Jeff Gold’s bid for a school record 24th career win fell short Friday night thanks to an offensive outburst from the California baseball team (25-27, 12-17 Pac-12) and a dominant performance from the Bears’ starter, Kyle Porter. Oregon (42-17, 18-10) lost 6-0.

Gold’s tremendous start to the season has fizzled as of late. After pitching seven scoreless innings against Oregon State on April 26, he’s given up at least four earned runs in three of his past four starts, including Friday’s. He went 6.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits, no walks and one strikeout against the Bears.

Well after the game’s conclusion, Oregon head coach George Horton chatted with a seated Gold in the dugout. The minutes-long conversation focused on adjustments, Horton told reporters later, not just from Gold’s perspective but from Horton’s.

“It was a little bit of me and a little bit of him, and a lot of them,” Horton said. “Kyle Porter threw the heck out of it.”

Porter was unhittable through five innings and didn’t surrender a hit until Mark Karaviotis’ single up the middle with one out in the sixth (Karaviotis broke up a no-hitter for the second straight night).

“He kept us off-balance and mixed up his pitches well,” Karaviotis said.

Porter pitched into the ninth but was taken out after hitting the inning’s first batter, Tyler Baumgartner. Porter gave up two hits, two walks and two hit-batsmen while striking out eight.

“The first time through the order, there was a lot of offspeed, a very deceptive change(up) that our guys didn’t pick up at all,” Horton said of Porter, who he said threw more fastballs the second time through the order. “That guy looked a little bit like Cliff Lee.”

The Bears gave Porter plenty of run support and they got on the board early. In the top of the first with two outs, Devon Rodriguez singled past a diving Aaron Payne into right field. Brenden Farney (2-for-3, two runs, one walk) came up next and smoked a 1-1 pitch into the right center field gap for a double, plating Rodriguez for an early 1-0 lead.

Derek Campbell (2-for-4, two runs, one RBI) led off the second with a double off the right field wall. He moved over to third on a groundout and scored after a sacrifice fly by Robbie Tenerowicz (1-for-2, two RBIs) that put Cal up 2-0.

After a scoreless third, the Bears engineered a big fourth. Farney led off with a single and Lucas Erceg reached first on catcher’s interference from Josh Graham. Campbell came up next and doubled to left center, scoring Farney and putting runners on second and third. Vince Bruno drove in Cal’s fourth run with a groundout to Payne and Tenerowicz completed the scoring with a single up the middle, putting the Bears up 5-0.

Gold’s hope for a record-setting win evaporated when Horton came out to the mound in the top of the seventh with one out, replacing him with Jordan Spencer.

“(Gold) didn’t finish guys off,” Horton said. “He was a little less than good but they were awfully good.

“We were not worthy of making a run at them.”

Cal’s final run came in the top of the eighth on a two-out double from Erceg that scored Farney.

“Tonight, they were better than us,” Horton said. “We flat out got whooped, so no more talking about sweeps. Now, we have to try to figure out if we can get the series.”

The Ducks will try to take the rubber match Saturday at PK Park. The game starts at 7 p.m.

Noteworthy:

– Graham’s catcher’s interference in the fourth inning came on a pitch-out in which Erceg made contact with Graham’s glove on a legal swing. Horton said the Ducks executed the pitch-out well, but he wondered what might have happened if the pitch was thrown six inches farther outside.

“If we get that out, maybe the whole complexion of the ballgame changes,” Horton said.

– The Ducks’ chances of hosting an NCAA regional round decreased — if not dissolved — with Friday’s loss. Now, Oregon needs to win Saturday and hope the selection committee looks kindly upon the Ducks. Horton sees just a glimmer of hope, though.

“If I was a gambling man, I wouldn’t bet a lot on us hosting,” Horton said.

– Darrell Hunter pitched 1.1 innings in relief for the Ducks in what might have been the final appearance at PK Park for the sixth year pitcher.

“I’m going to get two senior days out of this, so that’s kind of cool,” Hunter said.

Horton expressed gratitude for one of his first recruits and was glad Hunter pitched well in his potential final game at PK Park.

“His story and where he started and where he came from and all the obstacles and challenges he’s gone through, I’d — not just for him and not just for the collaboration effort — sure like to take that guy to the promised land, which is Omaha,” Horton said. “If anybody deserves it as a player, Darrell Hunter does.”

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

After four years with the Oregon football program, redshirt seniors Grant Thompson and Kenny Bassett earned scholarships.

“It still hasn’t really set in,” Thompson told the Emerald in a phone interview Friday afternoon. “It’s one of my happiest recent moments.”

The two players received the news in a team meeting following their morning workout. When head coach Mark Helfrich announced Thompson and Bassett would receive scholarships, the other players showered them with applause.

“Everybody knows how hard me and Grant were working, so they were really excited for us, thought it was well deserved,” Bassett said.

Both players said there were adverse moments throughout the past four years, when the absence of playing time and scholarships made it hard to keep pushing. Bassett said the hardest time was freshman year when he tore his ACL.

Thompson said he considered hanging up his cleats while packing the night before the team left for the 2012 Rose Bowl versus Wisconsin.

“At a time like that, it seems crazy,” Thompson said. “But things weren’t really going my way and the road had gotten tough.”

Thompson was also asked about a time when the grind of being a non-scholarship player felt worth it.

“This time made it all worth it,” he said, referring to the scholarship news.

The athletic department released a statement from Helfrich Friday afternoon regarding Thompson’s and Bassett’s scholarships.

“It’s very exciting to acknowledge and reward the hard work and dedication that these two young men have demonstrated on and off the field,” Helfrich said.

After Helfrich announced the news to the team, Thompson said he gave Bassett a big hug and said, “Let’s go.” But he also looked ahead to next season, their final one at Oregon.

“We’ve got to keep working,” Thompson told Bassett.

Both players participated on the scout team in 2010, their redshirt season. Bassett, a running back from Beverly Hills (California) HS, received 17 carries for 34 yards last season and 16 carries for 40 yards in 2010. Thompson is a linebacker from Cottage Grove (Oregon) HS who appeared in several games last season, five in 2012 and two in 2011. He was also named Oregon’s scout team player of the year in 2011.

Multiple teammates and former teammates congratulated the pair over Twitter on Friday.

Congrats to 2 of the hardest working people I know, day in and day out. @gthompson59 and @KennyBassett SCHOLARSHIPS!!! #GoDucks

— Keanon Lowe (@KeanonLowe7) May 23, 2014

A little extra motivation today proud of the two hardworking dudes @gthompson59 and @KennyBassett!

— Daichman86 (@AustinDaich) May 23, 2014

"suits and ties, yelling out pay the guys!" SCHOLARSHIP!! Congrats to my bro @KennyBassett #GM™ pic.twitter.com/h0nswoFNFj

— Eric Dungy (@Edee9teen) May 23, 2014

Yessssss @KennyBassett @gthompson59 !!! Pumped for you both!! Well deserved

— Jeff Palmer (@jeffpalmerr) May 23, 2014

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

Major League Baseball teams have increasingly embraced the infield shift, where one side of the diamond is overloaded with infielders to increase teams’ chances of recording outs. This trend brings one thought to Jay Uhlman’s mind: It’s about time.

Uhlman, Oregon’s infield and hitting coach, said college baseball teams have used infield shifting for “at least 10 years,” and he utilized this defensive concept before he even arrived in Eugene nearly five years ago. Shifting has yielded several positive results, some of which are invisible.

In his 15 years of coaching, Uhlman has noticed a tendency in most batters over their college careers.

“It typically doesn’t matter the type of pitcher — power pitcher, soft pitcher — (hitters) are pretty much going to hit it in the same areas they’ve always hit it in,” Uhlman said.

Uhlman knows this because he and the Oregon staff compile spray charts for almost every batter the Ducks face. The charts provide several key pieces of information.

“The area that a ball will be hit by the opponent based on right or left-handed pitcher and based on count,” Uhlman said.

The charts are also color coded to make the data easier to comprehend. Uhlman said, an accurate chart only requires 20-30 at-bats per batter.

If the spray charts indicate a batter’s tendency to pull the ball, the Ducks will use the shift. Oregon’s pitchers will then try to pitch inside to force the batter to hit into the shift.

But pitching this way can hurt the defense.

“It kind of gives me an idea of how they’re going to pitch me,” Oregon third baseman Mitchell Tolman said.

If batters like Tolman — who said he’s been shifted “a little bit” this season — know pitches will be inside, they don’t have to guess as much as usual. That can result in more walks and more hard hit balls.

Defenses also have to be wary of batters bunting for singles in the holes of shifted infields.

Uhlman isn’t too worried about either issue, though.

He said college pitchers often miss their intended targets, thus negating their predictability. Plus, Uhlman has seen a tendency for batters to hit the ball in the same place no matter what pitch is thrown or where it’s located.

Bunting to counteract the shift, in Uhlman’s opinion, is good for the defense, especially when a power hitter lays one down.

“We win because that’s a guy who can run the ball out of the park,” Uhlman said.

Washington State’s Nick Tanielu remembers being shifted every time he came to the plate against Oregon in April, and he noted another aspect of the shift that works in the defense’s favor.

“When you finally do see (the shift), it throws you off a bit,” Tanielu said.

Tanielu said he eventually grew accustomed to the shift, but its initial look can play mind games.

The shift for WSU’s Nick Tanielu, who just singled over the top of it: pic.twitter.com/GPRGV1bHzZ

— Victor Flores (@vflores415) April 19, 2014

Not every batter warrants a shift, and several batters will still get hits when the shift is on. But over large samples, the shift almost always proves to net positive results for the defense. It’s why Uhlman’s teams have used it for years and why it’s popping up much more frequently in MLB ballparks.

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

Like last Saturday, the Oregon baseball lineup gave Jeff Gold a lead after one inning. But this time, Gold secured the lead and pitched well into the night, helping Oregon (38-16, 16-10 Pac-12) beat UCLA (23-28-1, 10-15) by a score of 4-1 to win the series in Los Angeles, California.

Gold gave up 13 runs (nine earned) over his previous two starts and didn’t get out of the third inning last Saturday against Arizona State. The senior right-hander experienced no such struggles against UCLA, going six innings, allowing seven hits, no walks and one run (earned) while striking out two. He earned his 10th win of the season, tying him for first in the Pac-12. It was also Gold’s 23rd win of his career, tying him with Alex Keudell for most in school history.

With one out in the top of the first inning, Tyler Baumgartner worked a full count and drilled a fastball to right center field. UCLA center fielder Christoph Bono nearly made a tremendous diving catch, but the ball bounced off his glove, resulting in a triple for Baumgartner (2-for-5, one RBI). Kyle Garlick came up next and hit a line drive up the middle. UCLA shortstop Trent Chatterton made a diving stop but couldn’t exchange the ball from his glove to his hand, giving Garlick an RBI single.

In the top of the third, Desmond Santos led off with a single and was driven home two batters later by an Aaron Payne double to right center. Payne stole third two batters later, although it didn’t make a difference because Garlick drove a double to right, putting Oregon up 3-0.

Mark Karaviotis led off the fifth inning and hit a topspinning double to left. Baumgartner drove in Karaviotis two batters later with a single to right.

UCLA’s only run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Shane Zeile (2-for-4) blasted a Gold curveball over the left field fence for a solo home run, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

Jordan Spencer, Darrell Hunter, Garrett Cleavinger and Jake Reed combined to pitch three scoreless innings and preserve Gold’s win. Reed earned his 13th save of the year.

Oregon will go for the sweep of the Bruins tomorrow at 12:05 p.m. Brandon Tessar (2.81 ERA) gets the start for Oregon and will face Cody Poteet (3.95 ERA)

Noteworthy:

– Payne scored his 128th run of his career on Saturday, setting an Oregon record. He passed former shortstop J.J. Altobelli, who set the previous mark last season.

– UCLA starting pitcher Grant Watson went six innings, allowing eight hits, two walks and four runs (all earned) while striking out nine.

– Four of Watson’s strikeouts came against one batter, designated hitter Shaun Chase. Chase’s first three strikeouts were swinging, while the fourth came on a borderline called third strike.

– Chase led the Pac-12 in home runs going into Saturday but is now tied with Stanford’s Alex Blandino, who hit a three-run blast in the Cardinal’s 9-4 win over Washington State Saturday afternoon.

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

Redshirt freshman quarterback Damion Hobbs will not return to Oregon this fall and will transfer, according to reports. The Oregon athletic department has not yet confirmed Hobbs’ departure.

Hobbs, Jeff Lockie, Taylor Alie and incoming freshman Morgan Mahalak made up a group of quarterbacks fighting for the backup job behind Marcus Mariota. The group included redshirt sophomore Jake Rodrigues until he announced on Monday he would leave the Ducks and attempt to transfer.

ESPN and Rivals listed Hobbs as a three-star recruit coming out of high school. During his senior season at Cedar Hill (Texas) HS, Hobbs threw for 2,769 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 808 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

A man was arrested on 13th and Alder St. Friday around 10 p.m. for engaging in a physical altercation, according to Eugene Police Department officers and multiple witnesses. The man reportedly attacked several cars, as well.

The man was charged with criminal mischief, physical harassment, damaging a vehicle, disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer.

More to come.

Editors Note: An Emerald employee was involved in this incident. 

A man was arrested on 13th and Alder Street Friday around 10 p.m. for engaging in a physical altercation, according to Eugene Police Department officers and multiple witnesses. The man reportedly attacked several cars, as well.

The man was charged with criminal mischief, physical harassment, damaging a vehicle, disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer.

A woman on scene, Debbie Green, claims that the assailant was Lee Ulbricht, who has been her roommate on Alder Street for the last month.

According to Green, the night started out with Ulbricht drinking in their shared residence next to Cafe Carpe Diem on Alder. Green said Ulbricht then decided to start freestyle rapping on the corner of Alder and 13th Avenue in front of the blue heron statue.

Around 10 p.m. witnesses say that two of the men who had been freestyle rapping got into an argument before the incident escalated.

“He started an argument about something then went into a shoving match and everybody started hitting each other,” Anthony Hickerson, a witness on scene, said.

Following the argument, the man started attacking strangers — anyone he could get his hands on, witnesses say — before he was hit in the face with a skateboard and temporarily disabled.

“I was trying to pick him up off the ground, say come back to my house. ‘This is not okay. Stop it,’” Green said.

Instead, she says that Ulbricht got off the ground and proceeded down Alder Street attacking both cars and people until police arrived on scene. He was arrested in the Sacred Heart Parking lot following a brief chase, police say.

“This guy got banged up pretty good … he had a busted up face and was resistive,” an officer said. “We had to kind of wrestle with him.”

Sergeant Harrison told the Emerald Saturday evening that police used pepper spray to subdue the resistant Ulbricht. Harrison said Ulbricht was then transported to the hospital due to the injury he suffered from the skateboard before he was taken to jail.

According to Lane Today, a man named Lee Deforest Ulbricht was arrested on four counts of felony assault, two counts of assault and reckless endangering in February of this year.

Green said Ulbricht told her he was on probation. She believes that alcohol played a significant factor in tonight’s events.

“He is my friend and I don’t want to see him in trouble,” Green said. “He’s not well. He needs help.”

Update (10:35 a.m. May 17): Ulbricht was arrested by Eugene police and jailed  at 12:47 a.m. on May 17 the Lane County Inmate Information website confirms. He received four charges — disorderly conduct, harassment, criminal mischief, interfering with a police officer — that all require bail in order for him to be released. Disorderly conduct and harassment each require $280 worth of bail, criminal mischief requires $530 and interfering with a police officer requires $790.

Eder Campuzano contributed to the reporting of this piece

During Oregon softball season, our sports staff will discuss various topics surrounding an upcoming series. Today, Emerald sports reporters Hayden Kim, Ryan Kostecka and Jonathan Hawthorne preview Oregon’s upcoming games in Regionals.

1) What are your expectations for the Ducks heading into Regionals?

Kim — With the No. 1 overall seed, the Ducks will have a relatively easy road to Super Regionals. Similar to last year, the Ducks are the favorite in their region to advance and I fully expect them to advance with ease.

Kostecka — I expect them to cruise through Regionals and set up a possible rematch with Auburn in Super Regionals. The Ducks are clicking in all three phases of the game (except the one bad defensive game against Arizona) and they’ll just be too much to handle for any regional team.

Hawthorne — Oregon has the clear edge this weekend as the No. 1 overall seed in the country. The Ducks should feel confident in their ability but should continue to follow the one-day-at-a-time mentality to not overlook any opponent in the double-elimination format. They should be able to escape the regional round without any troubles.

2) Who or what will be the key for the Ducks in the postseason? Why?

Kim — The pitching trio of Cheridan Hawkins, Jasmine Smithson-Willett and Karissa Hovinga will be the key to success for the Ducks this postseason. If last year’s loss to Nebraska served as a symbol of how games are won in the postseason, Oregon’s pitching rotation will once again be essential to how far they can go. Coming off a season where Hawkins was named Pac-12 pitcher of the year, a lot of pressure will be riding on her back, as well as the rest of the Oregon pitchers.

Kostecka — The combination of responding when the opponent scores and limiting the opponent to a minimal amount of runs. If Oregon can keep opponents to single-run innings and not give up the “big” inning, that’ll be huge in never letting the opponent gain momentum. On the flip side, the Ducks will have to make sure to respond in the following at-bat after giving up runs, thus keeping the mojo flowing.

Hawthorne — This postseason, it’ll be all about the pitching. Hawkins, Smithson-Willett and Hovinga will keep the Ducks in games and ensure that they won’t get themselves in holes that they will have to offensively dig themselves out of. This season, Oregon’s pitching has paved the way for success and coach Mike White will no doubt rely on his rotation to keep the run going.

3) Do you believe losing to Nebraska last year in Super Regionals will have any impact this postseason?

Kim — The entire team hasn’t been shy about how much the loss to Nebraska last year has motivated them and I don’t blame them. While this is virtually a new Oregon roster, their mentality this postseason will heavily involve the bitter taste that still resides. Whether or not it will result in wins, their loss will have a level of impact on the postseason.

Kostecka — I do not. During the offseason, losing to Nebraska should’ve stung like crazy and it likely provided the Ducks all the focus and energy they needed to get better over the summer and in the spring. But this is a new Oregon team and a new year so the Ducks can’t focus on last year. They must remain focused on the task at hand and that will lead them to Oklahoma City.

Hawthorne — When Oregon lost to Nebraska on its own field last year, the memory was undoubtedly painful for the team. The Ducks have used that moment at Howe Field as a motivator the entire season and will no doubt push them towards success, while not overlooking each opponent they face.

4) Is there anything/anyone who makes you believe the Ducks have a better chance to reach the Women’s College World Series this year in comparison to last year?

Kim — The Ducks’ batting order makes me believe they will advance past Super Regionals this year. I do agree that the pitching battles will be the key to wins, but Oregon’s batting order is better than it was last year. Having said that, I think they will hold as the difference — even against the best pitchers in the country.

Kostecka — Yes, and it starts with Courntey Ceo and ends with Nikki Udria. This Oregon batting lineup is far and above better than the lineup it had last year and it shows in nearly every statistical category. Over and over again, the Ducks have responded to pressure with huge innings and I don’t see that changing. Nearly every game, a different batter has done the damage, so that depth is what will ultimately help Oregon reach the WCWS.

Hawthorne — This year, all the pieces have aligned at the right time. They’ve dealt with the pressure of the No. 1 ranking for the second half of the season and have not cracked under the spotlight. Coach Mike White has kept the mood light among the players while also demanding excellence, which has led to more success. I think that the pressure of the Regional and Super Regional rounds can be immense, which is where the cumulative pressure can be all the difference.

Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne

Oregon head baseball coach George Horton spoke to the media on Wednesday, the day after a high-scoring victory over Pacific. But the Ducks struggled in a series loss to Arizona State over the weekend, and Horton discussed his concerns with his team’s performance in those three games. He also looked ahead to this weekend when the Ducks play UCLA, a team Horton said is similar to the Ducks.

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

UPDATE: This story was updated Tuesday evening around 9 p.m. with responses from Austin Meek and Jennifer Freyd, who are both criticized in the complaint at the bottom of this post.

Former Eugene City Councilor Kevin Hornbuckle sent a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education against the University of Oregon and the athletic department for Title IX violations Monday afternoon. The injured parties in Hornbuckle’s complaint include three former Oregon men’s basketball players — Dominic Artis, Brandon Austin and Damyean Dotson — who were investigated for an alleged rape and later kicked off the team.

Title IX is a federal law that “protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.”

Hornbuckle emailed the Emerald with his full complaint, which he emailed to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Monday afternoon. An OCR spokesperson told the Emerald he could not confirm the receipt for Hornbuckle’s complaint, per OCR policy.

“If after evaluation the Education Department opens an investigation into a complaint, we will inform the institution, the complainant and the public, as appropriate,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

In addition to the three players, Hornbuckle also listed “prospective students” and “students enrolled at University of Oregon, particularly male students” as parties whose Title IX rights have been violated.

Hornbuckle argues that the alleged rape on March 9 was consensual, citing the dismissal of the case by the District Attorney and the Eugene Police Department for lack of evidence.

As such, he believes that the university’s response to the incident was a violation of Title IX.

“The University of Oregon administration participated in generating a climate of hysteria by failing to defend the three male students, and by very publicly impugning their morals and character,” Hornbuckle wrote.

Hornbuckle said UO president Michael Gottfredson, head men’s basketball coach Dana Altman and athletic director Rob Mullens violated Artis, Austin and Dotson’s privacy and “caused a wave of public hostility,” not just against the three players but against the Ducks basketball program and male students in general.

“Rob Mullens, UO athletic director, suspended the three players after reading the police report, which readily illustrates that the players were engaged in private conduct and in compliance with the university’s student code of conduct,” Hornbuckle wrote.

Hornbuckle provided several examples of what he describes as “public hostility,” including Gottfredson’s and Altman’s comments to the media on Friday, reader comments that ensued from newspaper articles and student protests on the UO campus. Hornbuckle believes the university didn’t take into enough account the statements from self-proclaimed witness Kelsy Altson to KATU and KWVA last week that conflict with the police report. Hornbuckle believes that they instead catered to “misinformation” from people such as the Register-Guard columnist Austin Meek.

Hornbuckle cites two paragraphs from Meek’s May 8 column entitled “Who’s Setting the Message?” that he believes aren’t in accordance with the police report.

“No, the players in question – Austin, Damyean Dotson and Dominic Artis – weren’t charged with a crime,” Meek wrote in his column. ”It’s still disturbing to read how they worked in concert, identifying a woman and, according to the police report, pulling her into multiple encounters over the course of a night.”

The other part of Meek’s story Hornbuckle took issue with:

“The police report makes it clear: Even if authorities were telling the school not to kick up too much dust, the players should have been suspended.”

Hornbuckle said the content in both of Meek’s cited paragraphs aren’t truly what the police report says.

Meek responded to Hornbuckle’s comments in an email to the Emerald Tuesday night.

“As a columnist, part of my job is to interpret information and offer my own opinion,” Meek wrote in his email. “When I wrote that it was clear the players should have been suspended, I wasn’t referencing a literal segment of the police report. It was my own judgment, based on statements from all parties and my understanding of the rules for Oregon athletes.

“The report leaves little doubt that multiple encounters occurred. At one point, the woman describes how ‘all three men again pulled her into the bathroom.’ Regardless of whether those encounters were consensual, the report makes it clear — to me, at least — that the players had a role in facilitating them.”

Hornbuckle also took issue with several statements made by UO psychology professor Jennifer Freyd when she appeared on Oregon Public Radio on May 7.

In his complaint, Hornbuckle cited several of Freyd’s quotes, including this: ”First of all, we have a lot of people on campus who are themselves survivors of this sort of crime. And when they hear about this it can be very deeply distressing. But even those who have not experienced this crime, many of them feel very hurt by what they understand to be the situation and the process here. And so part of the rally is to create a community of people who are hurting…”

Hornbuckle took issue with implications he interpreted in Freyd’s statement.

“Dr. Freyd states that a crime had been committed, although she knew before and during this interview that the district attorney declined to file charges,” Hornbuckle wrote.

He felt similarly about Freyd’s treatment of Austin, who is currently under investigation for an alleged sexual assault in November 2013 when he was at Providence College.

“Freyd adds that the allegation from Rhode Island against one of the players should have been considered in making the decision whether to issue an email alert to the campus community, especially considering that one of the individuals who was allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct did have a history of a prior complaint,” Hornbuckle cites in the letter.

According to Hornbuckle, Freyd believes Austin should be treated as if he has been guilty of sexual assault twice, even though Austin hasn’t been charged in either case.

Hornbuckle also mentioned the Clery Act, which requires the reporting of crimes such as sexual assault. The Act’s requirements “do not cover the situation occurring off campus between consenting students,” Hornbuckle wrote.

He believes the evidence in the police report indicated consensual sex. Freyd’s behavior in the aftermath of this story, Hornbuckle wrote, “has created a hostile and fearful environment” for college age people wanting to engage in sexual activity.

“Dr. Freyd is clearly engaging in unethical conduct in order to attain funding,” Hornbuckle wrote. “The street term for this is ‘shake down.’ By making inflamatory statements to the press, the administration itself is complicit in this exercise.”

Freyd responded to Hornbuckles comments via email to the Emerald Tuesday evening.

“It is the right of every American to make Title IX complaints in the case of real or perceived discrimination on the basis of sex,” Freyd wrote. “Federal review of the current situation at the UO may be appropriate. Unfortunately we have a systemic problem of sexual violence in our society.

“All too often the response to allegations of sexual assault is to attack the messenger and blame the victim rather than confront the conditions that create violence. It is the responsibility of public universities to protect their students.”

Freyd was asked for her response to Hornbuckle’s comments saying Freyd believes the basketball players committed a crime on March 9 and that Austin “should be treated as if he is twice guilty.”

“I don’t know how to respond to things I didn’t say,” Freyd wrote in an email.

Hornbuckle concluded his complaint saying the “ever expanding definition of sexual assault has created a crisis on university campuses nationwide, and in Canada.”

His complaint to the U.S. Department of Education is a call for federal involvement to restore what he considers “normal channels of discourse and information dissemination.”

“To be sure, it is a dangerous situation when the President of the University of Oregon so fears for his job, and the coach and athletic director too, that they sacrifice the reputations and educations of innocent young men,”  Hornbuckle wrote. “The need for federal intervention per Title IX is clear and compelling.”

The Emerald contacted the UO and the athletic department for comment Tuesday afternoon. The athletic department had no comment and the UO has not yet responded to the Emerald’s calls and emails.

Hornbuckle’s full complaint can be viewed here.

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415