World Series action moves to Colorado
DENVER, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The Colorado Rockies, home team in the World Series for the first time, need a win in Game 3 to keep baseball's showcase event interesting.
The Boston Red Sox own a 2-0 lead, as the action moves to the mountains Saturday. The Red Sox have cooled off a Colorado club that had won 21 out of 22 games prior to the Series.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, will get the start for the Red Sox Saturday night. Matsuzaka gave up two runs in five innings against Cleveland in the deciding ALCS contest.
Boston's offense made it an easy victory as the Red Sox rolled to an 11-2 decision.
Matsuzaka lost the third game of that series.
Colorado will counter with Josh Fogg, who had a win in both the division and league championship series. The Rockies swept Philadelphia and Arizona to reach the World Series for the first time.
No precipitation is forecast for Denver Saturday night, but temperatures are expected to drop into the 40s by the time the first pitch is thrown.
Ohio State tries to match Boston College
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Top-ranked Ohio State will attempt to keep pace with Boston College Saturday night in college football's feature attraction.
The Buckeyes, sporting an 8-0 record, will visit No. 22 Penn State for a night game in which weather could be a factor. The forecast calls for a chance of thunderstorms during the late afternoon with temperatures in the 40s by kickoff.
Boston College, ranked second, kept its hopes for a national title alive Thursday night with a late comeback for a 14-10 win over ninth-ranked Virginia Tech.
Third-ranked LSU and No. 4 Oklahoma both have this weekend off.
No. 5 Oregon, meanwhile, will host eighth-rated USC. In a key Pacific 10 battle, Arizona State -- the only unbeaten team in the Pac-10, ranked seventh -- will entertain No. 20 California.
The Kansas Jayhawks, ranked 10th and a surprising 7-0, will visit Texas A&M.
Title contenders struggle in qualifying
HAMPTON, Ga., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Greg Biffle won the pole Friday for Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, but drivers battling for the championship struggled.
Only one of the 12 drivers eligible for the year-long points title finished among the top five in qualifying.
Biffle turned in a lap around the 1.5-mile circuit in 28.807, while Kurt Busch was second in 28.811. Busch is 10th in the "chase for the championship."
Points leader Jeff Gordon qualified eighth, while Jimmie Johnson -- who will begin Sunday's race 53 points behind Gordon -- qualified sixth.
Dale Jarrett and Kasey Kahne will make up the second row.
This is the seventh in a series of 10 races that will determine the series champion, and Gordon has two victories in the first six. Johnson made up ground, however, with a victory last week at Martinsville.
Clint Bowyer is third in the chase, 115 points behind Gordon.
Rain mars first day of Breeders Cup
OCEANPORT, N.J., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Mayfield, a six-year-old mare, captured the opening race of the 28th Breeders Cup Friday as rain marred the program at Monmouth Park.
The annual championship of thoroughbred racing has been expanded to a two-day affair this year with three new events.
Mayfield won the first of them, the Filly & Mare Sprint. Miraculous Miss and Miss Macy Sue finished second and third.
Nownownow captured the Mile Juvenile Turf and Corinthian claimed the Dirt Mile.
The other eight races will take place Saturday.
Federer wins his 59th match of 2007
BASEL, Switzerland, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Roger Federer, trying to bounce back from a rare setback, overwhelmed Nicolas Kiefer Friday to earn a semifinal berth at the Swiss Indoors.
Federer lost in the title match last week at the Madrid Masters to David Nalbandian, but he ran his 2007 record to 59-7 with a 6-3, 6-2, decision over Kiefer.
In the semifinals, Federer will play Ivo Karlovic, who survived a marathon against Tomas Berdych, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (15-13).
Marcos Baghdatis advanced in the other half of the draw by ousting Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).
Jarkko Nieminen will take on Baghdatis in the semifinals, after recording a 6-3, 7-5, victory over second-seeded Fernando Gonzalez.
Federer is attempting to finish strong in a year that saw him become the first player in 81 years to win four straight U.S. Open titles. He has played in 14 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals and 10 straight finals, both records.
With 12 major titles, he is two short of the all-time mark held by Pete Sampras.
