World Cup News
The U.S. beat Australia 2-0 earlier this afternoon in Seattle to improve to 2-0 in group play and clinch a spot in the 32-team knockout round.
The match began with an own-goal by Australia before Alex Freeman scored a header for insurance.
U.S. star Christian Pulisic did not play in the match due to a calf injury, as Ricardo Pepi got the start in his place. But Pulisic is expected to be available for the team’s next game against Turkey at SoFi Stadium next Thursday.
Elsewhere in World Cup play today, Scotland is playing Morocco near Boston, Haiti is taking on Brazil in Philly and Turkey is facing Paraguay in Santa Clara.
Mariners News
Seattle’s sports scene is extra active today, as the Mariners kick off the final series of their homestand. They’re playing the Boston Red Sox in the first leg of a three-game weekend series.
The M’s are coming off a series win over the Orioles, which ended in a 3-0 victory last night. Bryan Woo threw seven shutout innings and Seattle scored all their runs in the first inning thanks to RBIs by Cole Young and Colt Emerson.
The M’s now stand two games over .500 and sit a game and a half ahead of the Athletics for first place in the AL West. They’re now facing a Red Sox team that’s dropped four straight games and eight of their last 10.
Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo will be splitting what the team has branded a “piggyback” start, with Miller beginning the game and Castillo taking over after four or five innings. Coverage begins at 6:00 and first pitch is at 7:10 on KPUG.
Bells News
The Bells are back at Joe Martin tonight for the start of a six-game homestand. They’re opening a three-game weekend series against the Kamloops NorthPaws.
The Bells are coming off a 17-2 blowout of the Port Angeles Lefties last night to secure the series sweep. Bellingham opened with 13 unanswered runs in the first five innings before Port Angeles got on the board, but it was too late.
Catcher Jake Lyall led the offensive explosion with a pair of home runs, with Noah Cassie and Tyler Peshke also going yard. Meridian alum Bryce Johnson scored three runs and JJ Martinson tossed four shutout innings in the start to give the Bells their best win of the season.
They’ve now won four straight games and have moved to just a single game behind Wenatchee for first place in the North Division.
First pitch for tonight’s series opener against Kamloops is at 6:35.
Storm News
The Storm are back tomorrow afternoon as they try to snap what’s quickly becoming one of their worst stretches in franchise history.
They’re in Phoenix for a match against the Mercury. A loss would extend Seattle’s current skid to 10 games, which would tie the longest losing streak in team history.
Each of their last three games have been decided by five or fewer points.
But tomorrow could be an opportune time to snap their skid against a Mercury team that also sits near the bottom of the WNBA standings. Tipoff is at noon.
College Sports News
A bipartisan bill top lawmakers and athletic leaders have described as the best chance to stabilize college sports has cleared a major hurdle in the Senate.
The Protect College Sports Act would regulate athlete payments, limit players to one unrestricted transfer and stop coaches from changing jobs during a season.
The bill has support from several athletic conferences and the NFL, the NFL Players Association and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
