Moul, Einspar Lead A-B Golf Tournament

Blaine’s A.J. Moul and Columbia Burbank’s Tricia Einspar will be trying to protect first-round leads today in the final rounds of the State A-B boys and girls golf tournaments.

Moul fired an opening-round 73 at MeadowWood Monday and is two strokes ahead of Ritzville’s Ryan Benzel and Ilwaco’s Jeremie Murfin heading into the final 18 holes today over the 6,384-yard MeadowWood layout, which plays to a par of 72.

Einspar, who toured the 5,886-yard Liberty Lake course in 10-over 82, has a four-stroke lead over Vashon’s Krissy Rojecki after 18 holes in the girls’ tournament at Liberty Lake.

Final rounds are today.

Boys: Surprisingly, Moul’s tidy 1-over-par 73 didn’t give him much breathing room in what appears to be a balanced field of 44 qualifiers for today’s final round.

Eight golfers, including Chewelah’s Joey Bristol, who opened with a 78, broke 80 and two others are 8 over.

Girls: The list of legitimate challengers to catch Einspar seems short, considering only four golfers are within 10 strokes of the first-round leader.

Rojecki has the best chance, but Charles Wright’s Suzanne Robbel, who opened with an 89, is not out of the picture. And neither are Oroville’s Stacy Harnasch, who carded a first-round 91, nor Cascade’s Megan Alexander, who shot a 95.

State AAA golf

Andy Hastings of Ferris fired a 1-over-par 73 to trail by one stroke after the first day of the tournament in Tacoma. C.W. Herchold of Bellarmine Prep and Lucas Horrabin of Oak Harbor share the lead at 72.

Britney Holt of Mead trails Kylie Smith of Everett by a stroke in the girls competition after shooting a 1-over-par 74.

All nine Greater Spokane League girls advanced to the final day. Ferris, with four girls in the running, has a good shot at defending its team title.

On the boys side, six from the GSL made the cut, led by Hastings. Ferris leads the list with two qualifiers.

State AA golf

Mitch Bourgault of Lynnwood shot a 3-under-par 69 to lead by one stroke after the first round of the state tournament in Yakima.

Defending champion Kelli Kamimura of Sedro-Woolley and Andrea Hehn of South Whidbey are tied for the lead with 79s at the girls tournament in Sunnyside.

Prep baseball

Northwest Christian dropped a 5-3 decision to Wishkah Valley in the first round of the Region I B tournament at Marysville. Orcas won the region’s berth to the state tournament this weekend in Spokane with a 7-3 win over Wishkah.

Men’s golf

Steve Prugh from Manito Golf and Country Club is one stroke off the lead after shooting a 69 during the first round of the Ernst Washington Open Invitational at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue.

Chris Mitchell and Mark Rohde are three strokes off the pace.

College golf

Mike O’Leary from Community Colleges of Spokane is fifth, four strokes off the lead, after shooting a 2-over 74 at the NWAACC championships in Tacoma.

CCS’s Megan Field leads the women’s field with a 75.

College softball

No. 1 ranked Washington banged out 10 hits off three Oklahoma State pitchers in a 9-1 win in Seattle to earn a spot in the College World Series.

Tennis

Melissa Biscayno and Angela Balholm from Green River defeated Shyla Gordon and Susan Sheckells from Community Colleges of Spokane 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) to win the No. 1 doubles title at the NWAACC championships in Yakima.

Gordon finished third in No. 1 singles, beating Jessica Kennedy of Skagit Valley 6-4, 6-1.

, DataTimes