Clifford, an all-league pitcher this past spring for Sacramento State, threw for the Spokane All-Stars, the latest in a series of squads to battle USA Softball during its “KFC Bound for Beijing” tour.
USA, with Kat Osterman throwing a 3-hitter and striking out 21, beat Spokane 31-0. The visitors touched starter Melissa Rice for five runs, and Clifford inherited two runners with nobody out in the second inning.
There, she gave up three home runs to the powerful Team USA squad: centerfielder Caitlin Lowe hit a solo shot, and designated hitter Crystl Bustos and first baseman Tairia Flowers followed with two-run blasts.
Clifford gave up five runs on four hits and a walk in 2 1-3 innings. She fanned one.
Bustos had two homers and five runs batted in for the game. Team USA is now 53-1 on its tour ahead of the 2008 Olympics.
MSU women name Close as assistant
BOZEMAN (AP) - Bozeman native and former Oregon State basketball player Mandy Close has been named an assistant coach with the Montana State women's basketball team.
Bobcat coach Tricia Binford hired Close after former assistant Katie Falco took an assistant coaching job at South Dakota State.
Binford says Close has had success both athletically and academically and will be a great role model for MSU's players.
Close graduated from Bozeman High in 2002 and played in 121 games at Oregon State between 2002 and 2006. She averaged 13.3 points per game and had 149 assists as a senior. She was a team captain as a junior and senior.
For the past two years, Close has been an assistant at Oregon State.
Locals fare well at Lake Stevens Ironman
Josh Alexander recently finished the Lake Stevens 70.3 Ironman in four hours, 51 minutes to lead a quartet of Hamilton athletes participating in the event.
Alexander's time was good enough for a ninth place finish in the men's 25-29 age group.
Other Hamilton athletes to crack the top 10 in their respective age groups were Donn Livoni, who finished the race in 5:26.24 for a runner-up finish in the men's 60-64 age group, while John Croft finished in 6:57.28 for an eighth-place finish in the same division.
Lisa Kercher rounded out the group with a time of 7:03.21 in the women's 35-39 race.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)