Tiebreaker

The field is set for the seventh Cal Ripken 12-and-under World Series semifinals, but not without some controversy. Two games each in the American and International divisions are set to begin at 12:05 p.m. today in Aberdeen and will air live on OLN, with the final game set for 7:35. Today's survivors play for the International and American championships at 4 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., respectively, tomorrow, and the World Series final will be at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday. "It seems like we've been getting more people out to see the preliminary games this year," said Cal Ripken, who will be part of the live broadcasts with his brother, Bill Ripken.

Tickets for a potential divisional tie-breaker Thursday between the Orioles and New York Yankees will go on sale Tuesday on Orioles.com, the club announced. Tickets will first be available to season ticket holders between 10 a.m. and noon at a discount rate applicable only during that time window. Between noon and 2 p.m., tie-breaker tickets will become available to fans in the MASN viewing area, which includes Maryland, Virginia, Washington and parts of North Carolina, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

From the beginning of the volleyball season, last night's showdown between No. 7 Towson and No. 12 Dulaney appeared destined to determine who would win Baltimore County's Class 4A-3A Division and advance to the county title match. After all, Towson won the last three county crowns, and the Lions had won the four before that. A playoff atmosphere surrounded last night's regular-season finale as visiting Towson pulled off a 25-22, 25-15, 25-16 sweep. Still, that wasn't enough to boost the Generals into next week's county final.

With the Orioles nearing the end of the season in the hunt for the American League East title and one of two wild-card positions, here's a primer on what happens in the case of a tie. In the simplest terms, if two teams tie for a division title or the final wild-card spot, a one-game tiebreaker will be played. At this point, if the Orioles and Yankees were to tie for the division, the O's would host the tiebreaker game by the virtue of their better record in division games. Here are all the details: Determining Home-Field Advantage in Two-Team Tiebreakers 1. Head-to-head winning percentage during the 2012 regular season.

McDonogh's Alex Sidney lay on his stomach near the net, writhing in pain from cramps that attacked both of his legs and rendered them useless. He was playing a tiebreaker in the final set of a championship match and didn't want it to end like this. Michael Katz of Gilman stood quietly at the net and could barely look at Sidney. The two are close friends who play tennis together frequently, and Katz didn't want the match to end like this either. But Sidney couldn't get up and had to retire, giving Katz the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference No. 1 singles title, 7-5, 4-6, 6-6 (ret.

LANDOVER - Washington Redskins fullback Larry Centers, suffering from a sprained knee, joked about playing on crutches if he has to. Receiver Albert Connell said he plans to play the whole game despite a bum knee. Running back Stephen Davis will strap a brace on one of his forearms, which is healing from a hairline fracture, and follow Connell's lead. All this because the Redskins (7-5) have, as Centers put it, used up all their sick days and now find themselves in a virtual must-win game with the New York Giants (8-4)

NEW YORK -- He had played five draining sets on the Stadium Court, creating a four-hour drama in the U.S. Open quarterfinals that left the crowd breathless.Now here was Pete Sampras, physically ill on the court, his tongue out, his eyes rolling toward heaven asking for help, trying to get through a tiebreaker against a deserving opponent, and against all odds."He said he did it for Tim," said Delaina Mulcahy, Sampras' girlfriend, referring to Tim Gullikson, Sampras' former coach who died in May. "He said that Tim was there with him."

The top-ranked Chesapeake softball team (17-3) will play in tomorrow's county championship game after finishing in first place with a 14-2 mark. Who the Cougars will play is still up in the air. It could be No. 4 Severna Park (17-3, 13-3 in the county) or No. 6 North County (14-4, 13-3) and it depends on whether No. 2 Northeast (14-4), 12-3) will get its make-up game in at Southern today. If the game is played and the Eagles win, a three-way tie will take place and Severna Park will advance on a second tiebreaker of more overall wins.

EASTON, Pa. -- Lafayette pounded Navy so badly in the Patriot League tournament final yesterday that the Midshipmen can't blame the loss on the home-court controversy that shadowed the tournament and worked against them. "They beat us in every possible way," Navy coach Don DeVoe said after the 87-61 loss at Lafayette's Allan P. Kirby Center. "They pounded us into oblivion." Still, the Mids will spend the summer wondering what might have happened if they had played the game on their home floor, where they put a 28-point beating on Lafayette last month.

After her opponent, top-seeded Rika Fujiwara, hit a forehand volley wide, Manisha Malhotra walked to her chair on the sideline up 5-2 in the third set of the finals of the USTA Women's Satellite Tournament of Baltimore yesterday at Druid Hill Park. The situation was eerily familiar. Malhorta, the No. 2 seed, led 5-2 in the second set only to blow three match points, drop the next four games and lose in a tiebreaker. "I was like, `OK, you just need to go for it, and if you don't get it this time, you have another service game,' " said Malhorta, a native of India who played collegiately at Tennessee.

The 2012 Cavalier Classic Softball Tournament featured a dominant performance by Archbishop Spalding freshman pitcher Ali Caulkins, a game-saving putout by Severna Park left fielder Claire Hanratty and a walk-off single by Howard sophomore Taylor McGrann. The 12-team tournament included eight squads that were part of last week's Baltimore Sun poll. In the end, Severna Park won both its games and a third tie-breaker against Northern-Calvert County and host Spalding to claim the championship.

Boys' Latin wrestled St. Mary's-Ryken to a 42-42 tie and won on criteria H, the most points scored in the first period, at the Capital Duals at St. John's (D.C.) on Saturday. The Lakers (11-4) tied the score at 30 with a pin by Colton Haugh (106). The Knights answered with a pin at 113 and Boys' Latin won the next two weight classes by forfeit, 120 and 126, but Ryken won the last match, 132, by forfeit to tie the score at 42. It took the eighth criteria, H, to decide a winner.

The Blast made more than a statement Sunday night; it gave a speech to the rest of the Major Indoor Soccer League. With perhaps its most impressive team effort of the season, the Blast dominated the second-place Milwaukee Wave, 20-9, at 1st Mariner Arena , clinched a berth in the playoffs and took a giant step toward finishing first and gaining a first-round bye and the home floor for the championship game. It was the seventh consecutive victory for Baltimore (13-3), which has not lost since Jan. 16, and ensured the team would hold the tiebreaker for first place should it come to that at the end of the season.

McDonogh's Alex Sidney lay on his stomach near the net, writhing in pain from cramps that attacked both of his legs and rendered them useless. He was playing a tiebreaker in the final set of a championship match and didn't want it to end like this. Michael Katz of Gilman stood quietly at the net and could barely look at Sidney. The two are close friends who play tennis together frequently, and Katz didn't want the match to end like this either. But Sidney couldn't get up and had to retire, giving Katz the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference No. 1 singles title, 7-5, 4-6, 6-6 (ret.

With his team in a close contest with Glenelg going into the final match of the Class 2A-1A dual-meet state championship at North County, Bel Air's Tom Kuegler knew he had to do something against Glenelg's Matt Gochar to secure the win. "I knew I could beat this kid," Kuegler said. "I just knew I had to work my moves, and fortunately for me it worked out for the best." Kuegler pinned Gochar, helping Bel Air hold on for a 32-23 win despite a late charge from the Gladiators.

With his team tied with Glenelg going into the final match of the Class 2A-1A dual-meet state championship at North County, Bel Air's Tom Kuegler knew he had to do something against Glenelg's Matt Gochar to secure the win. "I knew I could beat this kid," Kuegler said. "I just knew I had to work my moves, and fortunately for me it worked out for the best." Kuegler pinned Gochar, helping Bel Air hold on for a 29-23 win despite a late charge from the Gladiators. Glenelg fought its way back into the match after a slow start, but an upset of Brendan Conway by Bel Air's Justin Lorber -- along with Kuegler's pin -- proved to be the difference.

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Through three sets and a tiebreaker, 15-year-old Jennifer Capriati matched Monica Seles, the No. 1 player in the world, volley for volley and game for game.Finally, Seles' backhand fell short, hitting the net and Capriati had the biggest victory of her career.Capriati, seeded fourth in the Mazda Tennis Classic, defeated Seles, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 (7-2), in a championship match featuring the two youngest finalists since the open era began in women's tennis.The loss dropped Seles, 17, to No. 2 in the world rankings and allowed Steffi Graf to regain the No. 1 spot.

WASHINGTON -- At a time in tennis when Andre Agassi says that "image is everything," the flamboyant Las Vegas native isn't the only American player on the men's tour with charisma.Enter Derrick Rostagno, a dark-haired, green-eyed, 26-year-old who is the epitome of California cool.The six-year veteran of the tour beat Gary Muller of South Africa yesterday in the quarterfinals of the NationsBank Classic in Washington. He'll play Henrik Holm today in the semifinals.In six years, Rostagno, who often wears Birkenstock sandals, a white T-shirt and shorts off the court, has found some interesting ways to travel from tournament to tournament other than in a conventional airplane.

Weyinmi Efejuku scored 16 and Providence upset No. 1 Pittsburgh 81-73 last night for its first win over a top-ranked team in 33 years. Sharaud Curry added 15 points for the host Friars (17-11, 9-7 Big East), who picked up a big victory for their NCAA tournament hopes. DeJuan Blair fouled out on a moving pick with 46 seconds left as Pittsburgh (25-3, 12-3) tried to rally. Blair, the reigning Big East player of the week, averaged 21 points and 20.5 rebounds in wins over No. 1 Connecticut and DePaul that elevated the Panthers to the top spot on Monday.

Each week, Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley will answer questions about the Ravens. To submit a question, e-mail sports@baltsun.com. Give your name and phone number so we can verify the e-mail. HEY, JAMISON: : Why didn't John Harbaugh try to score when we got the ball on the 20-yard line with one minute left [against the Bengals]? Strength of victory is the fifth tiebreaker, and the Ravens might need that against Pittsburgh. Mike Singer, Ellicott City HEY, MIKE: : You bring up an interesting argument because there is a chance - assuming the Ravens beat the Steelers on Dec. 14 - that the two teams could split the head-to-head meetings and have the same record for the other tiebreakers (within division, against common opponents and within AFC)