Wildcats double up Rangers in baseball

NEW KNOXVILLE — Jefferson’s baseball crew closed the 2013 spring season with an impressive 14-7 victory over host New Knoxville on a brilliant Thursday evening at New Knoxville.

Seniors Zach Ricker (1-for 2, 3 bases-on-balls, 3 runs scored, 1 run batted in), Drew Kortokrax (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Seth Wollenhaupt (2-for-3, run, RBI), Dylan Haehn, Tyler Wrasman (1-for-2, 2 RBIs, run) and Gage Townsend-Schleeter played their final games for the Red and White (16-11).

CONVOY - If the Crestview Knight baseball team was looking forward to a potential matchup with Minster next week, it sure didn’t show Thursday.

The Knights defeated Fort Jennings 10-0 in five innings in Thursday’s Division IV sectional championship game at the Crestview Sports Complex.

PERRY TOWNSHIP — The weather was near picture-perfect for baseball Thursday night at Perry High School.

St. John’s senior right-hander Curtis Geise was almost as perfect in pacing the Blue Jays to a 5-1 victory in a Division IV sectional final.

“Curtis was really on his game tonight. Most of the year, by the fifth inning, he was over 100 pitches already and we had to figure out what we were going to do,” Jays’ coach Ryan Warnecke said. “Tonight, he had his pitches clicking and he was much more efficient. He had his fastball humming and was working his curve well, too. They really never caught up to him.”

By TIM REYNOLDS

The Associated Press

MIAMI — Knowing his team needed him at his best, Dwyane Wade retreated to the Miami Heat locker room after the third quarter for some quick treatment on his aching right knee.

When he came back, he was good as new.

And now he can rest until the Eastern Conference finals.

LeBron James scored 23 points, Wade added 18 and had a brilliant 45-second sequence that proved crucial and the Heat clawed back from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls 94-91 on Wednesday night and close out their second-round series in five games. The Heat outscored Chicago 25-14 in the fourth quarter to escape and advance.

“I knew the fourth quarter was going to be tough so I wanted to re-tape my knee,” said Wade, who has been battling bone bruises on his knee for several weeks. “I knew I was going to come back into a grind. Our trainers did a great job of getting it taped it enough so I could come out and play.”

Did they ever.

Wade had a blocked shot, defensive rebound, offensive rebound and putback slam — all in a late 45-second span — to help cap a wild night of wild comebacks. The Heat blew an early 18-point lead, then pulled off a late rally to finish off the depleted Bulls, who still had two chances on their last possession to force overtime.

But Nate Robinson and Jimmy Butler missed 3-pointers, time expired and Miami moved on to face Indiana or New York next week.

“Dwyane is uncanny,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “When the competition is at its highest and its fiercest, he finds a way.”

Carlos Boozer finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who were without Derrick Rose for the 99th straight game, as well as Kirk Hinrich (calf) and Luol Deng (illness). Robinson scored 21 points, Butler had 19 and Richard Hamilton 15 for the Bulls, who dropped the final four games of the series.

“Obviously we’re disappointed in losing the series,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But I was never disappointed in our team. I thought our team fought hard all year long. There was no quit in them.”

True — all the way to the end.

A team that played without the 2011 NBA MVP in Rose and dealt with a slew of other issues along the way, was within a couple shots from forcing the reigning champions to fly back to Chicago for a Game 6 on Friday night.

“We’ve got warriors here,” Boozer said. “If we’re healthy next season, we’re going to be pretty good.”

Shane Battier opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to get Miami within five. Another 3-pointer from Battier — over Boozer, his fellow Duke alum — came not long afterward and he connected on a pair of free throws after being fouled on a 3-point try to cut Chicago’s lead to 81-79.

Norris Cole had a pair of baskets, the second being a left-handed driving dunk, to put Miami on top; the Heat found a way to close it out from there, even though it wasn’t easy, by any measure.

Robinson’s 3-pointer with 1:43 left got the Bulls to 94-91. No one scored again, even though there were plenty of chances both ways. When it was finally over, the Heat lingered on the court in celebration. Wade held on to the game ball as he shook a few fans’ hands and he, James and Bosh exchanged some high-fives — the last three Miami players to leave the floor.

Miami will open the East finals at home next week and it’ll be a playoff rematch from its march to the title last season. If Indiana beats New York — the Pacers lead that series 3-1 — tonight, then the Heat and Pacers will meet in Game 1 in Miami on Monday night. If the Knicks extend the Pacers to at least six games, then the East finals would open Wednesday night, regardless of opponent.

The Heat will almost surely be big favorites against either Indiana or New York, though it’s certain either opponent would enter a series against Miami with plenty of confidence. The Knicks went 3-1 against the Heat this season, outscoring them by 11.5 points per game and winning both of their games at Miami convincingly. The Pacers went 2-1 against the Heat, winning twice in Indianapolis and losing their lone game in Miami.

To put that in some more perspective, the Heat went 2-5 against the Knicks and Pacers but are now 72-12 against all other NBA clubs this season.

Then again, given how Miami has played over the last 3 1/2 months, the notion of the Heat losing to anybody four times might seem downright impossible. The Heat lost at Indiana on Feb. 1. They won at Toronto two days later, the first victory in what became a run of 27 straight wins — and the start of a stretch that has seen Miami go 45-3 in its last 48 games.

More than half the league — 17 of the other 29 teams — didn’t win 45 games, total, this season, even including playoffs.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Corey Kluber inspired his teammates with a tough at-bat his first time up to the plate in the majors.

Jason Kipnis hit a three-run homer, Nick Swisher and Mike Aviles also went deep to back Kluber, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-4 Wednesday.

Kluber (3-2) gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. But it was his first career AB against Cole Hamels in the second inning that set the tone. Kluber fouled off consecutive 1-2 pitches and worked the count full before flying out to deep left.

“I guess that’s beginner’s luck,” he said.

Maybe so, but it made the hitters adjust their approach.

“Corey woke us up, having the best at-bat in the first couple innings,” Kipnis said. “We did a nice job not chasing his pitches. That’s an approach we try to take against everyone. We want to see some pitches, get quality at-bats.”

Hamels needed 91 pitches to get through four innings and reached 100 in the fifth.

“We drove his pitch count up early,” manager Terry Francona said. “We made him earn his outs and we scored early. It’s great to work the count and have something to show for it.”

A day after rookie Jonathan Pettibone held the Indians in check, Hamels got roughed up by one of the league’s highest-scoring offenses. Cleveland had been in a slight funk, scoring just seven runs in its previous four games.

Hamels (1-6) allowed five runs and six hits in five innings. The three-time All-Star and 2008 World Series MVP has a 4.61 ERA, and the Phillies are 1-8 in his starts. Hamels had six straight quality starts before this one, with a 2.41 ERA in that span.

“You have to go out there and execute pitches,” Hamels said. “I wasn’t able to do that early on. I think any time you go 3-2 to pretty much the whole lineup over and over, you’re not putting yourself into a good spot. I was pitching myself into situations where most likely they’re going to get the hits, they’re going to get the walks, they’re going to score the runs.”

Jimmy Rollins drove in three runs for Philadelphia, which ended a three-game winning streak.

The surprising Indians have won 12 of 16 and are 22-17 under Francona, in his first year with Cleveland after winning two World Series title in Boston in 2004 and 2007.

Now the Indians get a day off after playing 14 games in 13 days. They’ll play 20 straight, starting Friday against Seattle.

“These guys need it,” Francona said. “They deserve it. They need a day away from the ballpark.”

Kluber rebounded nicely after allowing eight runs in 4 2-3 innings against Detroit in his previous start.

“I threw more strikes, was more aggressive in the strike zone and didn’t fall behind guys,” he said.

Mark Reynolds hit a two-run double with two outs in the third to give the Indians the lead. Kipnis doubled and Asdrubal Cabrera walked before Reynolds hit a drive to left to knock them in.

John Mayberry Jr. singled in the third, advanced on a sacrifice and scored when Rollins lined a two-out single to cut it to 2-1.

Rollins delivered another clutch two-out hit in the fifth. After singles by Carlos Ruiz and Mayberry, he ripped a two-run double to right to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Aviles lined a homer to left in the fourth for a 3-1 lead.

Swisher connected in the fifth, driving a 2-0 pitch a few feet inside the left-field foul pole to make it 5-1.

Cabrera hit a two-run single with two outs in the sixth off Jeremy Horst to extend Cleveland’s lead to 7-3.

Kipnis took Raul Valdes out to right in the eighth.

The Phillies are 12-4 when Pettibone, Kyle Kendrick or John Lannan start. They’re 7-17 in games started by the $64.5 million trio of Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.

NOTES: The Phillies signed 3-time All-Star Carlos Zambrano to a minor-league deal. The right-hander will report to extended spring training this week. … The Indians won three of the four interleague meetings this season against the Phillies, outscoring them 32-12. … Halladay was scheduled for shoulder surgery in California. He hopes to return to Philadelphia’s rotation this year. … Two of Swisher’s six homers are off lefties. … The Phillies have their second off day this week today. … The Indians open a 4-game series against Seattle on Friday.

———

Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobMaaddi