MOTOR SPORTS
Buescher holds on at Iowa
Chris Buescher pulled away on a restart in a green-white-checkered finish Sunday to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Iowa Speedway. Buescher raced to his first victory of the season to give Roush-Fenway Racing its fifth Iowa win. Chase Elliott appeared poised for an easy victory before a late caution set up overtime. Buescher was the beneficiary, and he took advantage with a perfectly executed restart. Elliott finished second after leading a race-high 114 laps. Erik Jones was third, followed by Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney.
• Tim Wilkerson raced to his first Funny Car victory since 2011, beating Ron Capps on Sunday in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Wilkerson had a 4.318-second pass at 260.31 mph in his Ford Shelby Mustang for his 18th career victory. Antron Brown won in Top Fuel, Jason Line in Pro Stock, and Hector Arana in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Brown beat Lead Pritchett with a 3.887 at 310.48 for his second victory of the season. He has 33 career Top Fuel victories after winning 16 times in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
• Jorge Lorenzo made it back-to-back victories after an impressive victory in the French Moto Grand Prix ahead of championship leader Valentino Rossi on Sunday. Lorenzo, who won at home in Spain at the beginning of the month, started from third on the grid but quickly overtook Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez in pole after a mistake by the two-time defending champion and opened up a big lead. Rossi was second, 3.820 seconds behind his Yamaha teammate, with Dovizioso third. Lorenzo leapfrogged above Dovizioso into second overall, 15 points behind Rossi heading into the Italian's home race at Mugello on May 31.
HOCKEY
Crosby leads Team Canada rout
Sidney Crosby led Canada to its first hockey world championship title since 2007 Sunday with a goal and an assist in a dominant 6-1 victory over defending champion Russia in the final in Prague. In a meeting of the two most decorated teams in world championship history, Canada claimed its 25th title with another attacking display that Russia simply couldn't cope with. Six players scored for Canada, with Dallas Stars center Cody Eakin putting his team ahead late in the first period before Buffalo Sabres center Tyler Ennis, Crosby and Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin decided the game in a six-minute span in the second. Forwards Claude Giroux and Nathan MacKinnon added one each in the third before Russia's got a consolation goal from Evgeni Malkin. The United States blanked the host Czech Republic 3-0 to claim bronze. Nick Bonino scored 7:25 into the game and Trevor Lewis got the second with 1:57 to go in the first. Charlie Coyle netted the third with 50 seconds left in the second period for the U.S.
BASEBALL
A's put Davis on DL
Oakland Athletics first baseman Ike Davis was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quadriceps. Oakland made the roster move Sunday and said it was retroactive to May 14. The A's recalled outfielder Craig Gentry (Fort Smith, Arkansas Razorbacks) from Triple-A Nashville. Davis is batting .282 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI in 33 games. He was injured in the fourth inning last Monday night against Boston and appeared in one game after that, flying out as a pinch hitter on Wednesday. Gentry was on Oakland's opening-day roster and hit .086 with no extra-base hits and two RBI in 16 games before he was optioned to Nashville on May 6.
• The Texas Rangers placed left-handed starter Ross Detwiler on the 15-day disabled list and designated reliever Kyuji Fujikawa for assignment. Texas made the moves before Sunday's game against Cleveland. Tanner Scheppers was recalled from Round Rock, and the Rangers selected the contract of right-hander Ross Ohlendorf from the Triple-A team. Detwiler (0-5 in seven starts) reported soreness in his left shoulder after Thursday's start against Kansas City. Fujikawa, 34, allowed 3 runs in 1 2-3 innings over 2 appearances since being activated from the DL on Thursday. The reliever signed with Texas after spending the last two seasons with the Chicago Cubs, but started this season on the DL with a right groin strain.
SOCCER
U.S. women handle Mexico
Sydney Leroux and Abby Wambach each scored twice and the United States beat Mexico 5-1 on Sunday night in Carson, Calif., in the second send-off match for the team in advance of the women’s World Cup next month. Wambach, who came in as a substitute to start the second half, scored on a penalty kick in the 58th minute and added a header in the 72nd minute to bring her career total to 182 goals. She has scored 24 goals against Mexico, the most has against any nation. Lori Chalupny added a goal for the United States early in the second half. Ariana Calderon scored on a header for Mexico late in the first half, snapping Hope Solo’s shutout streak at five matches. It was the first goal the U.S. conceded to Mexico since November 2010, when Las Tri surprised the Americans with a 2-1 victory in World Cup qualifying.
HORSE RACING
Here's Zealicious rallies at Belmont
Here's Zealicious made a strong move up the rail to beat Lady Gracenote by 4 1/2 lengths Sunday in the $65,000 allowance feature for New York bred fillies and mares at Belmont Park in New York. The 7-year-old trained by Naipaul Chatterpaul earned her 12th victory in 30 starts. Angel Arroyo was aboard for the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.47. Here's Zealicious paid $10.20, $6 and $3.10. Lady Gracenote returned $8.10 and $3.50, and My Won Love paid $2.40 to show.
TENNIS
Djokovic, Sharapova Italian Open winners
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic bolstered his clay-court credentials a week ahead of Roland Garros with a convincing 6-4, 6-3 victory over Roger Federer on Sunday to capture his fourth Italian Open title in Rome.
Extending his winning streak to 22 matches, Djokovic proved too consistent and too quick for Federer, who has never won the title at the Foro Italico in 15 appearances.
"It was a great week and today was my best match," Djokovic told the crowd in Italian. "It's always a pleasure to play against Roger and obviously I'm very pleased by today. ... Along with 2011, this is the best year of my career. I don't know how [to] continue at Roland Garros but obviously I have a lot of confidence. I hope I can continue like this."
Djokovic produced a spectacular return to set up the decisive break at the end of the first set then got an early break in the second.
The match lasted just 75 minutes.
"Novak was too strong today," Federer said.
In the women's tournament, Maria Sharapova rallied to beat 10th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and win her third Rome title.
The victory will give Sharapova confidence as she prepares to defend her title at the French Open, which starts next weekend.
The French Open is the only Grand Slam that Djokovic has never won, and he will enter as the favorite this year considering Rafael Nadal's recent struggles.
Djokovic also won the Rome title in 2008, 2011 and last year.
Sharapova's first two titles in Rome came back-to-back in 2011 and 2012.
"It's always a special victory," Sharapova said during the trophy presentation. "It isn't my first time but when I'm able to hold the trophy again it brings back memories of winning it the first time."
Sharapova struggled for long stretches to figure out Suarez Navarro's variation of spins, slices and heavy topspin shots -- with a one-handed backhand that was difficult to read.
For her 35th career title, and 11th on clay, Sharapova celebrated mildly with a smile and a few fist pumps.
Sports on 05/18/2015