Campus Roundup: Softball cruises to regional final, men's golf advances to NCAA Championships

Baseball

The Ducks had a frustrating weekend in the desert, dropping two out of three to Arizona State. Oregon unleashed that frustration onto Pacific in a 14-8 win on Tuesday in Eugene. Shaun Chase led the Ducks with two home runs, including a grand slam, his second in 10 days. Oregon was also aggressive on the base paths with seven stolen bases in the win.

On Friday, Oregon kicked off a weekend series against UCLA, the defending national champions. While the offense stole the show on Tuesday, it was Oregon's defense that saved the day on Friday. In the bottom of the eighth, the Ducks threw out two runners at the plate to hang on for the 2-1 win. Tommy Thorpe had a solid outing, pitching 6.2 innings, giving up just one run on four hits, walking four while striking out seven. Jake Reed closed out the win, giving up just one hit in his 1.2 innings, earning his 12th save of the season.

Golf

The men's golf team had a successful weekend, finishing second at NCAA Regionals, which were hosted right here in Eugene. The Ducks carded a three-round score of 854 (+14), finishing just one stroke behind Stanford. Thomas Lim led the way for Oregon, carding an impressive 66 during the final round on Sunday to finish second overall behind Stanford's Patrick Rodgers. Lim's score was the best of the day on Saturday. Lim and Rodgers were the only two in the field to finish at or under par. Brandon McIver and Zach Foushee also finished among the top 10, each with a three-round total of 215 (+5) to tie for eighth. Oregon now advances to the NCAA Championships, which begins Friday in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The women's golf team also had their most successful day of the NCAA Regionals on Saturday, but it was too little, too late as Oregon's season came to an end after failing to finish among the top eight teams. The Ducks carded a three-round total of 934 (+70) to finish 14th overall. It was a Pac-12 sweep at the top as USC, Washington and Arizona State finished 1-2-3. Despite failing to clinch their 12th appearance at the NCAA Championships, the Ducks finished with a round average of 298.6, the highest in team history. Cassidy Isagawa finished with a 72.95 round average, the third highest mark in team history.

Softball

The Ducks kicked off their postseason campaign on the right foot with a 12-1 win over Utah Valley on Friday. Cheridan Hawkins and Karissa Hovinga combined to hold Utah Valley to just two hits. Oregon took control early with eight runs in the first inning followed by three more in the second. Oregon's bats were clicking so well that after two innings, leadoff hitter Courtney Ceo had batted three times.

Less than 24 hours later, the Ducks faced Wisconsin with a spot in the Regional Final on the line. A side note, how do these two schools always find themselves matched up in the postseason? The two teams were deadlocked in a 1-1 tie until the Ducks scored five runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Badgers. A two-run double from Janie Takeda broke the tie and sparked a big inning for the Ducks. Janelle Lindvall hit her 13th home run of the year to provide Oregon with some insurance. Cheridan Hawkins was dominant once again, allowing one run on two hits while striking out 11.

The Ducks and Badgers will square off again this morning at 11. A winner-take-all game will take place approximately 30 minutes after the first game should Wisconsin win. Weather will also be a question, as first pitch was moved up two hours to try and beat the elements. The winner of Saturday's game(s) will face either Minnesota or Auburn in the Super Regional.

Track & Field

The men and women of Oregon had a successful first day at the Pac-12 Championships in Pullman as each side built a 30-point lead heading into the final day. On Saturday, the women scored 64 points while the men scored 70.25 points. Jenna Prandini won the high jump, setting a new personal record (20-11.25/6.38m) in the process. Prandini also racked up wins in the qualifying heats of the 100 and 200. Brittany Mann set the school record in the shot put with a throw of 55-5 (16.89m) during her final attempt. The previous mark of 53-11.25 was set by Bree Fuqua in 2005.

On the men's side, Sam Crouser won his third consecutive conference title in the javelin, throwing 243-7 (74.24m). The men's 4x100 team of Devon Allen, Arthur Delaney, Mike Berry and Marcus Chambers won their heat in 39.60, the third fastest time in school history. Parker Stinson took second in the 10,000 in 29:18.33, just two seconds behind Stanford's Joe Rosa.

In total, Oregon earned 13 preliminary heat wins, advancing 26 qualifiers in 9 events to Sunday's finals. The finals begin at 11 a.m. as the men look for their eighth-straight conference title while the women look for their sixth-straight title.