SPORTS DIGEST | YSU softball team earns academic honors

YSU softball team earns academic honors

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown State softball team and eight individual players earned academic honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the organization announced. The Penguins ended the 2014-15 school year with a 3.344 team grade-point average, which ranked 46th best in the nation.

The eight players receiving NFCA academic honors were Miranda Castiglione, Sarah Dowd, Ashley Koziol, Jordan Macey, Alexis Roach, Alexa Schmidt and Kelly Thompson-Cappadocio.

Last season, the Penguins ranked 54th with a 3.309 team grade-point average.

YSU men’s basketball tip-off banquet Oct. 25

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown State men’s basketball program is hosting its Fourth Annual Tip-Off Banquet, Sunday, Oct. 25, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Social Hall in Youngstown. This year’s guest speaker is former Cleveland Cavaliers great, NBA Champion and current announcer Jim Chones. Chones, a 1972 All-American at Marquette, played five seasons (1974-75) with the Cavaliers before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. Chones won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 1980. Doors open at 4 p.m., with a buffett dinner at 4:45 and the program starts at 5:30.

Individual tickets are just $35 while a table of eight is $280. Fans can also sponsor a player for just $20. RSVP are needed by Oct. 20. Contact Kevin Bruinsma at 330-941-3712 for more information.

Officials disciplined for mismanaging clock

NEW YORK

In a rare admission of discipline for game officials, the NFL has suspended a side judge and moved a back judge off a prime-time game.

The NFL suspended Rob Vernatchi for one game for not managing the clock properly in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh’s game at San Diego on Monday night. After a kickoff that was not returned, 18 seconds ran off the clock. The side judge is in charge of monitoring the game clock, which is kept on the stadium scoreboard.

Vernatchi “will not officiate in Week 6 as a result of the failure to notice that the game clock was incorrectly started,” league spokesman Michael Signora said Thursday. Signora added Vernatchi is being taken off the field for one week and then will return to referee Pete Morelli’s crew.

Such a move is unusual for the NFL, which rarely publicly reprimands game officials. Vernatchi could file a grievance through the officials’ union.

Kentucky dismisses transfer from team

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Kentucky women’s basketball coach Matthew Mitchell announced that sophomore guard Chrishae Rowe has been dismissed from the team for failing to uphold the program’s standards. Mitchell didn’t specify the reasons behind Rowe’s dismissal but said Thursday in a statement that “we wish Chrishae well in her future endeavors and we hope she can find success in her life.”

The 5-foot-10 Rowe transferred to Kentucky from Oregon in January and would have been eligible to play for the Wildcats after the fall semester.

Coach gets leniency after hit on referee

ROUND ROCK, Texas

Texas high school sports officials showed leniency Thursday after a former assistant football coach denied ordering two players to blindside a referee but acknowledged making comments that may have unintentionally instigated the hit.

In doling out final penalties for the Sept. 4 incident, the University Interscholastic League suspended former San Antonio John Jay assistant Mack Breed for the rest of the school year and placed him on two years’ probation. Breed could have been suspended for up to three years, but UIL officials said his willingness to testify helped reduce the sanctions.

Head coach Gary Guttierez was given a public reprimand and two years’ probation and the two players involved were suspended from all sports or extracurricular activities for the rest of the academic year.

From staff and wire reports