Murphy, Gran spur Cougars

Paul Gran went 4 for 4 with a double and three runs batted in and Jim Murphy hit a home run for the fifth straight game to power the Washington State Cougars to a 21-4 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes in non-conference baseball action Saturday at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman.

Kent State (3-7) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Murphy answered in the bottom of the inning with his fifth home run of the season – a two-run shot – to knot the score.

“Murphy got us on the board early and we didn’t stop off after that,” WSU coach Donnie Marbut said. “We are swinging the bats really well right now.”

WSU took the lead for good with a three-run second inning. Michael Ratigan (3-0) earned the victory with three innings of relief. He allowed one unearned run. Garry Kuykendall went 2 for 4 with four RBIs for the Cougs.

The two teams wrap up the four-game series with a game today at noon.

•Jason Chatwood went 4 for 6 with three runs scored and an RBI to lead the Gonzaga Bulldogs to an 11-5 win over the Pacific Tigers (2-9) in non-conference play in Stockton, Calif.

Ryan Wiegand had three hits, including a triple and a home run, and drove in four runs for the Bulldogs (5-5).

Matt Fields (1-1) earned the victory for the Bulldogs. He pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.

•The Linfield Wildcats (7-3, 3-2) rode the arms of Brian Clark and Garrett Dorn to a doubleheader sweep – 8-1, 6-0 – of the Whitworth Pirates in Northwest Conference play in McMinnville, Ore.

Clark went eight innings and allowed one run in the opener and Dorn tossed eight shutout innings in the nightcap.

Mitch Nelson went 2 for 3 with his first home run of the season for the Pirates in the opener. Whitworth starter Chad Flett allowed four runs in seven innings and was saddled with the loss.

Dan Ramsey had a pair of singles in three at-bats for Whitworth in the second game. Pirates starter Collin Gibbs took the loss. He allowed five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

•Cory Kreighbaum had five hits on the day to lead the Community Colleges of Spokane Sasquatch to 7-0 and 10-1 victories over the Southwestern Oregon Lakers in non-conference play at Spokane Falls CC.

Mike Richard tossed seven shutout innings to get the win in the opener.

Prep baseball

Mason Ramano had two hits and a pair of RBIs and Zack Hull struck out nine in four innings of work to lead the Coeur d’Alene Vikings to a 4-1 victory over the Moscow Bears in Inland Empire League play in Lewiston.

Jackson Seamon went 4 for 4 with a home run and six RBIs to lead the Vikings to a 13-3 victory in the first game.

Track and field

Idaho Vandals’ Heather Bergland ran an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 8.39 in a preliminary round of the women’s 60-meter hurdles at the Husky Last Chance Qualifier in Seattle.

Bergland finished second in the finals with a time of 8.45.

Also at the meet, Washington State Cougars senior Rickey Moody had a provisional qualifying mark in the men’s long jump.

Moody finished second in the event, jumping 24 feet, 9 1/4 inches.

The NCAA will release the field for the NCAA Indoor Championships on Monday and the event will take place Friday and Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.