College roundup: Dodge leads Whitworth men to conference golf title, NCAA berth

Medalist Andrew Dodge shot a final round of 68 to lead Whitworth University to the men’s team title at the Northwest Conference tournament, and the overall NWC title Sunday at Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Oregon.

Dodge finished with a two-day total of 4-under 140 to win by three strokes.

The Pirates trailed Willamette by two strokes entering Sunday’s final round and had dropped to third place behind the Bearcats and Pacific Lutheran with only six holes to play before rallying down the stretch.

The Pirates finished at 17-over 593, one stroke ahead of PLU.

The Pirates have earned the NWC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, May 10-13 in Rochester, New York, at the Midvale Country Club and the Mendon Golf Club.

The league championship is Whitworth’s second in a row and eighth under 13-year head coach Warren Friedrichs.

Whitworth’s other top-10 finishers were Tyler McQuilkin, sixth at 148, and Oliver Rudnicki, a tie for seventh at 149.

Whitworth’s women golfers took fourth at 77-over 653 at Crosswater GC. George Fox won at 24 over, led by medalist Hailey Ostrom at 1-over 145. Whitworth’s top finisher was Chelsea Bayley at 9 over.

College baseball

Washington State 9, USC 2: Shane Matheny homered and drove in a career-high five runs and sophomore reliever Scotty Sunitsch (3-0) threw five innings for the Cougars in their victory over the Trojans (18-20, 7-8 Pac-12) in Pullman.

The Cougars (13-23, 6-12) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after Matheny’s three-run home run in the second inning. He added a two-run double and finished 3 for 3 while Stefan Van Horn also had three hits. Trek Stemp extended his hitting streak to 10 with an infield hit.

Sunitsch allowed just one earned run on five hits.

Santa Clara 6, Gonzaga 0: The Bulldogs (24-13, 12-6 WCC) finished their home schedule with a loss to the Broncos (17-20, 6-9).

Santa Clara held Gonzaga to six hits, two by Tyler Frost, who had a double.

Gonzaga ends the regular season with an 11-game road trip. The Bulldogs had their most successful home season in the 10-year history of the Patterson Complex, going 8-2.

Pacific Lutheran 6, Whitworth 5: After both teams scored five runs in the first inning, Tyler Thompson’s homer in the second proved to be the difference as the Lutes (25-16) beat the Pirates (27-10) in Spokane to win the Northwest Conference tournament title.

Arory Milyard (4-1) came in after the Lutes scored five runs, four unearned, with no outs and stopped the rally before giving up Thompson’s homer in the second. He went 8 1/3 innings, giving up four hits.

JT Phelan hit a grand slam for Whitworth.

Softball

Washington 7, Oregon State 2: Ali Aguilar hit two home runs, her 19th and 20th, and the 10th-ranked Huskies (30-10, 11-7) beat the Beavers (27-16, 6-12)