Steer smashes two dingers in win over Cubs
With the Cincinnati just two games behind the Mets for the last Wild Card spot, former Oregon Duck Spencer Steer hit home runs in the fourth and sixth inning to propel the Red to a 7-4 win over Chicago Friday night.
That gave Steer 20 or more home runs in a season for the third year in a row, and 72 RBI for 2025. He was an All-PAC-12 infielder for the Ducks in 2019, setting the career RBI mark for the program as a junior, since surpassed by Jacob Walsh.
Spencer Steer and Elly De La Cruz swat back-to-back homers to regain the lead in Cincinnati 😳 pic.twitter.com/jr2BtuaDWf
— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2025
Elsewhere in Major League Baseball Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson turned another quality start for Arizona Thursdy night. At 77-77, the D-Backs are a game behind Steer and the Reds. For the season Nelson has posted a 7-3 record and a 3.43 ERA, striking out 123 in 148 innings.
Ionescu, defending champion Liberty eliminated from playoffs
New York dropped a third and decisive Game 3 in Phoenix, falling to Satou Sabally and the Mercury 79-73, ending their season.
Sabally recorded a double-double, 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Mercury, who advance to the second-round series versus regular-season leader Minnesota on Sunday.
For the Liberty, forward Breanna Stewart poured in 30 before fouling out in the fourth quarter while Ionescu contributed 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, including 12 as she rallied the champs in the second quarter., cutting the lead to 45-41.
The rest of the team struggled through a woeful shooting night against a physical Mercury defense. New York shot just 22 percent from three and 34 percent from the field.
Sabrina Ionescu tonight 🔥
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) September 20, 2025
• 22 points
• 6 rebounds
• 4 assists
• 8/19 FGpic.twitter.com/Zk8Gsb2e46
Women's volleyball reaches 9-1 with 5-set win over Portland State
The Ducks pounded the Vikings 25-13 in the decisive fifth set to take a 3-2 victory at Portland State Thursday night. They begin Big Ten play next Friday with a match at Illinois.
Freshman Alanah Clemente paved the way, putting away 19 kills on the Ducks front line while Maria Tabacuks had 14.
DUCKS WIN‼️
— Oregon Volleyball (@OregonVB) September 20, 2025
Taking a five-set dub and a 9-1 record in B1G play.#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/ba7dwopZtK
A Thursday night win over Oregon State gave new coach Trent Kersten 100 career wins as college coach as the Ducks ended a five-match winning streak for the Beavs.