Vandals Add Soccer For Women

Women’s soccer will become a varsity sport at the University of Idaho in 1998, Vandals athletic director Oval Jaynes announced Tuesday.

“We want to provide quality programs and more athletic opportunities for women,” Jaynes said.

Jaynes said a full complement of scholarships will be offered by the third season. In 1998-99, 50 percent of available scholarship funding will be offered. That will increase to 75 percent for the 1999-2000 season with 100 percent available for 2000-01.

The addition of soccer at Idaho brings the number of Big West women’s soccer teams to eight. The Vandals join UC Santa Barbara, Utah State, North Texas, Pacific, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

College basketball

Three players from opposing teams at last week’s NJCAA Tournament have contacted North Idaho College’s men’s basketball about transferring, coach Hugh Watson said.

“We’re on to about six of the top 100 recruits,” Watson said.

Former Idaho men’s basketball coach Joe Cravens interviewed for the UC Irvine job last week.

Cravens was an assistant at Irvine last season. He was fired by Idaho last March after three seasons. Irvine coach Rod Baker was released following the 1996-97 season in which the Anteaters won just one game.

Irvine has interviewed at least five candidates, including Northern Arizona’s Ben Howland.

College baseball

Gonzaga broke a 6-6 tie with 13 runs in the seventh and eighth innings to hand Washington State a 19-12 setback Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference baseball game at Columbia Basin College Field in Pasco.

The Bulldogs (9-10-1) pounded out 20 hits off five Washington State pitchers in evening their series with the Cougars (2-21) at one win apiece.

The Bulldogs used five hits in the seventh inning, including Scott Asan’s three-run home run, to score five times and build an 11-6 lead. Dominic Prince drove home the other two Gonzaga runs in the inning with a triple.

Gonzaga added eight runs in the eighth on five hits, one Washington State error, three walks and two hit batters. Gonzaga sent 13 batters to the plate against three pitchers.

Gonzaga’s Jeff Bowne had four singles and a double while driving in five runs. He scored three times. Prince had a single, double and triple in six at-bats and drove in four runs.

Steve Gleason had three hits and three RBIs, Steve Curran two hits and five RBIs and Scott Randall was 3 for 3 for Washington State.

The teams meet again today at 2 p.m. in Pullman.

Five Lewis-Clark State pitchers held Whitworth to four singles as the Warriors defeated the Pirates 4-1 in a non-league NAIA game at Lewiston.

One of Whitworth’s hits, a single by Jay Wendt, gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

LCSC tied it in the first on a triple by Jose Rijo-Berger followed by a sacrifice fly from the next batter, Keith Habig.

The Warriors (15-5-1) took the lead in the sixth on an RBI single by Bucky Jacobsen and added two runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Rijo-Berger, who was 3 for 4, and Habig.

Jason McDougal started for the Pirates (3-11) and allowed one hit and one earned run in four complete innings.

, DataTimes