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Vernon Adams, departing Ducks perform in front of scouts at Oregon’s Pro Day

Departing Oregon football players performed drills in front of professional scouts at the Moshofksy Center on Thursday during Oregon’s annual Pro Day.

A handful of Ducks are expected to be selected in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. is one of those “fringe” players: projected to be a middle-to-late rounddraft pick. He jumped a 28-inch vertical, ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash and looked sharp throwing passes to receivers Bralon Addison and Byron Marshall, particularly when he rolled out and threw on the run.

Adams graded his Pro Day performance a ‘B.’

“I think everything went well, throwing-wise especially,” Adams said. “I didn’t really run what I wanted to run (in the 40-yard dash), but, you know, I’m a quarterback, not a running back or a receiver.”

Adams wanted to show scouts he could drop back under center and make all the throws the scouts wanted to see, from the comebacks to the deep posts. He said he will continue to work on solidifying his throwing base and strengthening his core.

Due to the limited amount of film from Adams playing at the FBS level, teams seriously interested in him must evaluate his Combine and Pro Day showings with added weight. Some teams will be dissuaded from drafting him simply because his sample size of games is small, even if he was the nation’s most efficient passer while healthy. ESPN Draft Analyst Todd McShay told 49ers.com he is “struggling with” evaluating Adams, but said he was “one of the most intriguing prospects leading up to the draft.”

“I just tell [scouts], ‘Put on the film.’ I’m not the tallest guy, but I make it happen,’” Adams said.

Adams had one official interview at the NFL Combine with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who liked his play-making ability—”kind of like Big Ben’s,” Adams said.

Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, on the other hand, had 15 official interviews with NFL scouts at the Combine. Buckner is considered a first-round draft pick as an interior pass rusher; many projections land him inside the top 10. He didn’t need to do much to improve his high draft stock at Pro Day.

“I just wanted to show the coaches again that I’m moving good and everything, and that position drills isn’t really a big thing for me. I can move, and I can do all the little things they’re looking for.”

Buckner, whom the Oregonian’s Andrew Greif pointed out is usually modest and deflects attention during interviews, sent a different message to scouts at Pro Day.

“Today was really just showing that, personally, I think I’m the best defensive lineman in this draft.”

Buckner said he has “film to back it up,” and mentioned the fact he played every position on Oregon’s defensive line throughout this career.

“Outside, inside—wherever coaches need me, I can fit.”

Offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone didn’t record any official measurements, but rated his Pro Day performance an ‘A’. He wanted to show scouts his leg strength was up to par, after undergoing two knee surgeries during his collegiate career.

“I think I did really well in the position work,” Johnstone said. “I thought I stayed in low position and showed athleticism, and, really, that was all I was out here to do.”

Addison and Marshall scored times of 4.69 and 4.57 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and 4.30 and 4.28 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle, respectively. Addison jumped a 33-inch vertical and 94-inch long jump, while Marshall jumped 29.5 inches high and 93 inches far. Addison is considered a mid-round selection and Marshall a possible late-round flier.

Most of the players said they would watch the NFL Draft from their homes, with their families. Addison, however, had other plans.

“I don’t even know if I’ll watch it,” he said. “I’ll probably go fishing or ride some jet skis or something—do something fun to keep my mind off it.”

Courtesy Oregon Ducks

Courtesy Oregon Ducks

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Vernon Adams looks sharp at Pro Day, Dana Altman’s team overachieves again

– Dozens of NFL scouts evaluated Oregon’s departing football players during the Ducks’ annual Pro Day on Thursday. Quarterback Vernon Adams ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash and looked sharp on his throws to Bralon Addison and Byron Marshall. Projected as a middle-t0-late round draft pick, Adams had this message for coaches and scouts: “Put on the film. I’m not the tallest guy, but I make it happen.”

– Dana Altman’s basketball teams have had a history of overachieving. This year is no exception. The Ducks are the No. 1 seed entering the Pac-12 Tournament and Altman is the reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year. The Emerald‘s Hayden Kim profiled the coach whom Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens described as “as great an X’s and O’s coach as there is” in college and NBA.

– Despite a slow start, Oregon overtook Washington 83-77 to advance to the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, where it will face Arizona. Chris Boucher, who went from reigning Spalding NJCAA Division I Player of the Year to the nation’s leading shot blocker, delivered 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

– Oregon will take on Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals. The Wildcats trounced the Ducks by 28 points in last year’s conference finals. The revenge match will be the Las Vegas ‘Rematch of the Century,’ writes the Oregonian’s John Canzano.

– During Oregon football’s Pro Day Thursday, DeForest Buckner, a projected first-round draft pick, called himself “the best defensive lineman in this draft.” Buckner has never been one to seek the limelight, but his message to NFL scouts was “all eyes on me,” writes the Oregonian’s Andrew Greif.

– Freshman Shweta Sangwan has stepped up in singles play for Oregon women’s tennis, which enters Pac-12 play with its highest ranking since 2005.

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Ducks down Gauchos on clutch defense and breakout seventh inning

A close game got out of hand on Friday as the No. 11 Oregon Ducks broke out for 13 runs on 12 hits against UC Santa Barbara at PK Park. A six-run seventh inning all but sealed the 13-1 victory.

The Ducks (7-1) had hit just .211 through the first seven games of the season.

“We came out with a better mentality,” Craig-St. Louis said. “We were swinging at better pitches, waiting for our pitches… It showed up on the scoreboard.”

Cole Irvin earned his second win and lowered his ERA to 0.82 with another impressive line: five hits, one unearned run, a walk and six strikeouts in 8.0 innings.

“Honestly, I didn’t have focus until about the fifth inning,” Irvin said. “I couldn’t figure out my tempo, or anything, in the bullpen, and I just didn’t feel like it was a normal start today. But my defense saved me — a lot.”

Irvin got fired up after the Ducks ended the fourth inning with a beautifully-executed 7-2-4 double play to squash the Gauchos’ scoring threat. After UCSB’s J.J. Muno doubled with one out, left-fielder A.J. Balta gunned him at the plate trying to score from second on Kyle Plantier’s single to left. Catcher Tim Susnara laid down the tag, then fired the ball to second to catch Plantier from taking an extra bag.

“I was extremely excited,” Irvin said. “I probably did a couple things I’m a little regretful of towards the other team, so I apologize for that. But when we make great defensive plays, I’m as jazzed as everyone else.”

First baseman Phil Craig-St. Louis and second baseman Daniel Patzlaff made a handful of running and diving plays on the right side of the infield to keep the Gauchos’ offense at bay.

“The defense was spectacular, and Cole complemented that,” manager George Horton said.

Matt Kroon got the offense started with a line-drive single up the middle in the third inning. Daniel Patzlaff drove him home on a sacrifice line-drive to center to put the Ducks up 1-0.

Phil Craig-St. Louis extended Oregon’s lead to 2-0 with a booming solo home run to right in the fourth.

The Gauchos got on the board in the fifth after Michael McAdoo hit a one-out double to left field. Balta couldn’t cut the ball off from rolling to the fence and was charged with an error as McAdoo landed on third. McAdoo scored the next play on a sacrifice fly.

The Ducks added two runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 4-1. Tim Susnara led off with a single to right-center and scored from first on Kroon’s double to left. Kroon scored on another sacrifice fly from Patzlaff.

Oregon put the game away in the seventh inning. Balta hit a lined shot that ricocheted off the second baseman and bounded into center field with the bases loaded. Two runs scored, and the day was over for Bieber after 6.2 innings, eight hits, six runs (five earned), five strikeouts and one walk.

But the Ducks weren’t done. They tacked on another run after back-to-back walks from reliever Kenny Chapman, then Steven Packard cleared the bases with a three-run double to right-center to go up 10-1.

The Ducks added three more runs in the eighth on Nick Catalano’s RBI groundout and Mark Karaviotis’ two-run single down the left field line.

“That was the first time I think we’ve seen — everyone’s seen — our team do everything together,” Irvin said. “When it’s all in one, it’s pretty special and pretty fun to watch.”

The Ducks take on UCSB again on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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A.J. Balta has ‘something to prove’ in return from freak ACL tear

After missing the entire 2015 baseball season due to a knee injury, redshirt sophomore A.J. Balta said he had something to prove before the 2016 campaign began.

He proved it. In Oregon’s first series of the season at San Diego State, Balta launched two home runs and a triple to help lead Oregon to a three-game sweep.

“Not only did he have the production and power and hits, he crushed the ball when he made some outs,” manager George Horton said of Balta. “The quality of at-bats he had was borderline spectacular.”

Balta was equally excited about the performance.

“It was great,” Balta said. “Just coming back out and playing with the boys, playing with the team — it’s just a great feeling again.

“Coach gave me the opportunity to crack the starting lineup, so I just want to show everyone that I can still do it.”

Balta’s injury came during the 2015 preseason. He was walking down the stairs at his house when the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suddenly snapped. He’d never suffered a similar injury before — there was “nothing [he] could do to control it.”

Now, Balta feels “100 percent.” The recovery process was long, he said, but taking advantage of Oregon’s top-notch trainers and facilities made it a lot easier.

“I feel better than I was my freshman year, and I feel healthier than I have ever been,” Balta said.

Balta set Oregon freshman records with 12 doubles, three triples and 78 total bases, while batting .242 with 29 RBI and three home runs in 2014. A first baseman/outfielder from Valencia, California, he was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

Horton has batted Balta second in the the lineup each game of the current season, where he’s led the team in RBI (7) and posted a .520 slugging percentage.

“He’s maybe not your prototypical two-hitter, but I think AJ’s gonna be a run-producer,” Horton said.

Horton described Balta as a “very confident individual,” who errs on the side of being over-aggressive.

“We like his personality in the batter’s box,” Horton said.

Oregon has its sights set on a College World Series berth, a goal it hasn’t reached in Horton’s seven seasons at the helm. Balta said the team’s mentality is a lot tougher this year than in previous years.

“Everyone’s attitude is right where it needs to be: just treat every  day like it’s opening day, and I think we do that,” Balta said. “Even with practices, we come out ready to go for it. I think we’re right where we need to be.”

After starting 47 games at first base as a freshman, Balta now finds himself playing left field, his preferred position. He modestly acknowledged he has yet to win the job outright, but with ability to hit for power, Horton will have a hard time keeping him out of the starting lineup.

“I still haven’t earned anything,” Balta said. “I still need to come out and play every game, but I definitely feel good.”

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Oregon takes series against Illinois State behind David Peterson’s eight-inning gem

David Peterson pitched an eight-inning gem against Illinois State Sunday, helping Oregon clinch the series in a 3-1 win. Peterson tied a career-high with nine strikeouts and retired 25 of the 28 batters he faced. He allowed just one unearned run on two hits and a walk.

Peterson pitched himself into trouble a few times, committing a fielding error on a come-backer and a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. But he was also effectively wild, keeping the Redbirds off-balance and guessing with a mixture of  fastballs and breaking balls in the dirt.

“Other than fielding his position and pick-off plays, he was outstanding,” Horton said of Peterson. “He was real sharp today — for an extended period of time, maybe as sharp as I’ve ever seen him.”

Peterson agreed he pitched as well today as ever.

“I felt like I was on point, and I thought that everything was working for me,” Peterson said.

The Ducks were not prolific at the plate, but they were efficient. Four runs and four walks was all they needed to score three earned runs. They put up 14 runs on 18 hits the first three games of the series but struggled on offense yesterday, when they were held to two runs on five hits in their first loss of the season.

“We were scuffling for runs when we got home, and this is a tough ballpark to get a whole bunch of runs in,” Horton said. “I liked our approach a lot better today.”

Illinois State struck first due to a rocky first inning for Peterson. Lead-off hitter Daniel Dwyer got on base with a bloop single to center and moved over to second when Peterson mishandled a potential double-play ground ball on the mound. Dwyer waltzed home on Peterson’s wild pitch shortly thereafter to take a 1-0 lead.

Back-to-back opposite-field doubles from Phil Craig-St. Louis and Steven Packard in the second inning evened the score at one. Packard advanced to third on Matt Kroon’s sacrifice fly to right field, but was stranded on third when Travis Moniot struck out looking with a full count.

Jakob Goldfarb saved a run from scoring in the fourth after a lead-off double from clean-up hitter Jean Ramirez set the table for the Redbirds. Ramirez advanced to third on a bunt, but Goldfarb hosed him at the plate for an inning-ending double play when he tried to tag up on a fly ball to right. Peterson escaped the inning unscathed.

“I went to back up but I could have walked right off the field,” Peterson said about Goldfarb’s double play. “That kid, he’s got an unbelievable arm. It’s just insane.”

Goldfarb batted in the go-ahead run in the sixth with a single through hole on the right side. Austin Grebeck, who got on base with a lead-off hit-by-pitch with two strikes, came around to score from second.

Packard tacked on his second RBI of the day in the eighth with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Austin Grebeck from third for his second run.

“It’s good to get back on track,” Goldfarb said. “We wanted to get the series today; we didn’t want to split it. We came in and took care of business.”

Next up, the Ducks will take on UC Santa Barbara at PK Park on Friday, March 4.

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Late walks help Illinois State defeat Oregon, 3-2

The Illinois State pitching staff shut down the Oregon bats Saturday, as the Ducks fell 3-2 despite a strong outing from Matt Krook in his first game at PK Park since March 22, 2014.

Krook threw seven innings and allowed just two hits and one run on five walks and eight strikeouts, but the true star of the game was Illinois State starting pitcher Steve Heilenbach. Heilenbach kept the Ducks off balance all game, pitching low in the zone and locating his fastball, slider and changeup well.

“We didn’t do enough good things,” Horton said. “Tip your cap to Illinois State. Their pitcher did a heck of a job. Typically we try to break a guy down that’s throwing that well and have his pitch count up when we get into the eighth and ninth, but he was at 80-some pitches.”

“I think we got a little big. Instead of trying to go the other way, some guys were pulling off,” Phil Craig-St. Louis said.

Outfielder Austin Grebeck singled in the Ducks’ first at-bat of the game and scored on a groundout from Jakob Goldfarb. But Oregon didn’t muster another hit until the seventh inning, when Slade Heggen doubled with two outs but was stranded on second.

With the score tied 1-1 in the ninth inning, Oregon manager George Horton elected to leave freshman Kyle Robeniol on the mound instead of going to Cooper Stiles or Stephen Nogosek. Nogosek wanted to go out there, Horton said, but he wouldn’t let him. Robeniol walked two runners, the second intentionally, before Horton called Stiles from the bullpen.

Stiles, entering with runners on first and second, walked the first batter he faced on an off-speed pitch Horton called with a full count to load the bases. Then Redbirds infielder Jared Hendren poked a bloop single into right field and two runs scored, putting Illinois State up 3-1.

Craig-St. Louis, who was struggling at the plate with a .095 batting average, launched a solo home run over the right field fence in the bottom of the ninth to cut the deficit to 3-2. Pinch hitter Tim Susnara drew a two-out walk and freshman Matt Kroon reached safely on an infield single as the first baseman pulled his foot. But freshman Travis Moniot struck out swinging to strand both baserunners and end the game.

Horton said he didn’t like the way his team — the left-handed batters especially — adjusted to the left-handed Heilenbach. The Ducks grounded out to the right side of the infield at least seven times.

Horton was happy with Krook’s effort, though. He stayed in the game longer than Horton wanted him to, throwing 113 pitches. He had a hiccup with a fielding error and throwing error on the same play in the sixth; while fielding a bunt, he bobbled the ball then sailed it over the first baseman Craig-St. Louis’s head and into right field. The runner advanced all the way to third, but Krook battled his way out of the jam with two strikeouts.

“Overall it was a real positive experience,” Horton said of Krook’s outing.

Krook said he felt a lot better than he did in his first start of the season, when he lasted four innings and gave up four runs on four hits and three walks. He was “more relaxed, and less amped-up,” this time around. He lowered his ERA from 4.50 to 2.45.

“I felt pretty good today mentally and physically,” Krook said. “It was awesome to be back here pitching again.”

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Freshman Isaiah Carranza to start home opener against Illinois State

Although his collegiate debut did not go as planned, freshman right-handed pitcher Isaiah Carranza will make his first collegiate start in the Ducks’ (3-0) home opener Thursday.

Carranza relieved Cole Irvin in the season opener at San Diego State after the senior pitched seven seemingly flawless innings. Manager George Horton said it was Irvin’s best form since his 2013 Freshman All-American season. Carranza, however, recorded just one out and allowed two runs on two walks, which evened the score at two and erased Irvin’s performance.

Freshman Kyle Robeniol was expected to be the starter against Illinois State on Thursday, but Carranza will start instead to give Robeniol additional rest. Robeniol threw 5.o innings of relief and earned the win Saturday in relief of Matt Krook, whose first start in almost two years did not go as well as planned.

Irvin expressed confidence in Carranza despite the freshman’s hiccup in his first appearance.

“He’ll do fine,” Irvin said. “He just needs to, hopefully, simplify things early in the game — make the game a lot easier, slower.”

Irvin acknowledged that in his first collegiate start, he “started to go a little fast,” when he should have taken his time.

“He just needs to slow the game down and make sure he gets a good, deep breath before each pitch, and he’ll do fine.”

Carranza pitched better in his second assignment on Sunday, when he entered for David Peterson in the sixth inning and threw 1.1 innings, allowing two hits, one walk and no runs with two strikeouts.

Carranza said he’s feeling “a lot of excitement” about the opportunity to start in the home-opener.

“After getting the wiggles out last weekend, I’m ready to start.”

Carranza said the pace of the game was faster than anything he’d experienced before college, but once he got the kinks out, it was “a lot of fun.”

“It’s the same game of baseball I’ve been playing all my life, so I’m ready to just calm it down and let my team work,” Carranza said. “We’ll be fine.”

He noted that he has to be a lot more careful pitching against collegiate batters than players at lower levels.

“When you miss in college baseball, they’ll capitalize on that. So I’ve got to keep the balls down and work on my off-speed.”

Many of Carranza’s pitches missed high of the strike zone, which Horton said was “unusual,” even for someone with 6-foot-5 frame. But the issue was not unique to Carranza.

“Most all our relievers — when they came in their first inning, because of the slope of the mound — [keeping pitches low] became a challenge,” Horton said. “Unfortunately the ability to adapt to that quickly only became with Jake Bennett.”

Bennett, a 6-foot-6 freshman right-hander, threw an inning in relief of Carranza on Sunday and gave up one run on one hit.

Carranza’s goal is to pitch as many innings as he possibly can, so as to save Oregon’s bullpen arms for the three subsequent games of the four-game series.

On Friday, Oregon will return to the top of its starting rotation, featuring Irvin, Matt Krook and Peterson.

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Club rowing meets goal of rowing 4.2 million meters in second Erg-A-Thon

The Oregon club rowing team set out to prove its commitment to the sport and the community. It accomplished just that.

The team reached its goal of collectively rowing 4.2 million meters — the distance from Eugene to Gainesville, Georgia, the site of the 2016 ACRA national championships — on its rowing machines at the Student Recreation Center for its annual Erg-A-Thon fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 21.

Each of the team’s roughly 65 members was expected to individually erg between 25,000 and 40,000 meters, and some even exceeded that figure. Jake Riley and Delaney Rea rowed more than 90,000 meters each. Tanarae Hopkins and Annie Gilbert each rowed more than 63,0000 meters.

The normal regimen is about 10,000 to 12,000 meters of water training and 8,000 meters on the machines.

Head coach Marlene Kindorf said that many meters “takes quite a toll” on the rowers.

“We’re giving the kids the day off tomorrow,” Kindorf said. “The rest of the week will probably be a pretty light week.”

Almost 200 students, alumni and members of the Eugene/Springfield community contributed about 1.5 million meters to the goal. Oregon rowing alum Ray Remmers rowed 30,000 meters.

“I’ll feel it tomorrow,” Remmers said.

The team set its goal at one million meters in its first Erg-A-Thon last year, but decided to up the ante this year, largely due to its increase in size. The number of rowers on the team has nearly doubled in the past year alone.

The team has become more competitive thanks to its additional members, but now it has to keep up with the extra costs of equipment and sending its members to events.

“The team has seen such a significant amount of growth the last three years,” Kindorf said. “Now we’re coming up against some big challenges in terms of equipment funding and funding to get all of our kids to those regattas.”

One such event is the 2016 Pac-12 Rowing Championships on May 15, to which the men’s team was invited for the first time in its history. Transportation, hotel rooms and food for that trip costs more money, so the team figured it needed to up the ante in terms of its fundraising.

Club rowing also received a $30,000 grant from ASUO, which Kindorf said was “transformational” for the team. The grant paid for 11 new ergs, survival suits for coxswains, a new motorboat for coaches and new oars.

Kindorf said the turnout at the Erg-A-Thon this year was “so fantastic.” The event last year was held at McArthur Court; its relocation to the Rec helped increase foot traffic and interest.

Part of the proceeds from the fundraiser were given to Relief Nursery, a non-profit child abuse and neglect prevention agency.

“This year we wanted to add something where our supporters and students on campus could see that we also want to be involved in the community,” Kindorf said. “As a student organization — yes, it’s about rowing, but it’s also about being good citizens.”

Kindorf hopes one day the program will have enough funds to bring its entire team to the national championships in Gainesville. Instead it will bring its top men’s and women’s varsity and novice boats.

Two years ago the women’s novice boat won a silver medal at nationals. Last year the men’s novice boat won bronze, and every boat the team brought to the regatta qualified for the grand finals.

“We want to keep that going,” Kindorf said. “We want to at least bring home one medal each year.”

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A.J. Balta leads relentless attack in 10-5 win over San Diego State

Although Matt Krook didn’t have his best stuff in his return, the Oregon Ducks used an offensive outburst Saturday to beat San Diego State, 10-5.

Austin Grebeck set the tone with a leadoff triple into the left field corner, and came around to score two batters later on a 4-6-3 double play. The triple was the fourth of Grebeck’s career.

Daniel Patzlaff extended Oregon’s lead t0 3-0 in the second with a two-out triple to right field. Steven Packard, who redshirted last season, and freshman Travis Moniot scored after walking on base.

Krook, in his first start since April 5, 2014, faced adversity in the bottom of the second. A fielding error by Daniel Patzlaff and a hit batsman put runners on the corners with one out. A double by David Hensley knocked both runs home. A passed ball and a wild pitch shortly thereafter brought Hensley home and evened the score at three.

Packard put the Ducks back on top in the third with a two-run home run to right field. A.J. Balta scored after drawing his second walk.

Oregon kept the pedal to the metal against a new pitcher in the fourth. Mike Diamond took over for Cody Thompson after three innings, four hits, five runs, four walks and two strikeouts, and gave up a triple to Balta, Oregon’s third three-bagger of the day. Moniot came around to score, as did Balta on Jakob Goldfarb’s single a play later.

After four straight strikeouts, Krook conceded consecutive walks in the bottom of the fourth. Tim Susnara’s throwing error on a throw down to second put Tyler Adkison on third. Adkison scored on Alan Trejo’s single through the right side to cut the deficit to 7-4.

Balta, who missed the 2015 season due to injury, notched his second and third RBIs of the day with a two-run blast over the right field fence in the sixth. The home run was the fourth of Balta’s career and extended Oregon’s lead to 9-4.

Susnara cracked his second double of the day in the seventh and came around to score on Moniot’s single and a throwing error.

Freshman Kyle Robeniol took over for Krook in the fifth after four innings, four runs (two earned), three walks and six strikeouts. The Aztecs tacked on one run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but otherwise could not muster any offense against Robeniol. Robeniol allowed five hits and one run on two walks and three strikeouts in five innings, and picked up his first career win.

Balta finished the day 2-for-3 with a triple, home run and three RBIs. The Ducks totaled 11 hits and stranded seven runners; the Aztecs hit safely nine times and left 10 runners on base.

Having clinched the series win against the Aztecs, the Ducks will try to complete the sweep Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

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Men’s tennis finds its hype guy, club rowing to hold second annual Erg-A-Thon

– Sophomore Simon Stevens has embraced his role as men’s tennis’s hype guy. Head coach Nils Schyllander says Stevens “plays his best tennis when he plays with energy.”

– Oregon rowing is holding its own against elite Division-I schools despite being a self-funded club team. It will hold its second annual Erg-A-Thon fundraiser on Sunday, and part of the proceeds will be donated to a child abuse and neglect prevention agency.

– Former Oregon distance runner Galen Rupp breezed through the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Saturday in Los Angeles with a win in 2 hours 11 minutes 12 seconds. Rupp won the 10,000-meter silver medal in the 2012 Olympics, but he had never run a full marathon.

– The comeback effort by Oregon men’s basketball fell short against Stanford on Saturday, two days after it lost 83-63 to Cal. Oregon is now 0.5 games ahead of Arizona for first place in the Pac-12.

– Oregon women’s basketball won its fifth straight game Sunday against Colorado to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

– Oregon softball improved to 5-1 with two victories in the Fujikawa Classic on Sunday.

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