The Washington State offense delivered early and often Tuesday night against Gonzaga, but they had to hold off a fast and furious late rally from the Zags to pick up their seventh win of the season.

Home runs by Kodie Kolden and Andres Alvarez put WSU up 5-0 through 2 innings of play. The Cougs followed that with a three run 4th inning and a one run 6th to push their lead to 9-1. But, from there, the Bulldogs woke up.

In the seventh inning, the Zags loaded the bases with no outs and followed that with back-to-back RBI singles, a run scoring error, a hit by pitch, a run scoring fielder’s choice, an RBI ground out and a single on their way to a 6 run seventh inning. Just like that, the Zags had cut the lead to 9-7

Kolden would lead the push once again in the bottom half of the seventh, delivering a two run single, followed by a Danny Sinatro RBI sacrifice fly to make it a 12-7 game.

Gonzaga would get two more in the eighth, but Michael Newstrom would get the ball in the ninth and finish this one off for his first save of the season. Freshman Tyson Guerrero started the game, working 3.2 innings while striking out 2 on his way to the win, taking his season record to 1-1.

The win brings the Cougs to 7-20 on the season. They’ll hit the road this weekend in search of their first Pac-12 victory when they take on Cal in a three game set starting Friday night. All three games this weekend will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Cougar Offense Comes Alive in Win over Gonzaga - Washington State University Athletics
Washington State used a couple big innings and some timely pitching to post a 12-10 nonconference win over Gonzaga in front of 1,003 fans at Bailey-Brayton Field Tuesday evening.

College baseball: Kodie Kolden leads Washington State to 12-10 win over Gonzaga | The Spokesman-Review
Kodie Kolden homered and totaled five RBIs and three runs, and Washington State held off Gonzaga 12-10 Tuesday in a nonconference game at Bailey-Brayton Field.

Football

Roc Bellantoni, Washington State linebackers still getting familiar with one another | The Spokesman-Review
Not since 2013 have the inside linebackers at WSU been under different leadership. Ken Wilson was by Mike Leach’s side for six seasons, from 2013-18, until the longest-tenured assistant in Pullman accepted the same position at Oregon this offseason.

WSU Football Spring Practice No. 6 Photo Gallery – Cougar Sports Network
The Cougs were back in action this Tuesday, as a surprisingly sunny Pullman afternoon led to heated position battles across the board. Here is your most recent look at the 2019 WSU Football team.

Mike Leach

The intersection of insurgent warfare and football strategy: A night with ‘professor’ Mike Leach – The Athletic ($)
Leach, Washington State's eccentric head coach, is co-teaching a seminar on campus this spring, and it's everything you could imagine.