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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1976)
I emerald ^ sports Gilmore trying slowly to regain form of 1974 A sport that originated with Indian tribes, lacrosse is growing on the West Coast An old game, but new interest By SAYRE MACNEIL For the Emerald Lacrosse is the only North American Indian game still played in the United States. The Oregon lacrosse team is seven years old, and the game itself is perhaps 1,000. The first history of the game was recorded by French ex plorers who gave it the name "the cross because the stick reminded them of a bishop's staff or "crozter" There are records of forty-eight differ ent tribes that played lacrosse, the majority be longing to the Iroquois Nation in the northeastern U S. and Canada Though the sport has been slow in reaching the west coast it has been played intercollegiately in the east for over forty years. In fact, most Oregon players learned in the East. Attackmen John Meyer and Don Eber learned in Connecticut, midfielders Joe Graham and Brent Summers played in New York, defenseman Bill Petersen played in high school on Long Is land, with goalie Herb Hincks coming from Balti more. A lacrosse game in the Northwest is still a rare sight. The Duck team must drive 100 miles to play its nearest opponents, the Portland Lacrosse Club. As members of the Pacific Northwest La crosse Association, they also play four teams from Washington, so an average road game re quires around 600 miles of travel. That is soon to change, however. In the past year, three new teams have begun in the North west, and six new squads in the San Francisco area. Perhaps contributing to the surging popularity of the sport is the fact that it is exciting to watch. The object is to throw and catch a hard rubber ball with a netted stick, and so maneuver the ball into a 6 ft. by 6 ft. goal. It is like hockey in that opponents can block each other and check each other's sticks and it is like basketball in that the ball moves rapidly up and down the field, and picks and screens are used to set up shots. In short, it is a fast-moving, rough game. Nearly every major college in New England, including the Ivy League, has a varsity lacrosse team. The national championships, usually played in Maryland, draw over 20,000 spectators every year. It may be some time before one sees a crowd like that out for lacrosse in Eugene, but now every Pac-8 school except OSU and WSU has a team, so it might be sooner than you think. Duck subs provide heroics in 3-2 win By JOHN HENDERSON Of the Emerald Oregon Baseball Coach Mel Krause has probably never had a better game for substitutions Substitutes Jeff Stanton and Don Heil came up with key hits in the eighth inning, and reliever Ray Paiement pitched Oregon out of a jam to preserve a 5-3 win over visiting Portland Wednesday. It pushed the Ducks’ record to 19-13, and clinches Oregon's 44th non-losing season in a row. The last time Oregon fell below .500 was in 1932 when it was 5-10. “I'm really happy we assured the streak of years for not going below .500," said Krause. “I was wondering from the very start of the season.” Oregon almost let it slip by in the fifth inning when Craig Deardorff scored Jim Dean with a sacrifice fly to give Portland a 3-2 lead. But Stanton, who replaced Mike Con nolly in the second inning, drilled the first pitch of the eighth inning over the center-field fence to tie the score. After Ray Smith flew out and Rob Closs struck out, Tim Stack reached base on an error. Hank Love singled him to second to set up Heil. Krause pinch-hitted him for Dave Ulrich, and he responded with a single to center to score pinch-runner Craig Fetzer. Tim Reed followed with a blooping single to left to score Heil. The Pilots didn't want to be vic tims of the Ducks' streak, how ever, as a single, a walk and a sacrifice put runners on second and third with one out in the ninth. Paiement came on in relief for Mark Carnathan, however, to strike out Al Reamer and Nick Kintz to end the game. “It’s real nice to have a relief pitcher come in and retire the side," said Krause. "Ray did it one other time in Seattle. But the rest have been few and far between." Port and 000 210 000 — 3 4 3 Oregon 002 000 03* — 5 9 3 Newman. Hays (5). and Robertson Peterson Jordan (6). Carnathan (8). Paiement (9). and Reed W — Carnathan (40). L — Hays 26 — Oregon. Smith 2 HR — Oregon, Stanton RBI — Portland, Deardortl. Hurst Oregon, Stanton. He*. Reed By JOHN HENDERSON Of the Emerald Before arm problems sidelined him last season, Oregon pitcher Eric Gilmore utilized a sneaky fast ball and good control to make the All-Northern Division team as a sophomore But if he’s going to regain that form of 1974, he’ll use something else: patience. At the beginning of this year, in a period which makes or breaks most pitchers trying to come back, Gilmore had a start that would break most hurlers. After three games, Gilmore gave up 19 hits in 14 innings and had a lofty 5.76 earned run average. ‘‘After you lay off for a while, you tend to forget fundamentals,” said Gilmore as he basked in the sun in the Howe Field bleachers. “I had a misconception of how to throw. I thought I threw more side-arm. I didn’t have any velocity and had bad control at first. “I could throw strikes, but not good strikes. They were all waist high” Gilmore kept his cool, however, and has shown some signs of his 1974 form. He went to Washing ton last weekend, and threw a six-hit shutout which helped him raise his record to 3-2 and lower his ERA to 3.29. “His ball is really moving,” said Duck Coach Mel Krause. “In his first few starts, everything went straight. I can see his fast ball coming, and he’s starting to strike out people.” Gilmore doesn't have to look at films or statistics to describe his progress. “I'm pleased just to play after sitting out 19 months," said Gil more. “I wasn't sure I’d ever play again. And I threw a Pac-8 game which I didn’t think I’d ever do.” A year-and-a-half is a long time to sit out for any athlete. And with the success Gilmore has had in the past, it’s especially tough. He compiled an incredible 0.50 ERA at Beaverton High School, and came back to have an equally awesome year in American Leg ion. After he pitched his freshman year on the Oregon JVs, Gilmore built a 17-0 record to lead Watco Electric of Portland to third place in the nation. “That really helped a lot,” said Gilmore. “I got a lot of confidence and those extra innings were re ally valuable.” Bursting forth with confidence and momentum, Gilmore helped lead Oregon to the Northern Divi sion championship in 1974. With an 8-1 record and a 2.20 ERA, Gilmore appeared headed for a storybook success story. His shoulder, however, had other plans It was during the last game of the national Semi-Pro tournament in Wichita, Kan. that summer when Gilmore was pitching for Eureka, Calif. He didn't feel a thing when it happened. “Afterwards, my arm stayed tight but it always does after games,” he said. “I just thought I’d lay off for a few weeks because I never really thought it would be serious.” It turned out to be tendonitis of the shoulder, and Gilmore began a year of waiting. “After a while, I just stopped thinking about it,” he said. “I couldn't dwell on it too long so dur ing the summer I played golf, worked and had a great time. I think a lot of people in athletics re-adjust themselves when their careers are over.” Gilmore isn't about to hang up the spikes, however, as he still has stints this Saturday with Washington State and next week against Oregon State. And he may not be through then. After red-shirting last year, he still has another year of eligibil ity left. Oregon baseball, however, may lose out to academics. He decided this year to get a jour nalism degree as well as a history degree, and needs 17 more cre dits to achieve it. “It all depends on whether I want to stay around for a whole year,” said Gilmore. “I can graduate in one or two terms. It also depends on how good a summer I have (in City League ball), and how I feel. I don't really know right now.” And like he has been so much before, he'll be patient. Spoftfolio -= Netiers, golfers face tourneys in Seattle Two Oregon squads will be in Seattle this weekend for tournament competition. The tennis team, coming off one of its best seasons ever, will start play today in the Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate Championships. Besides the Ducks, teams from Washington, Washington State and Seattle University will be entered. Oregon's golf squad, meanwhile, will try and keep its suc cess going in the Northern Division Championship Meet. The Duck golfers, who have won the title five out of the tournament’s ten years, are heavily favored again this season over Oregon State, Washington and Washington State. Women’s soccer squad gets two victories The University women's soccer team recently won two games by whipping Oregon State 5-1 and the Portland Thun derbirds 4-1. Oregon’s next competition will be Sunday when it hosts Washington State at Autzen Stadium.
