Sports digest 3/11/02

AREA

Southeast baseball team routs MemphisMEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team recorded its second straight victory, 11-3 over Memphis on Sunday.

The Indians, who took two of three games in the series, improved to 3-6. The Tigers are also 3-6.

Brandon Smith (2-0) had his third straight strong pitching performance, allowing five hits and three runs in seven innings. He struck out five and walked two.

James Beever and Denver Stuckey combined for two hitless innings.

Southeast, which had been struggling offensively, broke out with 15 hits, led by Eric Hoffman with three. Stuckey, Zach Borowiak, Vern Hatton and Dave Lawson all added two hits. Borowiak homered and drove in four runs. Ryan Govek and Tristen McDonald each had two RBIs.

Senior second baseman Clemente Bonilla recorded his 167th career walk to tie the Ohio Valley Conference record. He had already held the OVC mark for single-season walks.

The Indians broke a scoreless tie with a six-run fifth inning, the big blow being Borowiak's grand slam.

Southeast will visit Lipscomb Tuesday before playing its first home game of the season Wednesday against Evansville.

Southeast gymnasts drop meet to IlliniCHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois posted its highest team score of the season (194.700) to defeat Southeast (191.775) in a dual gymnastics meet on Saturday. The score is also the Illini's fourth-best ever.

Southeast was led by Ashley Godwin, who tied for first on floor with Illinois' Lauren Newcomb. Both scored 9.825.

Also for the Otahkians, Godwin was second on the vault (9.775), Amy Cole tied for third on the vault (9.700) and Michelle Walker tied for third on floor (9.750).

Illinois' Ashley Williams (39.200) bested Cole (38.500) in the all-around competition.

The Otahkians will have their final home meet Friday night as they face Western Michigan at Houck Field House.

Southeast softball seeks initial victorySoutheast's softball team will shoot for its first win of the season today as Indiana State visits the Southeast Complex for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.

The Otahkians are 0-6 and no Southeast softball team has ever lost seven games in a row. Indiana State is 7-6.

ELSEWHERE

Colleges

Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champion Tennessee Tech on Sunday became the first OVC men's basketball team since 1996 to receive a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.

The Golden Eagles, who lost in the OVC Tournament finals to Murray State, will host Georgia State on Wednesday.

The NIT pairings are in 'Scoreboard.'

Jason Fransz drove in seven runs and hit his fifth homer of the season as Oklahoma beat Missouri 16-10 to sweep a three-game series in Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma (11-4, 3-0 Big 12) already was up 9-8 in the bottom of the eighth inning when they scored seven runs off Missouri (6-7, 0-3) relievers Mark Alexander and Aaron Paterson.

Baseball

Baseball's slow-moving labor talks are to resume today in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with the first bargaining session since management's administrative shakeup last week.

Union head Donald Fehr says players hope to be able to respond by the end of this week to the proposals owners made on Jan. 9 and Feb. 26. Given that management is asking for changes to slow the rise in player salaries, the union is likely to respond unfavorably.

Owners want a 50 percent luxury tax on the portions of payrolls above $98 million, an increase in the amount of shared local revenue, new restrictions on salary arbitration, the ability to withhold pay from players suspended for on-field misconduct, an international draft and an increase in benefit contributions by the wealthier teams,

The Kansas City Royals waived left-hander Jose Rosado, a two-time All-Star who has struggled with shoulder problems in the past two years.

In two starts during spring training Rosado was 2-0, but had a 6.75 ERA, allowed seven hits, including a home run, and walked two in four innings.

Tennis

Top-seeded Andre Agassi changed his three-year run of bad luck in the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz., by beating Juan Balcells 6-2, 7-6 (2) for the 50th title of his career.

By winning two-thirds of his 75 finals, Agassi became the eighth player to win 50 championships in the open era, which began in 1968. Among active players, he trails only Pete Sampras, who has 63

--From staff, wire reports