Sports briefs

BASEBALL

Nippert steps in to push Bears to win first game

The Doosan Bears took Game 1 of the KBO League playoff against NC Dinos on Sunday, thanks to their ace pitcher Dustin Nippert who held the home team scoreless.

At the Masan Baseball Stadium in Changwon, South Gyeonsang, the Bears collected a 7-0 victory to open the best-of-five series. KBO history shows teams who win the first game have an 80 percent chance of reaching the Korean Series.

Nippert on Sunday had six strikeouts while allowing only three hits in nine innings to lead the Bears victory. The 34-year-old American, who is in his fifth season in the KBO, only went 6-5 with 5.10 ERA this season because of injury.

In offense, Min Byung-hun hit two home runs and collected 4 RBIs to help the Bears.

BOXING

Golovkin dominates before fight stopped in 8th round

NEW YORK - No big drama this time for Gennady Golovkin. Just a lot of big punches as he dominated his middleweight title fight with David Lemieux.

Golovkin battered Lemieux around the ring Saturday night on the big stage at Madison Square Garden, landing punch after punch before the referee mercifully stepped in and stopped the fight in the eighth round. He remained unbeaten in 34 fights, and stopped his opponent for the 21st straight time.

Fighting before a sold-out crowd of 20,548, Golovkin was methodical as he knocked down Lemieux in the fourth round, bloodied his nose and dominated almost every second of the match. Lemieux was on the ropes taking punch after punch when Steve Willis finally stepped in. AP