Willamette’s Zeke Thomas mashes go-ahead home run in win over Sheldon
Willamette sophomore Zeke Thomas hit a go-ahead solo homer to complete the Wolverines’ comeback win over Sheldon.
Oregon softball returns to the friendly confines of Jane Sanders Stadium following an eventful two-week, seven-game road trip that included five wins as well as a fair share of drama.
The No. 18 Ducks (26-9, 7-2 Big Ten) took two of three games against both Purdue and Northwestern and have now won 11 straight series in conference play going back to the start of the 2025 Big Ten season.
Advertisement
They’ll try and make it 12 straight this weekend against Iowa (21-13, 5-7), which is in town for a three-game series April 3-5.
“I really like how this group is working together,” Oregon coach Melyssa Lombardi said Wednesday afternoon. “You can see they enjoy playing together, they enjoy being right in the heat of the moment together. You can see it just by the way they come on and off the field and how they respond to things that are happening in the game.”
The most impressive win during the Ducks’ recent road trip was a 24-12 victory on March 23 against Big Ten foe Indiana in what was a one-off nonconference game sandwiched between their series against the Boilermakers and Wildcats. Oregon rallied from a 7-0 deficit to beat the Hoosiers and set program single-game records for runs, RBIs (23) and hits (21).
The road trip ended with some controversy as the Ducks beat the Wildcats in a game called in the bottom of the seventh and Oregon leading 7-3.
Advertisement
Northwestern had the bases loaded with one out when the game reached 3 p.m. Central, triggering its automatic conclusion – a time mutually agreed upon by both teams before the start of the contest due to the Ducks’ scheduled departure flight back to Eugene.
Because the Wildcats didn’t complete their half of the seventh inning, the final score reverted back to what it was after the sixth inning, giving Oregon a 4-2 victory.
“It’s unfortunate, because nobody wants a game to end like that,” Lombardi said.
Advertisement
The win improved the Ducks’ record to 19-3 since Feb. 21. They are No. 13 in the RPI rankings as of March 31 and with 15 conference games to play, they’re tied with the Hoosiers for fourth place in the Big Ten standings behind Washington (12-0), Nebraska (8-1) and UCLA (10-2). Oregon will play the Huskies (April 17-19) at home and the Bruins (May 1-3) in Los Angeles later this spring.
“I think this group is getting hot right at the right time,” said Lombardi, who encourages her staff and players to stay updated on the state of the conference as the Ducks attempt to win a second Big Ten title.
“We discuss it weekly,” she said. “In order for us to understand where we need to go, we need to see what that looks like. Usually at the beginning of the week, we talk about where we are and what’s coming up for us, what does the big picture look like?”
When does Oregon softball play Iowa?
Where: Jane Sanders Stadium
When: Friday, April 3-Sunday, April 5
Time:
Friday: 6 p.m.
Saturday: 4 p.m.
Sunday: noon
How to watch Oregon softball vs. Iowa
TV channel: No TV
Streaming: B1G+ for each game
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com.
May 20, 2026 5:59 a.m. Updated: May 20, 2026 6:04 a.m.
Nordyke took a notable lead, particularly in Marion County, in the race to run Oregon’s capital city Tuesday.
Julie Hoy, left, has served as Salem’s mayor since 2024. Hoy is challenged by Vanessa Nordyke, a Salem city councilor and lawyer who previously worked for the Oregon Department of Justice.
Courtesy of the candidates
Salem voters are deciding who they want to lead Oregon’s capital and second-largest city.
Early returns Tuesday night show Vanessa Nordyke, a current city councilor and former lawyer at the Oregon Department of Justice, in the lead, roughly 14 percentage points ahead in Marion County and seven points ahead across the Willamette River in Polk County.
Advertisement
She’s competing against incumbent Julie Hoy, a restaurant owner who previously served on the Salem City Council.
Hoy’s campaign team, after the 8 p.m. returns, told OPB “the night isn’t over,” as they waited to see where things would land.
Following the 10 p.m. updates, Nordyke said, “This campaign is proof that grassroots candidates can beat big money.”
Hoy promised voters safer neighborhoods, cleaner public spaces, more housing and homelessness services, and no new taxes without voter approval, among her campaign priorities.
Meanwhile, Nordyke promised to expand mental health services, open a sobering center, push for affordable housing options, and support library funding and youth-friendly programs.
Advertisement
That’s just one race in a busy election night in the capital.
Four of Salem’s eight city council positions are up for election.
Preliminary results showed two incumbents leading, including Linda Nishioka with the largest lead of any of the council races — about 30 percentage points — against Manny Martinez for Ward 2 in central Salem.
Micki Varney was narrowly ahead, holding on against challenger Chris Cummings for Ward 8 in West Salem.
Incumbents were losing in races for two other council seats. Dave Inbody was leading against incumbent Deanna Gwyn for Ward 4 in South Salem. And for Northeast Salem’s Ward 6, Betsy Vega took a roughly six-point lead against incumbent Mai Vang.
Advertisement
As for Marion County commissioners, incumbent Republican Kevin Cameron and Democrat Sara Duncan are the two candidates for Position 1.
Incumbent Republican Colm Willis and Democrat Maria Hinojos Pressey are running for Position 2.
Each ran unopposed in their party for the May primary. As reported by the Statesman Journal, a Democrat hasn’t won an election to the Marion County board since 1979.
Sign up today for OPB’s “First Look” – your daily guide to the most important news and culture stories from around the Northwest.
Oregon secretary of state, AG say election system is safe and secure
Oregon’s secretary of state and attorney general spoke on Election Day, assuring voters that the state’s election system is secure.
Oregon’s secretary of state and attorney general said on Election Day the state’s election system remains secure and accurate.
Secretary of State Tobias Read said Oregon’s landmark vote-by-mail system remains the gold standard for election security and accessibility despite cuts to federal funding and operational changes that have affected support for elections.
Advertisement
“Your voice matters, your vote matters,” Read said. “I want to reassure you that Oregon’s elections are secure, Oregon’s elections are accurate, Oregon’s elections are fair and you should feel confident that our system is the gold standard for elections.”
He pointed to steps the state takes to keep elections safe, accurate and secure like tracking ballots with a unique barcode system and verifying signatures. The state’s ballot-counting machines are never connected to the internet and undergo public testing before and after elections, Read added.
Read criticized President Donald Trump and the federal administration’s actions that he said have weakened election security infrastructure. He specifically highlighted cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which Read has repeatedly expressed concerns about.
He said Oregon has worked to offset losses by forming partnerships with the Oregon Titan Fusion Center, the Oregon Military Department and county election officials to strengthen cybersecurity protections and emergency preparedness.
Advertisement
And Read said the state is working to add more drop boxes in the future (there are currently 321 across the state) in response to delays in mail processing.
Rayfield also spoke, saying Oregonians should remain confident in the state’s election integrity despite misinformation surrounding election administration.
“The amount of misinformation that is being spewed across our country within this state is at an all-time high,” Rayfield said. “We have attacks on the integrity and the administration of our elections from elected officials going all the way up to the President of the United States.”
Rayfield said his Department of Justice is “pushing back” and has filed multiple legal challenges in the past year to stop “unconstitutional actions” by Trump. On May 19, a panel of Ninth Circuit judges in Pasadena, California heard oral arguments in one case related to the administration’s efforts to collect voter roll information from Oregon and California.
Advertisement
Voters have until 8 p.m. May 19 to return their ballot. Election officials encouraged Oregonians to use drop boxes to return their ballots on time.
Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.comon X @DianneLugo or Bluesky @diannelugo.bsky.social
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 18, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 18 drawing
04-13-34-61-65, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Advertisement
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 18 drawing
1PM: 5-2-3-7
4PM: 9-9-5-4
7PM: 1-1-6-6
10PM: 6-1-5-2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Advertisement
Winning Win for Life numbers from May 18 drawing
26-50-61-74
Check Win for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from May 18 drawing
07-08-11-31-32-41
Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Advertisement
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.