Andrelton Simmons homered on the very next pitch to provide an insurance run
for Craig Kimbrel, who closed it out in the ninth for his 13th save of the
season.

Chris Johnson had three of Atlanta’s five hits off Capuano, whose final line
included a run allowed and five strikeouts.

Kris Medlen went seven strong for the Braves, allowing one unearned run on two
hits while fanning five. Cory Gearrin (1-0) needed just nine pitches to get
through the eighth.

The Braves have taken the first two of this three-game set with Los Angeles
after dropping their previous two games

The Dodgers broke through first with a run in the fourth inning. Skip
Schumaker slapped a Medlen offering down the third-base line for a double,
with Adrian Gonzalez — who drew a 10-pitch walk earlier in the frame –
coming around to score when Justin Upton mishandled the ball out in left
field.

Capuano nearly allowed a first-inning home run to Jason Heyward, but Matt Kemp
made a leaping catch at the wall to rob the Braves’ young right fielder.

Capuano did not allow more than one baserunner in an inning all game.

Game Notes

Capuano laid down sacrifice bunts in his first two at-bats … Los
Angeles went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position … Upton’s error was
his fourth of the season.

Philadelphia broke the deadlock just three minutes in when Sebastien Le Toux
whipped a corner kick into the box that was headed out of danger, but Le Toux
tracked it down on the left flank and sent it back into the mixer where a
completely unmarked McInerney nodded it past Chicago goalkeeper Sean
Johnson.

Chicago had a few good scoring chances in the first half but Philadelphia
goalkeeper Zac MacMath had his second strong performance in his last three
outings and made four saves to keep the Union ahead at the break.

After the break Chicago had a fantastic chance to equalize on the hour mark
when Dilly Duka ripped a shot from the edge of the Union penalty area on the
turn that appeared to be headed for the top right corner, but MacMath punched
it over the crossbar to keep his side in front.

Things became more difficult for the visitors in the 63rd minute when Chicago
defender Wells Thompson brought down Philadelphia’s Danny Cruz from behind and
was issued his second yellow card, reducing the Fire to 10 men.

Chicago did manage to produce a few chances despite being a man down, but
could never find an equalizer and is still searching for its first road win
this season.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, picked up just its second home win of the campaign
and improves to 18 points to remain in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Gerardo Parra hit a home run off the first pitch thrown by Marlins starter Tom
Koehler (0-2).

Koehler allowed just two more hits and fanned seven over six frames.

Gershon Koffie scored two minutes later to restore the Vancouver lead, while
Mamadou Danso was sent off nine minutes from time.

The Timbers’ nine-match unbeaten run appeared to be in jeopardy, but Valencia
brought down a long ball at the top of the penalty area, shook off one
defender and turned past another before rolling his shot past goalkeeper Brad
Knighton.

Portland’s unbeaten run has now reached 10 games, while Vancouver owns only
one win from its last nine matches.

Camilo had a strong match for Vancouver and put his team in front with a well-
struck free kick from 20 yards midway through the first half.

Johnson helped set up the penalty kick for himself when his shot struck the
arm of Vancouver’s Andy O’Brien inside the area. And Johnson made no mistake
with his spot kick, sending Knighton the wrong way.

Camilo set up Vancouver’s second goal by laying off a ball for Koffie, who
curled his shot inside the right post from 20 yards, leaving Portland
goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts rooted to his spot.

Danso’s red card in the 81st minute came when he got tangled up with Camilo
while tracking down a long ball, but Valencia got on the other end of
Johnson’s clearance to earn his side a point.

Anna Nordqvist also set a record on Saturday as she fired an 11-under 61 for a
new course record. That record was a day old as Sydnee Michaels carded a 62 on
Friday.

Nordqvist ended three rounds at 16-under-par 200 and she was joined there by
second-round leader Jessica Korda, who carded a 3-under 69 in round three.

Karrie Webb, who was paired with Korda on Saturday and will be again on
Sunday, also shot 69 to end 54 holes at minus-15.

Jennifer Johnson is alone in fifth at 14-under 202 after a third-round 65 on
the Crossings Course, which is part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at
Magnolia Grove.

Lewis (63) and Michaels (69) share sixth place at minus-13.

Korda was the overnight leader, but when she stumbled to a bogey on the
second, that created 5-way tie for the lead at 12-under. She bounced back with
a birdie at the third, but fell one back when Webb birdied three and four.

Nordqvist, who ran off five straight birdies from the third, and had back-to-
back birdies at 10 and 11, joined Webb at 14-under with an eagle on the par-5
13th.

The Swede dipped one back with a bogey at 14, and Choi made a charge to grab
her first share of the lead. Choi drained three birdies in a row from the
fourth to get to minus-14, where she was tied with Webb.

Korda carded three birdies in a 4-hole span from the sixth to jump to 16-
under, where she was tied with Nordqvist atop the leaderboard. Nordqvist
posted three birdies in a row from the 15th before making par at the last.

“It’s one of those days, where you feel like all your hard work and your
patience is paying off,” said Nordqvist. “You look back and you see yourself
with a lot of confidence and know you can do it and believe in yourself.”

Choi parred seven and eight, then faltered to a bogey on the ninth to make the
turn at minus-13, where she was three back.

Around the turn, Korda tumbled three strokes behind Nordqvist. Korda bogeyed
the 11th and double-bogeyed the 12th to dip to 13-under. She had taken the
last two weeks off with a wrist injury, and confirmed to Golf Channel that she
re-injured herself on No. 11.

While Korda was sliding backwards, Choi flew up the leaderboard. The 22-year-
old Korean converted a birdie chance at the 11th, and followed with birdies at
12 and 13 to join Nordqvist at minus-16.

Choi, who was one group ahead of Korda, birdied the par-5 16th to take the
lead for good. Choi then parred the last two to finish at minus-17.

“I think today was really good, I’m really happy,” Choi said. “But tomorrow is
another day.”

Korda poured in a 33-foot eagle putt at 16 to get within one of the lead. She
finished right there with a pair of pars on the last two holes.

“I didn’t hit a bad shot. I hit a great shot down 12 and I ended up in a
divot. I actually tried to hit it properly and I hit it really deep. The
ground just came up faster than I thought it would and I kind of hurt my wrist
a little bit,” Korda explained. “And that got plugged on the side of the
bunker, so the only way I could go was sideways, so you take what you can get.

“Then the hole after, my wrist hurt a little bit, so I just went bad shot
after bad shot. I was just happy to get out of that hole.”

NOTES: Choi leads after 54 holes for the first time in her LPGA Tour career
… Korda’s bogey on the second snapped a streak of 50 consecutive bogey-free
holes … Webb made the cut for the 53rd straight LPGA Tour event.

After the first 20-lap segment, McMurray and most of the other front runners
pitted, while Casey Mears was one of those who elected to stay on the track.
McMurray made a two-tire change and came out of the pits first.

Mears led the way for the start of the second 20-lap segment, but McMurray
quickly passed him after the restart to take the top spot for good.

“My car was really balanced tonight, and the track has got a lot more grip
than what we practiced with,” McMurray said.

Stenhouse, a rookie in the Sprint Cup Series this season, finished 1.2 seconds
behind McMurray to earn the 21st starting position in the all-star race. It
will be his first appearance in it.

“We did the first part, and we’re really looking forward to the all-star
race,” Stenhouse said. “It’s very exciting. It was the first time running in
the Showdown and making it out. That’s good.”

Jeff Burton placed third, followed by Paul Menard and Truex. Danica Patrick
finished on the lead lap in ninth. Patrick is the favorite to win the fan
vote, which gives that driver the last position in the 22-car field.

Still, it was not the most impressive Preakness in recent memory. In fact, the
final time of 1:57 2/5 was the slowest running since 1961, when Carry Back
defeated Globemaster by three-quarters of a length.

The majority of Preakness winners in the 1950s and early 1960s raced the 1
3/16-mile event in 1:57 and change. However, since Secretariat broke the
stakes record (1:53) in 1973, there have been only seven winners slower than
last year’s clocking of 1:55 4/5, and none of them wound up in the 1:57 range.

It just goes to show what I have been writing about this entire spring: this
3-year-old crop is one of the worst in decades.

To that end, Kentucky Derby winner Orb ran a dismal fourth, beaten nine
lengths. The lone possible excuse was the fact he was stuck on the rail for
much of the race and the inside was not the place to be for most of the
afternoon. However, Oxbow, ridden by Gary Stevens, raced in pretty much the
same path (on the lead) and had no problem staying in front.

Orb just didn’t have it this day, and it was very apparent as the field moved
around the far turn. For all that was written about Orb’s explosive move on
the final turn in the Kentucky Derby (when he gobbled up horses one-by-one),
the same can be said for how ineffective he was at the same spot of the race
in the Preakness.

Orb dropped back from third place and two lengths off the lead after five
furlongs to seventh place and eight lengths back of Oxbow approaching the top
of the stretch. He actually lost more ground in the final three-sixteenths,
finishing nine lengths behind the winner.

Outside of chasing Goldencents for the first 100 yards, Oxbow raced on the
lead the entire way and held off Itsmyluckyday by 1 3/4 lengths for his first
victory since Jan. 19. He paid $32.80 for the win and the $2 exacta came back
$301.40.

This year’s Preakness was somewhat reminiscent of the 2011 rendition, when
Shackleford, coming off an off-the-board finish in the Derby, won the second
leg of the Triple Crown at 12-1 odds. Not many folks thought the son of
Forestry could get the job done when he failed at Churchill through soft
fractions, but he proved them wrong.

On Saturday, Oxbow shook free of the field early through easy fractions, and
the rest was history. The lone horse to close from off the pace was Mylute,
who finished third rounding out a $2,061.60 trifecta.

Not much can be said for the fifth through ninth-place finishers. Goldencents
(fifth) once again did not want to go to the front and faded through the
stretch. Departing (sixth) also tired badly through the stretch. Will Take
Charge (seventh) showed none of the form he possessed in the Kentucky Derby.
Govenor Charlie (eighth) probably should not have been sent to Baltimore to
begin with and Titletown Five (ninth) ran a dismal last, beaten almost 50
lengths.

QUICK PEEK AT THE BELMONT

The Belmont Stakes should be a wide-open affair with Orb, Oxbow,
Revolutionary, Golden Soul, Code West and maybe Dreaming of Julia and Mylute
among the possible entrants. One thing is for sure, pace will dictate the
winner as it has in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

However, it is way too early to tell who will have the advantage.

In the meantime, it is interesting to note that the last time the Derby and
Preakness were won by a horse beginning with the letter “O” was all the way
back in 1935. That year, Omaha became the third Triple Crown winner.

This year, Belmont Park will not be the site for the 12th Triple Crown
champion. Instead, an important number to key on is 2:32. That was the time it
took Thunder Gulch to complete the 1 1/2 miles in 1995. It is the slowest
Belmont Stakes since 1970.

Ironically, the connections for Thunder Gulch were Lukas and Stevens, the same
trainer and jockey that won with Oxbow.

Second-round leader Franklin Corpening carded a 5-under at the par-72
Chanticleer Course at Greenville Country Club to end three rounds at minus-20.

Kevin Foley fired a 9-under 62 at the par-71 Thornblade Club, while Tom Hoge
posted a 4-under 68 at the final course in the rotation, the par-72 Reserve at
Lake Keowee. Foley and Hoge share third at 18-under-par 197.

Edward Loar shot 64 at Thornblade to finish three rounds alone in fifth at
minus-16. The Thornblade Club will host the final round on Sunday.

Anderson played a steady front nine before closing with a hot stretch to grab
the lead. He birdied the first, but gave that shot back with a bogey on the
par-4 third.

The 27-year-old erased that mistake with a birdie on the par-5 fifth. Anderson
moved to 15-under with a birdie on No. 8. He remained there as he ran off six
straight pars.

Anderson, who will go for his first Web.com Tour win on Sunday, chipped in for
eagle on the par-5 15th. He came right back with birdies on the next two
holes, from 15 and 12 feet out respectively, to grab the lead at minus-20.

At the last, Anderson stuffed his approach within two feet and kicked that in
for a closing birdie.

“I ended the day with a flurry. I really didn’t have anything going until the
par-5 15th and then I chipped it in for eagle,” Anderson stated. “After I made
a great putt at No. 16, I hit an awesome shot at 17 and converted the putt.
That was a tough pin to get close to. And there at the 18th, that was just a
nice way to finish.”

Corpening birdied the first, but gave that stroke right back. After four pars
in a row, he converted back-to-back birdie chances at seven and eight to move
to 17-under.

The Texas Christian grad converted a birdie effort at the par-4 11th and made
it two in a row with a birdie on No. 12. Corpening got to minus-20 with a
birdie at the par-3 16th. He ended there with pars on the final two holes.

“Compared to the last two days, when I could take advantage of my length and
straightness off the tee, I couldn’t do it here,” Corpening said of the
Chanticleer Course. “I had to lay back with 3-woods and 3-irons, which I did,
and that took me out of position of going for the green in two. I putted just
as good, so I’m ready for tomorrow.”

The first three days were played under the pro-am format, and the final round
will include the low 16 amateur teams.

NOTES: The start of the third round was delayed 30 minutes at the Thornblade
Club due to rain … Tyrone Van Aswegen had a hole-in-one on the 17th at the
Thornblade Club on Saturday … Anderson and David Lipsky share the pro-am
lead with their partners … Defending champion Nick Flanagan made the cut on
the number at 9-under-par 206 … Seventy players moved on to the final round,
but Brett Wetterich, Mathias Gronberg, Chad Collins, former PGA Champion Rich
Beem and former British Open winner Todd Hamilton were among those that failed
to make it to the final round.

Joe Blanton lasted just 4 1/3 innings in the start for Anaheim, giving up four
runs on 11 hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts. Robert Coello (1-0)
pitched 1 2/3 flawless frames to pick up the win.

Hector Gimenez was 4-for-5 with a three-run homer and two runs scored for the
White Sox, who had a four-game winning streak stopped. Alex Rios and Adam Dunn
each drove in two runs

Chicago starter Hector Santiago gave up three runs on four hits with four
walks over 3 1/3 innings. Nate Jones (0-4) picked up the loss after getting
tagged for four runs on three hits with a pair of walks in 3 1/3 innings of
work.

This game was scoreless until the fourth inning when the White Sox went on
top. The first two batters reached base before the next two recorded outs.
Alexei Ramirez kept the frame alive and loaded the bags when he was hit by a
pitch, and Rios followed with a double to chase home two. Dunn then punched a
single to right to score two more for a 4-0 advantage.

The Angels answered over the next two innings to take the lead, and it began
when Trumbo led off the home four with his 10th home run of the season.

Callaspo later singled while Brendan Harris and Chris Iannetta walked to load
the bases. J.B. Shuck then walked to force home a run and after Nate Jones
took over for Santiago, Erick Aybar’s sacrifice fly made it a 4-3 game.

Pujols led off the fifth with a double and Trumbo followed with a two-bagger
to tie the game. Two batters later, Callaspo’s sac fly scored Trumbo for a 5-4
lead.

In the seventh, the Angels padded their lead as Mike Trout and Trumbo walked
before Callaspo hit a shot over the left field wall. Shuck added a two-run
double later in the frame for a 10-4 advantage.

The White Sox got back into the game in the eighth inning and made it a one-
run game as RBI singles from Paul Konerko and Dayan Viciedo were followed
later in the inning by a three-run home run from Gimenez to make it a 10-9
game.

The Angels, though, created some space in the eighth off of Howie Kendrick’s
RBI double and a sac fly from Callaspo for a 12-9 lead.

Game Notes

Chicago first baseman Adam Dunn left the game in the fifth inning with back
spasms … Rios extended his hitting streak to 13 games and he is 20-for-53
during the run … Chicago batted 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position,
but left 12 men on base … Each team has won three games in the season
series.

In his two seasons leading the Hatters program, Alexander posted a 24-36
overall record, including a 17-19 record in A-Sun play.

“I’m making this move with mixed emotions because there are so many people at
Stetson I hate to disappoint, most notably our returning players and signees,
because they are the face of the program,” Alexander said.

He takes over at Lipscomb for Scott Sanderson, who stepped down as the
school’s coach after 14 years at the helm. Sanderson guided the team to a
222-201 record during his tenure, and this past season Lipscomb went 12-18,
but beat Sweet 16 surprise team Florida Gulf Coast twice during the regular
season.

“Lipscomb University is a perfect fit for my family and me,” Alexander said.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity. The philosophy of the
Lipscomb program is a great alignment with what we stand for.”

Prior to taking his first head coaching role at Stetson, Alexander spent 16
years at Belmont under head coach Rick Byrd.