Orioles Sign Kamieniecki to New Contract

Scott Kamieniecki’s reward for a productive, injury-free season came Friday when the Baltimore Orioles signed the right-hander to a $6.1-million, two-year contract.

The deal includes a club option for a third season and incentives that could make the contract worth $11.3 million.

Kamieniecki, 33, signed a minor league contract with Baltimore last January and was expected to start the season in the bullpen. But an injury to Rocky Coppinger thrust Kamieniecki into the role of the No. 4 starter. He was 10-6 with a 4.01 earned-run average.

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ESPN reported that free-agent center fielder Kenny Lofton, traded to Atlanta before the season, was close to signing a four-year contract with his former team, the Cleveland Indians. The report, which was not commented on by either team, said that if Lofton signed with Cleveland, Marquis Grissom would likely be traded, perhaps in a multi-team deal.

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The Dodgers are scheduled to open the 1998 season on the road March 31 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers will open at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 7, and will host the Milwaukee Brewers, the newest member of the National League, on April 27.

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Vic Lombardi, who started two games in the 1947 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers, died in Fresno following heart surgery. He was 75. Lombardi was a starting pitcher for the Dodgers for three seasons, posting records of 10-11, 13-10 and 12-11. He started two games in the ’47 World Series against the New York Yankees.

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Rafael Belliard, who hit .211 with one homer and three RBIs in 72 games for the Atlanta Braves last season, has agreed to a minor league contract. . . . There is little chance that major league players will compete in the 2000 Olympics at Sydney, USOC Executive Director Dick Schultz said. The Olympics are scheduled Sept. 16-Oct. 1, the final two weeks of the majors’ regular season.

Soccer

Goals by Robin Confer and Lorrie Fair earned North Carolina (26-0-1) a 2-1 victory over Santa Clara before a women’s Final Four record crowd of 9,025 at Greensboro, N.C., in the NCAA women’s soccer semifinals. In the final, the Tar Heels will play Connecticut (23-3), which edged Notre Dame, 2-1, on two goals by Sara Whalen.

Golf

Scott Verplank shot a four-under-par 67 to take an eight-shot lead at the PGA Tour/Nike Tour qualifying tournament in Grenelefe, Fla. He is 17 under par after three rounds in the six-round tournament. The top 35 finishers and ties earn their 1998 PGA Tour cards.

Dan Forsman and Catriona Matthew shot a seven-under-par 64 to take a one-shot lead after two rounds at the $1.5-million JCPenney Classic at Tarpon Springs, Fla.

Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson moved four strokes ahead of their nearest competitors midway through the Million Dollar Challenge at Sun City, South Africa.

Winter Sports

Russian skaters Elena Ivanova and Julia Soldatova placed first and second during the ladies’ short program at the world junior figure skating championships at Saint John, Canada.

Andreas Schifferer led a top-five sweep for Austria by winning the men’s World Cup downhill at Beaver Creek, Colo.

Germany’s Katja Seizinger won a second women’s World Cup downhill race in two days at Lake Louise, Canada.

American Liz McIntyre won the moguls competition in the freestyle skiing World Cup at Tignes, France.

Jurisprudence

Three men accused of trying to sell championship rings once owned by Red Sox great Ted Williams back to the slugger’s son were arrested in Boston after a police sting operation.

The rings, which Williams had given to his son, John Henry Williams, were offered to the younger Williams for $90,000.

Daniel P. Dunn, Gary Raso and Philip Castinetti are charged with possession of stolen property. They face up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Maurice “Mo” Brown, a Rutgers basketball player, has been charged with burglary, lewdness and harassment for allegedly entering a female student’s dormitory room at New Brunswick, N.J., while she was sleeping.

Female bouncer Sherri Happaney, who accused Philadelphia Eagle defensive end Mike Mamula of exposing himself to her at a hotel bar last summer, filed criminal charges of indecent exposure and open lewdness against him in Lehigh County, Pa.

Miscellany

Jeremy Pope scored four goals and had five points and Merrill Moses had seven saves to lead Pepperdine to a 13-8 victory over UC Davis in the semifinals of the NCAA water polo championships at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In the other semifinal, USC defeated Queens College, 14-6, led by Luke Daniels and Mateo Juric who scored three goals apiece. USC will face Pepperdine in the championship Sunday.

Martina Hingis and Iva Majoli remained undefeated in the Masters of Champions tournament at Frankfurt, Germany, and qualified for the semifinals.

For the first time, the Goodwill Games will award prize money for track and field athletes and bonus money for world records. The largest bonus for the 1998 games will be $100,000 to an athlete setting a world record.

Keith Holmes successfully defended his World Boxing Council middleweight title with an 11th-round technical knockout of Paul Vaden at Pompano Beach, Fla.

USC’s Lenny Krayzelburg set a meet record of 55.27 seconds in the men’s 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.

Stacey Lovelace scored 25 points and Tracy Henderson 24 as the Atlanta Glory defeated the Philadelphia Rage, 88-73, in an American Basketball League game in front of 3,575 at Atlanta.