LOCAL

LOCAL
Chaney, YSU graduateto coach at Norwayne
CRESTON -- Chaney High graduate Mike Necko has been hired as the head boys basketball coach at Norwayne High School in Wayne County.
Necko graduated from Chaney in 1989. He played basketball and baseball for Jim Mullally.
Necko received his degree in elementary education from Youngstown State in 1995 and a master's in educational administration from Ashland University in 2000.
For the past seven years, Necko has been an assistant in the boys basketball program at Massillon.
Ford, Hay leadClass B League
YOUNGSTOWN -- Dan Ford of Line Drive Academy was the Class B League's 2003 batting champion for the regular season.
Ford's average of .543 was based on 44 hits in 81 at-bats. Runner-up was Joe McCrackin of Roth Brothers with .522, followed by Dustin Kulka of Wharmby's Sports with .481. Rondinelli's Mike DeNiro was fourth-best with .468, Phil Butch of Livi Steel was fifth with .465 and Line Drive's Jonathan Zizzo was sixth with .453.
The league's top pitcher was John Hay of Astro Falcons with a 1.08 earned-run-average. Hay had a 3-1 record. Line Drive's Vasili Pahoulis was runner-up with a 1.56 ERA and 6-0 record.
Line Drive was the top-hitting team with a .354 average followed by Rondinelli's's .340 and Astros' .338.
Astros had the top pitching with a 2.42 earned-run average. Line Drive's mound staff posted a 2.68 ERA, while Livi Steel's was 2.70.
Livi's .945 fielding average was tops, followed by Astros (.939), Rondinelli (.933), Line Drive (.932) and Wharmby's Sports (.929).
Babe Ruth playoffsresume today
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Babe Ruth League baseball playoffs are underway with Line Drive Academy playing Livi Steel, and Astro Falcons taking on Rondinelli Tuxedo in a best-of-3 series.
Game 2 of each series is set today, with the Line Drive-Livi Steel game at Fitch High School at 5:30 p.m. and the Astro-Rondinelli game at Borts Field at 5:30 p.m.
If a Game 3 is needed in either series, it will be played Saturday at Borts Field.
The championship series is scheduled to begin Sunday.
Correction
STRUTHERS -- The linescore from the Astro-Lazart Class B baseball game printed in Wednesday's edition had Lazart with no hits. Incorrect information was submitted. Rick DiMuzio and Travis Garret had singles for Lazart.
Duathlete Kattoufis back on top
HOWLAND -- Coming off an injury-plagued 2002 season, 32-year-old Howland optometrist, Dr. Rick Kattouf, has returned to action.
On June 22, in Alpharetta, Ga., Kattouf won his second national duathlon title in as many years. He completed the duathlon (10-kilometer run, 40-kilometer bike race, 5-kilometer run) in 1 hour, 54 minutes.
On Aug. 29-30, Kattouf will represent the USA at the duathlon World Championships in Affoltern, Switzerland, where athletes from 35 countries will be present.
For more on duathlon, visit www.duathlon.com.
REGION
Indians offeringfree tickets
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians are offering free tickets to anyone who spends $40 or more on Indians merchandise at a Cleveland Indians Team Shop or at a Jacobs Field souvenir stand during home games.
Called "Mezzanine Madness," the Tribe will give customers a voucher good for two free mezzanine level tickets for games from July 11-Sept. 21. The promotion ends Aug. 2.
Vouchers can be redeemed at team shops or the Jacobs Field box office.
NATION
Earnhardt Jr.wins Busch pole
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. was as strong as usual Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, winning the pole for the Busch Series race.
Earnhardt was the last of 48 cars to qualify and ran a lap at 186.308 mph to bump Kasey Kahne off the pole for Friday night's Winn-Dixie 250.
Kahne ran a lap at 186.243, and withstood challenges from Winston Cup regulars Michael Waltrip and Joe Nemechek -- two typically strong Daytona competitors. But Kahne dropped to second after Earnhardt's lap.
Qualifying for the Winston Cup event was not completed in time for this edition.
Vindicator staff/wire reports