Fast Break

Softball

NIC heads back to nationals

The North Idaho College Cardinals softball team whipped College of Southern Idaho in the Region 18 championship game 14-5 at Salt Lake City Saturday to earn another trip to the NJCAA Division I Fastpitch Championships.

Sophomore Angie Boardman (above), a University HS graduate, went 3 for 5, scored three runs and drove in another for the Cardinals (39-25) while Keely Torgison went 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIS. Shay Craig had two hits and five RBIs and Strohm Fouty, Kelli Bridges both had two hits and two RBIs. Heather Gemmell added another two hits.

Kelcey Cavan struck out 10 in getting the victory.

NIC won its first three games at the tournament before falling to CSI 7-2 in the day’s early game, which forced a winner-take-all second contest.

Nationals will be held May 17-19 in Plant City, Fla. NIC was eliminated in two games at last year’s nationals.

Football

NFL draft ready for prime time

This bit of news should come as no surprise, given the type of ratings the NFL draft continues to produce.

According to an industry source, the league has had preliminary discussions about moving the first round into prime time on Friday. The remaining rounds would be run Saturday and Sunday.

The first 4 1/2 hours of ESPN’s coverage April 28 had a 5.0 rating – the network’s Sunday night baseball is averaging a 2.8.

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Soccer

Can’t reach common goal

A match bringing Muslim imams and Christian priests together on a field in Norway was canceled because the teams could not agree on whether female priests should take part.

The game was to mark the end of a daylong “Shoulder to Shoulder” conference in Oslo that encouraged religious dialogue between the two faiths.