YSU

YSU
Baseball
FAIRBORN -- Junior Justin Thomas allowed two hits and one unearned run in a nine-inning complete game to lead Youngstown State to a 5-1 win over Wright State in a battle of the Horizon League's top two teams Friday at Nischwitz Field.
The Penguins improved to 4-1 in the league and overtook the Raiders for the top spot (7-2) in the conference.
Redshirt freshman catcher Erich Diedrich went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Penguins, including a two-run triple in a three-run sixth.
Trailing 1-0 through four innings, the Penguins got back-to-back run-scoring hits with two outs in the fifth to go up 2-1. Brian Boone hit a leadoff single, stole second and scored on Josh Page's double to tie the score. One batter later, J.D. Hannan singled to center to score Page.
YSU got three runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly and another two-out hit. Charles Schultz and Justin Banks singled to start the inning and advanced on Jim Phillips' sacrifice bunt. Boone brought home Schultz on a sacrifice fly to right and Brian Dill walked to set up Diedrich's two-run triple to right.
Thomas (6-3) retired the final 16 hitters of the game. The junior southpaw struck out the side in the ninth to finish the game with eight strikeouts.
The series continues today with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
LOCAL
Mike Cochran joinsMarshall staff
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Girard native and Youngstown State graduate Mike Cochran was named strength and conditioning coach by new Marshall football coach Mark Snyder Friday.
Whitaker KO'd
NEW YORK -- Twenty-year-old Jaidon Codrington, from Queens, N.Y., put his knockout power on display by taking out Warren's Etianne "E. T." Whitaker at the 1:45 mark of the first round of a scheduled super middleweight eight-rounder Thursday night.
The bout was the co-feature of a nine-bout card in the Broadway Boxing Series at The Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center, promoted by Lou DiBella Entertainment.
Codrington (8-0, 8 KOs) staggered Whitaker (32-17-2) with a left hook-right cross combination, but it was a solid left hook seconds later that sent Whitaker down for a 10 count.
Jared Sears joins EMU
NILES -- Niles running back/defensive back Jared Sears will join the Eastern Michigan University football team as an unrecruited walk-on in the fall.
Sears was a three-year letterman and earned first team all-league, all-county and all-district honors and was honorable mention all-Ohio. He had 885 yards rushing, 287 receiving and 547 on kick returns, scoring 15 total TDs.
Mercer to run
MERCER, Pa. -- After three postponements in the first five weeks, Mercer Raceway Park is scheduled to having racing tonight at 7.
Pit gates open at 3:30 p.m. and grandstands at 4:30 p.m. Hot laps are slated for 6:15 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students 6-15 $5 and free for children five and under. The family pass is $25 and pit passes are $22.
Sikora in action
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Former Slippery Rock University defensive lineman John Sikora is a member of the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League.
The Rush play the Las Vegas Gladiators Sunday at 1 p.m. on WFMJ-21. Sikora, an offensive and defensive lineman, is in his seventh AFL season and second with Chicago). He has 6.5 tackles (4 solo), 0.5 tackles for a loss and one quarterback hurry.
NATION
Walker suspendedfor grabbing official
NEW YORK -- Boston forward Antoine Walker was suspended for one game Friday and will miss Game 4 of the Celtics' first-round series against the Indiana Pacers for grabbing an official during his team's 99-76 loss Thursday night.
Walker was ejected following his second technical after a hard foul on Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal with 4:09 remaining. During the confrontation, Walker grabbed referee Tom Washington by the arm in an attempt to move him out of the way. O'Neal shoved Walker in the chest and grabbed his jersey, but no punches were thrown.
O'Neal was fined $10,000 for his role in the altercation.
Robinson troubled
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson believes the records set by some current major leaguers will forever be tainted by the possibility of steroid use.
"I don't have a lot of sympathy for the guys who do that," Robinson said of steroid users. "We are a pretty forgiving country. I think I know who did steroids and their records will never ring true to me."
Vindicator staff/wire reports