Mariners News

The Mariners opened their season with a bang last night. Randy Arozarena hit a game-tying home run in the eighth and Jorge Polanco followed it with a go-ahead 2-run homer to lift the M’s over the Athletics 4-2 at T-Mobile Park. Logan Gilbert gave up just two hits and fanned eight over seven innings in his first Opening Day start.

Neither team scored until the fifth inning, when Tyler Soderstrom hit a solo homer for the A’s. JP Crawford evened it up in the seventh off a sac fly by Victor Robles, but Soderstrom went yard again the next inning to retake the lead. Arozarena and Polanco’s homers helped Seattle rally for the win and Andres Munoz closed it out with a scoreless ninth inning to start their season off strong.

The M’s and A’s will rematch tonight in the second of their four-game series with Luis Castillo on the mound. Coverage begins at 5:30 and first pitch is at 6:40 on KGMI.

Bellingham Bells News

A former Bellingham Bell also had a big Opening Day. Bells alum Kyle Stowers hit a walkoff single to lift the Miami Marlins over the Pirates yesterday. Stowers, a left fielder for the Marlins, is entering his fifth season in the majors and played for the Bells in 2017.

Meanwhile, fellow Bells alum Matt McClain took the field at second base for the Cincinnati Reds in their loss to the Giants.  He’s entering his second season in the majors after playing for the Bells in 2018.

Kraken News

The Kraken continued the success in Seattle last night. They exploded for five unanswered goals in the second period to give them a 6-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Neither team scored in the first period, but Jaden Schwartz scored two goals in the first four minutes of the second and three other Kraken followed suit. The Oilers scored their sole goal in the third, but Jared McCann netted an insurance goal to help snap Seattle’s three-game skid.

The Kraken will look to carry the momentum into their home match against the Dallas Stars tomorrow night. Coverage begins at 7 and puck drops at 7:30 on KBAI.

College Basketball News

The second half of the men’s Sweet 16 is tipping off shortly. Yesterday’s game featured one of the closest matches of the tournament, as Texas Tech escaped with an 85-83 overtime win over Arkansas. The Red Raiders will face Florida in the Elite 8 tomorrow after the Gators secured a win over Maryland.

Meanwhile, projected #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Cooper Flagg scored 30 points to lead Duke over Arizona in a high-scoring affair. They now move on to face Alabama tomorrow after the Crimson Tide exploded for 113 points in their win over BYU.

Coming up tonight, Michigan State tips off the action against Ole Miss in the Southern Region. There’s a potential rivalry match lurking in the Elite 8 if the Spartans win and Michigan beats top-seeded Auburn later in the night. Speaking of grudge matches, SEC rivals Tennessee and Kentucky playing each other soon after the Spartans tip off. The night caps off with top-seeded Houston playing Purdue. The madness gets underway at 4:00 on KPUG.

Sonics News

And the head of the NBA is hinting at expansion talks as a major hurdle is being cleared. League commissioner Adam Silver said yesterday that the league will consider the topic of expansion more fully once the recently agreed-upon sale of the Boston Celtics is completed.

When Silver was asked about the potential return of the SuperSonics to Seattle, he said Seattle is a “fantastic basketball market” that the league is “very focused on,” though he didn’t commit to a timeline. He went on to hint that the league is intensively studying expansion to Seattle.  The sale of the Celtics is expected to be completed this summer.