Latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports

AP-NW–Sports Right Now/610

SEAHAWKS MOVES

Seattle releases 5, including former starting center Nowak

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have released five players including former starting center Drew Nowak.

Seattle made the roster moves Wednesday ahead of their rookie minicamp this weekend. Along with Nowak, the Seahawks released running back Cameron Marshall, tight end Ronnie Shields, defensive end Josh Shirley and wide receiver Tyler Slavin.

Nowak won the starting center job out of training camp last season. He started seven of the first eight games before being replaced permanently by Patrick Lewis. The Seahawks drafted three offensive linemen last week, including former TCU center Joey Hunt.

Shirley played in five games last season for Tampa Bay and signed as a free agent with Seattle after the season.

MARINERS-ATHLETICS

Mariners rally against A’s bullpen for first sweep of season

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dae-Ho Lee hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh after an earlier solo shot for his first career multi-homer game, and the Seattle Mariners rallied for a back-and-forth 9-8 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday and their first 2016 series sweep.

Mike Montgomery (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win on a day Nelson Cruz also homered, a rare shot into the second deck of seats in dead-center.

Lee hit his third and fourth homers, connecting in the seventh against John Axford (2-1) as the Mariners had a season-high 16 hits and improved to an AL-best 11-4 on the road.

Sean Manaea was denied his first career win despite Oakland getting to nemesis Felix Hernandez on consecutive fifth-inning errors.

Hernandez appeared poised to become the winningest pitcher in Mariners franchise history with victory No. 146.

NWSL-HEATH

Thorns’ Heath named NWSL player of the month

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Thorns midfielder Tobin Heath has been named the National Women’s Soccer League Player of the Month for April.

Heath, who plays on the World Cup-winning U.S. national team, had three assists in two games as the Thorns opened the season 1-0-1.

In the season-opening 2-1 victory over the Orlando Pride, she fed Dagny Brynjarsdottir with the equalizer before an assist on Lindsey Horan’s game winner. She assisted Horan again on a game-tying goal for a 1-1 draw against FC Kansas City.

It is Heath’s first Player of the Month award and the second overall for the Thorns: Forward Christine Sinclair won in April 2013.

Heath was selected for the honor in a poll of media members who cover the team.

NASCAR-DILLON

Dillon finishes third at Talladega, plays in NASCAR softball game

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) —Austin Dillon was safe at home twice this week.

He beat the relay throw to the plate and scored on a triple and a throwing error in a celebrity NASCAR softball game.

Even more impressive, Dillon survived the wreckage at Talladega Superspeedway and crossed the finish line with a career-best third-place finish. Dillon’s car got plenty banged-up Sunday. It needed 16 pit stops and its entire front was duct taped to reach the finish.

With the famed number 3 on his car and deep bloodlines in the sport, Dillon has started to fulfill some of the promise heaped on him early in his career. His three top-five finishes are two more than he had over his first two full seasons and his five top 10s match last year’s total.

Maybe Dillon isn’t an intimidating threat to win a championship, yet. But winning a race doesn’t sound so farfetched this season.

 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.