SPORTS DIGEST || Scrappers drop fourth straight, another series

Scrappers drop fourth straight, another series

state college, pa.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers dropped a road contest, extending their losing steak to four, as the State College Spikes won a 4-1 decision.

The Scrappers fell behind in the fourth inning when Vince Jackson tripled and later scored on a throwing error.

The Spikes added two more when Jackson tripled again in the fifth to bring in Anthony Ray and Tommy Edman.

Trailing 4-0 in the ninth, the Scrappers got on the board when Erlin Cerda brought in Gabriel Mejia on a sacrifice fly, but that was all the Scrappers could muster despite loading the bases with no outs.

A groundout by Michael Tinsley ended the game.

Micah Miniard took the loss despite giving up no earned runs in five innings of work allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four.

The Scrappers have now lost all six series they’ve played in 2016. They’ll look to avoid a sweep against the Spikes today at 6:05 p.m.

Nick Swisher taking break from baseball

NEW YORK

Former major league outfielder Nick Swisher says he is stepping away from the game to spend time with his wife and two daughters.

In a series of posts to his Twitter account on Saturday, Swisher says he plans to keep training every day and “evaluate my options for next season at the appropriate time.”

The 35-year-old Swisher hasn’t appeared in a major league game this season. He was released by Atlanta late in spring training and signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees in April.

Swisher and his wife, JoAnna, recently welcomed their second daughter, Sailor Stevie.

Swisher, the son of former major league catcher Steve Swisher, made his major league debut with Oakland in 2004. He has 245 homers and 803 RBIs in 1,527 games.

Crash mars start of Tour de France

SAINTE-MARIE-DU-MONT, FRANCE

Alberto Contador’s quest for a third Tour de France title started in the worst possible way as the Spaniard crashed during the opening stage of the three-week race on Saturday.

Contador hit a traffic curb after coming through a roundabout with about 80 kilometers left in Stage 1 between Mont-Saint-Michel and Utah Beach in Normandy.

Contador got back on his bike with a ripped jersey and scrapes on his right shoulder.

He later changed his bike and quickly made it to the back of the peloton with the help of his teammates, as his rivals slowed down the pace following the crash.

Contador won the Tour in 2007 and 2009 but was stripped of the 2010 Tour title and was suspended for two years after testing positive for clenbuterol in the final week of the race .

Englishman Mark Cavendish currently sits in the lead.

Germany defeats Italy in Euro quarterfinals

BORDEAUX, FRANCE

Jonas Hector scored the winning penalty as Germany beat Italy 6-5 in a wild shootout to reach the European Championship semifinals on Saturday.

After the quarterfinal finished 1-1 after extra time, Matteo Darmian had his penalty saved with the 17th attempt of the shootout to give Hector the chance to earn Germany a first competitive win over Italy in nine tries.

The left back slotted his kick beyond Gianluigi Buffon and the world champions were in their sixth straight semifinal at a major tournament.

Germany has won six of its last seven spot kicks since losing the final of Euro 1976.

Mesut Ozil gave Germany the lead in the 65th minute, breaking open a tactical stalemate in Bordeaux by racing onto Hector’s deflected cross to steer in a finish from eight meters.

Leonardo Bonucci equalized by converting a penalty in the 78th, after Jerome Boateng handled Giorgio Chiellini’s flicked header.

Staff/wire report