In Brief
SOCCER
U.S. women's team edges Italy,
moves closer to World Cup bid
Alex Morgan came off the bench and scored in the fourth minute of added time to give the U.S. women's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Italy on Saturday in the first leg of a playoff to determine the final spot for the Women's World Cup.
At 21, the youngest member of the U.S. team, Morgan showed steely nerves by finishing off a counterattack with a precise, angled shot from the edge of the box to clinch the win in Padua, Italy.
The U.S. and Italy will play again next Saturday in Bridgeview, Ill. The top-ranked Americans need to beat the 11th-ranked Italians in the two-match, total-goals series to gain the final berth in the 16-team World Cup, which begins June 26 in Germany.
BASEBALL
Jury acquits ex-player Leyritz
on DUI manslaughter charge
A jury in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., acquitted former major league player Jim Leyritz of DUI manslaughter, after days of testimony that centered on whether Leyritz ran a red light moments before the 2007 crash that killed a mother of two.
The jury did convict Leyritz of driving under the influence, a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum six-month jail sentence. Jury foreman Brian Hall said the panel wanted to send a message that drinking heavily before driving was not acceptable -- but no juror believed Leyritz had committed manslaughter.
On the night of the crash, Leyritz had been celebrating his birthday at local nightspots, according to trial testimony. The woman who died after the vehicles collided on Dec. 28, 2007, 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch, had gone out to bars after work and had a blood-alcohol level twice Florida's legal limit, according to testimony.
Leyritz, 46, faced between four and 15 years in prison if he had been convicted of DUI manslaughter. The jury had signaled a deadlock on Friday, but they had been deadlocked on the DUI charge, not the manslaughter charge.
Also: St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jake Westbrook won't be able to swing a bat early in spring training after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder shortly after the season.
In a telephone interview from his home in Danielsville, Ga., Westbrook, a right-hander, said he'll probably do a lot of bunting until the shoulder heals from surgery he characterized as one that was neither major nor minor but something "in between."
MISCELLANEOUS
Lukacevic powers Wranglers
to easy victory over Reign
The Wranglers built a 3-0 lead early in the third period and rolled past the Ontario Reign 4-1 in an ECHL contest in Ontario, Calif.
Ned Lukacevic had two goals, giving Las Vegas (7-4-1, 15 points) a 2-0 lead in the second period and scoring an empty-net, power-play goal late in the third.
Vince Bellissimo and Blake Gallagher also scored for the Wranglers, and Joe Fallon stopped 23 of 24 shots.
Also: New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur could be out for two weeks with a bruised right elbow. The Devils announced that an MRI on Brodeur's elbow was negative, but he was going to be out a maximum of two weeks.
Former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan remains hospitalized in Honolulu after he was hurt in a two-car crash Friday. Brennan was in stable condition, and the 27-year-old's father told KHON-TV that his son suffered three or four broken ribs, a broken left collarbone and head injuries.
Police said Brennan was a passenger in an SUV that crossed a highway centerline and collided head-on with a sedan driven by a 47-year-old woman. Both the driver of Brennan's vehicle and the unidentified woman were transported to hospitals in serious condition.
Andrew Morrell led the UNLV men's swimming and diving team on the final day of the Arena Invitational in Long Beach, Calif., taking second in the 200-yard breaststroke. Steven Nelms took third in the 100 freestyle.
Jessica Heim took third in the 1,650 freestyle for the UNLV women, and she was part of the Rebels' fourth-place 400 free relay team.
The Seton Hall men's basketball team will be without top scorer Jeremy Hazell for four to six weeks. Hazell, averaging 24 points through the first three games, has a broken bone in his left wrist.
Ian Poulter shot 6-under 64 to post a 19-under 191 total, taking a two-stroke lead through three rounds at the Hong Kong Open. U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell (63) was second at 193.
John Mallinger shot 2-under 70 to maintain a one-stroke lead at the Pebble Beach Invitational in Pebble Beach, Calif. Mallinger had an 11-under 205 total in the event that features 76 male and female touring professionals.
Annika Sorenstam, competing for one of the few times since her 2008 retirement, was seven strokes back after a 71.
