NW Sports from the AP

AP-NW–1st SportsMinute,260
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from
The Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) – Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes hit his first major
league home run to power the Athletics to a 4-1 victory over the
Seattle Mariners on Thursday that earned Oakland a split in the
teams’ two-game season-opening series at Tokyo Dome.
Cespedes connected for a two-run homer off Seattle reliever
Shawn Kelley to give Oakland a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the
seventh. Josh Reddick followed with a solo shot off George Sherrill
to give the A’s a two-run cushion.
Ichiro Suzuki, who was 4 for 5 in Seattle’s 3-1 win over Oakland
on Wednesday, was hitless in four at-bats Thursday.
Oakland starter Bartolo Colon picked up the win after striking
out six and holding the Mariners to one run on three hits over
eight innings.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Talib Zanna scored 14 points as Pittsburgh
beat Washington State 57-53 last night to tie the best-of-three
College Basketball Invitational championship series at one game
each. The Panthers and Cougars play Friday in Pittsburgh for the
title. Reggie Moore, who scored 16 of his game-high 18 points for
the Cougars in the second half, tied the game at 49 with two free
throws with 1:41 left in the game. Lamar Patterson answered right
away with a jumper and Pitt reclaimed the lead.

NEW YORK (AP) – Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark has been suspended
for three games by Major League Soccer and fined for directing a
gay slur toward a ball boy during Houston’s 2-0 loss at Seattle
last week. MLS Commissioner Don Garber also directed Clark to
attend diversity and sensitivity training. The 27-year-old Clark
apologized on Twitter and said he’ll personally say he’s sorry to
the ball boy. Clark also wrote, “I didn’t mean to disrespect
anyone” and “It’s not who I am and it won’t happen again.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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