Date: 05/16/2014 05:00 AM
AP-NW–1st SportsMinute/352
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension. Stotts led the Blazers to a 54-28 regular-season record, for the team’s biggest improvement in team history. Portland made the playoffs for the first time since 2011, dispatching the Houston Rockets in six games, before falling to the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the Western Conference semifinals.
UNDATED (AP) – The Pac-12 Conference is moving its league championship game to the San Francisco 49ers’ new stadium in Santa Clara for the next three years. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced the plans yesterday at Levi’s Stadium. The first three conference championships had been held in the stadium of the division champion with the best conference record – Oregon in 2011, Stanford in 2012 and Arizona State last year. The $1.2 billion stadium, which is located about 45 miles south of San Francisco, is opening this year. It will host the Pac-12 title game this season on Dec. 5.
ROCHESTER, Wash. (AP) – A long, long start for a Washington state high school pitcher caught the attention of Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price. The Centralia Chronicle reports Rochester’s Dylan Fosnacht threw 194 pitches as he took a shutout into the 15th inning of a tournament game on Tuesday. The right-hander wound up with a no-decision when his team beat La Center 1-0 in the 17th inning. Fosnacht struck out 17 while allowing seven hits and three walks.
SEATTLE (AP) – Even with Lauren Jackson set to miss another season, the Seattle Storm are welcoming back Sue Bird and have added All-Star Crystal Langhorne in the hopes of returning to the elite of the WNBA’s Western Conference. The Storm will begin the season tonight when they host Los Angeles. It was expected that both Bird and Jackson would rejoin the team after each missed last season due to injuries. But Jackson remained in Australia after undergoing surgery on her knee and Achilles tendon in February.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
