Tolzmann, Devereaux Keep Nic’s Drive Alive

Laura Tolzmann had four hits and drove in three runs on the afternoon and Denise Devereaux fashioned a two-hit shutout in a losers-bracket game as North Idaho College split two games in the double-elimination Yakima Valley softball invitational in Yakima.

The Cardinal (5-7) committed six errors in their first game and fell to Lower Columbia 6-5, despite Tolzmann’s three his and two RBIs. But they stayed alive in the losers’ bracket by shutting out Walla Walla 6-0 behind Devereaux’s pitching.

NIC plays today at 9 a.m.

Baseball

Freshman Jason Grove had four hits, including two home runs, and drove in three runs Saturday as Washington State opened its home and Pacific-10 Conference baseball seasons with a 13-3 rout of Northern Division rival Oregon State at Bailey Field.

Grove singled home the go-ahead run in the fifth inning, breaking a 3-3 tie, and added solo home runs in the sixth and eighth to support the five-hit pitching of junior transfer Jamaal Gaines (2-3), who struck out six and walked one in nine innings.

Basketball

Findlay University of Ohio overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half to defeat Lewis-Clark State 84-70 in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Division I women’s tournament at Jackson, Tenn.

Robin Berg led the Warriors, who ended their season with a record of 23-7. Ex-Lakeside High School player Lora Jolley added three points and two rebounds.

, DataTimes