Cougars shut out the Huskies in Seattle

WSU and Washington met for a non-conference game on Monday in Seattle, but the fact the game didn't count in the Pac-12 standings didn't seem to matter for the Cougars who pulled out a 3-0 victory. The game was the fourth and final of the year against the Huskies with WSU taking three of four from Washington.

The pitching staff was the star with four Cougar hurles combining to throw a three-hit shutout. Even more impressive, WSU pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts in the dominant effort. Ryan Walker started and pitched well for 4.2 innings. Layne Bruner pitched a solid 1.1 before Sean Hartnett came in dominating. He faced six batters over 2.0 innings of work and struck out five. While Hartnett needed only 21 pitches to get through two innings, closer Ian Hamilton made things more interesting.

Hamilton took over in the ninth but a single and two walks loaded the bases with no outs. With only a three-run cushion, the Cougars were just a swing away from a loss. That is if Husky batters could make contact. Hamilton whiffed the first on three pitches, then did the same for the second recording two quick strikeouts. He finished the game off in style with a third strikeout to close things out. The save was the 25th of Hamilton's career, a new WSU record.

With the win, WSU improved to 24-19 on the season. The Cougars will return home for a six-game homestand beginning on Friday.

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Baseball:

Hamilton Sets Record in Shutout over Huskies - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Ian Hamilton stuck out three in the ninth en route to his WSU-record 25th-career save as Washington State shutout Washington 3-0, in a nonconference game at Husky Ballpark Monday night.

Football:

Mike Bush, former WSU two-sport standout, hired as football coach at Kentwood | The Seattle Times
Mike Bush wasn’t in a hurry to become a head football coach. “I wanted to be ready,” he said. After seven seasons as an assistant coach, the last four at Bothell High School, Bush believes it’s time to take that step. So do administrators at Kentwood, who have hired him to take over their successful program for the Covington school.

Alex Grinch preaches takeaways to Washington State defense - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
To the surprise of very few, Washington State quarterbacks put up gaudy numbers in Saturday's spring game. Here are the yardage totals: Luke Falk, 323 yards (in only 2.5 quarters); Peyton Bender, 265 yards; Tyler Hilinski 133 yards.

Meet the minor league broadcaster who’s called games since 1949 | MLB | Sporting News
Times have changed since Bob Robertson was the voice of the Wenatchee Chiefs in 1949. Back then, he pitched batting practice during the day and announced the game at night.

Basketball:

Cougars corral coveted center Clifford - Spokesman.com - April 27, 2015
Ernie Kent won his first major men’s basketball recruiting victory for Washington State, signing a player coveted by far more established programs.

Conor Clifford Signs NLI with WSU Basketball - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The 2015 Southern California Most Valuable Player, Conor Clifford (7-0, 270, Center, Huntington Beach, Calif./Ocean View HS/Saddleback College), has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for Washington State University beginning in the fall of 2015, head coach Ernie Kent announced Monday.

Golf:

Two Cougars in Top 5 at Pac-12 Championships - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Hosting the 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships, the Washington State University men’s golf team finished opening-day action in a tie for third place with No. 13 Stanford (+10, 710).

Alivia Brown Selected for NCAA Regionals - Washington State University Official Athletic Site

Freshman Alivia Brown of the Washington State University women’s golf team was selected to compete as an individual at the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s West Regional May 7-9 in St. George, Utah, the NCAA Women’s Golf Committee announced Monday.