Saso and Altomare lead, Hsu in top 10 at Lotte in Hawaii

Yuka Saso and Brittany Altomare shared the lead in the opening round of the LPGA Lotte Championship on Wednesday, finishing atop a tight leaderboard that also includes Canadian Brooke Henderson in search of her third straight title, while Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling was tied for seventh. Saso, a 19-year-old from the Philippines who made history for her country with double Asian Games golf gold in 2018, was first in the clubhouse on eight-under 64, racing home with four of her eight birdies at her last four holes. Altomare, of the US, followed with an even more impressive surge, stringing together seven straight birdies after the turn on the way to nine birdies and a bogey for an eight-under total. Saso, a two-time winner on the Japan LPGA Tour, said there was no real secret to her success at Kapolei Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii. “I made some good putts, had good up and downs, my driving was very consistent today,” said Saso, who is playing this week on a sponsor’s exemption. Saso opened with a birdie on 10 and added birdies at 17, 18 and the fourth, before reeling off birdies at six, seven, eight and nine. Tied at five-under 67, Hsu, with birdies on two, six, seven, nine and 17, was in good company at seventh alongside world No. 3 Kim Sei-young of South Korea, who won the tournament in 2015, as well as New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, American Jessica Korda, Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow, South Korean Lee Mi-hyang and amateur Rose Zhang. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Cheng Ssu-chia, 23, had a two-under 70, with birdies on nine, 10, 11 and 14, tempered by bogeys on eight and 15, placing her tied for 48th. Min Lee was six-over on the par-72 course to tie for 141, while former world No. 1 Yani Tseng was seven-over at the bottom in 144th

Fleury passes Belfour in wins, Knights beat Kings

Marc-Andre Fleury had not received much help lately as he continued his climb up the record books, with the Vegas Golden Knights providing 10 goals of support in his previous seven starts. With Vegas finally unleashing the offense in front of their veteran goaltender, Fleury on Wednesday made 21 saves to earn his 485th win and break a tie with Ed Belfour for fourth place in NHL history, as the Golden Knights beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-2. Max Pacioretty and Tomas Nosek each had a goal and two assists for the Golden Knights, who have won four straight. Alex Tuch, Chandler Stephenson, Mark Stone and Alex Pietrangelo also scored, and Vegas went 6-2-0 in the eight-game season series against Los Angeles. “It’s fun to see them [score],” Fleury said. “I see the game is more relaxed when we get all those goals, but it’s nice. I knew it was gonna come at some point.” Picking up where they left off in a 4-2 win over the Kings on Monday, the Golden Knights continued to highlight their speed and transition play as they went up 2-0 11 minutes, 4 seconds into the game. When Jonathan Quick misplayed Pacioretty’s bouncing dump in from outside the blue line to put the Golden Knights up 3-1 late in the first period, resulting in the Kings’ own accomplished goalie being replaced after allowing three goals on eight shots, it was clear it would be Fleury’s night to make history. “Kind of one of those things where it almost felt like every other game we were playing well, and it just happened to fall [poorly] in the games that Flower played,” Pacioretty said. “But in that short amount of time, he still played well and was able to help us win. So, yeah, it was nice to get him some runs

SPORTS BRIEFS

FOOTBALL QB accuser drops suit One of the 23 women who have filed lawsuits accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment has dropped her case, citing privacy and security concerns after some of the women were ordered to make their names public following court hearings last week. In court documents filed late on Tuesday, the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, said that she “reserves the right to refile the case once such concerns are addressed.” Buzbee has said that the women have faced death threats and attacks on social media since accusing Watson, and had wanted them to be allowed to remain anonymous. The women accuse Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis or kissing them against their will while he received a massage. At least one woman has alleged Watson forced her to perform oral sex. All of the women are either licensed massage therapists, or worked in a spa or similar business. SOCCER Kudela banned 10 games The UEFA on Wednesday banned Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela for 10 European matches for racially abusing Rangers’ Finnish midfielder Glen Kamara in a Europa League match. Kamara has been suspended for three matches in UEFA club competitions for an “assault” on Kudela that reportedly took place in the tunnel after the match at Ibrox on March 18. Rangers forward Kemar Roofe was also handed a four-match ban for his high challenge that left Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar with a fractured skull in the bad-tempered last-16, second-leg tie. “We welcome the suspension imposed on Ondrej Kudela. This not only vindicates Glen Kamara’s evidence, but underlines the severity of the comment, given the number of games has been imposed by UEFA,” Rangers said in a statement. CRICKET Streak blasted after ban Heath Streak on Wednesday was blasted as “selfish and greedy” after being handed an

Chang error brings racist tweets

ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENT: Speaking of Chang Yu, Indians manager Terry Francona said errors are part of baseball, but ‘ignorance and racism ... shouldn’t be anywhere’

“Stupid and ignorant” is what Indians manager Terry Francona called racist social media messages sent to first baseman Chang Yu. They have no place in baseball or “anywhere,” Francona added. On Tuesday, Chang shared some anti-Asian postings he received on Twitter after he made a costly error in the ninth inning of Monday’s game in Chicago. The throwing error allowed the White Sox to score the winning run. Chang, who is Taiwanese, posted some of the messages on his account, while asking for tolerance. One of the messages referred to the shape of his eyes and another referred to COVID-19. “Exercise your freedom of speech in a right way, I accept all comments, positive or negative, but DEFINITELY NOT RACIST ONES,” Chang wrote. “Thank you all and love you all.” Chang included the hashtag #StopAsianHate. Chang’s message included a screenshot of three of the messages. Two of the accounts seem to have been deleted. Soon after his posting, the 25-year-old Chang received an outpouring of positive responses and support from Indians fans and others on social media. Francona said that earlier in the day, he had texted with Chang and met with him along with the player’s interpreter before Tuesday’s game at Guaranteed Rate Field. “First, I wanted to make sure he was OK and that he understands the lunacy or the idiocy that was said is not shared by hopefully very many people, certainly not in the Indians organization,” Francona said. “Truth be told, man, it’s really simple: Errors are part of the game — but ignorance and racism, they shouldn’t be anywhere,” he said. “Those comments that have nothing to do with baseball, it’s just an excuse for somebody to be stupid and ignorant. That’s really what it is.” Francona said that Chang was handling the situation well. “He’s an extremely mature young man and he’s fine,” Francona said. With

PSG oust holders Bayern Munich to reach semi-finals

Paris St Germain (PSG) on Tuesday reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, despite a 1-0 home defeat to holders Bayern Munich, as they progressed on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate result in a thriller that was on a knife-edge until the final whistle. Striker Eric Choupo-Moting scored the only goal before the interval, but it was not enough to overturn the German side’s 3-2 loss in last week’s first leg. Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG side, who struggled at times in Munich, had the clearest opportunities, but lacked efficiency: Neymar hit the woodwork twice and Kylian Mbappe’s speed proved tough to handle, but brought no end product. Bayern eventually paid for the absence of injured striker Robert Lewandowski and forward Serge Gnabry, who had tested positive for COVID-19, while PSG managed to live without captain Marquinhos and midfielder Marco Verrati. “Normally, my team has so much quality in the final third, but today they were lacking that final punch,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick said. “Now we’re in the semi-finals and we can dream big,” Neymar said. Without the injured Marquinhos, Danilo started alongside Presnel Kimpembe in central defense for the French champions, while Bayern were also without Leon Goretzka in the midfield. Bayern applied pressure early on, but PSG threatened on the counter, with Mbappe and Neymar having early chances in a start strewn with errors. The visitors had their first attempt in the 25th minute, when Leroy Sane’s curled short from outside the penalty box went just wide. PSG then came close on a quick break, as Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer denied Neymar in a one-on-one after the Brazilian had been found unmarked by Mbappe. Neymar was at it again three times in a handful of minutes with a powerful shot that Neuer deflected onto his post, a superb curled effort that crashed against the bar and another attempt that

Olympic stars to watch in Tokyo

How ready are the biggest stars for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games, which are finally to begin in July, a year later than planned after the COVID-19 pandemic forced their postponement? AFP Sport looked at the state of readiness of established medal winners and potential medalists: KOHEI UCHIMURA Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura has been forced to downsize his ambitions for this summer’s Games, but he is still looking to add more gold to his sizeable collection. The 32-year-old — dubbed “King Kohei” and considered by many as the greatest gymnast of all time — has said he would not defend the all-around titles that he won in London in 2012 and again in Rio four years later, due to persistent shoulder pain. Instead, he would focus on the horizontal bar and in Tokyo, he would aim to add to his career haul of three gold and four silver Olympic medals. Uchimura’s preparations were interrupted when a positive COVID-19 test threatened to rule him out of an exhibition event in November last year, only to be given the all-clear after testing negative just days later. He went on to win the horizontal bar title at the Japanese nationals the following month, describing it as an “important” step in his Olympic preparations. RUTH CHEPNGETICH Ruth Chepngetich powered through the heat and humidity to win gold in the women’s marathon at the 2019 world championships in Doha. When asked in the Qatari capital about the Tokyo Olympics, she said: “I will try my best.” The 26-year-old Kenyan is certainly to head to Japan among the firm favorites for Olympic gold, with COVID-19 restrictions seemingly having had little impact on her performances. Earlier this month, she backed up her winning Doha form by taking 29 seconds off the world record as she won the Istanbul Half Marathon, clocking a stunning 1 hour, 4 minutes, 2

China’s gymnast-turned-beggar back on the streets

A decade ago, the plight of former champion gymnast Zhang Shangwu shocked China and made world headlines when he was discovered begging in Beijing, prompting a recycling magnate to give him a job. That should have heralded a turnaround for Zhang, who had been imprisoned for theft after injury ended his gymnastics career. However, after another stint in jail, Zhang is again making a living on the streets, doing handstands and singing for a live online audience in a parking lot in Baoding. Athletes in China are often reared in special schools from a young age and can struggle to adjust to normal life once their careers are over. Zhang appeared destined for the Olympics after he won two gold medals at the 2001 Universiade, but a year later, a tendon injury ended his career. He took jobs as a waiter and a care worker, but injuries hampered his work and he turned to theft, spending five years in jail before being released in April 2011. Zhang’s luck changed in July that year when he was recognized performing stunts and begging on the street. He was inundated with job offers and took up a post as a fitness instructor at the company of a wealthy recycling magnate. However, in March last year, Zhang said on social media that he had again been released from prison after serving time for theft. Zhang no longer talks to media, but recently in Baoding, he did handstands and chatted to online viewers, who send him virtual gifts that can be turned into cash. On another occasion, he rigged up a microphone and small speaker, and sang for about 40 minutes, before his mobile phone ran out of data.

NZ approves two Pacific Island clubs for Super Rugby

New Zealand Rugby has granted conditional approval for two Pacific Island teams to join an Australia-New Zealand Super Rugby tournament beginning next year. Moana Pasifika, a team of players of Samoan and Tongan heritage, would likely be based in South Auckland, while the Fiji Drua would be based in Suva, the Fiji capital. They would join New Zealand’s five teams and Australia’s five teams in the proposed tournament next year. New Zealand Rugby in November last year confirmed the teams as its preferred Pacific partners, subject to their meeting certain financial criteria. A cash injection of about US$5 million over three years by World Rugby helped to ensure the inclusion of Pacific teams in Super Rugby for the first time. New Zealand Rugby would still require the teams to produce business plans showing that they are financially and commercially sustainable, and that they can be competitive on the field. Rugby Australia has also yet to signal its approval. The announcement was made at a news conference yesterday by New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson, Moana Pasifika representatives, and former All Blacks Michael Jones and Bryan Williams. “We are finalizing business plans as we’ve said already,” Robinson said. “We are conditional on that and obviously our friends at Rugby Australia — we have ongoing dialogue there that we will continue to participate in. It’s very constructive at the moment. We’re on the frontier of something extremely exciting for our competitions.” Williams, who is of Samoan and Tongan heritage, was one of the first Pacific Island players to play for the All Blacks and later became president of New Zealand Rugby. Jones played one match for Samoa before transferring his allegiance to New Zealand, for whom he played 55 Tests. Both are former Samoa coaches. Williams and Jones have long campaigned for a Pacific team in Super Rugby and could not

Tsitsipas saunters into Monte Carlo Masters last 16

Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday made a winning start to the Monte Carlo Masters after the world No. 5 cruised past Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4 and into the last 16. Greece’s Tsitsipas, who had been given a bye into the second round, took just 1 hour, 24 minutes to beat 29th-ranked Karatsev of Russia. The 22-year-old exploited 32 unforced errors from Karatsev to set up a clash with either Australia’s John Millman or Chile’s Cristian Garin. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic next faces Jannik Sinner in his second-round match, after Italy’s up-and-coming star saw off Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. Teenager Sinner has risen to 22nd in the world rankings after reaching the final of the Miami Open earlier this month. “I will definitely have a game plan,” Sinner said, referring to his first meeting with Djokovic. “I know who is on the other side.” Sinner, one of five Italians to reach the second round in Monte Carlo on Tuesday, is 15-5 so far this year, but is competing in the main draw of a Masters 1000 event for just the fourth time of his career. Earlier on Tuesday, Daniil Medvedev pulled out of the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19. The world No. 2 tested positive on Monday, after having practiced with Rafael Nadal the day before. Organizers declined to comment on whether third seed Nadal risked being identified as a “close contact” of Medvedev and forced to quarantine. Nadal is seeded to meet Djokovic in the tournament final, as he chases a 12th triumph at Monte Carlo, an important clay-court tournament in the run-up to the French Open.

Baggies boost slender survival hopes

‘WRONG DECISION’: After Mbaye Diagne’s goal was controversially ruled out by VAR, Sam Allardyce agreed that the system is at risk of becoming a laughing stock

West Bromwich Albion on Monday improved their slender hopes of avoiding relegation from the English Premier League as they survived video assistant referee (VAR) controversy to beat Southampton 3-0, while Everton’s fading top four bid was damaged by a 0-0 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion. The Baggies saw Mbaye Diagne’s goal questionably ruled out by VAR early in the first half at the Hawthorns, but manager Sam Allardyce’s side recovered from that blow to sweep to a two-goal lead by halftime thanks to Matheus Pereira’s penalty and a Matt Phillips strike. Callum Robinson sealed West Brom’s second successive win after the interval as they built on their stunning 5-2 victory at Chelsea. Second-bottom West Brom move within eight points of fourth-bottom Newcastle United with seven games left. The Baggies have scored eight goals in their past two games, two more than they had netted in their previous 11 combined, but their unexpected revival might have come too late to save them from slipping into the EFL Championship. “We have had two very important wins that are pricking up people’s ears, but unfortunately we have to rely on other people losing,” Allardyce said. Southampton’s limp display was the worst possible preparation for next weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Leicester City. After just four minutes it looked like being a frustrating evening for West Brom. Diagne nodded in from close range and was flagged offside, with VAR backing the onfield call because television cameras could not get the right angle to conclusively prove the striker was on or offside. Asked if he thought the system was in danger of becoming a laughing stock, Allardyce said: “I’m afraid so... The decision was wrong. We got the angle — there are 16 cameras at least here and we got the angle clear on our screens — they came to the wrong decision

Curry scores 53 as Warriors beat Nuggets 116-107

Stephen Curry on Monday scored 53 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most in Golden State Warriors franchise history as they beat the Denver Nuggets 116-107. Draymond Green had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and Kent Bazemore added 14 for the Warriors. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and nine rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 17 points before injuring his left knee in the final minute of the game. He was helped off the court and did not return. Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Murray would get an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. “Some of the coaches said when they watched the replay, it looked like he hyperextended it,” Malone said. “It’s just an awful feeling. Keep Jamal in your thoughts and prayers and hopefully, we’ll get some good news.” Curry scored 21 points in the first quarter, giving him 17,786 in his career. That passed Chamberlain’s 17,783 with the franchise, a record he had held since 1964. “To be anywhere near him in any record book or now be on top, it’s surreal and it’s wild,” Curry said. “If you grow up in the game of basketball and you hear his name, you know it’s something extremely special, no matter what it is.” Curry shot 14 of 24 from the field, making 10 of 18 three-pointers. The two-time league Most Valuable Player added six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. It marked his seventh straight game scoring at least 30 points, the longest streak by a Warrior since Rick Barry during the 1966 to 1967 season. Curry’s 10 three-pointers marked his 18th career game making at least 10 — 13 more than any other player in NBA history. He notched

Tyler Glasnow fans 14 as Rays blank Rangers 1-0

The Tampa Bay Rays are running out of superlatives to describe the way Tyler Glasnow is pitching. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out a career-high 14 in 7-2/3 innings and Willy Adames homered in the seventh to help the American League champions beat the sputtering Texas Rangers 1-0 on Monday. Glasnow (1-0) allowed two hits and got his first win of the season after pitching well but not being involved in decisions in two previous starts. He allowed Eli White’s single up the middle off the glove of diving second baseman Brandon Lowe with one out in the fifth and Jose Trevino’s leadoff single in the eighth. “That was unbelievable. He’s going right at hitters,” said centerfielder Brett Phillips, who made a couple of nice defensive plays — one a sliding catch to rob White of a hit in the second inning, the other on a Trevino fourth-inning fly ball he ran down on the warning track in left-center. “Outside of those, I could have put a lounge chair out there, put my head back and maybe got a water or something and watched him do his thing,” Phillips said. “That’s how impressive it was playing behind him.” Adames homered off Taylor Hearn (0-1) with two outs in the seventh, just the third hit yielded by Texas pitchers. Rangers starter Dane Dunning limited the Rays to a pair of doubles in the first two innings before being replaced by Hearn at the start of the fifth. Glasnow improved to 6-0 over his last 11 regular season games, and Tampa Bay have gone 10-1 in the those games. The 2m-tall right-hander allowed one hit in six innings on opening day, exiting a scoreless tie before the Rays went on to win 1-0 at Miami. He yielded one run and four hits over six innings at Boston on April

Samson century in vain as Punjab down Rajasthan

Debutant captain Sanju Samson on Monday hit the first century of the Indian Premier League season, but his side Rajasthan Royals lost by four runs to Punjab Kings. Samson smashed 119 off 63 deliveries before getting out on the last ball of the match to left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh as Rajasthan finished on 217-7 while chasing a target of 222 in Mumbai. Needing five off the final two balls, Samson refused a single with partner Chris Morris and then fell in an attempt to hit a six. “I don’t have words to explain my feelings. Would have loved to finish it off for my team,” said Samson, who became the first debutant IPL skipper to hit a hundred. “I don’t think I could have done better than that. I thought I timed it well for a six, but unfortunately couldn’t clear the man in the deep,” he said. Samson came out to bat after England’s Ben Stokes fell for a third ball duck at the start of the Rajasthan chase and single-handedly took the opposition bowling apart. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who replaced Australia’s Steve Smith — now playing for Delhi Capitals — as leader for Rajasthan this year, stood out with his destructive knock laced with 12 fours and seven sixes. Samson put on key partnerships with Jos Buttler, who hit 25, and Riyan Parag, who scored 25 off 11 balls, for the fourth and fifth wicket to keep up the chase. However, Samson survived a reprieve on 12 when his opposite number K.L. Rahul dropped an easy catch off Singh. Rahul smashed 91 in Punjab’s 221-6 and then Singh claimed three wickets while senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami took two. Rahul built partnerships with Chris Gayle, who hit 40, and Deepak Hooda, who made 64 off 28 balls, after being put into bat first. Pace bowler Chetan Sakariya returned figures of

SPORTS BRIEFS

SOCCER Sevilla in sight of top three Sevilla on Monday gave themselves an outside chance of rejoining La Liga’s title race by winning a seven-goal thriller away at RC Celta de Vigo. A second-half double from Ivan Rakitic and Papu Gomez snatched a 4-3 victory for Sevilla, who twice had to come from behind at the Balaidos. The comeback puts Sevilla six points behind Atletico Madrid. For weeks it has looked like only Real Madrid and Barcelona could overhaul struggling Atletico, but 13 points from 15 has put Sevilla back in sight of the top three. Fourth place is all but secure for Julen Lopetegui’s side, who have a 14-point advantage over fifth-placed Real Sociedad, who they face next weekend. Celta stay 10th. FOOTBALL Patriots’ Edelman retires New England Patriots star Julian Edelman on Monday announced his retirement from the NFL, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned 12 seasons and included three Super Bowl victories. The 34-year-old receiver, named Most Valuable Player in the Patriots most recent Super Bowl victory in 2019, confirmed his retirement after his contract was terminated due to a failed physical. “I’ve always said I’m going until the wheels come off, and they’ve finally fallen off,” Edelman said in a recorded video on Twitter that showed him sitting on the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium field at Foxboro, Massachusetts. “Due to an injury last year, I’ll be making my official announcement of my retirement from football. It’s been the best 12 years of my life. It’s been a hell of a run.” SOCCER US women closer to equality The US women’s soccer team on Monday vowed to press on with an appeal in their equal pay lawsuit after a federal judge in Los Angeles formally approved a deal with the US Soccer Federation over working conditions. US District Judge Gary Klausner inked

Japan hails Matsuyama’s Masters win

‘HISTORIC’ MOMENT: ‘ Matsuyama Masters’ was trending on Twitter in Japan, as TV stations ran breaking news flashes and golf-related shares rose on the stock market

Japan on Sunday sucked in its breath as Hideki Matsuyama almost blew his chance to win the Masters, but the golfer’s one-shot victory at Augusta National sparked a joyous reaction back home as the country celebrated another sporting triumph in testing times. Matsuyama, 29, became the first man from Japan to win one of golf’s major titles, a feat that drew praise from government and Olympics officials with the Tokyo Games just three months away. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato expressed “congratulations and respect from the heart” for Matsuyama’s “historic” win, which came as ray of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is another bright piece of news of a Japanese athlete’s outstanding performance on the global stage under tough circumstances like training,” Kato told a regular news conference. Kato pointed to tennis player Naomi Osaka’s win at the Australian Open and Shohei Ohtani’s outstanding performance both as a hitter and a batter this week in MLB as further evidence of Japan’s sporting success. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called Matsuyama’s win “wonderful” and a source of pride and courage for the Japanese people during the difficulties posed by the pandemic. Matsuyama started the final round with a four-shot lead and looking a strong bet to join Hinako Shibuno and Chako Higuchi as Japanese major champions. Shibuno won the Women’s British Open in 2019 and Higuchi won the 1977 Women’s PGA Championship. However, Matsuyama’s march to win the coveted Green Jacket hit a speed bump on the par five 15th, where his approach shot went in the water behind the green. He could only make bogey while playing partner Xander Schauffele birdied the hole, turning Matsuyama’s comfortable four-shot cushion into a slender two-shot lead. Schauffele’s triple-bogey at the next hole gave Matsuyama some breathing space and while he dropped two more strokes over the closing three holes it

Weaver nearly pitches no-hitter in beating Reds

Luke Weaver was one of the worst pitchers in the National League one season ago. The Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander was not that promising this spring training, either. The 27-year-old never lost his confidence. Even after bad outings, he insisted he felt good on the mound and the results would come. He backed up those words on Sunday. “It finally came together,” Weaver said. Weaver retired the first 17 batters, Eduardo Escobar homered for the fourth straight game and Arizona beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. Weaver (1-0) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up a broken-bat single to Eugenio Suarez, whose ground ball found a hole up the middle. The right-hander hit Alex Blandino with a pitch with two outs in the sixth, the first of three baserunners he allowed. Weaver — who flashed pinpoint command with a mid-90s fastball — needed just 94 pitches over seven innings to carve through Cincinnati’s red-hot lineup, throwing 63 strikes. He struck out eight. The Reds came into the game hitting .312 as a team, which was tops in the majors. “There was just a lot of confidence right from the get-go,” Weaver said. “Mechanically, seeing the results. Finishing pitches.” Rookie Matt Peacock pitched the final two innings to complete the two-hitter. David Peralta hit a three-run homer in the third, his first of the season, to put the Diamondbacks ahead 4-0. Arizona threatened again in the fourth, but Christian Walker struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Escobar added a 2-run shot down the right-field line in the fifth to push the D-backs ahead 6-0. His four-game homer streak is a career best. Jose De Leon (0-1) allowed six runs over 4-1/3 innings. He struck out nine, walked three and gave up eight hits, including the two homers. Arizona won the three-game series after losing Friday’s opener, cooling off the Reds after

Tainan TSG hold Hang Yuan to 1-1 draw in opener

Defending champions Tainan TSG (Taiwan Steel Group) held Hang Yuan to a 1-1 draw on Sunday in the Taiwan Football Premier League season opener, while Hualien City and Taichung Blue Whale on Saturday opened the Taiwan Mulan Football League with a goalless tie. Players and officials at all seven matches this weekend observed a moment’s silence for the 49 victims of the Taroko Express train crash in Hualien County on April 2. At New Taipei City’s Fu Jen Catholic University, midfielder Benchy Estama of Haiti and the frontline duo of Chen Jui-chieh and Ange Samuel of the Ivory Coast had the most shots on goal for TSG in the first half, while Hang Yuan’s Judelin Aveska misfired a header from a corner. Action picked up after halftime, when Tainan TSG defender Chen Wei-chuan sent a long pass to Chen Jui-chieh, who split the defense to deliver the first goal of the match. Hang Yuan midfielder Wu Yen-shu then sent a fierce shot to the upper corner from a free-kick, but goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh parried the attempt. Seven minutes from time, Hang Yuan goalkeeper Lai Po-lun denied a long drive from Estama. At the end of stoppage-time, Hang Yuan’s Haitian defender Aveska launched a final assault from inside his own half, passing to forward Huang Yu-wei, who outmaneuvered his markers to advance inside and send a low cross for Aveska to send into the box. Chen Wei-chuan attempted to intercept, but knocked the ball into the back of the net past teammate Pan, equalizing the game for the opposition. “All credit goes to our players, who did not quit and fought right to the end,” Hang Yuan manager Hong Ching-huai said. “It is not easy to score a goal late in the match. I told them not to give up, concentrate on the game and move forward to push

By Jason Pan