Oracle beats Kiwis to keep America’s Cup

Oracle beats Kiwis to keep America’s Cup

SAN FRANCISCO

With one last spectacular push in a winner-take-all America’s Cup finale Wednesday, the United States managed to hang onto the Auld Mug in closing out the longest, fastest and, by far, wildest America’s Cup ever with one of the greatest comebacks in sports. Skipper Jimmy Spithill steered Oracle’s space-age, 72-foot catamaran to its eighth straight victory, speeding past Dean Barker and Team New Zealand in Race 19 in San Francisco Bay. All but defeated a week ago, the 34-year-old Australian and his international crew twice rallied from seven-point deficits to win 9-8.

Kunitz leads Pens to 5-1 win over Red Wings

DETROIT

Chris Kunitz had two goals and an assist to help the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 on Wednesday night in an exhibition game. Jussi Jokinen, Pascal Dupuis and Craig Adams also scored for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each had two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 16 saves. Drew Miller scored for Detroit, and Petr Mrazek stopped 32 shots.

Football selection panel likely by season’s end

Members of the selection committee for the College Football Playoff that starts next year will likely be chosen before the end of this regular season. BCS executive director Bill Hancock said in a phone interview Wednesday that conference commissioners working on the selection committee have more vetting to do before the panel is set.

The panel will be similar to the one that selects the NCAA basketball tournament. The commissioners have said it will have 12 to 18 members and will consist of current athletic directors, former college football players and coaches, former college athletics administrators and former members of the media. Hancock said the plan in place calls for the selection committee to release rankings three to five times per season before selection Sunday.

USGA Senior Women’s Amateur finalists set

SAN MARTIN, Calif.

Defending champion Ellen Port and Susan Cohn each won two matches Wednesday at CordeValle to advance to the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur final. The 52-year-old Port, from St. Louis, beat Marilyn Hardy of Houston 6 and 4 in the morning quarterfinals and topped Mary Jane Hiestand of Naples, Fla., 4 and 3 in the semifinals.

The 50-year-old Cohn, from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., edged Corey Weworski of Carlsbad, Calif., in 20 holes in the quarterfinals and beat Caryn Wilson of Rancho Mirage, Calif., 4 and 3 in the semifinals.

“Unbelievable,” said Port, a high school teacher and golf coach. “Sometimes you just keep putting one foot in front of the other and then you wake up and ‘Oh my gosh, and then there were two.”’

Port, the 2014 U.S. Curtis Cup captain, is seeking her sixth U.S. Golf Association title. She won the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur four times.

Suspension served, Peralta to rejoin Tigers

MINNEAPOLIS

The Detroit Tigers will reinstate Jhonny Peralta from his drug suspension this weekend. General manager Dave Dombrowski said Wednesday in Minnesota that Peralta will join the AL Central leaders in Miami on Friday for a season-ending three-game series. Dombrowski said the organization has not discussed whether Peralta will be on the postseason roster.

Peralta’s 50-game penalty, part of Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Biogenesis clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs, was completed Wednesday. The All-Star shortstop has been working out in left field because the Tigers acquired shortstop Jose Iglesias from Boston shortly before the ban took effect.

The Tigers were short in the bullpen Wednesday. Left-hander Phil Coke was in Detroit for tests on his elbow, and righty Bruce Condon was unavailable due to soreness in his elbow.

Associated Press