BASEBALL
Chris Murphy allowed only one hit over six scoreless innings, and Hudson Potts smacked a home run and an RBI double as the Portland Sea Dogs beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 2-1 in an Eastern League game Saturday night in Richmond, Virginia.
Potts put the Sea Dogs ahead in the fourth inning with his seventh home run of the season, then doubled home Christian Koss in the sixth.
Murphy (4-5) struck out eight and walked three while lowering his ERA to 2.58. Jake Thompson earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.
NECBL: Automatic runner MJ Lucas scored on a wild pitch in the 11th inning, capping Sanford’s comeback from a 9-1 deficit as the Mainers beat the Winnipesaukee Muskrats, 10-9, in Laconia, New Hampshire.
Brady Afthim earned the win, striking out 12 in five scoreless innings.
Quinn McDaniel went 4 for 6 with two RBI for the Mainers. His bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning forced home the tying run.
TENNIS
WIMBLEDON: Madison Keys, the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up, and Borna Coric withdrew from Wimbledon on Saturday because of injuries.
The tournament begins Monday.
Keys, an American who was seeded 19th at the All England Club, pulled out because of a hurt abdominal muscle.
She was replaced in the field by Coco Vandeweghe, twice a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and twice a semifinalist at other Grand Slam tournaments, who lost in qualifying this week. Vandeweghe’s first-round opponent will be No. 17 seed Elena Rybakina.
Coric is a Croatian who got into the field thanks to a protected ranking because he has been injured. He cited a shoulder problem for his withdrawal.
He was drawn to face No. 12 seed Diego Schwartzman and that spot will be filled by an as-yet-unannounced player who lost in qualifying.
BAD HOMBURG: Caroline Garcia won her first title in three years after coming back from a set and a break down to beat 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 in th Bad Homburg, Germany.
Garcia took a medical timeout for what seemed to be a shoulder problem early in the second set. She then went 4-2 down before winning 10 of the next 14 games to seal the match.
She is 8-3 in career finals but the Frenchwoman’s last title was almost exactly three years ago in Nottingham in the buildup to 2019 Wimbledon.
EASTBOURNE: Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova tuned up for the Grand Slam tournament by overpowering Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 to win Eastbourne, England.
Also, Taylor Fritz outlasted Maxime Cressy 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) in an all-American men’s final for his second Eastbourne title.
MALLORACA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Mallorca Championships after beating Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets in Palma, Spainas they prepared to play on the grass courts of the All England Club.
Tsitsipas’ first grass-court title on the ATP Tour comes before Wimbledon starts on Monday.
TRACK AND FIELD
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS: Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin bested her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles at the U.S. outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon.
McLaughlin flashed a broad smile when her time was announced, then gave a thumbs-up. She crossed the finish line in 51.41 seconds, breaking her own record of 51.46 set last year at the Tokyo Games, where she won the gold medal.
Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman in track history, finished sixth in the 400, in what was her final national championship race.
SOCCER
MLS: Los Angeles FC has reached a deal with Welsh forward Gareth Bale to move to Major League Soccer after his departure from Real Madrid, a person close to the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the details of the 12-month deal are still being finalized between Bale and MLS-leading LAFC, which also added Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini to its roster this month.
Bale is among the most dynamic attacking players of his generation when healthy and on a top team. He scored 106 goals in 258 appearances for Madrid, which won five Champions League titles and three La Liga crowns during his tenure.
BASKETBALL
WNBA: The Phoenix Mercury announced they agreed to terms on a contract divorce with Tina Charles after 18 games.
The WNBA’s leading scorer last season, Charles signed with Phoenix in February, a day after the Mercury added Diamond DeShields in a three-team trade with Chicago and New York. The additions were expected to give the Mercury a huge boost to a roster that already had Diana Taurasi, Britney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
SWIMMING
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Canadian 15-year-old Summer McIntosh won another gold medal and Italy pipped the United States to the men’s 400 medley relay title on the final night of racing at the world swimming championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The American women clinched the Unites States’ record 45th medal of the week by winning their 4×100 medley final. Regan Smith, Lilly King, Torri Huske and Claire Curzan were 0.47 seconds ahead of Australia and 1.23 ahead of Canada.
Canadian swimmers finished with 11 medals for their most successful worlds.
Veteran Gregorio Paltrinieri also won a thrilling men’s 1,500 freestyle on Saturday, as Italy ended the week’s swimming events with five golds.
AUTO RACING
NASCAR CUP SERIES: Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole at Nashville Superspeedway when a surprise rain shower washed out the second round of qualifying in Lebanon, Tennessee.
The session was halted right before the fastest 10 drivers were set for the shootout to determine who will lead the field to green Sunday. It will be Hamlin in his No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing on the front row next to Joey Logano in the No. 22 Ford for Team Penske.
• It took Martin Truex Jr. only seven words to end the season-long speculation about his future in NASCAR.
“I’m back in the 19 next year,” Truex said at Nashville Superspeedway.
Nice and succinct for the 2017 NASCAR champion, who has never been verbose but particularly short on details as he pondered his future the last several months. His contract with Joe Gibbs Racing expires at the end of the year, and the most Truex would reveal was that the organization needed a decision from the driver this summer.
“The competitive side of me said I’m not done and I’m going to keep fighting, so here we are,” said Truex, who turns 42 on Wednesday.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: Justin Allgaier routed the field at Nashville Superspeedway for his second Xfinity Series victory of the season.
The JR Motorsports driver led 134 of the 188 laps in his Chevrolet and beat Trevor Bayne by 4.513-seconds on a hot, steamy afternoon in which in-car temperatures inched toward 130 degrees.
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