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Lauren Embree and Jamie Hampton practiced together during the Via Christi Pro Tennis Classic. During those practice sessions, Embree was making mental notes.

They paid off in Sunday's final.

Knowing that she needed to keep Hampton away from the net, Embree won her first professional tournament, defeating Hampton 6-2, 6-4 at the Coleman Tennis Complex.

"I know how she plays and I knew I had to keep the ball high and deep," Embree said. "This feels great. I wasn't doing so well. This is a big confidence booster."

Though nervous at the start, Embree took control early, throwing fifth-seeded Hampton off her game. She says she plays better when she's behind, but Embree didn't want to take that chance.

Remember all those missed shots in the lane for the Wichita State men's basketball team last season? Layups, gimmes, bunnies -- call them whatever -- they rarely seemed easy for the Shockers.

WSU shot 41.7 percent from the field, ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference, in part because of an inability to score close to the basket. Coach Gregg Marshall remembers.

"We weren't very good this year at finishing shots around the rim," he said.

Marshall feels better about those scoring opportunities in the future, now that he has had a good look at what his roster could look like for the next season or two. While there are some "ifs" and "whens" to clear up, the Shockers are big.

Inexperienced, but big.

CARDINALS 9, ROYALS 6

Royals drop second straight game to St. Louis

By the end, it looked a lot like a few years ago. This I-70 Series, which began Friday with a Royals win and the home fans -- finally -- outnumbering the visitors, sputtered to an end with a 9-6 Royals loss Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals' leadoff hitter got hurt, the series was lost, and their fans were outcheered the last two games. Going into an eight-game road trip, they now have to wonder if they've begun another extended losing streak.

"I don't think today is streaky bad," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "I think we had a bad day on the mound. If you want to characterize it as two losses in a row and streaky bad, I don't characterize it that way."

Hays at El Dorado (2), ppd., rain

Liberal 8, Nevada 7

Derby at Dodge City, ppd., rain

Sunday's Results

Although the Dodgers didn't get a hit Saturday night, it was no no-hitter.

They even won what was one of the weirdest games in recent years -- an unearned run all they needed to beat the Angels 1-0.

Jered Weaver, lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, came away with only a loss to show for his six hitless innings. Jose Arredondo, who retired six consecutive batters over the next two innings, won't go into the record book for a combined no-hitter, either.

Since the Angels were the visitors and the Dodgers didn't have to bat in the ninth, it wasn't officially a no-hitter.

The Angels got five hits, but the Dodgers' Chad Billingsley and two relievers held them scoreless.

Angels 1, Dodgers 0 -- John Lackey held the Dodgers to three hits for 8 2/3 innings, then Francisco Rodriguez retired James Loney with the bases loaded for the final out as the Angels avoided a sweep.

• Mike Napoli's RBI single off Derek Lowe (5-8) in the second inning was all the offense the Angels needed.... Rodriguez, who came in with two outs in the ninth and runners on first and second, walked Jeff Kent to load the bases, then got Loney on a routine grounder to second to earn his major league-leading 32nd save.

Tigers 4, Rockies 3 -- Dane Sardinha hit a two-run triple for his first major-league hit to rally the Tigers to a win over woeful Colorado, giving Detroit a three-game sweep.

• Detroit, which won its fifth straight and 15th in its last 18, has a winning record for the first time this season.... Troy Tulowitzki homered for Colorado, which lost its seventh straight.

Twins 5, Brewers 0 -- Kevin Slowey breezed through his fourth straight dominant start, beating Ben Sheets and Milwaukee with a three-hit shutout.

Air Capital Invitational

At Garvey Aquatic Center

Girls

10-Under, 100 Freestyle -- 1. Shelly Drozda, CUDA, 1:10.38; 2. Paige Schmidt, MSC, 1:14.64; 3. Alanna Brannam, MM, 1:15.87. 100 Breaststroke --1. Haley Hynes, KCB, 1:32.89; 2. Shelly Drozda, CUDA, 1:34.36; 3. Alanna Brannam, MM, 1:41.02. 50 Backstroke -- 1. Shelly Drozda, CUDA, 37.14; 2. Haley Hynes, KCB, 37.17; 3. Maggie Hatfield, EAC, 38.85. 100 Butterfly -- 1. Paige Schmidt, MSC, 1:31.75; 2. Alanna Brannam, MM, 1:42.23; 3. Jessi Stucky, NWSC, 1:54.27.

11-12, 100 Freestyle -- 1. Heather Cistola, LAW, 1:04.32; 2. Sara Nazari, WAS, 1:05.18; 3. Jessica Modlich, LOVE, 1:05.26. 100 Breaststroke -- 1. Brooke Hansen, LOVE, 1:29.09; 2. Hunter McEachern, WAS, 1:29.49; 3. Madison Hutchison, WSC, 1:32.20. 50 Backstroke -- 1. Madison Hutchison, WSC, 34.98; 2. Jessica Modlich, LOVE, 35.02; 3. Sara Nazari, WAS, 35.18; 3. Hannah Musser, KCB, 35.18. 100 Butterfly -- 1. Sara Nazari, WAS, 1:12.42; 2. Heather Cistola, LAW, 1:12.54; 3. Maddie McCaffrey, LAW, 1:13.01.

The new feature film "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" might be a tale of childhood some 80 years ago, but it hits awfully close to home. Especially when that home has just been foreclosed upon.

The movie, a Depression-era tale, highlights one effect of setting a fictional story in an all-too-real and relevant past: History lessons become current-event lessons.

"Kit Kittredge," which hits theaters Wednesday, is the latest spawn in the American Girl franchise of dolls, books, accessories and TV films. And as producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas says, the American Girl line bridges the gap "so you realize that no matter how much time has gone by, not much has changed."

American Girl is based on the concept of teaching through lovable and uplifting creations. So in that vein, "Kit Kittredge," which stars recent Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine"), is the story of a precocious 10-year-old coping amid financial hard times.

Talk about timing. With foreclosures rampant, gas prices soaring well past $4 a gallon and many families struggling in 2008, this G-rated tribute to pluck and perseverance is what Goldsmith-Thomas calls a "living history lesson."