Stories from Sunday, April 5, 2009

DETROIT -- Michigan State has been itching for this do-over since December. Not only is the NCAA title at stake when the Spartans play North Carolina on Monday night, Michigan State will try to avenge that 35-point beatdown the Tar Heels laid on them four months ago. It was the most lopsided loss for Michigan State since 1996, Tom Izzo's first year as coach...

LINCOLN -- Chris Brooks hears the talk all the time, about how he has underachieved since coming to Nebraska as one of the heralded 2005 recruits. He's so used to it, he cut off a reporter mid-sentence Saturday when questioned about how, four years later, his college career is yet to take off...

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Kris Benson appears ready to make his long awaited return to the big leagues. Benson made his final exhibition start Saturday and pitched five innings in the Texas Rangers' 5-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City's Mike Jacobs and John Buck each hit solo homers, and Alberto Callaspo had an RBI triple in the eighth that broke a 4-all tie...

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma softball team scored runs in each of the first three innings and held off two late Husker rallies in a 3-2 win over the Nebraska softball team on Sunday at a windy and chilly OU Softball Complex in Norman, Okla. The Sooners struck for single runs in each of the first three innings to take control of the game. After the early runs, OU had just one hit over the final 3.2 innings...

SEATTLE -- Former Lincoln Saltdogs right-hander Chris Jakubauskas, who won all six of his decisions in a Lincoln uniform in 2007, was added Sunday to the Opening Day roster of the Seattle Mariners. He becomes the first former Saltdogs player to make a major-league roster...