Tenn. outlasts Calif. 24-16 in LLWS classic
Tenn. outlasts Calif. 24-16 in LLWS classic
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Tennessee players threw their gloves in the air as they converged near third base before falling to the ground with big smiles.
The exhausting 24-16 victory Saturday over Petaluma, Calif., will be remembered back home for a while — and not just because it earned Goodlettsville’s favorite sons a berth in the Little League World Series title game.
Brock Myers hit a tie-breaking double in Tennessee’s nine-run seventh inning. Tennessee had its big inning after California scored 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie it.
Tennessee will face Tokyo today. Japan beat Aguadulce, Panama, 10-2 in the international final.
Only California’s 10-run comeback to send the game into extra innings tied at 15 could overshadow Tennessee slugger Lorenzo Butler’s extraordinary day at the plate. Butler set a single-game record with nine RBIs, and he tied a record with three homers to lead Tennessee.
The teams combined for 40 runs — another World Series record — in a game that lasted more than three hours.
Cole Tomei had a two-run double in the sixth, and Hance Smith’s solo shot with two outs tied it at 15.
Japan relied on the bats in the early game, too, getting five homers, including two from 13-year-old slugger Kotaro Kiyomiya, for the international championship.
The 6-foot Kiyomiya is imposing at the plate, and he set the tone early with a first-inning blast that sailed deep down the right-field line.
Armstrong at peace after controversy
ASPEN, Colo. — Lance Armstrong was feeling just fine even after being beaten by a lanky teenager in a grueling 36-mile mountain bike race.
Better than fine, even. He’s more at ease now than he has been in a decade.
In his first interview since the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency disciplined Armstrong with a lifetime ban from professional cycling and vacated his seven Tour de France titles, he said, “Nobody needs to cry for me. I’m going to be great.”
Armstrong couldn’t catch Keegan Swirbul at the Power of Four bike race Saturday, finishing nearly five minutes behind the hard-charging kid.
Denny Hamlin picks up 1st Bristol victory
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Denny Hamlin moved toward the top seed in NASCAR’s championship race by using a calculated late pass to win for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hamlin flirted with Carl Edwards for the lead late in the race, and set up the move with 39 laps remaining Saturday night. Hamlin used a slide move to get past Edwards, then held on as Edwards tried to use a cross-over move to get back in front.
Bucs’ Davin Joseph out for season
TAMPA, Fla. — The challenge of rebounding from a disappointing season has gotten a little tougher for the youthful Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Two-time Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during a preseason victory over New England and will miss the regular season after knee surgery on Monday.
Kvitova over Kirilenko for New Haven title
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Petra Kvitova beat Maria Kirilenko 7-6 (9), 7-5 on Saturday to win the New Haven Open, the Czech star’s second WTA tournament title in three weeks.
The second-seeded Kvitova trailed 5-2 in the second set, before reeling off five consecutive games for the victory that avenged a loss to the Russian in the Olympic quarterfinals.
Isner wins another Winston-Salem title
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — John Isner battled through a tough third-set tiebreaker to beat seventh-ranked Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) Saturday for his second straight Winston-Salem Open title.
Isner, seeded second and ranked 10th, had 22 aces, but needed to overcome his own mistakes for his second win this season and fifth career title in the final hard-court tournament before the U.S. Open.
Isner improved to 10-0 at Winston-Salem and continued his strong summer on hard courts. He also won last month at Newport, R.I., and advanced to the quarterfinals or better in two other events.
By wire sources