AREA

AREA
Cortland teenties for third
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Lauren Nochta of Cortland was tied for third place Saturday in the girls 14-15 age division of the Optimist International Junior Golf tournament.
Nochta shot a 5-over-par 77 to tie with Emma Jandel of Dayton and Jade Bollinger of Wellington, Fla., after first-round play.
Sammy Sommers of St. Cloud, Minn., shot a 75 to take the lead, while Juliana Murcia of Bogota, Colombia, shot a 76 and is in second place.
Ellen Mueller of Evansville, Ind., shot a 79 and is in seventh.
Class AA setsplayoff schedule
YOUNGSTOWN -- Three games will get the Class AA League playoffs under way today at Pemberton-Donnell Park.
Roth Brothers goes against Buds at 3:30 p.m. Dicioccio Construction takes on Play Action Sports at 5:30 p.m. and the winner battles Salem Pathology at 7:30 p.m.
Canfield finishesthird in state
ASHTABULA -- The Canfield 11-12 all-star softball finished third in the state tournament.
In Canfield's 11-8 loss to Tallmadge, Jill Halfhill went 3-for-4 and Chrissy Porter had two hits. Kelly Fening, Kelly Sklenar, Kelcie Herberger and Alexis Wyatt had RBI singles.
Ashtabula ended Canfield's season with a 9-0 victory. Kalie Luklan had the only single for Canfield.
Halfhill went 11-for-15 in the state tournament.
REGION
Bucs changeSaturday's game
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have changed the starting time of Saturday's game against the Colorado Rockies from 7:05 p.m. to 6:35 p.m. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m.
After the game, Zambelli Internationale will launch fireworks from PNC Park and Point State Park, where the Pittsburgh Regatta is being staged.
Pirates fans can show their game tickets for free admission to that day's Regatta events (Thursday-next Sunday).
The Pirates have changed the Sept. 20 Bobblehead Doll giveaway to the Kip Wells Bobblehead Doll. The Pirates were to give away Mike Williams Bobbleheads, but Williams has been traded to the Phillies.
For ticket information, call 1-877-893-BUCS.
NATION
Stringer's widowto sue NFL
MINNEAPOLIS -- An attorney for Korey Stringer's widow said he will sue the NFL on Monday, alleging that the league's policies led to Stringer's heat stroke death during Minnesota Vikings training camp two years ago.
Stan Chesley said Kelci Stringer's suit would also name football helmet maker Riddell Sports Group Inc., and some NFL medical advisers.
"What's on trial here is the rules and procedures and the culture" of the NFL, Chesley said Saturday. "Frankly, it's no coincidence that the average football player in the NFL plays for 41/2 years. They use them up and spit them out."
Stringer collapsed during training camp on July 31, 2001. The 335-pound Pro Bowl lineman's body temperature was 108.8 degrees when he arrived at a hospital. He died 15 hours later.
Aeros lose
ERIE, Pa. -- Nook Logan and Max St. Pierre hit two-run homers as the Erie SeaWolves beat the Akron Aeros 10-6 in the Eastern League.
Erie (49-57) snapped a two-game losing streak. The loss halted a three-game win streak for Akron (67-41).
Logan had three hits, missing the cycle by a triple. Rayner Bautista went 4-for-4 for Erie for the second time in four nights.
Akron took a 2-0 lead in the first against Erie starter Adrian Burnside.
The SeaWolves took the lead with a three-run third and added a pair of runs in the fourth.
Erie starter Adrian Burnside left after allowing back-to-back homers to Tyler Minges and Joe Inglett leading off the seventh. Minges' eighth homer of the season and Inglett's third cut Erie's lead to 8-4.
Erie extended its lead to 10-5 in the seventh on St. Pierre's two-run homer off reliever Fernando Cabrera.
Akron loaded the bases in the eighth against Erie reliever Homero Rivera, who allowed Hector Luna's one-out, broken-bat single to shallow center, cutting it to 10-6.
Barry Bondsrejoins Giants
SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds rejoined the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, one day after missing a game to be with his father Bobby, who underwent open-heart surgery on Friday.
Barry Bonds, who declined comment, spent most of his time before the game alone by his locker, where there were flowers and cards scattered around.
"He's doing okay," Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "We're just worried about his dad's health. We heard it was a successful surgery."
Bonds left the Giants to be with his 57-year-old father for the operation at a Bay area hospital.
He rushed out of Pacific Bell Park after Thursday afternoon's game on his 39th birthday.
"Barry is in the lineup until further notice," Alou said.
Team spokesman Jim Moorehead said Bobby Bonds, who has been battling lung cancer, had been in the hospital for several days.
Bobby Bonds has been dealing with numerous ailments recently. In early June, he was receiving oxygen to fight pneumonia and spent some time in the hospital.
He underwent surgery on a brain tumor in April and has had the lung cancer. But he has still had enough energy to go spring training and attend some Giants home games.
Thrashers re-signhigh-scoring forward
ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Thrashers re-signed forward Vyacheslav Kozlov on Saturday, an important step for the 5-year-old franchise coming off its best season.
Kozlov set a team record last season with 49 assists. His 70 points were second on the Thrashers behind All-Star MVP Dany Heatley.
Baseball playerhit in face dies
HELENA, Mont. -- An American Legion baseball player died Saturday after being struck in the head by a batted baseball the night before.
Brandon Patch, an 18-year-old pitcher for the Miles City Mavericks, was hit in the fifth inning Friday night. He was motionless on the ground for 20 to 30 minutes before being taken to a hospital. Later in the evening he was flown to Great Falls and put on life support.
Staff/wire reports