PORTLAND, Ore. (Interstat) — The Portland Pilots, defying heavy pregame odds, used a dominant combined pitching effort and a late insurance blast to shut out the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks 3-0 on Tuesday night at PK Park.

Interstat’s metrics heavily favored the Ducks, projecting a 76.3% win probability and a 7-6 final score. Instead, four Portland pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout, silencing an Oregon lineup that entered the game with a 23-5 record and one of the nation’s most potent offenses.

The most critical sequence of the game came in the bottom of the eighth inning, preserving a precarious 1-0 lead. After starter Aaron Louis delivered four perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts, the Ducks threatened against reliever Callum Young. A bunt single and a walk put two runners on with one out. Portland manager Larry Williams then summoned Alexander Via from the bullpen. Via needed just two pitches to induce a pop-up to third base from designated hitter Drew Smith, then got Anson Laya to foul out to second baseman Jonas Salk, stranding both runners and extinguishing Oregon’s best scoring chance.

Portland (18-8) had scratched across its first run in the third inning against Oregon starter Miles Gosztola. Center fielder Brady Bean launched a solo home run to right-center field, providing the only offense for most of the night. Gosztola was otherwise sharp, allowing just three hits and one earned run over 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven.

The Pilots’ pitching staff was the story. Starter Logan Anderson worked three scoreless innings before giving way to Louis (1-0), who earned the win with his flawless four-inning stint. Via recorded the final five outs for his first save, navigating the eighth-inning jam and a quiet ninth.

The game remained a tense 1-0 duel until the top of the ninth, when Portland finally provided breathing room. After a leadoff walk to Tanner Swygart, Salk stepped up against Oregon reliever Michael Meckna and powered a two-run homer to left field, doubling the Pilots’ lead and effectively sealing the victory.

Oregon (23-6) managed only two singles — one by leadoff hitter Ryne Cooney in the first inning and a bunt single by Javier Gimenez in the eighth. The Ducks put multiple runners on base in only the fifth and eighth innings but went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Portland’s defense turned one double play and caught two Oregon runners off base, including a pickoff at second to end the sixth inning.

The loss snaps a strong run for the Ducks, who had won eight of their last nine games. The Pilots, who had dropped two of three to Saint Mary’s last weekend, secured a significant road victory against their in-state rival ahead of a West Coast Conference series at Seattle this weekend. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in a rematch next Wednesday, April 8, at Portland’s Joe Etzel Field.

Portland finished with eight hits to Oregon’s two. Salk’s two-run homer was his only hit in four at-bats, while Bean’s solo shot accounted for his lone hit. Meckna was charged with the final two Portland runs in the ninth.

The shutout was the fifth this season for Portland’s pitching staff and marked the first time Oregon has been held scoreless in the 2026 campaign.