Sports Digest || Basketball tickets

Basketball tickets

STRUTHERS

Advance tickets for the Struthers High regional semifinal basketball game against Cleveland John Hay on Thursday at 8 p.m. will be on sale at the Struthers Board of Education office beginning Tuesday at 8 a.m.

They will be on sale Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8 until 2 p.m.

Canfield’s Martin earns All-Ohio

NORTH CANTON

Walsh sophomore Molly Martin, a Canfield High graduate, was recently named first team academic All-Ohio by the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association and first team All-Ohio.

Martin has a 3.85 grade point average and is a special education major.

Martin was also a first team selection by the American Mideast Conference at midfield, after scoring 12 points on two goals and a team-leading eight assists.

She was also a member of the school’s 4x400-meter relay team, which set a school record at the recent NAIA indoor national championships.

Porter aids Belles

CAPE CORAL, Fla.

Freshmen Chrissy Porter (Canfield,Cardinal Mooney) went 3-for-4 as the Saint Mary’s softball team opened the season with a split.

The Belles fell 3-2 to SUNY-Brockport in the first game but bounced back with a 12-6 win over Nichols.

Porter had a double, a sacrifice fly, two runs scored and drove in three.

Martin headlines show

Hartford

Tori Martin has joined with FASTRAK Northeast to present the inaugural “Race for the Cure” American Cancer Society Benefit Event will take place on May 28 at Sharon Speedway.

That night will be the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series event.

The FASTRAK Northeast Touring Series will be making its first of four stops on May 28.

Martin is a junior at Punxsutawney High School and is the sister of FASTRAK racer Joe Martin — a Sharon winner in 2010 and also a Northeast Touring winner last August at Dog Hollow Speedway.

Baker maintains Iditarod race lead

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

Veteran musher John Baker was holding on to his lead Sunday in the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, at least three hours ahead of his closest rivals.

Baker was the first to leave the village of Unalakleet for the run up Alaska’s wind-scoured western coast on Norton Sound. The finish line in the old gold rush town of Nome is about 270 miles away.

For being the first to arrive in Unalakleet early Sunday, Baker won $2,500 in gold nuggets.

After a four-hour rest, he departed with 11 dogs at 9:12 a.m. Sunday for the 40-mile stretch to the Shaktoolik checkpoint.

Skating officials may cancel world meet

LAUSANNE, Switzerland

Germany announced Sunday it will not send a team to next week’s world figure skating championships in Tokyo, and international skating officials were weighing whether to even hold the event following the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country.

Germany, the United States and several European countries have advised citizens not to travel to Japan, and the German Ice Skating Union said in a statement it would follow that recommendation.

Gilbert wins 5th stage of Tirreno-Adriatico

CASTELRAIMONDO, Italy

Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert won the hilly fifth stage of the weeklong Tirreno-Adriatico race Sunday and Cadel Evans of Australia took the overall lead.

Gilbert covered the 149-mile leg from Chieti to Castelraimondo in 6 hours, 43 minutes, 23 seconds, beating Wouter Poels of the Netherlands and Damiano Cunego in a sprint.

Gilbert is a specialist in lengthy single-day races, having won the Giro di Lombardia the past two seasons, as well as Paris-Tours twice.

Vindicator staff/wire reports