BASEBALL: Cougars
Sweep Santa Clara Behind Combined No-Hitter
From WSU
Sports Info
PULLMAN,
Wash. – Four Washington State pitchers combined to no-hit Santa Clara as the
Cougars finished off a sweep with a 5-0 win at Bailey-Brayton Field Sunday 4/22/2018 afternoon.
Washington
State (13-20) recorded its second no-hitter of the season after Scotty Sunitsch
no-hit Oregon three weeks ago April 8. It is the first time WSU has tossed two
no-hitters in the same season since also throwing two in 1976. The Cougars
swept the three-game series with Santa Clara (16-21) for the first series sweep
of 2018 and first since taking all four games from Utah Valley last season.
Cougar
starting pitcher Parker McFadden, making his first start since 2016, struck out
four in five innings, also walked two and hit one batter. Lefthander A.J. Block
struck out one in the next 1.1 innings before righthander Collin Maier got the
final two outs in the seventh. Senior closer Ryan Walker worked the final two
innings and struck out three along the way. Offensively, Andres Alvarez doubled
and tripled while Dillon Plew had a two-run double. The Cougars scored three
runs in the second and twice more in the fifth.
In the
second inning, Robert Teel started the inning with an opposite field single
through the right side and one batter later Mason De La Cruz drew a walk.
Alvarez delivered an opposite field double off the right field wall that scored
Teel from second. Dillon Plew followed with a two-run double into right
centerfield for a 3-0 Cougar lead.
McFadden
ran into some trouble in the third inning after a walk, a stolen base and a
hit-by-pitch saw runners on the corners with one out but the righthander struck
out the next two hitters to end the threat.
In the
fifth, the Cougars tacked on two more runs on a Collin Montez RBI-single back
up the middle before WSU executed a first and third double steal as Montez
stole second and Blake Clanton stole home on the plate for a 5-0 WSU lead.
In the
seventh inning, with runners on first and second and one out, WSU called up
senior Collin Maier who struck out the first hitter he faced before retiring
the next hitter on a fielder’s choice groundout.
Walker
fired a perfect eight and allowed a one-out walk in the ninth before ending the
game with a pair of strikeouts.
INSIDE THE
BOX SCORE
Andres
Alvarez walked in the 1st inning, extending his on-base streak to 11 games
Alvarez
doubled off the right field wall in the 2nd inning, extending his hitting
streak to 10 games
Blake
Clanton walked in the 1st inning, extending his on-base streak to 10 games
Ryan
Walker made his 78th career appearance, tied for 4th-most in WSU history
JJ Hancock
saw his 18-game on-base streak snapped after a pinch-hit strikeout in the 8th
Parker
McFadden recorded his first win of the season
NEXT UP
The
Cougars head to Seattle next week for a Wednesday contest at Seattle U before
facing Washington in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday.
::::::::::::::::::
MEN’S
BASKETBALL
WSU Adds
One More for 2018-19
From WSU
Sports Info
PULLMAN,
Wash. – Marvin Cannon (6-5, 170, Small Forward, Richmond, Va., Barton CC) has
signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Washington State
University beginning in the fall of 2018, head coach Ernie Kent announced
Sunday.
“Marvin
has great energy and passion for the game and his teammates,” Kent said. “On
top of that, he brings an extreme amount of athleticism and we’re excited to
have him in the program for three years.”
Cannon is
a freshman at Barton CC at Great Bend, Kan., where he helped the Cougars to a
29-7 overall record and a trip to the 2018 NJCAA Division I National Tournament
quarterfinals in his lone year with the team. Cannon started 27 of 35 games
played, averaging 15.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while shooting at a
.500 clip from the field. In postseason
play, Cannon averaged 20.5 ppg and 12.0 rpg in six outings and was named to the
Region VI and NJCAA DI All-Tournament Teams.
Following
his freshman season, Cannon was named first team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community
College Conference (KJCCC) and second team all-region. He was named the KJCCC
Kansas MTXE Men’s Division I Basketball player of the week three times and
NJCAA Division I national player of the week during week 15. Cannon graduated
high school from The Steward School in Richmond, Va., in 2017 where he averaged
21.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a senior.
Cannon
becomes the fifth member of the signing class that includes incoming freshmen
Charles ‘CJ’ Elleby (6-6, 195, Forward, Seattle Wash./Cleveland High School)
and Aljaž ‘Jaz’ Kunc (6-8, 190, Small Forward, Ljubljana, Slovenia/Impact
Academy-Fla.), as well as incoming juniors Jervae Robinson (6-2, 175, Guard,
Aurora, Colo./Otero JC) and Isaiah Wade (6-7, 215, Power Forward, Minneapolis,
Minn./Iowa Western Community College).
…………..
Cougars'
Tinsley, Gordon do their best Falk impression
Men
competing for vacant QB role look pretty sharp in scrimmage at Albi Stadium
By Dale
Grummert, Lewiston Trib
SPOKANE -
Trey Tinsley caught a shotgun snap, watched four receivers bolt downfield and
quickly sensed one of them was heading toward open space. He launched the pass
and found his man for a 62-yard gain.
A carefree
kid on a playground couldn't have done it better. Heck, Luke Falk couldn't have
done it better.
Tinsley
and fellow Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon have miles to go before
either of them secures a starting role in September. But they reassured a few
hundred fans in the annual Crimson and Gray football scrimmage at Albi Stadium
that life goes on in the absence of Falk.
Tinsley,
trying to retrace Falk's journey from walk-on obscurity to game-day glory and
beyond, passed for 213 yards and three touchdowns in windy conditions Saturday
to lead the Crimson squad to a 34-24 win over the Gordon-led Gray.
The duel
of colors was beside the point, especially since the first-unit offensive line
spent extended time with each squad. And Tinsley vs. Gordon might have been
irrelevant too, since both unseasoned quarterbacks played well, spent the
entire second half on the sideline and realize the more important battles will
come in preseason camp.
What the
scrimmage suggested was that the club's prideful Air Raid offense needn't
return to Square 1 just because Falk, the Pac-12 career passing leader, is now
auditioning for the NFL.
For one
thing, the Cougars still have receivers like Kyle Sweet, who made eight
receptions for 138 yards, including that early 62-yard catch-and-run that demonstrated
his mental connection to Tinsley.
"We
motioned trips-right - it was just an all-vertical play," Tinsley told a
flock of reporters, looking as composed in that setting as he did on the field.
"I looked up and saw he (Sweet) was moving to space. I was able to get it
over the linebackers and he made a great catch and a great run."
Tinsley
completed 19 of 24 passes and looked almost interchangeable with Gordon, who
went 15-for-21 for 174 yards and a TD. Neither of these junior-college
transfers has taken an NCAA snap, but they obviously developed a rapport with
receivers while understudying Falk last season. Neither threw anything close to
an interception.
"Both
of them play like they have a chip on their shoulder," Sweet said.
"And they should - they're coming and taking over the offense. We don't
have any hiccups."
Well,
maybe a few by true freshman QB Camm Cooper, who played for both squads and
directed five straight series in the second and third quarters. He eventually
quelled his nerves and finished 12-for-18 for 120 yards and a score.
"I
thought Tinsley and Gordon both played well," seventh-year coach Mike
Leach said. "A couple of guys I think had a little stage fright. Some of
them got better as they shook that. ... It was better than most spring
scrimmages I've been involved with."
John
Bledsoe, Connor Neville and Casey Brink also took turns at QB, and Neville
fired a couple of beauties that reminded viewers that he, like Cooper, was a
four-star recruit out of high school.
The
Cougars' run game was negligible but all three of the top quarterbacks received
solid protection from the No. 1 offensive linemen, whom coaches declined to
split up, citing a lack of depth. A busy Robert Valencia, who has overtaken the
top role at left guard this spring, also played right tackle for the second
unit.
Dezmon
Patmon caught seven passes for 91 yards for the Gray, nailing down an end-zone
toss from Gordon despite overzealous coverage by Deion Singleton, and freshman
Kainoa Wilson stood out in the youngster-oriented second half to finish with
five receptions for 57 yards.
The
defenses weren't awful.
"I
think we could have covered some windows in the zones just a little bit
better," new defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said.
Crimson
defensive end Nnamdi Oguayo, on the other hand, spent considerable time in the
offensive backfield and was one of five players with touch-sacks. Freshman
defensive back Armani Marsh dropped one Bledsoe misfire but intercepted a
second.
The D even
had the last word: Crimson cornerback Marcus Strong scooped up a fumble by
Solomon Cooper and frolicked into the end zone to create the final score with
two minutes left.
But the
important images came early. And they evoked Luke Falk more than anyone could
have reasonably expected.
PASSING -
Trey Tinsley 19-24-0-213, Anthony Gordon 15-21-0-174, Camm Cooper 12-18-0-120,
John Bledsoe 7-9-1-40, Connor Neville 3-7-0-67, Casey Brink 3-5-0-20.
RECEIVING
- Kyle Sweet 8-138, Dezmon Patmon 7-91, James Williams 5- 35, Kainoa Wilson
5-57, Easop Winston Jr. 4-32 , Tay Martin 4-52, Brandon Arconado 4-61, Max
Borghi 4-16, Travell Harris 3-54, Jamire Calvin 3-19, Keith Harrington 3-14,
Renard Bell 3-19, Rodrick Fisher 3-36, Solomon Cooper 1-6, Riley Krenz 1-4,
Jonathan Jung 1-0.
RUSHING -
Clay Markoff 3-23, Max Borghi 4-10, James Williams 5-7, Keith Harrington 3-4,
Trey Tinsley 1-3, Connor Neville 2-0, Casey Brink 1-5, Anthony Gordon 1 (-6),
Solomon Cooper 4-11.
SCORING
PLAYS - Bell 5 pass from Tinsley, Borghi 2 run, Fisher 3 pass from Tinsley,
Jack Crane 39 field goal, Patmon 23 pass from Gordon, Harrington 10 pass from
Tinsley, Martin 32 pass from Neville, Wilson 23 pass from Cooper, Strong 31
fumble return.
::::::::::::::::
BASEBALL
Inside job
for Cougs, Sinatro
Speedy
center fielder races to inside-the-park homer while steady Sunitsch keeps Santa
Clara mostly quiet
By Stephan
Wiebe, Moscow Pullman Daily News
PULLMAN -
The Santa Clara baseball team came to two big realizations Saturday at
Bailey-Brayton Field: The wind on the Palouse can be troublesome and Washington
State's Danny Sinatro is fast. Really fast.
The speedy
center fielder sent a fly ball to left field that Santa Clara's John Cresto
just missed sliding near the foul line. By the time Cresto found the ball,
Sinatro was running full-speed toward third base and WSU coach Marty Lees was
doing the classic windmill motion to wave him home.
Sinatro
slid across home base, easily beating the throw for the Cougars' first inside-the-park
home run since Yale Rosen hit one in 2013.
"(Cresto)
did not know Sinatro was running the Kentucky Derby from home to home,"
Lees said. "I think it really surprised him."
The
Cougars won the nonconference contest 11-3 in what was arguably the most
complete game for Washington State this season. It also clinched the series win
and gives the Cougars an opportunity for a sweep heading into today's series
finale.
"I
feel like this series everything - pitching, defense, dugout and obviously
hitting - has come together, so it feels good," Sinatro said.
Ace
pitcher Scotty Sunitsch fanned seven batters and allowed three runs in six
innings - the three runs coming in the sixth - and Nick Strange took the
Cougars the rest of the way with three strikeouts and no runs allowed.
Leadoff
man Andres Alvarez nabbed three hits, a run and two RBI to pace Washington
State at the plate. Catcher Cal Waterman joined Sinatro with a home run and
seven Cougars tallied hits.
Second
baseman Mason De La Cruz, who has long been praised for his fielding skills,
turned his best hitting game of the season with three hits in three at-bats,
including a double and a triple.
When De La
Cruz rounded second base on his triple to the right-field corner, the WSU
bullpen yelled for Lees to send him home like he did with Sinatro.
"That
one would've been a little more stretched," Lees said. "Mason, he had
competitive ABs and that's what we're trying to get out of him.
"We
know what he can do defensively, he can be an all-star defensively, so it's
nice to see him jump out and get a couple hits and feel good about the decent
progress he's making."
After a
scoreless first inning, Washington State went up 2-0 on Waterman's two-run
homer in the second. The Cougars stretched their lead to 6-0 with a two-RBI
single by first baseman Wyatt Segle and Sinatro's two-run homer.
By the
bottom of the fifth, Washington State led 11-0.
Santa
Clara finally got on the board in the sixth with a pair of home runs by Jake
MacNichols and Ryan McCarthy, who has two on the series.
In the
field, wind appeared to affect Santa Clara's corner outfielders as both
struggled to locate hits along the foul lines, which contributed to five
multi-base hits for Washington State.
The wind
didn't appear to phase the Cougars, though, especially Blake Clanton, who made
a play into wall in the fourth and caught all three outs to end the game in the
ninth.
"Clanton
making the play that he made up against the wall was huge," Lees said.
The
Cougars (12-20) will try to go for the sweep against the Broncos (16-20) at 1
p.m. today at Bailey-Brayton Field. Washington State won the first game 12-10
Friday.
"It
feels great that we won the series already," Lees said. "It's
important that we come out tomorrow with the mindset we did today because
they're going to be fighting to get a win out here and we need to come out and
stomp on it from the get-go."
Santa
Clara 000 003 000- 3 9 1
Washington
St. 024 230 00x-11 13 0
Erlandson,
Waldsmith (4), Negley (6), Genova (7) and MacNichols. Sunitsch, Strange (7) and
Waterman.
Santa
Clara hits - John Cresto 2, Jake Brodt 2 (2B), Jake MacNichols (HR), Jason
Dicochea, Ryan McCarthy (HR), Niko Holm, Austin Reyes.
Washington
St. hits - Andres Alvarez 3 (2 2B), Mason De La Cruz 3 (2B, 3B), Danny Sinatro
2 (HR), Cal Waterman 2 (HR), Blake Clanton, Collin Montez, Wyatt Segle.
::::::::::::::
FOOTBALL
COUGS
From Vince
Grippi of Spokane S-R
A GRIP ON
SPORTS • You never know if Washington State's annual spring game in Spokane
will be played in weather more akin to September, October or November. Which is
probably a good thing. Read on.
• If
spring football is supposed to mimic the fall, then inclement weather
conditions, like wind, can be used as a teaching tool. Which, in theory, all of
spring football is supposed to be about.
There's
more to it, sure, but kids don't graduate high school early, rush to campus and
spend weeks running up and down the field for those ancillary aspects.
They want
to learn. Learn the system, learn the coaches, learn about the program. Which
means every spring football practice, scrimmage and game is a success.
(This is
the time to cut in and say there is a caveat to that. Injuries. But seeing as
Washington State didn't seem to have a major one to a key player and neither
did our other two FCS schools, Idaho and Eastern, then the spring was a
success.)
Unless
your definition is a definite answer. About quarterback, that is. Spring the
past few years as been simple for the Cougars: Luke Falk does his thing and
everyone else vies to back him up.
But Falk
didn't have 22 years of eligibility, so WSU must move on. To whom? Well that's
not settled after practices in rain, snow, sun and wind. Or yesterday's Spring
Game.
Pick one:
Trey Tinsley or Anthony Gordon. Or none of the above. Or maybe another name,
East Carolina grad transfer Gardner Minshaw, who is should be in Pullman next
month.
No matter
who was in the shotgun yesterday at Joe Albi Stadium, the numbers say they were
pretty efficient. Which makes Mike Leach happy. He loves talking about not
trying to do too much, trusting the offense and trusting teammates.
Tinsley
and Gordon did that well enough yesterday that Leach seemed happy, in his way.
"They
didn't try to do too much, just made routine plays," he told our Theo
Lawson, and that, from him, is a compliment.
It remains
to be seen in the first sunny days of September, if either will stay hot under
the glare of the TV cameras and Cougar fans' expectations.
:::::::::::::::
FOOTBALL
Lacking
numbers, Mike Leach keeps first-team offensive line together for Washington
State spring game
UPDATED:
Sat., April 21, 2018, 9:11 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson
Spokane
S0R
In a perfect
world, Mike Leach would’ve divided his offensive linemen into two even teams
for Saturday’s Crimson and Gray game at Joe Albi Stadium.
The
Cougars didn’t have the numbers. Their coach called an audible.
Rather
than dressing half of his O-linemen in Crimson tops and the other half in Gray,
Leach had most wear white and play on both sides during the annual spring game.
The first team offensive line – left tackle Andre Dillard, left guard Josh
Watson, center Fred Mauigoa, right guard Robert Valencia and right tackle
Abraham Lucas – stuck together for the majority of the scrimmaged and played
with both of the Cougars’ top quarterbacks, Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon.
“We just
didn’t have enough,” Leach said. “Wanted to, I wanted to. And that’s what I’d
prefer. So basically we were limited number-wise, so we’d roll them in and then
of course with rolling them in, you just roll them in on both sides. So it was
tough, that’s always the hardest position because I really like splitting the
team in half and the hardest one to do it with is the offensive line.”
Just 12
offensive linemen are listed on the current Cougar roster. Three starters from
the 2017 team graduated and three more players who were supposed to return,
Alec Kuzmack, Cedric Bigge-Duren and Nillson Gaisoa, all left for the program.
WSU signed five offensive linemen as part of the 2018 class, but only one,
Keenan Forbes, is on campus at the moment.
“I still
think (Leach) and (offensive line coach) (Mason) Miller are trying to move
people around and stuff like that to find the best five,” Lucas said. “As far
as keeping two different teams together most of the time, I kind of respected
it.”
The
adjustment didn’t necessarily hamper the line’s productivity on Saturday,
though. The Cougar quarterbacks combined to pass for 643 yards and six
touchdowns, and were only touch-sacked five times.
“If you’re
looking for my opinion, I feel like we did a pretty decent job today,” Lucas
said. “I thought we communicated well, had good technique and worked together
as an O-line.”
……………
Trey
Tinsley and Anthony Gordon showcase arms as Crimson beats Gray 34-24 in
Washington State spring game
UPDATED:
Sat., April 21, 2018, 9:15 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson S-R of Spokane
Six
players took snaps Saturday afternoon at Joe Albi Stadium, but when Mike Leach
was asked which of his quarterbacks had the most impressive Crimson and Gray
game, the multiple-choice question was raised under the premise that the
Cougars’ coach would probably choose A) Trey Tinsley or B) Anthony Gordon.
Leach
bypassed both and went to his third read: A and B.
“I thought
Tinsley and Gordon,” Leach said.
Either the
WSU boss isn’t ready to tip his hand or the Cougars’ quarterback competition is
as close it looks on the surface.
Tinsley
and Gordon, the redshirt juniors vying to replace Luke Falk as the Cougars’
starter, were both productive – not one more than the other, necessarily –
during the annual scrimmage. According to WSU, nearly 6,000 attendees saw both
QBs move their offenses efficiently, and at times effortlessly, on a breezy
spring day in Spokane.
Although
Tinsley’s “Crimson” team beat Gordon’s “Gray” team by a 34-24 margin, the
spring game didn’t produce a victor from the competition Cougars fans seem to
care most about right now.
Tinsley
and Gordon both came out of the scrimmage just before halftime, when the
Crimson led 20-17.
Tinsley
drove his offense into the end zone three times, finishing 19 of 24 through the
air with three touchdown passes. Gordon got the Gray team into the end zone
twice and completed 15 of 21 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown.
Combined,
they completed 74 percent of their passes and not one of the 45 balls was
intercepted.
“They just
didn’t try to do too much, just made routine plays,” Leach said. “I thought the
receivers did a good job, I thought the line protected pretty good and just
made routine plays. I thought the defense played well, too.”
Awarded
the first series of the scrimmage, Tinsley nickel and dimed the Crimson team
downfield, moving forward on all but three of its 11 plays before throwing to
Renard Bell on an out route for a 5-yard touchdown. Kyle Sweet, a factor for
Tinsley’s offense all game, was on the receiving end of four of Tinsley’s six
completions during the drive.
Gordon’s
offense used a similar methodical march to score its first touchdown. He
completed 5 of 8 passes on the drive, which also lasted 11 plays, and handed
off to freshman early enrollee running back Max Borghi on the goal line for a
2-yard score.
Then it
was Tinsley’s turn. He manufactured a five-play, 77-yard touchdown drive and
advanced the offense 62 yards on one play when he hit Sweet in stride on a four
verticals scheme that took the Crimson team down to the 8-yard line. An 8-yard
connection with Spokane native Rodrick Fisher put Tinsley’s squad up 13-7.
“I caught
the ball, looked up and saw that he was moving to space,” Tinsley said. “I
thought that Kyle had a great day, had a bunch of catches, and I just saw him
and was able to get it up and over the linebackers. He made a great catch and
great run.”
That catch
put Sweet over the 100-yard barrier in the first quarter and the senior slot
receiver finished with eight receptions for 138 yards in his final spring game.
Dezmon Patmon was the next most productive receiver: seven catches, 91 yards,
one touchdown.
The QBs
entertained through the remainder of the half.
When
Gordon completed 4 of 4 passes on his final drive and threw a high 23-yard
touchdown pass to Patmon – cornerback Marcus Strong incurred a pass
interference call as he lost a jump ball to the 6-4 Patmon – Tinsley responded
by completing 7 of 7 passes, hitting Sweet three more times and Easop Winston
twice, to get the Crimson team back on the board.
“I mean, I
was definitely on the Crimson team and I was rooting for our guys and (Gordon)
was on the Gray team rooting for his guys,” Tinsley said. “It was fun. I was
looking at the plays coach was calling and I could just see (Gordon) back there
and he was making some great decisions and making some great throws.”
Four more
QBs got chances when Tinsley and Gordon exited the game. True freshman Cammon
Cooper finished 12 of 18 for 120 yards and one TD; redshirt freshman walk-on
John Bledsoe was 7 of 9 for 40 yards with his father Drew in attendance; Connor
Neville was 3 of 7 for 67 yards and a TD; and Casey Brink was 3 of 5 for 20
yards.
Bledsoe
threw the game’s only interception, a misplaced ball that fell to cornerback
Armani Marsh, a Spokane native and Gonzaga Prep graduate.
“I thought
most of the drives, they took a lot of plays and we kept the ball in front of
us,” first-year defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said. “When you’re doing all
zone coverages, that’s a pretty important deal to do. Obviously, we had a
chance to make one or two more stops, but we’re getting better and better on
offense, too. They’re extremely difficult.”
Safety
Skyler Thomas posted the most defensive stops with seven tackles. Six other
Cougars were credited with five.
#
