YSU

YSU
Softball swept
INDIANAPOLIS -- Youngstown State was held to seven hits -- two in game one and five in game two -- in losing a Horizon League doubleheader to Butler, 10-2, and 4-1, Saturday.
In the opener, sophomore Kristen McDonnell hit her sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning. Junior Becky Hibner singled for the Penguins.
In the night cap, a two-out, two-run triple by Butler's Annie Dolan and a run-scoring single by Jill Meinhold in the bottom of the fifth inning snapped a 1-1 tie.
YSU freshman Autumn Grove went 2-for-3 in game two. The series finale is today at noon.
LOCAL
Curbstone Coaches
BOARDMAN -- The Curbstone Coaches will hold their All-League Basketball Recognition Banquet honoring all area all-conference teams today starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Georgetown.
Due to the banquet, the Curbstone Coaches will not meet Monday for their usual noon luncheon session at the Blue Wolf Catering Hall.
The meetings will resume April 30 when Bertram de Souza, a columnist for The Vindicator, will be the guest speaker.
Howland's Sabatto sign with Catawba
HOWLAND -- Howland senior Carly Sabat will play softball at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. Sabat is a three-sport athlete for the Tigers, also playing basketball and cross country.
REGION
Gray beats Scarlet
COLUMBUS -- The Scarlet squad blew a 9-0 fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Gray 17-9 Saturday in Ohio State's spring intrasquad football scrimmage.
A crowd of 75,301 basked in the sun at Ohio Stadium.
Shut out heading into the fourth quarter, the Gray squad roared back on Aaron Pettrey's 40-yard field goal and Rob Schoenhoft's 6-yard scoring pass to Brandon Smith for a 10-9 lead with 5:24 remaining.
The Scarlet squad moved into position for a possible game-winning field goal in the final minute. But on second and 13 at the Gray 14, Grant came in from quarterback Todd Boeckman's right side and hit him high and hard, forcing the fumble. The ball rolled around before Grant doubled back and scooped it up, running untouched 80 yards to clinch the win with 30 seconds left.
Marcus Freeman stepped in front of an Antonio Henton pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown with the game just over three minutes old. Ryan Pretorius added a 37-yard field goal to give the Scarlet a 9-0 lead that it held until the final quarter.
NATION/WORLD
Golf roundup
*AVONDALE, La. -- Yet another potential first-time PGA Tour winner topped the third-round leaderboard in the Zurich Classic.
Third-year tour player Nick Watney shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to reach 12 under and take a two-shot lead over another player who has been seeking a maiden tour triumph for more than a decade, 38-year-old Ken Duke.
Duke shot a 66, the best round of the day in the tournament that has had first-time winners in four of the last five years.
Mark Calcavecchia, who began the day with a one-shot lead, appeared to be bothered by his back and finished with an even-par 72, leaving him tied for third with Scott Gutschewski (67) at 9 under. Gutschewski also is winless on the tour.
Rookie Kyle Reifers (71) was alone in fifth at 8 under. He shot a course-record 64 on Thursday and had a 73 on Friday.
Calcavecchia, who won an event last month, is one of few familiar names atop the leaderboard. His only major hiccup in the third round was a double bogey on the fourth hole. He also had a bogey on the 16th.
*SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Defending champion Jay Haas shot a 3-under-par 69 Saturday, giving him a one-stroke lead over Brad Bryant, Wayne Levi and Mark James entering the final round of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.
Haas, seeking his second victory of the season, was at 7-under 137 at The Club at Savannah Harbor. Levi shot a 68, Bryant had a 69, and James shot a 71.
Haas, with nine wins on the PGA Tour and seven on the Champions Tour, has never successfully defended a championship.
*SHANGHAI, China -- France's Raphael Jacquelin shot a 2-under 70 to take a one-stroke lead over Australia's Scott Hend in the BMW Asian Open.
Jacquelin had an 11-under 211 total on the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club course. Hend shot a 67. The tournament is sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
U.S. up 2-0in Fed Cup
LONDON -- Russia, France, Italy and the United States each took 2-0 leads Saturday in the first round of the Fed Cup.
Ninth-ranked Nadia Petrova and No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the two highest-ranked players competing this weekend in World Group I, got singles wins for Russia in the best-of-five series against Spain.
France also won both singles matches against visiting Japan, as did defending champion Italy against China and the United States against Belgium.
Venus Williams struggled early, but gave the Americans the lead by beating Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-2 on outdoor hard courts in Delray Beach, Florida.
Her sister, surprise Australian Open champion Serena Williams, then easily beat Caroline Maes 6-1, 6-4.
The reverse singles and doubles matches are set today. Lisa Raymond and Vania King will face Yanina Wickmayer and Tamaryn Hendler in doubles after the reverse singles.
Federer, Nadal reach Monte Carlo final
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Roger Federer overcame a slow start and beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-4 Saturday, setting up a second straight Monte Carlo Masters final against Rafael Nadal.
Vindicator staff/wire reports