Unearned runs again doom Cougars

The Washington State Cougars have yet to give up an earned run in two games at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Rice Classic at Houston.

They have two losses to show for it.

Oral Roberts (6-2) scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning on an error, sacrifice bunt, back-to-back singles and a sacrifice fly and made them stand up for a 2-1 college baseball victory Saturday afternoon.

Jared Prince was the tough-luck losing pitcher for the Cougars (3-7), scattering four hits over seven innings.

Michael Weber had three of WSU’s six hits. The Cougars were 1 for 15 with runners on base, including 0 for 8 with men in scoring position, and stranded 13 runners.

•A.J. Ramos struck out nine in six shutout innings to lead the Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-7) to an 8-1 victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs (6-5) at the Palm Beach (Calif.) Classic.

Anthony Synegal and Ernesto Ortiz had two hits apiece for Gonzaga.

Softball

The six-time defending Northwest League-champion Linfield Wildcats swept a doubleheader from the Whitworth Pirates (1-7, 0-4 NWC) at McMinnville, Ore.

The Wildcats (6-0, 6-0) pounded out 16 hits on their way to a 10-2 mercy rule-shortened victory in the first game. Whitworth’s Ashley Carey was 2 for 3.

In the nightcap, Alex Hartmann’s third-inning grand slam powered the Wildcats to a 7-1 victory.

•Community Colleges of Spokane picked up a pair of victories at the Yakima Tournament, defeating Pierce 12-9 in the first game before earning a 12-3 decision over Big Bend.

Kim Hare and Christy Selway had three hits apiece in the opener for CCS.

Michelle Wells singled, doubled and tripled twice in the nightcap.

Track and field

Washington State University’s 1,600-meter men’s relay team finished second in 3 minutes, 6.74 seconds at the Iowa State Qualifier in Ames, Iowa, to establish a school indoor record.