LOCAL

LOCAL
Mike Ellis unbeaten for Midland Braves
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Sixteen-year-old Mike Ellis, a junior at Warren JFK, had a 2-0 pitching record for the Cincinnati Midland Braves baseball team in the Twitty City Classic over the Fourth of July holiday.
Ellis helped Midland Braves to a runner-up finish to East Cobb, Ga. Ellis is 6-0 with the Braves this summer.
Shawn Imanto play at Urbana
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ursuline High's Shawn Iman has received a softball scholarship from Urbana University, a NAIA Division II school.
Iman, a left-fielder, was instrumental in Ursuline's first district title in softball last season. She led the Irish in RBIs (19) and was third on the team in batting (.318) and stolen bases (12).
A four-year starter, Iman committed just two errors during her senior season. She was a second-team All-Steel Valley Conference selection.
Panezich sets mark,places in 3 events
DAYTON -- Nick Panezich, who will be a sophomore at Springfield High, set a discus record in the USA track and field meet Saturday with a throw of 169 feet, 4 inches.
Panezich, competing in the 15-16-year-old age bracket at Welcome Stadium, also finished first in the shot put (50-10) and third in the javelin (127-0).
Panezich will compete at an AAU meet today in Michigan.
Steelers win 1st
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Steelers (1-2) defeated the Pittsburgh Power 34-16 Saturday.
Ray Morrow threw three touchdown passes, including two to Steve Richardson, and one to Chris Lopez.
Richardson also scored a two-point conversion.
DeWayne Thomas scored on a 9-yard run and also converted a two-pointer, and Sean Harris scored on an 11-yard run.
The Steelers' next game will be Saturday at the old South High Stadium against the Tuscawaras City Vikings.
Pittsburgh's record is 2-1.
REGION
Apology wouldreduce jail time
NEW LEXINGTON, Ohio -- A judge told a man who punched a coach at a high school football game that he can get most of his jail sentence reduced if he apologizes.
Kerry Newlon was sentenced on Friday to 20 days in jail for assaulting Crooksville High coach Doug Clifford.
Lawrence County Municipal Judge Donald Capper told Newlon, 40, that he wants a sincere apology to the people of the Perry County community of Crooksville and the Lawrence County village of Chesapeake on his desk by Aug. 2.
He said the apology would enable Newlon to have the sentence cut to three days, beginning Aug. 9.
Buy.com Tourto get new sponsor
COLUMBUS -- The PGA Tour's feeder circuit, now known as the Buy.com Tour, is getting a new name.
Nationwide has agreed to become the title sponsor of the circuit for five years, beginning in January.
Officials at the Columbus-based insurance and financial services giant and the PGA Tour didn't disclose financial details of the agreement, which was announced Friday.
The tour's new name, its 2003 schedule and purse levels will be announced later this year.
NATION
Bliss' win a record
SPARTA, Ky. -- Mike Bliss set a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series record for margin of victory Saturday night, winning the Kroger 225 at Kentucky Speedway by 18.197 seconds.
It was the third victory of the year and the second straight for Bliss and his red and yellow IWX Motor Freight Chevy. He won last week at Kansas City and at Pikes Peak earlier this year.
The previous record for margin of victory was 13.186 seconds, set by Jack Sprague at Phoenix in 1997.
Iverson search yields clues, no gun
PHILADELPHIA -- Police found broken glass and smeared blood inside a vehicle frequently driven by Allen Iverson's wife, but an extensive search of the NBA star's home and cars failed to turn up any guns, a police official said.
Investigators also found rocks and women's' clothing inside Tawanna Iverson's Cadillac Escalade, according to the official, who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity.
Shriver, Wilander enshrined in hall
NEWPORT, R.I. -- Mats Wilander knew about life at the top in pro tennis, and Pam Shriver was happy to have succeeded while playing with and against some of the game's greats.
Wilander, a winner of seven Grand Slam events, and Shriver, part of the most productive women's doubles team in history, were inducted Saturday into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Wilander won the French Open in 1982 at just 17 years, 9 months; becoming at that time the youngest champion in a major.
WORLD
Girard keepsWBA crown
PALAVAS-LES-FLOTS, France -- Bruno Girard won a split decision over Louis Del Valle on Saturday to retain the WBA light heavyweight title.
Girard (42-3-2) outpointed Del Valle on two judges' ballots, 116-113 and 116-111, but was outscored 115-113 on the third.
Del Valle dropped to 31-3-1.
Tennis roundup
* GSTAAD, Switzerland -- Two-time champion Alex Corretja beat Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-1 Saturday in a match delayed almost six hours by rain to reach the $600,000 Swiss Open final.
Corretja, in his first tournament since losing in the French Open semifinals last month, next faces Gaston Gaudio.
Down a set and a break, the seventh-seeded Gaudio came back to beat Ivan Ljubicic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
* CASABLANCA, Morocco -- Patricia Wartusch of Austria and Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic each rallied from a set down Saturday to win semifinals at the $110,000 Casablanca Open.
Vindicator staff/wire reports