Turocy aids Akron

Turocy aids Akron

BRADENTON, Fla. – Starting pitcher Drew Turocy (Canfield, Ohio) threw well as the Univ. of Akron baseball team held off Bucknell Friday, 4-3.

The Zips (9-6), who have won six of their last eight games, were defeated by Illinois St., 8-7, in the first game of the day.

Turocy (3-1) breezed through the first three innings before pitching out of a jam in the fourth.

After the first two batters reached, Bucknell used a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position with one out. But the left-hander got a ground out and a strike out to keep the shut out alive.

Turocy named

AKRON – Univ. of Akron freshman Drew Turocy (Canfield) was named Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 3rd-9th.

The true freshman allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings in a 3-0 victory over Buffalo last Sunday.

Turocy fanned four and allowed just two walks as the Zips finished the weekend with a 3-1 mark at the Lamar Classic in Beaumont, Texas.

The left-hander finished with a fury, retiring all nine of the final batters he faced while matching his longest outing of the year.

Schedules needed

The Vindicator requests varsity spring sports schedules from high school athletic directors. They can be emailed to sports@vindy.com, faxed to (330) 747-6712, or mailed to Sports Editor, The Vindicator, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501-0780.

Nypaver honored

GREENVILLE, Pa. — Thiel College junior outfielder David Nypaver (Howland) was named an honorable mention pick in the first NCAA Division III National Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards for 2008 as chosen by representatives of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/.

Nypaver hit .684 (13-19) with three doubles, two triples, 10 RBI, and 11 runs to go along with a 1.053 slugging pct. for the 7-3 Tomcats during their Spring Break trip to the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.

He posted three three-hit games on the trip, including a 3-for-3 effort with four RBI and four runs scored in a 19-9 win over Bluffton on March 8.

He was also named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week for his efforts.

Columbiana’s Hertel picks Johns Hopkins

COLUMBIANA — Columbiana High School senior Josh Hertel will continue his football career at Johns Hopkins Univ.

With the Clippers, Hertel rushed for 1,400 yards and set a school record for tackles in a season (194).

Hertel will major in biology and plans on working in the medical research field.

nation

Unbeaten Dance Gal Dance is winner

NEW YORK — Dance Gal Dance extended her unbeaten streak to four Friday with a 13‚Ñ4-length victory over I Promise in the $63,750 Love Is Eternal Stakes at Aqueduct.

Rajiv Maragh was aboard for trainer Tim Ritvo as Dance Gal Dance ran the 6 furlongs in 1:10.40 in the race for 3-year-old fillies bred in New York. The 4-5 favorite paid $3.80 and $2.60. I Promise returned $4.50.

Singh Bay Hill leader

ORLANDO, Fla. —¬†Vijay Singh was forced to take four days off from practicing, which was unprecedented. He found himself atop the leaderboard one week later at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which is not surprising in the least.

Weakened by a stomach virus that caused him to lose 18 pounds in five days, Singh recovered in time to make a strong defense of his Bay Hill title by chipping in twice Friday on his way to a 5-under 65 and a two-shot lead over Carl Pettersson.

Tiger Woods, the world’s No. 1 player also looked sick, but only after watching putts come up short on shoddy greens. Woods, trying to continue a winning streak that stretches all the way back to September, had to settle for nine straight pars to close out a 2-under 68. He was seven shots behind.

world

Soccer desertions

HAVANA — Cuba called the desertion of seven soccer players at the Olympic qualifying tournament in the United States “dishonorable” and a “low blow” on Friday.

The seven players left the team in Tampa, Fla., after their opening match, a 1-1 draw with the United States on Tuesday night.

On Thursday night, the team started with 10 players when one was suspended for a red card in the U.S, match, and lost to Honduras 2-0.

“After their brilliant performance against the United States ... Cuba’s Under-23 team suffered the desertion of seven members under the protection of the Cuban Adjustment Act,” read a short note in the Communist Party daily Granma.

Entitled “Low Blow for Cuban Soccer,” the article noted that Cuba was left significantly weakened against Honduras.

The Communist Youth Union newspaper Juventud Rebelde, the island’s other national daily, qualified the desertions as “dishonorable.”

Vindicator staff/wire reports