BASEBALL

Couch’s complete mastery leads Sea Dogs to big win

Keith Couch pitched his second straight nine-inning complete game, and the Portland Sea Dogs scored eight runs in the top of the fifth inning on their way to an 11-0 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Manchester, New Hampshire.

Couch set the franchise record with his seventh career complete game. He also went the distance last Saturday in a 5-1 win over Hartford and was credited with a complete game in a 3-0 loss to Trenton on June 27 that was shortened to five innings by rain.

Couch allowed seven hits and no walks, striking out six on Thursday.

Yoan Moncada had three hits, including a three-run homer to spark Portland’s highest-scoring inning of the season.

NECBL: Todd Czinege hit an RBI single in the top of the third inning and Michael Landestoy added an RBI triple in the sixth to lift the Sanford Mainers (11-12) to a 2-0 win over the Valley Blue Sox (12-11) at Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Nick Kuzia gave up four hits and struck out six in six innings for the win.

EMPIRE LEAGUE: Carlos Pinales struck out four and walked one while scattering nine hits in nine innings to lead the Surge (18-15) to a 4-1 win over the Sullivan Explorers (16-16) at Old Orchard Beach.

CYCLING

TOUR DE FRANCE: British sprinter Mark Cavendish easily won the sixth stage in a mass finish at Montauban.

It was Cavendish’s third stage win of this Tour and his 29th overall. He beat German sprinter Marcel Kittel by half a wheel.

Greg van Avermaet kept the yellow jersey ahead of Friday’s first stage in the Pyrenees.

HOCKEY

NHL: The New Jersey Devils re-signed leading scorer Kyle Palmieri to a five-year, $23.25 million contract.

Palmieri had 30 goals and 27 assists in 82 games in his first season with the Devils.

COLLEGES

FIELD HOCKEY: Bowdoin’s Kim Kahnweiler was nominted by NESCAC for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors graduating athletes who have distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

Kahnweiler was the NESCAC defensive player of the year and a first-team All-American.

FOOTBALL: Notre Dame and Michigan, the two winningest programs in college football history, have agreed to resume their rivalry.

The Fighting Irish will host the Wolverines on Sept. 1 2018, and the series will shift to Michigan on Oct. 26, 2019.

• Georgia tailback Sony Michel, the team’s leading rusher last season, had surgery this week for a broken left forearm and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for the Sept. 3 opener against North Carolina.

• The Georgia Southern athletics department was put on two years of probation and the football program will lose two scholarships next season after the NCAA ruled that three players received improper academic assistance.

AUTO RACING

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES: Rookie William Byron took the lead on lap 82 and withstood several challengers to win at Kentucky Speedway and make Kyle Busch Motorsports the winningest truck series team in NASCAR history.

OBITUARY: Carl Haas, co-founder of Newman-Haas Racing with late actor Paul Newman, has died. He was 86.

His company, Carl Haas Automobile Imports Inc., posted a statement on its web site Thursday saying Haas died on June 29 at his home surrounded by family.