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Cleveland Browns trade Emmanuel Acho for Eagles' RB Dion Lewis -- Browns Insider

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Browns CEO Joe Banner made a swap with his former club, the Eagles, exchanging sixth-round linebacker Emmanuel Acho for running back Dion Lewis.

acho-lewis.jpg Dion Lewis, left, and Emmanuel Acho.  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns and Eagles are still willing trade partners despite their offseason tug-of-war for eventual Philly coach Chip Kelly.

Browns CEO Joe Banner executed a minor trade with his former club on Thursday, shipping 2012 sixth-round linebacker Emmanuel Acho to the Eagles for third-year reserve running back Dion Lewis, whom he helped draft in the fifth round of 2011 out of Pittsburgh.

The small and shifty Lewis (5-8, 190) will most likely serve as a third-down back and possible kick returner.

"Dion is a back who runs with very good quickness and vision," said Browns coach Rob Chudzinski in a release. "He is a promising young player who will add depth, which is extremely important at that position."

The Browns currently have Trent Richardson, Montario Hardesty and Chris Ogbonnaya at tailback.

"Dion had an extremely productive college career and responded well in his limited chances with the Eagles," said Banner. "We felt this would be a good opportunity for him and us, and we are happy that Dion is now a member of the Browns."

In 24 games with the Eagles, Lewis has rushed 36 times for 171 yards (4.8 average) and two touchdowns. In addition, he's caught three passes for 21 and returned 32 kickoffs for 702 yards (21.9 average). In 2012, he appeared in nine games and totaled 69 rushing yards with one score.

The Browns never got a chance to see what Acho could do, because he suffered a knee injury during camp and was placed on injured reserve for the season. The 204th overall pick (a compensatory selection) out of Texas, Acho is expected to start out on special teams for the Eagles and provide depth in their 3-4. He's reunited with former Browns coach Pat Shurmur, now the offensive coordinator, and former Browns linebacker coach Billy Davis, now the Eagles defensive coordinator.

Lewis, set to make $555,000 this season, was on the block and would've been hard-pressed to make the Eagles final roster.

"Happy to be a Brown," Lewis tweeted today. "Feeling the love."

A two-year letterman at Pitt (2009-10), Lewis broke Tony Dorsett's freshman rushing record with 1,799 yards and tied Dorsett for the school freshman record with 10 100-yard rushing performances. Lewis' rushing total ranked third in the nation in 2009 and was the second-highest single-season total by a Panther in school history. He added 17 rushing touchdowns en route to being named the Big East Conference Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. As a sophomore, he led the team with 1,061 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns.

Kugbila workout: The Browns will conduct a private workout this weekend with Valdosta (Ga.) State guard Edmund Kugbila, a league source said.

Kugbila (6-4, 362) is a third- or fourth-round projection. He's started the past three seasons, and is known for his aggressive demeanor on the field. Kugbila helped Valdosta to the Division II national championship last season.

The Browns are looking for depth at guard, and a possible starter depending on the health of Jason Pinkston (blood clot in lung). They've studied and hosted other top guards, including Kent State's Brian Winters and North Carolina's Jonathan Cooper.

Kugbila moved to the United States from Ghana at the age of 10 after his parents won a visa lottery. He began playing football at age 10, and by high school, he was coveted by powerhouses such as Alabama, Georgia, Florida. He didn't qualify academically, but made the most of his time at Valdosta State.

Out of the black and yellow: Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has sold all of his Steelers stock, his former club announced today.

Haslam had owned a 12.5% share since 2008, and had to divest it when he purchased the Browns. Current Steelers stockholders bought most of the shares.

"We appreciate the continued confidence of our ownership group involving this purchase of stock owned by Jimmy Haslam, and we welcome Scott and Russ Swank to our ownership group," Steelers President Art Rooney II said in the release.

Dolphins have ammo: Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, who has the No. 12 overall pick, stressed today that he could move up in the draft if he so chooses.

The Dolphins, who might be in the market for an offensive tackle, have five picks in the first three rounds. Some have speculated they'll try to move up, and rumors have circulated that the Browns at No. 6 pick might be one of the teams on their radar.

"You have options," Ireland said in a pre-draft press conference today. "I like to use the word "ammunition" to kind of go up if you wanted to. And certainly there's opportunities to do that, and there's also opportunities to move back, and move around."

The Dolphins could be targeting one of the top offensive tackles in the draft in Texas A&M's Luke Joeckel, Central Michigan's Eric Fisher or Oklahoma's Lane Johnson. Joeckel is projected by many to go No. 1 overall to the Chiefs.

"I've got enough ammunition to get to the first pick if I wanted to," Ireland said. "But I don't see myself doing that."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4370 On Twitter: @marykaycabot


Northeast Ohio high school sports scoreboard for Thursday, April 11, 2013.

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Baseball WEST SHORE CONFERENCE

Baseball

WEST SHORE CONFERENCE

North Ridgeville000 001 0-- 1 4 2

Avon000 201 x-- 3 4 0

NR (4-3, 0-1): Feierabend (L). A (3-4, 1-0): Tomko (W, 3-0).

Notable: Dill (A) RBI.

NONLEAGUE

Streetsboro101 810 0--11 13 2

Hawken002 020 0-- 4 4 3

S (3-2): Szemacs (W, 2-0). H (3-5): Holmes (L, 0-2).

Notable: Bison (S) 4-5, 2 R, SB.

Boys track

Late result

North Ridgeville 69, Vermilion 59

4x800: (NR) 9:17.3. 110H: Lucas (NR) 16.7. 100: Dwulat (NR) 11.7. 4x200: (NR) 1:39.0. 1,600: Safer (V) 5:01.9. 4x100: (NR) 48.4. 400: Hoerig (V) 56.2 300H: Lucas (NR) 43.4. 800: Boyd (V) 2:19.5. 200: Sonego (NR) 23.6. 3,200: Safer (V) 11:12.7. 4x400: (V) 4:02.3. LJ: Hanllingan (NR) 18-11/2. HJ: Lewis (V) 5-6. SP: Bowden (NR) 47-33/4. D: Bowden (NR) 129-9.

Girls track

Late results

Mentor 54, Shaker Heights 42

Shot put: Sullens (M) 33-7. Discus: Augustine (M) 63-9. High jump: Eiben (M) 5-0. Long jump: Reynolds (SH) 17-33/4. Pole vault: Gabriel (M) 7-6. 4x800: M 10:24. 100H: Muhammad (M) 15.9. 100: Owens (SH) 12.9. 4x200: SH 1:53.4. 1,600: Woods (M) 5:29. 4x100: SH 52.9. 400: McGinnis (SH) 63.9.

Vermilion 93, North Ridgeville 34

4x800: (V) 13:20. 100H: Senart (NR) 17.1. 100: Bartlome (V) 12.9. 4x200: (V) 1:51.2. 1,600: Zingalege (NR) 6:18.4. 4x100: (V) 52.9. 400: Terschak (V) 73.2. 300H: Bodeker (V) 52.0. 800: Nicoll (V) 2:46. 200: LaForce (V) 29.3. 3,200: Lowery (NR) 14:07. LJ: Morris (V) 14-7. HJ: Bartlome (V) 5-2. SP: Mowry (V) 30-4. D: Mowry (V) 89-1.

Walsh 121, Laurel 31, CCA 11

Shot put: Lewis (W) 29-9. Discus: Kendrick (W) 88-1. High Jump: Turner (L) 4-4. Long Jump:14-61/4. 4x800: W 11:05. 100H: Young (L) 16.59. 100: Kennedy (W) 12.81. 4x200: W 1:53. 1,600: Onders (W) 5:46. 4x100: W .53. 400: Noelle (W) 62.7. 300H: Young (L) 51.04. 800: Onders (W) 2:41. 200: West (CCA) 27.08. 3,200: Lenz (W) 13:17. 4x400: W 4:41.

Boys tennis

Avon 5, Elyria 0

Singles: Mostardi d. Behner 6-, 6-0; Robbins d. Emilio 6-2, 6-0; Burger d. Tolson 7-6, 6-2.

Doubles: Badt/Nicklaus d. Flowers/McCormick 6-1, 6-1; Baskar/Alexander d. Melendez/Peggs 7-6, 6-2.

Crestwood 4, Lordstown 1

Singles: S. Geiger d. N. Johnson 6-1, 6-1; T. Tyler d. J. Palo 6-0, 6-0; J. Vaughan d. P. Yasnowski 6-0, 6-0 .

Doubles: T. Roth/H. Strahan d. L. Liming/J. Johns 6-3, 2-6, 6-3; J. Rafidi/. Pyles (L) d. A. Shanhan/T. Fear 7-5, 6-2.

Ravenna 3, Barberton 2

Singles: K. Fisher (B) d. S. Stennett 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; I. Stokes (B) d. B. Van Hoose 6-2, 6-4; L. Baker (R) d. A. Griffith 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

Doubles: N. Chrin/M. Lohr (R) d. D. McQuade/D. Shuman 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6); P. Jalbert/P. Zapolskyy (R) d. B. Richards/M. Leise 6-3, 6-1.

Twinsburg 5, Brush 0

Singles: Doherty d. Gossett 6-4, 6-3; Bartulovic d. Ronis 6-3, 6-3; Peketi d. Grimes 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Khoncarly/Liflyandchick d. Schmidt/Bendokas 6-2, 6-3; Herd/Krishnan d. Toomey/Atchinson 6-1, 6-0.

Westlake 5, Avon Lake 0

Singles: Michelich d. Miller 6-0, 3-0 retired; Craven d. Villari 6-3, 6-3; K. Shah d. Chase6-3, 7-6 (7-2).

Doubles: Wang/Dinchman d. Wright/O'Neal 7-5, 6-2; Arora/Reusser d. Rice/Stonecipler 6-2, 7-6 (7-1).

Boys lacrosse

Archbishop Hoban 15, Wadsworth 1

AH: Jenkins 5, McMahon 3, Reeves 2, Gutbrod 2, Paradise 2, Mellon, Pereira, Swaney. W: Hagginger.

Late result

Westlake 10, Strongsville 9

W: Humer 3, Simon 2, Sandor 2, Bechtel 2, Columbro. S: Belz 3, Delisio 2, Warren 2, Moore 2.

Goalies: W, Freedman (15 saves); S, Andrews (13).

Girls lacrosse

Brecksville 19, Andrews Osborne Ac. 7

B: Robinson 3, Jiuousek 3, Harris 3, Wolfe 2, Augustine 2, Klonowski 2, Maslowski, Kuharich, Mangan, Kotchman. AOA: Jones 3, Vito 2, Du, Poropat.

Goalies: B, Gee (3 saves), Ring (1); AOA, Felvus (2).

Chagrin Falls 12, Cleveland Heights 4

CF: Mackin 7, DeFoy, Fullmer, Manchester, Owen, Vento. CH: Collins 2, Matia, Winans.

Goalies: CF, Wilson (10 saves); CH, Kohr (6).

Medina 16, Magnificat 5

Med (1-0): Rom 4, Thomas 4, Hudson-Heck 3, Vanadia 2, Hitchcock, Stacho, Schorr. Mag (0-3): McQuinn 4, Doyle.

Goalies: Med, Getto (8 saves); Mag, n/a (5).

NDCL 12, Beachwood 6

NDCL (1-0): Joyce 9, Susinskas, Glasier, Tratta. B: n/aGoalies: NDCL, Zbinovec (4 saves); B, n/a).

Boys volleyball

Andrews Osborne Academy d. Stow 25-19, 25-11, 25-13.

 

Medina girls beat Magnificat in lacrosse -- High School Roundup

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Medina girls win in lacrosse and Streetsboro's baseball nine are triumphant.

HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP

Medina's girls lacrosse team overcame the elements Thursday to defeat Magnificat, 16-5.

Amanda Rom and Sierra Thomas battled through the wind and rain to finish with four goals apiece to key the Battling Bees' season-opening win.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights 19, Andrews Osborne 7 Tori Robinson, Julie Harris and Julianne Jirousek combined for nine of the Bees' 19 goals. Chagrin Falls 12, Cleveland Heights 4 Kate Macklin was a one-person wrecking crew as she scored seven goals for Falls. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 12, Beachwood 6 Bridey Joyce stole the show for the Lions by scoring a game-best nine goals.

Boys lacrosse

Archbishop Hoban 15, Wadsworth 1 Five goals and an assist by Michael Jenkins led the romp for the Knights.

Boys tennis

Twinsburg 5, Brush 0 The senior-laden Tigers cruised to the Northeast Ohio Conference win with straight-set victories by junior Sean Doherty, senior Nick Bartulovic and sophomore Pavan Peketi at first, second and third singles, as well as seniors Saeed Khoncarly and Andrew Liflyandhick, who prevailed in straight sets at first doubles, as did the second doubles duo of senior Robert Herd and junior Nirmal Krishnan. Westlake 5, Avon Lake 0 The Demons earned a Southwestern Conference shutout after Connor Michelich, Cal Craven and Krish Shah swept the singles competition and Kevin Wang and Kent Dinchman along with Pranay Arora and Thomas Reusser, won in doubles. Crestwood 4, Lordstown 1 Sebastian Geiger, Travis Tyler and Justin Vaughan were victorious at singles for the Red Devils, while it took three sets for Tyler Roth and Henry Strahan to prevail at second doubles. Avon 5, Elyria 0 The Eagles swept the nonleague match when Nico Mostardi, Macklin Robbins and Oliver Burger won their single matches in straight sets. Chance Nicklaus and Tyler Badt, along with Shaun Alexander and Navi Baskar, did the same at first and second doubles, respectively.

Baseball

Streetsboro 11, Hawken 4 Alex Bison carried more than his share of the load in leading the Rockets to the nonleague road victory. Bison accounted for four of Streetsboro's 13 hits, scored two runs, stole a base and also pitched the final two innings in relief to earn the decision for Austin Szemacs. Szemacs struck out six in the first five innings. Avon 3, North Ridgeville 1 Ian Long and Brad Dill drove in a run each for the Eagles in the West Shore Conference win.

Akron Aeros and Lake County Captains lose -- Minor League Report

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The Akron Aeros and Lake County Captains dropped decisions in Thursday action.

Minor-league report

Class AAA: Columbus vs. Indianapolis, ppd. Thursday's game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 4:35 p.m.

Class AA: Bowie 5, Akron 1 The Aeros' T.J. House allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 innings in a loss to the host Baysox.

Class A Advanced: Carolina The Mudcats were off Thursday.

Class A: Fort Wayne 4, Lake County 0 (51/2 innings) The Captains had more errors (three) than hits (two) in a rain-shortened loss to the host Tincaps.

More news and statistics on Indians minor-league teams at cleveland.com/tribe

Friday, April 12 television and radio sports listings for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio

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Highlights include second round of the Masters; White Sox at Indians; Knicks at Cavaliers; Tulsa at the Canton Charge in an NBA Development League playoff game.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

AHL

7:30 p.m. LAKE ERIE MONSTERS at Hamilton, AM/1220 

AUTO RACING

12:30 p.m. NRA 500 practice, Speed Channel

3 p.m. NRA 500 “Happy Hour Series," Speed Channel

5 p.m. O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 qualifying, ESPN2

6:30 p.m. NRA 500 qualifying, Speed Channel

8:30 p.m. O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, ESPN2

2 a.m. (Sat.) Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, NBCSN 

BASEBALL

7 p.m. Atlanta at Washington, MLB Network

7:05 p.m. AKRON AEROS at Bowie, AM/1350

7:05 p.m. LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS at Fort Wayne, AM/1330

7:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox at CLEVELAND INDIANS, SportsTime Ohio, WGN; FM/100.7 

BOXING

10 p.m. Amir Imam vs. Jeremy Bryan; 

Angelo Santana vs. Carlos Cardenas, Showtime

11 p.m. Rico Ramos vs. Oscar Gonzalez, ESPN2 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

9 p.m. Illinois spring game, Big Ten Network

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

4 p.m. Michigan State at Michigan, Big Ten Network

8 p.m. Mississippi at Mississippi State, ESPNU 

GOLF

3 p.m. Masters Tournament, ESPN 

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS LACROSSE

11 p.m. Dayton Club vs. Springboro Club (tape), TWCS 

MEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE

6 p.m. Virginia at Duke, ESPNU 

NBA

7:30 p.m. Boston at Miami, NBATV

7:30 p.m. New York at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, Fox Sports Ohio; AM/1100

10 p.m. Oklahoma City at Portland, NBATV 

NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

7:30 p.m. First round, Tulsa at CANTON CHARGE, CBSSN 

NHL

8:30 p.m. Detroit at Chicago, NHL Network 

SOCCER

2:30 a.m. (Sat.) Queretaro at Morelia (tape), ESPN2 



Cleveland Indians' Justin Masterson increasing production with reduced effort

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At 6-6 and a thick 250, Indians right-hander Justin Masterson does not ease up easily.

justin-masterson.JPG View full size Indians starting pitcher Justin Masterson is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA after his two starts this season.  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At 6-6 and a thick 250, Indians right-hander Justin Masterson does not ease up easily. He enjoys the feeling that comes with throwing hard, harder, hardest.

Last season, though, Masterson discovered that exertion does not necessarily translate to execution. He felt strong and put everything into his delivery, but he was inconsistent en route to an 11-15 record and 4.93 ERA in 34 starts.

Masterson decided to change his approach in 2013.

"The goal was to reduce my effort level on the mound," Masterson said before Thursday's game against the Yankees was rained out. "I didn't think I needed to be max-effort on every pitch to be effective."

The results have been encouraging through two starts. He is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA entering tonight's start against the White Sox at Progressive Field.

Tribe reliever Joe Smith, who knows Masterson as well as anyone in the clubhouse, was particularly impressed by the second start, April 7 at Tampa Bay. Masterson gave up two hits in seven innings of a 13-0 victory.

"It's the most comfortable I've seen Masty in a long, long time," Smith said. "I told him, 'It looked like you were lobbing the ball, just playing catch.' "

Being in playing-catch mode enables Masterson to repeat his delivery easier. And it hasn't affected the velocity or movement of his staples -- the four- and two-seam fastballs.

"In Tampa, he was throwing so effortlessly that it looked like 82, 83 miles an hour," Smith said. "But you see the [radar] gun and he's right where he always is, 90-95."

Fastballs, especially two-seamers, treated Masterson well in 2011. He went 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 appearances (33 starts). When he continued to rely heavily on fastballs last year, the positive results eluded him. Masterson concluded that he needed to expand his repertoire.

"Sometimes I can get through a game with just heaters," he said. "But there are no awards for throwing the most heaters in a season. I needed to pitch more."

Masterson dusted off the slider, which he had used in the bullpen as a Red Sox prospect before being traded to Cleveland in July 2009 and becoming a starter. Masterson had a good slider Opening Day in Toronto, then really went to work with it against the Rays.

"Best I've ever seen his slider," Smith said. "It was nasty."

An unofficial charting of Masterson's Tampa Bay outing put the slider total at 29 (of 97 pitches). Masterson said he actually threw 26, the three in question being sinkers that resembled sliders. Because of Masterson's sidearm release point, his slide pieces have a Frisbee effect.

"Tampa, by far, was the best feel I've had for the slider in quite some time," he said. "I threw a number of them, but I didn't throw too many. I kept going to it because it was effective, especially against lefties."

Smith is excited to see what Masterson can do with a three-pitch mix.

"If he can throw the slider for a strike -- or what seems like a strike -- consistently, it makes him that much more filthy," Smith said. "He's not a guy you want to face to begin with. He's not a comfortable AB by any means. Now you mix in the slider with the four-seamer and the heavy sinker."

Getting close: Indians catcher Carlos Santana, who suffered a left-thumb injury Monday, caught a bullpen session Thursday afternoon and took swings in the indoor cage.

Tribe manager Terry Francona liked what he saw and heard.

"Carlos caught Brett [Myers], and it was freezing out there, to boot," Francona said. "So that was a great sign. I asked him, 'If you had your choice, when would you play?' He said, '[Tonight].' I don't think that's going to happen, but it's really good news. It means he's not very far off and that the process is moving along quickly."

Santana was drilled by Chris Perez's fastball late in the Tribe's 11-6 loss to the Yankees. Santana had expected a slider and turned his glove accordingly. The ball caught him at the base of the thumb.

Santana is hitting .500 (13-for-26) with two homers and five RBI in seven games.

Easing in Santana as a designated hitter is unlikely Saturday, because White Sox lefty Chris Sale will pitch. Mark Reynolds handles the DH duties against lefties.

On Sunday, the Indians face White Sox righty Jake Peavy.

Jimenez bumped back: Francona announced that right-hander Zach McAllister, the Tribe's scheduled starter Thursday, will pitch Saturday against the White Sox. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez moves from Saturday to Tuesday, which is the opener of a three-game series against the Red Sox at Progressive Field.

Something might have been bothering Jimenez physically during a bad start Monday against the Yankees.

"Ubaldo had a good, healthy [side throwing session Thursday]," Francona said. "He'll have another side Saturday and pitch Tuesday."

He's the man: Yankees closer Mariano Rivera entered Thursday with 609 saves, most all time. He had been successful in each of his past 17 save opportunities against Cleveland since 2003, allowing two earned runs in 251/3 innings (0.71 ERA).

Rivera is retiring at the end of the season. Thursday was supposed to be his final game in Cleveland as a player, but a rainout Wednesday changed that. Wednesday's game has not been rescheduled.

Rivera, for as terrific as he has been against the Indians and the league, authored two notable failures at Progressive Field:

On July 14, 2002, Rivera took over for Steve Karsay to begin the ninth inning with the Yankees leading by three. The Indians rallied for six runs, capped by a grand slam from Bill Selby, for a 10-7 victory. Rivera blew his second save of the series after converting 17 straight.

On Oct. 5, 1997, the Indians were four outs from elimination in a division series when Sandy Alomar Jr. homered to right off Rivera. The Tribe scored again in the ninth to win Game 4, 3-2. They won Game 5, 4-3, the next night at Progressive Field and eventually reached the World Series.

The Yankees being bounced was stunning and historic. They were the defending World Series champion. After the Game 5 loss, owner George Steinbrenner all but guaranteed that his club would make amends by winning the title in 1998. The Yankees did, in fact, win it all in 1998 -- and 1999 and 2000.

2013 NFL Draft Top 5 Outside Linebackers: A Duck flies to the top of the list

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Who are the Top 5 outside linebackers in this year's NFL draft? How many will be first round picks? Chris Fedor gives his list.

The role of an outside linebacker has grown recently. With many teams switching to a 3-4 defense or a hybrid, teams are looking for players that can terrorize the quarterback off the edge more so than drop into pass coverage to cover tight ends. Every team searches for a dominant pass rusher, but they are not easy to find. It's why the Browns gave Paul Kruger a boatload of cash and the Bengals used the franchise tag on Michael Johnson.

While it can be done, it's rare to find elite pass rushers beyond the first round. Minnesota's Jared Allen, Miami's Cameron Wake and Baltimore's Elvis Dumervil are all examples of diamonds in the rough found later in the draft. Those players are the exception. Four of the top five NFL sack leaders in 2012 (Houston's J.J. Watt, San Francisco's Aldon Smith, Denver's Von Miller and Green Bay's Clay Matthews) were first-round picks. The exception was Wake, and it's why a handful of pass rushers will hear their name called on the first night of the draft.

1. Dion Jordan, 6-6, 248 lbs, Oregon

Jordan went to Oregon as one of the top tight end prospects in the country. The Ducks wanted him to play receiver but he grew out of the position and into a defensive lineman. Once he finally became a full-time starter in 2011, Jordan became a monster on defense (42 tackles, 13 for loss, team-high 7.5 sacks). He was named first-team All-Pac 12. Playing in a hybrid position last season, Jordan was once again Oregon's best defensive player (44 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 1 INT) despite missing some time with a nagging shoulder injury that he had corrected this off-season. While those numbers won't appeal to everyone, Jordan was often asked to cover tight ends or slot receivers because of his athleticism and versatility. He is a physical freak. It may take a bit of time for him to develop-- and he'll need to stay healthy -- but Jordan's length, athleticism, speed and quickness could allow him to become a premier pass rusher.

2. Barkevious Mingo, 6-4, 241 lbs, LSU

Barkevious Mingo loosely translates to "quarterback killer." Okay, I made that up but it would certainly be fitting if it did. Mingo was buried on the depth chart to start his career in the bayou. He made just three starts as a sophomore in 2011, but his impact was felt in the SEC (46 tackles, 15 for loss and 8 sacks). There were high hopes for "KeKe" to take the next step in 2012, but the production was lacking (38 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks). His stats don't tell the whole story.

Playing against some mobile quarterbacks this season (Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, Forida's Jeff Driskell, Washington's Keith Price and South Carolina's Connor Shaw) the Tigers didn't unleash Mingo as much as a pass rusher. They asked him to play contain. By comparison, San Francisco's Aldon Smith had just three sacks his final season in college, Clay Matthews 5.5 his entire career and Jason Pierre-Paul 6.5 before turning pro. Those three guys are doing well for themselves. Mingo has rare physical tools. He needs to get stronger, play the run and develop more pass-rushing moves. But with his length, athleticism and explosive first step, the former LSU Tiger has the ability to become a double-digit sack guy if used properly.

3. Jarvis Jones, 6-2, 245 lbs, Georgia

Jarvis Jones Jarvis Jones' neck injury is a concern but the outside linebacker has too much talent to fall outside the Top 20.  

Jones started his collegiate career at USC. It was a huge coup for the Trojans to wrangle him away from his home state of Georgia. His career almost ended just eight games into his freshman season. USC doctors wouldn't clear him to return after a severe neck injury so he returned back home. After redshirting in 2010, Jones returned like he was possessed. SEC teams quickly learned why there was so much excitement over Jones at USC. At Georgia, he became captain of the defense, named All-American and a first-team All-SEC performer after tallying 70 tackles, 19.5 for loss (led the SEC) and 13.5 sacks (also led the SEC). 2012 was even better for Jones, winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and becoming the most productive pass rusher in the draft with 85 tackles, 24.5 for loss, 14.5 sacks and 7 forced fumbles.

This off-season hasn't gone very well, however, for Jones. He didn't work out at the combine and has faced a myriad of medical tests. He ran a disappointing 4.92 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Jones is better in pads than he is in shorts. He has a non-stop motor, a propensity for timing the snap, a great first-step quickness and heavy hands that allow him to get after the quarterback. His physical dimensions and athleticism will be questioned and rightfully so. There will also be questions about his health. I don't see Jones as a dominant force like he was in college but he has the skill-set to be a complementary piece on defense.

4. Arthur Brown, 6-0, 241 lbs, Kansas State

Brown was one of the top recruits coming out of high school. He began his career at Miami, but never made a start there. He left and returned home to Kansas State. It didn't take him long to make an impact for the Wildcats. In his first year, Brown became a starter, a captain and a difference maker on defense. Brown was named Newcomer of the Year in the Big 12. He was just getting started. In 2012, Brown started every game, playing both inside and outside linebacker. He racked up 100 tackles, 7 for loss, 1 sack, 4 pass breakups and 2 interceptions.

The brother of Eagles running back Bryce Brown, Arthur is a bit undersized for the position and, because of that, some may write him off. I would caution against that. Brown plays bigger-- he's strong, tough, physical and aggressive. He missed the Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine with a shoulder injury that has bothered him the entire off-season-- a concern for a player with his size. He may never be great and he is a bit of a 'tweener, but Brown is a reliable linebacker that uses his instincts and speed to make plays on defense. Those traits translate to the next level.

5. Sio Moore, 6-1, 245 lbs, Connecticut

Sio Moore UCONN's Sio Moore isn't special but he was extremely productive and reliable for the Huskies.  

Recently, UCONN has been able to churn out NFL talent (offensive lineman Will Beatty, safety Tyvon Branch, cornerback Darius Butler and running back Donald Brown). There are a few more in this year's class including Sio Moore. He took the starting job just four games into the 2010 season and put up big numbers as a sophomore (110 tackles, 11.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks). He was even better his junior season with 86 tackles, 16 for loss, 6.5 sacks and six pass breakups. Moore saved his best for last with the Huskies. He was named first-team All-Big East (72 tackles, 15.5 for loss, 7.5 sacks and 11 pass breakups) and emerged as one of the top outside linebackers in the country his senior year.

While Moore doesn't have elite physical tools, he's very consistent and rarely gets out of position. He has the speed and strength to line up with tight ends and is athletic enough to make plays in space. But physicality is Moore's calling card. He won't be an impact player but has the look of a solid, reliable outside linebacker.

Also see:

Chris Fedor's Mock Draft 5.0: New destinations for Geno and Milliner

More Chris Fedor's Top 5...

Cleveland Indians P.M. links: Outfield defense among the best; Terry Francona will manage 10 games without DH

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Outfield of Michael Bourn, Michael Brantley and Drew Stubbs covers lot of ground. Indians will play 10 games this season in National League parks. More Indians story links.


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Indians, following Wednesday and Thursday's rainouts of games against the New York Yankees, host the Chicago White Sox tonight.

Right-hander Justin Masterson takes the mound for the Tribe. Masterson has won his first two starts, allowing one run on five hits in 13 innings. Lefty Jose Quintana, who got a no-decision in his lone start thus far, goes for the White Sox.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage includes Dennis Manoloff's story that pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been suspended eight games for hitting the Yankees' Kevin Youkilis with a pitch (with a report on Indians' roster moves included); Manoloff's story that Justin Masterson now knows he doesn't have to try to throw as hard as he can to be effective; Manoloff's On Deck: Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago White Sox; his Indians Chatter.

One aspect of the Indians that is much-improved over last season is their outfield defense. David Schoenfield ranks the best defensive outfields for ESPN.com, placing the Indians third. He writes:

A year ago, the Cleveland Indians allowed the most runs in the American League, a pretty remarkable achievement considering the Minnesota Twins had a historically awful rotation. The Indians, however, combined bad pitchers and bad defense -- their -51 Defensive Runs Saved ranked 28th in the majors.

Like the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, the Indians decided to make their pitching better by improving their defense. First they traded impending free agent Shin-Soo Choo, who graded out as -12 DRS in right field, and landed Reds center fielder Drew Stubbs in the deal, pushing Michael Brantley to left. Then they signed free agent Nick Swisher to replace Choo; Swisher is a better right fielder than Choo. But when Michael Bourn remained unsigned into February, the Indians swooped in and signed the two-time Gold Glove center fielder. That pushed Swisher primarily to first base and gave the Indians an outfield of three guys who played center field last year.

The Indians' outfield collectively rated as -17 a year ago, and it's conceivable this group could rate at +30 runs -- a 47-run difference worth nearly five wins. Not to mention maybe some added confidence to the pitching staff.
Indians story links

Manager Terry Francona thinks American League teams are at a disadvantage when they lose the designated hitter in road games against National League teams. The Indians play 10 such games this season. (By Sheldon Ocker, Akron Beacon Journal)

Preview of tonight's White Sox at Indians game. (By Austin Laymance, MLB.com)

A preview of the three-game series between the Indians and White Sox. (Let's Go Tribe)

Indians notes, beginning with how Cleveland's last two top draft picks -- shortstop Francisco Lindor (201) and outfielder Tyler Naquin (2012) -- are off to good starts with the Indians' Class A Carolina Mudcats. (By Jim Ingraham, News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal)

Indians notes, including the progress being made from injuries by catcher Carlos Santana and pitcher Scott Kazmir. (By Sheldon Ocker, Akron Beacon Journal)

Maybe the two off days because of rainouts can help the Indians get back on track. (WaitingForNextYear)

Indians notes. (By Chris Assenheimer, Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette)

It's difficult to replace switch-hitting catcher Carlos Santana in the Indians' lineup. (By Craig Gifford, Did The Tribe Win Last Night?)



Indians vs. White Sox: Get updates tonight

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The Indians welcome the White Sox to town as they begin a weekend series.

AX020_7563_9.JPG Justin Masterson starts tonight against the White Sox. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)  

Game 9: Indians (3-5) vs. White Sox (4-5)

First pitch: 7:05 p.m. at Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio.

TV/radio: STO, WGN; WTAM AM/1100.

Starting pitchers: RHP Justin Masterson (2-0, 0.69 ERA) vs. LHP Jose Quintana (0-0, 11.25 ERA)

Box score | MLB scoreboard

» Get updates from Paul Hoynes in the pressbox here

» You can also follow Tweets about the game and post your comments below.


Cavaliers vs. Knicks: Game preview and Twitter updates

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The Knicks look to regroup and could have their hands full with Kyrie Irving in Friday night's visit to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks look to regroup and could have their hands full with Kyrie Irving in Friday night's visit to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.


Get Twitter updates from Mary Schmitt Boyer (@PDCavsInsider) and Jodie Valade (@JodieValade) in the box below. Check out the in-game box score here. Read on for a game preview. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.



AX040_6AE8_9.JPG New York Knicks' J.R. Smith (8), Carmelo Anthony (7) and Raymond Felton (2) react to a play late in a game against the Chicago Bulls. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)  

(AP) -- Another dangerous guard is up next for the New York Knicks after the Atlantic Division champions allowed one to get hot and help end their 13-game win streak.


The Knicks look to regroup and could have their hands full with Kyrie Irving in Friday night's visit to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.


New York (51-27) fell 118-111 in overtime at Chicago on Thursday. That ended the Knicks' longest win streak since they took 15 straight from March 1-April 2, 1994.
"It's over with," coach Mike Woodson said. "You can't win them all."


Carmelo Anthony scored exactly 36 for the third straight game for New York, which leads Central Division champion Indiana by two games with four left in the race for the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed.


The Knicks have allowed some explosive performances by smaller perimeter players this season, most notably Golden State guard Stephen Curry's NBA season-high 54 points Feb. 27.


Former New York guard Nate Robinson scored a season-high 35 for the Bulls on Thursday, matching Toronto guard Alan Anderson's output March 22 as the most points scored by a reserve against the Knicks this season.


New York owns two close victories over Cleveland (24-54), with Anthony missing one contest with a sprained right ankle and only logging 14 minutes in the other as he left with a knee injury.


Irving scored a career-high 41 points in a 103-102 loss at New York on Dec. 15 that had Knicks point guard Raymond Felton marveling at the reigning Rookie of the Year's scoring prowess.


"When a guy gets that hot, there's nothing you can really do, other than just stay in front of him and make him take tough shots, which he did," Felton said after that win.


The Knicks limited Irving to 22 in a 102-97 road win March 4, ending their 10-game slide at Quicken Loans Arena. New York, however, was led in that contest by Amare Stoudemire's 22 points, and the forward is out for the remainder of the regular season.
Irving returned in that contest after missing three games with a hyperextended right knee. He also missed nine of 10 games between March 12-April 1, and is averaging 18.7 points but shooting only 33.7 percent in five since returning.


Irving scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half of Wednesday's 111-104 home loss to Detroit, and embattled coach Byron Scott has admitted that his star guard does not look the same.


"I don't think he's attacking as he normally does," Scott said. "You gotta ask him but I thought tonight he looked more tired in the first half that he did lately but in the second half, he picked it up."


Cleveland got good news Wednesday with the return of rookie Dion Waiters, who had 11 points in 15 minutes after missing 10 games with a knee injury. Scott said he plans on giving Waiters more minutes Friday.


The Knicks have a thin frontcourt with big men Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin sitting out Thursday. Chandler has a bulging disk and Martin a sprained left ankle.


Anthony picked up the slack on the glass with a season-high 19 rebounds against the Bulls. He's averaging 39.8 points in his last six games while J.R. Smith is scoring 24.9 over his last 11.
The Knicks haven't swept the Cavs since going 4-0 in 1993-94.

Ubaldo Jimenez has start moved back: Cleveland Indians Chatter

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Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona says Ubaldo Jimenez had a good session throwing on the side recently.

Clubhouse confidential: After Thursday's rainout, Tribe manager Terry Francona said right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez's next start would be moved from today to Tuesday. Francona then said Jimenez recently had a "good, healthy" side session, with another one set for Saturday.

"I meant to say crisp," Francona said. "My point was, he'd had a good side session and we were trying to build off that. He's very healthy."

Jimenez, who is working on closing his stride foot and throwing the ball more downhill, said he had no issue with being pushed back.

"Whatever they want me to do, I'll do," he said with a smile.

Jimenez followed a strong start at Toronto with a dud against the Yankees on Monday in the Tribe's home opener. He allowed seven runs on seven hits in 41/3 innings as the Yankees rolled, 11-6.

"When I got to the mound, I had nothing," he said Friday afternoon. "I didn't have my fastball, I didn't have my breaking ball. I felt fine, I just didn't have anything."

Injury updates: The Indians won't have a need for a fifth starter until April 20. Lefty Scott Kazmir, recovering from a rib-cage injury that landed him on the disabled list April 2, is the strongest candidate.

Catcher Carlos Santana could return in some capacity Saturday. He was hit at the base of the left thumb by a Chris Perez fastball late in the game Tuesday.

"Maybe it's not fair to Carlos, because if he doesn't play [today], it will be like, 'What?' " Francona said. "But he's progressing so well, there's a chance he might play. It will depend on how he gets through batting practice, how cold it is."

The Indians felt fortunate that Santana only suffered a bruise.

"It could have been really bad," Francona said. "We dodged one."

Roster moves: The Indians on Friday activated designated hitter Jason Giambi, recalled left-handed reliever Nick Hagadone from Class AAA Columbus, placed righty reliever Matt Albers on the paternity list and sent right-handed pitcher Corey Kluber back to Columbus.

Francona is a huge fan of Giambi.

"I said right away in the spring, 'He wasn't a veteran, he was the veteran,' " Francona said. "He's done nothing but enhance our feelings for him. If you're around him, it just happens. It's not just what he says, it's how he says it. His fingerprints are all over everything. A great guy to have around."

Stat of the day: Giambi entered Friday with 429 homers.

The Masters: Jason Day leads, Tiger Woods three back; 14-year-old makes cut

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Jason Day shoots a 68 to move to 6-under par after two rounds at the Masters in Augusta, Ga. He leads by one shot over Fred Couples and Marc Leishman, and by three shots over Tiger Woods.

Gallery preview

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jason Day is out front midway through the Masters.

Fortunately for Guan Tianlang, the leader didn't sink one last putt Friday.

Guan, a 14-year-old from China, became the youngest player to make the cut in PGA Tour history, despite taking a one-stroke penalty on the 17th hole for slow play.

Apparently the first ruling of its kind in the Masters' 77-year history, it gave the eighth-grader no margin for error if he wanted to play on the weekend.

Day charged to the lead and was in position to knock out Guan -- and everyone else at 4 over, including defending champ Bubba Watson -- when he stood over a 12-foot putt at the 17th hole. When the ball slid by the right side of the hole, Guan could breathe a little easier.

Then, when Day's approach at the 18th rolled back toward the front of the green, it was clear Guan would reach another milestone -- two more rounds in the first major of the year. He already was the youngest player in Masters history.

Day, an Australian, shot a 4-under 68 that gave him a 6-under 138 total, good enough for a one-stroke lead over Fred Couples and first-round co-leader Marc Leishman.

Tiger Woods had a share of the top spot until a tough finish knocked him back. He struck the flagstick at No. 15, sending the ball careening back into the water. Only a brilliant little pitch on the do-over allowed him to save bogey at a hole where he should have had a good chance for a birdie. Then, on 18, Woods misjudged the distance just a bit on the approach, wound up on the back tier of the green and three-putted for another bogey.

He finished at 71 and three shots back at 141, a score that easily could have been two or three shots lower.

"I really played well," Woods said. "The score is not indicative of quite how well I played."

Everyone within 10 shots of the lead will be back on Saturday.

That includes a youngster who's on quite a field trip.

Guan just needs to speed things up a bit.

Fred Ridley, the club's competition committee chairman, said Guan's threesome was first warned for being too far behind the group ahead of them at the 10th hole. The teenager went on the clock two holes later -- an official imposes a 40-second time limit to play a stroke -- and gave Guan his first warning at No. 13.

"In keeping with the applicable rules, he was penalized following his second shot on the 17th hole when he again exceeded the 40-second time limit by a considerable margin," Ridley said in a statement.

That turned what would have been a par into a bogey. Guan finished at 75 and 148 overall.

"I respect the decision," Guan said. "This is what they can do."

The last player to be penalized for slow play at a major was Gregory Bourdy at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. No one could find a record of anyone getting penalized in such a way at Augusta National.

"I know the rules pretty good," Guan said. "But I think my routine was pretty good, too. Just the wind changed. The weather, it was not a good day."

A rainy morning turned into a sunny, blustery afternoon, which sent scores much higher than they were in the opening round. Guan said it took him longer to judge distances and pick clubs because of the wind.

Leishman, a 29-year-old Australian with only one PGA Tour victory, kept up his solid play in the tough conditions, while others skidded down the board.

They included Sergio Garcia, who was tied with Leishman at the end of the first round after both shot 6-under 66. The Spaniard soared to a 76 that knocked him back, but not out. He was four strokes off the lead.

Dustin Johnson surged to 7 under and the top spot on the board, before a dismal finish ruined his day. He laid up at the par-5 15th hole, then dunked his third shot in the water, leading to a double-bogey. He bogeyed the 17th and took another double-bogey at the final hole to finish with 76.

Instead of leading, he was five shots back at 1-under 143.

Some former champions fared better.

Couples, playing in his favorite tournament at age 53, birdied the final hole for a 71. Angel Cabrera birdied five of the last six holes, signed for a 69 and was another shot back at 140.

"It's a hard course out there," Couples said. "I felt very good about what I shot. I had a couple of little hiccups out there and did some other good things to shoot my score. But the golf course is winning today."

Cabrera actually posted a better score in the tougher conditions than he did Thursday, when he shot 71. He was joined at 4 under by Jim Furyk (71) and Brandt Snedeker (70).

"For me, Augusta is never easy," said Cabrera, the 2009 Masters champion. "Never, ever easy. The big difference was that on the back nine, I was hitting very well off the tee, leaving my second shots close, and I was able to make some birdies."

Kyrie Irving's shooting starting to pick up: Cleveland Cavaliers Insider

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After shooting poorly in his first four games after returning from an injury, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has seen his shooting heat up.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kyrie Irving never panicked, and there's good reason. The Cavaliers' point guard has never seen a shooting slump last for very long.

So while Irving struggled with his outside shot after returning from missing eight games with a sprained left shoulder, he's regained not only his confidence but his touch recently.

In Irving's first four games after returning, he shot 32.4 percent from the field.

But in the two games before Friday's matchup against the New York Knicks, Irving's shooting had improved to 48.6 percent.

Apparently focused on the contest with the Knicks, Irving was tight-lipped before the game when asked about his shooting.

"Just get extra shots up," Irving said.

Asked if it he was healthy or if his injury affected his stroke, Irving answered with a succinct, "Yep," and, "Nope."

"He's shooting the ball better, he's getting back in the groove, getting his legs back," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "Again, it's just a timing issue. When you're out that long, you've got to get back into it, get back into the flow. Conditioning you have to get back into it. I don't care what you do, when you're out that long, I don't care how much you run on the treadmill, it's not the same until you get into an actual game."

Dion out: Rookie Dion Waiters was out of the lineup on Friday. Waiters, who played against Detroit on Wednesday after missing the previous 10 games with a right knee injury, did not attend Friday's game because he was dealing with a family matter, Scott said.

Waiters' minutes still are scheduled to be limited to 15-20 when he next plays.

C.J. Miles return? C.J. Miles went through another step of the NBA's concussion protocol Friday and hopes he can complete the remaining steps -- including non-contact and contact basketball drills -- without incident so that he can return to the lineup before the season ends Wednesday.

The problem is, the Cavaliers have just one more day of practice before the season concludes.

"I could come back, or I could be done," Miles admitted.

The Cavaliers will practice Saturday, have back-to-back games Sunday and Monday, and conclude the season Wednesday in Charlotte. They will not practice Tuesday, per typical NBA policy to take off the day after a back-to-back set.

On the bright side (?) Miles at least is sporting a nifty vertical gash precisely in the middle of his forehead, just above his nose. He joked that he looks like Harry Potter.

Embry and Ohio HOF: Wayne Embry had no idea who Marty Blake was when the then-general manager of the St. Louis Hawks called Embry to tell him he'd been drafted by the Hawks in the third round of the 1958 draft. In their second conversation a short time later, Blake called Embry to tell him he'd been traded to Cincinnati.

But in spite of that dubious start, the two grew close and Embry, the former Cavs president and general manager who is now a senior adviser to the Toronto Raptors, missed Friday's Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony at The Q in order to attend Blake's funeral in Atlanta.

"I always thanked him for drafting me, and then, as a young general manager, we always had a good time when we were together," Embry said. "He was a character."

Other inductees in this year's class for the Ohio Basketball HOF included: Randy Ayers, Brad Daugherty, Fran Guilbault, Howard Jolliff, Kenyon Martin, James Morgan, Ron Niekamp, Tamika Williams Raymond, Wally Szczerbiak, Steve Trout (official), Barbara Turner and Bill Uhl. Team inductees were Dayton Belmont High School men, 1964 state champions, and University of Findlay men, 2009 national champions.

Plain Dealer reporter Mary Schmitt Boyer contributed to this story.

Justin Masterson dominant as Cleveland Indians walk off with 1-0 victory over White Sox

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The Cleveland Indians' Justin Masterson pitches a five-hitter and NIck Swisher drives in Michael Bourn with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth as the Tribe beats the Chicago White Sox, 1-0.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On Opening Day, April 2 in Toronto, Indians right-hander Justin Masterson defeated reigning NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey. In his next start, April 7 at Tampa Bay, Masterson defeated reigning AL Cy Young winner David Price.

Friday night against the White Sox, Masterson faced White Sox lefty Jose Quintana, who might as well be Cy Young when matched against the Indians.

Masterson pitched superbly again -- and was rewarded just in the nick of time.

Boxscore | Scoreboard | Standings

Nick Swisher singled with two outs in the ninth inning to drive in Michael Bourn from third to give the Indians a 1-0 victory at stone-cold Progressive Field.

Masterson crafted a five-hitter. He extended his scoreless streak to 19 innings, a career best.

The Indians (4-5) snapped a two-game slide by winning for the first time since Masterson's previous start. They lost to the Yankees on Monday and Tuesday by a combined score of 25-7, then were idle because of rainouts Wednesday and Thursday.

"Given what's happened to us the past few days, this is a huge win," Swisher said. "We needed it badly. Being able to scrap one out like that can snowball you in the right direction."

Swisher gave mad props to the fans who came to a game whose first-pitch temperature was 42 degrees. Paid attendance: 11,864.

"It felt like 20 degrees out there," he said. "That's a tough one to sit through. We had to win it for them."

Bourn doubled with one out against Jesse Crain. Asdrubal Cabrera's grounder moved Bourn to third. Jason Kipnis worked the count to 3-0 before the White Sox gave him an intentional walk.

"I'm so proud of that AB by Jason," Swisher said. "He took two nasty breaking balls to start. He showed a lot of maturity as a hitter."

Swisher socked Crain's first pitch barely inside the right-field line.

"All I wanted to do was keep it fair," Swisher said. "I didn't care if it was 2 feet over (first baseman Adam Dunn's) head. Just keep it fair."

With virtually no room to spare, Swisher extended his hitting streak at Progressive Field to 19 games. It is tied for second-longest such streak in ballpark history.

"I had no idea," he said with a chuckle. "Hey, the important thing is that we got the win, and that we got the win for Masty. It would have been a shame if we didn't get him that one."

Swisher had told Masterson in the dugout in the ninth that the Indians would win it for him.

"Much appreciated," Masterson said.

Masterson (3-0, 0.41 ERA) walked one and struck out seven. He threw 113 pitches, 81 for strikes.

"Masty was so good," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He threw an obscene amount of strikes. It was fun to watch. It would have been more fun if we'd have had about nine runs, but it was really good."

Francona gave Masterson one last chance to earn the victory by keeping him in to face Dunn with two outs and none on in the ninth. The left-handed power hitter flied to left.

"We have complete confidence in our bullpen," Francona said, "but he deserved that."

Masterson used a four-seam fastball that clocked in the mid-90s, a two-seamer with depth and a sweeping slider. The emergence of the slider has given him a turbo-boost through three starts.

Tribe catcher Yan Gomes, pressed into service because of injuries to Carlos Santana and Lou Marson, did a stellar job of keeping White Sox batters off-balance. Weather and defense also helped Masterson.

"Yan called a great game and I had great defense behind me," Masterson said. "The guys have been playing some serious defense for me in each start. Balls are going to be put in play off me, so I need it."

The Indians needed a stingy Masterson because his counterpart was dealing. Quintana allowed one hit and struck out seven in seven innings. He threw 60 of 98 pitches for strikes. In four career appearances against the Indians, Quintana has given up two runs in 19 1/3 innings.

Masterson retired the first two in the first before sizzling Alex Rios lined a full-count pitch off the left-field wall. Michael Brantley played the carom smoothly, turned and threw a seed to second. Kipnis waited for Rios to slide into his glove.

Rios extended his hitting streak to 16 games dating to last season. He snapped Masterson's string of consecutive batters retired at 15 dating to the start at Tampa Bay.

Brantley plugged the gap in left-center with a two-out double in the second -- his first extra-base hit this season. The Tribe did not get the second hit until Bourn's double.

Masterson gave up a two-out double to Paul Konerko in the seventh. For a moment, it appeared as if Konerko had given Chicago a 1-0 lead, but the ball banged off the left-field wall. Masterson struck out the struggling Dayan Viciedo.

Konerko entered with 237 hits, 46 homers and 171 RBI in his career against Cleveland.

The White Sox threatened in the eighth. No. 7 batter Conor Gillaspie led off with a double, but Alexei Ramirez popped out on a bunt attempt. Gillaspie moved to third on a grounder and stayed there when Alejandro De Aza swung through Masterson's 101st pitch.

Chicago, 4-6 and losers of four straight, squandered four leadoff runners.

Cleveland Browns to meet with Florida State QB EJ Manuel on Monday

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The Cleveland Browns will meet with EJ Manuel after they return from a private workout with West Virginia QB Geno Smith on Saturday in Miami.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel, a dual-threat passer with tremendous athletic ability, will arrive in Cleveland Sunday night and spend Monday with the Browns, a league source said Friday.

The Browns were scheduled to travel to Tallahassee, Fla. April 5 for a private workout with Manuel, but postponed it due to scheduling conflicts. The team might still head to Florida State a few days before the draft (April 25-27) to work him out.

On Saturday, they'll be in Miami conducting their private workout with West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, widely regarded as the top quarterback in this draft.

Manuel, who's widely regarded as a second-round pick, might be more of a possibility for the Browns later in the first round or in the second if they get back the round. He can run the kind of read-option that Browns coach Rob Chudzinski introduced to the NFL with Cam Newton in Carolina, and has the arm to make all the throws.

Safeties on radar: In their quest for a starter opposite T.J. Ward, the Browns hosted Florida safety Josh Evans on Monday and Florida International University safety Johnathan Cyprien on Friday.

Evans (6-1, 207) is projected as a mid-round pick and is also drawing interest from the 49ers, Giants and Eagles. Last season, Evans finished with a career-high 83 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. He also had a career-high three interceptions.

Cyprien, projected to go in the second round, had 93 tackles, four interceptions, five breakups and a forced fumble last season. He's started at strong safety but some think he can play free safety also.

Rau awarded: The Browns were awarded linebacker Ryan Rau off waivers from Philadelphia.

Signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Portland State in 2012, Rau appeared in four games last year and had three special teams tackles. He spent the first 13 weeks of the season on Philadelphia's practice squad.

Kelce, Edwards visit: Cincinnati tight end Travis Kelce (Cleveland Heights High) and Hawaii cornerback Mike Edwards (Glenville) were among those who got to work out at the Browns' facility on Friday.

The others were: tight end Cordale Scott (Glenville/Toledo); defensive backs Jamel Johnson (Glenville/Louisiana Tech) and Ashante Williams (Mayfield/Illinois); defensive linemen Justin Staples (St. Edward/Illinois) and Steve Bigach (St. Ignatius/Iowa); linebackers Steve Greer (Solon/Virginia), and Daniel Molls (Parma Padua/Toledo); center Matthew Mihalik (Gilmour/Virginia); kickers Matt Weller (Twinsburg/Ohio) and Kevin Harper (Mentor/Pittsburgh); running back Jamaine Cooke (Midpark/Youngstown State); and receiver Perez Ashford (Shaker Heights/Northern Illinois) went through various position drills after being weighed and measured.

"It means a lot to me, being a native of Cleveland," Edwards told the clevelandbrowns.com. "Being able to be invited to the Browns' facility for your workout is a tremendous accomplishment. I take a lot of pride in it and I thank God first because the Browns would be a dream team for me to play for."


New York Knicks return to winning ways with 101-91 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers

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The Knicks handily beat the Cleveland Cavaliers one night after seeing their 13-game winning streak end.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The NBA world righted itself Friday. One day after stumbling for the first time in 14 games, the New York Knicks won. And the Cavaliers, as has become so typical this season, lost in another listless outing, falling to the Knicks, 101-91, in front of 19,430 at The Q.

With the victory, the Knicks have won 14 of their past 15 games.

With the loss, the Cavaliers are 2-13 in their past 15 games.

Surprising, it wasn't.

With the Knicks playing to maintain the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs, and Carmelo Anthony playing to capture the scoring title, there was little doubt of the outcome from early on. The Knicks used a 13-0 streak in the second quarter -- the same quarter in which J.R. Smith scored the first 10 points -- to take a commanding lead they would not relinquish.

Both Anthony and Smith finished with 31 points, as did the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving.

"Both of those guys are just playing great basketball and making shots," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "J.R. tonight was fantastic at creating space for himself and hitting everything, pretty much, that he shot."

Smith missed three of his 16 attempts. But he didn't miss a thing after the first quarter.

Anthony, meanwhile, scored 12 straight points in the third quarter as the Knicks' advantage blossomed.

"They're one of the toughest teams in the league," Irving said. "We were able to contest some shots and they were still making them."

The Cavaliers struggled to match up with the Knicks' small and quick lineup, which featured a starting center in Chris Copeland who is 6-feet-8. Cleveland's 7-foot center Tyler Zeller was 0-for-3 and had just four rebounds as he fought to remind himself not to stray too far from the basket.

"My mind-set had to change and I didn't really figure it out until the end," Zeller said.

Irving did his best to keep the Cavaliers in the contest, taking a career-high 27 shots, making 11 for his 31 points.

"We needed somebody to score," Scott said. "He's definitely our best guy as far as being able to create shots for himself and his teammates."

Irving blamed himself for the Cavaliers' flat second quarter, when the Knicks made 55 percent of their shots to 24 percent for the Cavs.

"Our pace slowed down a little bit, I take responsibility for that," he said. "Coming out I wanted to make an emphasis on pushing the ball and being more aggressive. I feel like some of the opportunities we had as a team we didn't exploit. Going forward, we've just got to pay attention to our game plan. We wanted to push it, and opportunities were there, we just didn't take advantage of them."

Tristan Thompson logged his 29th double double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. But with three games remaining in a season in which the Cavaliers are 24-55, the accomplishment meant little, he said.

"Twenty-nine double doubles is good and all that, but I'd rather have 29 wins," Thompson said. "I'd trade that, any day."

Northeast Ohio high school sports schedule for Saturday, April 13, 2013

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Baseball Note: Games are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

Baseball

Note: Games are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

AKRON CITY SERIES

Buchtel at Akron Garfield, 4:30

NORTH COAST LEAGUE

Crossover

Archbishop Hoban at Holy Name, 1:30

NONLEAGUE

Amherst at Sandusky, 10

Aurora at Zanesville, 11 (DH)

Beachwood at Shaker Heights, 3

Brookside at Parma, 10 (DH)

Berkshire at Independence, 11 (DH)

Buckeye at Wadsworth, 1 (DH)

Chardon at Poland Seminary, 11 (DH)

Cloverleaf at Norwayne, 2 (DH)

Cuyahoga Heights at Trinity, 11

Firestone vs. Kenmore at Canal Park, 2:30

Garfield Heights at Bedford, 11

Hawken at Benedictine, 2

John Marshall at Cleveland Central Catholic, 11 (DH)

Lake Ridge Academy at Cornerstone Christian, 11 (DH)

Max Hayes at Lawrence School, 11 (DH)

New London at Black River, noon (DH)

North Olmsted at Elyria, 1 (DH)

North Ridgeville at Avon Lake, 1 (DH)

Olmsted Falls at Stow, noon

Rittman at Barberton, 11

Coventry at Barberton, 3

Padua at Brecksville, 11

St. Edward at Lakewood, 7

St. Martin de Porres at Shaw, noon (DH)

Tallmadge at Dublin Coffman 12:30

Wellington at Elyria Catholic, 11 (DH)

West Geauga at Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 11

West Holmes at Columbia, 11 (DH)

Western Reserve Academy at Open Door, 2

Windham at Field, 10

At Classic Park

Fairport vs. Wickliffe, 10

Perry vs. Madison, 2:30

At Eastlake North

Brush vs. Eastlake North, noon

Brush vs. Euclid, 2

Euclid vs. Eastlake North, 4

At Kent State University

Woodridge vs. Kent Roosevelt, 7

At Strongsville

Walsh Jesuit vs. Strongsville 10

Walsh Jesuit vs. Willoughby South, 12:30

 

Softball

Note: Games are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

NONLEAGUE

Bedford at St. Peter Chanel, 4:30

Berkshire at Brush, 11 (DH)

Brunswick at Symmes Valley, noon

Cuyahoga Heights at Fairbanks, 1

Eastlake North at Lake Catholic, 11 (DH)

Euclid at Lakewood, 11 (DH)

Fairport at Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 11 (DH)

Fairview at Rocky River, 1 (DH)

Gilmour Academy at Berea, 11 (DH)

Green at Maysville, 10 (DH)

Holy Name at St. Joseph Academy, 1

Laurel at Cleveland Central Catholic, 11 (DH)

Lincoln-West at Shaw, 1 (DH)

Newbury at Cornerstone Christian, 11 (DH)

Nordonia at Kent Roosevelt, 11

North Ridgeville at Avon Lake, 1 (DH)

Norton at Firestone, 1:30 (DH)

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin at Keystone, 11 (DH)

Our Lady of the Elms at Mogadore, 11 (DH)

Padua at Parma, 10 (DH)

Vermilion at Lorain, 11 (DH)

Wadsworth at Massillon Washington, noon

Wickliffe at Trinity, 10 (DH)

AKRON RACERS TOURNAMENT

At Logan Field

Beaumont vs. Coventry, 11

Steubenville Catholic Central vs. Coventry, 1

At Firestone Stadium

Highland vs. Archbishop Hoban, 5

 

Track

Akron North at St. Thomas Aquinas, 10

Aurora at Tallmadge, 9

Beachwood Invitational (Beachwood, Cornerstone Christian, Hathaway Brown, Lakewood, Lincoln West, Lutheran West, Padua, St. Peter Chanel, University School), 9

Bill Barry Invitational at Tallmadge (Chagrin Falls, Coventry, CVCA, Field, Highland, Revere, Rocky River, SVSM, Tallmadge, Uniontown Lake, Walsh Jesuit), 9

East Canton Invitational (East Canton, Euclid, Trinity), 10

Hilltopper Invitational at Chardon (Ashtabula Edgewood, Avon, Berkshire, Chardon, Eastlake North, Geneva, Harvey, Lake Catholic, Mayfield, West Geauga, Woodridge), 9

Kimberly Relays at Bedford (Bedford, Cleveland Heights, John Hay, NDCL), 9

Knight Relays at Nordonia (Brecksville- Broadview Heights, Maple Heights, Nordonia, North Royalton, Parma, Stow), 9

Lexington Invitational (Brunswick, Lexington), 9

Medina Relays at Brunswick (Beaumont, Magnificat, Medina, St. Edward, St. Ignatius, Wickliffe, Willoughby South), 9

NEO Invitational (Gilmour Academy), 9

New London Relays (Brookside, Keystone, New London), noon

Shelby Invitational (Open Door, Shelby), 9

Smithville Relays (Cloverleaf, Smithville), 10

Western Reserve Invitational (Independence, Mogadore), 9

Lutheran West baseball rolls to win over Christian Community School: High school roundup

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The number 13 wasn't unlucky for Lutheran West's baseball team Friday. The Longhorns had 13 hits in a 13-0 victory over visiting Christian Community School.

The number 13 wasn't unlucky for Lutheran West's baseball team Friday.

The Longhorns had 13 hits in a 13-0 victory over visiting Christian Community School.

Derek Naim had two RBI and a stolen base along with hitting a double and a triple.

St. Edward 10, Willoughby South 6 Cory Jacobs hit a home run and drove in three to lead the Eagles to the victory.

Boys track

F.E. Cope Boys Invitational Wadsworth edged host Salem, 126-115, for the team crown. Nick Winkler played a part in all three of the Grizzlies' first-place efforts, starting with his 2:02.43 in the 800-meter run. He also ran anchor on the winning 4x800 (8:37.89) and 4x400 relays (3:46.1). Mike Hillegass, Jeff Batey and Eric Peltz made up the rest of the 4x800 foursome, while Eric Yetzer, Josh Weber and Mark Casalinova ran in the 4x400.

Softball

Highland 9, Nordonia 0 AnnMarie Kirchner, Kaitlyn Krajcik and Mallory Rymer led Highland in the Suburban League shutout. Kirchner pitched a two-hitter with four strikeouts, and had two RBI and two of the Hornets' 11 hits. Krajcik hit a home run and a triple, had five RBI and two runs scored. Rymer had two hits and scored a run.

Berkshire 14, Hawken 8 The Badgers overcame a 6-3 deficit behind Kaylee Evans and Breeyana McGee. Evans, who struck out six in relief and also had a single, scored a run and stole a base. McGee went 4-for-4, including a double, three runs scored and three stolen bases.

Boys tennis

Beachwood 5, Cleveland Heights 0 The unbeaten Bison warmed up for next week's challenging slate, which includes matches against Geneva, Hawken, Chardon and Archbishop Hoban, as well as the Rocky River Invitational, with straight-set wins over the Tigers.

Karan Gill won first singles, Griffin Celleghin moved from doubles to win at second singles, and Brett Dubin was victorious at third singles. In first and second doubles, Beachwood's Andrew Romanoff and Alex Glassman and Kennedy Mulholland and Barak Spector won. Glassman and Spector were making their varsity debuts.

 

Northeast Ohio high school sports scoreboard for Friday, April 12, 2013

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Baseball PORTAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE

Baseball

PORTAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE

Crossover

 

Garr. Garfield205 010 0-- 8 8 3

Field165 401 x--17 18 4

 

GG (3-4): n/a (L). F (5-2): Church (W, 2-0).

Notable: Kisamore (F) 2-2B, 2-1B, 2 RBI, 2R, SB.

 

NONLEAGUE

 

Christian Comm.000 00 -- 0 1 1

Lutheran West431 5x --13 13 0

 

CC: Hull (L, 0-1). LW (2-3): Lewis (W, 1-0).

Notable: Naim (LW) 2-2, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, SB.

 

 

Trinity200 000 0-- 2 4 4

Lakewood200 322 x-- 9 9 0

 

T (2-5): Simon (L, 0-3). L (6-0): Hartsel (W, 1-0).

Notable: Denizard (L) 2-3, 2B, 3R.

 

 

Will. South002 000 4-- 6 6 4

St. Edward040 141 x--10 10 0

 

WS: Elliott (L). SE (3-4): Cuva (W, 1-2). HR: SE, Jacobs (1).

Notable: Jacobs 2-4, HR, 3 RBI.

 

 

WRA000 000 0-- 0 3 1

Can. Cent. Cath.001 000 x-- 1 6 1

 

WRA (2-3): J.Mylott (L, 1-1). CCC (7-1): Vance (W, 1-1).

Notable: Jones (CCC) 2-1B.

 

 

Softball

CHAGRIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

Crossover

 

Hawken240 000 2-- 8 4 0

Berkshire304 241 x--14 15 2

 

H: Oliver (L). B (3-3): Evans (W, 1-1).

Notable: McGee (B) 4-4, 2B, 3R, 3-SB.

 

SUBURBAN LEAGUE

 

Nordonia000 000 0-- 0 2 3

Highland203 013 x-- 9 11 1

 

N (2-3, 2-3): Stroe (L). H (4-0, 4-0): Kirchner (W, 3-0). HR: Krajcik (3).

Notable: Krajcik 4-4, HR, 3B, 5 RBI, 2R.

 

NONLEAGUE

 

Copley003 400 1-- 8 11 1

Cuyahoga Falls201 000 1-- 4 7 1

 

C: Roddy (W, 1-4). CF (2-3): Ka.Fryberger (L, 2-2). HR: C, Fela.

Notable: Flasco (C) 3-4, 2R.

 

 

Southeast000 100 0-- 1 4 2

LaBrae010 220 x-- 5 6 2

 

S (2-4): North (L, 0-1). L: Dugan (W, 4-0).

 

 

Boys track

F.E. COPE INVITATIONAL

How they finished: 1. Wadsworth 128; 2. Salem 115; 3. Canton McKinley 104; 4. West Branch 85; 5. Cardinal Mooney 55; 6. Struthers 49; 7. Indian Creek 27; 8. Youngstown East 23; 9. East Palestine 17; 10. South Range 10; 11. LaBrae 5; 12. New Day Academy 4.

Area placers--Discus: 3. Seme (Wad) 164-0. Long jump: 2. Looser (Wad) 20-21/2. 4x800: 1. Wad (Hillegass, Batey, Peltz, Winkler) 8:37.89. 110H: 2. Looser (Wad) 16.48. 100: 3. Williams (Wad) 11.48. 1,600: 3. Bach (Wad) 5:02.33. 400: Yetzer (Wad) 53.96. 300H: 2. Looser (Wad) 44.01. 800: 1. Winkler (Wad) 2:02.43. 200: Williams (Wad) 23.43. 3,200: 2. Bach (Wad) 10:46.14. 4x400: 1. Wad (Yetzer, Weber, Casalinova, Winkler) 3:46.18.

 

 

 

Boys tennis

Beachwood 5, Cleveland Heights 0

Singles: Gill d. Tucker 6-2, 6-3; Celleghin d. Bryan Kent 6-0, 6-0; Dubin d. Miles Hawkins 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Romanoff/Glassman d. Hastings/Cerne-Iannone 6-1, 6-3; Mulholland/Spector d. Coble/Bennett 6-0, 6-2.

 

Brunswick 5, Firestone 0

Singles: Kurela d. Maguire 6-0, 6-0; Canterbury d. Broaddus 6-3, 6-4; Boyer d. Winer 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles: Carpenter/Wasylko d. Aronhalt/Hackett 6-1, 6-1; Emert/Horvat d. Wilson/Williams 6-1, 6-0.

 

North Canton Hoover 3, Hudson 2

Singles: Boslet (H) d. Demarco 6-3, 6-1; O'Connor (NCH) d. Polifrone 5-7, 6-3, 6-2; Wolowiecki (H) d. Bruin 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Yeary/Oaks (NCH) d. Tiemann/Kemper 1-6, 7-5, 6-2; Cross/Ocraincivic (NCH) d. Graham/Basu 6-2, 6-2.

 

Kenston 4, Mayfield 1

Singles: Fukamachi (M) d. Banning 6-0, 6-1; Bauck d. Datessandro 6-3, 6-2; Nash d. Curtin 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles: Hogan/Hoffmann(K) d. Elliott/Faddoul 4-6, 7-5, 6-4; Martin/Berry d. Oagliardo/Imhoff 6-0, 6-1.

 

Medina 5, West Geauga 0

Singles: Liebler d. Douglas 6-4, 6-2; Varney d. Georgevich 6-3, 6-1; Yoder d. Goulet 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Bachir/Pazgan-Lorenzo d. Onderdonk/Anger 6-0, 6-0; Martinez/King d. Campbell/Wegner 6-2, 6-3.

 

Midpark 5, Rocky River 0

Singles: Poschner d. Baxley 6-4, 6-4; Meier d. Ballas 6-2, 6-0; Klebowski d. Roth 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles: Nakon/Nguyen d. Adam/Nate 6-2, 6-1; Kennedy/Luu d. Moe/Ahmar 6-2, 6-1.

 

Normandy 5, Valley Forge 0

Singles: Stefan d. Dehrmann 6-0, 6-1; Vales d. Blanchard 6-3, 7-6(8); Rizk d. Kovacevic 6-2, 6-1.

Doubles: Krstic/Barnett d. Lynch/Rivera 6-0, 6-1; Sychla/Ciaverella d. Murphy/Cicirella 6-0, 6-0.

 

Woodridge 3, Coventry 0

Singles: Batu (W) vs. Carr (C) 6-0, second set 3-1; A.Thomas (W) d. Tosanovic 6-1, 6-0; Calderwood (W) d. Cobb 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles: Volchko/C.Thomas (W) vs. Willard/Stewart (C) 6-3, second set at 1-2; McHale/Bullock (W) d. McIntire/Lenkoski 6-1, 6-0.

 

WRA 5, CVCA 0

Singles: Macpherson d. Knowles 6-2, 6-0; Sutton d. Andrews 6-3, 6-4; Thewissen d. Jordan 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles: Zhu/Wagstaff d. Petrinec/Holloway 7-6, 6-1; Sawan/Mclaughlin d. Punka/Corpra 6-1, 6-1.

 

Boys lacrosse

Revere 6, Brecksville 5

R: Gable 3, Burlatos, Sawka, Wiseman. B (1-2): Ferry, Getts, Marous, Musial, Nie.

Goalies: R, Roman (3 saves); B, Robie(9), Szablicki (6).

 

Rocky River 13, North Canton Hoover 3

RR: Jacob 3, Perez 2, Gerabaldi 2, Gerlack 2, Brock Remo, E.Sperli, Wilhelmy, Robenault. NCH: n/a.

Goalies: RR, Blossey (13 saves); NCH, n/a.

 

Boys volleyball

Brunswick d. Hudson 25-19, 25-20, 25-16

 

Lake Erie Monsters beat Hamilton for fourth straight win

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Lake Erie Monsters score four goals in the first period to take control.

lake erie monsters logo View full size  

Lake Erie scored four goals in the first period and blasted host Hamilton (Ontario), 6-2, on Friday night.

The Monsters (33-30-3-7), who have been eliminated from playoff contention, according to the AHL, have won four straight.

Lake Erie's Daniel Maggio and the Bulldogs' Joey Tenute dropped their gloves 13 seconds into the game. Maggio was assessed with 27 penalty minutes while Tenute earned 15.

Just 33 seconds later, John Negrin put the Monsters ahead, 1-0, with his second goal of the season. Luke Walker, Andrew Agozzino and Paul Carey scored the other first-period goals. Agozzino would score again in the third period.

Monsters goalie Calvin Pickard made 22 saves.

Lake Erie hosts Hamilton (28-37-1-5) tonight at The Q at 7:30.

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