×

Sports briefs

Marlins’ Stanton shelved

MIAMI (AP) – For the second year in a row, Giancarlo Stanton’s chances of winning the major league home run title have been hurt by an injury.

The Miami Marlins slugger has a broken left hand, which is expected to sideline him four to six weeks. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday and will meet with a hand specialist.

Stanton grimaced as he swung and missed for strike three Friday night in the ninth inning of the Marlins’ 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stanton led the majors with 27 homers and 67 RBIs when sidelined.

Wizards’ Pierce opts out

WASHINGTON (AP) – Paul Pierce is opting out of the final year of his contract with the Wizards and will become a free agent Wednesday.

The veteran small forward signed a two-year deal with Washington last summer that included a reported $5.5 million player option for the 2015-16 season.

Pierce told The Player’s Tribune website of his decision, and the Wizards confirmed his move Saturday.

Pierce averaged 11.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 73 starts during the regular season.

Allmendinger wins pole

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) – AJ Allmendinger has won the pole for today’s road course race at Sonoma Raceway.

Allmendinger earned the top starting spot during Saturday’s knockout qualifying with a lap 96.310 mph around the 10-turn, 1.99-mile course. It’s the first pole for JTG Daugherty Racing

Kurt Busch will start second, followed by Matt Kenseth, Kyle Larson and five-time Sonoma winner Jeff Gordon.

Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, Casey Mears, David Ragan and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10.

Sports briefs

NMU-OTS to host Allendale?High

MARQUETTE – The Northern Michigan University-Olympic Training Site wrestling program will be hosting the Allendale High School team this week with three NMU-OTS student-athletes serving as coaches.

On Monday and Tuesday, there will be a morning session from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. and an afternoon session from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. The sessions will focus on Greco-Roman or Freestyle techniques, drills and live wrestling.

There will also be a morning session Wednesday from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. that will focus on the same things from the previous day.

Griffins name Nelson head coach

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – The Detroit Red Wings have named Todd Nelson the new coach of the team’s minor league affiliate in Grand Rapids.

Forty-six-year-old Todd Nelson follows Jeff Blashill, who coached the Griffins for the past three seasons before being hired by Detroit to replace Mike Babcock. Nelson, a former Griffins defenseman, split the 2014-15 season in coaching roles for the Oklahoma City Barons and Edmonton Oilers.

The former Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals player began his coaching career in 2002 as an assistant with the Griffins. He also served as coach of the Muskegon Fury.

Nelson is a native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

MSU golf to get $2 million gift

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A $2 million gift will be used for the construction of a new men’s and women’s golf center at Michigan State University.

The East Lansing school’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved naming the 18,000-square-foot building the Lasch Family Golf Center. It’s in honor of Richard W. and Suzanne Lasch of East Lansing for their gift that’s being used for the project.

The golf center will include an indoor practice area, student-athlete lounge, men’s and women’s locker rooms, coaches’ offices, video room and a kitchen area. Construction is scheduled to be completed by January. The gift supports the school’s Empower Extraordinary fundraising campaign.

Spano sentenced to 10 years

CLEVELAND (AP) – A man who once tried to pull off an audacious scam to buy the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders was sentenced to 10 years in prison for another fraud case in northeast Ohio.

John Spano Jr., 50, pleaded guilty last month to 16 counts of forgery after being accused of collecting thousands of dollars in commissions from false accounts he’d created while working as a salesman for a company that provides linens to health care facilities. Spano, who was born in New York City, was raised in northeast Ohio.

The charges in Lake County, about 30 miles east of Cleveland, were filed nearly two decades after Spano represented himself as a wealthy Texan and tried to buy the Islanders. With documents showing he was worth hundreds of millions of dollars and the league’s knowledge that he inquired about buying two other franchises, the NHL quickly approved Spano’s purchase of the Islanders for $165 million. Banks agreed to loan him $80 million, with Spano paying the balance.

It took a few months before Spano’s trust-fund facade crumbled when he failed to provide a $5 million down payment. An FBI investigation ensued and Spano pleaded guilty in federal court to theft and forgery charges. He was sentenced in January 2000 to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay $11.9 million in restitution to the banks, the team owners and others who’d been caught up in his various schemes.

Sports briefs

Blues sweep home doubleheader

MARQUETTE – The Marquette Blues swept a doubleheader from Menominee Saturday afternoon.

The Blues rallied to win the opener 3-2 and pounded Menominee 11-1 in the nightcap.

After falling behind by two runs in the top of the first, Marquette tied the game in the bottom of the frame at 2-2. The Blues then took the lead in the bottom of the fifth to earn the victory.

Trevor Bratonia earned the win for the Blues after picking up seven strikeouts and giving up only two hits. Riley Lynch led Marquette at the plate with two hits, a RBI and a run scored. Hunter Larson added two hits and two runs scored, while Trevor Koski knocked in a run.

In the second game, Menominee took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but that’s all they could manage. Marquette tied the game in its half the opening frame and piled on from there adding two runs in the second, five in the fourth and finishing the game off with three runs in the fifth inning.

Lynch earned the victory after striking out seven and giving up two hits. He also added a triple and two RBI at the plate. Larson scored three runs for the Blues, while McKinley Larson had a triple and two RBI.

“We were a little sluggish getting going today in the first game,” said longtime Blues manager Derek Swajanen. “Once we got rolling though, I thought we played very well. We put the ball in play much better than on Thursday and forced them to make the mistakes. I was pleased with our pitching again today. We just put the roster together on Monday and have had only two practices, so starting 3-0 is a pretty good start.”

Marquette plays Channing Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Haley Field.

North Stars fall in league opener

CHANNING – The Tri-City North Stars baseball team fell to the Channing Railroaders 2-1 Friday night in their first Wishigan League contest of the season.

After giving up an unearned run in the bottom of the first, Tri-City tied the game in the top of the seventh. Erik Wideman led off with a double and he later scored on a passed ball with two outs.

However, Channing bounced back in the bottom of the frame when Tri-City pitcher Preston Hutchens issued a leadoff walk and the next batter, Ken Pekerrik, smashed a hit to the left-center gap to score the winning run.

Hutchens finished with two strikeouts and gave up eight hits. Tri-City (2-1) plays the Escanaba Polecats Wednesday, June 17 at 8 p.m. in Escanaba.

Red Sox fan expected to survive

BOSTON (AP) – A fan hit by a broken bat at Fenway Park is expected to survive after suffering life-threatening injuries during a game between the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox.

Officer Rachel McGuire said Saturday that the woman is recovering.

Tonya Carpenter was struck in the head by the broken bat of Oakland’s Brett Lawrie on Friday night. Carpenter is now in serious condition, her family said in a statement.

“Tonya’s family and loved ones are grateful to all who have reached out with thoughts and prayers but are requesting privacy at this time as Tonya recovers,” Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Hospital said in a statement.

Carpenter had posted a Facebook photo from the game earlier in the evening. A longtime friend, Sheila Hokanson of Charlton, Massachusetts, liked the post and said Carpenter was there with her son and a friend.

“They were just going to a game,” Hokanson said in a telephone interview.

“It was just, if you get a chance to get tickets, you grab them and you go and sit where the ticket happens to be,” Hokanson said.

There was a moment of reflection for Carpenter at Fenway Park before Saturday’s game between the A’s and Red Sox. Lawrie was out of the lineup, but manager Bob Melvin said it was because of a back issue, not because of any psychological effects after the incident. Lawrie entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.

Friday night’s game was halted in the second inning as emergency crews tended to a bloodied Carpenter and wheeled her off the field on a stretcher.

Lawrie broke his bat on a grounder and part of it hurtled a few rows into the seats between the backstop and Oakland’s dugout on the third base side.

Sports briefs

Patriots have 5 players honored

The Westwood High School softball team racked up postseason awards as five players were named to the Division 3 District 65 All-District Tournament team.

Seniors outfielder Shana Caliguri, shortstop Katie Rankinen and catcher Gabby Hebert all made the squad as well as sophomore first baseman Shae Blewett and junior pitcher Hannah Salmi.

Westwood also earned the Sportsmanship Team Award.

District champion Gladstone earned the balance of the 14 player spots on the team as this was a Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association-sponsored honor and coaches must be members for their teams to qualify.

MJHC elects officers for 2015-16

MARQUETTE – At the organization’s regular meeting on Wednesday, officers were elected for the Marquette Junior Hockey Corporation for the 2015-16 season

Those elected were:

President, Jeff Cornock; first vice president/secretary, Jeff Nemacheck; second vice president, Eric Froberg; and treasurer, Andy Elmhirst.

MSHS gridiron summer camps set

MARQUETTE – The Marquette Senior High School football camp for incoming 9th-12th graders will begin Monday at the school’s practice field.

The camp will be held from 6-8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 7-8:15 p.m. on June 16, 23 and July 7, 14, 21 and 28.

The cost is $50 per participant, with checks payable to “Redmen football” payable at camp on Monday.

To download a registration form, and for more information, see mapsnet.org and the athletic page.

Robie sinks ace at Red Fox Run

GWINN – Ken Robie of Gwinn took full advantage on new, bigger cups at the Red Fox Run Golf Course.

On Sunday, he aced the 171-yard, par-3, 17th hole with a six hybrid club. It was Robie’s first career ace and he finished the back nine with a 2-over-par 36.

The course now features 8-inch cups, as well as the regular 4 1/4-inch cups.

It’s the first ace at the local course with the bigger cups, pro Dennis Kargela said.

Witnessing the hole-in-one were Sally Robie and Joe Baldasari of Gwinn.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today