Tigers

Except for the hamstring that won't unwind, Eric Davis feels pretty good for a guy only recently back from the career-dead.The time has passed when the Orioles right fielder was ranked as the game's greatest "tool player," but he is still capable enough to be named American League Player of the Week and still intimidating enough to transform a lineup when his body allows.He's a little heavier, maybe, but still possesses one of baseball's most chiseled physiques and one of its quickest sets of hands.

Host Ohio State holds a slight 3-2 edge in this series, but Towson won the last meeting, 10-8, on March 20, 2007. The Tigers are the Colonial Athletic Association tournament champion, while the Buckeyes captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament crown. Towson (10-7) has won seven of its last nine games and avenged the two losses during that stretch by knocking off Drexel and Penn State in the CAA tournament. Senior attackman Matt Hughes has scored three goals in his last two contests after scoring five in his first 14. Ohio State (12-3)

Visitors who go to the Baltimore Zoo looking for tigers will discover a pacing cheetah and a memorial sign. Fasier and Roxanne, Siberian tigers who have been favorites with zoo-goers since 1988, are no more. The tigers, 16-year-old siblings, were euthanized because of health problems. Zoo officials say they have no immediate plans to replace the tigers, which are on the endangered species list. For the first time in more than two decades, the zoo does not have tigers, by far one its most popular exhibits through the years and a mainstay attraction at major zoos across the country.

COLLEGE PARK - Even when Stony Brook's Demmianne Cook edged to the sideline to confer with her coach during a stoppage of Friday night's NCAA tournament first round game, Towson defender Alexa Demski made sure she was never more than a few yards away. One of the keys for the Tigers was to never lose site of Cook, who entered as the nation's leading goal scorer. While Cook finished with two goals, Stony Brook goalie Frankie Caridi was the biggest difference-maker by making seven saves with several from point-blank range.

People have been able to go to the zoo in Aschersleben, Germany, to catch a glimpse of these two, playful cuties. They're on view for one hour every day. The cubs don't have names yet. They were born on Oct. 28.  

The Detroit Tigers did what most Baltimore baseball fans wished for - they utterly dismantled the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees. Congratulations to the city of Detroit and the Tigers organization for a job well done. I do believe that our Baltimore baseball team deserves a small thank-you in return. The Orioles did not win their ALDS playoffs versus the New Yorkers, but they were prepping the Yankees for their demise by playing hard-fought games that sent the Yankees into their series with the Tigers an exhausted team.

To find the catalyst for Towson's second-half dominance against Loyola's women's lacrosse team Saturday, you had to look far from the Tigers' attack. Goalie Mary Teeters made several critical plays through the middle of the second half to keep the No. 17 Tigers rolling to a 14-10 victory over No. 9 Loyola at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field. After trailing by three goals late in the first half, Towson (2-0) emerged from the break with free-position goals by Nikki Marcinik and Jess Dunn to take a 9-8 lead.

Like Rudolf Nureyev , the Tigers have turned on a dime. They appeared to be downsizing less than two years ago when they traded Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson in moves that seemed to show owner Mike Ilitch's concern over a bloated payroll. But that viewpoint passed before the 2010 season started, with free agent Johnny Damon added from the flexibility created by that provocative three-team trade. General manager Dave Dombrowski said the Tigers were only regrouping.

DETROIT -- Orioles left-hander Zach Britton threw his best outing of the season Saturday night against a trecherous Tigers lineup, but after his seven shutout innings, he noted he was only as good as the defense behind him. Britton's sinker was working Saturday night, which allowed him to get three key double play balls, including two in his first five outs of the game. Another double play ball - Delmon Young's grounder up the middle that hopped over Britton but was gloved by shortstopJ.J.

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz overcame a rocky start in the first inning against the Tigers Friday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium, but settled in for another steady spring start. Matusz yielded hits to the first four batters he faced and gave up three runs in the first inning, but allowed just one base hit after that. "(I) just came out of the gates amped up with a lot of energy," Matusz said. "The first inning, it killed me not getting ahead in the count, gave up some two-strike hits.

Towson became the second team in Division I (after Lehigh) to seal its path to the NCAA tournament when it knocked off No. 9 Penn State, 11-10, for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship last Friday. So unlike area neighbors like No. 5 Loyola, No. 11 Maryland and Johns Hopkins, the Tigers enjoyed last weekend. “It was actually pretty nice after being away for four days,” coach Shawn Nadelen said with a chuckle Sunday night. “It allowed our guys to catch up with some of their school work, and it gave us two days of a little extra rest.

When the United States Golf Association packed up its corporate tents after the 2002 Senior Open concluded, Caves Valley returned to its roots as a private club that was selective in the tournaments it hosted. Mandated to promote the amateur ranks, the Owings Mills club welcomed a handful of events in the intervening years - none involving professionals. That will change in the summer of 2014, when the Ladies Professional Golf Association's inaugural International Crown comes to Baltimore County for a four-day, match-play event featuring four-player teams from eight different countries.

The Towson men's lacrosse team (10-7) withstood a rally from No. 9 host Penn State (12-4) to win, 11-10, and claim its first Colonial Athletic Association title since 2005 on Friday. The victory gave the Tigers the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Nittany Lions (12-4) outscored Towson 4-3 in the fourth quarter as it tried to rally from an 8-6 deficit. The game was tightly contested until late in the second quarter and into the third, when the Tigers (10-7)

In just a few hours, No. 13 Johns Hopkins will take the field at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y., for its regular-season finale against Army. But the Blue Jays' bid for an appearance in its 42nd consecutive NCAA tournament  suffered a blow via the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Towson upset No. 9 Penn State, 11-10, in Friday's conference tournament final at University Park, Pa. The win secured the Tigers' first CAA tournament championship since 2007, which was also the last time they appeared in the NCAA tournament.

The six-goal explosion by redshirt freshman midfielder Ben McCarty that powered Towson's 11-8 upset of No. 15 Drexel in Wednesday's Colonial Athletic Association tournament semifinal must have shocked the Dragons, who probably did not expect McCarty to match his season total in goals in one contest. Even McCarty's coach, Shawn Nadelen, said he did not envision that performance. “I can't say I anticipated that,” Nadelen said with a chuckle Thursday morning. “I'm excited for him to do that.

If it's the Colonial Athletic Association women's lacrosse tournament, it must be a one-goal win for Towson. For the third straight time, the Tigers nipped an opponent by one goal in a CAA postseason game, edging Drexel for an 8-7 comeback victory Friday afternoon at the Tiger Soccer Complex. Last season, Towson beat Drexel, 12-11, in the semifinal and went on to slip past James Madison, 8-7, for the championship. This time, the top-seeded Tigers (9-8) scored twice in the final three minutes and their defense did the rest to ensure the chance to defend their title Sunday at 1 p.m. against Hofstra.

Detroit beat the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday to win the three-game series. The Tigers have won nine of their past 12 games since they were swept by the Minnesota Twins in the middle of the month. A major reason has been the performance of their pitching staff, which entered play Wednesday with a 3.88 ERA. Ace right-hander Justin Verlander, whom the Orioles will see Saturday, has won his past five decisions and given up one earned run or fewer in four of them. Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera leads the American League with a .374 batting average to go along with 10 home runs.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Tigers outfielder Tony Plagman drove in three runs, including a two-run triple in the ninth inning off Orioles reliever Jim Johnson to hand the Orioles a 6-4 loss Friday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz, a favorite to win the team's No. 5 rotation spot, allowed three first-inning runs but yielded just one hit over the next four innings. "(I was) able to go out and come back after a tough first and still be able to go deep in the game and keep my team in it," Matusz said.

Wednesday's 11-8 upset of No. 15 Drexel in a Colonial Athletic Association tournament semifinal put Towson one game away from achieving a pair of preseason objectives. If the Tigers (9-7) can knock off No. 9 Penn State (12-3) Friday in University Park, Pa., they will capture their first conference tournament title since 2005 and seize the automatic qualifier for their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2007. It is a scenario that has motivated the coaches and players this season.

Send recreation results to tworgo@tribune.com . Include teams, scores, highlights and players first and last names. . Greater Laurel United Soccer Club U-6 co-ed: Newkirk's Kickers 3 (Zachary Akyeampong, Reuben Guerrero) Lynch's Ladies 3 (Malina Simmons, Anya Lynch) Gans Gougers 1 (Jordan Dean, Ayden Robertson) Scott's Tots 1 (Dylan Cowdery, Dalton Dwyer) U-8 girls: Wild Lightning 6 (Hana Majid, Kaitlyn Gebhardt) Orange Tigers 1 (Nevea Jones, Danielle Harris)