had a.321 average over six minor league seasons.He homered against the Giants Yusmeiro Pinst

Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Maria Sharapova dominated upstart Eugenie Bouchard to reach her third Australian Open semifinal in four years, while Ekaterina Makarova had a similarly easy time disposing of third-seeded Simona Halep during Tuesdays womens draw of the seasons first Grand Slam event. The second-seeded Sharapova, the 2008 Aussie champion champ and a three-time finalist, needed just 77 minutes to down the seventh-seeded and 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Bouchard by a 6-3, 6-2 score. Makarova, meanwhile, landed in her second career Grand slam semi by overpowering a mistake-prone Halep, the worlds third-ranked player and a finalist at last years French Open. The Romanian star committed 31 unforced errors and double-faulted four times in dropping a 6-4, 6-0 decision to the 10th-seeded Russian. Sharapova, who will face Makarova in Thursdays semifinals, hasnt dropped a set since escaping with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 win over qualifier Alexandra Panova in the second round. The Williams sisters will each take part in Wednesdays two quarterfinal matches, with top-seeded Serena Williams continuing her quest for a sixth career title in Melbourne by taking on No. 11 seed Dominika Cibulkova. Venus Williams squares off against 19-year-old American surprise Madison Keys. Dick Butkus Jersey . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Tom Waddle Jersey . – Team Canadas Brooke Henderson carded a 4-under 67 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club to jump into the lead at the Canadian Womens Amateur Championship on Wednesday. http://www.officialchicagobearspro.com/ . -- Canadian Erik Bedard pitched into the fifth inning in his bid to win a spot in Tampa Bays rotation, helping the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Saturday. Custom Chicago Bears Jerseys . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring. Walter Payton Jersey .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston.SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, a 22-year-old slugger who was regarded as one of the majors top prospects, died Sunday in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic.Taveras was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro at the time of the crash on a highway between the beaches of Sosua and Cabarete in Puerto Plata, about 215 miles north of the capital of Santo Domingo, said Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency.He wasnt carrying documents at the time of the accident, but his body was identified by family members, Pesqueira said.National police spokesman Jacobo Mateo Moquete said he was told by the mayor of Sosua that Taveras lost control of his vehicle and went off the road. Edilia Arvelo, 18, who was in the car with Taveras, also died in the accident, said Pesqueira.Taveras made his major league debut this year. He hit .239 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 80 games for the NL Central champions.I simply cant believe it, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said in a release. I first met Oscar when he was 16 years old and will forever remember him as a wonderful young man who was a gifted athlete with an infectious love for life who lived every day to the fullest.Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said the organization was stunned and deeply saddened by Taveras death.Oscar was an amazing talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time, DeWitt said. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends tonight.Taveras was a teenager when he signed with St. Louis as an international free agent in 2008. Before this season, Taveras was ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by MLB.com and Baseball America, and had a.321 average over six minor league seasons.He homered against the Giants Yusmeiro Petit in his major league debut on May 31. He also had a big solo drive in the seventh inning of Game 2 in the NL Championship Series against San Francisco.All of us throughout Major League Basseball are in mourning this evening, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said in a release.ddddddddddddOscar, a young member of the baseball family, was full of promise and at the dawn of a wonderful career in our game, evident in his game-tying home run against the Giants exactly two weeks ago.Taveras held a Canadian passport. He spent four years as a teenager living in Montreal with his father, Francisco Taveras, and played for the Marquis de Montreal of the Quebec midget triple-A league before moving back to the Dominican Republic.It looked as if Taveras was headed to the majors in 2013, but he had surgery for a high right ankle sprain last August for an injury that did not respond to treatment. He then got off to a nice start at Triple-A Memphis this season, earning a promotion by batting .325 with seven homers in 49 games.Oscar had a very promising future, on and off the field, and this news is heartbreaking on many levels, Tony Clark, the leader of the players association, said in a statement. Its never easy to lose a member of our fraternity, and to lose one so young is devastating news.Giants outfielder Juan Perez heard about Taveras death during Game 5 of the World Series. He hit a big two-run double in the eighth inning of San Franciscos 5-0 victory and dedicated the hit to his fallen countryman.Hes a really close friend of mine, Perez said. I know his family pretty good, I know his mom, his dad, his brothers, we were really close. Its a huge loss for all his family, his teammates and the people that care about him.Several of Taveras Cardinals teammates took to Twitter to express their condolences.Last 30 minutes Ive been sick to my stomach. Keep thinking about Oscars big smile in the dugout whenever we made a big play/got a big hit, All-Star reliever Pat Neshek posted.Rookie second baseman Kolten Wong tweeted: RIP you will be missed buddy.___AP Sports Writers Antonio Gonzalez in San Francisco and R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis contributed to this report. 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