October 6, 2007

At A Glance

Darrell Hunter, a senior at Thurston High School who pitched for Churchill in the 2007 Class 5A championship game, has become what is believed to be the first player to commit to the revived Oregon baseball program.

Hunter said Friday he orally accepted Oregon's offer -- equal to about 35 percent of a full scholarship, he said -- Thursday after meeting with coach George Horton, who led Cal State Fullerton to the College World Series six times before the Ducks hired him in the summer.

Horton "makes me the best player and gives me the best opportunity to get drafted higher out of college," said Hunter, a second-team 2007 Class 5A all-state selection.

Hunter said Oregon State offered a 25 percent scholarship last month and added that turning down the two-time national champion wasn't easy.

Oregon plans to field a team in the 2008-09 school year.

College coaches are prohibited from talking about potential recruits until they receive signed letters of intent. The early signing period for baseball begins Nov. 17.

Hunter, who is projected to play shortstop in college, attended Thurston in Springfield his first two seasons and went to Churchill as a junior because, his father said, his academic schedule was a better fit at the Eugene school. Hunter has transferred back to Thurston for his senior year.

Soccer: Timbers set

to play Toronto FC The Portland Timbers will play host to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC on Sunday, Oct. 28 at PGE Park, it was announced Friday.

The 2007 MLS expansion team will be the Timbers' first postseason exhibition opponent in modern franchise history. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.

Toronto FC will be the Timbers' fourth exhibition opponent this year. Portland played host to three international exhibition games during the 2007 season -- against Mexico's Club Necaxa, Italy's AC Milan Primavera and England's Preston North End.

The game against Toronto marks the Timbers' first exhibition against an MLS opponent since playing the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2005.

Tickets for the exhibition are available through area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 503-224-4400. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. today.

Fishing: Bag limit

raised for salmon Early rains started the runoff this week, also filling the Clackamas and Sandy rivers with so many returning hatchery coho salmon that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has raised the daily bag limit to three fin-clipped fish instead of two, beginning today.

The rule also applies to Eagle Creek on the Clackamas system.

Todd Alsbury, a department fish biologist, said the return will be higher than expected and could be 15,000 returning to the Sandy and between 15,000 and 20,000 to the Clackamas river systems.

Fishing was so good last weekend, many anglers caught limits before the water clouded up this week. It's dropping into fishable condition, though, and should offer good chances for coho this weekend, Alsbury said.