WSU baseball loses to San Jose State in extra innings

Any slim chances the WSU baseball team had of making the postseason likely got dashed on Thursday as the Cougars lost 7-5 to San Jose State. After some early season struggles, Washington State was going to need a miracle run to even garner consideration for the NCAA tournament with the chance the Cougars needed to win out to boost their RPI high enough. The loss on Thursday, following the loss last week to Washington, probably squashes any chance.

WSU nearly pulled off an improbable comeback. The Cougars trailed 5-4 heading into the final frame and were still trailing by a run with two outs. A game-tying double sent the game to extra innings and preserved hope the Cougars could pull it out. It wasn't mean tot be, however, as closer Ian Hamilton gave up a pair of runs in the top of the 11th and WSU failed to match in the bottom of the inning.

The loss drops WSU to 18-18 on the season. WSU and the Spartans will play Game 2 of the series on Friday.

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Baseball:

Cougars Fall to San Jose State in Extra Innings - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Andre Mercurio’s RBI single in the 11th inning scored Michael Breen with the eventual winning run while Turtle Kahaulua worked six innings in relief to pick up his first win of the season as San Jose State defeated Washington State 7-5 in 11 innings Thursday at Bailey-Brayton Field.

San Jose State Spartans Official Athletic Site
San José State's baseball team plated two runs in the top of the 11th inning to defeat Washington State, 7-5, in a thriller Thursday night at Bailey-Brayton Field.

Football:

Jacob Thorpe has a report from the latest WSU spring football practice including a couple of players buried on the depth chart turning in nice days.

WSU spring football: Cougars’ defense amps up pressure on quarterbacks - Spokesman.com - April 16, 2015
When evaluating candidates for the vacant defensive coordinator position following the 2014 football season, Mike Leach had a general idea of the qualities he was looking for in the defense’s new leader.

Some new players emerge at WSU practice | The Spokesman-Review
But it was a notable day because a couple players that previously hadn't stood out much stepped up and had good practices. I'll explain below.

Video: Mike Leach after practice | The Spokesman-Review
Mike Leach speaks to the media after WSU's 10th spring practice.

Basketball:

Watch George Raveling's Favorite Memory at WSU - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Former Washington State men's basketball coach George Raveling will be inducted to the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame, Sept. 11.