third run on a Cooney bases-loaded walk before Dominic Hellman made it a five-run inning with a two-out, two-RBI base hit to right field. Miranda added his second RBI of the inning with a base hit scoring Gimenez.
Oregon put together another big inning in the sixth. Molony led off the frame with a home run off the left-field foul pole for an 11-1 lead. Three consecutive singles after the home run led to two more runs. Angel Laya, the reigning Perfect Game and Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week, delivered the third to drive in both runs.
After a pitching change, Oregon added two more runs in the sixth. Gimenez legged out a double that scored Laya from second, before pinch hitter Josh Schleichardt capped the scoring with an RBI on a ground out to first.
The Ducks put three more on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth inning when Josh Schleichardt belted his first career home run as a Duck.
Box Score Notes: Molony made his 100th career start … Molony's home run was his 27th, moving him into a tie with Guy Krause (1971-74) for fifth all-time at Oregon … Seven Ducks had multiple RBI led by Schleichardt's four … Four Ducks had multiple hits with Molony finishing with three and Gimenez, Smith Mabeus all picking up two hits … Molony and Gimenez both scored three runs … Josh Hollis and Cooper Markham made their Ducks debut on the mound in relief of twist … Hollis tossed three hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts … Markham got the final three outs and fanned two.
On Deck: The teams will play game two of the four-game series on Friday with a 2 p.m. first pitch.
Quotes:
Head Coach Mark Wasikowski
On a win to start the series…
"A good win, happy the guys played well. They pitched well. Toby Twist getting a start and handing it off to Josh Hollis' first college outing. Cooper Markham had his first college outing. To be able to get those guys into the game, and to see them throw exceptionally well was really good."
On Josh Hollis' performance…
"Those guys have really good arms, the freshman, and you saw that today. (Josh) Hollis has been a guy that could easily be a midweek starter for us and will be this year. Then down the road he could easily be a weekend starter. Cooper (Markham) has a power arm and so getting those guys out there, I thought they pitched well. They threw multiple pitches for strikes and were in control of it."
On Toby Twist coming back to the mound…
"He has worked really hard; he has always had good stuff. He has always been a good pitcher. Those guys that come back from arm injuries though, it usually takes them a little bit. Theres a hurdle that those guys have to get over. I feel like he was really clawing to get over that hurdle last year. It took him a few outings before he was able to really clear that hurdle and that' what you saw today. It's what we saw in our scrimmages."
On Malosi seeing the field…
"Another talented freshman. Really good player. It was a game-knows moment he gets inserted into the game and the ball finds him, it happens a lot. A very talented player, he squared the ball up with his at-bat, so it was good to see him play well."
Maddox Molony
On Josh Schleichardt's first hit as an Oregon Duck...
"Everyone in the dugout is waiting for that to come back in, and you take a peek at the flag, the winds blowing a little bit out to the right. That's just meant to happen ... He works. He works really hard. I expect that that's what he's going to be doing. He's going to be doing that a lot for us this year."
On teammate Josh Hollis performance...
"He looks like he's been doing this for three years, and you can see it and you can feel it. That's what we want out of him."
On today's appearance after struggles at the plate last week...
"It's just a testament to the work I put in. The game has ebb and flows. It goes up, it goes down, but as long as you can stay steady, stuff like that happens."
Toby Twist
On his journey throughout his collegiate experience...
"It's been great, definitely. Family and friends and teammates, just day by day, keeping my spirits up, but just staying with our guys next to us is the big thing. Just keeping their spirits high."
On Josh Hollis…
"He just looks old, looks like he's done it before. He's ready whenever as well."
On his first career win, and being part of a pitching staff that has been so effective to start the year...
"It shows you the depth that we have with this pitching staff. Everyone's ready, and we all have a lot of belief in the next guy."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Twist, Toby (1-0)
L: ENGLISH, Aidan (0-2)
Batting:
HR: SHANNON, Brady 1
RBI: SHANNON, Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SHANNON, Brady 1
CS: KURIGER, Brayden 1
HBP: SCHUMMER, Ryan 1
PO: KURIGER, Brayden 1
Batting:
2B: Cooney, Ryan 1 ; Gimenez, Jax 1 ; Molony, Maddox 1
3B: Smith, Drew 1
HR: Schleichardt, Josh 1 ; Molony, Maddox 1
RBI: Gimenez, Jax 2 ; Hellman, Dominic 2 ; Schleichardt, Josh 4 ; Miranda, Gabe 2 ; Molony, Maddox 3 ; Smith, Drew 1 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 2 ; Laya, Angel 2
SH: Smith, Drew 1
SF: Miranda, Gabe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cooney, Ryan 2 ; Gimenez, Jax 3 ; Schleichardt, Josh 1 ; Miranda, Gabe 1 ; Molony, Maddox 3 ; Smith, Drew 2 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 2 ; Laya, Angel 2 ; Cook, Elijah 2
SB: Gimenez, Jax 1 ; Molony, Maddox 1
HBP: Cooney, Ryan 1 ; Smith, Drew 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP/INF
/ Baseball
1B
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballToby Twist | Postgame vs. Youngstown State (Game 1)
Friday, February 20
Maddox Molony | Postgame vs. Youngstown State (Game 1)
Friday, February 20
Mark Wasikowski | Postgame vs. Youngstown State (Game 1)
Friday, February 20
Brayden Jaksa: "Ready to learn."
Wednesday, February 18
