Defense wins a spring practice, baseball loses to Oregon

It was an eventful day for WSU Athletics on Thursday and depending on your stance on neutral site basketball game, it wasn't for very good reasons.

Let's start with the news that WSU will play Gonzaga in a neutral site game in Spokane next year instead of hosting the Bulldogs in Pullman. This isn't new, as the game is part of a three-year deal signed last year, but the terms of the deal are just becoming public knowledge. The deal caused quite a stir among Cougar fans, many of which were not too thrilled. You'd be hard pressed to convince me it was a good idea for WSU to accept the supposed "take it or leave it" offer from Gonzaga, tradition and the extra revenue be damned.

Shifting to football, the Cougars were back on the practice field, with the defense getting the upper hand according to the various practice reports. According to Jacob Thorpe, Marcus Mason limped off the field with an apparent leg injury. Thorpe noted the injury didn't appear to be serious. The Cougars are now two-thirds of the way through spring football with five practices remaining.

Finally, on the baseball diamond WSU had a rough go of it in its first game against Oregon. Starter Joe Pistorese got knocked around and the Cougar offense struggled to get anything going in an 11-1 loss to the Ducks. Not exactly the best start to what is a very important series for WSU's postseason chances.

Football:

WSU spring football: O-line features battling centers - Spokesman.com - April 17, 2014
A 6-foot-4, 230-pound giant stuck out his mitt, invited Connor Halliday to a round of golf and suddenly transferring to Ferris High School from familiar Lewis and Clark wasn’t quite as intimidating for the toothpick-thin quarterback.

Defense Shines as Cougars Continue Spring Practice - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State football continued spring practice with a two-hour workout in helmets and shoulder pads on Rogers Field and in Martin Stadium Thursday afternoon.

Spring Practice Report: Day 10 - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - April 17, 2014
The defense was a clear victor on the rainy day, which saw numerous drops and a few receivers have their gloves taken away as punishment. Linebacker Darryl Monroe had some tongue-in-cheek words on the matter

Baseball:

Photos: Oregon Baseball – Ducks make it rain against Washington State 11-1 | Emerald Media
Washington State redshirt sophomore third baseman Nick Tanielu (30) stretches while waiting his turn to bat during the top of the first inning. The Oregon Ducks play the Washington State Cougars at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on April 17, 2014.

Ducks start key conference series vs. WSU with a victory - GoDucks.com - The University of Oregon Official Athletics Web Site
The Pac-12's baseball standings showed Oregon and Washington State to be on level ground at 7-5 entering a three-game series to close out this week.

Cougar Lose Series Opener in Eugene - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Tommy Thorpe tossed seven shutout innings and No. 10 Oregon defeated Washington State 11-1 in the opener of a three-game Pac-12 Conference baseball series at PK Park.