Kentucky gets 6 runs in 6th inning to beat Xavier
UK sports
Kentucky broke open a scoreless game with five straight hits and six runs in the sixth inning and held on to beat visiting Xavier 6-2 in college baseball Wednesday.
The big hits were doubles by Gunnar McNeil and Tristan Pompey, both of which drove in runs. Pompey had two of the Cats’ nine hits. McNeil has now had a hit in 20 straight games.
Lefties Zach Logue and Logan Salow each pitched three shutout innings for the Cats, now 18-7. Salow allowed no hits and got the win. UK’s six pitchers got nine strikeouts.
Stephen Haring homered for Xavier, but the Musketeers only got four hits.
▪ Senior softball pitcher Kelsey Nunley has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award. Nunley leads UK this season with a 1.33 ERA and a 13-3 record. She has 121 strikeouts compared to just 20 walks on the year, and has beaten two nationally-ranked teams.
Fans can vote for Nunley online one time every day until May 9, when voting closes after theWomen’s College World Series. Go to www.seniorCLASSaward.com to vote. Fan voting is a large component of deciding the winner.
Baseball
Votto gets four hits in Reds’ win: Joey Votto had four hits, Brandon Phillips homered and the Cincinnati Reds beat the visiting Chicago White Sox 6-3 in a spring training game. Votto scored twice and drove in two runs. He has hit safely in 13 of his 19 appearances and reached base in 17 games.
Reds minor leaguer Josh Smith pitched five innings of one-run ball in his first Cactus League start. The right-hander struck out six and walked one. He retired his first 10 batters before Tyler Saladino hit his fifth home run.
Before the game the Reds sent five players to the minors, including right-handed reliever Ryan Mattheus, leaving 38 players in camp. Mattheus and right-handers Drew Hayes, J.C. Ramirez and Pedro Villarreal were reassigned to the minor-league camp. Outfielder Tyler Holt was sent to Triple-A Louisville.
▪ Coach Brad Shelton got his 500th win at University of the Cumberlands when his team beat Berea 7-5 on Tuesday. He is just two wins behind Cumberlands all-time leader Terry Stigall. Shelton has an overall coaching record of 689 wins and 371 losses having spent six years at St. Catharine before taking over at Cumberlands. Two of his teams have been in the NAIA top 10 and 11 of his players have gone on to the pros.
NBA
Laker rookie shoots ‘unflattering’ video of teammate: Lakers coach Byron Scott is “disappointed” that an unflattering video of Nick Young apparently taken by rookie teammate D'Angelo Russell became public. Russell apparently recorded a video in which he asked Young about being with women other than his fiancee, rapper Iggy Azalea. The video began circulating online in the past week.
ESPN.com reported Tuesday that the breach of locker room protocol has driven a wedge between several Lakers and Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft.
NFL
Bengals sign Browns linebacker: The Cincinnati Bengals have signed versatile linebacker Karlos Dansby from Cleveland, bringing in someone who can help them get through Vontaze Burfict’s suspension. The 34-year-old linebacker played for the Browns the last two seasons and led them in tackles.
The NFL suspended Burfict for three games for repeated violations of player safety rules, including his hit to the head of Steelers receiver Antonio Brown in the playoffs.
Olympics
Former Brazilian official expects protests for torch rally: Brazil’s former head of public security expects protesters to target the torch relay for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The relay around Brazil kicks off May 3 in the capital Brasilia. Colonel Jose Vicente da Silva told The Associated Press that the impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff and the countless problems surrounding South America’s first Olympics make the torch a convenient symbol of discontent.
“Wherever the torch goes, there will be a camera on it,” Silva said. “There will be banners for or against President Rousseff. There is a chance of big protests during the torch relay.”
The relay visits 329 cities and towns, ending in Rio’s Maracana Stadium at the opening ceremony on Aug. 5. Organizers say it will reach 90 percent of Brazil’s 200 million people, with 12,000 torchbearers carrying the flame. “To make it even more complicated, the relay will begin in Brasilia — home to all politicians,” Silva said.
The last word
Craig Sager has a blood clot behind his right ear that is affecting his hearing, and that’s just another annoyance he is accepting as he continues to broadcast NBA games for Turner Sports with fervor despite his leukemia no longer being in remission. Sager said the clot could cause him to bleed to death given his blood levels, but he just keeps calling games, like the one in Houston Thursday, just three days after a trip to a hospital.
“I got a bag of platelets and a blood transfusion. It kind of pumped me up, got me going. It’s like having an old car. You’ve got to put gas in it. If it’s leaking oil, you’ve got to put oil in it every day, too.”
Staff and Wire Reports
This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Kentucky gets 6 runs in 6th inning to beat Xavier."