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| Toppers to meet Cowboys in Stillwater Tue, 27 May 2008 10:46:44 -0500 After dancing through the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the Western Kentucky baseball team will now two-step to Stillwater, Okla., as part of the Oklahoma State Regional in the NCAA Tournament. WKU learned on Monday that it would face top seed OSU in the four-team double-elimination pod, which begins Friday. The fourth-seeded Hilltoppers meet the Cowboys at 7 p.m., while No. 2 seed Wichita State takes on No. 3 Texas Christian at 1 p.m. “Obviously, they’ve got a great program and a great history and we are excited to be able to compete against them,” WKU coach Chris Finwood said. “That’s what a lot of these kids came here for and that’s why we play the schedule we do. We’re not going to see anybody out there that is a different caliber from teams we’ve been playing all year. We are going to go out there and hopefully keep playing a good brand of baseball.” WKU was hoping it had done enough to perhaps be a No. 3 seed, but wasn’t surprised that it had to open against a regional host. “I think maybe if we got three or four more wins in our resum/, maybe we are a three seed,” Finwood said. “I’m sure Oklahoma State is going, ‘Why can’t we get a Stony Brook or Rider?’ because they have a lot of respect for the Sun Belt Conference.” Oklahoma State has one of the most storied histories in college baseball, with 19 College World Series appearances. The Cowboys nearly made it 20 last year, but fell at Louisville in the Super Regionals. This year, the Cowboys come in 42-16 and ranked No. 6 in the latest Baseball America Top 25 poll. OSU is 26-4 at home, with only one nonconference loss. The opener is a daunting task for WKU. “We just want to compete and show that we deserve to be on the national stage,” sophomore first baseman Jake Wells said. “Not many people expect good things (with us) coming out of the Sun Belt, but we are going to try and show them that we deserve to be there.” Sophomore pitcher Matt Ridings, who will start Friday’s game, is also eager to see what he can do against an offense that has a .330 team batting average. “We figured we’d be a No. 4 seed,” Ridings said. “We knew coming in that no matter what team we played, they were going to be good. It’s all fun though. I didn’t know where we were going to go, but it was cool to see our name up there.” Ridings is hoping to duplicate the performance of former WKU starter Grady Hinchman, who led the Hilltoppers to a 1-0 win at No. 13 Mississippi in WKU’s last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004. “Anytime I hear anything about that 2004 team, I hear about him throwing a gem against Ole Miss,” Ridings said. “That’s kind of what I’m hoping to do on Friday night.” WKU will face either Wichita State or Texas Christian on Saturday in an elimination game at 1 p.m., or a winner’s bracket game at 7 p.m. Both teams also come in ranked in the Top 25, with the Shockers No. 21 and TCU No. 18. But Western Kentucky comes in riding a little momentum, having won eight out of its last 10, and has a little experience against tournament teams as well. WKU played 12 games against teams in the field of 64, winning four times. “You get hardened when you play that type of schedule,” Finwood said. “Like I said, there won’t be anything out there we haven’t seen. Having just beat New Orleans, an at-large team, they will be ready to go. “Oklahoma State for years and years has been very good. One of their assistants is a good friend of mine. It’s an exciting time for everybody right now.” |
| Rain, rain, go away Tue, 27 May 2008 10:46:45 -0500 Monday’s thunderstorms wreaked havoc on the Region 4 baseball and softball tournaments, forcing the postponement of several quarterfinal games until today. In the baseball tournament at Western Kentucky’s Nick Denes Field, Franklin-Simpson meets Metcalfe County at 5 p.m. today, followed by Greenwood and Allen County-Scottsville at 7:30 p.m. Two games were completed Monday, with Cumberland County and Barren County advancing to meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the tournament’s first semifinal. The second semifinal is slated for 7:30 p.m., with the championship game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. In softball at the WKU Softball Complex, all four quarterfinal games will be attempted this evening. At 4 p.m., Allen County-Scottsville and Warren East will resume a contest that was interrupted by rain, with the Lady Patriots leading 1-0 heading into the top of the sixth inning. At 5 p.m., Russell County will take on Logan County, followed by Greenwood versus Barren County at 7 p.m., and Todd County Central and Clinton County meeting at 9 p.m. Softball semifinals will be held at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday, with the championship game scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday. |
| Barren County bounces Purples Tue, 27 May 2008 10:46:47 -0500 Barren County pitcher Lucas Mohon threw a no-hitter last season, but his one-hitter in Monday’s Region 4 Tournament tasted much sweeter. Mohon’s nearly perfect performance in a 1-0 win over defending region champion Bowling Green ended more than a decade-long drought. It was Barren County’s first region tournament victory since 1997. Mohon allowed three baserunners and kept the no-hitter until Trent Steelman’s one-out infield single in the sixth inning. “This is a lot better (than last year’s no-hitter),” Mohon said. “If I said no, (I wasn’t thinking about a no-hitter), then I’d be lying.” Mohon’s no-hitter came in a 4-0 win against Logan County in the first week of the season last year. But Monday’s postseason game carried much greater importance. Mohon needed to be flawless because the Trojans’ only run came on a fifth inning sacrifice fly - from Mohon, of course. “He’s an all-stater and that’s what all-staters do - they go out there and put everybody on their shoulders,” Barren County coach Scott Gillon said. The Trojans moved into Wednesday’s semifinals against Cumberland County, a 4-0 winner over Logan County on Monday. Both the Trojans and Purples played a waiting game Monday. Rain pushed their scheduled 1 p.m. matchup back to 6:30 p.m. while also postponing the final two quarterfinal games of the day until tonight. In order to kill time, the Trojans did what most teenagers would do. “We did a lot of eating,” Mohon joked. “Whatever you could do to pass the time. It’s not like we could go home. We sat around, told jokes, had a good time. Anything you could think of, we tried to do to pass the time.” The wait only began a day of frustrations for the Purples, who couldn’t solve Mohon. They had one opportunity to score when J.P. Jackson reached second with nobody out in the third inning on an error, but he was left stranded. After Steelman reached on his infield single in the sixth, Mohon induced an inning-ending double play. “In a nutshell, we just didn’t pick up the spin on the breaking ball,” BGHS coach Matt Logic said. “It was in the dirt probably 20 times. “We swung at too much stuff in the dirt and they weren’t strikes. We just didn’t read it. I’d keep throwing it there too if I was him.” Mohon struck out seven on the night and let his infield do plenty of work. He recorded only one flyball out to the outfield. “I was trying to get ground balls,” Mohon said. “The defense is great around me. They cover the field like a tarp.” BGHS pitcher Matt Ingram suffered the loss despite giving up only one run on seven hits over five innings. Tyler Richardson and Blake Crabtree opened the bottom of the fifth inning with back-to-back singles. Richardson then scored on Mohon’s sacrifice fly for the lone run of the game. “I felt very confident in our chances after we got that one run,” Mohon said. Because of tournament rescheduling, the Trojans now have a day off before meeting Cumberland County. The Trojans swept Cumberland County in a pair of games this year, winning 10-0 and 9-6. Another win against Cumberland County would move Barren County only one victory away from its first Region 4 championship. “That’s a big win for our program,” Gillon said. “Would rather just come back and play if we could - stay on that roll.” BGHS 000 000 0 - 0 1 1 BCHS 000 010 x - 1 7 1 WP: Mohon; LP: Ingram |
| Panthers blank Logan County 4-0 Tue, 27 May 2008 10:46:48 -0500 Cody Pruitt allowed just four hits and struck out seven over seven innings Monday as the Panthers got a Region 4 Tournament opening round shutout over Logan County. The Cougars were only able to get a runner past second base twice - once in the third inning and again in the fourth. Cumberland County got on the board in the bottom of the second as Shawn Wheat hit a two-run single, scoring both Marshall Henson and Kurtis Claywell. The lead grew to 4-0 after the fourth inning, as Wheat delivered his third RBI on a double scoring Cameron Stalcup, who also walked and scored on a Pruitt single. Wheat finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a double and a run scored for the Panthers (21-9). Tyler Johnson took the loss for Logan County (11-19), allowing four runs on eight hits over six innings. Due to rainouts later in the day Monday, Cumberland County will now have an unexpected day off before taking on Barren County at 5 p.m. Wednesday. LCHS 000 000 0 — 0 4 2 CCHS 020 200 x — 4 8 1 WP: Pruitt; LP: Johnson. |
| Favorites keep volleyball titles Tue, 27 May 2008 03:40:00 EST Kerri Walsh hugged her pro beach volleyball partner Misty May-Treanor, waved to the Waterfront Park crowd and blew a kiss to a television camera yesterday. |
| Baseball teams NCAA-bound Tue, 27 May 2008 03:22:00 EST The University of Louisville baseball team is surging, and now it's ready to go after another trip to the College World Series. |
| U of L closer Rosenberg makes most of second chance Tue, 27 May 2008 03:10:00 EST B.J. Rosenberg wasn't 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate when the University of Louisville baseball team began its remarkable push to the 2007 College World Series. Rosenberg was 383 miles away. |
| Lady Bruins advance to semifinals Tue, 27 May 2008 03:36:00 EST Inserted as a defensive replacement, Nicole Heitz showed she also can provide some pop at the plate. The Ballard High School sophomore hit her first career home run -- an inside-the-park shot -- in the fifth inning to help secure a 3-1 victory over Manual yesterday in a Seventh Region softball tournament quarterfinal at the University of Louisville's Ulmer Stadium. |
| Bullitt East advances with 13th straight win Tue, 27 May 2008 03:35:00 EST You'd be hard-pressed to find a high school baseball team that is playing better than Bullitt East. |
| Williamson fuels Rockets, 4-3 Tue, 27 May 2008 03:30:00 EST Perhaps a bit overaggressive in the first inning, Ellen Williamson's intensity turned out to be a good thing later in the night. |
| Dixon not used to being front-runner and center Tue, 27 May 2008 03:31:00 EST Scott Dixon was exhilarated and screaming. He also felt alone, dazed by winning the Indianapolis 500. |
| Green, Phillips lead Bats Tue, 27 May 2008 03:31:00 EST Andy Green homered for the second straight day and Andy Phillips added another as the Louisville Bats beat Columbus 2-1 last night. |
| Bruce gets promotion to Reds Tue, 27 May 2008 03:31:00 EST Outfielder Jay Bruce, last season's Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year, will be a major leaguer today. |
| Graeme Six shows her Winning Colors Tue, 27 May 2008 03:31:00 EST Graeme Six gave co-owner Tom O'Grady his first stakes victory at his new hometown track, chasing down pacesetting Change Up and holding off 7-5 favorite Miss Macy Sue for a 11/2-length score in Churchill Downs' $107,600, Grade III Winning Colors yesterday. |
| Churchill Downs Results Tue, 27 May 2008 03:37:00 EST |
| PREP BASEBALL: Elizabethtown upends Central Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:08 -0500 ELIZABETHTOWN What a difference two weeks can make. |
| PREP BASEBALL: John Hardin sweeps North Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500 RADCLIFF It’s been said that hitting is contagious and the John Hardin Bulldogs certainly had a bad case of it spread through the team Thursday night. |
| PREP SOFTBALL: Krupinski, Central Hardin shut out John Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500 CECILIA Having been shut out in their previous two games, the Central Hardin Lady Bruins were in a little bit of a funk. |
| PREP SOFTBALL/BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Lady Panthers fall; Mayfield moves to 7-1 Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500 The slumping Elizabethtown Lady Panthers lost for the 10th time in 13 games, falling to visiting Warren Central on Thursday, 3-1. |
| BOYS'/GIRLS' PREP TENNIS RESULTS: Thursday's Matches Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500 Results from Thursday's area high school tennis matches: |
| Rain cuts short French Open play; Mauresmo, Kuztnesova win Tue, 27 May 2008 16:00 EDT A photo of Maria Sharapova graced the cover of the French Open's official daily program Tuesday, which might be considered false advertising. That's because the No. 1-ranked woman didn't play a single point, forced by the wet weather to wait instead until at least Day 4 of the tournament to begin her quest to complete a career Grand Slam. Rafael Nadal played all of two games of his opening match before collecting his things and trundling off center court, the start of his bid for a fourth consecutive title at the clay-court major halted by one of a series of showers. Only 13 of 72 scheduled matches were completed, and past major champions Amelie Mauresmo and Svetlana Kuznetsova were quite pleased to duck into the second round between drizzles. Yes, Wimbledon has come to Roland Garros, with rain affecting action on all three days so far and allowing for less than 3 hours of play Tuesday. While the All England Club is constructing a dome over Centre Court ahead of the 2009 championship, the French tennis federation has said it might build a retractable roof by 2012. |
| Big Brown looks good in return to track Tue, 27 May 2008 12:19 EDT Big Brown was back on the track a day earlier than expected, and trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said the unbeaten colt looks as good as ever - maybe even better. The Triple Crown hopeful took a 1 1/2-mile jog around Belmont Park on a rainy Tuesday morning. It was the first time since Friday that Big Brown was out exercising following the discovery of a quarter crack on the inside of his left front hoof. "I was very happy with this move," Dutrow said outside barn 2, where Big Brown was being walked by exercise rider Michelle Nevin. Asked if he looked as good as he did before winning the Preakness on May 17, Dutrow said, "He might look better." Big Brown will attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion in 30 years, since Affirmed in 1978, in the Belmont Stakes on June 7. |
| Cats open regional Friday Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Kentucky put preparation ahead of celebration Monday, practicing while the NCAA Baseball selection show was being televised. UK (42-17) drew a No. 3 seed and will face No. 2 Michigan (45-12), the Big Ten regular-season and tournament champion, at 7 p.m. Friday at Ann Arbor, Mich. Arizona (38-17), the only No. 1 seed not picked to host a region, will face No. 4 Eastern Michigan (25-32). The double-elimination tournament will continue through Sunday. Coach John Cohen had his team practicing through the early afternoon selection show for, among other reasons, preparation in case UK was assigned to a hot-weather site. For another, he says the anticipation and celebration of the NCAA draw in 2006 drained some energy from his team. |
| Lexington avoids shutout in 9th Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Dustin Realini hit a grand slam and drove in five runs and the Lake County Captains rolled over the Lexington Legends 8-1 Monday at Applebee's Park Brian Pellegrini saved the Legends from a second consecutive shutout when he doubled in a run in the ninth inning. Pellegrini's hit was the sixth of the game for Lexington, which has managed just two runs in the first three games of the four-game series against the South Atlantic League Northern Division leaders. Captains starter Ryan Morris (6-0) allowed three hits in five shutout innings and lowered his earned run average to 2.01, fifth best in the league. Every Captain in the lineup had at least one hit. Realini's slam in the third inning off Legends starter Carlos Ladeuth (1-5) put the visitors up 4-0. Lake County added a run in the fourth when Adam White scored from second on Roman Pena's infield single. |
| Riddle keeps 'em guessing Tue, 27 May 2008 02:03 EDT Scott County couldn't solve a Riddle in the opening game of the 11th Region baseball tournament. Western Hills sophomore J.T. Riddle threw a three-hitter to lead the Wolverines to a 1-0 victory over Scott County at Paul Dunbar's Hanson Field on Monday. "J.T.'s on a roll," Western Hills Coach Craig Fry said, noting that Riddle shut out Woodford County with a 14-strikeout performance in the district tournament last week. "He's just absolutely pitching lights out." Riddle started at shortstop and didn't pitch at all as a freshman last season. He's been a mainstay on the staff this year, posting a 5-1 record. |
| Bulldogs, Cards to clash Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT The past couple of years, Paul Dunbar has been a dominant team in the 11th Region only to fizzle out when it mattered in the post-season. Not this Dunbar, not this year, the No. 11 Bulldogs said after a 4-0 win over No. 14 Western Hills in the first round of the region tournament at Madison Southern Monday afternoon. "This is our year," second baseman Mariya Kobayashi said. "We feel like this is our year and we're ready for them." The "them" was a reference to No. 6 Scott County, which also advanced to the semifinals on Monday after beating Madison Central 5-0 behind pitcher Jordan Smith, who gave up just one hit in seven innings. The victories set up a monster semifinal meeting between Dunbar and the Cardinals, who have been the region's top powers the last couple of years. |
| Catholic sends message: Don't ruin Senior Night Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Mercedes Davis doesn't remember the pitch she was thrown. The Lexington Catholic senior doesn't remember hitting the ball. She didn't see where it ended up. She just knows where she ended up. "I just swung," she said. "Before I knew what had happened, I looked up from second (base) and the bases were clear. I guess it worked out pretty nice." Davis' three-run double gave the Lady Knights their first lead over Model in the first round of the 11th Region Tournament and it would be enough as Catholic advanced to the semifinals with an 8-4 win over the Patriots. |
| McDyess, Detroit get even Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Antonio McDyess refused to let the Detroit Pistons get pushed to the brink of elimination. McDyess had his best game of the playoffs, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds to lift Detroit to a 94-75 series-evening win Monday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. "He did everything," Pistons Coach Flip Saunders said. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Boston, then the Pistons will host Game 6 on Saturday night. Boston's Big Three shot awfully as did most of the Celtics, but the NBA's top-seeded team stayed competitive for much of the game thanks to a stark disparity in free throws. |
| Venus pulls it together in time Tue, 27 May 2008 02:03 EDT Venus Williams was cruising along with a ho-hum 6-3, 4-1 lead over her 35-year-old opponent at the French Open on Monday when suddenly everything went awry. The double-faults piled up. The forehand errors did, too, and Williams lost six consecutive games to fall behind as a drizzle fell. The crowd was rooting for the underdog, applauding in unison every time 93rd-ranked Tzipora Obziler of Israel earned a point. When the No. 8-seeded Williams would hit a winner, the sounds of approval emanated mainly from her personal guests. "Whooo!" one of her sisters kept yelling. "I told the people in our box, 'Be quiet, so she can concentrate,' " said Williams' father and coach, Richard. "Venus is a great thinker and a great player. I wasn't nervous at all." Eventually, six-time major champion Williams did manage to turn things back around quickly enough to pull out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Obziler and reach the second round at Roland Garros before the rain grew heavier and washed out the latter part of the day's schedule. |
| Willie Randolph keeps job, Mets keep losing Tue, 27 May 2008 10:50 EDT At the very least, Willie Randolph has more time to try and turn the Mets around. How much more time? Good question. The embattled Randolph got a bit of a reprieve Monday when he kept his job as New York's manager - for now - after a much-anticipated meeting with ownership. "I didn't come in thinking that I was going to get fired," he said. Hours later, however, the Mets kept losing. |
| Osgood blanks Pens again; Red Wings halfway to Cup Tue, 27 May 2008 10:50 EDT With first-period goals from Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom and another lockdown defensive effort, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night. The puck-possessing Red Wings again held onto it all night and registered 34 shots. They put the clamps on the Penguins, who have yet to score. After a 19-save effort in a 4-0 series-opening win Saturday, Chris Osgood stopped 22 in a rocking-chair game and earned his third shutout of the playoffs - 13th career. The often-overlooked Osgood owns the Red Wings record with 50 postseason victories, ahead of Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk, and is closing in on his third Cup with Detroit - two as the starting netminder. Osgood is the first to post shutouts in the first two games of the finals since New Jersey's Martin Brodeur in 2003 against Anaheim. "All it means to me is that I'm just confident, and I'm going to try to do it for as long as I can," Osgood said. "It's as simple as it gets." |
| Odom, Lakers look to get back on track Tue, 27 May 2008 10:50 EDT Lamar Odom had a sleepless night after the Lakers' Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Pau Gasol said it's always hard to get shut eye after a tough loss and Derek Fisher said he slept "decent enough." Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson wasn't surprised. "I like players to get their rest, there's no doubt," Jackson said Monday. "But any time you have a game of that importance and you don't play well, you're upset. It's bothersome." Bothered might be an understatement for Odom. |
| Woods says he's 'on schedule' to play US Open Tue, 27 May 2008 17:47 EDT Tiger Woods entered the room with a slight limp and unwavering determination to play the U.S. Open. "The knee's doing better," said Woods, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15. "The rehab is boring. It gets really old riding that bike, man. But everything's on schedule. Just been training and trying to get this thing organized for the Open, and it's right on schedule for that." Woods spoke Tuesday at Congressional Country Club. The second annual edition of Woods' own PGA Tour event, the AT&T National, returns to Congressional in July. The U.S. Open will be at Torrey Pines in San Diego on June 12-15, a major that could prove a bit dicey for the world's No. 1 player following a two-month layoff. Woods had hoped to fine-tune his game this week at the Memorial, but he withdrew and has no plans to play in next week's Stanford St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn. |
| Pocono Raceway is not for sale Tue, 27 May 2008 17:23 EDT Pocono Raceway is not for sale. Rose Mattioli has told The Associated Press that her family has no plans to sell raceway. The NASCAR track currently has two Sprint Cup races. Mattioli said Tuesday that Pocono Raceway was entrusted to their grandchildren and they will continue to help run the 2 1/2-mile triangle track. Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased Kentucky Speedway last week and there was speculation SMI owner Bruton Smith had his eye on Pocono. If he bought that track, he could have moved one or both its dates to any of his speedways. |
| Prosecution: Case against Graham is 'simple' Tue, 27 May 2008 17:23 EDT Track coach Trevor Graham orchestrated a doping scheme for his elite track athletes and lied to federal investigators about his role in it, the prosecution said in closing arguments of Graham's trial on Tuesday. "This is a very simple, straight forward case. It's about telling the truth," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Finigan told the jury. "If federal agents come to speak to you and you speak to them, there's only one rule: You tell them the truth. ... Throughout the interview, he was not truthful with the agents." The defense was set to make its closing argument later Tuesday. Graham is accused with three counts of lying to federal investigators in June 2004. Graham told two IRS agents that he never set up his athletes to receive drugs from Angel "Memo" Heredia, a Laredo, Texas, discus thrower who bought performance enhancing drugs in Mexico and sold them to many star track athletes. "He denied it, he was unequivocal, he was definitive," Finigan said. |
| Paul Hamm to have surgery on hand Tue, 27 May 2008 17:23 EDT Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm was to have surgery Tuesday afternoon to repair the broken bone in his right hand. Dr. Lawrence Lubbers, on staff at the Ohio State Medical Center, was to do the surgery. The gymnast spoke with several doctors before selecting Lubbers, who also has operated on Hamm's former teammate, Blaine Wilson. Hamm is expected to begin rehab Thursday and is optimistic he will be healthy in time to compete at the Beijing Olympics. Hamm was seconds away from finishing his parallel bars routine at the U.S. gymnastics championships Thursday night when he jammed his right ring finger, breaking the fourth metacarpal. Recovery is expected to take at least four weeks. |
| Big Brown resumes training for Belmont Tue, 27 May 2008 17:23 EDT A jog around the racetrack was all trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. needed to see before declaring Big Brown back - and maybe better than before. "He looks like an absolute picture," a delighted Dutrow said Tuesday morning after his Triple Crown hopeful resumed training while continuing to heal from a slight crack on the inside of his left front hoof. "You would never think that he would look this good after what he's been through - running so often and shipping, flying. He just looks unbelievable." The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner now appears set for his attempt to become the first Triple Crown winner in the Belmont Stakes on June 7. With Dutrow re-energized after watching Big Brown move around the track for the first time since Friday, he was asked if the rest of the field, including top threat Casino Drive, is in trouble. |
| Miami selected as No. 1 seed for NCAA tournament Tue, 27 May 2008 16:29 EDT Miami was selected as the top seed for the 64-team Division I college baseball tournament Monday, while two-time defending champion Oregon State was left out of the field. The Hurricanes (47-8), who won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament for the first time, will host one of 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals that begin Friday. Miami, making its 36th straight tournament appearance to extend its NCAA record, was ranked No. 1 in various polls for the majority of the season and opens up against Bethune-Cookman (36-20). "There was a lot of discussion about who the No. 1 seed should be, and quite frankly, North Carolina and Arizona State all got a strong look at that position," Division I selection committee chairman Larry Templeton said. "At the end of the night, Miami's play toward the end of the season, particularly winning the tournament - and we were watching that tournament as the selection process was going through - probably convinced the committee." The other national seeds, in order, are: North Carolina (46-12), Arizona State (45-11), Florida State (48-10), Cal State Fullerton (37-19), Rice (42-13), LSU (43-16-1) and Georgia (35-21-1). The winners of each regional will advance to the super regionals, played June 6-9. The eight winners of the super regionals will play in the College World Series, which starts June 14 in Omaha, Neb. |
| Wie to play in German Open Tue, 27 May 2008 16:04 EDT Michelle Wie will make her first appearance in a full Ladies European Tour field at this week's German Open. The 18-year-old American was given a sponsor's invitation to play in the event, which begins Thursday. A sore wrist hurt in March and studies at Stanford University have limited her to just two tournaments on the LPGA Tour this year. "I feel a lot healthier and I want to start playing more and playing some good golf," Wie said Tuesday. "My goal is just to have fun and keep my head on straight and shoot some low scores." The 172nd-ranked Wie shot a practice round Tuesday with 18-year-old Amy Yang of South Korea, the European Tour's leading money earner. Others in the field include recent winners Lisa Hall, Emma Zackrisson, Gwladys Nocera and Lotta Wahlin. Wie played the Fields Open in Hawaii and Michelob ULTRA Open in Virginia two weeks ago. |
| Angels down Tigers in 12, 1-0 Tue, 27 May 2008 08:25 EDT Detroit's Bobby Seay walked Garret Anderson on four pitches with the bases loaded and one out in the 12th inning to force home the winning run Monday in Los Angeles' 1-0 victory. Anderson was the only batter Seay faced after replacing Freddy Dolsi (0-1). Detroit and its high-priced lineup was shut out for a major league-high eighth time this season. The inconsistent Tigers had scored a total of 54 runs over a five-game stretch before they lost 1-0 to Minnesota on Sunday. Macier Izturis led off the 12th with a single, and, after Gary Matthews Jr. flied out, Vladimir Guerrero singled to center to advance Izturis to third. Dolsi (0-1) intentionally walked Torii Hunter before Seay came on. Jose Arredondo (1-0), the fourth Los Angeles pitcher, retired all six batters he faced in the 11th and 12th innings to earn his first major league win. |
| Red Sox use 4-run eighth inning to beat Seattle Tue, 27 May 2008 01:03 EDT The Boston Red Sox found an easy cure for their road woes - a visit to the worst team in baseball. Bartolo Colon showed flashes of his Cy Young days, shutting down Seattle for seven innings, and Dustin Pedroia's RBI ground-rule double scored the go-ahead run as the Red Sox scored four times in the eighth for a 5-3 win over the Mariners on Monday night. David Ortiz added a long solo homer in the fourth and Manny Ramirez rattled the outfield wall with a run-scoring single as part of Boston's eighth inning rally, as the Red Sox snapped their seven-game road losing streak, their longest skid away from Fenway Park in nearly seven years. Meanwhile, Seattle (18-34) dropped its seventh straight and fell 16 games under .500. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only the 1914 Boston Braves have been 16 games under .500 and still made the playoffs. Colon, making just his second start with Boston, needed to be sharp just to keep up with Seattle's Felix Hernandez, who was brilliant for seven innings, then stumbled in the eighth. |
| White Sox rally in 12th to top Indians, 6-3 Tue, 27 May 2008 00:05 EDT Orlando Cabrera's fourth hit drove in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning and the Chicago White Sox beat Cleveland 6-3 on Monday night, handing the Indians their ninth loss in 10 games. Boone Logan (2-1) pitched a perfect 1 1-3 innings for the win and Bobby Jenks got the final three outs for his 13th save in 15 chances. Jenks allowed two singles, then got Jhonny Peralta to hit into a double play and struck out Franklin Gutierrez to become the second-fastest reliever to notch 100 career saves, doing so in 187 games. Kazuhiro Sasaki did it in 160. The White Sox won for the 10th time in 12 games and moved 5 1-2 games ahead of the third-place Indians in the AL Central. Nick Swisher opened the 12th with a single off right-hander Scott Elarton (0-1). Pinch-runner DeWayne Wise went to third on a single to right by Alexei Ramirez and scored on another single to right by Cabrera, who was then caught in a rundown trying for second. |
| Willie Randolph remains Mets manager after meeting Tue, 27 May 2008 10:50 EDT If Willie Randolph was worried about losing his job, he never showed it. He walked confidently into a packed news conference Monday, still the New York Mets' manager after a much-anticipated meeting with team ownership that lasted about two hours. "Willie's job was never in danger going into this meeting," general manager Omar Minaya said. The embattled skipper sat down with owner Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, the club's chief operating officer, as well as Minaya to discuss two things in particular: the team's sluggish play, and Randolph's comments last week about his portrayal on Mets broadcasts in which he raised the issue of race. Randolph subsequently apologized for those statements and tried reaching out to ownership with a telephone call. The Wilpons said they'd rather talk face-to-face, Minaya said, so the foursome scheduled a meeting for Memorial Day afternoon. |
| Wings earn another shutout Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Four new lines, same old result for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After recording only 19 shots in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, the Penguins mustered just 22 Monday night in a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Chris Osgood earned his third shutout of the playoffs -- 13th in his career. After starting each of their previous series ahead 3-0, the Penguins suddenly find themselves down 0-2 and searching for ways just to get a goal. Penguins Coach Michel Therrien reacted to the 4-0 loss in Game 1 by reinserting 42-year-old forward Gary Roberts and revamping all his lines. He moved Ryan Malone up to the top line alongside captain Sidney Crosby and dropped Pascal Dupuis down to play with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy. |
| Scoreboard Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Transactions BASEBALL American League Agreed to terms with OF Todd Linden and INF Jorge Velandia on minor league contracts and assigned them to Buffalo (IL). NEW YORK YANKEES--Activated INF Wilson Betemit from the 15-day DL. Optioned INF Alberto Gonzalez to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). |
| Sports briefs Tue, 27 May 2008 08:03 EDT GOLF SINGH, ELS PULL OUT OF MEMORIAL Vijay Singh withdrew from the Memorial because of a rib injury sustained last week, and Ernie Els said on his Web site that he won't be playing until next week. That would leave the tournament in Dublin, Ohio, without four of the top 10 players in the world ranking. Tiger Woods , recovering from April 15 surgery on his left knee, did not enter and Adam Scott won't play. Singh, who won the Memorial in 1997, said he injured a muscle in his ribs upon arriving in England last week for the BMW Championship and felt pain while warming up on the range ahead of the first round. |
| Big Brown setback is only 'a hiccup' Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT The trainer calls it a "hiccup" and the owner is sure everything will be fine. So far, there doesn't seem to be a crack in the confidence of camp Big Brown. Twelve days before the Belmont Stakes, hoof specialist Ian McKinlay began repairing a quarter crack to the left front hoof of the Triple Crown hopeful. He carved a little trench along the slight crack and stitched it up with stainless steel wire Monday. It was another step in a process that would allow Big Brown to resume training as early as Wednesday for his attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion in 30 years. "Just a little hiccup on the way over there, that's all it is," trainer Rick Dutrow said a few minutes after McKinlay briefed him on the colt's condition. "The time that he has missed means nothing to me." Michael Iavarone, co-president of Big Brown's majority owner IEAH Stables, stopped by barn 2 at Belmont Park for an update. |
| Dunbar routs Central Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Strong pitching and timely hitting helped defending state baseball champion Paul Dunbar stay alive in the playoffs. The host Bulldogs beat Madison Central 8-1 in the first round of the 11th Region tournament Monday night. Tyler Jones, Chad Martin and Cameron Young combined for 12 strikeouts and limited Madison Central to five hits. Jones didn't make it out of the second inning of the district finals against Lexington Catholic, but he made amends by working into the fifth against the Indians. Jones successfully battled control problems (six walks) to strike out eight. He escaped bases-loaded jams in the third and fourth. |
| Boyd, Rowan on to semifinals Boyd County edged East Carter 7-6 Monday evening in the opening round of the 16th Region softball tournament. |
| Smith throws 2-hitter to boost Ashland Junior pitcher Jordan Smith provides Ashland with an effective complement to No. 1 starter Katelyn Miller. |
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