Sports
Westplex Today Sports Page: June 30, 2008
By Jay Murry
Jun 30, 2008 - 10:17:37 AM

Westplex Today Sports Page:   June 30, 2008

The Cardinals are enjoying a series win in their final interleague set of the year.  Tony La Russa's club topped the Royals 9-6 yesterday in Kansas City and took two of three matchups at Kauffman Stadium.  Redbirds catcher Jason LaRue went 2-for-4 with four RBI including a two-run homer.  Cards slugger Albert Pujols also hit a two-run shot in the designated hitter role.  The Cardinals finished a nine-game road trip at 5-4 and trail the Cubs by 2 ½ games for the top spot in the NL Central.

The Cardinals open a four-game series with the Mets tonight at Busch Stadium.  First pitch is 7:15 , and KWRE will have the action for you starting at 6:32 .  Redbirds starter Kyle Lohse faces right-hander John Maine on the mound.  The Mets are trying to recover from a disappointing start to their season that prompted the firing of manager Willie Randolph earlier this month.

The White Sox are celebrating a three-game sweep of their cross-town rivals after beating the Cubs 5-1 last night at U.S Cellular Field.  Carlos Quentin, Brian Anderson and Jim Thome all clubbed long balls for the South Siders.  Sox southpaw and Howell North alumnus Mark Buehrle allowed just one run over seven innings of work and picked up the victory to even his record at 6-6.  The two teams remain in first place in their respective divisions, but their margins are very small.

Kevin Slowey pitched a three-hit shutout as the red hot Twins blanked the Brewers 5-0 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis .  Slowey fanned eight and didn't walk a batter for his fifth win.  Minnesota has won 11 of its last 12 and is a game-and-a-half behind Chicago in the AL Central.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has passed teammate Derek Jeter as the leading American League vote-getter for next month's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.  A-Rod leads Jeter by just over 11,000 votes.  Boston designated hitter David Ortiz is third, even though he has been out of action for a time with a wrist injury.

In minor league baseball:   Evansville pounded the Rascals 13-4 last night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.   The loss dropped the Rascals into a 4-way tie for 2^nd place in the Frontier League West Division, one game behind Gateway.  In fact, only 2 games separate all 6 teams in that division.   So, every game will be important, and the Rascals need more fan support to help push them to the playoffs.   The Rascals host Evansville again tonight at 7:05 .

In auto racing:   Kurt Busch won the rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at Loudon , New Hampshire Sunday.  Busch's crew chief decided to keep the Number-2 car on the track when all the leaders made a late pit stop for fuel.  That decision turned out to be the winning move, as rains came and halted the race with 17 laps to go.  Busch claimed his first win of the season and 18th of his career.

In tennis:   After the traditional middle Sunday off, Wimbledon resumes this morning as Week Two begins.  A fourth-round matchup features five-time reigning champion Roger Federer against 2002 champ Lleyton Hewitt.  Federer has won the last 11 meetings.

In soccer:   Spain ended a 44-year drought with a 1-0 win over Germany in the final of Euro 2008 on Sunday.  The Spaniards earned their first major title since beating the Soviet Union 2-1 in the European championship in 1964.

Moving to golf:   Inbee Park carded a two-under 71 on Sunday to win her first professional title at the 63rd U.S. Women's Open.  The 19-year-old Park became the youngest winner in U.S. Women's Open history, completing the championship at nine-under-par.  Park won just her second career USGA title after winning the 2002 U.S. Girls' Junior.   Helen Alfredsson birdied the 18th hole to finish alone in second place at five-under-par, after closing with a two-over 75.  Second-round leader Angela Park finished with an even-par 73 to end in a tie for third with third-round leader Stacy Lewis and In-Kyung Kim.  Annika Sorenstam, whose first LPGA Tour win came at this event in 1995, holed out for eagle on the closing hole to end in a tie for 24th place at three-over-par.  The women's world number-one player, Lorena Ochoa, fared worse after finishing in a tie for 31st at five-over-par. 

Kenny Perry carded a final round six-under-par 66 to capture the 50th Buick Open title by one shot at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc.  Perry, who finished at 19-under-par, won his second career Buick Open after Woody Austin bogeyed the 18th and Bubba Watson missed a put to force a playoff on the same hole.  Perry won at Warwick Hills in 2001 and has 11 PGA Tour victories, including the Memorial earlier this month.   And, he may be playing his way onto the Ryder Cup team.  Bob Tway, Matt Jones and Ken Duke all finished in a tie for fourth at 17-under-par.  Daniel Chopra, who was the leader heading into the final day, scuffled with a 75 on Sunday to finish at minus-13 and fall into a tie for 17th place.

In track and field:   Tyson Gay ran the fasted 100 meters in history Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at the University of Oregon .  However, his 9.68-second time did not qualify for a world record due to excessive tailwinds.  The official world record stands at 9.69 seconds in 1996.

Also in Olympic qualifying:   Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff got the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials off to a sensational start, by setting world records in their 400 individual medley races.  Larsen Jensen also set an American record in the men’s 400 freestyle.  

The Trials could get even better, if a Westplex swimmer ends up qualifying for a spot on the Olympic team.   Taylor Wohrley, a junior at Wentzville Timberland High School , will try to make the Olympic team as a swimmer in the 100-meter backstroke.  Her preliminary heat begins at 11:00 this morning, the semifinal round is at 6:45 tonight, and the final round commences at 6:45 tomorrow night.   Wohrley won state championships in the 100-meter backstroke and 200 meter freestyle, gaining a state record time in the 200 and narrowly missing one in the 100.