SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Noriatsu Osaka hit three homers and tripled, and Japan limited Tennessee’s potent lineup to two hits in a 12-2 victory Sunday in the Little League World Series title game. Japan takes LLWS title, beats Tennessee 12-2
Japan takes LLWS title,
beats Tennessee 12-2
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Noriatsu Osaka hit three homers and tripled, and Japan limited Tennessee’s potent lineup to two hits in a 12-2 victory Sunday in the Little League World Series title game.
Starter Kotaro Kiyomiya struck out eight in four innings and added an RBI single for the boys from Tokyo. The game ended in the fifth after Osaka’s third homer made it a 10-run game.
A day after pounding out a 24-16 win over California in the U.S. title game, the Goodlettsville, Tenn., sluggers could only muster two hits — solo shots by Brock Myers and Lorenzo Butler.
There were many highlights, including five home runs off Tennessee pitching. Rintaro Hirano’s three-run shot made it 10-1 in the fourth.
That was more than enough offense for 13-year-old ace Kiyomiya, who had a fastball clocked in the high-70s, The right-hander with the hitch in mid-delivery pitched like a big-league ace in allowing just one hit.
Vin Scully to return
to Dodgers booth in 2013
LOS ANGELES — Vin Scully, one of baseball’s most beloved broadcasters, is sticking around for another year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 84-year-old Hall of Famer will return for a record 64th season in 2013. He began his professional baseball broadcasting career in 1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he has called three perfect games, 25 no-hitters, 25 World Series and 12 All-Star games.
Scully said he is feeling energized after the Guggenheim Baseball Management group bought the team from Frank McCourt this spring for $2 billion.
“I was so impressed by the new ownership,” Scully said Sunday morning in the Dodger Stadium press box. “I was here for the press conference, and I heard some big talk. I wondered whether they would actually do what they said they would do. How fast will they move? How high will they try to take the team? Well, they have done it 10 times over. And what they’ve done is revitalized the city, revitalized the team, the fans — and myself.”
D-backs trade Saunders
to Orioles for Lindstrom
BALTIMORE — Eager to bolster an inexperienced pitching staff during their first playoff run since 1997, the Baltimore Orioles obtained left-hander Joe Saunders on Sunday in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Baltimore gave Arizona right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom and cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Saunders, who was scheduled to start Sunday against San Diego, was 6-10 with a 4.22 ERA in 21 starts with Arizona this season. He won 12 games last season while helping the Diamondbacks win their first NL West title since 2007.
Baltimore began the day tied for the second American League wild-card spot with Oakland and in third place in the AL East, only four games behind the division-leading New York Yankees.
Briscoe holds off teammate
Power to win in Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif. — Ryan Briscoe got past Penske teammate Will Power out of a caution pit stop Sunday and held off the two-time defending Sonoma champion for his first IndyCar victory since 2010.
After Power led for most of the race, Briscoe slipped into position for his eighth career victory when Power got caught in traffic following a scary crash for Sebastien Bourdais and Josef Newgarden.
Both drivers apparently avoided injury when Bourdais lost control on cold tires and slammed Newgarden into a protective barrier.
Power barely failed to win his third straight race in Sonoma after starting from the pole. He still increased his overall points lead over second-place Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was left fuming after Alex Tagliani spun him out shortly after the restart.
Notre Dame suspends
starting RB Cierre Wood
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame suspended starting tailback Cierre Wood two games for violating team rules, leaving the Fighting Irish without their 1,000-yard rusher against Navy and Purdue.
Wood led the Irish in rushing last year with 1,102 yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Wood, a senior, played in all 13 games in 2011 with nine starts. Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III will likely be the Irish’s top two ball carriers now that Wood is out.
Coach Brian Kelly also announced Sunday that junior defensive end Justin Utupo was suspended for the games against Navy in Dublin, Ireland, on Sept. 1 and the home opener the following Saturday against Purdue.
US women win first
3-on-3 world basketball title
ATHENS, Greece — The United States women’s team won the inaugural 3-on-3 world basketball championship Sunday, beating France 17-16 in the final.
Notre Dame senior Skylar Diggins, Connecticut junior Bria Hartley and Stanford junior Chiney Ogwumike teamed with former UConn standout Ann Strother for the U.S. team.
Serbia won the men’s title with a 16-13 victory over France. The U.S. men were eliminated by Serbia in the quarterfinals, losing 20-16.
Diggins, Hartley and Ogwumike, along with Maryland junior Alyssa Thomas easily won a six-team qualifying tournament in early July, in which Strother took part, with another team. With Thomas unable to make the trip to Athens, Strother was called in as a last-minute replacement.
The U.S. women went 9-0 in the four-day tournament, cruising through the initial group stage, the round of 16 and the quarterfinals but were pushed hard by Australia in the semifinals earlier Sunday, winning 19-18.
By wire sources
