Briefs: Arizona hammers Northwestern in softball
College softball
Pac-10 team is one win from NCAA title: Taryne Mowatt homered and drove in three runs, and Alicia Hollowell pitched a one-hitter as Arizona beat Northwestern 8-0 Monday night to win Game 1 of the best-of-three Women's College World Series championship round in Oklahoma City.
Mowatt never carried a bat to the plate last year, when she made 13 appearances as a pitcher. She moved into the lineup early this season and has developed a power surge in the World Series.
Hollowell (31-5) struck out 12 and Arizona (53-11) took advantage of mistakes by Northwestern (50-14) to score five runs in the third inning and break open the game.
Game 2 is today.
In the Arizona third, Autumn Champion grounded to second base and Adrienne Acton swept her left hand across the tip of home plate before Northwestern catcher Jamie Dotson could take Ashley Crane's throw and whirl for a tag.
Northwestern's Tammy Williams and Crane collided as they went to field Kristie Fox's pop fly to the edge of the left-field grass. As the ball fell to the ground, Caitlin Lowe raced home to make it 2-0.
Crane is a graduate of Eastlake High School in Sammamish.
The margin of victory matched the biggest blowout in the championship round. Arizona beat UCLA 10-2 in the 1997 title game.
College baseball
Oregon State to stay home for NCAA super regional: Oregon State has been awarded home-field advantage for its NCAA super-regional series against Pac-10 rival Stanford.
Oregon State (42-14) and the Cardinal (33-25) will play Saturday and Sunday in the best-of-three series. If a third game is necessary, it will be played Monday. The eight super-regional winners advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
College football
Notre Dame safety to box at Madison Square Garden: Tom Zbikowski, a standout safety at Notre Dame, will meet Robert Bell of Akron, Ohio, in a four-round heavyweight fight on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Zbikowski is allowed to do both because of NCAA rules that allow athletes to be amateur in one sport but pro in another. He can receive a paycheck — $25,000 for this bout — but cannot do any endorsements or advertisements.
Tennessee suspends quarterback Cooter: Tennessee reserve quarterback Jim Bob Cooter was suspended indefinitely after campus police arrested him on a drunken-driving charge.
Coach Philip Fulmer cited a violation of team rules for the suspension. He said Cooter, 21, will miss the opener Sept. 2 against California and undergo an alcohol evaluation before he can return.
"Jim Bob has let the team down and embarrassed himself and his family by his actions," Fulmer said.
Cooter was arrested Saturday and failed three field sobriety tests, according to a campus-police report.
College basketball
UConn's Boone to remain in NBA draft: Connecticut center Josh Boone said he plans to hire an agent soon and stay in the NBA draft, passing up his senior season with the Huskies.
The announcement came on the same day UConn point guard A.J. Price received medical clearance to play, nearly two years after having a brain hemorrhage.
Boone is the third UConn player to enter the draft, joining Rudy Gay and Marcus Williams.
Auto racing
Elliott to drive for Red Bull: Bill Elliott will run three races this season for Red Bull Racing as a warmup for its 2007 debut as one of Toyota's initial teams in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
Elliott, the 1988 series champion, will attempt to qualify for races in North Carolina, Georgia and Texas. The car make the 50-year-old Elliott will drive has not been decided, but it won't be a Camry because the model has not been approved for 2006 competition.
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