Gabriel, Lady Vols in regional final

May 17, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.

Erin Gabriel struck out 13 and tossed a one-hit, complete-game shutout on Friday to help No. 8 Tennessee defeated Longwood, 2-0, in its NCAA Regional opener at Lee Stadium.

On Saturday, the Lady Vols (44-14) defeated Utah 9-1 in five innings to advance to the regional final today at 3:30 p.m.

Gabriel controlled Friday’s game from start to finish, allowing just four baserunners. Her 13 strikeouts were the second-most in her career. The win also marked her seventh complete game of the season.

With a win today, the Lady Vols will punch their ticket to the NCAA Super Regionals.

Canfield’s Kayley Keller has success at UNOH

Canfield High School graduate Kayley Keller finished an impressive sophomore season on the University of Northwestern Ohio softball team.

Keller hit .356 with 12 doubles, five home runs, and 26 RBIs. She led the Racers with a .726 slugging percentage.

Sioux Falls sweeps Muskegon in Clark Cup

Sioux falls, sD

The Sioux Falls Stampede completed a 3-0 sweep of the Muskegon Lumberjacks with a 4-2 on Friday night to earn their second USHL Clark Cup title in team history.

Troy Loggins recorded two points (1g, 1a) in the series clinching game to earn MVP honors of the the Clark Cup Playoffs. He tied for the league lead with 16 points (10g, 6a) in 12 postseason games and his 10 goals equaled a USHL Tier 1 era record (2002-present).

The Stampede became just the second fourth seed in USHL history to capture the Clark Cup. Their game three victory was played in front of 8,178 fans at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, the second-largest crowd in USHL playoff history.

Federer, Djokovic to renew rivalry in final

ROME

Roger Federer will renew his rivalry with Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final on Sunday.

Federer dispatched Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2 in less than an hour in the semifinals on Saturday, while the top-ranked Djokovic delivered his best performance of the week, downing David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4. Rome is one of two Masters tournaments Federer hasn’t won.

In women’s action, Maria Sharapova reached the final by overpowering qualifier Daria Gavrilova 7-5, 6-3 in an all-Russian matchup. Sharapova will play for a third Rome title against Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain, who fought through her nerves and rallied past second-seeded Simona Halep 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

This is the last big warmup for the French Open, which starts next weekend.

Nebraska: Soccer coach died in car accident

LINCOLN, Neb.

The University of Nebraska says an assistant soccer coach died in a car accident.

The athletics department said in a statement that Peter Underwood, 31, was killed Saturday while on a recruiting trip near Atlantic, Iowa.

It said Underwood had finished his fourth season with the Nebraska women’s soccer program, the last two as a full-time coach, and helped the team to the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles in 2013. The university’s head soccer coach, John Walker, said, “as a coach, his potential was limitless.”

Underwood, a native of London, England, previously was an assistant coach at the University of Montana and a graduate assistant coach at Marshall. He played one season of varsity soccer at Concord. Underwood is survived by his wife and two children.

Hamilton ignored by Angels ownership

Josh Hamilton says he was rejected several times when he tried to speak to Angels owner Arte Moreno during the slugger’s disappointing two-year stint in Los Angeles.

Hamilton says he was turned away by general manager Jerry DiPoto or team president John Carpino.

Staff/Wire reports