Briefs

Japan stuns U.S. team for title

By wire services
Published July 19, 2005

OKLAHOMA CITY - The U.S. softball team lost a tournament final for the first time since 1997, falling 3-1 to Japan on Monday night in the championship of the inaugural World Cup of Softball.

The Americans, who won gold at three straight Olympics, hadn't lost a title game since the final of the 1997 Superball in Ohio, when Australia won 1-0. It was also the second loss in a week for the U.S. team, which dropped a 2-1 decision to Canada.

Mikiko Tanaka had a two-run single for Japan (3-2), the bronze medalist at the Athens Games, and Yukiko Ueno pitched a three-hitter. Jessica Mendoza scored for the Americans in the fourth inning.

The Japanese scored twice in the second against Cat Osterman , the University of Texas left-hander who pitched 142/3 shutout innings at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

In the bronze-medal game, Stacey Porter drove in the winning run and scored three to lead Australia past China 7-1. Earlier, China beat Canada 1-0 and finished fourth in the five-team tournament.

WADA head rips sentence

World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Richard Pound criticized as "very light" a plea agreement that recommends BALCO founder Victor Conte spend four months in prison. Conte headed off a potentially explosive, name dropping trial Friday when he pleaded guilty in San Francisco to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering in a deal with federal prosecutors. "It is a disappointing outcome ... that somebody who systematically tried to destroy the whole basis of sport by helping athletes and coaches to cheat gets to walk away with a four-month sentence," Pound said.

Canadian is top diver

Canadian Blythe Hartley led all the way in winning the 1-meter springboard title at the World Championships in Montreal. Hartley outdistanced silver medalist Wu Min Xia of China. Jeff Powers and Tony Azevedo scored twice each as the United States defeated Japan 7-4 in men's water polo.

Skinner tops testing

Mike Skinner had the top speed in testing for the Aug.7 Brickyard 400 at 180.692 mph at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was second fastest at 179.565 mph.

DRIVER KILLED: A racer was killed when the driveshaft of his car came through the vehicle and struck him, a county coroner said. Tim Phillips , 35, of Fayetteville, Ark. died after a crash at the North Central Arkansas Speedway.

Argentine player advances

Argentina's Mariano Zabaleta beat German teenager Aljoscha Thron 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany. French Open champion Rafael Nadal had a bye.

CINCINNATI WOMEN'S OPEN: Russian Tatiana Panova upset No.8 seed Kveta Peschke 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in the first round.

Trio makes it from DeLand

David Canipe of New Smyrna Beach shot 4-under-par 68 at Victoria Hills Golf Club in DeLand to lead three who qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, which is July 28-31 in Kettering, Ohio. Brad Bryant of Lakeland (70) and Jim Smith of Belleair (71) earned the other spots. Chris Campbell of Vero Beach and Jerry Impellittiere from Palm City made it out of a qualifier in Boynton Beach.

CYCLING: German Danilo Hondo appealed a two-year doping suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But the UCI, which governs cycling, and the World Anti-Doping Agency have asked CAS to increase the penalty.

HORSES: Santa Anita Derby winner and fifth-place Kentucky Derby finisher Buzzards Bay was sold for $725,000 at Fasig-Tipton auction house; Gary and Wendy Broad of Incline Village, Nev., bought him.

[Last modified July 19, 2005, 01:09:13]