BASEBALL

Panama Little League teams earns international final

Esmith Pineda smashed a go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth inning and Panama beat South Korea 3-2 on Wednesday night for a spot in the international championship game of the Little League World Series at South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

• R.J. Moore hit a go-ahead three-run homer in a six-run fourth inning and Goodlettsville, Tennessee, beat Johnston, Iowa, 14-3 in five innings in an elimination game.

• Jose Angel Leal struck out 10 of 11 batters in 32/3 innings and Mexico eased past Australia 10-0 in four innings in an elimination game.

HOCKEY

NHL: The Arizona Coyotes hired Dawn Braid as skating coach and said that she is believed to be the first full-time female coach in the NHL’s history.

Braid has a long association with the NHL.

She worked part-time for the Coyotes last year and served as a skating consultant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames.

Braid also spent seven years with the Athletes Training Center as director of skating development. Among the skaters she worked with while there is New York Islanders center John Tavares.

The hiring is the latest in a series of breakthroughs for women in men’s sports.

Last year the Buffalo Bills made Kathryn Smith the NFL’s first full-time assistant coach. Smith is the team’s quality control coach.

The NBA has had two female assistant coaches – Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs and Nancy Lieberman of the Sacramento Kings.

BASKETBALL

NBA: The Los Angeles Lakers signed top draft pick Brandon Ingram and Chinese NBA veteran Yi Jianlian, and re-signed center Tarik Black.

Ingram’s contract is expected to be worth more than $23 million over four years.

The 28-year-old Yi hasn’t played in the NBA since 2011-12 with Dallas. The 6-foot-11 Yi averaged 20.4 points per game for China at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

CYCLING

SPANISH VUELTA: Gianni Meersman of Belgium earned his second win in four days at Lugo, Spain, after a sprint finish and a crash in the peloton in the final two kilometers.

Colombian Darwin Atapuma maintained the overall lead for a second day.

TENNIS

CONNECTICUT OPEN: Defending champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic advanced to the quarterfinals at New Haven, beating Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard, 6-3, 6-2.

Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens beat France’s Caroline Garcia 7-6 (3), 7-5 to set up a match against top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

SOCCER

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Surprise English champion Leicester is in the pot of top seeds for the Champions League group-stage draw Thursday despite being ranked 31st of the 32 teams by UEFA.

IRELAND: Robbie Keane, captain of the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS, will retire from international play for Ireland after a match with Oman next week in Dublin. Keane, 36, is Ireland’s longtime captain, and career leader in goals (67) and appearances (145) over an 18-year career.

AUTO RACING

NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not been cleared to return to racing and will miss at least two more races – at Michigan and Darlington – as he recovers from a concussion.

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