NW Briefs | No. 3 Washington softball takes two from New Mexico

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The third-ranked Washington softball team improved to 26-3 with a doubleheader sweep of New Mexico Saturday, winning 14-3 in five innings...

The third-ranked Washington softball team improved to 26-3 with a doubleheader sweep of New Mexico Saturday, winning 14-3 in five innings in the first game and 4-3 in eight innings in the second game.

The Huskies pounded out 14 hits — including three home runs — in the opening contest to win by the mercy rule, but had a much more difficult time in the nightcap, getting 10 hits but stranding 13 runners before Niki Williams drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to win the game.

Ashley Charters sparked the Huskies all day from the leadoff position, going 5 for 7 with two runs and three runs batted in, including a game-tying, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth in the second game with the Huskies trailing 3-1.

Baseball

Pierce Rankin hit his third home run of the weekend, breaking a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning, to lead Washington (7-11) to a 5-2 win over Portland at the Rose City Invitational, snapping a five-game losing streak.

In a game earlier Saturday, the Huskies fell 5-4 to Oregon.

• Washington State rapped out 13 hits and cruised to a 12-4 victory over South Dakota State in Pullman. Jared Prince (1-1) gave up two runs on six hits in six innings to earn the victory for the Cougars (7-11).

• Mark Castellitto's walk-off RBI single capped a five-run ninth inning for Gonzaga (13-5), which beat Pacific 9-8 in Spokane.

Other softball

Western Washington left 19 runners on base as it dropped a doubleheader to Western Oregon, 2-1 and 10-2 in five innings.

• Holly Rossman went 5 for 8 with five RBI over two games as Central Washington split a doubleheader with Montana State Billings in Ellensburg. The Wildcats are 9-6 after winning the first game 3-2, and then falling 9-6.

Track and field

Washington State's Anna Layman and Lisa Egami finished 1-2 in the 800 meters, leading 11 Cougars to NCAA regional qualifying marks at the USC Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles.

• Seattle Pacific's Kate Harline and Janae Larson went 1-2 in the 1,500 meters at the Sacaramento State Hornet Invitational. Harline won in 4 minutes, 37.88 seconds. Larson finished in 4:40.26.

Women's swimming

Led by Erin Campbell's fifth-place finish in the 200-meter backstroke, Washington finished 15th at the NCAA championships in College Station, Texas, the second-best national finish in program history.

Tennis

Seattle University's Mark Shkretbtan won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, but Air Force took a 6-1 victory from the Redhawks men.

• The Seattle U. women took a 9-0 exhibition victory from Green River Community College.

Rowing

Seattle Pacific crews swept all five races by decisive margins at its season-opening dual regatta against Pacific Lutheran on the Lake Washington Ship Canal.