NW Briefs | Cougars end Huskies' baseball streak, 5-1

Jayson Miller fell one strike short of pitching a shutout as Washington State stopped No. 30 Washington's five-game win streak 5-1 Saturday in a Pac-10 baseball game at Husky Ballpark.

The Huskies (30-17 overall, 9-8 Pac-10) dropped to fourth place with the loss to WSU (27-21, 6-11). The series ends today at 1 p.m. at Husky Ballpark (KKNW 1150 AM).

Miller, a senior from Richland, improved to 7-1. He scattered eight hits and tied a career high with nine strikeouts.

"Every time we need a win, Jayson Miller gives us a big effort," WSU coach Donnie Marbut said.

Washington starting pitcher Cam Nobles (4-4) went only 4-2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.

Jim Murphy highlighted WSU's offense, hammering a two-run homer and a run-scoring double. The senior from Kirkland's towering, third-inning homer, his 13th of the season, helped the Cougars jump to a 3-0 lead.

In the seventh, Murphy doubled off the top of the left-center wall to make it 4-0.

Washington scored its lone run in the bottom of the ninth on Ty Rasmussen's two-out, two-strike double. WSU's Michael Weber and UW's Sean Meehan each had three hits.

UW softball falls

EUGENE, Ore. — Alicia Cook pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead last-place Oregon past No. 24 Washington 3-0 Saturday.

Washington (28-23-1, 7-14 Pac-10) finishes the regular season tied with California for fifth. The Huskies will find out today at about 7 p.m. (ESPNU) if they make the NCAA tournament for a 15th straight year.

Cook (16-12) had four strikeouts and no walks for the Ducks (33-27, 5-16). UW's Marnie Koziol was 2 for 2.

Notes

• Washington senior Carl Moe won the men's mile in 4 minutes, 1.53 seconds in his last appearance at Husky Stadium at the Ken Shannon/Ken Foreman Invitational. Moe easily surpassed the 1,500-meter NCAA qualifying mark.

Sophomore Katie Follett ran 2:06.42 in the women's 800, the third-fastest in UW history in her first attempt at the distance this season. Another Huskies sophomore, Sarah Pappas, also had a regional-qualifying mark in winning the women's pole vault in 12 feet, 7 ½ inches.

Heidi Dimmitt won the women's 400 hurdles, leading five Western Washington U. winners. Justin Felt of Seattle Pacific won the men's long jump and Seattle U. won the men's 400 relay.

• The Washington women's golf team shot a final-round 22-over-par 310 to finish 17th at the NCAA Central Regional championships at the UT Golf Club in Austin, Texas.

The Huskies finished at 68-over 932. Sophomore Molly Aronsson led UW with a final round 4-over 76 and tied for 38th overall at 11-over 227.

• No. 32 Washington men's tennis lost 4-1 to No. 33 Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Los Angeles. The Huskies lost to the Badgers in the first round last year.

• Tacoma's Michael Lynes and Annie Thiessen set course records in winning the second Parker Paints Tacoma City Marathon. Lynes, 41, won in about 2:38 to win for the second year. Thiessen, 37, was the top female in 3:00:21.

• Beth Knudtson of Northwest U. repeated her women's 10,000 title, running in 37:38.49 at the Cascade Conference track championships in Gresham, Ore.

Compiled from college sports information and team reports.