SPORTS DIGEST || Springfield HOF taking nominations

Springfield H.O.F. taking nominations

The Springfield Local Athletic Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Induction Class. The nomination form can be found on the Springfield Local Schools District website under the “Athletics” link and will be accepted until June 1st, 2016.

Hannon to speak to curbstone coaches

President and Chief Professional Officer of The United Way of Youngstown and radio voice of Youngstown State University football Bob Hannon will be the guest speaker at tomorrow’s meeting of the Curbstone Coaches at Lucianno’s Banquet Center in the Wedgewood Plaza in Austintown.

The event is an evening meeting that begins at 6:00pm. The event is open to the public.

Old-timey meetup

The Youngstown baseball oldtimers will meet on thursday, Dec. 10th at 3:30 p.m. at kramer field clubhouse on bears den rd. for a holiday social.

Umpire class in session

Classes to become a high school baseball softball umpires is now accepting applications. Please contact John Mang at 330-5026-665 or mangtheref1965@gmail.com.

Deniro’s Saint rallies at MVRC

Deniro’s Saint ($2.80) once again recorded a popular come-from-behind victory Saturday afternoon in the $75,000 Bobbie Bricker Memorial Handicap for Ohio Accredited fillies & mares at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course. Allowed to relax well behind in the opening stages by jockey Luis Gonzalez, the five-year-old Saints n’ Sinners mare quickly rushed up to take the over the lead at the top of the stretch and pulled away to win by more than three Ω lengths. The running time for the 1 1/16th miles on a track labeled fast was 1:51.35.

Hope’s Frog Song, who set the early pace thru fractions of 24.93, 49.84, & 1:16.23, held on bravely in the stretch to earn the runner-up spot, just in front of Startin Something, a former state-bred champion and an eleven-time stakes winner in her career. Sugar Marie and Soon Enough rounded out the official order of finish.

Western Reserve’s Powell makes Bowl

After finishing the 2015 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) football season and his career with 29 starts on the Orange and Black offensive line, senior Tyler Powell (Western Reserve) will have the chance to represent the Waynesburg University football team one final time.

It was announced on Friday that Powell, along with five other players from around the PAC, will participate in the National Bowl, which is an annual post-season college football all-star game consisting of top players from non-FBS schools. The National Bowl will be played this Sunday at 10 a.m. at Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium on the campus of Florida International University.

Giants sign pitcher Samardzija

SAN FRANCISCO

Free-agent pitcher Jeff Samardzija has agreed to a $90 million, five-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, who lost out on Zack Greinke a day earlier.

The team said Saturday that before an announcement can be made Samardzija must pass a physical that is set for Tuesday.

Samardzija won a career-high 11 games this season for the Chicago White Sox, going 11-13 with a 4.96 ERA in 32 starts. The 30-year-old pitcher spent the second half of the 2014 season in the Bay Area with the Oakland Athletics following his trade from the Chicago Cubs.

Bubba Watson ties course record

NASSAU, Bahamas

Bubba Watson holed out with a 7-iron for eagle, made seven birdies and tied the course record with a 9-under 63 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead over Paul Casey going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge.

Watson’s tied the record at Albany Golf Club that had been set 10 minutes earlier by Casey, who had nine birdies on a clean card.

Staff/wire reports