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EMCH AT PITT
PITTSBURGH -- Six-foot-4 sophomore Abbey Emch is a regular in the University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team lineup this season.
Emch, who starred at Crestview High School, sparked the defensive effort Sunday as she collected four blocks, two digs and two kills in fourth-ranked Pittsburgh’s 25-13, 25-21, 25-16 swept of sixth-ranked Wisconsin in the Opening Spike Classic.
The match at the Petersen Events Center drew 4,643 fans.
The Panthers are 4-0 on the season and have 54 consecutive wins at home, the longest active streak in Division I volleyball.
MINERVA GIRLS SECOND
CANTON -- The Minerva girls cross country team is at the front of the pack again.
The Lions finished second out of 13 teams at the Canton GlenOak Golden Eagle Invitational on Saturday.
Minerva scored 72 points, finishing behind Massillon Jackson with 49.
Junior Tateum Richard was fifth out of 112 girls runners in 19:39.74. Nine runners were under 20 minutes.
In the past five seasons, the Lions have been state cross country champions three times and finished fourth twice.
In the boys race, Minerva was eighth out of 19 teams with 236 points.
Sophomore Anderson Scott paced the Lions by placing 12th out of 168 boys runners in 16:53.61. Sixteen boys runners went under 17 minutes.
JUNIOR HIGH VOLLEYBALL
United at Valley Christian
7th Grade: United won 25-12, 25-14 Saturday. United, Gwen Gruszecki 9 points
8th Grade: United won 25-13, 25-9. United, Natalie Short 17 points.
ALKER WINS AGAIN
GRAND BLANC, Mich. (AP) -- Steven Alker won the Ally Challenge on Sunday for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory and third of the season, closing with a 4-under 68 at Warwick Hills for a three-stroke margin.
Alker won the Rogers Charity Classic last week in Calgary, Alberta, beating Y.E. Yang with a birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff. The 55-year-old New Zealander also won the Cologuard Classic in March in Tucson, Arizona, topping Padraig Harrington on the first extra hole.
Alker finished at 15-under 201 for his 13th career victory on the 50-and-over tour.
Retief Goosen was second after a 64.
Two-time defending champion Stewart Cink (67), Greg Chalmers (69) and second-round leader Michael Block (74) tied for third at 11 under. The 50-year-old Block was making his fifth start on tour.
Henrik Stenson tied for 27th in his tour debut. He closed with a 69 to reach 5 under.
MADE TO ORDER
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) -- Joe Dean, a former grocery delivery driver ranked No. 292, captured his first European tour title by shooting 9-under 63 to win the British Masters with his wife on the bag on Sunday.
The 32-year-old Englishman started the final round seven strokes off the lead at The Belfry but made nine birdies -- including four on his last six holes -- to finish the week on 14-under par and move into the lead with the late starters still having holes to play.
No one could catch him, with four players -- Nacho Elvira (69), third-round leader Daniel Hillier (73), Niklas Norgaard (71) and Jakob Skov Olesen (71) -- tying for second place, three shots back.
This was the first tournament in Team Europe's qualifying process for next year's Ryder Cup, so that's suddenly an unlikely target for Dean -- quite the turn of events for someone who spent time delivering groceries during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and kept doing it for nearly four years to help fund his career when he didn't have a card.
"I enjoyed it for most of the time," Dean said of his old part-time job. "Obviously it’s a completely different life, a completely different lifestyle. I still see the vans going up and down the road every now and then, and I keep in touch."
It was a family success, too. Dean got married to Emily following the British Open in July and she was his caddie this week.
"I can’t thank her enough for what she has to put up with, with me," Dean said. "It was bad enough off the course, with the lows and stuff. Now it’s on and off the course. I hope I made her proud."
SCHERZER PASSES GAYLORD
TORONTO (AP) -- Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer moved into ninth place on the career strikeout list Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer reached the mark by striking out Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh for the second out of the seventh inning, the 3,535th of his career.
The sellout crowd of 42,039 rose for a standing ovation when the record was displayed on the scoreboard.
“I respect who’s on this list,” Scherzer said. “To be moving up in the top 10 all-time means something. It’s great to do it here at home and have the fans really get into as well. That’s a special moment. Very thankful for my teammates and the fans, and their support.”
It was Scherzer’s season-high 10th strikeout of the game, the first time this season and 115th time in his career that he has fanned 10 or more. His previous high was five.
Scherzer allowed one hit in a season-high seven innings to earn his first win since his season-opening start on March 31 against Colorado. He threw a season-high 97 pitches with 67 strikes.
It was just the third time in MLB history that a pitcher aged 42 or older threw seven or more innings, struck out 10 or more and allowed two or fewer baserunners. Nolan Ryan did it twice, most recently on May 1, 1991 against Toronto, his seventh and final no-hitter.
WETHERHOLT OUT
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals placed rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list Sunday with right wrist tendinitis.
Wetherholt was hitless in his past two games, but is hitting .242 with 17 home runs, 48 RBIs and 88 runs scored as St. Louis’ leadoff hitter. He had been managing pain for the past several weeks and was given the day off Thursday, with no improvement.
“These past three or four days have been pretty, pretty bad,” Wetherholt said. “And then obviously, like had an off day. We’ve been trying to like incorporate maybe some rest with stuff like that, and my body just was not really responding to it.
“So the doctors kind of just said we’re losing that pain battle, so just kind of need some time.”
Wetherholt’s production dropped off after the All-Star Game. His OPS was .755 in the first half but just .618 in 40 games since.
Wetherholt said he would visit a doctor in Arizona and then rejoin the team in Los Angeles during its nine-game road trip. He held out hope that he could return after the minimum 10 days, and manager Oliver Marmol was confident Wetherholt would return this season.
“I appreciate his eagerness and unwillingness to want to come out of the lineup,” Marmol said, “but at this point where we’re at, I think it makes sense to go ahead and do this.”
Infielder César Prieto was called up from Triple-A Memphis to replace Wetherholt. Prieto has three hits in 15 career big-league games.