The Eugene Emeralds scored in all but one inning in their series finale against the Everett AquaSox and cruised to a 10-4 win at PK Park on Wednesday night.

Eugene moves into a tie with Hillsboro for first place in the Northwest League South with the win, and the Emeralds have won their last three series.

“Good win, very important for our first half,” Emeralds head coach Jesus Feliciano said. “We’re trying to clinch this first half and I know how hard our guys are working.”

The Emeralds plated three of their ten runs in the third inning to help them take the final game of their five game series against Everett. Overall, it was a dominating series for Eugene as it took 4-of-5 games from the AquaSox to improved to 20-14 on the season.

Offensively, the Emeralds had no trouble figuring out Everett’s pitching. Four Emeralds recorded two or more hits, highlighted by games from Aramis Ademan, Jhonny Bethencourt and Brandon Hughes.

Ademan went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run, his team-leading fourth of the year. Bethencourt scored four runs to go along with his three hits while Brandon Hughes went 4-for-5 with an RBI.

Kwang-Min Kwon also went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

“Baseball is contagious,” Feliciano said. “Maybe tomorrow we’ll have somebody else stepping up. … I’m very happy that we’re playing the way we are because I know it’s a great time for us as a team.”

The Emeralds scored their first run on an Ademan solo home run to center field. Their second run came on a one-out single by Kwon which scored Hughes, who led the second inning off with a double.

Already ahead 2-0, Eugene plated three more runs in the third inning to take a commanding 5-0 lead. They added to that lead with solo runs in the fourth and sixth innings to make Wednesday the seventh game the Emeralds have scored seven or more runs.

The AquaSox scored once in the fourth and fifth innings and chased Emeralds’ starter Enrique De Los Rios in the fifth. De Los Rios pitched five innings and allowed seven hits, two runs (one earned) and struck out three for his second win of the season.

One of those runs came off a solo home run courtesy of Oregon alum, Austin Grebeck, his second of the season. The former Duck, who was selected in the 21st round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, went 2-for-4 and scored two runs.

Everett showed late fight as they tried to dig out of its hole. Back-to-back doubles to lead off the seventh inning yielded two more runs for the AquaSox, but the Emeralds remained in control 7-4.

Eugene tacked on more runs in the seventh and eighth innings to extend its lead to 10-4.

Next up, the Emeralds hit the road for a five-game series against the Tri-City Dust Devils, starting Thursday.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Emeralds take series finale against AquaSox 10-4, move into tie for first in NW League appeared first on Emerald Media.

The Eugene Emeralds scored in all but one inning in their series finale against the Everett AquaSox and cruised to a 10-4 win at PK Park on Wednesday night.

Eugene moves into a tie with Hillsboro for first place in the Northwest League South with the win, and the Emeralds have won their last three series.

“Good win, very important for our first half,” Emeralds head coach Jesus Feliciano said. “We’re trying to clinch this first half and I know how hard our guys are working.”

The Emeralds plated three of their ten runs in the third inning to help them take the final game of their five game series against Everett. Overall, it was a dominating series for Eugene as it took 4-of-5 games from the AquaSox to improved to 20-14 on the season.

Offensively, the Emeralds had no trouble figuring out Everett’s pitching. Four Emeralds recorded two or more hits, highlighted by games from Aramis Ademan, Jhonny Bethencourt and Brandon Hughes.

Ademan went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run, his team-leading fourth of the year. Bethencourt scored four runs to go along with his three hits while Brandon Hughes went 4-for-5 with an RBI.

Kwang-Min Kwon also went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

“Baseball is contagious,” Feliciano said. “Maybe tomorrow we’ll have somebody else stepping up. … I’m very happy that we’re playing the way we are because I know it’s a great time for us as a team.”

The Emeralds scored their first run on an Ademan solo home run to center field. Their second run came on a one-out single by Kwon which scored Hughes, who led the second inning off with a double.

Already ahead 2-0, Eugene plated three more runs in the third inning to take a commanding 5-0 lead. They added to that lead with solo runs in the fourth and sixth innings to make Wednesday the seventh game the Emeralds have scored seven or more runs.

The AquaSox scored once in the fourth and fifth innings and chased Emeralds’ starter Enrique De Los Rios in the fifth. De Los Rios pitched five innings and allowed seven hits, two runs (one earned) and struck out three for his second win of the season.

One of those runs came off a solo home run courtesy of Oregon alum, Austin Grebeck, his second of the season. The former Duck, who was selected in the 21st round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, went 2-for-4 and scored two runs.

Everett showed late fight as they tried to dig out of its hole. Back-to-back doubles to lead off the seventh inning yielded two more runs for the AquaSox, but the Emeralds remained in control 7-4.

Eugene tacked on more runs in the seventh and eighth innings to extend its lead to 10-4.

Next up, the Emeralds hit the road for a five-game series against the Tri-City Dust Devils, starting Thursday.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Emeralds take series finale against AquaSox 10-4, move into tie for first in NW League appeared first on Emerald Media.

The Eugene Emeralds opened their five-game homestand against the Everett AquaSox with a 4-3 win Saturday night at PK Park.

Shortstop Aramis Ademan went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs to help the Emeralds jump out to an early 4-0 lead after two innings. The AquaSox plated a run in the third and two more in the fifth but Eugene’s four runs proved to be all it needed to hang on for the win.

With the win, the Emeralds improve to 17-13 and take sole possession of first place in the Northwest League South.

In only his the second start as a member of the Emeralds, starter Jose Albertos pitched five innings and allowed five hits, three runs (all earned), walked two and struck out four to pick up the win. Albertos is the No. 7-rated prospect in the Cubs farm system and has spent time with both the Emeralds and the Arizona League Cubs this summer.

Through four innings, the highly-touted prospect appeared as good as advertised. He held the AquaSox in check to the tune of two hits, one run and four strikeouts over that span.

But what started as the makings of a gem turned south in the fifth inning. Everett scored two runs to make it a 4-3 game and ensured that Albertos wouldn’t return for the sixth. He didn’t, and was replaced by Andry Rondon, who went a perfect two innings in relief.

Elvis Diaz then replaced Rondon on the bump for the Emeralds. He walked the leadoff man in the eighth inning, who reached scoring position a batter later on a sacrifice bunt. With the tying run on second, Diaz then struck out Onil Pena and Johnny Adams to escape the jam.

Jake Steffens closed the game out with a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the season.

The Emeralds got the game off to a quick start in the bottom of the first. Zach Davis singled to leadoff the game. Two outs later, and with Davis still on first, Gustavo Polanco singled on a ball deflected by Everett’s third basemen to set up runners on first and second for the red hot Brandon Hughes.

Hughes, who entered Saturday’s game 9-for-20 in his short stint with the Emeralds, continued his hot streak with an RBI single to right to get Eugene on the board in the first. That was one of two runs the Emeralds scored to jump ahead 2-0 after the first inning.

The Emeralds added two more runs an inning later when Ademan doubled to score Rafael Narea and Davis. After two innings, Eugene led 4-0.

The AquaSox got onto the board in the third inning with an RBI single from Eugene Helder to make it a 4-1 game. Helder went one-for-three in the game but drove in a team-high two runs.

The Emeralds are back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. for the second game of their five game series with the AquaSox.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Emeralds open five-game homestand with 4-3 win over Everett AquaSox appeared first on Emerald Media.

The Eugene Emeralds opened their five-game homestand against the Everett AquaSox with a 4-3 win Saturday night at PK Park.

Shortstop Aramis Ademan went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs to help the Emeralds jump out to an early 4-0 lead after two innings. The AquaSox plated a run in the third and two more in the fifth but Eugene’s four runs proved to be all it needed to hang on for the win.

With the win, the Emeralds improve to 17-13 and take sole possession of first place in the Northwest League South.

In only his the second start as a member of the Emeralds, starter Jose Albertos pitched five innings and allowed five hits, three runs (all earned), walked two and struck out four to pick up the win. Albertos is the No. 7-rated prospect in the Cubs farm system and has spent time with both the Emeralds and the Arizona League Cubs this summer.

Through four innings, the highly-touted prospect appeared as good as advertised. He held the AquaSox in check to the tune of two hits, one run and four strikeouts over that span.

But what started as the makings of a gem turned south in the fifth inning. Everett scored two runs to make it a 4-3 game and ensured that Albertos wouldn’t return for the sixth. He didn’t, and was replaced by Andry Rondon, who went a perfect two innings in relief.

Elvis Diaz then replaced Rondon on the bump for the Emeralds. He walked the leadoff man in the eighth inning, who reached scoring position a batter later on a sacrifice bunt. With the tying run on second, Diaz then struck out Onil Pena and Johnny Adams to escape the jam.

Jake Steffens closed the game out with a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the season.

The Emeralds got the game off to a quick start in the bottom of the first. Zach Davis singled to leadoff the game. Two outs later, and with Davis still on first, Gustavo Polanco singled on a ball deflected by Everett’s third basemen to set up runners on first and second for the red hot Brandon Hughes.

Hughes, who entered Saturday’s game 9-for-20 in his short stint with the Emeralds, continued his hot streak with an RBI single to right to get Eugene on the board in the first. That was one of two runs the Emeralds scored to jump ahead 2-0 after the first inning.

The Emeralds added two more runs an inning later when Ademan doubled to score Rafael Narea and Davis. After two innings, Eugene led 4-0.

The AquaSox got onto the board in the third inning with an RBI single from Eugene Helder to make it a 4-1 game. Helder went one-for-three in the game but drove in a team-high two runs.

The Emeralds are back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. for the second game of their five game series with the AquaSox.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Emeralds open five-game homestand with 4-3 win over Everett AquaSox appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon basketball’s roster continues to fluctuate this offseason.  On Tuesday, multiple sites reported that Ducks forward Kavell Bigby-Williams would be transferring to LSU for his remaining year of eligibility. The story was first reported by duckterritory.com and later confirmed by CBSsports.com.

The 6’11 junior requested his release back in April and has since visited a number of schools including Wichita State, Baylor and San Diego State.

In 37 games played for the Ducks, Bigby-Williams averaged 3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, mostly off the bench. But he played key minutes in the NCAA Tournament after Chris Boucher tore his ACL.

He is the second Duck to transfer this offseason, joining Casey Benson, who transferred to Grand Canyon University back in late April.

With the move, Oregon now has two scholarships available for next year.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Kavell Bigby-Williams to transfer to LSU appeared first on Emerald Media.

Three Ducks were selected in this year’s MLB Draft, which wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon.

Pitcher David Peterson (first round, 20th overall to the New York Mets), catcher Tim Susnara (8th round, 232nd overall to the Arizona Diamondbacks) and relief pitcher Brac Warren (17th round, 516th overall to the San Francisco Giants) are all headed to the pros.

As expected, Oregon ace David Peterson was the first Duck off the board. Peterson finished an impressive 2017 campaign with an 11-4 record. He posted a 2.51 ERA and recorded a school-record 140 strikeouts en route to being named a first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Peterson departs Oregon with the second-highest strikeout total in program history. He is also the first Oregon player selected in the first round since Tyler Anderson went 20th overall to the Colorado Rockies in 2011.

The signing bonus for the 20th overall pick is projected to be around $3 million.

Tim Susnara had to wait a day but was selected in the eighth round by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The junior batted .248 this season and led the Ducks in home runs with a carer-high five. He also posted career-highs in slugging percentage (.348) and runs scored (24).

Brac Warren was selected in 17th round by the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, the final day of the draft. The junior appeared in 21 games this season, all in relief, and posted a 4.37 ERA. He struck out 28 in his 22.2 innings of work and held opponents to a .217 batting average.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Peterson, Susnara and Warren picked in 2017 MLB Draft appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon basketball took a step closer to filling out its roster on Wednesday afternoon.

Illinois State graduate transfer MiKyle McIntosh announced on Instagram that he has committed to play for the Ducks next season. He’ll be eligible to play immediately.

After much prayer & thought, my family & I have come to the decision that I will be finishing my college career at the University of Oregon. I am excited & overjoyed to join the family & can’t wait to get to work! #DuckNation #7eam

A post shared by MiKyle McIntosh (@mervm_22) on Jun 14, 2017 at 1:18pm PDT

The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 12.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game last season. He also shot 34.8 percent from three for the Redbirds, who won a school-record 28 games. He was named to the all-MVC second team.

McIntosh had originally declared for the NBA Draft back in April, but he withdrew his name in late May. He reportedly chose Oregon over Gonzaga, Oklahoma and Oregon State.

“It was the system they have basketball-wise,” he told The Oregonian on Wednesday. “I like how they play. They play really free and play so a lot of guys can affect the game all at once and in different ways. You can attack from different areas. It’s really appealing. There were a lot of things that went into it, for sure.”

McIntosh, a native of Canada, is the second graduate transfer and sixth commitment that head coach Dana Altman has landed this season. He’ll join New Mexico graduate transfer Elijah Brown on an Oregon roster that is already adding a top-12 recruiting class, headlined by five-star Troy Brown, next season.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Oregon basketball lands Illinois State graduate transfer MiKyle McIntosh appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon distance runner Tanner Anderson has had a strong finish to his outdoor season.

He started it off with a surprise third-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships and capped it off by qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 10,000 meters. He’ll be Oregon’s lone entry into the 10,000-meter now that Edward Cheserek, the reigning two-time national champ and Anderson’s training partner, is out for the season due to injury.

With his first full year now almost complete, Anderson is stepping onto the largest stage of his racing career, ready to defend Oregon’s title in the 10,000-meter.

Anderson is no stranger to pressure but said he’s not thinking about it ahead of one of the biggest races of his life.

“I don’t feel a lot of pressure but I do want to contribute to the team,” Anderson said. “I do want to help us place as high as we can in the meet. That’s something that is definitely on my mind.”

The last two years have been a bit of a roller coaster for Anderson, a sophomore. He ran cross country his freshman year but redshirted both the outdoor and indoor seasons. Although not running for two seasons was difficult for him, Anderson felt his time away from competition helped his progression in college track.

“I felt my redshirt allowed me to gain some experience for college races,” he said. “And it helped me to get stronger and more fit and learn some things from the older guys.”

One of those older guys he’s learned from is Cheserek, the most decorated male collegiate athlete in history. Anderson was a little starstruck at first, but as time passed, the two became close friends. Now, he’s just “Ed.”

“He’s just one of the guys on the team,” Anderson said. “That’s when you’re in the moment. But now as he’s starting to head out, you realize, this is Edward Cheserek and this is something special.”

With Cheserek graduating this spring, Anderson will be without a training partner come Fall. But Cheserek thinks Oregon will be in good hands once he leaves.

“He has a couple more years to go, but I think he’s going to take my spot,” Cheserek said at the Pac-12 Championships this year.

A lot has changed for Anderson over his young collegiate career, but one thing has remained constant: his nickname.

Whether he likes it or not, Anderson is known amongst teammates as “Terry.” It all started last summer at cross country training camp in Sunriver, Oregon.

The contingent of runners had decided to go out for ice cream one night, and as the group was waiting for their orders, a name kept being called out.

“Terry,” the store attendant kept repeating. No one approached the counter, so he continued. “Terry,” he repeated again.

Eventually, Anderson thought, ‘Maybe he means Tanner?’

“I went up and asked him ‘Do you mean Tanner?’ ” Anderson said. “The guy asked ‘chocolate chip shake for Terry?’ And I said ‘Yeah, for Tanner,’ and the guy says ‘Yeah, Terry’.”

“He was pretty persistent about it. My name was Terry.”

The name caught on and a new identity for Anderson was born. Since that evening in Sunriver, the name Terry has taken hold. Some of his teammates only refer to him by Terry and erase “Tanner” off of whiteboards and log sheets, replacing it with “Terry.”

“At first I tried to fight it,” Anderson said. “But after a while, I just kind of embraced it.”

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Tanner ‘Terry’ Anderson steps into large role for Oregon as NCAAs approach appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon’s season wrapped up on Monday afternoon as the Ducks finished 24th in the stroke-play portion of the NCAA Championships in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Only the top eight teams from stroke play advance to match play.

Despite its finish, Oregon played its best golf over the final two rounds. But the Ducks simply couldn’t rebound from a rough 45-over 333 first round which put them at the bottom of the field from the outset of the tournament.

The weekend also featured some rough weather, which didn’t exactly help the Ducks’ climb from 24th. The second round of the tournament was canceled due to “severe” weather conditions, which cut stroke play from 72 holes to 54.

Like the weather, Oregon improved as the weekend went on. It followed up its first round 45-over 333 with a 31-over 319 in the second round. It improved even more in the final round, and carded a 20-over 308.

Sophomore Kathleen Scavo led the Ducks in scoring with an 18-over 234. She shot an even par (72) in the final round, the best round of any Duck over the weekend. She was one of only 12 golfers to shoot an even par or better over the 54 holes of stroke play.

“Even-par on this course is phenomenal,” Oregon head coach Ria Scott said.

The course gave every team trouble, not just the Ducks. Northwestern led after stroke play concluded with a 33-over 897. The Ducks finished 96-over 960.

Now that its season is over, Oregon is saying goodbye to two crucial members of the program: Cathleen Santoso and Marcella Pranovia, who played their last rounds of collegiate golf on Monday.

Pranovia was a key part of both NCAA Championship runs the Ducks have made the past two season. Santoso will go down as one of the best golfers in program history. She has the record for most rounds played (138) and owns the third-best scoring average (73.78).

“Marcella and Cathleen have been part of record-breaking accomplishments during their time here at Oregon,” said Scott. “We are grateful for all they’ve done for our program and, to be honest, it’s hard to imagine this team without them.

“They came in as girls, and they leave here as Women of Oregon.”

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Ducks’ season ends with 24th-place finish at NCAA Championships appeared first on Emerald Media.

Thanks to some ninth-inning heroics from Taylor Travess, the Oregon Ducks stole a 3-2 win over the USC Trojans on Sunday in Los Angeles, California.

The drama unfolded in the top of the ninth inning, with the score even at two. Travess, who led the inning off with a bunt single, made it to third with two outs. USC pitcher Austin Manning, a left-hander, came set to deliver a 2-2 pitch to Jake Bennett. But before he could begin his motion, Travess broke for home and made it safely to score the go-ahead run for the Ducks. 

Travess also went two-for-four on the day.

Video | Travess steals home to give Ducks 3-2 lead in 9th. #GoDucks #SCTop10 https://t.co/YR0T0XyAg8

— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) May 21, 2017

Oregon closer Kenyon Yovan took care of business to record his 14th save of the season. Setup man Brac Warren got the win. Oregon starter Cole Stringer allowed five hits and two runs (both earned) while striking out three in his five innings of work.

The win secured the first series victory for the Ducks since it took two games from Arizona State back in late April.

It wasn’t easy, though, as Oregon found itself trailing early. A two-run home run from USC’s Adalberto Carrillo in the second inning gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead. USC held the lead until the fifth inning when Oregon scored two of its own runs courtesy of a Kyle Kasser RBI single and a Gabe Matthews sacrifice fly.

The score would remain tied until Travess’ steal in the ninth.

Oregon will wrap up its regular season next weekend when it welcomes UCLA to PK Park. But first, the Ducks head to UC Riverside for one game against the Highlanders on Monday.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

The post Travess steals home in the ninth to give Oregon a 3-2 win over USC appeared first on Emerald Media.