Associated Press

James scores 30, Heat take Game 5, 90-79

MIAMI — LeBron James scored 30 points, Udonis Haslem made his last eight shots on the way to a 16-point night and the Miami Heat used a dominant third quarter to turn things around and beat the Indiana Pacers 90-79 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday.

Mario Chalmers scored 12 and Dwyane Wade added 10 for the Heat, who lead the series 3-2 and will look to close it out at Indiana on Saturday night. The Heat ousted the Pacers in six games in a second-round matchup last season.

Paul George had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 22 points from Roy Hibbert and 17 from David West.

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Schwartzel takes lead at Memorial

DUBLIN — Charl Schwartzel made sure one hole didn’t ruin an entire round Thursday in the Memorial.

Schwartzel hit the ball so consistently well at Muirfield Village that the former Masters champion twice had stretches of four straight birdies. And when he made a double bogey with an 8-iron in hand and his ball on a tee toward the end of the round, he got rid of that bad taste with one last birdie for a 7-under 65.

Schwartzel had a 1-shot lead over Scott Piercy and was six shots clear of 5-time winner Tiger Woods.

Woods hit the ball well enough to be much closer, though he missed too many birdie chances and didn’t make up any ground on the par 5s.

Woods was one shot worse than 53-year-old Fred Couples, the Presidents Cup captain at Muirfield Village this fall, and one shot better than 14-year-old Guan Tianlang, who has played more PGA Tour events than Woods over the last two months.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, might be headed for another short week at the tournament Jack Nicklaus built. After opening with a birdie, McIlroy didn’t putt nearly well enough to atone for some loose shots, finishing with a 78.

Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar each had a 68, the best score of the afternoon.

Josh Teater, Russell Henley and Kyle Stanley were at 67, while Charlie Wi, Matt Jones and Michael Thompson shot 69.

Former PGA champion Keegan Bradley shot 71.

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Scott Kazmir allowed one run in seven innings and the Cleveland Indians scored seven runs with two outs in the fourth to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-1 on Thursday.

The fourth-inning rally, which featured six straight run-scoring hits, gave the Indians a split of the annual Ohio Cup interleague series. The Reds won in Cincinnati on Monday and Tuesday before the Indians took both games when the series shifted to Cleveland.

The Reds have lost nine in a row at Progressive Field and haven’t won in Cleveland since May 22, 2010.

Kazmir (3-2), recording his longest outing in the majors in three years, dodged a bases-loaded jam in the third when he got Joey Votto to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

Run-scoring singles by Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes, an RBI double by Ryan Raburn, a 2-run double by Michael Bourn and an RBI single by Jason Kipnis chased starter Homer Bailey (3-4) in the fourth. Asdrubal Cabrera added a run-scoring double off Alfredo Simon.

Jay Bruce drove in Cincinnati’s only run with an RBI single in the sixth.

The Indians carried a 5-game losing streak, in which they scored 14 runs, into the series. Cleveland had also dropped seven out of eight but the bats woke up when the Reds hit town. Cleveland homered twice Wednesday, including a game-clinching 3-run homer by Jason Giambi, and fell one run off their biggest inning of the season Thursday.

Cabrera was hit by a pitch to start the fourth and took second on Carlos Santana’s 1-out single. After Mark Reynolds struck out, Brantley, who was in a 1-for-15 skid, singled sharply through the left side to score Cabrera. Gomes followed by lining a single to left, scoring Santana. Raburn’s double to left scored Brantley before Bourn drove a double into the left-field corner for two more runs and a 5-0 lead.

Kipnis, who was in a 4-for-34 slump, singled to right to score Bourn and finish Bailey. Cabrera doubled to right against Simon.

Brantley and Kipnis weren’t the only Cleveland hitters to break out of slumps in the inning. Santana came into the game batting .204 in May while Raburn was in a 3-for-24 skid.

Bailey, who threw 45 pitches in the fourth, lasted 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. The right-hander allowed seven runs — tying his season high.

Kazmir, a 2-time All-Star with Tampa Bay, had his career sidetracked by arm problems that began in 2009. He was traded to the Angels that season but was 9-15 in 2010 and appeared in only one game the following year before being released. The Indians signed him to a minor-league contract in January after he pitched in an independent league last season.

Kazmir, who was 0-1 and allowed 11 earned runs in 13 innings in his past three starts, won for the first time since May 9.

Cincinnati loaded the bases with one out in the third. Derrick Robinson led off with a single and singles by Shin-Soo Choo and Cesar Izturis loaded the bases. Votto, who came into the game batting .417 in May, hit a slow roller to the right side and Kipnis started the double play.

Votto went 0-for-4, snapping his career-long 18-game road hitting streak.

Bailey retired the first seven hitters before Gomes reached on an infield hit. Third baseman Todd Frazier charged the slow bouncer but couldn’t make the barehanded grab.

NOTES: Raburn left the game in the fifth with cramping in his lower legs. He’s listed day-to-day. … The Reds begin a 3-game series today in Pittsburgh. RHP Johnny Cueto (2-0) takes on Pirates LHP Wandy Rodriguez (6-2). … Votto is the only Cincinnati player to appear in all 54 games this season. … The Indians continue their 5-game homestand today against Tampa Bay. RHP Corey Kluber (3-3) faces Rays righty Alex Cobb (6-2) in the opener of the 3-game set. … Indians RHP Justin Masterson, who defeated the Reds on Wednesday, is 4-0 with a 0.36 ERA in his past 25 innings at Progressive Field. … Cleveland 1B Nick Swisher was honored by the FBI Citizens Academy Foundation before the game. Swisher donated $25,000 to the organization in support of the FBI’s Child ID Kit program.

DIVISION II

Region 6 at Lexington High School

Finals: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Top 4 to State Meet)

Girls Team Scores - 3 Events Scored: Liberty-Benton 15, Clyde 13, Coldwater 12, Wapakoneta 10, Bellevue 9, Celina/Ontario/Napoleon 8, Bucyrus 6, Van Wert/Bloom-Carroll/Mil. Edison 5, Otsego 4, Oak Harbor 3, Granville/Port Clinton 2, Huron/St. Marys Memorial 1.

4x800 Meter Relay: 1. Coldwater 9:34.94; 2. Napoleon 9:43.51; 4. Bellevue 9:49.29; 4. Mil. Edison 9:54.76; 5. Otsego 9:55.28; 6. Oak Harbor 9:59.64; 7. Granville 10:04.92; 8. St. Marys Memorial 10:06.92.

High Jump: 1. Hayzlett (WA) 5-4; 2. Wenning (CE) 5-3; 3. Wollenslegel (CL) 5-3; 4. Loeffler (B-C) 5-2; 5. Peplinski (L-B) 5-2; 6. Rinner (BE) 5-0; 7. Rammel (CO) 5-0; 8. Schoelwer (HU) 5-0.

Shot Put: 1. DeVincentis (L-B) 44-2.75; 2. Barnhill (ON) 40-0.50; 3. Nolen (BU) 38-11; 4. Alexis Dowdy (VW) 38-1.75; 5. Kiser (CL) 37-7.50; 6. Andrews (CL) 37-1.75; 7. Mallory (PC) 36-11.75; 8. Streaker (L-B) 36-10.50.

Boys Team Scores - 4 Events Scored: Clyde 23, Perkins 17, Mil. Edison 15, Bellevue 12, Ontario 10, Huron 9, Van Wert/Willard 8, Norwayne/Wauseon/Galion/Eastwood 6, Defiance/Delta/W.S. Northwestern 5, Elyria Catholic/Ottawa-Glandorf 4, Genoa Area 3, Shelby 2, Orrville/Heath 1.

4x800 Meter Relay: 1. Mil. Edison 7:58.21; 2. Van Wert (Kase Schalois, Seth Kopp, Connor Holliday, Jared Fleming) 8:00.56; 3. Perkins 8:01.88; 4. Defiance 8:02.00; 5. Ottawa-Glandorf 8:03.49; 6. Eastwood 8:04.93; 7. Shelby 8:17.28; 8. Huron 8:19.30.

Discus: 1. Burdette (ON) 168-11; 2. Roberts (WI) 162-3; 3. Castle (WAU) 159-7; 4. Mawhirter (PE) 157-5; 5. Zappa (PE) 154-2; 6. Bryer (GE) 154-2; 7. Huey (CL) 139-3; 8. Glaser (WS) 138-3.

Long Jump: 1. Coburn (CL) 22-2.75; 2. Wollenslegel (CL) 21-5.75; 3. Armistad (GA) 20-11.75; 4. Cushler (ME) 20-10.25; 5. Nolletti (WS) 19-07.00 20-8.50; 6. Snowden (EA) 20-6.50; 7. Missler (BE) 20-5.50; 8. Weaver (HE) 20-2.50.

Pole Vault: 1. Rowland (BE) 15-4; 2. Majoy (HU) 15-0; 3. Studer (NOR) 14-8; 4. Fraker (DE) 14-4; 5. Ball (ELY) 14-4; 6. Faneuff (CL) 14-0; 7. Trent (PE) 14-0; 8. Johnson (ORR) 14-0.

———-

Preliminaries - Top 8 in each event to Today’s Finals (Elida and Van Wert Athletes):

GIRLS:

100 Meter Dash: 7. Amanda Clay (V) 12.61.

400 Meter Dash: 2. Amanda Clay (V) 58.7.

300 Meter Hurdles 30”: … 12. Whitney Meyers (V) 49.28.

4x400 Meter Relay: … 9. Van Wert (Whitney Meyers, Alicia Danylchuk, Jacey Eikenberry, Amanda Clay) 4:12.88.

BOYS:

110 Meter Hurdles 39”: … 14. Kevin Russell (E) 16.53.

4x200 Meter Relay: 6. Van Wert (Kevon Pierce, Terrance Branson, Nick Krugh, Seth Kopp) 1:31.85.

4x100 Meter Relay: 7. Elida (Nick Pauff, Desmend White, Khory Kesler, Brandon Stinson) 44.09; … 15. Van Wert (Kevon Pierce, Terrance Branson, Caleb Lloyd, Nick Krugh) 45.24.

400 Meter Dash: 8. Seth Kopp (V) 51.74.

300 Meter Hurdles 36”: 8. Quentin Poling (E) 40.52.

4x400 Meter Relay: 1. Elida (Brandon Stinson, Clark Etzler, Nick Pauff, Quentin Poling) 3:23.83; 6. Van Wert (Seth Kopp, Quincey Salcido, Nick Krugh, Jared Fleming) 3:26.75.

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Sanders finishes U of F track career with 4 All-American honors

PUEBLO, Colo. — Delphos native Tim Sanders finished his University of Findlay track and field career by grabbing seventh place in the nation in the 400-meter hurdles (52.02) at the NCAA Division II National Championships held May 23rd in Pueblo, Colo.

He also ran on the 4x400-meter relay team that set a school record of 3:08.70 and ended up eighth in the nation.

The top eight in relays and individual events are named All-American.

This is the fourth time Sanders has been so designated in his college career.

He was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference indoor 60-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles champion in his four years.

He also received All-Region honors in the outdoor 110-meter hurdles (14.37) the past two years; the 400-meter hurdles (52.02); and the 4x4 relay (3:08.70).

He also had a career-best time of 47.1 in the 400-meter open event.

Findlay finished ninth as a team with 29 points in the national meet.

By JIM METCALFE

Staff Writer

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HAMLER — Missed opportunities.

In whatever sport one is talking about, missed opportunities have a strong tendency to come back and bite you in the end.

That was what happened to St. John’s on a warm, sunny and windy Thursday afternoon in its Division IV baseball semifinal at Patrick Henry’s Garrold Parratt Field.

The Blue Jays left the bases loaded in both the first and second innings, with a chance to potentially blow the game wide open against Northwood, and the Rangers rallied behind two solo blasts by Justin Rohrs to grab a 4-3 victory.

The Rangers (18-10) advance to take on the winner of the second game between McComb and Tinora at a time to be determined today.

By Charlie Warnimont

DHI Correspondent

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TIFFIN — Collin Grothaus and Dakota Vogt have been unbeatable this season in their specialities, the pole vault and discus, respectively.

They remained that way Wednesday afternoon at the Division III regional track and field meet in Tiffin. However, they were not the first Columbus Grove boys to lock up a trip to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus next week. That honor went to the Bulldogs’ 3,200 Relay team.

The Bulldogs finished third to earn a trip to the state meet next Friday in Columbus. The three events were the only state bids the Bulldogs locked up after the first day of the regional meet at Frost-Kalnow Stadium. Columbus Grove has a good chance to lock up more bids Friday when the meet concludes as several events advanced to the finals from the semifinals.

After a seventh-place finish at the regionals last season in the 3,200, the Bulldogs were looking for a little bit of redemption this year. Paced by their senior standout runners Jake Graham and Alex Shafer along with strong legs by sophomore Colton Grothaus and freshman Alex Giesige, the Bulldogs accomplished that feat as they finished third in 8:18.34, which is a PR for the team this season.

“We missed out last year and I was hoping to get back here and get another chance to qualify,” Shafer said. “This feels great. We were really hoping to avenge what we did last year. We started off good and were able to get it done.”

Graham had the Bulldogs in the lead after the first exchange before runners from Liberty Center and Pettisville moved in front. Columbus Grove never dropped out of the third spot as Giesige kept pace with the anchor runners from the top two teams to get the state qualification. Giesige just moved into the anchor role last week at the district meet but put aside any nerves he may have had as a freshman to help the team.

“It feels great being a freshman and everything to make state,” Giesige said. “I was real nervous but I pulled through; we all did. I was hoping the guys would keep us in the top four and they did. There was some pressure on me but I put it aside to help the team.”

Vogt, a senior, was looking to make a return to state in the discus and he did just that as he won the regional title in his speciality with a top throw of 162-9. Although his winning throw was less than what he normally throws, he is happy to be making a return trip to state.

“This wasn’t one of my better days but somehow I came out with the win,” Vogt said. “I’m looking to throw farther next week. That’s all that has mattered all season long for me. I felt some pressure to return (to state) because there are a lot of good throwers here. I was pretty calm but I was rushing it in the ring, which is why I didn’t throw as far.”

Vogt was hoping to get teammate Trevor Schroeder down to Columbus in the discus this year. That effort fell short as Schroeder finished sixth with a top throw of 145-11. Schroeder will have another chance to lock up a state bid Friday when he competes in the shot put.

Grothaus didn’t have to work very hard to earn his trip to state as he made just two vaults before winning the competition. Grothaus entered the competition at 12-10 and cleared it on his first attempt, then cleared 13-2 to win the event as no one else could clear that height.

“I cleared 12-10 and then I could relax a little bit and get in a couple of more vaults before running the 300 hurdles,” Grothaus said.

After winning the event, Grothaus moved the bar to 14-0 and cleared it on his second attempt. He then cleared 15-0 on one try before trying to set a new regional record at 15-8. Grothaus had the height on each attempt but was unable to successful clear the bar.

“I had the height tonight, but lacked the speed and I was a little winded having to run the hurdles,” he said. “Next week, I will have a little longer break between the hurdles and pole vault and hopefully I can get that height and more.”

Sophomore Brandon Cotrell finished seventh in the pole vault as he cleared 12-10.

Grothaus will have a chance to pick up a second state bid in the 300 hurdles Friday after he qualified seventh in the semifinals running a 41.58.

Derek Rieman advanced in both hurdle events Wednesday as he has the third-best time in the 300 hurdles at 40.61 and he has the second-best time in the 110 hurdles at 15.34.

On the girls side, senior Cassie Stechschulte and sophomore Annie Schramm were looking to lock up state bids but were unsuccessful in their attempts. Stechschulte finished sixth in the high jump as she could only clear 5-0. Schramm finished 14th in the shot put competition.

On the track, Bulldog sophomore Sydney McCluer kept alive her hopes of advancing in four events as she moved on in both hurdle events and both relays she ran.

McCluer ran a 15.93 for the fourth-best time in the 100 hurdles and she has the fifth-best time in the 300 hurdles at 47.17. In between those events, McCluer joined Raiya Flores, Stechschulte and Julia Wynn for the seventh-best time in the 800 Relay in 1:48.33. In the 400 Relay, the foursome of Flores, Wynn, Jessi Smith and McCluer have the fourth-best time at 51.04. Wynn advanced to the finals of the 200 dash with the eighth-best time in 26.65.

The regional finals get underway at 5 p.m. with the remaining field events, while the running finals start at 6 p.m.

The Grove boys lead the team standings after the first day with 31 points as Liberty-Benton is second with 21 points.