Minnesota Sports Briefs: Twins hire Brunansky to be hitting coach in Rochester

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Former Twins slugger Tom Brunansky, a popular member of the 1987 World Series-winning Minnesota team, has been named the hitting coach for the Twins Class AAA affiliate in Rochester.

The 51-year-old Brunansky spent last season as the Class AA New Britain hitting instructor. "Bruno" hit 271 home runs in a 14-year Major League career. He played with the Twins from 1982 through 1988.

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The NFL is asking referees to be on the lookout for symptoms of concussions during games. The league said in a statement that game officials will receive concussion awareness training and will remain alert to possible concussions that occur during games. The NFL also said if a referee believes player may have suffered a concussion, he should alert the team and get medical attention.

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The University of Minnesota football team is a 28-point underdog for its Saturday game at Michigan State. Head coach Jerry Kill put his team through its normal Wednesday workout yesterday. The Gophers will practice again today on campus, leave for East Lansing, Michigan tomorrow, and play the game on Saturday. Minnesota beat Iowa 22-21 on Saturday, while Michigan State was humbled by Nebraska 24-3 in Lincoln. The 6-2 Spartans are ranked 15th in this week's national poll. Minnesota is 2-6. Kickoff on Saturday is set for 11 a.m.

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Freshman Rachel Banham of Lakeville scored 11 points and handed out six assists in her debut with the University of Minnesota women's basketball team, leading Minnesota to an 86-51 exhibition win over St. Cloud State at Williams Arena last night. Banham was one of six Gopher players to score in double figures, led by St. Paul native Kiara Buford, who poured in 14. Jessica Benson of Grand Meadow paced the Huskies with nine points.

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Golden Gopher freshman Taylor Uhl of Eden Prairie scored in the first half to help propel Minnesota to a 2-0 win over Wisconsin in the opening round of the Big Ten women's soccer tournament in suburban Chicago. Gopher junior Marissa Price of Apple Valley scored the second goal for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers played Penn State in the semifinals today at 3:45 p.m. in Evanston, Illinois.

Here are results from Wednesday's first-round games in the Big Ten Women's Soccer Postseason Tournament:

Minnesota 2, Wisconsin 0 (final)

Michigan State 2, Iowa 1 (shootout final)

Illinois 1, Ohio State 0 (shootout final)

Penn State 3, Northwestern 0 (final)

Here is Thursday's semifinal round schedule in the Big Ten Women's Soccer Postseason Tournament:

Minnesota vs. Penn State, 3:45pm

Illinois vs. Michigan State, 1:15pm

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Here are Wednesday's first-round results in the NSIC Women's Soccer Postseason Tournament:

Minnesota State-Mankato 1, Bemidji State 0 (final)

Minnesota-Duluth 2, Augustana 1 (final)

Upper Iowa 1, Winona State 0 (final)

St. Cloud State 2, U-Mary 1 (final)

Here is Friday's semifinal slate of games in the NSIC Women's Soccer Postseason Tournament

Minnesota State-Mankato vs. Minnesota-Duluth, 11am

Upper Iowa vs. St. Cloud State, 2pm

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Here is the schedule/results for the 2011 Class 2A Minnesota Girls' State High School Soccer Tournament at the Metrodome:

Monday: Burnsville 5, Centennial 2 (final)

Monday: Wayzata 1, Lakeville North 0 (shootout final)

Championship Game: Wayzata vs. Burnsville, Thursday, 5:30pm (Metrodome)

Here is the schedule/results for the 2011 Class 1A Minnesota Girls' State High School Girls' Soccer Tournament at the Metrodome:

Monday: The Blake School 2, Rochester Lourdes 0 (final)

Monday: Benilde-St. Margaret's 3, Totino-Grace 0 (final)

Championship Game: The Blake School vs. Benilde-St. Margaret's, Thursday, 12:30pm (Metrodome)

(Undated) -- Here is the schedule/results for the 2011 Class 1A Minnesota Boys' State High School Soccer Tournament at the Metrodome:

Monday: Benilde-St. Margaret's 1, St. Paul Academy 0 (final)

Monday: Prairie Seeds Academy 2, Rochester Lourdes 1 (overtime final)

Championship: Prairie Seeds Academy vs. Benilde-St. Margaret's, Thursday, 10am (Metrodome)

(Undated) -- Here is the semifinal schedule for the 2011 Class 2A Minnesota Boys' State High School Soccer Tournament at the Metrodome:

Tuesday: Eden Prairie 2, Maple Grove 0 (final)

Tuesday: Eastview 2, Minneapolis Southwest 0(final)

Championship: Eden Prairie vs. Eastview, Thursday, 3pm (Metrodome)

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