Gonzaga increases baseball record to 9-0

Tyler Olson pitched a complete game, surrendering just one run on three hits, as Gonzaga (9-0) continued its perfect baseball season with a 4-1 win over the University of Texas-San Antonio (7-4) in the nightcap of the UTSA Classic on Saturday.

Olson (1-0) and Roadrunner starter Blake Denman (1-1) had a pitching duel early in the game. Denman dominated the Bulldogs lineup for five innings, but Steven Halcomb broke Denman’s no-hitter in the sixth with a single through the right side. The Zags scored on a RBI grounder to second and on a throwing error.

The Bulldogs close out play in the UTSA Classic against Kansas this morning at 10.

• Northern Colorado collected 14 hits and ended Washington State’s five-game win streak with a 7-3 nonconference win at Bailey-Brayton Field.

Washington State (6-3) took a 2-0 lead in the first and starter Kyle Swannack (1-1) blanked the Bears through three innings, but gave up a pair of walks sandwiched around a single to load the bases with no one out in the fourth.

After a double play scored the Bears’ first run and a single tied the game, two more singles loaded the bases and chased Swannack. Scott Simon came out of the bullpen and walked the first man he faced to force in a run that gave Northern Colorado (1-5) a 3-2 lead.

Simon settled down after that and later retired eight straight men. Three straight two-out hits in the seventh scored two more runs to put the game out of reach.

The series concludes today with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m.

Softball

Pacific Lutheran dominated visiting Whitworth in a doubleheader at PLU’s field in Parkland, Wash., putting together 12-0 and 14-0 five-inning wins.

The Lutes (8-4, 6-0 NWC) had a total of 26 runs and 26 hits in the twinbill and allowed no runs and a total of nine hits in 10 innings. The Pirates are 2-10 overall and 0-6 in the NWC.

The teams complete their four-game series with a doubleheader today starting at noon.

• Danielle Hockett reached base on an error in the seventh inning and later scored from third base on an error to give North Idaho College a 9-8 win in the opener of the three-game set against the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

The Cardinals (13-20, 11-13 SWAC) did not fair as well in the last two games, losing 2-1 and 4-1.

Brianna Bishop hit an RBI double and scored in the fifth and collected two more RBIs in the sixth on an error by the second baseman. Shelby Carter hit a two-run home run in the fifth and Ashley Moon added a solo shot in the sixth. Moon hit another solo shot in the third game, the only run for NIC.

Emily Perlich (7-8) pitched five innings and got the win.

Nicole Atkinson’s solo home run in the second game produced the only run for the Cardinal.

Track and field

In his final indoor race as a Vandal, senior Stephane Colle broke Idaho men’s 3,000-meter school record at the UW Final Qualifier meet in Seattle.

Colle finished sixth with a career-best time of 8 minutes, 5.39 seconds, which tops the former record of 8:07.02, set earlier this year on the same track by teammate Barry Britt.

In the men’s pole vault, senior Jeremy Klas tied for first after clearing 17 feet, 2 1/4 inches. He is ranked 10th in the NCAA and is expected to make his third consecutive appearance at the NCAAs.

Washington State University’s Joe Abbott ran a season-best 800 (1:48.65), but it was not fast enough to qualify.

Other WSU competitors in Seattle included Ryan Barrett, who won the 400 in a personal-best 48.74.

The NCAA Indoor Championships are set for Friday and Saturday in Boise, where WSU’s lone participant will be Stephan Scott-Ellis, who has top-10 national marks in the long jump and triple jump.