Sports: Bombers fall 6-4; AL Wins All Star Game….again.

The Battle Creek lost to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 6-4.   The Bombers scored two in the first, as Nick Walker extended his hitting streak to 17 games.  But the Rafters hit a homer in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1.  In the fifth, the Rafters hit a homer down the left field line and manager Brian Solemsass was tossed for arguing the call.   Battle Creek scored twice in the seventh, but the Rafters’ three run seventh put the game out of reach, as the Bombers fell 6-4. Taylor Horn takes the loss to fall to 3-3.  Alex Howard had his fourth 3-hit game.

The Bombers head home after tonight’s game in Wisconsin Rapids as they host the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.  Friday will be a “Front Row Fireworks Night ” at C.O. Brown and WBCK’s Richard Piet and Heather McGregor will be on hand.    Be listening all this week for a chance to win tickets to Friday’s game.   The Wisconsin Woodchucks come in for games on Saturday and Sunday, and then it’s the Northwood’s League All-Star Break.

All-Star Game

The American League walked away with a fifth straight win at the MLB All-Star game after Robinson Cano hit a 1-1 tie-breaking home run in the tenth inning. It was enough for a 2-1 victory.  The 34 year old Cano, honored as the all-star game MVP,  was among the oldest players in the game, which featured so many rising stars. And Cano was just added to the roster only Friday... as an injury replacement. Cano became the first player to hit an extra-inning homer in the All-Star game since Tony Perez exactly 50 years earlier.  St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina homered for the NL.  Mookie Betts doubled and scored the game's first run on a single by Miguel Sano in the fifth.  Detroit Tigers outfielder Justin Upton went 1-for-2 in the game   Michael Fulmer wasn’t able to pitch, since he pitched the Tigers’ Sunday night game.  The American League has dominated the game for the last two decades, and finally pulled even with the Nationals.  Each League has now won 43 All Star Games.

Tigers

The Tigers are 8 games below .500, the first time they’ve had a losing record at the break in eleven years.  Detroit is 8 games behind the first place Tribe, with a 39-48 record.   They resume action against Toronto on Friday, with Justin Verlander pitching.

Olympics

The International Olympic Committee has tentatively awarded the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games to Los Angeles and Paris, but won’t say which will host it first. If L.A. and Paris can't come to an agreement on hosting order, only the 2024 rights will be voted on when the IOC next meets in September.

Wimbledon

Men's second seed Novak Djokovic heads to the Wimbledon quarterfinals after a win Tuesday, but Simona Halep was knocked out in the quarters by No. 6 Johanna Konta.  87th-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova moves on with a win over  CoCo Vandeweghe. Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza also reached the semifinals.

Lakeview Grad on Mackey Watch List

WMU Bronco tight end Donnie Ernsberger has been named to the 2017 John Mackey Award watch list.  The 2014 Lakeview grad makes the list of 54 of the top tight ends in college football. The award is given out in December.  Ernsberger is entering his senior year at WMU.

Doc Pleads Guilty to Child Porn

Former MSU and USA Gymnastics sports doctor Larry Nassar has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.  Nasser was in a Michigan federal court Tuesday and admitted he tried to get rid of the child porn evidence amid a growing investigation into allegations that he had sexually assaulted young gymnasts he treated.  His lawyer says Nassar will still go to trial in three separate criminal cases alleging he molested a total of nine girls.