Miscellany

Prosecutors rested their case against Cleveland Indians pitcher Jose Mesa, accused of raping a woman and assaulting her friend after a night in the city’s nightclub district.

Assistant prosecutor Frank Gasper was not permitted to call a witness he said could cast doubt on Mesa’s character. Cuyahoga County Judge Thomas Curran ruled the testimony would be prejudicial, but left open the possibility the witness could be called during rebuttal.

The U.S. women’s hockey team plays China and Canada plays Finland today in Kitchener, Ontario, in the semifinals of the World Championships, with the finals set for Sunday.

A 10-0 rout of Sweden on Thursday not only clinched first place in Pool B for the United States, it guaranteed a spot in the Nagano Olympic Games next February. Karen Bye scored three goals and Cammi Granato had two as the United States outshot Sweden 73-4.

The United States won both its matches in the World Cup of Freestyle Wrestling in Stillwater, Okla., despite a subpar performance by four-time Olympic medalist Bruce Baumgartner.

The superheavyweight lost 7-1 to 19-year-old Alexis Rodriguez of Cuba. Earlier, Baumgartner won by referee’s decision over Sven Thiele of Germany after the two had wrestled to a 0-0 deadlock. The United States defeated Germany 23-9 and Cuba 18-12.