April 16, 2012|Sports Digest
Preakness
G-I UAE Cup race to feature Arabian horses
Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, will join with Pimlico Race Course to host the $75,000-added The President of the United Arab Emirates Cup, a Grade I race for purebred Arabian horses, on Preakness Day, May 19. The race is limited to 14 horses and will be run on the main track at 1 1/16 miles. The Maryland House Ways and Means Committee passed an emergency bill, signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley on Tuesday, authorizing Pimlico to conduct live racing of Arabian horses under certain circumstances. The race needs to be approved by the Maryland Racing Commission and is a topic is on Tuesday's agenda. "Adding the top Arabian race to what is already a first-class series of races will enhance the value of the day," Pimlico president Tom Chuckas said. "We are pleased to partner with the UAE for this historic event and look forward to future opportunities." The President of the UAE Cup Series was established more than 20 years ago to promote and celebrate the Arabian breed internationally. It was the first international racing series for Arabian horses and continues to be considered as the world's premier racing series for the breed. Last year's running of The President of the United Arab Emirates Cup was held at Churchill Downs in mid-June.
Colleges
Duke surges past Maryland in 8th for 5-3 win in baseball
Maryland starting pitcher David Carroll kept Duke at bay for seven innings, but the Blue Devils rallied from a 3-2 deficit with three runs in the eighth to take a 5-3 victory over the host Terps on Sunday afternoon. A day after scoring 21 runs on 20 hits, Maryland (24-14, 7-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) managed just three runs on five hits in the finale as Duke starting pitcher Robert Huber turned in a complete game. Still, the Terps were in position for a series sweep as they headed into the eighth with a 3-2 lead. Carroll had needed just 75 pitches to get through the first seven innings, and retired the first batter he faced in the eighth. But Duke's Jeff Kremer started a rally with a single up the middle, and Carroll gave way to reliever Charlie Haslup. A single by Marcus Stroman and an intentional walk loaded the bases, and Duke (14-23, 6-12) tied it with Mike Rosenfeld's sacrifice fly. With two outs and runners on second and third, Blue Devil pinch hitter Will Piwnica-Worms slapped a two-run, opposite-field single.
More baseball: Junior left-hander Spencer Medick and three relief pitchers combined to pitch a four-hitter as host Elon (21-17) edged Towson, 6-2, in the deciding game of their three-game weekend series. Medick pitched the first six innings and allowed two unearned runs on four hits with one walk and one strikeout. Sophomore second baseman Pat Fitzgerald led the Tigers (17-18) with two hits and scored a run. He batted .462 in the series.
College softball: Maryland completed a series sweep of Virginia with an 8-0 five-inning victory. Freshman Shannon Bustillos led the Terps (23-7, 3-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), going 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBIs. Senior Kendra Knight (16-10) picked up the win by surrendering one hit, striking out four and walking one in a complete-game effort. Knight was the winning pitcher in all three games against the Cavaliers (20-21, 5-10) who fell into a fifth-place tie with the Terps in the conference.
Et cetera
Wizards: Roger Mason Jr. will have surgery today to repair an avulsion fracture in his left index finger and will miss the rest of the season.
—From Sun staff and news services
