Gonzaga ends 3-game slide

Taylor Jones had two hits and drove in three runs and Gonzaga snapped a three-game losing skid with an 8-2 West Coast Conference victory over Loyola Marymount on Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Bulldogs (12-14, 3-5) took control early with three first-inning runs and tacked on four more in the fifth.

Andrew Sopko started for GU and went five innings, giving up four hits and four walks without allowing a run. Calvin LeBrun earned his first save after holding the Lions (15-12, 5-3) scoreless through the final 3 2/3 innings.

The teams will play the rubber match of the three-game series today at 1 p.m.

• No. 5 UCLA kept Washington State’s bats quiet and the Bruins (20-5, 7-1) topped the Cougars 6-1 in a Pac-12 Conference game in Pullman. The loss was WSU’s seventh straight.

UCLA starter Grant Watson went six innings, giving up a run on three hits, and Tucker Forbes, Grant Dyer and David Berg blanked the Cougars (12-13, 1-7) the rest of the way. The teams wrap up the three-game set today.

• Eighth-ranked Southern California (21-6, 3-2) scored three runs in the top of the 16th and held on to beat Washington 3-2 in a Pac-12 game in Seattle.

Both starters were masterful. Washington’s Tyler Davis pitched 8 1/3 innings, giving up four hits without allowing a run. USC’s Kyle Twomey pitched seven scoreless innings before giving way to relief.

Washington’s Braden Bishop hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 16th to narrow the lead, but the Huskies (15-11, 2-6) couldn’t extend the rally.

• Whitworth increased its winning streak to eight games and took over first place in the Northwest Conference with a doubleheader sweep of Lewis & Clark in Portland, Oregon.

Matthew Nelson had four hits and drove in six runs in the Pirates’ 16-4 opening-game win. He hit a three-run home run in the fifth.

Spencer Ansett guided Whitworth in the nightcap. Ansett pitched all nine innings, giving up just seven hits in the Pirates’ 5-0 victory. Nelson had three more hits and drove in two.

The Pirates (18-8, 10-4) and Pioneers (5-23, 2-12) play the third game of a four-game set today in Portland.

Softball

Whitworth extended its winning streak to five games with a doubleheader sweep of Puget Sound (4-20, 1-11) in Northwest Conference play in Tacoma.

Peyton McMahon led the Pirates to a 13-2 win in the opener. McMahon had a home run and a double and drove in four runs.

Whitworth’s Chelsey Hayes added two hits, two runs and two RBIs and Alyssa Hall scored three times.

Makayla Lefever was outstanding on the mound in the Pirates’ 7-0 nightcap victory. Lefever pitched all seven innings, giving up just three hits and no walks.

Whitworth (20-6, 11-3) and Puget Sound play another doubleheader today in Tacoma.

• Community Colleges of Spokane (15-1, 7-0) swept Big Bend (9-11, 4-4) in a Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader in Moses Lake.

The Sasquatch’s Lindsie Scholwinski outdueled Alexis Spence in CCS’s 4-2 opening-game win. Scholwinski went all seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out eight.

Sydnie Malloy had two hits and scored twice to lead the Sasquatch at the plate.

In the nightcap, CCS scored seven times in the seventh and won 9-3. Katelyn Sage hit a three-run double in the seventh-inning outburst.

• Washington broke open a close game with eight fourth-inning runs and routed Oregon (29-4, 7-1) 10-2 in a Pac-12 Conference game in Eugene, Oregon.

Kylee Lahners led the Huskies (31-8, 3-4) with two hits and three RBIs. The win evened the three-game series at one game apiece. The rubber match is set for 2 p.m. today.

Track and field

Andrea Pikes and Holly Stanton each won two events through heavy winds to lead the Idaho women at the Mike Keller Invitational in Moscow, Idaho. Pikes won the 100-meter dash in 12.17 seconds and claimed the 200 in 26.27. Stanton won the 800 (2:22.97) and 1,500 (4:47.49) titles.

Juan Medina Cuenca led the Vandals men with a first-place finish in the shot put (48 feet).

The pole vault competition, postponed due to the weather, will be held today.

Women’s rowing

No. 16 Washington State opened the spring season by taking two of three varsity races from No. 5 Stanford at the Pac-12 Women’s Challenge at Redwood Shores, California.

The Cougars’ varsity four and second varsity eight boats notched wins over the Cardinal.

Stanford beat WSU’s varsity eight, as did No. 4 California. Competition continues today, with the Cougars’ first race coming against Oklahoma.

Women’s golf

Southern Methodist shot a 10-under 270 on the third and final round of The Goodwin in Stanford, California, and shared the team title with Alabama-Birmingham.

Washington State shot a final-round 286 and finished in 10th place at 8-over 848. The Cougars’ Bhurinat Songpaiboon shot a final-round 69 and finished tied for 33rd with a three-round total of 211.