Texas Powers Past Stanford

J.D. Reininger drove in four runs--two on a fourth-inning homer--and Texas held off Stanford, 8-7, Monday night in a winners’ bracket game at the College World Series in Omaha.

Jeff Ontiveros also homered and Tim Moss scored three runs for the Longhorns (55-15).

Texas can advance to Saturday’s championship game with one more win. The Longhorns will play again Thursday against either Stanford (46-17) or Notre Dame, which play in an elimination game tonight.

In an elimination game, Brian Stavisky hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Notre Dame (50-17) a 5-3 victory over Rice (52-14).

Tennis

Pete Sampras received his lowest seeding in 11 years at Wimbledon, while Venus and Serena Williams were seeded 1-2 to set the stage for another all-sister Grand Slam final.

Sampras was No. 7 when the All England Club released its seedings for the tournament that begins Monday. In 1991, Sampras was seeded No. 8.

Lleyton Hewitt is seeded No. 1 with Marat Safin at No. 2, Andre Agassi at No. 3 and Tim Henman at No. 4. Tommy Haas was seeded No. 5, but he later withdrew, saying he would remain in Florida with his parents who have been hospitalized since they were hit by a car while riding a motorcycle June 8.

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Greg Rusedski advanced to the second round of the Samsung Open with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over qualifier Todd Reid at Nottingham, England.... Richard Krajicek’s return from a 20-month injury layoff didn’t go well as he lost, 6-2, 7-5, to Roger Federer in the first round of the Ordina Open at Den Bosch, Netherlands. In another first-round match, Michael Russell upset fourth-seeded Raymond Sluiter, 7-6 (4), 6-2.... Mary Pierce couldn’t overcome illness or Japan’s Ai Sugiyama as she was defeated, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the Eastbourne grass-court tournament in England.... Safin returned from a 10-day injury layoff to defeat Paradorn Srichaphan, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (5), at the Liverpool International exhibition tournament in England.

Soccer

The Galaxy’s June 26 international exhibition match against River Plate has been scrapped and the Argentinian team will instead play Mexican League power Club America three days later at the Coliseum at 8 p.m.

River Plate won its country’s closing tournament this season and Club America was champion of the Mexican First Division’s summer tournament.

River Plate and Club America met twice in the recent Copa Libertadores, with America winning, 1-0, on Feb. 28 in Argentina before the teams played to a scoreless tie on March 13 in Mexico City.

Miscellany

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Detroit Lion quarterback Charlie Batch to a $525,000, one-year contract. Batch did not receive a signing bonus, and will count $450,000 against the salary cap.

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The Calgary Flames re-signed free-agent forward Rob Niedermayer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s believed the center will earn just over the $2.1 million he earned last season.

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University of Arkansas officials and new basketball Coach Stan Heath have agreed on a five-year contract that will run through the 2006-07 season.... Thad Matta, who set an Xavier record with 26 victories last season, was given a two-year contract extension, taking him through the 2010 season.

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Marco Pantani, Italy’s top rider, was given an eight-month suspension by the Italian Cycling Federation for doping.... A 19-month doping probe into Lance Armstrong’s cycling team has yielded no evidence of wrongdoing and will end this summer, Francois Franchi, an assistant to the Paris prosecutor said.