PULLMAN - Cory Lebrun was 3-for-3 with three RBI to lead Gonzaga past Washington State 10-8 in a nonconference baseball game Tuesday night at Bailey-Brayton Field.
The Bulldogs (12-6-1) built a 7-0 lead with three runs in the first against Washington State starter Chris McDowell (0-1) and four runs in the fourth off Cougar relievers Sean Hartnett and Matt Bower.
"Our guys don't realize what it takes to compete every night," Washington State coach Donnie Marbut said. "There was not one part of the game that we did well tonight."
The Cougars were blanked through five innings and limited to five hits against Gonzaga starter Kenny Smith (1-0) before exploding for five runs in the sixth on four hits.
Adam Nelubowich led off with a single, one of his four hits in the game. Nick Tanielu singled and Yale Rosen walked to load the bases. One out later, P.J. Jones singled to drive in the Cougars' first run. Pinch hitter Ian Sagdal then stroked a triple down the right field line to clear the bases. Sagdal scored on a ground out by Trace Tam Sing to pull Washington State within 7-5.
In the seventh, the Cougars loaded the bases with zero outs against Gonzaga reliever Billy Moon on a walk to Collin Slaybaugh and singles by Nelubowich and Tanielu. With one out, Jason Monda was hit by a pitch to force in a run, but Moon retired Jones and Sagdal to protect a one-run lead.
Gonzaga tallied an unearned run in the eighth against Kellen Camus, but the Cougars responded in their half of the inning. Tam Sing singled and pinch hitter Trek Stemp walked to open the frame. Arturo Reyes came out of the Bulldogs' bullpen and recorded the first out when Slaybaugh bunted foul on three-straight pitches.
Nelubowich singled to load the bases and the Cougars scored a run on a wild pitch as Tanielu fanned for the second out. Reyes retired Rosen on a ground out with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position to end the threat.
In the ninth, Gonzaga scored two runs against J.D. Leckenby when Washington State failed to complete a 6-4-3 double play. Monda led off the bottom half of the inning with a single, took second on a ground out and scored on Sagdal's single. Reyes notched his first save when he induced Tam Sing to ground into a double play.
Gonzaga 300 400 012-10 15 0
Washinton State 000 005 111- 8 15 2
Smith, Moon (7), Reyes (8) and Forbes and Harris. McDowell, Hartnett (2), Bower (4), Triece (4), Camus (8), Leckenby (9) and Jones.
W - Smith (1-0). L - McDowell (0-1). Save - Reyes (1)
Gonzaga hits - Gunsolus, Lebrun 3 (2B), Eslick, Abbruzza, Lamb, Harris, Reiten 2, Wood 3, Gonzales, Forbes.
Washington State hits - Slaybaugh 2, Nelubowich 4, Tanielu 3, Monda, Jones, Sagdal 2 (3B), Tam Sing 2 (2B).
SWIMMING Three Neptunes in regional meet Three members of the Lewis Clark Neptunes swimming team - Eli Engledow, Alexis Hayes and Jared Strotmann - will take part in this week's USA Swimming Pacific Northwest Region age group meet.
The meet will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Federal Way, Wash.
Engledow, 12, will compete in six events; Hayes, 13, will swim in three events; and Strotmann, 13, is entered in two events.
In this meet, swimmers are trying to qualify for the Western Zone meet, which will take place in August at Roseville, Calif.
WALKING Walk MS set for April 6 The region's 16th annual Lewiston-Clarkston, Moscow-Pullman Walk MS will be April 6, starting and finishing at Clarkston's Swallows Park.
Teams and individuals have 18 days before the fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis. The 10 a.m. event will include 1, 2 and 6-mile routes along the Snake River greenbelt. More than 200 walkers have made donations and pledges, in addition to corporate sponsorships, for as much as $25,000 in past years.
Walk participants will raise money with team and individual pledges. Registration forms are available at Quad Cities businesses. Race day registration will be from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at Swallows Park.
For the first time at the Clarkston event, a Team Row area will designated this year, according to Louvette Thiessen of Lewiston, Lewiston-Clarkston MS unit president. Top teams from the 2012 event will have an opportunity to celebrate together. Team W.A.R., organized by Moscow's Wendy Berrett, boats nearly 50 members. Berrett was diagnosed with MS in 1997, when she and a friend started Walk MS participation.
Net proceeds support the society's research to find the cure, prevention and cause of Multiple Sclerosis, Thiessen said. Proceeds also fund health-related services for people with MS and their families in the Quad Cities region. Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.
The Clarkston walk is the first of four Walk MS events in the Inland Northwest, to be followed by one in Spokane on April 14, Wenatchee on April 20 and Coeur d'Alene on April 27.
TENNIS L-C tennis recognized The Lewis-Clark State women's tennis team was ranked No. 10 and the men's team was No. 12 in the NAIA national polls, the national office announced Tuesday.
The Warrior women, ranked No. 10 in the previous poll, received 224 points after having established a 3-4 record on the year. LCSC's men's squad climbed one spot from its previous ranking of No. 13 thanks to a 5-1 record and 216 points.
Cirstea lauded by WAC University of Idaho senior Marius Cirstea was honored as the WAC Tennis Player of the Week after a 2-0 singles outing and a 1-1 doubles performance in the Vandals' matches against Liberty and Hawaii.
Cirstea, who is from Bucharest, Romania, helped the Vandals improve their team record to 15-1.
BASKETBALL Former WSU coach dies Bob Greenwood, who coached the Washington State men's basketball team during the 1971-72 season, died recently at the age of 83, the school announced on its website Tuesday.
Greenwood died at his Lakewood, Colo., home Jan. 31.
Greenwood led the Cougars to an 11-15 record during his one season in Pullman.
Prior to that, he put in head-coaching stints at Washington University of St. Louis (1965-70) and Rider University (1962-65).