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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Kent State edges Oregon to advance

Kent State players celebrate after defeating Oregon to earn a spot in the College World Series. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

NCAA Baseball: Jimmy Rider drove in the winning run with a shallow pop fly that landed just inside the left-field foul line in the bottom of the ninth, lifting Kent State to a 3-2 win over Oregon on Monday night in Eugene, Ore., and sending the Golden Flashes to their first College World Series.

Rider’s hit off Oregon closer Jimmie Sherfy fell just out of the reach of shortstop J.J. Altobelli and left fielder Brett Thomas, who appeared to lose track of the ball when it was hit.

Derek Toadvine scored from second base before Thomas could make a throw, making Kent State (46-18) the first team from the Mid-American Athletic Conference since Eastern Michigan in 1976 to advance past the NCAA super regional and book a trip to Omaha.

South Carolina into CWS again: South Carolina is headed back to the College World Series, beating Oklahoma 5-1 at Columbia, S.C., for its 21st straight NCAA tournament win.

The two-time defending champion Gamecocks wrapped up the super regional series for their third straight trip to Omaha and 11th CWS appearance overall. Should South Carolina (45-17) again prevail, it would join the powerhouse program of Southern Cal as the only schools with more than two consecutive CWS titles. The Trojans hold the record with five straight crowns from 1970-74.

Arkansas advances past Baylor: Jake Wise drove in a run with a two-out single in the top of the 10th inning and Arkansas advanced to the College World Series with a 1-0 victory over Baylor in the deciding game of their super regional at Waco, Texas.

Wise, a sophomore catcher who had entered the game as a defensive replacement, grounded a ball into left field out of the reach of diving shortstop Steve DalPorto.

UConn’s Auriemma faces lawsuit

Courts: A woman who works as an NBA security official has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit saying she was removed from an assignment to the 2012 Summer Games in London after she spurned an advance from Connecticut and women’s national coach Geno Auriemma.

Kelley Hardwick is suing Auriemma, the NBA and USA Basketball. The suit was filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Witness testifies that McNamee can’t be trusted: The former director of security for the New York Yankees testified in Washington, that Brian McNamee, the chief accuser in the Roger Clemens perjury trial, can’t be believed.

“I don’t believe he could be believed under oath,” said Gerald Laveroni, who was the team’s security director from 2000-2010. McNamee, Clemens’ former strength coach, has testified that he provided the former pitcher with performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens is on trial for lying to Congress when he denied using steroids or human growth hormone.

Criminal record of Auburn shooting suspect revealed: The man suspected in a weekend party shooting that killed three people and wounded three others in Auburn, Ala., was previously arrested on charges involving guns and twice sued for child support, according to court records.

Authorities were searching for Desmonte Leonard, 22, of Montgomery, who is accused of opening fire Saturday night at an apartment complex near Auburn University after getting into a fight with some of the victims over a woman. He faces three counts of capital murder. Two of those slain were former players for the school’s powerhouse football program.

14-year-old alternate to play in U.S. Open

Miscellany: Paul Casey has withdrawn from the U.S. Open, paving the way for a 14-year-old from China to be what officials believe to be the youngest player in championship history.

Andy Zhang lost in a playoff at a sectional qualifier in Florida. He was the second alternate when the week began at Olympic Club. Zhang has been part of the IMG Leadbetter Academy in Florida and is based in the Orlando area. Tadd Fujikawa previously was the youngest in the modern era. He was 15 when he qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Officials to honor cancer- stricken referee in NBA Finals: NBA referees will wear the number 57 on their jerseys during the finals to honor longtime official Greg Willard.

The National Basketball Referees Association says Willard – who wears the No. 57 referee’s jersey – was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.