Sports in Brief
Published 5:00 am Saturday, April 6, 2013
Baseball
Ducks fall in extra innings – Arizona State freshmen R.J. Ybarra hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the 11th inning Friday night to give the Sun Devils a 6-5 victory over Oregon in Tempe, Ariz. Duck third baseman Mitchell Tolman went three for six with a triple and an RBI to lead Oregon’s offense. The Ducks trailed for most of the game before scoring four runs in the top of the eighth inning to tie the contest 5-5. Oregon (22-7, 8-2 Pac-12) and ASU (18-8-1, 5-5) play again this evening at 6:30 p.m.
Beavs lose in L.A. — Ryan Barnes posted two hits and Dylan Davis doubled home a run in the eighth inning, but Oregon State’s baseball team dropped a 3-2 decision to UCLA Friday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. Davis doubled home Barnes, who had his second single of the game in the eighth, but was left on second base to end the inning as the tying run. The Beavers (23-5, 5-2 Pac-12) and Bruins (19-7, 7-3) play again today at 2 p.m.
Motor sports
Johnson qualifies first – Jimmie Johnson won the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway with a track record. Johnson made his fastest lap around the 0.526-mile oval at 98.400 mph Friday. He broke the track record of 98.083 mph held by Tony Stewart. Five other drivers also eclipsed Stewart’s mark on a cooling, later afternoon surface, led by Marcos Ambrose at 98.364. He was followed by Brian Vickers, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon.
Bend driver takes pole — Bend’s Jon Fogarty extended his Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series record to 25 poles in Friday’s Porsche 250 qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. For the second straight event this season, Fogarty waited until the final minute of the 15-minute Daytona Prototype session before clinching the pole. His No. 99 Corvette DP was clocked in a track-record lap of 104.878 mph (1 minute, 18.949 seconds).
Baseball
Wrigley renovation? — Fans of the lovable losers have something to look forward to, after all. The city of Chicago and the Ricketts family that owns the Chicago Cubs are close to agreement on a $500 million overhaul of Wrigley Field, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said Friday. The agreement is expected to include $300 million in renovations at Wrigley, more night games, a parking lot and a $200 million hotel nearby, the people said.
Football
Players coming out soon? — Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo says up to four NFL players may soon come out as gay, according to a published report. “I think it will happen sooner than you think,” Ayanbadejo told The Baltimore Sun. “We’re in talks with a handful of players who are considering it. There are up to four players being talked to right now and they’re trying to be organized so they can come out on the same day together. It would make a major splash and take the pressure off one guy. It would be a monumental day if a handful or a few guys come out.”
Soccer
Wambach scores for U.S. — Abby Wambach scored her 155th international goal, moving within three of tying Mia Hamm’s record, but the United States women wasted a late two-goal lead and tied Germany 3-3 in an exhibition Friday night in Offenbach, Germany.
Basketball
Gallinari tears ACL — The Denver Nuggets will be without versatile forward Danilo Gallinari for the rest of the season after tests Friday showed he tore his left ACL against Dallas the previous night. The team said an MRI showed no other signs of ligament or meniscus damage, adding Gallinari will have season-ending surgery soon and “a prognosis for a full recovery is excellent.” The 24-year-old Italian forward averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 71 games this season for Denver.
Tennis
U.S., Serbia tied — Sam Querrey helped the United States tie Serbia at 1 in their Davis Cup quarterfinal with a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Viktor Troicki on Friday in Boise, Idaho. In the first match, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic took care of 23rd-ranked John Isner 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-5 at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. A doubles match is slated for today before Sunday’s reverse singles.
Williams sisters win — Top-ranked Serena Williams ended a long and successful day for the Williams family as she and sister Venus both won twice Friday to reach the Family Circle Cup semifinals and set up their first sibling showdown since 2009. Serena won her 13th straight match by defeating sixth-seeded Lucie Safarova, 6-4, 6-1. Venus also had double duty, rallying past Varvara Lepchenko in three sets before ousting 18-year-old Madison Keys.
—From wire reports