Pilots Blast Two Three-Run Homers in the Seventh to Stun No. 21 Oregon 13-9

PORTLAND, Ore. — Nobody in a Portland dugout panics when a ranked team takes the lead in the seventh inning anymore. The Pilots have been through this movie with the Oregon Ducks, and Wednesday night the sequel ended the same way. Oregon grabbed an 8-7 lead on back-to-back two-out singles, and Portland answered in the bottom half with two three-run home runs from Cole Katayama-Stall and Jonas Salk to turn a one-run deficit into a 13-8 lead and, eventually, a 13-9 win over the No. 21 Ducks at Joe Etzel Field.

It was Portland's fourth straight win over Oregon, its second in as many games against the Ducks this season, and a sixth victory in the last seven meetings between the two schools. The Pilots reached 20-10 on the year. Oregon fell to 24-9.

A Wild Early Trade

This one started with a lot of noise. Oregon freshman Brayden Jaksa hit the second pitch he saw in the first inning into the trees beyond the left-field fence for a 1-0 lead. In the second, Naulivou Lauaki Jr. doubled with two outs and scored on a double into the right-field corner from Burke-Lee Mabeus, making it 2-0 Oregon.

Portland got that back immediately. Cody Nitowitz singled up the middle to bring home two runners and tie it 2-2. It was a quick reminder that this would not be a night for pitchers.

The Ducks hit again in the third. Jax Gimenez led off the inning when he was hit by a pitch, Jaksa singled, and Drew Smith launched a three-run homer for a 5-2 lead. At that point, Portland looked like a team that was going to be chasing all night.

Portland Takes Its First Lead

Not so fast. The Pilots hit back with a four-run third. Leo Cote's two-run double cut it to 5-4, Frankie Rutigliano singled in the tying run, and Nitowitz's RBI double pushed Portland ahead 6-5 for the first lead of the game. A fielder's choice in the sixth made it 7-5.

Oregon's free passes helped. The Ducks issued 11 of them, eight walks and three hit batters, and also committed three errors. Seven runners who reached on a free pass or an error came around to score for Portland, according to Oregon's own game story. That is the kind of detail that explains a 13-9 game in which the Ducks actually had more hits, 13 to 10.

The Seventh Inning

The Ducks did not let it go quietly. Lauaki, making just his third start of the season, lined his first career home run over the left-field wall to cut the Portland lead to one. Then Oregon found two more runs with two outs. Gimenez walked, Jaksa collected his third hit, and Ryan Cooney and Smith followed with back-to-back RBI singles on consecutive pitches. It was 8-7 Oregon.

Then came the swing everyone will remember. In the bottom of the seventh, Katayama-Stall hit a three-run homer, his eighth of the season, to put Portland back on top. Later in the inning, Salk added a three-run homer of his own, his fifth, to make it 13-8. Six runs on two swings.

Portland's own game story called it bouncing back in a big way, and it is hard to argue with the math.

Turning Point

The seventh inning, specifically the half-inning swap. Oregon had just done everything right: a solo homer, a two-out rally, a lead. Portland responded with two three-run homers in the bottom half and wiped it out. A game that looked like it might slip away from the Pilots instead became a statement win over a ranked opponent.

Key Performances

Salk finished with four RBI on a 1-for-5 night, matching his career high. His 28 RBI lead the Pilots this season, and his 106 career RBI rank 15th all-time at Portland. Katayama-Stall reached base five times, had two hits and three RBI, and his eight homers are the most on the team and second most in the West Coast Conference.

Nitowitz had two hits, a double and three RBI. Cote's two-run double added two more, and Rutigliano drove in a run in his season debut. On the mound, Aaron Louis went three innings in the start and gave up five runs on six hits. Ky Hoskinson followed with 3 2/3 innings in relief, holding Oregon scoreless from the fourth through the sixth and striking out two, and Kaden Segel got the win, working 1 1/3 innings.

For Oregon, Lauaki and Jaksa each went 3-for-4 with a homer, and Smith drove in four runs. The Ducks' pair of freshman stars gave them life all night. They just ran out of pitching.

Stats That Matter

Portland's 13 runs tied for the second most it has scored in a game this season. The Pilots hit 10 times, drew eight walks and went 3-0 against ranked opponents on the year. They are now 3-2 against Big Ten teams. This was the first time Portland had won four straight against the Ducks since a stretch from 2017 to 2019, and the win marked the eighth time in the last nine seasons that the Pilots reached 20 wins.

What It Means

For a program that has quietly built a habit of beating Oregon, this was the loudest version yet. Twenty wins on April 8 is a real marker, and the three-run swings from the middle of the lineup show a team that can score in bunches. The Pilots have six wins in their last seven against the Ducks, which is a legitimate rivalry result in its own right.

For Oregon, it is a nonconference stumble in a season where the Ducks have been strong. They return home for a top-25 matchup with No. 19 Nebraska starting Friday, and they will want a cleaner game than this one.

The Close

Baseball hands you a lot of moments where a game flips. Oregon had a lead, the Pilots had two swings, and when the dust settled both of them had cleared the fence. That is how you earn a sweep.

Photo Credit: Aaron Leopold/Undrafted