Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

DUBLIN, Ohio — Steve Stricker holed out from the fairway for one of his two eagles Saturday and wound up with 3-under 69 on a steamy afternoon at Muirfield Village and finished with a three-shot lead in the Memorial.

He still had to convince himself it was a good day.

Right when it looked as though Stricker might leave everyone in his wake, he missed a 4-foot birdie on the 14th hole. He bogeyed the par-5 15th, then missed a 4-foot par putt on No. 16 and had a 7-foot birdie on the next hole catch the lip. And when he arrived at his ball in the middle of the 18th fairway, it was in a sand-filled divot.

Stricker saved par, and perspective soon followed.

"All of a sudden, things seemed pretty hard, when at the start of the day, things were really going my way," he said. "But I understand that, and I understand that's the nature of this game. So you add them up at the end, and it was a 69. And it was a good score."

Stricker holed out for eagle from 113 yards on No. 2 and had another eagle with a 3-iron into 6 feet on the par-5 fifth.

He was at 12-under 204, three shots clear of Jonathan Byrd heading to today's final round.

Byrd, who won the opener at Kapalua after playing in the final group with Stricker, hit his approach within 2 feet on No. 18 for birdie to cap 69. His only blunder came on the par-5 11th, his only bogey in 43 holes.

Matt Kuchar dropped two shots in his last four holes and settled for 68. That put him in a tie for third with Brandt Jobe (69), four shots behind.

Rory McIlroy was still in the hunt. After double bogey on the par-3 fourth, the 22-year-old rolled in a long eagle putt on the 15th and wound up with 71. He was 10 shots behind with six holes to play, then drew within five shots by the end.

"Even though I didn't play my best stuff (Saturday), I'm still in a decent position going into (today)," McIlroy said. "And that's all you can ask for."

He was at 7-under 209, along with former PGA champion Shaun Micheel (67) and Mark Wilson (66).

Luke Donald, in his debut as No. 1 in the world, shot 73 and was eight shots behind in a tie for 17th. Four-time major champion Phil Mickelson (72) was 10 shots behind.

LPGA: Brittany Lincicome of Seminole had the round of the day, shooting 7-under 64 that featured seven birdies and no bogeys to jump into contention at the ShopRite Classic in Galloway Township, N.J. Cristie Kerr (65) birdied No. 18 for 8-under 134 total and a one-shot lead over Catriona Matthew after two rounds. Lincicome was third at 136. Matthew, 41, shot 67 and seeks to become the first player in her 40s to win on tour since Helen Alfredsson won in 2008 at 43. Tampa's Cindy LaCrosse shot 68 and was at 140, tied for 14th.

CHAMPIONS: Mark Brooks shot 4-under 67 to lead Mark Calcavecchia by a stroke heading into the final round of the Principal Charity Classic in West Des Moines, Iowa. Brooks, who totaled 10-under 132, is vying for his first victory since the 1996 PGA Championship.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey called out the fans making threats toward Scott Cousins, the Marlins player who ended the Giants catcher's season in a home-plate collision on May 25.

"I appreciate the continued support of Giants fans and others as I begin the process of working my way back," Posey, a former FSU standout, said in a statement Saturday. "But in no way do I condone threats of any kind against Scott Cousins or his family.

"As I said last week, I'm not out to vilify Scott. I appreciate that he made the effort to reach out to me on the night of the play, but I was in no physical condition to talk to anyone. I have not been back with the team since that night so I haven't even been aware of any other messages he's left for me. We all need to move on, so it isn't necessary to have a conversation with him at this point."

The collision at home left Posey with a broken bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle. Giants GM Brian Sabean criticized Cousins on his radio show last week, calling the play malicious and unnecessary.

The incident has sparked a debate about the safety of catchers and perhaps modifying rules to protect them in plays at the plate.

In an interview with the Tulsa World, Hall of Fame C Johnny Bench put much of the fault on Posey's positioning.

"I teach my kids to stay away from the plate when you don't have the ball so the runner actually sees home plate and his thought is, slide," said Bench, a Reds spring training instructor. "But Buster is laying in front of home plate, and it's like having a disabled car in the middle of a four-lane highway. You're just going to get smacked."

Joe West, the home-plate umpire during the game, called it a "good, hard-nosed play" and said he wouldn't back a rules change.

"They said the same thing when (Hall of Famer) Carlton Fisk got hit. Carlton Fisk learned how to tag a guy like a third baseman," West said.

AMATEUR DRAFT: The Pirates are likely to take UCLA RHP Gerrit Cole with the top pick in the draft on Monday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

ASTROS: 2B Bill Hall was placed on unconditional release waivers to make room for OF Jason Bourgeois, who will be activated from the disabled list today.

BRAVES: CF Jordan Schafer sustained a small nondisplaced sinus fracture after fouling a bunt attempt off his face Friday and is day-to-day.

DODGERS: RHP Jon Garland and SS Rafael Furcal went on the 15-day DL. Garland has shoulder soreness, and Furcal pulled muscles in his left side.

ORIOLES: 1B Derrek Lee, out since May 17 with a strained left oblique, was activated.

PHILLIES: SS Jimmy Rollins left during the third inning with a bruised right knee.

RED SOX: RHP Clay Buchholz, who felt lower back discomfort during a poor outing Friday, is expected to make his next start.

TWINS: C Joe Mauer, out since April 14 with bilateral leg weakness, is set to begin his minor-league rehab as the DH today for Class A Fort Myers. His brother Jake manages the Miracle.

YANKEES: RHP Phil Hughes, out since April 15 with shoulder inflammation, felt good after throwing 22 pitches to batters in a side session.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

PARIS — There was a time when a Grand Slam final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was a regular occurrence.

Over a 12-major span from the 2006 French Open to the 2009 Australian Open, seven title matches were Roger vs. Rafa. No other pair of men in tennis history participated in a total of more than six Slam finals together.

"A lot of important matches for our careers," Nadal said. "A lot of emotions in these kind of matches."

And then, suddenly, it stopped. Federer and Nadal will renew their sublime rivalry today at the French Open, the first time in more than two years they'll decide a Grand Slam title.

"It's very special to have these guys back in another final," said U.S. Davis Cup captain Jim Courier. "You never know if you're going to get another one. Just when you think you're in the sweet spot of an era, it can change very quickly."

As usual when it comes to Federer and Nadal, there is plenty at stake.

The top-seeded Nadal is 44-1 at Roland Garros and bidding for his sixth French Open championship, which would tie Bjorn Borg's record. Only two days after turning 25, he will be going for a 10th major title overall. Plus, he needs a victory to prevent Novak Djokovic from replacing him at No. 1 in the ATP ranking.

The third-seeded Federer seeks to add to his record of 16 Grand Slam trophies, including the 2009 French Open. He could become only the third man to own at least two titles from each of the sport's most important tournaments (he's won six at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open, four at the Australian Open).

And then there's this intriguing tidbit: Federer never has beaten Nadal at Roland Garros, going 0-4 — in the 2005 semifinals, and the 2006, 2007 and 2008 finals.

The only time Federer managed to win the French Open, he didn't have to face Nadal. Instead, Federer's straight-set victory in the 2009 final came against Robin Soderling, who stunned Nadal in the fourth round.

"It always seems to me that Rafa needs to be in a French Open final to make it special," Federer said after ending Djoko­vic's 43-match winning streak in the semifinals, "and I got the match I guess I was hoping for."

That's a fascinating statement, considering that Nadal is a player who troubles Federer in ways that no one else ever has. Nadal is 16-8 against Federer overall, including 5-2 in Grand Slam finals.

"It's about the matchup," Courier said. "Rafa will get a lot of comfort from seeing Roger on the other side of the net. And Roger will get a lot of discomfort from seeing Rafa. Not that Roger doesn't have a chance. He definitely does."

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Mets 5, Braves 0

NEW YORK — Dillon Gee outpitched Jair Jurrjens to improve to 6-0 this season, and Jose Reyes hit a bases-loaded triple, leading the Mets. Pinch-hitter Jason Pridie, a former Rays farmhand, snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the seventh, and New York took advantage of shortstop Alex Gonzalez's error to score five in the inning. The Mets' struggling bullpen finally preserved a lead, too. New York's relievers had a 10.57 ERA over the previous 12 games.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Rangers 4, Indians 0

CLEVELAND — Derek Holland pitched a five-hitter for his second career shutout, and former Rays prospect Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz hit two-run homers as the Rangers won for the seventh time in eight games to improve to 15-8 since May 10. Texas has won 15 of the past 18 meetings with the Indians and 10 of 11 at Progressive Field. Holland threw his first shutout since his three-hitter at the Angels on Aug. 9, 2009. Cleveland has lost eight of 11 and a season-high five straight at home.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 4, 2011

SEATTLE — Yes, 3B Evan Longoria admitted, the tightness he felt in his left side during Saturday's game was similar to what he felt before straining his left oblique April 2 and missing a month.

But the difference was that he left Saturday's game in the fourth inning before doing any further damage, and he felt good enough by the end that he is hoping to be back on the field today.

"It just felt tight," Longoria said. "There wasn't any specific play or any moment or anything that I felt. But I made a couple throws in that last inning and it just felt like the start of what I felt last time, and I didn't want to re-do that and take steps backward. I felt like I caught it at the right time.

"I was twisting and I was turning and everything fine, but I felt like at that point I might as well shut it down and come back (today) and hopefully just miss half a game instead of 10 or 20 or whatever it was the last time."

It was 26, and even though he has yet to find a groove, hitting just .239, it would be a huge blow to lose him again, as Longoria acknowledged. He plans to test it with swings in the batting cage this morning and doesn't expect the threat of injury to linger.

"Hopefully it was just a scare," he said. "Hopefully it's just a day-to-day thing."

PITCHING IN: The Rays made official what seemed obvious, that rookie RHP Alex Cobb would stay in the rotation and RHP Andy Sonnanstine would be bumped back to the bullpen.

Cobb will start Tuesday in Anaheim as the Rays continue the shuffling of their rotation in order to have their top three starters, David Price, James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson, lined up to face the Red Sox on June 14-16, and for other matchups.

After Price takes his regular turn Monday in Anaheim, Cobb will pitch on six days' rest, and Shields will get a fifth day before starting Wednesday. After Thursday's off day, look for Hellickson, Price and RHP Wade Davis (also on six days' rest) to pitch in Baltimore, with Cobb starting the June 13 makeup in Detroit.

Then the Rays, for all the complicated maneuvering, will have Shields, Hellickson and Price set to face the Red Sox.

Manager Joe Maddon said they waited to see Sonnanstine pitch Friday before making the decision, so his rough outing should have made it easy given that Cobb looked sharp in his return to the majors last week.

"The Cobb start against Texas was a good one; we were looking for the same kind of results (Friday) night; it didn't happen," Maddon said.

Sonnanstine, who allowed seven runs in five innings while throwing 97 pitches, will go back to his long relief role. "In a couple days, we'll put him back in the pen and see how it all plays out," Maddon said. "For right now he'll be going back to the pen."

Cobb's hold on the rotation spot might last only two more turns as RHP Jeff Niemann, out since May 4 with a lower back strain, is lined up for a potential June 18 return.

MEDICAL MATTERS: INF Elliot Johnson continues to make good progress in his recovery from a left knee sprain, but Maddon said it now will be a day or two past his June 8 eligibility date to return.

1B Casey Kotchman returned after missing five games due to a right ankle sprain, and Maddon said his impact on the defense was obvious.

The report on Niemann's Friday rehab start was good, Maddon said. His fastball topped out at 91 mph — "A perfect number," Maddon said — and he was sharp with his cutter and curveball. Niemann will go to Triple-A Durham and start Wednesday and June 13.

MISCELLANY: RF Matt Joyce made a strong throw to nail Justin Smoak at the plate to end the fourth. … DH Johnny Damon extended his streak of reaching base to 30 games, one off his career best. … C Kelly Shoppach, and his .146 average, will start today.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Rays at Mariners

When/where: 4:10 today; Safeco Field, Seattle

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable starters:

RAYS

RH Wade Davis (4-5, 4.52)

MARINERS

LH Erik Bedard (3-4, 3.48)

Watch for …

Wading in: Davis has been in a rut, going 1-3 with a 7.17 ERA his past five starts and looking bad in doing so, allowing 38 hits (including 9 HRs) and 15 walks in 261/3 IP. He is 0-1, 3.86 vs. the Mariners and is pitching for the first time in Seattle.

Erik the Great, again: Bedard has recovered his past form after missing last season, and part of the previous two, with shoulder issues. Bedard is 11-3, 3.03 in 20 games against the Rays, though last in April 2008.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Bedard

Johnny Damon 3-for-20

Felipe Lopez 3-for-6

B.J. Upton 4-for-23, HR

Mariners vs. Davis

Franklin Gutierrez 1-for-5, HR

Justin Smoak 2-for-2, HR

Ichiro Suzuki 3-for-6

On deck

Monday: at Angels, 10:05, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (6-5, 3.52); Angels — Tyler Chatwood (3-2, 3.64)

Tuesday: at Angels, 10:05, Sun Sports. Rays — Alex Cobb (0-0, 5.91); Angels — TBA

Wednesday: at Angels, 10:05, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (5-4, 2.77); Angels — Jered Weaver (7-4, 2.14)

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Inspirational moment of the day

The Rays find inspiration in odd places, and Saturday it was this Buddha-esque photo of bullpen coach Bobby Ramos, taken earlier in the day, attached to the daily lineup card. "There's definitely a potential religious overtone to the whole thing. It's a feng shui kind of a thing," manager Joe Maddon said. "Possibly make it into kind of a candleholder, with like a little round plate in front of him. And you can worship at the altar of Digalo, or the Sugar Bear."

Number of the day

495 Career doubles by Johnny Damon, below, tying Frank Thomas for 57th place all-time.

Honest quote of the day

"It feels fine, and I'm being honest with you when I say that. So I hope to be in there (today).''

3B Evan Longoria, on the tightness in his left side that forced him from the game

By Bryan Burns, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 4, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — For 60 minutes, FC Tampa Bay's inspired play effectively eliminated the memory of Tuesday's 4-0 loss at Edmonton, the worst defeat in the franchise's two-year history.

Facing Carolina, winner of five straight entering Saturday, Tampa Bay proved in front of 2,688 at Al Lang Field it's capable of battling with the NASL's best.

Tampa Bay held the edge in possession and created more danger in its attack. Its defense, with three of four regular starters injured and out, held NASL-league leading scorer Etienne Barbara in check.

But in the 62nd minute, a penalty shot was awarded to Barbara, who crumpled in front of the goal after making contact with Takuya Yamada. Carolina converted the kick in the 63rd minute, scored nearly two minutes later to go up 2-0 and beat Tampa Bay 2-1 for its sixth win in a row.

"I think (the RailHawks) know they snuck away with three points," Tampa Bay forward Aaron King said.

Tampa Bay (2-4-4) had seven shots on goal to Carolina's six at halftime and created multiple scoring chances against Carolina (8-1-1), the best coming when midfielder Mozzi Gyorio hit the crossbar on a 25-yard free kick in the 45th minute.

But Barbara put Carolina up 1-0 after he backed down Yamada deep into the penalty box and fell as he tried to spin away. The referee awarded the penalty, and Barbara drove his shot past goalkeeper Jeff Attinella (seven saves) for his 12th goal.

"I think it was extremely harsh," Tampa Bay coach Ricky Hill said of the penalty. " … There's no way there was enough physical contact to bring (Barbara) down. … It's a very, very cheap penalty."

Tampa Bay surrendered a second score a minute later. Former Tampa Bay player Jonny Steele chipped a cross near the goal line, and forward Nick Zimmerman headed the ball into the net.

"I think we fell asleep slightly mentally, and we paid the price to go 2-nil down, which, again, was totally undeserved," Hill said.

Tampa Bay second-half substitute Aaron King earned a penalty in the 85th minute, and Mike Ambersley converted the kick — his team-leading third score of the year.

"Overall, I was happy with how we played," Hill said. "Unfortunately, it's not about being happy how you play, it's about getting some points on the board. We've come away with none again (Saturday), but lots of positives."

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

PARIS — As China's Li Na tossed the ball while serving at match point in the French Open final, a cry from a fan in the stands pierced the silence.

Distracted, Li let the ball drop. The words of support were in Mandarin: Jia you! — which loosely translates to "Let's go!" After so many years of "Come on" and "Allez" and "Vamos," there's a new language on the landscape.

Li became the first Chinese player, man or woman, to win a Grand Slam singles title, beating defending champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-4, 7-6 (7-0) at Roland Garros on Saturday. The sixth-seeded Li used powerful groundstrokes to compile a 31-12 edge in winners, and she won the last nine points of the match, a run that began when Schiavone was flustered by a line call.

"China tennis — we're getting bigger and bigger," said Li, who is projected to rise to a career-best No. 4 in Monday's rankings.

She already was the first woman from that nation to win a WTA singles title, the first to enter the top 10 in the rankings, and the first to make it to a Grand Slam final; she lost to Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open in January.

Thinking back to that defeat, Li said, "I had no experience. I was very nervous. For my second time in a final, I had the experience. I knew how to do it. And I had more self-confidence."

Li's tennis game, filled with flat forehands and backhands, looks better-built for hardcourts rather than the slow, red clay of Paris. But Li's movement on clay is better now, Schiavone said, "She slides a little bit more."

Schiavone broke to 4-all in the second set and held to lead 6-5. The 12th game was pivotal.

Serving at deuce, Li smacked a backhand that landed near a sideline but initially was called out by a line judge, which would have given Schiavone a set point. Chair umpire Louise Engzell examined the mark and ruled the ball touched the line. Schiavone wouldn't win another point.

"That ball was out," she said later. "Sure, you get angry. … So what do you do? You're playing tennis, you have to go back to playing tennis and think about what you need to do. Obviously, I think it was a big mistake."

When Schiavone's backhand sailed long on match point, Li fell to the court, covering the back of her shirt with rust-colored clay.

"Amazing," said Li after the match, which ended about 11 p.m. local time in her homeland. "I got a text message from my friend. They said they were crying in China because they saw the national flag."

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Brewers 3, Marlins 2

MIAMI — Prince Fielder homered and Yuniesky Betancourt hit a tiebreaking double in a two-run seventh, helping the Brewers post back-to-back wins in South Florida for the first time since April 10-11, 2007. Yovani Gallardo pitched six effective innings to win his sixth consecutive start, and John Axford struck out Emilio Bonifacio with a runner on third to end the game.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Twins 7, Royals 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alexi Casilla matched a career high with four hits and had RBI singles in the third and seventh innings to help the Twins to their third straight win, equaling a season high. Casilla's other four-hit game was Sept. 3, 2007, against the Indians. Nick Blackburn left after five innings and 80 pitches with tightness in his back but improved to 4-0 in his past seven starts.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

D'backs 2, Nationals 0

PHOENIX — Joe Saunders escaped two early jams to pitch seven innings for the Diamondbacks. Stephen Drew and Xavier Nady drove in runs with extra-base hits off Livan Hernandez, more than enough for Saunders, who retired the final 14 batters and held the Nationals to two hits a night after Josh Collmenter limited them to three in seven innings. Washington was shut out in consecutive games for the second time in a month.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Tigers 4, White Sox 2

CHICAGO — Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth, helping the Tigers to their fourth win in five games. Austin Jackson opened the ninth with a leadoff triple against Jesse Crain, who nearly wriggled out of the jam. Don Kelly popped out and Brennan Boesch struck out before Cabrera hit a 1-and-2 pitch over the rightfield fence. Justin Verlander improved to 7-0 with a 2.06 ERA in his past seven starts against the White Sox.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Pirates 6, Phillies 3

PITTSBURGH — Charlie Morton pitched seven solid innings and the Pirates sent the Phillies to their fourth consecutive loss. Andrew McCutchen and Lyle Overbay had three hits each and Brandon Wood homered for Pittsburgh, which has won four of five and could complete a sweep today to reach .500.

By Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 4, 2011

TAMPA — Former Rays pitcher Dewon Brazelton was arrested and charged with hitting his fiancee during an argument at International Plaza on Friday, police said.

Brazelton, 30, of St. Petersburg was charged with battery domestic violence and arrested at 11:52 p.m. Friday, jail records show. A witness told police the couple got into an argument and he hit her in the head as she pushed away from him. The woman, who was not identified, has been living with Brazelton for six years and the two are engaged, the police report said.

Brazelton was Tampa Bay's first-round draft pick in 2001 and the third pick overall. He pitched for the team from 2002-05, going 8-23 with a 5.98 ERA. He finished his big-league career with the Padres in 2006, going 0-2, 12.00 in nine appearances.

Brazelton has spent the past two seasons in independent leagues. Last season, he pitched for the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League, but he wasn't listed on the team's 2011 roster.

The former pitcher was being held in the Hillsborough County jail without bail Saturday evening, jail records showed.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Orioles 5, Blue Jays 3

BALTIMORE — Mark Rey­nolds hit a grand slam and Jake Arrieta pitched six effective innings to lead the Orioles. With Baltimore trailing 3-1 in the sixth, Reynolds hit the first pitch from Ricky Romero into the left-center stands for the first slam of his career in 129 home runs. Arrieta's line was unimpressive, with four walks and one strikeout, but he got better as he went along and retired his last seven batters. Romero lost for the first time in his past five starts.

By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 4, 2011

GAINESVILLE — Florida shortstop Nolan Fontana hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Gators a dramatic 5-4 victory over Miami Saturday in the NCAA baseball tournament's Gainesville Region at McKethan Stadium.

The No. 2 overall seed Gators are one win from next week's 16-team Super Region. Florida plays at 4 today against the winner of the noon game between Miami and Jacksonville. Florida has won 10 of the past 11 meetings against the Hurricanes, seven consecutive.

"It's exciting, to say the least it's exciting," Fontana said. "We'll enjoy it, but tomorrow's another day."

Florida (47-16) rallied from a 2-0 deficit. With the score tied at 4 in the ninth, Gators reliever Tommy Toledo gave up a leadoff double but retired the next three batters, making an acrobatic catch before throwing out Chantz Mack at first base to end the inning.

"It was just a chopper back to me that hit the top of my glove, and I was just fortunate enough I got under it right afterward," said Toledo, a former Alonso High star.

Miami (37-22) committed four errors, which all led to UF runs. The Hurricanes had two walks and a wild pitch in the ninth.

"We made too many errors," UM coach Jim Morris said. "That's the bottom line for us."

Jacksonville reached today's elimination game with a 5-4 victory over Manhattan.

Florida State wins

UCF 16, BETH.-COOKMAN 5: Jonathan Griffin had a homer and five RBIs as UCF (39-22) stayed alive, ousting Bethune-Cookman (36-25).

Division II

WEST FLORIDA CHAMPS: West Florida won its first baseball national title, 12-2 over Winona (Minn.) State in Cary, N.C. Taye Larry and Brandon Brewer had three hits and three runs apiece for the Argonauts (52-9).

Information from Times wires was used in this report.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Florida Gators showed they don't have to hit home runs to generate offense at the women's College World Series.

Cheyenne Coyle, Aja Paculba, Tiffany DeFelice and Michelle Moultrie all had RBI singles as the nation's top home run team moved into the semifinals, beating California 5-2 Saturday. The Gators (54-11) face second seed Alabama today, needing to beat their SEC rival twice to reach the best-of-three final series.

Florida had homered twice in each of its first two World Series games to push its NCAA-best total to 114. This time UF got timely hits and capitalized on a series of fielding mistakes by Cal shortstop Britt Vonk.

"That's the difference in this game compared to the game that I started building this program on, with more power than power and speed," said Tim Walton, Florida's sixth-year coach.

Vonk's errant flip to third on Coyle's third-inning infield single allowed the Gators to tie it at 2. Paculba followed with a clean single to put Florida ahead to stay. The Gators tacked on runs in the fourth and fifth on two more infield singles hit to Vonk.

Cal (45-13) reached the game by eliminating Oklahoma State, the only unseeded team in the World Series, 6-2.

Missouri survived by ousting Big 12 rival Oklahoma 4-1. The Tigers (53-9) faced another league rival, Baylor, in an elimination game late Saturday.

Late Friday, the Gators took their first loss of the World Series, 6-5 against top seed Arizona State (57-6).

MEN'S GOLF: Carter Newman birdied the first playoff hole, No. 14, to beat host Oklahoma State's Sean Einhaus and lift defending champion Augusta State to a 3-2 win and into an all-Georgia final today at the NCAA Championship. The Jaguars face Georgia, which defeated Duke 3-2.

FOOTBALL: Terrelle Pryor's godfather disputed an Associated Press report in which he was quoted as saying that the embattled quarterback would return to Ohio State this season. Speaking to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Willie Burns said he was not sure what Pryor would do and said, "He's his own man. If he quits and goes pro, it's on him. If he stays, it's on him." … Nate Montana, 21, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana, pleaded not guilty to DUI and speeding charges after he was stopped in Missoula, Mont. The younger Montana is a quarterback at the University of Montana.

MONEY: The Big 12, down to 10 teams in the fall, will change its distribution formula for college football TV revenue. The remaining teams will evenly share 76 percent of all TV income, up from 57 percent.

Times staff, wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

The return of veteran receiver Hank Edwards and defensive lineman Cliff Dukes inching closer to the Arena Football League single-season sack record could not inspire the Storm enough.

Edwards, who missed three games with a broken bone in his left hand, had two touchdown catches, and Dukes' first-quarter sack gave him 11 1/2, four shy of the league record, but the Storm fell to host Georgia 60-49 on Saturday in Duluth, Ga.

Edwards (six catches, 142 yards) had scores from 19 and 47 yards out, and Huey Whittaker (12 for 121) added TD grabs of 6 and 3 yards. Former USF receiver Amarri Jackson had a 7-yard TD catch, but quarterback Brian Zbydniewski (22-for-41, 314 yards, six TDs) and the Storm (4-7) could not climb out of a 25-10 halftime hole.

Quarterback Brett Elliot was sacked three times but threw seven TDs for Georgia (7-5).

For the second game in a row, the Storm's Michael Hawthorne returned an interception for a TD.

Times wires
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Soccer

Spain routs U.S. 4-0 in exhibition

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — After allowing three goals in 13 minutes, U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard pounded his hands on his thighs in frustration. And there was still another half to go.

"When you get knocked down, you see what you're made of," Howard said Saturday after World Cup champion Spain beat the United States 4-0 in an exhibition that the Americans used to tune up for the Gold Cup. "I put it behind me. … When you play the best team in the world, they can make you look silly at times."

Santi Cazorla scored twice and Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Torres added a goal each for Spain.

It was the most one-sided loss for the Americans since a 5-0 defeat by Mexico in the 2009 Gold Cup final.

The United States was missing Landon Donovan, who had an undisclosed illness. He is expected to be ready for Tuesday's Gold Cup opener against Canada in Detroit. The Americans then face Panama on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Maradona rips FIFA: Corruption and match-fixing scandals that have undermined FIFA will continue as long as the sport's governing body is run by "dinosaurs," Diego Maradona said. The Argentine great, who signed a two-year deal to coach the Al Wasl club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said FIFA had been badly run over the years. He attacked Wednesday's re-election of president Sepp Blatter, 75, "who has never kicked a football," and what he called the "arrogance" of all its executives.

WNBA

Defending champ Storm wins opener

Sue Bird scored 13 and handed out 10 assists, Camille Little led host Seattle with 18 points and the defending champion Storm opened with a 78-71 win over Phoenix.

"It was a lot (Saturday)," Bird said of the title celebration before the game. "A lot of emotion. … It can be a challenge to stay focused, but we're a mature group."

Diana Taurasi scored 31 for Phoenix.

Horses

Preakness winner set to run Belmont

Preakness winner Shackleford will take on Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.

Shackleford had a sharp 5-furlong workout at Belmont Park in New York.

It will be the first time the Derby and Preakness winners have hooked up in the Belmont since 2005, when Preakness winner Afleet Alex beat Derby winner Giacomo, and the 22nd time in the history of the Triple Crown races.

Et cetera

Boxing: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (42-0-1) beat Sebastian Zbik (30-1) by majority decision to win the WBC middleweight title in Los Angeles. Two judges scored the fight for Chavez, 115-113 and 116-112, while the third had it as a draw. Chavez's famous father (107-6-2) won his first title in the same city in 1984.

Greyhounds: M's Free Agent of Floyd & Porter kennel won the $8,000 T.L. Weaver Memorial Challenge for his first stakes victory at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg. Trained by Cal Holland Jr. for owner Lamar Porter, M's Free Agent paid $24.20 to win. He clocked 550 yards in 30.56 seconds. Hi Noon Renegade was second and Uss Gazillionair third.

Track and field: Former Florida State standout and Olympian Walter Dix defended his 200 title in 20.19 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore. American David Oliver won the 110 hurdles, and defending champion Allyson Felix finished third in the 400 meters.

Don Jensen, Times correspondent; Times wires