Walsh and May-Treanor are upset in final

Elaine Youngs made a perfectly placed shot on the right sideline to give her and teammate Nicole Branagh the title at the AVP Boston Open with a 15-21, 21-19, 16-14 victory over Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh on Sunday.

“To be perfectly honest, I said I’m going to gauge Kerri,” Youngs said. “I saw an opening and I went for it.”

Youngs and Branagh, the tournament’s No. 2-seeded team, ended No. 1 Walsh and May-Treanor’s stretch of 10 consecutive titles.

“Apparently there was an emotional letdown,” Walsh said. “Something wasn’t there. I just feel like it was a fluke for us.”

It was the third AVP title for Branagh and Youngs, and halted Walsh and May-Treanor’s 39-match winning streak. The champions had been only 1-5 in finals against the duo.

“It’s great to be in a final against Misty and Kerri and win,” Youngs said. “They’re unbelievable.”

In the final game, Branagh and Youngs fell behind 7-3 early before battling back to 7-6. Neither team held more than a two-point edge until the final serve.

LITTLE LEAGUE

Texas uses pitching to slow down Arizona

Zane Ancell hit a long home run and struck out 11 to lead undefeated Lubbock, Texas, to a 5-1 win over Chandler, Ariz., in the Little League World Series at South Williamsport, Pa.

The 12-year-old’s blast easily cleared the 225-foot wall in center field, passing a TV tower and falling into a grass field where kids scurried for the souvenir.

But his performance on the mound for Lubbock (2-0) might have been even more impressive. Ancell didn’t know he was going to start until 10 minutes before the game.

His curveballs kept Chandler (1-1) off-balance all game one day after the Arizonans had pounded out 17 hits.

In other games, Lake Oswego, Ore., defeated Walpole, Mass., 1-0; Taichung, Taiwan, routed Apeldoorn, Netherlands, 11-1; Willemstad, Curacao, beat Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 2-0; and Coon Rapids, Minn., downed Salisbury, Md., 4-3.

MOTOR SPORTS

NHRA Nationals races postponed by rain

Rain forced the postponement of the final eliminations in the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Mohnton, Pa., until today.

In the first round of the top-fuel competition, the pool of drivers fighting for the final spot in the Countdown to the Championship was cut from six racers to three, with Dave Grubnic, Doug Herbert and Cory McClenathan still alive. In funny car, Ron Capps edged Kenny Bernstein, while John Force and Tim Wilkerson also advanced to the quarterfinals.

Mat Mladin earned a weekend sweep by winning the AMA Superbike championship race at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

It was his 10th win of the year and fourth in a row. Mladin also won Saturday’s race.

MISCELLANY

Alabama cornerback Castille is arrested

Alabama star cornerback Simeon Castille was arrested at Tuscaloosa, Ala., on suspicion of disorderly conduct.

Tuscaloosa police spokesman Capt. Greg Kosloff said Castille was arrested in an entertainment district near campus.

Through team spokesman Jeff Purinton, Coach Nick Saban said he didn’t have all the facts of the case and would deal with the situation “internally.”

Adam Jones won the freestyle motocross in the Vans Invitational at Portland, ending Nate Adams’ season-opening AST Dew Tour winning streak at two.

The 23-year-old Jones, the X Games winner from Minden, Nev., earned 91.17 on his first run. Adams, unable to top Jones in his final run, was second with a score of 90.83. Mike Mason finished third at 89.57.

Manchester City beat defending champion Manchester United, 1-0, at London, giving Sven-Goran Eriksson his third straight shutout in three games as a coach in the English Premier League.

United, however, has only two ties from its first three games, the team’s worst start in 15 years.