Baseball
MIAMI – Adam Jones hit the winning RBI single with two out in the 10th inning Friday night, and the United States overcame a two-run deficit to beat Colombia 3-2 in their opening game at the World Baseball Classic.
The Americans improved their all-time WBC record to 11-10. They failed to make the finals in the three previous events and next face the Dominican Republic, the defending champions.
U.S. starter Chris Archer retired all 12 batters he faced. Archer, coming off a 9-19 season with Tampa Bay, struck out three and needed only 41 pitches to get through four innings.
Cycling
MONTALTO DI CASTRO, Italy – World champion Peter Sagan sprinted to victory in the third stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, and Rohan Dennis moved into the overall lead Friday.
Sagan powered past Elia Viviani with about 250 meters to go and beat the Italian by a bike length.
Jurgen Roelandts was third in the bunch sprint at the end of the 127-mile route from Monterotondo Marittimo to Montalto di Castro.
FAYENCE, France – Simon Yates peeled away on the final climb of the day to win the sixth stage of the Paris-Nice, while Julian Alaphilippe retained the lead Friday.
Yates moved into overall contention, but the British rider remains 1 minute, 37 seconds behind Alaphilippe with two climbing stages remaining.
The 112-mile trek from Aubagne to Fayence featured three category 1 climbs, the second toughest under race classification.
At least riders did not have bad weather to contend with, and Yates thumped his chest as he crossed the line with the sun shining in southern France.
He cleared the day’s three steepest climbs by the time he got to the short but sharp climb up to Fayence, and had enough of a lead to cross the line comfortably ahead. The Orica-Scott team rider clocked a winning time of 4½ hours.
Golf
PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Adam Hadwin started the back nine with five consecutive birdies and posted a 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead going into the weekend of the Valspar Championship.
It was another low round for Hadwin – not a 59 like the score the Canadian shot in the California desert this year, but enough to surge past Jim Herman and into the lead on a warm and occasionally blustery Friday afternoon at Innisbrook.
British Open champion Henrik Stenson struggled at times with the wind and shot 71. He was three shots behind and shared one highlight that had nothing to do with golf. His 2-year-old daughter, Alice, ran out to the second fairway when she saw him.
NBA
DENVER – Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in his return to the lineup, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Boston Celtics 119-99 on Friday night.
Jokic played 27 minutes after missing two games because of illness. Wilson Chandler had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, and Danilo Gallinari returned from sitting out Wednesday’s game with vertigo to score 20 points.
Denver increased its lead for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference to a full game over idle Portland.
Isaiah Thomas had 19 points for Boston.
Associated Press
