Sooners ousted in softball
Taran Alvelo shut out the two-time defending national champions and Washington eliminated Oklahoma from the softball College World Series with a 3-0 victory Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Julia DePonte had three hits and two RBI. The Huskies (52-8) will try to win their second national title starting Monday, when they play Florida State in the best-of-three series. Washington won the championship in 2009.
Oklahoma (57-5) was trying to join UCLA as the only programs to win three straight titles. The Sooners entered the World Series as the nation’s highest-scoring team, but Washington shut them out twice.
Oklahoma started No. 2 pitcher Paige Lowary, but ace Paige Parker replaced her early. Parker gave up one run and four hits in four innings in her final college game. She finished her career with 10 World Series victories.
RUNNING
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Meseret Defar of Ethiopia won the women’s Synchrony Rock ’n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon on Sunday while Titus Ekiru of Kenya upset Olympic silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia in the men’s race.
The elite runners in the half and full marathon had finished long before the race was halted for about 10 minutes and rerouted after a police officer accidentally shot himself in the leg while pursuing a hit-and-run suspect who pointed a weapon at police and was eventually arrested on the roof of a parking structure near the finish line in downtown.
Defar, a two-time Olympic champion in the 5,000 meters, finished in 1 hour, 8 minutes, 26 seconds, well ahead of Jane Kibii of Kenya, who clocked 1:12:00. Kaitlyn James of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was third in 1:13:54.
Ekiru won the men’s race in 1:01:02, 16 seconds ahead of Lilesa, who won the silver medal in the marathon at the Rio Olympics. Josphat Kipchirchir of Kenya was third in 1:02:21.
BASEBALL
Starter Jeremy Hellickson will have an MRI after straining his right hamstring, forcing him to leave with one out in the first inning of the Washington Nationals’ 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
As Hellickson ran to cover Ozzie Albies’ grounder, a throwing error by first baseman Mark Reynolds caused him to drop the ball as he came down on the bag. Hellickson immediately clutched the back top of his leg and walked slowly off the field.
Hellickson is likely to go on the disabled list, another setback for the injury-riddled Nationals.
SOCCER
Brazil striker Neymar made a spectacular return after a three-month absence with a foot injury and celebrated a superb individual goal with his surgeon.
Playing for the first time since February, Neymar scored the opener in Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win against Croatia in Liverpool. The striker then ran to hug Brazilian soccer confederation physician Rodrigo Lasmar on the sideline at Anfield.
“I have waited and worked a lot for this,” Neymar said.
Neymar had replaced midfielder Fernandinho at halftime with the score at 0-0 and needed less than 25 minutes to make his mark and raise hopes of Brazilian fans for the World Cup, which starts June 14.
OLYMPICS
Colorado leaders plan to pursue the Winter Olympics — but only if voters back the idea.
An exploratory committee that has been reviewing whether to pursue the Olympics announced that Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock have accepted its recommendation that Denver and Colorado pursue a bid subject to approval of a statewide referendum in 2020 or later.
Denver had to back out of hosting the Winter Games in 1976 after voters rejected funding for the event, making it the only city in Olympic history to give up a winning bid.
This time, the committee thinks the Olympics can be held with private money — meaning it wouldn’t require a public vote, which is needed to raise taxes or issue debt in Colorado. But given the state’s history, the committee of top business and political leaders wants to ask voters for their blessing, nonetheless.