BASEBALL

Mainers improve to 19-12 with win over Bay Sox

Robert Ruse gave up three hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks over eight shutout innings to lead the Sanford Mainers to a 7-0 win over the New Bedford Bay Sox in a NECBL game Tuesday night at Goodall Park in Sanford.

Sam Dexter drove in two runs for Sanford (19-12).

AMERICAN LEGION: Matt Rutherford had three hits, scored two runs and drove in one to lead Fayette-Staples (12-7) to a 14-4, seven-inning win over Massabesic (11-8) in the semifinals of the Zone 5 tournament at Saco.

In the other semifinal, Matt Brenner had three hits, including a two-run homer, to lead Staples Crossing (18-1) in a 12-1 win over Noble (8-10) at South Berwick.

JUNIOR LEGION: Noah Eichler struck out eight in tossing a one-hitter for the Lyman Eagles in a 7-0 victory over Fayette-Staples in a play-in game at Waterboro.

• Tyler St. Pierre struck out 10 and scattered nine hits in pitching a complete game and also hit two doubles to lift Gray-New Gloucester to a 7-4 win over Yankee Ford in a play-in game.

SOFTBALL

LITTLE LEAGUE:Cranston, Rhode Island, (2-1) scored 12 runs in the fifth inning to pull away for a 15-3 win over Scarborough (2-1) in pool play at the New England regional in Bristol, Connecticut.

Sydney Michelson and Bella Dickinson each singled for Scarborough; Michelson also scored a pair of runs.

BASKETBALL

U.S. JUNIOR NATIONALS: Montana Braxton of Cape Elizabeth scored 11 points to lead the Maine Maniacs in a 59-37 win over Loudon United of Virginia in their opening pool play game at the U.S. Junior Nationals in Washington, D.C.

Thornton Academy’s Ashley Howe and York’s Chloe Smedley added nine points apiece for the Maniacs.

COLLEGES

WOMEN’S HOCKEY: Former University of New Hampshire coach Brian McCloskey has been charged with assault for an encounter during a game last year.

McCloskey is charged with putting “his body on top” of a player’s body and threatening her.

McCloskey, 59, has said that during a Nov. 30 loss to Ohio State, he grabbed the back of a player’s jersey and helmet and reprimanded her for talking back. UNH fired McCloskey over it, and he wants his job back.

TENNIS

SWISS OPEN: Two-time champ Thomaz Bellucci won his first-round match at Gstaad, beating Gerald Melzer of Austria.

CROATIA OPEN: Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic narrowly beat 100th-ranked Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in the first round at Umag, Croatia.

SOCCER

BRAZIL: Dunga is returning to coach the national team, four years after he was fired from the job. The hiring comes two weeks after Brazil was eliminated from the World Cup in the semifinals.

Dunga, 50, is replacing Luiz Felipe Scolari, who resigned last week.

REAL MADRID: World Cup sensation James Rodriguez, 23, of Colombia signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid.

HOCKEY

NHL: The New York Rangers avoided salary arbitration with forward Mats Zuccarello, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

• Veteran forward David Booth signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs after spending last season with Vancouver.

— From staff and news services