Little League softball games rained out

Little League softball games rained out

Boardman

Wednesday’s Howland-Boardman 8-10 year-old softball game and subsequent championship game against Canfield were postponed due to rain. The games have been rescheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. on Field S-2 at the Fields of Dreams.

Designated hitter rule changed in HS baseball

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.

The role of the designated hitter in high school baseball has been expanded to give coaches an additional option for the 2020 season.

The revision to Rule 3-1-4 was the only change recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee at its June 2-4 meeting in Indianapolis. The change was subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

There are now two scenarios in which a designated hitter may be used.

The first scenario is the traditional use where the designated hitter may be a 10th starter who hits for any one of the nine starting defensive players.

The change to Rule 3-1-4 now allows the starting designated hitter to also be a starting defensive player. Utilizing this option, the player has two positions: defensive player and designated hitter.

Cowboys’ Elliott won’t miss time over incident

NEW YORK

Ezekiel Elliott won’t be suspended over an incident in Las Vegas that police said involved an altercation between the star running back of the Dallas Cowboys and a security guard.

The NFL said Wednesday that Commissioner Roger Goodell determined Elliott didn’t violate the league’s personal conduct policy. The two-time rushing champion was suspended for six games in 2017 over domestic violence allegations.

Goodell met with Elliott on Tuesday “to reinforce the standards of conduct expected of him and the consequences for failing to meet those standards,” the league said. Elliott tweeted a statement after the meeting acknowledging a “poor decision” in Las Vegas and vowing to avoid “compromised situations” in the future.

Elliott was handcuffed but not arrested in an early morning incident at a music festival in May at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Police said Elliott pushed a security guard to the ground. Cellphone video obtained by the celebrity website TMZ showed a member of the event staff stumbling over a parking barrier as Elliott ran into him.

When he was suspended, Elliott was warned to avoid run-ins with law enforcement.

The NFL said it concluded Elliott didn’t violate league policy based on interviews with witnesses and others involved in the incident, along with other information.

Former Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen dies

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Jared Lorenzen, a husky left-handed quarterback who set multiple Kentucky passing and offensive records before backing up Eli Manning on the New York Giants’ Super Bowl-winning 2007 team, has died. He was 38.

A release from the school said Lorenzen’s family announced his death on Wednesday, but did not specify a cause or where he died. Kentucky Sports Radio founder Matt Jones tweeted a statement from Lorenzen’s family announcing his passing.

Popular around Lexington for his outgoing personality, Lorenzen was listed at 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds his senior season and known by several nicknames including “The Hefty Lefty.” The Covington, Ky., native holds school records including 10,637 offensive yards on 1,793 plays from 2000-03. He also tops UK passing marks for yards (10,354) and attempts (1,514), including a record 321 throws in 2000.

Lorenzen was elected to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart said “We are deeply saddened to learn of Jared Lorenzen’s passing” in a statement and added, “He was a true Wildcat and a man whose love for the University of Kentucky was plain to see well after his playing days were over.”

Staff/wire report