WBC: Ex-Yank Jones fuels Netherlands
Andruw Jones got two hits and Diegomar
Markwell and Orlando Yntema combined for seven innings of four-hit ball to help the Netherlands upset South Korea 5-0 in the World Baseball Classic yesterday in Taipei, Taiwan.
In Fukuoka, Japan,. two-time defending champion Japan rallied to beat Brazil 5-3 in its opening game. Japan trailed 3-2 before adding three runs in the top of the eighth inning in front of a crowd of 28,181 at the Fukuoka Dome. Early today, Brazil fell to 0-2 after losing 5-2 to Cuba (l-0).
NBA: Spurs’ Parker out a month
Spurs guard Tony Parker will be out for about a month with a left ankle sprain.
Parker, the team’s leading assist man, injured the ankle in the third period of Friday night’s win over the Kings.
The team said an MRI exam showed Parker had a Grade 2 left ankle sprain, and will be out for “approximately four weeks.”
HOOPS: PSAL favorites move on
The favorites reigned in the PSAL Class AA boys basketball quarterfinals, though there were a few close calls.
Highly recruited junior Isaiah Whitehead poured in 18 points as No. 1 Lincoln topped eighth-seeded Transit Tech, 56-40. Second-seeded Jefferson overcame an early 17-point deficit and topped No. 7 Cardozo, 64-60 in overtime, behind 20 points from Nazai Stokes.
JaeQuan Brown’s putback with 20 seconds left lifted No. 4 Wings to a 63-62 victory over No. 5 South Shore. And No. 3 Curtis edged sixth-seeded Bayside, 61-55.
The semifinals will be next Sunday at CCNY as Wings will face Lincoln and Jefferson meets Curtis. — Zach Braziller
SOCCER: Kagawa has hat trick
Shinji Kagawa’s hat trick and a stunning goal from Wayne Rooney maintained Manchester United’s march to the Premier League title, while Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion, 1-0.
Luis Suarez matched Kagawa’s exploits by scoring three times in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Wigan, lifting him above United striker Robin van Persie to the top of the division’s scoring charts with 21 goals.
Real Madrid beat Barcelona for the second time in five days, a 2-1 win as Lionel Messi extended his Spanish league scoring record to 16 straight games.
ETC: Busch ends streak with win
Overcoming a mid-race gaffe with a dominating performance, Kyle Busch led 142 laps at Phoenix International Raceway to end a 24-race Nationwide winless streak.
Brad Keselowski finished second and Justin Allgaier third, followed by Trevor Bayne and Elliott Sadler.
In Acapulco, Mexico, Rafael Nadal blasted past top seed and defending champion David Ferrer 6-0, 6-2 in the final of the Mexican Open in a powerful performance that indicated he has quickly returned to near his best after a long-term knee injury.
In Delray Beach, Fla. Edouard Roger-Vasselin upset top-seeded John Isner after Ernests Gulbis knocked out No. 2 seed Tommy Haas to set up an unlikely final in the Delray Beach International Championships.
In South Africa, Darren Fichardt stormed into a four-way share of the lead with an 8-under-par 64 after the third round of the Tshwane Open.