Lemieux exploring possible sale of Pens

June 4, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle have hired investment bank Morgan Stanley to explore their options.

The owners said in a statement Wednesday night they are in the middle of a feeling out process that could include anything from an outright sale to selling a share of the team or standing pat. The hiring of Morgan Stanley was first reported by TSN.

Lemieux, a Hall of Famer who led the franchise to consecutive Stanley Cups as a player in 1991 and 1992, and Burkle led an investment group that purchased the team out of federal bankruptcy court in 1999.

Djokovic knocks out 9-time champ Nadal

Novak Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal’s 39-match French Open winning streak, beating the nine-time champion in a surprisingly lopsided quarterfinal 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday.

It is only the second defeat for Nadal in 72 career matches at Roland Garros. The other came in the fourth round in 2009 against Robin Soderling. Before that, Nadal had won four championships in a row at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. Since that lone previous setback, Nadal had collected a record five consecutive French Open trophies.

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic lost all six previous matches he’d played against Nadal in Paris, including the 2012 and 2014 finals.

Tiger starts busy stretch at Memorial

Tiger Woods hasn’t been this busy on the golf course all year. And the tournament hasn’t even started.

Woods spent two days at Chambers Bay to start his preparations for the U.S. Open. Then he flew straight to Ohio for the pro-am Wednesday at the Memorial, a tournament he has won a record five times. Still to be determined is what kind of game he has for both tournaments.

Woods says he is making progress. He took a two-month break early in the year when his golf was at a low point, and then had a respectable return at the Masters and made the cut at The Players Championship. It was the first time since the end of 2013 that he completed consecutive 72-hole tournaments.

Florida beats Michigan for repeat national title

Florida won its second straight national championship behind Lauren Haeger’s complete game in a 4-1 victory over Michigan on Wednesday night.

Haeger allowed five hits and struck out five. She reached base on all four of her plate appearances, earning most outstanding player honors. Florida became just the third program to repeat as Women’s College World Series champion, and the first since Arizona in 2006-07.

The Gators (60-7) scored all their runs in the first two innings. Michigan (60-8) was going for its first title since 2005.

Phantoms’ Pearson commits to Maine

Youngstown Phantoms forward Chase Pearson has committed to play college hockey at the University of Maine following his USHL career.

Pearson, 17, recorded 26 points (12g, 14a), 96 penalty minutes and a plus-nine rating over 57 regular season games for the Phantoms. He helped Youngstown earn a team-record 40 victories and capture the first Anderson Cup title in team history.

The Alpharetta, Ga. native was selected by the Phantoms in Phase One of the 2013 USHL Draft (5th round, 69th overall) and made his debut during the 2013-14 season, appearing in two games. Pearson is also a top prospect for the upcoming NHL Draft.

South Range 4th grader excels on tennis court

Maria Primavera of North Lima was a top-3 finisher at the Northeast Ohio Tennis Association 10-and-under qualifier tournament in Wooster last month.

Primavera, a fourth grader at South Range Elementary, advanced to the USTA Midwest Level 1 Championships in Indianapolis from July 10-12.

Staff/wire reports