SPORTS digest

Ian Pierson runs in Guardian Mile

Cleveland

Ian Pierson, a South Range graduate and member of the John Carroll track team, ran in the Guardian Mile on Saturday night in Cleveland. The final times for the race were not available prior to print deadline.

The race started at the corner of Lorain Avenue and West 24th Street. It finished at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario near Progressive Field.

The one mile race traverses the length of the iconic Hope Memorial Bridge which features the eight “guardian” statues from which the race derives its name.

Last season, Pierson was the top freshman finisher at the All-Ohio Cross Country Championships and was named All-Ohio Division III Rookie of the Year.

Gamecocks TE retiring due to spinal cyst

COLUMBIA, S.C.

South Carolina tight end Kiel Pollard is giving up football after a cyst was found on his spinal cord.

The Gamecocks announced Pollard’s decision Friday.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Pollard sustained a small fracture in his neck last week and was expected to miss up to six weeks. But South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said the cyst was found during examinations. The coach said the cyst “appeared to have been there since he was a child.”

Given the severity of the situation and possible, long-term health consequences, Pollard was forced to give up playing, Muschamp said.

Pollard is a senior from Moultrie, Georgia and had played 38 games over three seasons with 17 career catches for 203 yards.

Sale goes on IL with elbow inflammation

BOSTON

Red Sox ace left-hander Chris Sale was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation, raising questions about whether he will pitch again this season.

Team president Dave Dombrowski said Sale had an MRI and the team’s doctors said the results showed inflammation.

Dombrowski also said Sale felt stiffness after his start Tuesday in Cleveland and didn’t tell the team until Friday, so he was sent for the test. In addition to the team’s doctors, Dombrowski said Sale will also have the results looked at by orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, but probably not until Monday. Dombrowski wasn’t certain if Sale would visit Andrews.

Struggling through a mediocre season, Sale is 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA, but he was coming off two solid starts in which he combined for 25 strikeouts and allowed only three runs in 142/3 innings.

Twins’ Duffey awarded victory day later

ARLINGTON, Texas

Minnesota Twins right-hander Tyler Duffey was awarded a win on Saturday, a day after pitching in a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Duffey entered Friday night’s game with two outs and a runner at second base in the sixth inning, Texas having taken a 3-2 lead on the last batter faced by starter Jake Odorizzi. Duffey struck out Rougned Odor, the only batter he faced.

The Twins scored twice in the seventh and held the lead the rest of the way. Sam Dyson pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning and was given the win by the official scorer.

Dodgers’ Urias to serve 20-game suspension

LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias has accepted a 20-game suspension by Major League Baseball for a domestic violence incident and is expected to return in September.

MLB gave him credit for serving five games while he was on administrative leave in May, leaving 15 remaining to serve.

The 23-year-old reliever from Mexico was arrested in May and accused of shoving a woman. The charges were ultimately dropped, but MLB pursued its own punishment under the league’s domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

Urias is 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 26 games, including six starts and his fourth save in an appearance Friday.

Staff/wire report