Area roundup: Gonzaga baseball can’t hold big lead in season opener

Scott Ogrin hit a solo homer to left field in the top of the 10th inning to complete a big comeback as Cal Poly edged Gonzaga 8-7 in a baseball season opener for both in Surprise, Arizona.

Gonzaga took a 7-2 lead into the ninth, but the Mustangs struck for five runs, including Josh George’s two-run double and Bradlee Beesley’s two-run single.

Bulldogs starter Daniel Bies allowed six hits and two earned runs in six inning, striking out seven, and left with a 3-2 lead. GU extended the lead with a four-run eighth, highlighted by Jace Vandebrake’s two-run single.

Zags leadoff hitter Ernie Yake finished 4 for 6 with two runs.

• Trenton Toplikar struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings and the UC Riverside Highlanders broke open a close game with a six-run seventh inning to defeat Washington State 8-1 in the season opener for both at the Husker Classic in Tempe, Arizona. WSU’s JJ Hancock doubled and scored on Blake Clanton’s single to cut the Highlanders’ lead to 2-1 in the fourth. UC Riverside had five hits during its six-run outburst in the seventh. WSU starter Isaac Mullins allowed five hits and one earned run in five innings, striking out seven.
• Ryan Kingma (1-2) allowed three hits and one earned run in eight innings as Whitworth (4-6) achieved a split on the day with a 2-1 win over 16th-ranked Tyler-Texas (3-1) in Tyler, Texas. The Pirates opened the day with an 11-7 loss to 21st-ranked Trinity (Texas). Taylor Poffenroth’s two-run single in the fifth delivered the winning hit for the Pirates in the opener. Both runners reached base after infield errors. Parker Cormack and Joey Pecoraro hit two-run homers in the fourth to give Trinity (3-0) a 4-1 lead. Whitworth trailed 11-2 before patching together a five-run eighth, starting with Joel Condreay’s RBI double.

Women’s basketball

Utah 54, Washington State 50: Emily Potter scored 16 points with seven rebounds and the Utes (16-10, 7-8 Pac-12) kept a narrow lead throughout the game in beating the Cougars (10-17, 3-12) in Salt Lake City.

Potter, a 6-foot-6 senior, made 7 of 11 shots from the field while Megan Huff added 12 points for the Utes, who snapped a two-game skid and swept the season series from the Cougars, who were outscored 32-14 in the paint.

The game was tied once at 2 before Huff made consecutive baskets with the Utes leading the rest of the way but never by double figures.

Three free throws by Borislava Hristova with 9 seconds left got the Cougars (10-17, 3-12) within 53-50 but Huff added a free throw and WSU’s Louise Brown missed a hurried 3-pointer.

Hristova scored 18 points and Nike McClure collected 12 rebounds for WSU, which has lost four straight.

Colorado 76, Washington 56: Alexis Robinson scored 18 points, Kennedy Leonard added 14 points and matched a career high with 13 assists, and the Buffaloes (13-13, 4-11 Pac-12) jumped to a 12-point first-quarter lead and cruised over the Huskies (7-19, 1-14) in Boulder, Colorado.

Colorado snapped a three-game skid while Washington has lost seven straight.

Robinson, who averages 11.7 points a game, was 7 of 15 from the floor and made three 3-pointers. Leonard was 5-of-9 shooting, made two 3s and had six steals. Mya Hollingshed added 14 points for Colorado.

Amber Melgoza scored 15 points and Jenna Moser chipped in 13 for Washington.

Whitworth 77, Linfield 57: Madison Moffat led four players in double figures with 20 points and the host Pirates (10-14, 5-10 Northwest Conference) shot 47 percent from the field while defeating the Wildcats (9-15, 5-10).

Camy Aguinaldo added 12 points and six assists for the Pirates, who swept the season series.

Whitworth trailed 35-34 at halftime but scored the first 13 points of the third quarter, including five points from Grace Douglas.