Chiefs win lottery for WHL’s first pick

The Spokane Chiefs will have the first overall selection in the 2006 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft after winning the Bantam Draft Lottery in Calgary, Alberta, on Thursday.

It will be the first time that Spokane will hold the first overall selection. The 2006 WHL Bantam Draft will be held in Calgary on May 4.

After Spokane makes the top choice, the rest of the top five will be Red Deer, the expansion Chilliwack Bruins, Prince Albert and Kamloops. The lottery involved the non-playoff teams and Chilliwack.

Spokane’s previous top draft picks were No. 3 selections Jared Hope in 1993 and Brad Ference in 1999.

Softball

Whitworth split two games at the SunWest Tournament in Orange, Calif.

The Pirates (9-7) dropped a 4-0 decision to two-time defending Division III national champion St. Thomas and defeated Williams 9-5 in 10 innings .

Whitworth managed just two hits against St. Thomas’s (7-4) Janet Nagle.

Whitworth scored five runs in the first four innings of the second game, with Kristin Hanson picking up two RBIs, to jump to a 5-1 lead. Williams (4-4) rallied to tie the game at 5 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. The Pirates broke open the game with a four-run burst in the top of the 10th, capped by a two-run single from Jodi Schock.

Football

Tickets for Washington State University’s 2006 road games, including the Sept. 16 contest against Baylor at Seattle Qwest Field (technically a home game) will go on sale at 10 a.m. today.

Tickets to the Sept. 2 game at Auburn will be available only at www.wsucougars.com. Other road game tickets will be available either online, at 800-Go-Cougs, or at the WSU ticket office in Pullman (509-335-9626).

Baseball

Three CC Spokane pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout as the Sasquatch beat host Edmonds 8-0 to split a twinbill. Edmonds won the first game 5-4.

Golf

The Highlands Golf Course in Post Falls opened today. Operating hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.