BEST BETS
Major League Baseball
Atlanta at San Diego
7:05p.m. TBS(32)
a
Sports
Emerald
Offseason Report
EMERALD
Oregon’s Jenny Mowe in exhibition action against the Portland Saints last season, which she redshirted after a knee injury.
Women poised for sixth NCAA trip
Jenny Mowe and the rest of the
Oregon women's basketball
team are poised to enter the
national spotlight in 1998-99
By Mirjam Swanson
Freelance Reporter
In her five seasons as head coach of the
Oregon women’s basketball team, )ody
Runge has enjoyed unprecedented suc
cess. She’s led the Ducks to five straight
NCAA tournament appearances, an over
all record of 96-47, and a 61-29 mark in
the Pacific-10 Conference.
At McArthur Court, her teams are 65
13 and playing before consistently in
creasing crowds. Last year’s average at
tendance of 4,169 was the 17th-largest
figure in the nation, and 730 more than
what it was in Oregon’s 1996-97 season.
Perhaps unfortunately for Duck fans,
the coach’s accomplishments have not
gone unnoticed. She was named the
1998 women’s basketball collegiate
coach of the year by the Women’s Basket
ball News Service, and was also one of
seven coaches considered for the head
coach position at Texas A&M, which was
offering a reported $1.5 million contract.
Runge, who is in the last year of her
four-year, $360,000 contract at Oregon,
withdrew from contention for the Texas
A&M job before the decision was made,
opting to stay with the Ducks for a sixth
season.
“1 just think her passing up $1.5 mil
lion and coming back to this program
says a lot for what she’s
expecting for us next
lyear,” sophomore Jenny
lMowe said. “I personally
love playing for Coach
Runge. She’s just a great
person and a great coach,
and she just makes you
want to play for her."
With a strong nucleus of talent rehabil
itated and returning from last year’s 17
10 team, which survived its share of ad
versity to finish fourth in the Pac-10, the
1998-99 team could turn out to be
Runge’s most successful yet.
“I think we’ll definitely be up there.”
Mowe said. “Our goal next year is to
reach the Sweet Sixteen or the Elite
Eight. That’s a good goal for next year.'
Mowe will be part of a young and tal
ented front court that may be the best in
the Pac-10. The 6-foot-5 center, who was
voted onto the Pac-10 all-freshman team
two years ago, redshirted last season be
cause of tendonitis in her right knee.
‘‘I just sat there," Mowe said. “It was so
frustrating, and now I’m ready to just
knock some heads.”
Also back is Brianne Meharry, who her
self was part of the 1998 Pac-10 all-fresh
man team despite not having played in
the final 12 games of the season. The 6
foot-1 forward’s campaign was shortened
when she suffered a torn anterior cruciate
ligament during a game against Arizona
State. At the time of her injury, Meharry
was scoring 13.1 points and grabbing six
rebounds a game to lead the Ducks in both
departments.
Angelina Wolvert, a 6-foot-3 sopho
more, will also return after having recent
ly tried out for the 1998 USA Basketball
Women’s Jones Cup and Select teams
with some of the top collegiate players in
the nation. Wolvert looks to take her game
from the low post, where she averaged
more than nine points and five boards a
Turn to WOMEN, Page 6
Ems scorch
Salem with
6-run inning
The Emeralds clinched their first
win oj a three game senes with
Salem-Keizer in a 9-3 win on
Monday night at Civic Stadium
By Allison Ross
Freelance Reponer
Thank heavens for the seventh-inning
stretch.
After allowing Salem-Keizer to remain
within one run through seven-and-a-half
innings on Monday, the Eugene Emeralds
scored six times in their half of the seventh
to put the Volcanoes awav and win 9-3 in
front of 2,329 fans at Civic Stadium.
The victory served as revenge for the
Ems, who had suffered disheartening de
feats the past two nights, and for the first
time in the three-game series, no Ems play
ers or coaches were ejected.
The nig]
to be doub
for the V
The Ems’
ning was I
ed by bac
doubles
fielder 1
and right
ry Simn
scored from second off Simmons' double
just after left fielder Greg Strickland was
thrown out at the plate on Cox’s own two
base hit. It was one of three instances in
which an Emerald player was picked off.
When asked if he told his team to be
more aggressive on the base path, Emer
ald’s manager Jim Saul said, “We’ve got
speed, but we run at times when we
shouldn’t and I’m trying to control that. I
wanted [Strickland) to go in that situation,
but the fact is we've got to execute on those
situations.”
Although Eugene may have lost a run or
two from failing to execute on those at
tempts, it didn’t matter. The Emeralds sev
enth-inning beating of the Volcanoes’
pitching staff erased any missed opportuni
ties and clinched the game.
Salem-Keizer starter Randy Goodrich
opened the inning by walking first
baseman Gregg Maluchnik and catcher Tye
Hanseen. A bunt by Strickland loaded the
bases and began the rally. Volcanoes third
baseman John Summers thought the bunt
was foul and held on long enough for Strick
le trouble
oleanoes
first in
lighlight
:k-to-back
ly center
•ian Cox
ielder Jer
Turnto EMS, Page 8
Sosa homers twice to pull even with McGwire in Maris chase
now Sammy Sosa and Mark
McGwire are now just 15 homers
shy of Maris’ record 61 in 1961
By Rob Gloster
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Sammy Sosa hit his
45th and 46th homers to tie Mark McGwire
for the major league lead as the Chicago
Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 8-5
Monday night.
Sosa’s first homer of the night, a towering
blast into the first row of the left-field
bleachers, was the first of three consecutive
solo shots by the Cubs.
His second one, a solo blast over the cen
ter-field bleachers estimated at 480 feet,
pulled him even for the first time this sea
son with McGwire — who went homerless
in St. Louis’ loss to the New York Mets on
Monday.
Tyler Houston added a two-run shot as
the Cubs hit five homers on a balmy night
with the wind blowing out at 20 m.p.h.
Chicago broke a four-game losing streak.
With the win, the Cubs held on to their
half-game lead over the Mets in the race for
the NL wild-card spot. The Giants, who
have lost five straight to match their worst
skid of the season, fell three games behind
the Cubs.
Sosa’s first homer began a streak of three
straight homers in a span of eight pitches.
Mark Grace followed with his 13th homer
and Henry Rodriguez added his 28th.
It was the sixth time in Cubs history the
club had three consecutive homers.
Sosa went 2-for-5 while increasing his
NL-leading RBI total to 116. He struck out in
the first and third innings, and popped to
second in the ninth.
Barry Bonds hit his third homer in two
games, a controversial three-run blast, and
Jeff Kent added a solo shot, his 17th, two
pitches later for the Giants in the third in
ning.
Bonds’ 398th homer tied him with Dale
Murphy for 28th on the career list and
moved him within two
homers of becoming the
first major leaguer with
400 homers and 400
stolen bases.
The shot bounced off
the wall just above the
yellow home run line and just beyond the
reach of center fielder Brant Brown. A fan
reached for the ball and appeared to touch
it, leading to a short argument from the
Cubs.
Bonds, who has 24 home runs this sea
son, had homered twice Sunday night in a
loss to Atlanta.
Kevin Tapani (14-7) allowed five runs on
10 hits in 5 2-3 innings for the Cubs. He has
won six of his last seven decisions.
Former Giant Rod Beck, returning for the
first time to the ballpark he called home
from 1991-1997, pitched the ninth for his
34th save. He retired Bonds on a fly ball to
the wall in right for the final on*
Giants starter Russ Ortiz (12, illowed six
runs and six hits in five innings. The Giants
have allowed 20 homers in their last five
games.
Notes: The Cubs’ previous b,jck-to-back
to-back homers were by Brian McRae, Ryne
Sandberg and Grace on April 19, 1996, at
Wrigley Field against the Giants.... The Gi
ants have hit back-to-back homers five times
this year. ... The Cubs have hit 104 homers
in their last 70 games. ... The Giants are 10
20 since the All-Star break.
Tnocriaw AiiniictU 1QQQ flrannn nil/., r™._u C