Friday the 13th brings forth bad luck or slashing psychos in hockey masks. Today, the Ducks slashed all of the Hoosiers’ hopes of a weekday win at PK Park.

Oregon baseball (15-3, 3-1 Big Ten) took down the Indiana Hoosiers (7-10, 1-3 Big Ten) in its first home game of Big Ten play. A strong outing from pitcher Will Sanford (6.2 IP, 10 K, 2 R) and solid hitting from Maddox Molony (1-4, RBI, HR) and Ryan Cooney (1-3, 2 RBI) pushed the Ducks past the visiting Hoosiers in a nail-biting win to kick off the first home series of Big Ten play.

“That’s a gritty win,” Molony said. “Everyone’s fighting.”

Sanford got things started in the first, attacking the zone early and striking out one, but quickly felt the bad luck. With two outs, Sanford slipped on the mound and shortly after let up a double to deep center from designated hitter Brayden Ricketts, who would score after back-to-back wild pitches. 

“Last year, (I) would have crumbled in those spots,” Sanford said. “I have full belief in myself, and those innings are gonna happen, but it’s just how I bounce back.”

Indiana’s Reagan Rivera held strong against Oregon’s hitters through the first two innings, only letting up one hit in the first from Dominic Hellman during that stretch. Despite letting up the lone run in the first, Sanford found his groove in the second inning, holding Indiana to no hits through the third inning.

Sanford’s hot streak came to an end in the fourth following a single from first baseman Jake Hanley. Another set of back-to-back wild pitches for Sanford advanced Hanley to third with no outs to set up an RBI single from second baseman Landen Fry, which advanced the Hoosiers’ lead to 2-0

In the bottom of the fifth, the Ducks got on the board with a Cooney RBI double off reliever Conner Linn to make it 2-1. 

The Ducks got off to a hot start in the sixth, striking out two, which gave the offense the momentum they needed to take off with Molony sending a ball deep over the left field wall on the first pitch of his at-bat to make it 2-2. 

“That’s probably the farthest ball I’ve hit in my life,” Molony said. “I was looking for a fastball up, and that’s what he gave me.”

Sanford struck out two batters in the seventh inning before being relieved by Tanner Bradley, who inherited runners at the corners with two outs but managed to pull out of the jam. A leadoff double from Burke-Lee Mabeus got the bottom of the seventh rolling with a sacrifice bunt and a pop-up from Josh Schleichardt and Cooney, respectively, sending him home, making it 3-2. 

“Will Sanford, tremendous start,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said postgame. “Boys played good defense, executed when they needed to. It was a good college baseball game and a good one to win.”

Bradley continued to hold back the Hoosiers, striking out three in the eighth before being relieved by Devin Bell in the ninth. Bell let up a lead-off single to kick off his outing, but managed to close out the game with three straight groundouts. 

“Tanner Bradley came in, did his job,” Wasikowski said. “Then Devin Bell closes the game. Coach Florer’s done a nice job with Dan Straily down in that bullpen, getting those guys to believe and developing good stuff.”

The Ducks play their second game of the series against the Hoosiers tomorrow at 2:05 p.m. at PK Park.