by Steve Mims
EUGENE, OREGON
The Oregon softball team moved up to No. 20 in the national rankings after going 4-1 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, including a 8-0 win over third-ranked Florida.
Sophomore pitcher Stevie Hansen was named national pitcher of the week after going 4-0 with a 1.27 ERA during the tournament. Hansen allowed 14 hits and four earned runs while striking out 13 in 22 innings.
Hansen threw a one-hit shutout against the Gators. She also helped the Ducks beat No. 19 Northwestern 2-1 and No. 24 Missouri 6-4.
Oregon opened the tournament in Cathedral City, Calif. with a 5-0 loss against Cal State Fullerton and wrapped up with a 2-1 win over UC San Diego.
“I really liked how these guys came out, how hard they played,” UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “They had a really good weekend. I loved how they competed. The ability to get past Fullerton and right into Northwestern really set the tone for the whole weekend.”
Kyla Morris leads the Ducks with a .417 batting average while Allee Bunker has a team-high 18 RBIs while batting .333 with four homers. Terra McGowan is batting .320 with four homers and 16 RBIs.
The Ducks are 12-3 as they head to Fullerton, Calif. for five games this weekend.
BASEBALL
Oregon got to stay at home to face UC Santa Barbara, but couldn’t beat the Gauchos.
The series was originally slated to be played at UCSB before storms in Southern California caused the games to be moved to PK Park. The Gauchos won the opener 6-2 before sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 10-0 and 4-1.
Oregon is 4-3 as it stays home to host four games against San Diego this weekend.
Tanner Smith leads the Ducks with a .300 batting average while Rikuu Nishida is batting .250. Josiah Cromwick has a team-high three homers and seven RBIs while batting .333.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Jo-Yee Chan and Uxia Martinez Moral each swept their singles match to lead the Ducks to a 4-3 win at UC Santa Barbara. Chan and Ares Teixido Garcia teamed up for a doubles victory.
MEN’S TENNIS
Quinn Vandecasteele and Joshua Charlton won a doubles match as Oregon defeated Gonzaga 5-2. Vandecasteele and Charlton also won their singles matches in straight sets along with Ray Lo. Vlad Breazu won a three-set singles match.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Jaida Ross won the shot put and Alysah Hickey won the long jump for the Oregon women during the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet in Seattle. Ross tossed a lifetime best of 59-9 3/4 followed by teammate Jorinde Van Klinken in second at 58-4 1/2.
Hickey leaped 20-11 3/4 to win her event. Jadyn Mays and Lily Jones placed 2-3 in the 60 meters.
The men’s team was led by Elliott Cook, who placed second in the 800 at 1:47.01. Jonah Tactay finished fourth in the long jump at 24-1.
LACROSSE
Oregon improved to 2-1 with a 15-8 win over Kennesaw State at Pape Field. Morgan McCarthy and Haley Taylor each scored three times for the Ducks.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Oregon opened the season by going 1-3 at the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz. Oregon’s lone win was 5-0 over UTEP with Natasha George and Ashley Schroeder leading the way.
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.