7 just started laughing... 1 told her,
‘ You launched that thing. You almost
nailed their coach in the dugout.”’
Oregon softball player Erin Goodell about
Breanne Sabol’s error last weekend against Oregon State
■ Men's track and field
Relay team
seeking its
third title
in a row
Oregon runners will take part in
the Cardinal Invitational and
the Drake Relays this weekend
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
The Oregon men’s track and field team
splits up this weekend as the majority of
the Ducks head for the Drake Relays in Des
Moines, Iowa, on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Oregon will send some of its
top distance runners to compete in the
Cardinal Invitational at the Cobb Ttack &
Angell Field in Stanford, Calif., on Sunday.
Saturday’s competition in Iowa
will mark the first time the No. 11 Ducks
have competed in the Drake Relays since
1999 and will be highlighted by the
4xl00-meter relay team, which will go
for a third straight relay title as well as
a new school record. In the last two
events in as many weeks, the Ducks have
nearly eclipsed the time of 39.80 set in
1991 and have notched two top-five times
in Oregon history.
“We expect an extremely good time,” re
lay team member Richard Del Rincon said.
“If the handoffs are good, we should get
the school record.”
The Ducks are ranked third in the
Pacific-10 Conference this season.
Not to be outdone, the 4x400 relay team
of Kedar Inico, A.K. Ikwuakor, Tfavis An
derson and Matt Scherer will face off
against NCAA Indoor Championship com
petitors Baylor and Northern Iowa, who
finished second and third, respectively,
just ahead of the fifth-place Ducks in
March. In that race, the Ducks set an Ore
gon indoor record of 3:04.17.
Also in the sprinter category, redshirt
sophomore Jordan Kent has settled
into the outdoor season by winning two
of his first three individual events
since making his return at the Pepsi
Invitational, including his long jump
title last week at the Oregon Invitational.
Kent won the event by more than six
inches, but according to teammate
Leonidas Watson, he stili has some issues
to work through.
“It was great,” Watson said of Kent’s
performance last week. “Just a hot of tech
nical stuff he isn’t doing, and he’s jumping
that far without doing all that technical
stuff. Man, he’s ready to go far.”
In the field events, senior Paul Etter
will lead the field and try to better his
season best of 203 feet, four inches in the
hammer throw.
“I’m expecting to get a big mark,” Etter
said. “I haven’t had one since the (Oregon)
Preview. Anything over 62, 63 meters
would be great.”
A quintet of Oregon distance runners
will make the trip to Stanford on Sunday,
lead by seniors Eric Logsdon and Brett
Holts. Holts will compete in his second
steeplechase event of the season, while
Logsdon will compete in the 5,000-meters.
Also competing will be Robert Gillespie in
the 800-meters, Kyle Alcorn and Scott Wall
in the steeplechase and Nick Dalton in the
1,500-meters.
briansmith@ daily emerald. com
■ Duck softball
EMERALD
Oregon shortstop Breanne Sabol, left and below, and second baseman Erin Goodell, right, have anchored the
Ducks’ defense for the past three seasons. The duo has helped Oregon lead the conference in double plays
this season with 17.
Double Duty
Double Du
Erin Goodell and Breanne Sabol have helped
the Ducks lead the conference in double plays
BY CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS EDITOR
The old saying goes
that a double play
is a pitcher’s
best friend.
For Oregon, it’s
been more than a best
friend — it has been
a savior.
The Ducks ranked
third in the
nation
last season
in double
plays
turned per
game, and this
season they once again sit
atop the Pacific-10 Confer
ence in that category.
The bulk of their defensive
success can be traced to the
continuity of their middle in
fielders, junior shortstop Bre
anne Sabol and senior sec
ond baseman Erin Goodell.
“It’s the whole reason
why we love being out
there,” Goodell said about
turning a double play. “Each
game we try and tell our
selves that we want to turn a
couple double plays.”
Sabol said the double
play is especially special 4fl
because of the shorter dimen
sions in softball (60 feet be
tween bases) compared to
baseball (90 feet).
. “It’s cool because in soft
| ball I guess you don’t get
I many double plays be
I cause you are closer,” the
Buena Park, Calif., na
tive said. “Sometimes
(baseball players)
make it look like it
happens all the
! time and it’s easy.
1 People probably
* think, ‘Why
doesn’t softball
turn that
I ' many double
* plays?’
“That’s
why I think
7 it’s cool we turn
so many double
plays and still
make them look
pretty nice.”
Goodell admits
there is a hint of bit
terness toward
baseball players
l and the time they
[ have to turn a
double play.
“You watch
the highlights
on SportsCenter and it looks
like they are taking it nice and
easy,” the Roseburg native
said. “They are so nonchalant
and casual about it.
“I’m a little jealous about
that, I’m not going to lie.”
All jealousy aside, these
two have formed a double
play combo that defensively is
second to none in the confer
ence according to teammate
Beth Boskovich.
“On most teams, I don’t
think every time a ball is hit
up the middle with a runner
on first it is common for a dou
ble play, but for us it seems
automatic,” Boskovich said.
For pitchers and coaches it’s
even more of a luxury.
“It’s security,” Oregon soft
ball head coach Kathy Arend
sen said. “I have complete
confidence in both those play
ers. They read (the situation)
well and see what the pitcher
is throwing and adjust ... It is
a great advantage for us.”
While they can read situa
tions well, the two have also
become familiar with each
other’s playing styles over the
past three seasons and trust
one another’s instincts.
“We just know each other
so well and the chemistry
is there,” Goodell said.
“We know how each other
SOFrBALL, page 12 I
■ Women's track and field
Kersh looks
to achieve
180 mark
at next relay
Also, Julie Schmidt-Scherer will
attempt the 200-meter leg of the
Sprint Medley for the first time
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
A select group of the Oregon women’s
track and field team is visiting Des Moines,
Iowa, to compete in the Drake Relays, which
run through Saturday.
Some athletes will try to improve region
al qualifying marks, while others will focus
on form and technique. Nevertheless, first
place finishes will be more of a challenge
for the Ducks this week than they have
been in the past.
“It’s supposed to be competitive, with
some very competitive people going,”
Oregon hammer thrower Katie Kersh
said. “There’s going to be a lot of flights
so it should be a good meet for us. So
far we (the throwers) haven’t had a lot
of competition.”
Oregon’s throwers represent the largest
portion of the traveling squad. Kersh and
teammate Brittany Hinchcliffe have already
earned invitations to the NCAA West Re
gional competition. In fact, Kersh qualified
last weekend with a toss of 179-7 at the
Oregon Invitational.
“That was a pretty good step for me,” the
redshirt senior said about her three-foot im
provement on her personal record. “I’ve
thrown pretty well in practice but I hadn’t
done it in a meet.”
Saturday, Kersh will strive for an even
higher measurement.
“I want to go over 180 (feet),” Kersh said.
“I think 180 is within my grasp. I’d like to get
185, but I try not to think about distance; I
try thinking about throwing well.”
Javelin throwers Sarah Malone, Roslyn
Lundeen and Elisa Crumley will all be
throwing today, as will Bree Fuqua in her
two events: shotput and discus. All four ath
letes hold regional qualifying marks in their
respective events.
On the track, the Ducks are slated to com
pete in the Sprint Medley for the first time
this season.
Oregon freshman Julie Schmidt-Scherer, a
native of Denmark, said she will run the sec
ond 200-meter leg of the race just after being
introduced to the relay’s structure.
“I had never heard of it before, but it
sounds cool,” Schmidt-Scherer said. “I ran
the 200 and 400 in the last two weeks and I
ran really slow. I’m in good shape, but I just
need to get out better. ”
Schmidt-Scherer expects that Sofie
Abildtrup will run the first 200-meter leg,
Michelle Donovan will run the 400-meter leg
and Sara Schaaf will anchor the race with an
800-meter leg.
The Ducks are also scheduled to compete
in the 4x400 relay, with preliminaries run
ning today and the final race on Saturday.
Oregon heptathlete Lauryn Jordan will
have a light load this week as she is only par
ticipating in the triple jump today and the
long jump Saturday. She will be Oregon’s
lone female jumper to make the trip.
Sophomore pole vaulter Emily Enders will
also compete this weekend, as will senior
Kayla Mellott and freshman Kasey Harwood
in the 400 hurdles.
stephenmiller@dailyemerald.com