Bucs defeat reigning NWC champs

Whitworth right-hander Steve Hare threw a two-hitter through seven innings, and the Pirates defeated Linfield 5-1 to win a three-game Northwest Conference baseball series Sunday in McMinnville, Ore.

Whitworth (8-10, 5-4) became the first Northwest Conference team since 2003 to defeat the two-time defending champion Wildcats (9-9, 3-3) in a series.

Van Lierman scored the go-ahead run for the Pirates in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded double play, then singled to left field in the seventh. He stole second and scored on a single by Ryne Webb (CC Spokane) to cap the scoring.

Hare gave up a first-inning home run to John Dailey, but settled down quickly. The Wildcats didn’t get another hit until a pinch-hit single by Stew Davis in the seventh.

•Centralia designated hitter John Mellema went 3 for 3 with a triple, and the Blazers (3-7) took advantage of five Community Colleges of Spokane errors to defeat the Sasquatch 5-3 to open a non-conference doubleheader at Spokane Falls.

Mellema scored the first run for Centralia in the second inning after being hit by a pitch and advancing on a wild pitch and errant pickoff throw. He put the game out of reach in the seventh by hitting a triple to the left-field gap, after which pinch runner Tory Kiekhaefer scored to put the Blazers ahead 5-0.

The Sasquatch (3-9) responded in the nightcap, winning 8-4 in seven innings to split the four-game series. Sophomore Alex Scarpelli (Shadle Park High) hit 3 for 4 with a double and a triple, two RBIs and two runs, while freshman Justin Krieger (Pullman) was 2 for 3 with four stolen bases and three runs.

Softball

Jo Sonnett allowed one run and earned both wins as Whitworth (7-5) swept Eastern Oregon (3-11) in a non-conference doubleheader.

Sonnett threw a four-hitter for the Pirates in the opener, a 2-1 victory. Kristin Hanson hit a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sarah Froman in the first inning, then drove in Whitworth’s second run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second.

Sonnett took the ball again in the nightcap, throwing 41/3 innings of scoreless relief to lead the Pirates to a 13-5 victory in six innings. Sarah Rylarrsdam hit a walk-off home run in the sixth as the Pirates won by eight-run mercy rule.

•The Community Colleges of Spokane split Sunday’s games at the Pasco Invitational to finish the tournament 4-1 to earn third place.

Freshman Melissa Piephoff (Timberlake) earned her first collegiate win in the opener, throwing a five-hitter as CCS (6-3) defeated Olympic 12-2 in six innings. But she was shelled against Big Bend in the nightcap as the Sasquatch fell 18-10.

Center fielder Aimee Fitting (Lakeland) earned all-tournament honors for CCS after hitting 8 for 15.

Crew

The Gonzaga varsity 8+ women’s team dropped a pair of races at the WCC Challenge in Sacramento, Calif.

The Bulldogs battled with Loyola Marymount for the first 1,500 meters of the first race before the Lions surged ahead to cross the 2,000-meter course in 6 minutes, 45.8 seconds. Gonzaga finished in 6:47.1.

In the second race, Gonzaga fell behind San Diego early and lost by five seconds. USD crossed in 7:19.2.