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Northwest Sports Update: U.S. upset by Italy in WBC, Huskies men edge USC in Big Ten tourney, Kraken drop third straight and more

Northwest Sports Update: U.S. upset by Italy in WBC, Huskies men edge USC in Big Ten tourney, Kraken drop third straight and more

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin Photo: Associated Press


WBC News

The United States’ future in the World Baseball Classic is in jeopardy after a stunning loss last night.

The U.S. fell to Italy 8-6 in one of the biggest upsets in WBC history. Italy took an early 8-0 lead and the U.S. rallied to score 6 unanswered runs, but still came up short in their first loss of the tournament.

Italy was able to pull it off despite Seattle slugger Dominic Canzone going 0-4 at the plate with a walk. His Mariner teammate Cal Raleigh did not play for the US, which entered the tournament as the odds-on favorite.

The U.S.’s fate now depends on the results of Italy and Mexico’s game at 4 pm today. 

If Italy wins, the U.S. will advance to the WBC quarterfinals on Friday. But if Mexico wins while scoring four or fewer runs, the US would be eliminated.

FIFA World Cup News

One of the countries set to compete in Seattle this summer for the FIFA World Cup may be bowing out.

Iran’s sports and youth minister said today that it’s “not possible” for the country to take part in the World Cup after the US killed its supreme leader in its ongoing war.

Iran was scheduled to play three games in group play, including a match against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

The 2026 World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19.

UW Huskies News

The Huskies men’s basketball team earned a thrilling win in their playoff opener this afternoon.

UW edged USC 83-79 in overtime in its first game of the Big Ten tournament. The Huskies trailed by double-digits midway through the second half, but rallied to stun the Trojans.

Zoom Diallo led the team with 22 points and 11 assists as the 12th-seeded Huskies now move on to face 5th-seeded Wisconsin tomorrow morning with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Coverage begins at 11 am and tipoff is at 11:30 on KPUG.

Meanwhile, the Gonzaga men beat Santa Clara 79-68 last night to secure the West Coast Conference Tournament title in its final season before moving to the Pac-12.

Seahawks News

The Seahawks are close to bringing back another group of key contributors.

The NFL Network reports that the team is re-signing backup offensive tackle Josh Jones to a one-year contract. He made three starts at left tackle last season in the place of an injured Charles Cross.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have reportedly resigned linebacker Drake Thomas to a two-year, $8 million deal.

And the team announced today that they placed a right-of-first-refusal tender on receiver Jake Bobo. That means he can still negotiate with other teams, but the Seahawks have the choice to match any offer sheet he receives.

It comes after the Seahawks have also re-signed starters Rahid Shaheed and Josh Jobe, while losing Kenneth Walker III, Riq Woolen, Boye Mafe and Cobe Bryant in free agency.

Kraken News

The Kraken’s recent woes continued last night.

They fell to the Nashville Predators 4-2 after blowing an early lead. Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers each scored in the first period to give Seattle a 2-0 advantage. But the Predators countered with three unanswered goals in the second to hand the Kraken their third straight loss.

What began as a promising homestand with back-to-back wins quickly went south as the Kraken have slid into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

They’ll look to close out their homestand on a high note tomorrow night when they face the Colorado Avalanche. Coverage begins at 6:30 and tipoff is at 7 on KPUG.

NBA News

The NBA just saw one of its greatest individual performances of all time last night.

Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in their 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. It was the second-highest scoring effort in NBA history, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point game.

Adebayo shot 43 free throws and made 36, both NBA records for a single game.

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