Off the wire

Natalie Lewis, the director of basketball operations for the University of Richmond women’s team, was one of three people in a hot air balloon that crashed Friday near Doswell, Va.

Natalie Lewis, the director of basketball operations for the University of Richmond women’s team, was one of three people in a hot air balloon that crashed Friday near Doswell, Va.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

BASKETBALL

Richmond staffer missing

A University of Richmond women’s basketball team staff member was one of three occupants of a hot air balloon that crashed near Doswell, Va., a family spokesman said Saturday. Julie Snyder told The Associated Press that Natalie Lewis’ body has not been found. However, state police have described their search as an operation to recover remains. The remains of the pilot and the second passenger have been recovered after being found about 1,500 yards apart in densely wooded areas. They have not been identified. The balloon was among 13 that lifted off Friday night from Meadow Event Park, home to the State Fair of Virginia, and was approaching a landing site nearby. Two of the balloons landed safely before the third hit a live power line, according to police. The pilot attempted to retain control of the balloon and snuff the fire, and two passengers either jumped or fell from the gondola, state police spokesman Corinne Geller said. Lewis was in her third year as director of basketball operations for the Richmond women’s basketball program, according to a profile on the university’s website.

GOLF

Fog fouls play again

The Madeira Islands Open was reduced to 36 holes because of persistent fog Saturday with the first round still incomplete. Play in the European Tour’s 1,500th event couldn’t start Thursday, and delays Friday meant the tournament was cut to 54 holes with 77 players yet to finish. With the mountain course still shrouded in fog Saturday, 36 players were yet to card a round when play was suspended and the tournament cut to 36 holes for the first time in its 22-year history. It was the first time since the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship in 2012 that a European Tour event has been reduced to 36 holes. Scotland’s Scott Jamieson won that event in South Africa, and countryman Scott Henry led Madeira by one shot after a 5-under par 67 he managed Friday. If Henry secures his first Tour victory, he will still be afforded the one-year tour exemption despite the reduced event. The English duo of Daniel Brooks and Lloyd Kennedy shared second place on 68.

TENNIS

Nadal, Sharapova advance

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal is back in a clay court final at the Madrid Open, where Japan’s Kei Nishikori denied an all-Spanish meeting by converting his 10th match point in a grueling victory over David Ferrer on Saturday. Nadal, the defending champion, reached his first clay final since winning in Rio de Janeiro in February with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against countryman Roberto Bautista Agut. Ferrer saved nine match points before Nishikori ultimately overcame his late nerves for a 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3 victory that propelled him into his first Masters series final. Earlier, Maria Sharapova held her nerve to reach her second consecutive women’s final, where she will play Simona Halep of Romania. After Nishikori won the first set, Ferrer delivered an ace to save his first match point in the 10th game, then broke Nishikori on the fifth try one game later. Ferrer took it to a third set after saving two break points. Bautista Agut, playing in his first career Masters series semifinal, couldn’t match the experience of Nadal, who continues to improve after coming to the Magic Box center having lost at consecutive clay tournaments for the first time in a decade. Sharapova was cruising against Agnieszka Radwanska before allowing the third-seeded Pole to break back in the second set. But the eighth-ranked Russian recovered to secure a 6-1, 6-4 win after Halep rallied in the hot conditions to dispatch 2011 champion Petra Kvitova 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2.

HOCKEY

Bollig suspended

Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Bollig was suspended for two games Saturday by the NHL for boarding Minnesota defenseman Keith Ballard in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series. Bollig received a minor penalty for boarding in the second period of Chicago’s 4-2 road loss Friday night. Ballard sustained an upper-body injury on the hit and didn’t travel to Chicago for Game 5 tonight. The series is tied 2-2.

Canada rebounded from a stunning loss to France to edge Slovakia 4-1 at the world ice hockey championship Saturday in Minsk, Belarus. Sweden negotiated the first step in its title defense with a 3-0 victory over Denmark, and the United States made it two victories in two days by defeating last year’s runner-up, Switzerland, 3-2. Cody Hodgson scored the decisive goal for Canada 7:07 into the final period with a high wrist shot. Captain Kevin Bieksa and forward Joel Ward with his second goal sealed the victory. Karol Sloboda put the Slovaks 1-0 ahead on a power play, then Ward tied the match. Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal for the U.S. with 6:45 left in regulation. Peter Mueller and Craig Smith claimed the other scores for a U.S. team that had to overcame a goal deficit twice. Denis Hollenstein and Damien Brunner put the Swiss ahead twice. Sweden was too fast and organized for Denmark, and forward Mikael Backlund scored twice in the opening period. Finland began its campaign with a misstep, losing to Latvia 3-2 for the first time at the worlds, Norway blanked Italy 3-0, and Germany prevailed in a shootout to beat Kazakhstan 2-1. Backlund scored his first for Sweden when defenseman Markus Lauridsen deflected his shot to the net with his skate, and struck again by precisely directing Joakim Lindstrom’s slap shot. Forward Gustav Nyquist added the third on a solo effort after intercepting a pass. Latvia failed to capitalize on its second-period power plays when a total of seven Finns were in the penalty box. Finland used its only power play in that period to go 2-1 up with a goal by Petri Kontiola. But Kristaps Sotnieks tied the match for Latvia, a quarterfinalist in the Sochi Winter Olympics, in the third, and Arturs Kulda netted the winner on a power play.

MOTOR SPORTS

Hamilton grabs pole

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were in a class of their own again in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, while struggling four-time champion Sebastian Vettel stalled and was demoted on the grid. Hamilton edged teammate — and main rival — Nico Rosberg with a late lap of 1 minute, 25.232 seconds on the sunny and dry Barcelona-Catalunya circuit for his fourth pole of the Formula One season and 35th in his career. Rosberg, the overall leader, came in second at 0.16 seconds behind to set up another driving duel. Hamilton has won the last three races right in front of Rosberg, with the rest of the field far behind. Vettel’s Red Bull car has left him stranded twice in two days. First it rolled to a halt during Friday’s first practice session, and it failed him again early in the third period of qualifying. Vettel was left 10th in qualification, but he will start from 15th on the grid after Red Bull incurred a five-place penalty for replacing his car’s damaged gearbox. Regulations require gearboxes to be used for at least six consecutive races.