WSU Opens Banana Belt With Win

Washington State pounded 16 hits off two National Baseball Institute of Canada pitchers to get a 11-6 exhibition win Thursday in the opening day of the Banana Belt Tournament at Harris Field in Lewiston.

Freshman Ryan Smith led the Cougars with a double, two singles and three RBIs. Starter Wade Parrish, also a freshman, picked up the victory, although neither the statistics nor the win count in WSU’s season totals because the competition was a club team.

Smith had a run-scoring single in WSU’s four-run third inning and added a two-run double in the fourth. Ray Hattenburg drove home two runs in the third inning for the Cougars. Duane Stewart hit a solo home run in the seventh inning for the Cougars.

Gonzaga’s Brendan Hare had two hits and Jason Uberuaga drove in a pair of runs as the Bulldogs and Lewis-Clark State played to an 11-inning 2-2 tie in a game called because of a time limit.

In other games, L-C State topped NBI 7-4 and Portland beat Oregon State 10-6.

Indians coaches announced

The Kansas City Royals and Spokane Indians announced the staff that will join manager Jeff Garber for the 1997 Northwest League season.

Former Boston Red Sox and Royals relief pitcher Steve Crawford, 38, will serve as pitching coach. Crawford, who pitched 10 years in the majors, began his coaching career last year with the Royals’ Gulf Coast League team in Florida.

Greg Smith, who played for the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, will be the hitting/first-base coach. Smith, 29, a middle infielder, backed up Ryne Sandberg with the Cubs. He completed his career last year with the Cincinnati organization, and moved his wife and two children to Cheney.

The new athletic trainer is Chad Spaulding, who is in his sixth season with the Royals organization.

, DataTimes