Mariners News Gonzaga’s late-game rally came up just short on Saturday in their 81-76 loss to Houston. The Zags were the final in-state team left in the men’s and women’s tournaments after the Huskies women fell in the First Four. But there was still plenty of action in Seattle over the weekend. Derik Queen sent […]
Mariners News
Gonzaga’s late-game rally came up just short on Saturday in their 81-76 loss to Houston. The Zags were the final in-state team left in the men’s and women’s tournaments after the Huskies women fell in the First Four. But there was still plenty of action in Seattle over the weekend. Derik Queen sent Maryland to the Sweet 16 at Climate Pledge last night in the first buzzer beater of the tournament. After that, Arizona prevailed in a high-scoring battle with former Pac-12 foe Oregon to advance.
Julio Rodriguez led the team with 5 home runs and 20 RBI in 16 games during the preseason. The M’s finish spring training tied with the White Sox for the worst record in the league with 11 wins and 19 losses. But Opening Day is on the horizon, as Logan Gilbert looks to start the season off strong against the Athletics at T-Mobile Park this Thursday.
The Sweet 16 is set in the men’s college basketball tournament. All four #1 seeds are still alive in a March that’s lacking its usual Cinderella story. This is the first season since 2007 that the Sweet 16 won’t feature an #11 seed or higher. John Calipari and #10 Arkansas is the highest seed remaining in the bracket.
The second day of the women’s Round of 32 is taking place today. Wenatchee-native Hailey Van Lith highlighted yesterday’s action with a big win over her former team. She had 16 points and 10 assists in TCU’s win over Louisville, where she played for three seasons. Her historic season with the Horned Frogs now continues with their first Sweet 16 in program history.
College Basketball News
The Mariners ended spring training with a 7-7 tie to the San Diego Padres this afternoon. The M’s trailed 6-2 early on, but rallied to get a one-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. San Diego’s Jack Costello went on to drive in the tying run to provide an anticlimactic end to Seattle’s final game in Cactus League play.
The men’s tournament will take a few days off before the Sweet 16 tips off on Thursday.
President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto applauded Haniger’s tenure in Seattle, calling him a “significant part of Mariners history.” The 34-year-old has .5 million due this season in the final year of his contract.
Meanwhile, a trio of in-state teams are participating in NCAA tournament-alternatives. The Washington State women are hosting Utah Valley at 6:00 tonight in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, or NIT. The Wazzu men are facing Georgetown a week from today in the 1st round of the new College Basketball Crown tournament. And the Gonzaga women beat Colorado 64-55 last night in the 2nd round of the WBIT. They advance to play Minnesota in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The end of spring training comes a day after the Mariners parted ways with a fan favorite. The team released Mitch Haniger yesterday after the veteran outfielder was hampered by left shoulder soreness during spring training. Haniger spent five seasons with Seattle from 2017 through 2022 and was reacquired in 2024 through a trade with San Francisco. He hit a career-low .208 in 121 games last season and hasn’t appeared in a Cactus League game since March 8.
Kraken News
The Sounders played the Houston Dynamo to a scoreless draw on Saturday. Seattle’s best chance to score came when Albert Rusnak had a free kick attempt about 25 yards from the goal late in the match, but his attempt sailed just over the crossbar. It was one of the Dynamo’s better efforts in Seattle, with the club having never won a regular season match at Lumen Field. The Sounders now sit at 1-2-2 on the season ahead of this Saturday’s road match against San Jose.
Sounders News
The Kraken fell to the Oilers in a high-scoring affair over the weekend. Kaapo Kakko’s two goals weren’t enough as Seattle lost to Edmonton 5-4 on Saturday. Seattle trailed 4-2 entering the final period before goals by Andre Burakovsky and Jaden Schwartz led a late-game rally. But the Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his third goal of the game to lift the Oilers to victory. The Kraken will look to bounce back tomorrow in the last match of their road trip against Calgary. Coverage begins at 5:30 and puck drops at 6 on KPUG.
