Local Sports Digest

LOCAL
Class AA roundup
*Mike Sikorski homered twice, one a solo shot and the other a three-run blast, to lead Penn-Ohio past P.I. & amp;I. Express 11-1 Sunday. Mike Calcagny added three hits and two RBIs for Penn-Ohio. Jason Martin and Ed Deluca both had two hits, including a double each. Tom Enyeart had two RBIs. Winning pitcher John Poma struck out five. Michael Fry doubled for P.I. & amp;I. Express.
*Penn-Ohio also defeated Girard Hardware 7-4. Jason Martin tripled for Penn-Ohio, which had just four hits. Mark Brown and Josh Camuso had two hits for Girard.
*Rich Benja had three hits, including a double, and was the winning pitcher, as Bob's Bail Bonding defeated O'Donald's/Tri-County 11-3. Benja struck out six in 4 1/3 innings. Also for Bob's, Drew Mullee had three hits, and Don Stephenson and Mike Lepro had two each. Stephenson, who also doubled, and Benja had two RBIs each. Matt Kish had two hits for O'Donald's/Tri-County.
*Gabe McKee tripled and singled for T.C. Merchants in an 11-1 win over Reds. Willie Sly singled three times for T.C. Merchants, while Brian Schiraldi had two. Nick Marsh was the winning pitcher. Tim McBride had two hits for Reds.
*In other games, Roth Brothers defeated Champion Molded Plastics 3-1 and Ultimate Building Maintenance, 6-5, and Mahoning Valley Knights defeated Bud's/DiCioccio Construction, 8-7. First names for all players were not provided for these games.
Corrections
The name of Howland freshman tennis player Shawn Philbin was incorrectly spelled in Sunday's edition.
The name of Southeast High School junior softball player Jennifer Gahagan was misspelled in the all-league listing.
REGION
Browns rookiesto visit Hall of Fame
CANTON -- The Pro Football Hall of Fame will host a visit from the newest additions to the roster of the Cleveland Browns Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Twenty-nine Browns rookies, including first round draft pick Kamerion Wimbley, will tour the Hall.
The public is invited to attend and meet the newest Browns. Admission to the Hall is required. Prices are $15 for Adults, $12 for Senior Citizens and $8 for children. Fans wearing Browns' gear will receive discounts on admission (Adult: $13.50; Senior Citizens: $11.50; Children $7.50).
Ohio State names new strength staff
COLUMBUS -- Ohio State has hired Eric Lichter to director of football performance, coach Jim Tressel announced Monday.
Lichter, 31, replaces Allan Johnson, who served as director of strength and conditioning before resigning in May.
Lichter, who owns training centers in Ohio, has worked with NFL and NBA players including the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, the Denver Broncos' Ron Dayne, the Cleveland Browns' Joe Jurevicius and former Ohio State football standouts LeCharles Bentley and Nate Clements.
Lichter holds a degree in lifestyle management and exercise science from Weber State in Ogden, Utah, where he played three years on the football team, two as a starting linebacker.
Ohio State also has promoted Joe Rudolph to strength coordinator and Butch Reynolds to speed coordinator. Rudolph is a graduate assistant who has worked with the offensive line for two years. Reynolds joined Ohio State last year as speed coach.
NATION
NASCAR going tounleaded fuel
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR will test unleaded fuel in a Busch Series race next month and hopes to have it in all of its series by the start of 2007.
The tentative timetable set Monday by NASCAR speeds up the stock-car series' earlier intent to move away from gasoline with lead based additives by 2008.
"The target date is obviously to have it in use for Daytona in 2007," spokesman Jim Hunter said. "Assuming that everything goes well, and there are no unforeseen problems, that is possible. But we'll have to run it the Busch and Trucks Series and ARCA to evaluate it."
Busch cars will use the unleaded fuel in the July 29 race at Gateway International Speedway, beginning a four-week trial of the gas. The Truck Series will also use it in Indianapolis and Nashville, Tenn., in August.
Following those events, NASCAR will switch back to the regular gasoline while NASCAR, Sunoco officials and team engine builders evaluate the unleaded fuel.