In brief: Las Vegas routs Mo’ne Davis, Philadelphia at Little League World Series

LLWS: Dallan Cave and Brennan Holligan hit two-run homers, lefty reliever Austin Kryszczuk got out of two big jams, and Las Vegas beat Philadelphia and star pitcher Mo’ne Davis 8-1 in the Little League World Series on Wednesday night in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

That puts Las Vegas in Saturday’s U.S. title game and sends Philadelphia into an elimination game tonight against Chicago’s Jackie Robinson team.

Davis, the darling of the sports world with her amazing success and poise, was both masterful and ordinary on a night made short because of pitch-count rules. She allowed three runs and six hits and struck out six in 2 1/3 innings before leaving after 55 pitches. That makes her eligible to pitch again in the U.S. championship game on Saturday.

Davis played first after her stint on the mound and was switched to right field in the top of the sixth.

• South Korea advances: Jae Yeong Hwang hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, and South Korea held off Japan 4-2 in the Little League World Series.

South Korea moves on to Saturday’s International Championship game, where it will face the winner of today’s elimination game between Japan and Mexico.

U.S. men, without Rose, win exhibition

Basketball: Kyrie Irving made all five shots and scored 12 points starting in place of Derrick Rose, and the U.S. national basketball team beat the Dominican Republic 105-62 in an exhibition game in New York City.

James Harden also scored 12 in limited playing time for the Americans, who used their subs for most of the second half. Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan each scored 13 points.

Rose sat out, with team officials saying coach Mike Krzyzewski wanted to be able to look longer at other players with cuts coming soon. The Americans have 16 players on the roster and have to get down to 12 before the upcoming Basketball World Cup.

Barcelona’s appeal of transfer ban denied

Soccer: FIFA has rejected Barcelona’s appeal against a one-year transfer ban as punishment for repeatedly breaching transfer regulations in signing youth players.

The ban on signing any players will apply for all of 2015, covering the January and summer transfer windows. A fine of $494,000 was also imposed on Barcelona.

• Porto, Celtic win: Former European Cup winners Porto and Celtic took big steps toward the Champions League group stage, as home teams struggled in their playoff round, first-leg matches.

Two-time champion Porto won 1-0 in Lille, and Celtic took advantage of a reprieve from UEFA to play in the competition by drawing 1-1 at Maribor.

In other matches, Zenit St. Petersburg beat Standard Liege 1-0, APOEL and Aalborg drew 1-1, and BATE Borisov and Slovan Bratislava tied 1-1.

Second-leg matches are played Tuesday. The groups are drawn two days later in Monaco.

• U.S. women win: Megan Rapinoe scored just three minutes into the game, and the United States got three goals in the second half to beat Switzerland 4-1 in Cary, North Carolina. Carli Lloyd, Christen Press and Abby Wambach also scored for the Americans.

Stewart will skip another start

Auto racing: Tony Stewart will not race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, the third Sprint Cup race he’s skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. during a sprint car race.

Jeff Burton will once again replace him in the No. 14 Chevrolet. Burton also drove Stewart’s car at Michigan last week.

• Truck race delayed: Rain washed out NASCAR’s Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The race has been rescheduled for today at 7 a.m. Pacific. Defending race champion Kyle Busch is set to start up front.

Kent State center Bitsko dies

Miscellany: Kent State says one of its football players has died and that police believe he passed away from an undetermined medical issue.

The school said in a release that starting center Jason Bitsko was found unresponsive in the bedroom of his off-campus apartment shortly before 9 a.m.

Bitsko, 21, was in his fourth year with the Golden Flashes. He started all 12 games in 2013.

• Bobcats show off changes: Montana State’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse has a new track surface and improved seating as part of a $3.2 million upgrade.

The updates unveiled include chairback seating throughout the arena, a new sound system and curtains to close off unused seating during events.

The Mondo Super X track has a 200 meter oval along with a six-lane, 80-meter sprint setting. It also has permanent spots for a pole vault ramp, jump pit and throwing circle. It replaces a track that was installed in 1980.

• Torres to miss time: San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres will miss the start of the upcoming season after undergoing surgery for an infection in his previously surgically repaired right knee.

Torres had three goals and two assists in the regular season and two goals and one assist in the playoffs.

• Wozniacki loses: Four-time champion Caroline Wozniacki was upset 6-4, 6-2 by Camila Giorgi of Italy in the second round of the Connecticut Open in New Haven, Connecticut.