AP-NW–Sports Right Now/874
MARINERS-RANGERS
Profar a spark again as Rangers sweep Mariners with 3-2 win
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jurickson Profar hit a tiebreaking single in a three-run fifth inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 Sunday, sweeping a three-game series between the top two teams in the AL West.
Profar, who had two hits, was in his second game at designated hitter as the replacement for benched slugger Prince Fielder.
Profar, the team’s former top prospect, filled in when second baseman Rougned Odor served a seven-game suspension. Profar now has hits in all nine games with a .390 average in the leadoff spot since he was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock.
Derek Holland (5-4) allowed two runs — on former teammate Nelson Cruz’s two-run homer in the fourth — with six strikeouts in seven innings, both season highs for the left-hander.
LIBERTY-STORM
Tina Charles powers Liberty past Storm 86-78
SEATTLE (AP) — Tina Charles had 19 points and 13 rebounds and the New York Liberty used a strong third quarter to beat the Seattle Storm 86-78 on Sunday night.
Neither team led by more than five until the Liberty (4-3) went on a 17-2 run in the third to go up 68-51 on Charles’ jumper with 3:14 left in the quarter.
Seattle (3-5) rallied in the fourth quarter with a 15-2 spurt that cut the deficit to 76-73 with 3:45 left. Tanisha Wright answered with back-to-back jumpers against her former team and New York held off the Storm from there.
Sugar Rodgers added 18 points, Shavonte Zellous scored 12 and Brittany Boyd 10 for the Liberty, ranked No. 4 in the AP WNBA power poll.
Alysha Clark had a career-high 23 points and Ramu Tokashiki added a season-high 15 for eighth-ranked Seattle.
The Storm’s top three scorers, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, shot 7 of 32 from the field. Bird finished with 13 points and 10 assists, Breanna Stewart grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds but scored a career-low eight points, and Loyd had just three points after scoring a career-high 32 on Friday night.
NCAA-XAVIER-WASHINGTON
Bannon drives in 3 as Xavier wins 7-5, eliminates Washington
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rylan Bannon drove in three runs, and fourth-seeded Xavier beat Washington 7-5 Sunday night to stay alive in the Nashville Regional.
The Musketeers (32-29) won their eighth in nine games while improving to 4-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East champs will play UC Santa Barbara on Monday needing two wins to advance to their first Super Regional.
After losing 5-4 to UC Santa Barbara earlier Sunday, the Musketeers scored seven in their first three innings.
Bannon and Andre Jernigan each hit home runs in the first. Bannon followed with a two-run double in the second and scored on Daniel Rizzie’s single. Joe Gellenbeck added an RBI single, then David Morton made it 7-0 with an RBI single in the third.
Washington (33-23) scored twice in the bottom of the third and took advantage of a throwing error to score three in the fourth.
NCAA-ARIZONA STATE-GONZAGA
Arizona St ousts Gonzaga, faces TCU in Fort Worth Regional
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Colby Woodmansee had a tiebreaking double in the fourth inning, Zach Dixon struck out nine in eight solid innings and Arizona State beat Gonzaga 6-3 in an elimination game in the NCAA Tournament’s Fort Worth Regional on Sunday.
The Sun Devils (36-22), who lost the regional opener to the Zags, advanced to face host and top-seeded TCU for the regional championship later Sunday. Arizona State, the No. 2 seed, has to beat the Horned Frogs twice.
Brian Serven scored the tying run on the second wild pitch of the fourth inning from Hunter Wells (3-4). Woodmansee’s hit brought home Andrew Shaps, and Tyler Williams also scored on second baseman Justin Jacobs’ throwing error.
Dixon (2-1) gave up six hits and three runs with three walks.
Arizona State’s Jeremy McCuin had a leadoff homer in a two-run ninth after Gonzaga (36-21) pulled within a run by scoring twice in the eighth.
MEXICO-URUGUAY
Marquez, Herrera score late, Mexico beats Uruguay 3-1
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) —Rafa Marquez and Hector Herrera scored late goals to lift Mexico over Uruguay 3-1 in an opening-round Copa America match Sunday night.
Marquez’s close-range shot in the 84th minute broke a 1-1 tie and Herrera’s header from just outside the net added another score in extra time.
Mexico’s other score was an own-goal by Uruguay’s Alvaro Pereira four minutes into the match. Marquez’s score came 10 minutes after Diego Godin’s header tied it for Uruguay at 1-1.
A vastly pro-Mexico crowd of 60,025 watched the matchup of what are considered the top teams in the tournament’s Group C.
The evening began on an odd note when the wrong national anthem was played for Uruguay in the pre-match ceremonies.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
