Friday
May 21,1999
Best Bet
NBA Playoffs
Indiana vs. Philadelphia
5 p.m., TNT
Oregon unable to find offense in loss
A loss to first
seed Texas at
12:30 p.m.
today would
eliminate the
Ducks from the
postseason
By Tim Pyle
Oregon Daily Emerald
In her first collegiate postseason appear
ance, freshman pitcher Connie McMurren
sparkled.
The problem was, she did not receive any
offensive support from the rest of the Oregon
softball team in Thursday’s 1-0 loss to No.
10 Illinois-Chicago at the NCAA Softball Re
gionals in Chicago.
Now, the No. 19 Ducks, the regional’s
fourth seed, are one loss away from elimina
tion with first-seed Texas their opponent at
12:30 p.m. today.
The Flames (66-15 overall) took advantage
of playing on their campus — although sec
ond-seed DePaul is officially the regional’s
host — by riding the pitching of junior
Samantha luli to victory.
Iuli, who finished the regular season 37-7
with a 1.09 earned-run average, threw her
17th shutout in limiting Oregon (39-28) to
just two hits. She also added to her season
total of 351 strikeouts in 289 innings pitched
by striking out nine Ducks.
“Sam kept us off balance most of the after
noon,” Oregon head coach Rick Gamez said in
a released statement “She started with the rise
ball and just kept getting it
higher and higher.
“We were very undisci
plined at the plate. We’ve
got good aggressive hitters,
but we kept chasing balls
out of the zone.”
At first, the Ducks, who have now scored
just three runs in their last four games,
looked like they would break out of their of
fensive slump.
Oregon outfielder Jill Robinson led off the
game with a double. But Iuli sandwiched
three outs, two of them strikeouts, around an
intentional walk issued to Triawn Custer to
escape the first inning unscathed.
With McMurren, 15-12 with a 2.55 ERA
entering the game, keeping Illinois-Chica
go’s bats in check, the game remained score
less through three innings.
But in the bottom of the fourth, the Flames
manufactured what would prove to be the
only and winning run.
Shortstop Jennifer Tiffany reached base
on Ducks third baseman Christi Shelton’s er
ror and advanced to second on Gina
Arnold’s single. A fielder’s choice got
Tiffany to third, before Iuli drove her home
with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Oregon was unable to generate another
base hit off Iuli until pinch-hitter Kelly
Planche singled with one out in the Ducks’
last at-bat. From there, Jennie Cook struck
out looking and Andrea Gustafson flied out
to end the game.
NCAA
Softball
Regionals
Thursday:
Hlinoi$*Chicago1,
Oregon 0
Today:
Oregon vs. Texas,
12:30 p.m.
Pac-10 Championships
NickMedley/FmeraUI
Sophomore Ryan Keith, making his second postseason appearance, leads a trio of Duck javelin throwers into the Pac-10 Championships in Tempo, Ariz.
Pac-lOs next hurdle for qualified Ducks
After a trying regular
season, members of the
men’s team are ready
By Allison Ross
Oregon Daily Emerald
The outdoor track and field
season has been in hill swing
since March, but this week
end is the true beginning.
Before each meet, members
of the Oregon men’s track and
field team were aiming for
two goals: a Pacific-10 Confer
ence Championships-qualify
ing mark and an automatic
NCAA bid.
Today, the 23 athletes who
did qualify for the Pac-lOs in
their respective events, begin
competition at Sun Angel Sta
dium in Tempe, Ariz.
For some of the competi
tors, the road to the Pac-lOs
was simple — pole vaulter Pi
otr Buciarski qualified, not
only for this weekend but also
for the championships, with
his season-best vault of 18
feet, 2 1/2 inches in mid April.
Howard Moore clinched his
spot in the 200 and 400 meters
in April as did Ryan Keith in
the javelin.
For some, including Micah
Davis, the defending champi
on in the steeplechase, quali
Turn to MEN, Page 9A
Many members of the
women’s team hope to
secure NCAA marks
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
Marie Davis has never won
a Pacific-10 Conference title.
The five-time All-American
won eight races last season be
fore the Pac-10 Champi
onships, but her chances of
winning were diminished by
a foot injury. Davis still fin
ished the 3,000 meters at last
season’s Pac-lOs in a record
second-place time of 9 min
utes, 33.25 seconds.
After the race, Davis was in
so much pain that she could
n’t walk.
But when Davis toes the
line for the 3,000 today at the
Pac-10 meet, she won’t feel
the pain of an injury that ham
pered her earlier this season.
“I’m in just as good of
shape, maybe better, than last
year,” Davis said. “I got in
jured a year ago, but this year
I’m ready to go. It’s my last
time out there, so I want to go
out and do absolutely as well
as I can and know that I com
pletely gave it my all.”
Davis — who also competes
in the 5,000 on Saturday — is
Turn to WOMEN, Page 9A
UO struggles
to 10th place
in first round
The men’s golf team is one shot
out of NCAA-qualifying position
heading into today’s play
By Brett Williams
lor the Emerald
The bad news for Oregon is it didn’t play
to its capabilities during the opening round
of the NCAA West Regionals on Thursday
in Tucson Ariz., finishing 10th, The good
news is the majority of the rest of the field
didn’t play well either.
The Ducks managed a 297 during the first
round, a high score for Oregon but only four
shots off sixth place. And the Ducks are just
one shot off cracking the top nine, which is
necessary to advance to nationals.
Oregon’s performance
irked head coach Steve
Nosier.
“We’re not satisfied,”
Nosier said. “I actually
thought it was going to be
worse than it was because
other teams were struggling. I am just glad to
day was only 18 holes.”
Oregon started off slow and had to fight
back into position. Ryan Lavoie was four over
after four holes, and had trouble recovering
the rest of the way, finishing with a 76. Derek
Croskrey had woes on the green, where
Nosier estimates he missed “four putts inside
four feet.” Even Oregon leader Ben Crane ,
who finished second individually at the tour
nament last season, finished the day tied for
14th.
Putting was a thorn in the Ducks’ feathers
throughout the first round.
“We putted very poorly,” Nosier said. “I
saw very few putts go in the hole, and we’re
| usually a very good putting team. ”
Nosier believes his team will recover dur
ing today’s second round.
“We have some work to do, but we knew
we’d have to work when we came down
here,” Nosier said.
Arizona State, last season’s regionals co
champion, led the pack with a score of 283,
courtesy of Jeff Quinney and Matt Jones. Both
players shot a 69 to tie Fresno State’s Todd
Rose for second place individually. Brigham
Young’s Jose Garrido is in first place with a
68. The Cougars are tied with Nevada-Las Ve
gas for second place in the team standings
with a score of288.