ysu

March 13, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

ysu

Swinton a Penguin

YOUNGSTOWN — Cornerback Jerome Swinton of Daytona Beach, Florida signed a letter of intent to play football at YSU.

Now a student at Milford Academy, Swinton played at Seabreeze High where he was a first-team all-state performer.

He has a 4.31 40-yard dash and a 34-inch vertical jump with the Sandcrabs.

Softball loses two

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Junior Cheryl Cale and freshman Jordan Ingalls each turned in solid pitching performances but the YSU softball team (1-13) dropped two decisions to South Dakota, 2-0, and Yale, 4-3.

In the opener, Cale threw a complete-game six-hitter with four strikeouts and just one walk.

Ingalls and freshman Haley Thomas each collected two hits of the Penguins’ six safeties against South Dakota.

In the nightcap, Ingalls tossed a complete game and scattered eight hits with three strikeouts, and allowed just one earned run.

Against Yale, YSU trailed 3-0 after five innings but rallied to tie the game at 3-3.

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East tickets available

YOUNGSTOWN — Advanced tickets are now on sale for the East High School Hall of Fame banquet.

The event will be staged at Mr. Anthony’s on April 26 at 6 p.m.

For tickets call (330) 782-2472.

Redesigned website

NILES — The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have redesigned their website, mvscrappers.com.

The new website gives fans an opportunity to purchase tickets and logo merchandise.

The Scrappers open the season on June 19 against the Jamestown Jammers at Eastwood Field.

Blinsky reaches scoring plateau

COLUMBIANA — Columbiana High School senior Kevin Blinsky cracked the 1,000-career point mark in a sectional basketball loss to East Canton last week.

Blinsky is an all-county and all-league player and he finished his high school career with 1,013 points.

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Browns sign Bowens

CLEVELAND — New Browns coach Eric Mangini continued his makeover of Cleveland’s roster by signing free agent linebacker David Bowens and releasing right tackle Kevin Shaffer.

Bowens played for Mangini the past two seasons with the New York Jets. A 10-year veteran, Bowens started five games last season. He recorded 40 tackles, four sacks and intercepted one pass.

Terms of Bowens’ deal were not disclosed on Thursday.

The 31-year-old Bowens is the third former Jets player brought to Cleveland by Mangini, who also signed cornerback Hank Poteat and defensive lineman C.J. Mosley.

Buser keeps lead

TAKOTNA, Alaska — Four-time champion Martin Buser kept his Iditarod lead Thursday, and a Norwegian musher had to abandon the race after a sled accident that organizers said probably left him with internal injuries.

Buser was the first musher to reach Ophir, a trail checkpoint 687 miles from the finish in Nome. Buser arrived Wednesday afternoon and took his mandatory 24-hour layover in Ophir.

Six other mushers also had reached Ophir behind Buser, who won the 1,100-mile Iditarod in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 2002.

Lakers clinch playoffs

SAN ANTONIO — The Los Angeles Lakers are the West’s first team in the playoffs. Kobe Bryant made sure of it.

Bryant scored the last of his 23 points on a 3-pointer with 1:46 left, and the Lakers secured a postseason spot with a 100-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

The Spurs have been the West’s No. 2 team most of the season, and Los Angeles validated that pecking order. The Lakers also wrapped up the Pacific Division in the final rematch this season of the 2008 Western Conference finals.

Tony Parker and Michael Finley led San Antonio with 25 points apiece. Drew Gooden made his Spurs debut after being signed a week ago, but played just 31‚Ñ4 minutes, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds.

Bacardi Cup sailing

MIAMI — Newcomer Andy Campbell of San Diego and crew Mike Nichol of Miami edged out Olympians Marc Pickel of Germany and crew Steve Mitchell of Great Britain to win the fifth race of the Bacardi Cup in Biscayne Bay.

The two teams had a bow-to-bow duel on the last upwind leg with the Americans managing to keep their speed up through the finish line while the German team slowed a bit as they glided to the finish.

Overall leaders Peter Bromby and crew Magnus Liljedhal, both Olympians and Bacardi Cup champions, finished 24th in the 64-boat fleet and keep the No. 1 slot.

Vindicator staff/wire report