PERCONTE GETS PAID FOR WIN
Former Murray State right hander Mike Perconte notched his first professional victory as he pitched four shutout innings of relief as the Boise Hawks defeated the Everett Aqua Sox 10-1 Thursday evening in Boise, Idaho. The Lisle, Ill. native surrendered only a single and struck out a career-best seven in his four innings of work. Perconte entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning and walked the first batter he faced. He struck out the next two hitters before giving up his only base hit of the game. He got out of the inning with another swinging strikeout. Perconte was in control from that point on, fanning four of the next five hitters and retiring the final 10 men he faced. On the season, Perconte is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three appearances. He has allowed two runs on six hits over eight innings, with 10 strikeouts and two walks. After giving up a couple runs in his professional debut, Perconte got his first career start against the Eugene Emeralds on June 21. He gave up two hits and struck out two over his three innings of work. He has now gone seven-straight innings without allowing a run.

MAGIC NIGHT FOR LEE AT NBA DRAFT
The Orlando Magic selected Western Kentucky's Courtney Lee with the 22nd pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night. Lee shot 47.7 percent from the field and was a career 81.7 percent free throw shooter during his four years at Western Kentucky. He averaged 20.4 points a game in his senior year. Last season's Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Lee helped the Hilltoppers reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

STRANDED RUNNERS LEADS TO CARDS LOSS
Clete Thomas walked twice with the bases loaded, including a game-winning walk in the 10th inning, to give the Tigers a 3-2 win over the Cardinals at Comerica Park. After the Redbirds took a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth, Gary Sheffield homered to force the extra frame. Curtis Granderson had four of Detroit's 11 hits. Bobby Seay took the win after throwing one inning in relief. The Tigers took two-of-three in the Interleague series and have won four of their last five games. Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 with an RBI in his return off the disabled list. Aaron Miles added three hits and plated a run as the Cards had 14 hits overall. Mike Parisi fell to 0-and-4 with the loss. In two-thirds of an inning, he surrendered the winning run on a walk and three hits. St. Louis has lost three of its last four games. The Cardinals visit Kansas City tonight, and we'll have the game for you on 1340 WNBS beginning at 6:27.

NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT

Major League Baseball
---------------------
Justin Morneau went 3-for-4, homered and knocked in three runs, and the
streaking Twins edged the San Diego Padres, 4-3, capping a three-game sweep,
the ninth straight win for Minnesota. The win streak is the longest for the
club since an 11-game surge between June 22-July 3, 2006, and allowed them to
keep pace with the White Sox in the American League Central. The Twins trail
Chicago, which also won on Thursday, by a half-game for first place in the
division.

Elsewhere in Interleague play:
------------------------------
Tampa Bay Rays 6, Florida Marlins 1
Detroit Tigers 3, St. Louis Cardinals 2 (10 innings)
Baltimore Orioles 11, Chicago Cubs 4
Chicago White Sox 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 0
Oakland Athletics 5, Philadelphia Phillies 0
Cleveland Indians 4, San Francisco Giants 1
Toronto Blue Jays 7, Cincinnati Reds 1
Houston Astros 7, Texas Rangers 2
New York Yankees at Pittsburgh Pirates, Postponed

=== NBA ===

The Chicago Bulls fulfilled Derrick Rose's childhood dream as the point guard
became the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and will play for his hometown
team. The Chicago native helped lead the Memphis Tigers to the championship
game of the 2008 NCAA Tournament during his freshman season, losing to Kansas
in overtime. Rose was part of draft history as five of the top seven picks
were college freshmen. He was followed by Kansas State forward Michael Beasley
taken by Miami at No. 2, and it became a freshman trio when the Minnesota
Timberwolves nabbed Southern California shooting guard O.J. Mayo third. That
marked the first time in the draft's history that the top three picks were
freshmen. However, after the draft there was some intense dealing with Mayo
heading to Memphis as part of an eight-player deal, with Kevin Love, the fifth
overall pick, going to Minnesota. The deal also sent guards Marko Jaric and
Greg Buckner, and forward Antoine Walker to the Grizzlies, while the
Timberwolves got shooting guard Mike Miller, forwards Brian Cardinal and
Jason Collins. A pair of UCLA players were taken 4-5, as point guard Russell
Westbrook was picked by the Seattle SuperSonics, while freshman forward Love
was grabbed fifth by the Grizzlies, only to be dealt.

===

Italian forward Danilo Gallinari was taken by the New York Knicks at sixth to
a chorus of boos. That was followed by the Los Angeles Clippers selecting
Indiana freshman guard Eric Gordon. Milwaukee took West Virginia forward Joe
Alexander at No. 8. Charlotte, with new head coach Larry Brown, took Texas
guard D.J. Augustin with the ninth pick, while Stanford center Brook Lopez was
taken at No. 10 by the Nets. Twin brother Robin Lopez, also a center from
Stanford, was taken at 15th by Phoenix.


===

The Milwaukee Bucks shipped forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons to the New
Jersey Nets on Thursday in exchange for forward Richard Jefferson. Jefferson
is coming off a career-high 22.6 point-per-game season. The Arizona product
also averaged 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists, playing a full 82-game slate for
just the second time in his career. The 28-year-old has three years and $42
million left on his contract, and the Nets cut a huge chunk out of their
salary cap with the acquisitions of Simmons, whose deal expires in 2009, and
Yi, whose three-year rookie contract expires in two seasons.


=== TENNIS ===

Rain stopped play at Wimbledon on Friday for the first time in the 2008
tournament. After four days of clear skies, a light drizzle has forced a rain
delay. The biggest upset to this point at Wimbledon 2008 came on
Thursday, when little-known Russian Alla Kudryavtseva stunned former
world No. 1 Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the second round at the
All England Club. Meanwhile, second-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic and reigning
champion and four-time winner Venus Williams posted victories, while
former champ Lindsay Davenport pulled out here on Day 4. The 154th-ranked
Kudryavtseva, playing in only her third career Wimbledon match, sent her
third-seeded fellow Russian Sharapova packing in 6-2, 6-4 fashion on Court
1. Davenport was forced to withdraw because of a nagging knee injury. The
1999 champion at the All England Club also withdrew from the Wimbledon
tuneup in Eastbourne last week because of the problem, then survived a
first- round match against Czech Renata Voracova with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
decision. The 32-year-old Davenport needed medical attention during
Tuesday's encounter.

===

On the men's side, second-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain rallied from a set down
to earn a four-set triumph over Latvia's Ernests Gulbis. The 5-7, 6-2, 7-6
(7-2), 6-3 victory will put the two-time Wimbledon runner-up into the third
round against Germany's Nicolas Kiefer, a straight-set winner over Argentina's
Martin Vassallo Arguello. Ninth-seeded American James Blake blew a lead of two
sets to one and was dumped in five sets by Germany's Rainer Schuettler.
sets to one and was dumped in five sets by Germany's Rainer Schuettler.
Another American, sixth-seeded Andy Roddick, was knocked out of play by
Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Eighth-seeded
Frenchman Richrad Gasquet advanced as compatriot Sebastien Grosjean retired in
the third set.


=== MLB ===

The St. Louis Cardinals activated first baseman Albert Pujols from the 15-day
disabled list before the team's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers on
Thursday. The St. Louis slugger, who had been sidelined since June 11 with a
strained left calf, finished 4-for-4 as the designated hitter and drove in the
go-ahead run in the top of ninth before being lifted for a pinch runner.
Pujols is now hitting .358 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI this season.

===

The Houston Astros have placed pitcher Shawn Chacon on waivers a day after a
reported confrontation with the team's general manager, Ed Wade. Wade claimed
he never made any physical contact nor did he shout at Chacon, who, according
to Wade, shoved the general manager to the ground and shoved him again as he
began to get up in a pre-game meeting in manager Cecil Cooper's office on
Wednesday. Wade also claimed Chacon refused to throw a bullpen session and
turned his back to pitching coach Dewey Robinson during a mound visit on June
1. Chacon, who is 2-3 with a 5.04 earned run average in 15 starts this season,
was dropped from the rotation on Sunday after allowing six runs against
Baltimore on June 19. The 30-year-old right-hander was 0-3 with a 9.35 ERA in
June.


=== NHL ===

The Anaheim Ducks announced that veteran defenseman Scott Niedermayer will
return to the team for the 2008-09 NHL season. Niedermayer, a four-time
Stanley Cup champion, helped lead the Ducks to their only Stanley Cup
championship in 2007, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable
player. Last season Niedermayer did not join the Ducks for training camp while
contemplating retirement and signed during the season. He finished with eight
goals and 17 assists in 48 games. The 34-year-old blueliner has been named to
five NHL All-Star teams during his 17-year career and was the Norris Trophy
winner, making the NHL's best defenseman, in 2004. Since making his NHL debut
in 1991-92, Niedermayer has scored 148 goals and accumulated 485 assists with
New Jersey and Anaheim. He is also the only player in hockey history to have
won a Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, World Championship, World Cup, Memorial
Cup and World Junior title.

===

The National Hockey League announced a salary cap increase for the fourth
straight year on Thursday. The new cap is set at a maximum of $56.7 million,
which is a $6.4 million increase from last season. In accordance with the
collective bargaining agreement, the lower limit also rose to $40.7 million,
which is the minimum each of the 30 teams must spend on player salaries. There
also is an adjusted midpoint of $48.7 million. The most an NHL player can earn
in a new contract next season is $11.34 million. The free agency period for
the NHL begins on July 1.


=== COLLEGE ===

Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan announced Thursday that he will
resign at the end of the year as the men's basketball program comes under
continued criticism for recruiting violations. The Indiana program was already
facing sanctions for five recruiting violations incurred under former head
coach Kelvin Sampson before a new infraction was announced on Tuesday. The
NCAA announced that a "failure to monitor" allegation joins the others against
Indiana athletics. Sampson was forced to resign in February and Dan Dakich
took over on an interim basis as the Hoosiers finished a 25-8 campaign with a
loss to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Former Marquette
coach Tom Crean was hired to replace Sampson.


=== GOLF ===

Pat Hurst and Ji-Young Oh both fired rounds of six-under-par 67 on Thursday to
share the first-round lead of the U.S. Women's Open in Edina, Minnesota.
Song-Hee Kim bogeyed her 17th hole and it cost her a piece of the lead. She
shot a five-under 68 and is alone in third place. World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa
birdied three of her last five holes on Thursday to finish off an even-par 73.
The Mexican star is in a large group tied for 33rd place. Annika Sorenstam, a
three-time winner playing in her final U.S. Open, got off to a good start with
two early birdies, but four bogeys the rest of the way led her to a two-over
75. It was a tough day for Michelle Wie, who posted a nine at the par-four
ninth en route to an eight-over 81.


=== SOCCER ===

Xavi Hernandez, Daniel Guiza and David Silva scored in the second half as
Spain extended its unbeaten streak to 21 games and reached the Euro 2008 final
with a 3-0 win over Russia on Thursday. Spain's streak includes 11 straight
wins and it advanced to the Euro final for the first time since 1984. Spain
plays Germany in the final on Sunday. Spain defeated Russia, 4-1, when the
teams played in the first game in Group D, but the Russians were impressive in
their last three games to set up Thursday's rematch in the semifinal at soggy
Ernst Happel Stadium. But after a scoreless first half - Spain led the first
match 2-0 at half - Xavi scored five minutes into the second half and Guiza
and Silva locked up the win.