Mariners News

The Mariners are gearing up for their first road game of the season tonight.

They’re in Anaheim for the start of a three-game series against the Angels in a divisional battle.

The M’s are looking to avoid dropping their third straight and revive an offense that put up just five runs in three games against the Yankees. But they’re getting a boost to their lineup with shortstop J.P. Crawford making his season debut.

The team took Crawford off the injured list yesterday after he dealt with right shoulder inflammation. He played one game with Triple-A Tacoma earlier this week and was set to play a second before Wednesday’s game got rained out.

Ryan Bliss was optioned back to the Rainiers to make room on the roster for the 10-year vet.

The Mariners will look to get back on track against an Angels squad that owns an identical 3-4 record, but have lost four of their last five.

Bryan Woo is taking the mound for tonight’s series opener. Coverage begins at 6:00 and first pitch is at 7:04 on KPUG.

Kraken News

The struggling Kraken suffered yet another setback in their race for the playoffs. They choked an early lead in their 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth last night.

The night started off strong with a pregame ceremony to commemorate defenseman Adam Larsson’s 1,000th career game before Jordan Eberle scored less than a minute into the match. Bobby McMann added another goal to give Seattle a 2-0 lead late in the first period, but Utah responded with six unanswered goals to hand the Kraken their third straight loss.

They now sit four points behind the Sharks, Predators and Kings, who are locked in a three-way tie for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Urgency is at an all-time high for Seattle now with just eight games remaining. They’ll look to snap their skid tomorrow night against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Coverage begins at 6:30 and puck drops at 7 on KBAI.

College Basketball News

The final stages of March Madness are about to get underway. The women’s Final Four is being played tonight before the men tip off tomorrow.

First up tonight, the UConn women play South Carolina before UCLA faces off against Texas. The championship will be played Sunday in Phoenix.

Coming up tomorrow, the men’s Final Four starts with UConn and Illinois before top-seeds Michigan and Arizona duke it out in Indianapolis. Coverage starts at 1:00 tomorrow and the first game tips off at 3 on KPUG.

The winners will move on to the title game on Monday.

Meanwhile, the national players of the year have been announced on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Duke forward Cameron Boozer became just the fifth freshman to win the AP’s Player of the Year award today. He received 59 out of 61 votes from voters, with BYU’s AJ Dybantsa picking up the other two.

And UConn forward Sarah Strong became just the fifth sophomore to win the women’s Player of the Year award. She averaged nearly 19 points per game while leading the Huskies to the Final Four.

Sounders/Reign News

The Sounders are back in action tomorrow night.

They’re on the road against the Houston Dynamo at 5:30. Seattle’s riding a five-match unbeaten streak and own a 3-1-1 record.

The Reign are also hosting the Denver Summit at 5:45. They’re sitting in third place in the National Women’s Soccer League Standings with a 3-1 record.