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The Missouri Valley Conference race is a clear-cut matter. Wichita State's chances of hosting an NCAA regional are murky, which is why the Shockers are better off worrying about what they can control.

"The most important thing to me right now is to win the Valley," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said. "In order to do that, we're probably going to have to win out."

Injuries and illness are adding uncertainty to WSU's final weeks of the season. Monday evening, Stephenson awaited word on an MRI performed on third baseman Conor Gillaspie's back. Earlier Monday, he found out left fielder Kenny Williams will miss at least the next five games with acute mononucleosis. Gillaspie, who missed games Friday and Sunday with the back injury, leads WSU with a .398 batting averages and 55 RBIs. Williams is hitting .325 with 10 doubles.

Stephenson said Gillaspie will not play tonight against Central Arkansas, regardless of the results of the examination. Stephenson is inclined to hold him out until the weekend, although he knows Gillaspie will want to play against No. 3 Arizona State on Wednesday.

"I would have to be convinced," Stephenson said.

Good pitching only takes you so far.

The Royals wasted Brett Tomko’s seven shutout innings Monday night in a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. The bullpen coughed up all four runs in the ninth inning.

That was a problem, of course. But the bigger concern is this was another punchless effort. Another night of wondering why this team can’t score.

And another night with no answers.

Much of the problem, this time, was Angels starter Ervin Santana, who is now 6-0 after dominating pretty much everyone this season.

Make a mental error as a Wichita State baseball player and you expect to hear about it. Sophomore Ryan Jones missed the take sign in the sixth and let a struggling pitcher off the hook.

Three innings later, the Shockers were all hugs, high fives and smiles, thanks to Jones.

His two-run single in the ninth inning gave the 14th-ranked Shockers a 6-5 victory over Northern Iowa on Sunday at Eck Stadium to complete a series sweep.

"When it got to the ninth inning and the first two guys got on, I didn't want anyone else in that situation," Jones said. "I had to redeem myself and, hopefully, not get yelled at after the game by Gene."

Coach Gene Stephenson showed all smiles after WSU's victory. Jones' hit kept WSU (36-11, 14-4 Missouri Valley Conference) in first place ahead of Missouri State (16-5). The Shockers, with six MVC games remaining, control their own destiny. Missouri State has a series at fourth-place Northern Iowa (25-18, 11-7) remaining on its Valley schedule.

The Wranglers finished last in the Texas League in attendance from 2004-07, a major reason they relocated to Arkansas.

If the Wingnuts plan to bring more fans to Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, they've taken an interesting first step.

Chris Presson, president of Wichita's American Association independent baseball team, set ticket prices for the Wingnuts' inaugural season 99 cents higher than those of the Wranglers -- it will cost $5.99, $7.99, and $10.99 to attend a Wingnuts game.

Presson admits the on-field product won't be as strong, but says the team will offer a unique experience that isn't necessarily all about baseball.

"For us, it has to be about the entertainment value," Presson said. "We can't always depend on the product we'll have on the field. We'll have to depend on other outlets we have in the stadium."

Since Conor Gillaspie is such a weather buff and one of the most forceful baseball players to ever wear a Wichita State uniform, let's tie the two together to describe his intensity.

When Gillaspie was a freshman, he was a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph or so and a storm surge of 15 feet. You definitely wanted to tie things down and hope something would be left standing when Gillaspie was around.

Nowadays, as a junior, Gillaspie is more like a tropical storm. Windy and rainy, to be sure, but nothing to make you seek cover.

He has accepted the one thing every hitter, sooner or later, has to accept. He can't get a hit every time he steps to the plate.

"Nobody is perfect," Gillaspie said.

Richard Childress always tells his drivers that luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity. Clint Bowyer proved the boss right on Saturday night.

Bowyer was a surprise winner at Richmond International Raceway, stealing a win that first seemed destined for Denny Hamlin, then Dale Earnhardt Jr. Neither made it to Victory Lane, though, because of a wild ending that saw three drivers denied the trip Emporia native Bowyer made to Victory Lane.

"He was prepared tonight, and the opportunity was there," Childress said after Bowyer's first win of the season.

Hamlin, the hometown favorite, ran away with the race and led a record 381 of the 400 laps in search of his first Cup victory at Richmond. Nobody came close to challenging him until a leaking right front tire allowed Earnhardt and Kyle Busch to catch him.

The two drivers split Hamlin as they moved past him, with Earnhardt emerging as the leader with 18 laps to go. Hamlin's tire finally failed with eight to go, and NASCAR accused him of intentionally bringing out the caution that regrouped the field and gave Busch a chance to race Earnhardt for the win.

Wichita State third baseman Conor Gillaspie made two errors in the first inning -- leading to two Northern Iowa runs -- and pitcher Aaron Shafer was frustrated.

Not because of Gillaspie's mistakes, but because of his own. Shafer walked two in the inning, but brushed off all miscues.

Getting stronger as the game went along, Shafer lasted eight innings, throwing 130 pitches in WSU's 5-3 win on Saturday at Eck Stadium.

"You're not going to get every play made behind you, and sometimes you have to look at yourself and you have to make pitches," Shafer said. "Right there, if I don't walk two guys in that first inning, they don't score."

The Shockers (35-11, 13-4) have won the first two games of the series, breaking a tie with UNI atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings and sending the Panthers (25-17, 11-6) to fourth place.

Red Sox 6, Tigers 3 -- Mike Lowell hit one of Boston's three homers for his first RBIs this season, and the Red Sox won behind a wild Daisuke Matsuzaka.

• Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz also connected for Boston, which won its fourth straight game and sent the Tigers to their fourth consecutive defeat.... Matsuzaka (5-0) won despite walking a career-worst eight batters in five innings, which also tied the major league high for walks this season. But he didn't allow a hit until Curtis Granderson's two-out RBI single in the fourth... Craig Hanson gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Hideki Okajima worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings before Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 10 chances.

Blue Jays 1, White Sox 0 -- Dustin McGowan outpitched Javier Vazquez in an entertaining duel, and Matt Stairs homered to help Toronto beat slumping Chicago for a four-game sweep.

• Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan walked the bases loaded in the ninth inning but got Pablo Ozuna to ground into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game, earning his fifth save. It was Toronto's first four-game sweep since May 2003 against the New York Yankees.... McGowan (2-2) gave up four hits in 7 1/3 innings to win for the first time in three starts. He walked none and struck out six.... Stairs hit a leadoff homer in the seventh off Vazquez (3-3), who struck out nine while throwing 120 pitches in 7 2/3 innings.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

First Round

Best 2 of 3

Saturday

Neosho 9-7, Seward 5-8

Colby 9, Kansas City 4 (2nd, ppd.)

WSU -- at Evansville, vs. Bradley.

Mo. St. -- at Northern Iowa

Creighton -- vs. Indiana State.

Northern Iowa -- at Bradley, vs. Mo. State

There will be no first-round draft picks, no top prospects, no big-money players.

Independent baseball, by definition, is starkly different from affiliated ball, in which a major-league organization focuses its efforts first on developing players and second on winning.

Billy Butler and Alex Gordon, former top Kansas City Royals prospects who made stops in Wichita with the now-departed Wranglers, won't be roaming Lawrence-Dumont Stadium this summer.

But independent baseball offers its own redeeming qualities. The Wingnuts, playing their first season in the American Association, start the regular season at home Wednesday against Sioux City.

"Very few of them have given up on the dream (of playing in the majors), but there are lot of guys in indy ball who love baseball," said J.J. Cooper, who covers independent leagues for Baseball America.

Five past and present Wichita State players who wore their hearts on their sleeves and the game on their faces:

Jim Thomas (1979-82) --Thomas was once thrown out of a College World Series game against Miami (Fla.). What makes it interesting is that the game had just ended.

Eric Wedge (1987-89) _ You can still see the intensity in the eyes of Wedge as he manages the Cleveland Indians. It has always been there.

Nick Blasi (2003-04) _ If you ever saw Blasi going less than full speed, or giving less than maximum effort, or playing without a chip on his shoulder, you saw something rare.

Derek Schermerhorn (2004-07) _ Schermerhorn never really said much. Some of the most intense baseball players in the world rarely say much. It's a trait of intensity.

Saturday's box score

Leave him in

WSU starter Aaron Shafer's pitch count was at 100 through six innings, but he was pitching so well that it seemed a no-brainer to let him keep going.

KU batting: Larson 2-3, Faunce 1-1, Ro. Price 2-5, Allman 4-5, Afenir 2-5, Ry.Price 1-5, Morrison 1-4, Land 0-3, Waters 2-3, Thompson 1-4.

KU pitching: Esquibel 4-7, Hall 3-2, Smyth 2-1.

Missouri 11, KSU 7

Derek Schermerhorn's first professional baseball season included a promotion within the Chicago Cubs organization and ended with his release. But he wasn't about to let his pro career end after 146 at-bats.

Looking for a path back to affiliated ball, Schermerhorn accepted an offer this winter to play for the inaugural version of the Wichita Wingnuts, an independent team in the American Association.

It isn't the path Schermerhorn expected, but independent ball is for those whose careers have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"I got over getting released," Schermerhorn said. "I realize that happens to people, but I still know that I have what it takes to play up there (in the minors). It'll be nice to prove to people that I can still play."

Schermerhorn, who batted .329 or better in three of his four seasons at Wichita State, was undrafted after the 2007 season, but he signed as a free agent with the Cubs in mid-June.

An indication of how different Independent League baseball is from affiliated ball surfaced when the Wichita Wingnuts' spring training roster was released this week.

On it, a category of "Rank" is listed, indicating how many years of professional baseball a player has logged.

The ranks range from rookie to veteran, with Limited Service (LS) Nos. 1-5 in between. Only a select number of players from each rank can be included on a roster.

It's almost as complicated as it sounds, but Wingnuts manager Kash Beauchamp seems to have it figured out.

"You just need to know the facts that you're allowed four veterans (players with at least five years of professional experience)," Beauchamp said. "And we have to have four rookies if we go with a 22-man roster."

Single-game tickets for the Wingnuts' 48-game home schedule go on sale at 9 a.m. today. Individual tickets are $10.99 in the lower box, $7.99 for upper chairback, $5.99 for general admission. Senior citizens and children under 12 receive a discount for lower box and upper chairback seats.

Tickets can be purchased at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, by calling 316-264-4625 or going to www.wichitawingnuts.com. Opening day is May 7.

BASKETBALL

San Francisco hired former Kansas player Rex Walters away from Florida Atlantic.

Walters, who had a 31-33 record in two seasons for the Owls, takes over for Jessie Evans, who was forced to take a leave of absence in the middle of last season and then was fired last month. Eddie Sutton took over the program on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.

Notes

• Central Arkansas and WSU meet for the first time. The Bears are in their second season as an NCAA Division I member and belong to the Southland Conference. Coach Doug Clark, an assistant at Arkansas for 26 years, is in his sixth season at Central Arkansas. He is the father of Cody Clark, who played catcher and third base at WSU in 2003 after transferring from Arkansas.

• The Bears won two of three against McNeese State over the weekend, including an 18-1 victory on Sunday. They lost two of three against Missouri State early in the season, defeated Mississippi 4-3 in 10 innings and lost two games at Kansas State.

• C Chris Davis leads the Bears with a .321 batting average and a .539 slugging percentage. He has six home runs and 37 RBIs, both second on the team. RF Chris Houk leads the team with seven homers and 38 RBIs.

• WSU senior Rob Musgrave was named MVC pitcher of the week and Golden Spikes Award player of the week. Musgrave, a lefty, threw a complete-game five-hitter in Friday's 6-1 win over Northern Iowa.

NCAA baseball regional hosts are announced May 25 and the field is set May 26. Sixteen schools will host a four-team regional, leading to eight best-of-3 super regionals at host sites. A guess at how the field looks today:

National (top eight) seeds

Miami (Fla.), Florida State, Arizona State, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Rice, Nebraska, Oklahoma State

Comment: Nebraska can make a major move with series against Texas A&M and Missouri remaining. Oklahoma State has a strong case for a national seed with series wins over Texas A&M and Nebraska. However, a loss to Utah Valley State (No. 247 in the Boyd's World RPI) dropped OSU's RPI to No. 14. The Cowboys play Rice on Wednesday.

The next eight

Wichita State completed the regular season with a 3-2 loss to Drake in Des Moines. Drake scored three runs in the sixth for the win. The Shockers (32-27, 13-13 MVC) finished fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference and will play eighth-seed Indiana State at 11 a.m. Thursday in the opening round of the MVC Tournament in Carbondale, Ill. Creigthon (43-14, 21-3)) is the No. 1 seed.

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall is tired of talking about Ehimen Orukpe. Tired of raising hopes and weary of wondering about the 7-foot center from Nigeria.

Marshall is not tired of pursuing Orukpe. Assistant coach Marty Gross recently returned from Nigeria, where he watched Orukpe play and prepared him for an appointment this month at the United States embassy.

Should Orukpe receive his student visa, "He's on his way," Marshall said. "We've got to keep our fingers crossed."

This latest part of the Orukpe episode does not make Marshall any more or less optimistic about his arrival at WSU. Orukpe signed with WSU last spring, but has not been able to leave the country.

"I haven't changed my feeling at all," Marshall said. "I knew it was going to be a battle."

The co-leaders in the Wichita Golf Association fourball tournament have made enough birdies over the years to claim the championship multiple times.

But their refusal to settle for bogeys during Saturday's third round at Willowbend Golf Club kept the rest of the championship flight on their heels heading into today's final round.

Defending champions Tracy Chamberlin and Steve Newman, and three-time winners Darren Copp and Mark Jolliffe each shot bogey-free rounds of 3-under-par 69 to share a one-shot lead after 54 holes of the WGA's season-opening event.

After last weekend's qualifying rounds at Clapp and Consolver, both teams climbed to 14-under 200 Saturday and will start the final 18 holes a stroke in front of Jeff Logan and Aaron Sheaks this afternoon at Reflection Ridge.

Newman, a four-time winner of the event -- three with Chamberlin as his partner -- was surprised their 69 held a place atop the leaderboard. Especially after cool breezes subsided early in their round.

City Senior Pairings

Monday at Sim Park

18 holes

8 a.m.-- S. Pearce-S. Wynkoop; D. Christiansen-B.Ford Buel. 8:10--D. Vohs-B.Dilsaver Millan; S. Pletcher-G. Prichard. 8:20--B. Parker-D. Hager; D. Plopa-P. Lunkenheimer. 8:30--D. Roth-P. Smith; P. Eck-S. Phillips. 8:40--J. Luellan-A. Cone; M. Alterman-M. Williams. 8:50--J. Naldoza-R. White-M. Love. 9 a.m.-- B. Crawford-P. Totten; B. Wright-L. Muth. 9:10--M. Rodriguez-P. Schroeder-M. Riggs, C. LaVergne. 9:20--J. Nichols-S. Hamrick; T. Burroughs-T. Chestnut. 9:30--S. Downey-C. Reynolds; L. Smith-M. Shaft. 9:40--S. Lomax-L. Taylor; M. Linn-S. Cook. 9:50--P. Roark-C. Squires; N. Parks-C. Winn. 10 a.m.-- J. Schraeder-B. Cochran; E. Kurtz-M. Jones. 10:10--L. Vanskike-A. Burgess; C. Pivonka-P. Kastens. 10:20--A. Stevens-D. Harris; P. Elarton-D. Greider. 10:30--G. Morgan-I. Atherton; B. Moore-E. Selenke. 10:40--J. Smith-B. McCraw; V. Schesser-A. Knowles. 10:50--V. McGee-M. Nichols-P. Thompson.

9 holes

City Fourball

Championship flight

Saturday at Willowbend, today at Reflection Ridge

Darren Copp-Mark Jolliffe 131-69--200, Tracy Chamberlin-Steve Newman 131-69--200, Jeff Logan-Aaron Sheaks 132-69--201, Chad Gill-Derek Harrison 131-74--205, Tyler Chapman-Scott Kailer 135-70--205, Paul Hanneman-Gregg Harney 134-72--206, Shiloh Buth-Jerry Kapeika 135-72--207, Paul Cleland-Nick May 135-72--207, Stan Furgason-Rick Putnam 136-71--207, Carlton Dienstbach-Daryl Dienstbach 135-74--209, Robert Donovan-Randy Vautravers 136-73--209, Joe Heenan-Jeff Heenan 135-75--210, Randy Chippeaux-Mike Kreager 135-77--212, Ryan Walker-Dan Zimmerman 136-76--212, Raymond Brundige-Brian Phipps 138-75--213, John Alefs-Joe Rothwell 138-76--214.

First flight

Maize's sweep at the hands of Arkansas City in the season's second doubleheader seems oh-so long ago. The Eagles have improved so drastically that coach Jenny Meirowsky can only see positives.

"I don't have much to complain about," Meirowsky said with a laugh.

Especially not after Monday's 7-0, 4-1 sweep of Bishop Carroll at Two Rivers Youth Club. Maize has won 13 of its last 14 games.

The Eagles' pitching duo of Courtney White and Kaitlyn Kern was stellar. White, who threw 75 strikes on 100 pitches in the first game, struck out two and didn't allow a walk.

Maize's hitting was just as impressive, pounding out 25 hits on the night.

Baseball

Kapaun 21, West 1

North 2, Heights 1

Stan Pulliam retired from coaching in 1992, but it was something he never stopped doing.

Whether it was helping a family member through a difficult situation or counseling his son, Heights girls basketball coach Kip Pulliam, Stan Pulliam was dedicated to making the lives of those around him better.

Mr. Pulliam, 65, died Sunday after suffering a heart attack.

"He was a great coach and a great father figure," said Kip Pulliam, one of Mr. Pulliam's four children. "He was a father that wanted you to do your best. He made us work hard. We might not have always liked it. But as we grew older, we appreciated it. He prepared us for life after high school."

After starring as a player at Derby High, Mr. Pulliam began his career coaching boys and girls basketball at Sands High School in Ackerly, Texas, before moving to Wichita to coach at Valley Center and Campus.

Clearwater softball is having the kind of season that conceivably could lead to a Class 4A title.

If, that is, Clearwater gets out of its regional next week at Douglass.

"I would be hard-pressed to see how you could configure the teams and make that regional any more difficult," Clearwater coach Chuck Schrader said.

The Indians are in one of the state's toughest regionals in any class, with Andover Central, Augusta, Mulvane, Rose Hill and Wellington -- all will enter next week's play with winning records.

Douglass and Andover are the other two teams in the regional. All but Douglass are in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League.

It's difficult to envision a scenario where Kapaun Mount Carmel doesn't contend for the City League golf championship Thursday at McDonald Park.

The Crusaders, undefeated in league play, have put together back-to-back impressive dual performances.

Two weeks ago, they took down Bishop Carroll, their arch-rival and closest competitor in the City League, by 15 strokes. That's also Kapaun's narrowest margin of victory thus far.

Last week, Kapaun shot a 281, which included three players under par. Max Lazzo, A.J. Gebert and David Auer all shot 69.

Sandwiched in between was a fifth-place finish at the Hutchinson Invitational, which featured many of the state's best teams.

The North girls swimming team will try to mark the 20th anniversary of its last City League championship by adding another this week.

"We are really excited right now," North coach Megan Von Fange said. "This is probably the best shot we've had since then to win it and we don't want to miss out on this opportunity."

The City League meet will be held Thursday at Northwest.

The Redskins have swept through the competition during the season, going undefeated in duals.

"We have a lot of pressure on us because every team is gearing for us," Von Fange said. "We just have to keep our heads cool and we can't be overconfident. We just want to show up and swim some great races."

Girls soccer

Carroll 1, Derby 0

Word of Life 3, Independent 2

The Eagle track honor roll lists the top three times, distances and heights, regardless of class. Then the remaining class leaders, not covered in the top three, are listed. Even if a team goes to an out-of-town meet, it is the responsibility of coaches to report statistics (1-800-825-NEWS or 268-6252.) One may also e-mail results to stats@varsitykansas.com. The Eagle wishes to thank Carol Swenson for his assistance in compiling this honor roll.

Boys

100 meters

Four vvents that every high school sports fan should know about this week. Check the Eagle and Kansas.com for coverage of these events and others.

Monday

Softball: Maize vs. Bishop Carroll, 5 p.m. doubleheader, Two Rivers Youth Club, 1700 N. Ridge Road.

Why: A matchup with two of the better softball teams in the area. It's the beginning of a tough week for Maize, which will play Northwest on Friday.

Tuesday

Final Boys Tennis

Singles

(minimum 6 decisions)

W-L

CL Standings

Denny Hamlin appeared headed toward an easy victory. Then, Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemed poised to snap his two-year losing streak.

In the end, surprise winner Clint Bowyer celebrated, stealing a victory Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway that ended in wild fashion.

Hamlin, the hometown favorite, ran away with the race and led a record 381 of the 400 laps in search of his first Cup victory at Richmond. Nobody came close to challenging him until a leaking right front tire allowed Earnhardt and Kyle Busch to catch him.

The two drivers split Hamlin as they moved past him, with Earnhardt emerging as the leader with 18 laps to go. Hamlin's tire finally failed with eight to go, and NASCAR accused him of intentionally bringing out the caution that regrouped the field.

Earnhardt and Busch staged a strong battle for the lead when the race resumed, but Busch and Earnhardt made contact in turn three that sent Earnhardt into the wall.

Carl Edwards could be the next NASCAR star to drive "the Big, Brown Truck."

Edwards, who announced Friday he had signed a three-year contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing, appears set to join with sponsor UPS beginning next season.

UPS is close to a deal to pair with Edwards on Roush's No. 99 Ford, although the company is still talking with other potential teams, sources confirmed.

UPS has sponsored Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 44 Toyota since last season and was with veteran driver Dale Jarrett since the 2001 season.

Jarrett retired as a full-time driver in the Sprint Cup Series after the March 16 race at Bristol, Tenn., but plans to compete in the May 17 all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Bobby Rahal believes the Indianapolis 500 rookie class could change the look of IndyCar racing -- and not just because his 19-year-old son, Graham, happens to be one of the series' top new faces.

With the veterans coming over from Champ Car, talented young drivers getting a chance to drive for established teams and the elimination of a contentious rift between the rival open-wheel series, Rahal thinks it could turn into a showcase for the series' future stars.

"It's not just going to be Graham or Alex (Lloyd) or Ryan (Hunter-Reay), but you've got Justin Wilson, Will Power, and I'm missing a lot of other guys, Oriol Servia, who is quite quick on the ovals, it's going to be a tough deal," the 1986 Indy winner said. "If this isn't the strongest rookie field in history, I don't know what year would be. I think it's going to create a lot of interest and make things better."

The verdict will come May 25, during the 92nd running of America's most prestigious open-wheel race.

Until then, the one dozen rookies hoping to make the 33-car starting grid will spend the next three weeks proving themselves.

A&M -- at Nebraska, vs. Texas.

NU -- vs. A&M, at Missouri.

OSU -- vs. Texas Tech, vs. OU.

MU -- at KU, vs. NU.

Wichita natives Steve Newman and Darren Copp battled for a local golf title over the weekend. Today, they'll have the inside track on a state championship at Tallgrass Country Club.

Playing about 12 hours after his second-place finish to Copp in the city fourball tournament, Newman carded a 2-under-par 69 on Monday for sole possession of first place at the midway point of the Kansas Golf Association Mid-Amateur. Copp, who teamed with Mark Jolliffe to edge Newman and Tracy Chamberlin in Sunday's fourball finale, was tied for second with Overland Park's Luke Johnson in the Mid-Amateur, one shot behind Newman.

Newman lamented his early tee time in the KGA's season opener a few days ago, but he made the most of it. One of the first two golfers on the course, Newman made three birdies and one bogey to lead five players who shot par or better.

Copp wasn't far behind Newman on the course or the leaderboard. He completed the front nine with three consecutive birdies before making two of his three bogeys on the final five holes. That left him tied with Johnson, who birdied two of the last five.

Lawrence's Conrad Roberts and Olathe's Chad Judd were tied for fourth at even par. A group at 1-over 72 included Arkansas City's Trent Brown, Wichita's Michael Holloway and Topekans Gary Lucas and Mark Elliott.

After nine holes of the final round of the Wichita Golf Association fourball tournament, Darren Copp and Mark Jolliffe gave no indication that their bad fortune was going to change.

The two just watched fellow competitors Tracy Chamberlin and Steve Newman make countless long par saves and birdie putts to build a three-stroke lead at Reflection Ridge.

In fact, Copp and Jolliffe trailed by four strokes after 12 holes and were left for dead.

But something clicked on the remaining six holes and Copp and Jolliffe made an improbable comeback, sending the match to extras, where they won on the second playoff hole.

It's the duo's fourth four-ball championship and this year's title derailed the defending champs Chamberlin and Newman.

Paula Creamer made two long birdie putts to pull away from the field Saturday in the SemGroup Championship, only to drop two shots on the closing holes for the third straight day to give her challengers a chance.

But that small group chasing her doesn't include the player everyone expected to see. Lorena Ochoa, going for her record-tying fifth straight LPGA Tour victory, lost momentum with back-to-back bogeys and wound up eight shots behind, needing the best comeback of her career.

It doesn't look likely, even with Creamer still trying to figure out how to stop making bogeys with the finish line in sights. A three-putt on the 16th and a bogey from the bunker on the 18th gave her a 2-under 69 and a two-shot lead over Juli Inkster.

Inkster, a 47-year-old with two daughters and seven majors, turned in a tournament-best 67 in more blustery conditions, ending her solid round with a 20-foot par putt on the 18th hole after trouble in the trees.

Creamer was at 3-under 210 and will play in the final pairing today with Inkster, at 212 the only other player under par.

Scott Upshall scored with 3:04 remaining in the third period and the Philadelphia Flyers advanced to the Eastern Conference final with a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night in Montreal.

Upshall deflected Jeff Carter's shot past Carey Price to give Philadelphia its second and final lead of the game as the Flyers won the conference semifinal in five games.

R.J. Umberger had two goals and an assist and Martin Biron stopped 31 shots for the Flyers, whose last appearance in the East final was in 2004 when they lost to Tampa Bay.

Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell scored as Philadelphia got three second-period goals to take a 4-3 lead. Mike Knuble scored into an empty net with 50 seconds left.

Andrei Kostitsyn scored at 2:13 of the third to draw Montreal even at 4.

Oscar De La Hoya showed he could still beat a contender. Next up is cashing in again like a champion.

In what was little more than a tuneup for a much bigger fight, De La Hoya kicked off his retirement tour Saturday night before an appreciative crowd by pitching a near shutout over a game but overmatched Steve Forbes.

De La Hoya got a chance to shake off ring rust and put on a show in front of his hometown fans, who came out in big numbers to cheer him on against a fighter whose previous biggest claim to fame was losing in the final of the "Contender" reality series. He didn't disappoint, battering the smaller Forbes around on his way to an easy 12-round decision win in his first fight in a year.

The win set up a September rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who beat De La Hoya by split decision last May in what was the richest fight ever. And, even though De La Hoya was a 17-1 favorite, his dominating performance against Forbes will likely do what De La Hoya wanted by helping sell the second fight with Mayweather.

De La Hoya won all 12 rounds on one judge's scorecard and 11 out of 12 on the other two. He bloodied Forbes face, but he failed to knock out an opponent who had never been stopped in 38 previous fights, like he had vowed to do before the bout.

Today's NBA