NW–1st SportsMinute/355
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) – Chone (shahn) Figgins hit a tiebreaking double with two outs in the seventh inning, and the Seattle Mariners completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 5-4 victory yesterday. Justin Smoak hit a three-run homer and Miguel Olivo also connected for the Mariners. Figgins was 3 for 4 with a run and a stolen base to help Seattle reach the .500 mark at 10-10. Miguel Cabrera hit his sixth home run for the Tigers, who have lost six of seven to fall to 10-9 after a 9-3 start.
RENTON, Wash. (AP) – The Seattle Seahawks pulled a stunner in the first round of the NFL draft last night, addressing their need for a pass rusher by selecting West Virginia’s Bruce Irvin with the 15th overall pick. The Seahawks’ selection was made after Seattle traded with Philadelphia, moving down from No. 12 to No. 15 and acquiring two picks in the later rounds of the draft. Irvin played two seasons at West Virginia and had 14 sacks as a junior and another 8½ sacks his final season.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Rookie Alec Burks scored 18 points and NBA Slam Dunk champ Jeremy Evans led a 10-0 fourth-quarter run as the playoff-bound Utah Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers 96-94 last night. Utah finished the season on a five-game winning streak and will face top-seeded San Antonio in a first-round Western Conference matchup starting Sunday. J.J. Hickson scored 20 points and Jonny Flynn added 18 to lead the injury-depleted Blazers, who didn’t qualify for the postseason.
SEATTLE (AP) – Adam Brown and Jason Reid weren’t seeking critical acclaim or a national audience when they went about chronicling the steps that led the Seattle SuperSonics to become the Oklahoma City Thunder. They were fans simply trying to document the departure of their team after four decades in Seattle. The result was “Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team,” a critically acclaimed, award-winning documentary released on the Internet in 2009. CNBC will broadcast an updated version of it tonight.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.