Sports News

KWVA Sports is at nearly every Oregon Ducks sporting event. Here you’ll find our detailed game stories so you can stay up to date on everything in the sports world.

Oregon MTEN: Ducks Eye Sweep in Upcoming Match

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By Alan Babadzhanov

EUGENE, Ore — The Oregon Ducks (13-10, 2-3) went 1-1 this past weekend against two ranked teams in UCLA and USC. They will be looking to sweep the Washington Huskies (8-11, 2-3) on Saturday. The Ducks looked great against both Californian teams. No. 1 Singles Player (No. 76 Nationally) Quinn VanDeCasteele took down UCLA No. 26 Govind Nanda in a three set thriller. No. 3 Vlad Breazu has been playing up and he took down USC No. 2 Volodymyr Iakubenko in a comeback down a set. The Huskies had the same opponents this past weekend and got clean swept by UCLA 4-0. However, the score does not tell the tale as there were three unfinished matches that the Huskies were leading. The Huskies are led by Junior Cesar Bouchelaghem. Bouchelaghem is not to be underestimated as he has defeated VanDeCasteele in their previous match earlier the year. It was dominant performance and Bouchelaghem handled it 6-3 and 6-4 and the Ducks won 4-2. This match, once again, will not be easy for the Ducks as David Cierny will not be playing. Another player to watch is No. 2 Singles player Dzianis Zharyn who will be up against Breazu. Both players love to place the ball and get their opponent moving. This match should be a tight one unless someone breaks down mentally.

Projected Lineup for the Ducks

#1 Doubles- Quinn Vandecasteele/Matthew Burton

#2 Doubles- Ray Lo/Lenn Luemkemann

#3 Doubles- Avi Shugar/Lachlan Robertson

#1 Singles- Quinn Vandecasteele

#2 Singles- Vlad Breazu

#3 Singles- Matthew Burton

#4 Singles- Zian Vanderstappen

#5 Singles- Lenn Luemkemann

#6 Singles- Ray Lo

Prediction

This matchup should be a good one as these two teams have lots of depth. We will see some new matchups. However, Vandecasteele will be looking for vengeance and his match will be the difference maker. Ducks win 4-3

Walsh, Umlandt Power Ducks’ Win over Sac State

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by Ryan Oppenheimer

No. 17 Oregon baseball (23-9) finished their two game home series against the Sacramento State Hornets (15-20) with an 11-4 win Wednesday evening. It was a complete performance and a convincing win that made up for a disappointing loss the day prior.

Early Offense Sets the Tone

Oregon got out to a 4-0 lead after one inning — a lead they would never give up. It started with a Bennett Thompson RBI single, followed by a two-run homer from Jacob Walsh — now the program’s all-time home run king — and a Dominic Hellman solo shot. That inning was enough to knock Hornets starter Jaxon Byrd out of the game, but the barrage didn’t stop there. Walsh would hit another three-run bomb in the second inning to bring him to 5 RBI on the day and 12 home runs on the season.

The Ducks were kept off the board in innings 3 through 5, but Thompson would deliver in the sixth with a two-run homer. He took the day off from his usual catching duties but went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI as the designated hitter batting second in the lineup. His stellar performance marks the end of an unlucky stretch at the plate. An eighth-inning Maddox Molony RBI double and Bryce Boettcher put a cap on a dominant display of offense.

A Dazzling Starting Debut 

The difference between Wednesday’s win and Tuesday’s loss was a vastly improved starting pitching effort. Sophomore lefty Ian Umlandt made his first career start for Oregon and he did not disappoint, going seven innings deep and striking out nine batters while walking one and allowing five hits. Three of his four earned runs came in a rough second inning that included a hit batter, a walk, an RBI double from Hornets catcher Elie Kligman, and two more scores on a groundout and single. Umlandt otherwise cruised and enjoyed a comfortable lead. He got sharper with time, racking up six of his nine strikeouts in innings 5 through 7, all of which were scoreless. Matthew Grabmann and Turner Spoljaric relieved Umlandt and didn’t allow any drama to happen.

Closing Thoughts

The Ducks took care of business after failing to on Tuesday and looked more like their usual selves. The offense showed it is talented enough to pull ahead and get production around the entire lineup, and looks to have tuned up nicely for the return to PAC-12 play. And if Umlandt can maintain even close to the strikeout rate he had in his first start, he will provide valuable pitching depth as a lefty whether he starts or comes out of the bullpen.

The Ducks continue a long 5-game week with a weekend home series against the USC Trojans (16-16, 9-5 PAC-12) starting Friday night. Oregon sits at 8-4 in conference play and third place in the PAC-12, while fourth-place USC follows close behind at 9-5.