A pair of two-run home runs and a pitching performance that followed the team’s new blueprint gave the Colorado Rockies a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies last night. Chris Nelson’s blast in the seventh inning put the Rockies ahead, and Wilin Rosario’s dinger in the ninth provided the insurance. On the mound, the Rockies saw the most successful night in their new four-man rotation experiment’s short history. Jeff Francis was able to get through five full innings on his 75-pitch limit, allowing just one run. Josh Roenicke, Rex Brothers, Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt finished things off with four innings of scoreless relief. The Rockies were able to avoid a sweep in Philadelphia. They’ll try and start a winning streak tonight as they start their final interleague series in Texas against the Rangers. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action, with pregame coverage at 6:30 and the first pitch at 7:05.

The North Platte First Nationals won their third game in as many tries this week with an 11-6 victory over Ogallala last night at Bill Wood Field. The First Nationals improve their record to 16-11 with the win. They’ll have the weekend to rest and reload before next Tuesday’s rematch with Kearney. North Platte already claims one victory over their biggest rivals, a 1-0 decision at Bill Wood Field on June 5.

Arizona secured their place in the College World Series championship series, but their opponent has yet to be determined as the two-time defending champions held on for one more game. South Carolina started yesterday’s tripleheader in Omaha with a 4-1 victory over Kent State, eliminating the Golden Flashes. Ace left-hander Michael Roth surpassed the record for most career innings pitched in the CWS in pitching a complete-game two-hitter. That win moved the Gamecocks into another do-or-die game to conclude the day’s action, and they were able to wrap up a 2-0 day with a 2-0 win over Arkansas. The Gamecocks and Razorbacks play again tonight at 8 PM, with the winner advancing to play Arizona. The Wildcats scored six runs in the first inning en route to beating Florida State 10-3. They advance to their first CWS final since 1986.

(by Hilary Winter – Nebraska Sports Information)

Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska track and field team continued its academic success as three Huskers earned spots on the Capital One Academic All-America Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country teams announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.

The men’s track and field team has produced a total of 22 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, including 17 since 2002 when the track and field/cross country team was created. It was part of the men’s at-large program prior to the 2002 season.

Senior Bjorn Barrefors earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for the third straight year, as he was a repeat selection on the first-team after being named to the third-team in 2010. He is the 12th Nebraska student-athlete all-time across all sports to be a three-time Academic All-American and the first since 2007. His teammate Nate Polacek earned first-team honors after moving up from the second-team last year, while Brett Grieb tabbed third-team accolades.

Nebraska’s nation-leading total of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans has grown to 299 selections across all sports. Besides Stanford’s three selections, Nebraska was the only other school with multiple selections to the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country first team. The Huskers also tied for the most men’s track and field/cross country Academic All-America honorees across the first, second and third teams.

Barrefors excelled in the multi-events under Coach Kris Grimes in 2012, adding a pair of first-team All­-America honors. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Barrefors finished fifth at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon during the indoor season and eighth at the NCAA Championships in the decathlon outdoors. He also captured the first Big Ten title of his career with a school-record 7,897 points in the decathlon at the outdoor conference championships.

A native of Kearney, Neb., Polacek is a two-time All-American and team captain for the Huskers. He finished fourth indoors at the NCAA Championships in the pole vault in 2011 and tied for 11th in 2012. He is a four-time all-conference honoree.

Grieb is a three-year contributor on the Nebraska track team and a two-year contributor for the Husker cross country team. He was a first-team academic All-Big 12 honoree in 2011 and was a four-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

MIAMI (AP) – Most every night in Miami is a party, but tonight’s festivities might be championship caliber.

The Heat are a win away from the second NBA title in franchise history and first since assembling its Big Three.

LeBron James, Dwyane (dwayn Wade) and Chris Bosh lead Miami into Game 5 of the finals against the Thunder this evening holding a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven showdown.

After dropping the opener in Oklahoma City, the Heat has ripped off three straight victories.

No NBA team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals, but the Thunder already wiped out one big hole just one round ago in the Western Conference finals. They trailed San Antonio 2-0 before bouncing back to win the series.

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) – Prosecutors say the jurors in Jerry Sandusky’s child sexual abuse case can’t forget about the 10 boys the former Penn State assistant football coach is accused of abusing.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Joe McGettigan told the jury in his closing argument Thursday not to be distracted by defense conspiracy theories as they decide whether Sandusky sexually abused boys he met through a charity he founded.

Jury deliberations began shortly after McGettigan’s closing arguments.

Earlier Thursday, defense attorney Joe Amendola said the case is a result of overzealous investigators coaching witnesses. He also says accusers are seeking big payouts from potential civil lawsuits.

INTERLEAGUE

St. Louis at Detroit 12:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at Oakland 2:35 p.m.
Minnesota at Pittsburgh 6:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Washington 6:05 p.m.
Miami at Boston 6:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Colorado at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.

NBA FINALS

Oklahoma City at Miami 7:00 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE ON ESPN RADIO 1410)

CHICAGO (AP) – The BCS commissioners are backing a four-team college football playoff plan with the sites for the national semifinals rotating among the major bowl games and a selection committee picking the teams. The plan will be presented to university presidents next week for approval, which is expected to OK the plan to start in 2014.

MIAMI (AP) – For the first time in his nine-year NBA career, Miami superstar LeBron James is one victory away from being an NBA champion. James shrugged off the effects of leg cramps and practiced with the Heat, who take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 of the NBA Finals Thursday night against Oklahoma City.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA banned a record 10 men’s basketball teams including three-time national champion Connecticut from this year’s NCAA tournament because of poor Academic Progress Rate scores. Joining the Huskies on the sideline next March will be Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California-Riverside, Cal State Bakersfield, Jacksonville State, Mississippi Valley State, North Carolina-Wilmington, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Toledo and Towson.

NEW YORK (AP) – Dillon Gee extended the Mets’ shutout streak to 29 innings before Baltimore broke through late, and New York held off the Orioles 4-3 for a three-game sweep. The Mets nearly shut out the Orioles for the third straight day following R.A. Dickey’s one-hitter Monday night and a combined five-hitter Tuesday night by the Mets staff.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Stephen Strasburg struck out 10 to win a fast-ballers’ duel and the Washington Nationals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Strasburg improved to 9-1 by winning his sixth consecutive start by allowing five hits and two runs over seven innings.

INTERLEAGUE

Braves 10, Yankees 5

Royals 2, Astros 1

Brewers 8, Blue Jays 5

D-Backs 14, Mariners 10

Cards 3, Tigers 1

Rangers 4, Padres 2

Indians 8, Reds 1

Nationals 3, Rays 2

Twins 2, Pirates 1

Mets 4, Orioles 3

Red Sox 15, Marlins 5

White Sox 7, Cubs 0

Athletics 4, Dodgers 1

Angels 6, Giants 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Phillies 7, Rockies 6

(by Ruth Nicholas) The entry list has been set for the Nebraska State High School Finals Rodeo, to be held in Hastings June 21-23 at the Adams County Fairgrounds.

Nearly 150 high school rodeo athletes will compete in ten events. The top four competitors in each event will earn a berth at the National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo., July 15-21, where they will represent Nebraska.

Included in the contestant list are North Platte residents Brandy Brown in the barrel racing, breakaway roping, team roping and pole bending; Chantel Johnson in the barrel racing and breakaway roping, Jared Cox and Levi Brott in the team roping, and Blake Tucker in the tie-down roping. Hershey residents Shawnie Stone-Swedberg will compete in the barrel racing and pole bending, and Tucker White in the team roping. Wellfleet residents Madison Clark will compete in the breakaway roping and pole bending, and Jaden Clark in the saddle bronc riding and team roping. Maywood native Clay Chittick will compete in the steer wrestling, tie-down roping, and boys cutting.

The ten events include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, breakaway roping, pole bending, barrel racing, cutting, and bull riding.

The Finals, the culmination of 27 regular season rodeos, will be held at 10 am and 6 pm on June 21-22, with the short go-round on June 23 at 1 pm. The cutting will be held at 7 am on June 21-22, with the short-go round at 8 am on June 23.

To say that a team is inventing new ways to lose games is a time-worn cliché, but the Colorado Rockies haven’t lost many games in their history the way they lost last night’s. An error by Todd Helton in the ninth inning allowed the winning run to score for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 7-6 Rockies defeat. Helton failed to get his foot onto the first base bag on a throw by Marco Scutaro that would have produced the third out of the inning. The Rockies had taken a 6-5 lead on a pinch-hit RBI single by Dexter Fowler, and closer Rafael Betancourt got the first two outs in the ninth. But the Phillies tied the game on a two-out RBI double by Hunter Pence, and a walk, an infield hit, and Helton’s miscue led to the winning tally. That’s now 12 losses in 13 for the Rockies. They’ll try and avoid a sweep at the hands of the Phillies tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05.

Husker designated hitter Mike Pritchard added to his collection of postseason accolades yesterday. Pritchard was named second-team All-Midwest Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Pritchard’s .387 batting average and .447 on base percentage led the Huskers in 2012, as did his 82 runs scored. The sophomore’s 25-game hitting streak tied him for the third-longest such streak in program history. Pritchard was previously named first-team All-Big Ten and a third-team All American.