Area roundup: Gonzaga’s Daniel Bies baffles Pepperdine in West Coast Conference baseball opener

Daniel Bies threw eight sharp innings and Gunnar Schubert singled home the winning run in the eighth inning Friday as Gonzaga opened West Coast Conference baseball play with a 1-0 win over visiting Pepperdine.

Bies (3-1) allowed three hits, striking out 13 and walking two. The Bulldogs (10-7) benefited from an infield error and wild pitch to set up their lone run.

Wil Jensen worked 5 2/3 shutout innings for the Waves (8-10).

(14) UCLA 6, Washington State 5: Chase Strumpf snapped a 3-all tie with an RBI double in the sixth and the Bruins (11-4) stranded the potential tying run at second base in the ninth to edge the Cougars (4-10) in a Pac-12 opener in Los Angeles.

Justin Harrer hit a solo homer and JJ Hancock doubled and scored during the Cougars’ ninth. WSU stranded pinch runner Derek Chapman at second.

The Cougars built a 3-0 lead through three innings, scoring on an error, passed ball and fielder’s choice.

Washington 7, Arizona 1: Ben Baird finished 4 for 4 with three runs and Mason Cerrillo went 3 for 5 with three RBIs as the Huskies (8-8) opened Pac-12 play by defeating the Wildcats (10-7) at Husky Ballpark.

Track and field

Washington State redshirt junior Brock Eager opened the team’s outdoor season by winning the men’s hammer at the USC Trojan Invitational in Long Beach, California.

Eager, the reigning Pac-12 hammer champion, threw the hammer 218 feet, 2 inches to lead 13 competitors.

Softball

North Idaho 8-14, Walla Walla 0-6: Madi Mott pitched a five-inning no-hitter in the opener, striking out nine, and the Cardinals (12-1, 2-0) swept the host Warriors (11-5, 0-2) to open Northwest Athletic Conference play.

Megan Carver, Devinne Amesquita and Kalyna Korok all homered during a 16-hit outburst in the second game. Jori Kerr homered in the opener to support Mott.

Golf

Jessica Mangrobang shot a final-round, 2-over-par 74 to tie for third place and lead Gonzaga to third place at the Pinehurst (North Carolina) Intercollegiate.

Mangrobang completed three rounds at 24-over 240, 10 shots behind medalist Ragga Kristinsdottir of Eastern Kentucky.

Eastern Kentucky (945) won the team title. Richmond (973) placed second, five shots ahead of Gonzaga in the eight-team field.

Gonzaga’s Francesca Santoni and Nina Novilla tied for 13th at 247, one shot better than the Bulldogs’ Diana Araneta.

• Spokane County’s three courses, Liberty Lake, Hangman Valley and MeadowWood, are ready for the season. Liberty Lake is open with all permanent greens. Hangman Valley’s back nine, driving range and putting greens will open Saturday, although a temporary green may be used on No. 16. MeadowWood will open Saturday on mostly permanent greens and one or two temporary greens.

Men’s basketball

North Idaho (23-8) will meet Portland (26-5) at 4 p.m. Saturday in a Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal in Everett.

NIC advanced by defeating the host Trojans 112-110 in double overtime last Sunday.

Peninsula (21-10) and Linn-Benton (22-9) are in the other semifinal, at 2.

The title game is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday.