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Bayley, Grove among locals in field
as Lilac moves
up a month
With a new date and an enhanced purse, the 55th Lilac City Invitational is scheduled to begin today and run through Sunday at The Fairways at West Terrace near Cheney.
Locals in the field for the region’s only 72-hole tournament include North Idaho College men’s and women’s golf coach Russell Grove, the 2013 Lilac champion, and Derek Bayley, a two-time winner of the Rosauers Open, held in July in Spokane.
Bayley, the former Lakeland High and Washington State standout, turned pro earlier this year and is a member of PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Mackenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada). The Mackenzie Tour is on a break this week.
A total of 50 pros are in this week’s field. The tourney was moved up from its traditional spot in July, the weekend after the Fourth.
“We want to increase participation among local and Pacific Northwest Section PGA Professionals,” Fairways general manager Kris Kallem said. “With the PGA Section’s Rosauers Open historically falling on the next weekend, it was just challenging for many of our section golf professionals to get both dates off. Now we are positioned to not conflict with any section majors and anticipate a substantial increase in the professional field. This will also lead to a deeper payout.”
The Lilac will be increasing its PGA Professional and apprentice sub-purse as well, paying $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 for first-, second- and third-low PGA professionals who don’t cash higher in the regular field.
“It’s sometimes tough for those of us who teach and work full-time at a facility to compete with the mini-tour “wildcat” type pros who play and practice full time,” Fairways head professional Dakota White said. “This gives us a little extra cushion to know we can go out, play reasonably well, and still earn a decent check. The other pros should like it because the more entries, the greater the overall purse.”
The Lilac also hosts a strong amateur field with gross and net payouts for all amateur flights.
Net proceeds from the Lilac City Invitational go to support the Shriners Hospitals for Children-Spokane.
Gonzaga duo taken in
MLB Draft’s final day
Two more Gonzaga baseball players were selected on the final day of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday afternoon.
Outfielder Troy Johnston was taken by the Miami Marlins in the 17th round with the 501st overall selection, and catcher Austin Pinorini was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 22nd round with the 670th overall pick.
Along with pitcher Casey Legumina’s selection on Tuesday in the eighth round, Gonzaga’s total of three draftees marks the fifth consecutive year with at least three draftees.
Johnston, a junior from Puyallup, Wash., had a breakout junior season at the plate, hitting a team-best .330 with team-highs of 10 homers, 27 doubles, 72 hits and 133 total bases. His 27 doubles tied a school record, and he added 43 runs and 46 RBI, both second on the team. Johnston was named to the All-West Coast Conference first team.
Pinorini, who handled the Gonzaga pitching staff behind the plate, had a solid season, hitting .270 with 34 RBI and 16 doubles, good for second on the team. The Everett, Wash., native was third on the team with 19 extra-base hits and fourth on the team with 57 overall hits. Pinorini also reached base a team-best 35 times via either a walk or hit-by pitch.
Washington State trio drafted
Three Washington State Cougars and three signees were selected on the final day of the Major League Baseball Draft.
Junior lefthanded pitcher A.J. Block was taken in the 17th round by the Detroit Tigers, senior shortstop Andres Alvarez was selected in the 22nd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates and junior outfielder Danny Sinatro went in the 32nd round to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cougar signees for the 2020 season; first baseman Will Simpson out of Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash. went in the 18th round to the Pirates, lefthanded pitcher Sam Ballard out of Parkland College went in the 28th round to the San Diego Padres and outfielder Brady Hill out of Mt. Spokane High School in Spokane was selected in the 39th round by the Colorado Rockies.
This past season, Block made 14 starts and led the Cougars with 68 strikeouts in 71.1 innings while Alvarez was second on the team with a .289 batting average, led the team with 13 doubles and added one triple, two homers, 19 RBI and was 5-for-5 in stolen bases. Alvarez, a native of San Diego, also earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention after finishing the regular season third in the Pac-12 with 131 defensive assists. Sinatro enjoyed a breakout season as a junior, hitting .325 with five doubles, five triples, five stolen bases and 16 RBI and recorded a .351 batting average in Pac-12 play.