Oregon baseball’s power surge continued in the second game of its Big Ten Tournament double header, with home runs from Maddox Molony, Angel Laya and Drew Smith raising its Saturday total to eight as the Ducks booked their place in Sunday’s championship game against UCLA.

Third-seeded Oregon advanced past the second-seeded Cornhuskers by a dominant 8-0 score, with Will Sanford (6 IP, 2 H, 9 K) anchoring the shutout while Drew Smith led the offense with four RBI.

Ryan Cooney took Nebraska starter Gavin Blachowicz’s first pitch before hitting a middle-in fastball on a line into center field, sinking just fast enough to bounce out of center fielder Mac Moyer’s glove. The Ducks made Moyer pay through small ball, bringing Cooney home on consecutive groundouts for a 1-0 lead.

Sanford, who was slated to start Oregon’s rained-out game yesterday, was ready to go almost 24 hours later, striking out four of the first six batters he faced and retiring all of them. The Cornhuskers achieved mixed results against Sanford in the regular season, pushing across two runs on seven hits but striking out 12 times. With his fastball looking as good as it has this season, Nebraska couldn’t find the same contact.

Oregon set up a perfect opportunity for run support in the top of the third inning, loading the bases with singles from Gabe Miranda and Laya and a walk by Smith. With one out, Brayden Jaksa had the type of postseason plate appearance that leaves an offense with nightmares, falling behind 0-2 and grounding into an unassisted double play.

After Sanford collected two more strikeouts in another 1-2-3 inning, Molony finally extended the Ducks’ lead, timing up an inside fastball for a no-doubt solo home run in the top of the fourth inning.

Sanford’s control lapsed after a leadoff strikeout in the bottom of the frame as he allowed back-to-back walks, but he navigated his first pressured pitches of the game, escaping with a flyout and a strikeout.

Despite Molony’s homer, Blachowicz finished a strong second trip through the Ducks’ order in the fifth inning, striking out Cooney in his third plate appearance for his eighth of the game. Laya stepped up with two outs and broke through Blachowicz’s dominance, turning on a low-and-in slider for another solo home run.

Nebraska again put Sanford under pressure in the fifth inning, with a leadoff walk turning into runners at the corners with one out on the Cornhuskers’ first hit of the game. The promising opportunity quickly faded through a failed bunt and an inning-ending groundout by leadoff hitter Mac Moyer.

Sanford returned with the same three-run lead, with the Ducks’ ace’s effort peaking as his pitch count climbed across 80. After Molony erased a leadoff double by catching a line drive above his head at shortstop, Sanford recorded an inning-ending strikeout, topping out at 96 mph as his hat flew off on strike two and skipping to the dugout firing up his teammates after landing a curveball for strike three.

Nebraska reliever Cooper Katskee recorded two outs before the energy kicked in for Oregon’s lineup, but with Cooney on second and Laya on first, it came through. Smith cleared the bases with a double to right-center field, before Jaksa put the Ducks ahead 7-0 with a home run into the Cornhuskers’ bullpen.

Tanner Bradley took over for Sanford and gave the Ducks two scoreless innings, striking out three batters while holding the Cornhuskers to one hit as Nebraska never found an answer for his changeup.

Oregon tacked on another run after Elijah Cook, who has excelled in his role as a pinch runner and defensive replacement this season, led off with his first hit since March 8 in inconsistent at-bats. Smith eventually brought Cook home with a sacrifice fly.

Luke Morgan efficiently secured the win, drawing a double play on his eighth pitch.

Oregon will face UCLA in the Big Ten championship on Sunday at noon PT, with the top-seeded Bruins coming off a walkoff home run against USC while the Ducks are cruising.