The Mariners are back home today for the second game of their series against the Houston Astros.

The M’s won the opener 3-2 yesterday with all three of their runs coming in the first inning.

Julio Rodriguez went 2-4 with a run and two stolen bases to keep up his hot hitting as of late.

He has six hits, two homers and five RBI over his past three games.

Bryce Miller gave up two runs over six innings to pick up his first win since April 17.

It was a bittersweet day for the M’s, who also placed second baseman Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list due to tightness in his right hamstring.

The team says he’s expected to miss about two weeks.

The M’s will look to earn their third win in a row tonight with Luis Castillo on the mound.

Coverage begins at 5:30 and first pitch is at 6:40 on KPUG.

 

The Seattle Kraken have named their new head coach.

Dan Bylsma has spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the top affiliate of the Kraken, and has them back in the Calder Cup semifinals.

Before his stint with Coachella Valley, Bylsma spent parts of eight seasons as a head coach at the NHL level with Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

He took over in Pittsburgh midway through the 2008-09 season and helped guide the Penguins to the Stanley Cup.

Bylsma replaces Dave Hakstol, who was fired following his third season in charge after the Kraken took a significant step backward and struggled badly at the offensive end of the ice.

Seattle made the playoffs in its second year and earned Hakstol a two-year contract extension, but he was let go before that extension ever kicked in.

 

WWU’s softball team finished their historic season with a second-place finish at nationals.

The Vikings fell to UT Tyler twice over the weekend in the NCAA D-II World Series.

It concludes a season where they finished with the best record in program and GNAC history at 52-12, and went farther into the postseason than any team in conference history.

Sophomore shortstop Hailey Rath and freshman relief pitcher Kaiana Kong each earned Honorable Mention All-American honors for their contributions.

The Vikings fell to a UT Tyler team that went 58-7 with a perfect 10-0 run through the NCAA Tournament.

 

Ski to Sea saw a familiar team ring the first finish line bell on Sunday.

It was a three-peat win for Birch Equipment as they finished the annual county-wide relay race in just over 6 hours and 7 minutes.

Second-place finishers Boomer’s Drive-In were right behind them five minutes later, and the Inn at Lynden followed up with a third place win.

The Sunday morning race saw moderate showers, which added a layer of challenge for racers.

Of the 504 teams registered to participate in this year’s Ski to Sea, 254 officially finished all seven legs of the race.

 

Taking a look at the prep sports postseason picture…

The Sehome boys are the runners-up in the 2A state soccer tournament.

The top-seeded Mariners fell to second-seeded Franklin Pierce 2-1 in shootouts on Saturday.

 

In baseball…

Meridian lost to Overlake-Bear Creek 3-2 in walk off fashion for the 1A state championship Saturday at Joe Martin Field.

Lynden beat Anacortes 2-1 to notch third place in the 2A state tournament.

 

And in softball…

Mt. Baker had its season ended by Montesano in the 1A tournament on Saturday to end a successful season for the Mountaineers where they came into the bracket as a #2 seed.

Sedro Woolley claimed the 2A championship with a 4-2 win over Tumwater.

 

Basketball legend Bill Walton has died at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Walton led UCLA to two national titles before winning two more with Portland and Boston during his NBA career.

He also had an iconic career as a color analyst on TV, where he was named one of the top 50 broadcasters of all time by the American Sportscasters Association.

Walton was known for his on-air tangents that frequently referenced one of his favorite bands, the Grateful Dead.

His family said in a statement that he died yesterday while surrounded by his loved ones.