MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016 SPORTS Barnhart, Reds beat Pirates as Pittsburgh opens season INDIANAPOLIS: Tucker Barnhart got tures are predicted for the Pirates’ open- some balls and get some hits it’s a good He had been very sharp his first two TRAINER’S ROOM three hits and the Cincinnati Reds took er. “The weather was interesting and thing,” Barnhart said. “But especially games. I don’t think today was any indi- Reds: C Devin Mesoraco was a late advantage of the windy conditions to challenging,” Hurdle said. “We didn’t being home in front of my family being cation of how prepared he is actually for scratch from the starting lineup because beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-6 want to challenge anyone too much on able to see it is really pretty special.” the season.” Price said he was pleased of hip soreness. He appeared in just 23 Saturday in a spring training wrapup. a day like this, but today may get us that Simon was able to face 19 batters games for the Reds last season after hav- With periods of snow flurries, light ready for tomorrow because I hear we STARTING TIME and throw more than 80 pitches. ing season-ending surgery on June 29 to rain and gusts estimated at 40 mph, could have conditions like this in Reds: Simon was not nearly as sharp Pirates: RHP Wilfredo Boscan strug- repair and impingement in his left hip. Pittsburgh made five errors. The Pirates Pittsburgh.” as he was in his other two spring out- gled with his control and was responsi- open the 2016 major league season Barnhart, who played high school ings, but Reds manager Bryan Price said ble for the eight runs Cincinnnati scored UP NEXT Sunday afternoon, hosting St. Louis. baseball in nearby Brownsburg, had a a lot of that had to do with the blustery in the first three innings, though only Reds: RHP Raisel Iglesias will get the Reds starter Alfredo Simon gave up four wind-aided bloop double and two sin- conditions. five were earned. runs in four innings. David Freese and gles. He singled during a seven-run burst “Just like their pitchers and our relief Hurdle said prior to the game that all opening day start for Cincinnati on Max Moroff homered for the Pirates. in the third inning that included two sin- guys, I think he was affected by the of the pitchers he used Saturday were Monday against the Phillies. Pirates: LHP Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said gles by Joey Votto. weather,” Price said. “It was hard to field players who would start the season in Francisco Liriano will get the opening playing in adverse weather conditions “Whenever you’re anywhere and the ball, hands were cold and it was not the minor leagues. Five pitchers saw day start for Pittsburgh on Sunday may come in handy as colder tempera- you’re able to put some good swings on a great environment in which to pitch. action for the Pirates. against the St. Louis Cardinals. — AP Pearson, Lapierre head Australia’s team for Rio SYDNEY: Defending hurdles champion the younger athletes that will be invalu- Sally Pearson and long jumper Fabrice able.” Lapierre spearhead Australia’s medals chal- Twenty-eight new athletes were lenge for the Rio Olympics in the Australian announced at a dinner in Sydney following track and field team named yesterday. the end of the Australian championships.By Pearson, 29, who won gold in the 100- mid-July the athletics section of the metres hurdles in London in 2012, is about Australian team could be 50-strong the to resume competition for the first time largest of any sport wearing the green and since her compound fracture on the track gold in Rio. nearly 10 months ago. “The athletes named so far are a fantas- Australia’s top athlete broke two bones tic mix of youth and experience, making us and dislocated her wrist in a tumble during well placed for Rio and for beyond to the Rome Diamond League meet in June Tokyo,” Hilliard said. last year. “There have been a lot of young athletes Pearson also won a silver medal in the that have stepped up in the Olympic year event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was such as Damien Birkinhead, Brooke world champion at the 2011 Daegu World Stratton, Ella Nelson, Alexander Hartmann, Championships. Morgan Mitchell, Josh Clarke and Cedric “We have experienced campaigners like Dubler to name a few.” Fabrice Lapierre ready to add an Olympic Commonwealth high jump champion medal to his world championships achieve- Eleanor Patterson at 19 is the youngest ments, and you can’t forget defending team member and 3000m steeplechaser Olympic champion Sally Pearson,” said Victoria Mitchell is the eldest of four 33- Athletics Australia head coach Craig year-olds.Four of the team — Alana Boyd, Hilliard. Benn Harradine, Pearson and Dani Samuels “Sally is worth her weight in gold. She’s are off to their third Olympics. been there and knows what it takes to win The marathon athletes are scheduled to a silver and then step up to the top of the be nominated to the Australian Olympic podium. Committee from Athletics Australia later “She will give guidance and advice to this month. — AFP BOSTON: World Figure Skating Championships gold medalist Evgenia Medvedeva, center, of Russia, silver medalist Ashley Wagner, left, of the United States, and bronze medalist Anna Pogorilaya, of Russia, display their medals during ceremonies following the free skate program, Chiefs beat Brumbies to Saturday in Boston. — AP go top in Super Rugby Medvedeva, 16, wins world title WELLINGTON: Coach Dave Rennie says fit- also typical of the Chiefs’ recent perform- ness has played a crucial role in the form ances in that they scored the majority of with record free skate score which has carried the Hamilton-based their points in the second half as their Chiefs top the Super Rugby table after the opponents tired. They led 20-13 at halftime, weekend’s sixth round. The Chiefs beat the then ran in four more tries after halftime as BOSTON: Sixteen-year-old Evgenia Medvedeva ACT Brumbies 48-23 on Saturday - scoring the Brumbies weakened, showing the started giggling when she learned her free skate six tries to two and taking a bonus point - effects of their recent return from South score at the world championships had set a record. to take top spot, two points clear of compa- Africa. The Brumbies tried to dominate the Then she summed it up in English: “Wow.” triots the Highlanders and six points above match through the strength of their set The Russian teen capped a dominant debut sea- South Africa’s Stormers, who had a sixth piece, the effectiveness of Wallabies David son Saturday with a world title, earning 150.10 round bye. Pocock and Scott Fardy at the breakdown points to break Yuna Kim’s record from the 2010 Seven time champions the Crusaders and through the reliability of their defense. Olympics. Medvedeva moved up from third after moved up to share the same rung of the They had the best defensive record in the the short program to add to her Grand Prix Final ladder as the Stormers after winning back- tournament coming into Saturday’s match and European titles. to-back matches in South Africa, beating but the Chiefs blew that away with flyhalf American Ashley Wagner skated last and sent the Lions 43-37 on Friday. Aaron Cruden, fullback Damian McKenzie the home crowd into a frenzy with a personal best But the Chiefs have now set the bench- and center Charlie Ngatai unpicking the score that moved her from fourth to second, the mark in the tournament, racking up points defense. first U.S. woman in a decade to win a medal at on the field and air points elsewhere. The scale of the Brumbies defeat was worlds. Another Russian teen, Anna Pogorilaya, Saturday’s win at Canberra was their fourth made greater when Pocock, their key play- took bronze. American Gracie Gold, who led after in succession, after a second round loss to er, was cited after the match for grabbing a the short program, fell on her opening triple-triple the Lions, and they have now won matches Chiefs player around the neck. After top- combination to drop to fourth. in South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand ping the table with three wins in their first Medvedeva looked a bit hesitant during and Australia in successive weeks, traveling three matches, the Brumbies have now lost Thursday’s short program in her first senior worlds. more than 30,000 kilometers. two of their last three to drop back to fifth, But she was captivating from the start Saturday. They beat the Kings 58-24 in South though they retain the lead in the She landed seven triple jumps with never a hint of Africa in round three, the Jaguares 30-26 in Australian conference. trouble, throwing an arm above her head on many Argentina in round four, the Western Force All four New Zealand teams in action at of them. “I won’t realize quickly I won today 53-10 in Hamilton in round five and inflict- the weekend were winners. The because one year ago I was still skating juniors,” she BOSTON: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, center, of Canada, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han, ed the heaviest-ever home defeat on the Highlanders briefly moved to the top of the said through a translator. left, of China, and Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, right, of Germany, stand during the Brumbies on Saturday.