NW Sports from the AP

NW–SportsMinute/261
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from The Associated Press

 

NEW YORK (AP) – Andy Pettitte (PEHT’-iht) made his much-anticipated return to the Yankees on Sunday, getting lavished with adoration while pitching into the seventh despite giving up a pair of two-run homers in New York’s 6-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Nearly lost amid the excitement over Pettitte’s first major league appearance since retiring after the 2010 season was Kevin Millwood’s performance for Seattle – helped by three double plays. The 37-year-old also got his 2,000th career strikeout.

RENTON, Wash. (AP) – Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has wanted his team to get faster on defense, especially at linebacker. With the addition of Bobby Wagner in the second round of the draft, Carroll hopes they’ve solved that issue. Wagner has been thrown into the fire during this weekend’s rookie minicamp getting reps at middle linebacker as the Seahawks look to fill the hole left by David Hawthorne’s departure to New Orleans. Matt McCoy and Barrett Ruud are also in competition for the job.

SEATTLE (AP) – It was a whirlwind few days for Geno Auriemma (aw-ree-EH’-muh) and the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team. Now they’ll go their separate ways until reconvening July 14 to start training again for the London Games. The weekend started with a 1½-hour practice on Friday night in Seattle and concluded with a scrimmage against Japan yesterday. Sandwiched in between was a 38-point rout of China in an exhibition game. Olympic competition for the team begins on July 28.

 

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.