Japan earns second straight LLWS title
Baseball: Ryusei Hirooka lined a decisive two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning, Shunpei Takagi hit two solo home runs, and Tokyo beat Chula Vista, Calif., 6-4 in South Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday to win the Little League World Series.
It was the 14th championship game for Japan, which was making its fourth straight appearance in the title game, and ninth title. California, making its 23rd championship game appearance, has won seven World Series titles. Giancarlo Cortez had a two-run single and Grant Holman an RBI single for Chula Vista.
Trailing 4-3 after Cortez’s clutch single in the fourth, Japan tied it on Takagi’s second homer and won it when Hirooka lined a 2-2 pitch down the left-field line for a double.
California beat Westport, Conn., 12-1 in the U.S. championship game Saturday, while Japan beat Mexico 3-2 for the international title.
• Mexico edges Connecticut for third: Brandon Montes, Ramon Mendoza, Saul Favela, and Miguel Artalejo hit home runs, and Tijuana, Mexico, held off Westport, Conn., 15-14 in the consolation game of the Little League World Series.
Chad Knight hit two homers and drove in seven runs, Harry Azadian had a three-run homer for Connecticut.
Van Garderen wins USA Pro Challenge
Cycling: American Tejay van Garderen won the USA Pro Challenge in Denver, finishing in the main pack in the final stage to complete a sweep of the two biggest races in the U.S.
Van Garderen, the 25-year-old BMC rider from Bozeman, led the race for the final four days, finishing 1 minute, 30 seconds ahead of Swiss Mathias Frank.
American Tom Danielson of Garmin-Sharp was third overall, 1:42 behind van Garderen, who also won the Tour of California in May.
Kiwis set matchup with Oracle
Sailing: Two sailing powerhouses that have spent the summer trading verbal jabs are finally set to meet in the ultimate grudge match – the America’s Cup.
Emirates Team New Zealand zipped through a thick fog in San Francisco and past Italy’s Luna Rossa again, capturing the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series 7-1 and advancing to the premier event against defending champion and bitter rival Oracle Team USA.
The best-of-17 America’s Cup starts Sept 7.
Rookie takes title at Czech MotoGP
Motorcycle racing: Rookie Marc Marquez edged his Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa to win the Czech MotoGP for his fourth straight win to stretch his lead in the overall standings.
The 20-year-old Spaniard covered 22 laps of the 3.358-mile Brno (Czech Republic) circuit in 42 minutes, 50.729 seconds to become the youngest rider to win four consecutive races.
Marquez leads the MotoGp standings with 213 points, followed by Pedrosa with 187. Jorge Lorenzo is third with 169 with seven races to go.
Lane takes home title at Bassmaster event
Miscellany: Chris Lane won the Bassmaster Elite Series’ Plano Championship Chase in Detroit, edging Mark Davis by 5 pounds, 7 ounces on the Detroit River.
Lane, from Guntersville, Ala., earned $100,000 and secured a spot next year in the Bassmaster Classic on his home water of Lake Guntersville.
• Ex-Titans player charged with robbery: Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck has been charged with felony robbery after a cab driver accused him of taking money during an argument.
The driver was waiting outside a bar in Nashville, Tenn., for a paid fare early Sunday when Bulluck approached him asking for a ride, police said in a statement. The driver said he declined and Bulluck grabbed him by his shirt, took a $100 bill and fled.
In a statement to The Tennessean, Bulluck described the incident as a “misunderstanding between me and the cab driver about getting my money back for a service not rendered.”
• Olympian suspended for skate tampering: Olympic short-track medalist Simon Cho has received a two-year suspension from the International Skating Union after admitting he tampered with the skates of Canadian rival Olivier Jean during the 2011 World Team Championship.
The suspension runs through Oct. 4, 2014, which means Cho will not be eligible to compete for the U.S. short-track team at the Sochi Olympics.
Cho says he did it at the direction of former short track national coach Jae Su Chun.