by Steve Mims
EUGENE, OREGON
Junior catcher Josiah Cromwick led the way as Oregon baseball opened the season with a four-game sweep of Xavier at PK Park.
Cromwick was named national player of the week by Collegiate Baseball after going 4-for-9 with three home runs, six RBIs, and four runs scored.
Oregon rallied for a 3-2 win in the season opener Friday before Cromwick homered twice in a 9-2 win during the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday. Oregon completed the doubleheader sweep with a 5-3 win before adding a 3-1 victory on Sunday.
Rikuu Nishida led the Ducks with five hits over the weekend and added five RBIs. Drew Cowley, Gavin Grant and Sabin Ceballos also homered.
Leo Uelmen tossed five scoreless innings in a victory while Jackson Pace allowed one earned run in six innings.
Oregon hits the road for four games at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.
SOFTBALL
The Ducks went 5-0 at the Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego, Calif.
Stevie Hansen got the unbeaten weekend started with a no-hitter during a 9-0 victory over Utah Valley on Friday.
Later that day, Allee Bunker went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs during a 6-1 win over UC Riverside.
Cacher Terra McGowan went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and a homer in Saturday’s 9-4 win over Loyola Marymount.
Center fielder Kyla Morris added four hits later in the day during a 6-4 win over San Diego State.
McGowan wrapped up the weekend by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBIs in a 12-5 win over UC Riverside.
The Ducks improved to 8-2 as they return to California for the Mary Nutter Classic this weekend.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
It was a lost weekend in Washington for the Oregon men’s and women’s teams as they were both swept by Washington and Washington State to likely end any hope for either program to earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
N’Faly Dante had 19 points and 13 rebounds on Wednesday as Oregon went into overtime in Seattle before the Huskies won 72-71. Jermaine Couisnard added 18 points while Quincy Guerrier added 13.
On Sunday, Oregon held a lead in the final five minutes before losing 68-65 at Washington State. Keeshawn Barthelemy led the way with 17 points and Couisnard added 12.
Oregon men fell to 15-13 and sits sixth in the Pac-12 conference at 9-8 as it heads to Oregon State on Saturday.
It was a similar story on the women’s side beginning Friday when Washington State defeated Oregon 64-57. Chance Gray scored 18 points and Endyia Rogers added 17 for the Ducks.
Freshman Grace VanSlooten scored 11 points, but suffered an ankle injury late in the game that could end her season.
Without VanSlooten, Oregon lost 68-60 at Washington on Sunday. Te-Hina Paopao scored 22 points to lead the Ducks while Rogers added 10.
Oregon has dropped seven straight games to fall to 14-13, including a 5-11 mark in conference play that puts them in ninth place. The Ducks wrap up the regular season at home this weekend beginning Thursday against No. 14 Arizona.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Karin Young netted a three-set win and Jo-Yee Chan, Misaki Kobayashi, Uxia Martinez Moral and Ares Teixido Garcia also won singles matches as the Ducks defeated Boise State 6-1 at home on Friday. Teixido Garcia, Martinez Moral, Chan and Young also won singles matches in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Fresno State.
MEN’S TENNIS
Oregon lost matches to Washington and San Diego at home during the weekend.
Vlad Breazu, Quinn Vandecasteele, Jesper Olov-Nilsson all won singles matches for the Ducks in a 4-3 loss to the Huskies on Friday. Josh Charlton won a singles match during a 4-2 loss against San Diego on Sunday.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Claudia Kazmierska and Izzy Thornton-Bott finished 1-2 in the women’s mile during the Arkansas Qualifier on Friday. Kazmierska and Thornton-Bott teamed up with Ella Clayton and Mia Moerck to win the distance medley relay in 10:49.01, the third-fastest time in collegiate history.
LACROSSE
Oregon fell to 1-1 on the season with a 12-10 loss against Niagara Saturday at Pape Field. Morgan McCarthy scored five goals for UO, including the last three as the Ducks tried to rally from a 12-7 deficit.
ARCOBATICS AND TUMBLING
Fifth-ranked Oregon knocked off No. 3 Azusa Pacific 272.510-269.275 on the road Friday night.
Steve Mims has spent 25 years as a sportswriter, including 21 years at The Register-Guard. He covered University of Oregon athletics from 2013-2020. He works in Eugene as a registered representative and insurance agent at PBC Insurance. He can be reached at smims@pbcins.com.