Sunday State Sports Briefs: Braun back to work during spring training

• Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers

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PHOENIX - No speeches or accusations, Saturday was just about baseball for reigning National League MVP Ryan Braun. He took batting practice, shagged fly balls and ran the bases.

The threat of a 50-game suspension lifted, Braun says he just had fun in his first day on the field. After a quick players meeting, Braun was greeted by cheers and applause as headed from the clubhouse to the field. After practice, he spent 20 minutes signing autographs. He had been told last October that a urine sample contained a high level of testosterone. Last Thursday, his appeal was confirmed and the suspension tossed out. Braun is the first major league player ever to win such an appeal.

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As of Saturday afternoon, the Milwaukee Brewers had sold almost 1.6 million tickets for the 2012 season. That’s a new franchise record for such an early date. It beats the old record from 2009 by almost 40 thousand. Saturday was the day individual game tickets went on sale and more than 101,000 of those were snapped up. One Brewers official says the return of 2011 MVP Ryan Braun likely helped drive the figures higher.

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The University of Wisconsin travels to Columbus to play Ohio State in the final road game of the season this afternoon. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. The Badgers are trying to earn a split of the season series after a 58-52 loss at home three weeks ago. Teams coached by Bo Ryan are 4-4 at Ohio State, but they've lost the last two visits. Wisconsin brings a 20-8 record into the game and a 16th ranking among Division I schools. Ohio State is 23-5 and ranked number-eight.

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Tony Meier had the hot hand in the last regular-season game for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Meier scored 26 points in the 78-69 win over Loyola of Chicago. He got 19-point help from Paris Gulley, who hit 5-of-7 three point shots as the Panthers won their fourth game in a row, heading for the post season with a record of 19-12. Both teams hit more than half their shots, with the Panthers finding the range 59 percent of the time. Milwaukee hosts Illinois-Chicago in the first round of the Horizon League tournament next Tuesday.

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Twenty-seven points from Keifer Sykes led the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to a 71-63 win over Illinois-Chicago Saturday. The Phoenix wrapped up regular season play on a five-game winning streak, moving over the .500 mark at 15-14, including 10-9 in Horizon League play. Alec Brown had a double-double, with a dozen points and 13 rebounds. Sykes also had a half-dozen assists.

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SCORES

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

--Division I Women

Connecticut 85, Marquette 45

UW-Green Bay 78, Butler 53

UW-Milwaukee 50, Valparaiso 31

--Division III Men

(Midwest Conference Tournament Championship)

Carroll 87, St. Norbert 65

(Northern Athletics Conference Tournament Championship)

Edgewood 80, Lakeland 72

--Division III Women

(Midwest Conference Tournament Championship)

Monmouth 75, Carroll 67

(WIAC Tournament Championship)

UW-Stevens Point 80, UW-Whitewater 61 - 5th straight title

(Northern Athletics Conference Tournament Championship)

Wisconsin Lutheran 85, Dominican 61

(CCIW Tournament Championship)

Illinois Wesleyan 68, Carthage 67

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COLLEGE HOCKEY

--Division III Men

(Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Playoff Semifinals)

St. Norbert 2, UW-Eau Claire 0

UW-Stevens Point 5, St. Scholastica 1

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COLLEGE SWIMMING AND DIVING

--Horizon League Men's Conference Swim Meet

1. UW-Milwaukee, 901 - Third straight title

2. Cleveland State, 726.5

3. Illinois-Chicago, 701.5

--Horizon League Women's Conference Swim Meet

1. UW-Milwaukee, 759.5

2. Cleveland State, 675.5

3. UW-Green Bay, 631

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COLLEGE TRACK

--WIAC Men's Indoor Track Meet

1. UW-La Crosse, 140 - 11th straight title

2. UW-Whitewater, 108.5

3. UW-Eau Claire, 108

--WIAC Women's Indoor Track Meet

1. UW-Oshkosh, 152

2. UW-Eau Claire, 121

3. UW-La Crosse, 108

--Midwest Conference Men's Indoor Track Meet

1. Monmouth, 208 - 13th straight title

2. Carroll, 125

3. St. Norbert, 97

--Midwest Conference Women's Indoor Track Meet

1. Monmouth, 224 - 11th straight title

2. Carroll, 111.5

3. St. Norbert, 95

--Northern Athletics Conference Men's Indoor Track Meet

1. Concordia-Mequon, 126

2. Aurora, 108.5

3. Milwaukee School of Engineering, 93

--Northern Athletics Conference Women's Indoor Track Meet

1. Concordia-Chicago, 119.5

2. Concordia-Mequon, 117

3. Aurora, 103

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AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

Rockford 2, Milwaukee 1 (SO)

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SATURDAY BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Alma Center 62, Independence 54

Augusta 60, Chippewa Falls McDonnell 56

Chequamegon 46, Marathon 43

Cochran-Fountain City 40, Blair-Taylor 37

Eleva-Strum 65, Gilmanton 57

Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 41, Whitehall 39

Madison Memorial 63, Madison La Follette 55

Melrose-Mindoro 46, Alma/Pepin 37

Milwaukee North 74, Milwaukee School of Languages 53

Pardeeville 54, Cambria-Friesland 49

Prentice 58, Auburndale 48

Proviso East Ill. 72, Milwaukee Marquette 52

Stratford 57, Abbotsford 44

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SATURDAY GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Hartland Arrowhead 53, Eau Claire North 42

Baraboo 63, Stoughton 50

Crandon 43, Wausaukee 27

Milwaukee Heritage Christian 72, Racine Lutheran 30

Living Word Lutheran 72, Beaver Dam Wayland Academy 36

Milwaukee Messmer 48, Milwaukee University School 28

Oostburg 45, Plymouth 36

Racine St. Catherine's 58, Kenosha Christian Life 46

Richland Center 65, Madison Edgewood 63

Shoreland Lutheran 50, Burlington Catholic Central 40

Kenosha Prairieland School 53, Kenosha St. Joseph 37

Tomahawk 51, Phillips 42

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WIAA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

-- Amery Sectional

Superior 3, New Richmond 0

-- Eau Claire Memorial Sectional

Eau Claire Memorial 8, Chippewa Falls 4

-- Viroqua Sectional

Onalaska 4, Sparta 3

--Schofield D.C. Everest Sectional

Wausau West 6, Lakeland 1

--Neenah Sectional

Bay Port/Pulaski 2, Green Bay Notre Dame 0

--Madison West Sectional

Verona 4, Middleton 2

--Whitefish Bay Sectional

Milwaukee Marquette 4, Kettle Moraine/Mukwonago 1

-- Milwaukee Sectional 8

Brookfield 2, Fond du Lac 1

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WIAA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

-- New Richmond Sectional

Hayward/Spooner 2, St. Croix Valley 1

-- Tomahawk Sectional

Schofield D.C. Everest 2, Northland Pines 0

-- Middleton Sectional

Onalaska 3, Sun Prairie 2

-- Hartland Arrowhead Sectional

Kettle Moraine 3, Green Bay East 2

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