Sports briefs: U.S. beats Italy 6-2 in World Baseball Classic

BASEBALL • David Wright hit a two-out grand slam in the fifth inning and the United States beat Italy 6-2 Saturday night in the World Baseball Classic in Phoenix.

The U.S. (1-1) meets Canada (1-1) in the final game of Pool D play on Sunday with the winner advancing to the second round.

Ryan Vogelsong settled down after a shaky start to get the victory. The San Francisco right-hander went four-plus innings, allowing two runs and six hits, striking out four.

The U.S., bouncing back from Friday night's 5-2 loss to Mexico, fell behind 2-0 after two innings but shut the Italian squad down on two hits the rest of the way.

Italy (2-1) clinched a second-round berth for the first time in its WBC history when Mexico lost to Canada earlier Saturday.

Utahn Richardson wins overall World Cup speedskating title

Speedskating • American speedskater Heather Richardson has clinched the overall World Cup title in Heerenveen, Netherlands.

She was 11th in the final 1,000-meter race, won by Olympic champion Christine Nesbitt of Canada.

Richardson won her second World Cup title in three years. The 23-year-old from West Valley won four of the seven 1,000 races this season.

• Kikkan Randall of the United States clinched the cross-country World Cup sprint title on Saturday in Lahti, Finland, by edging Norwegian world champion Marit Bjoergen at the line in the Lahti Ski Games.

• Thomas Wallisch of the United States won the slopestyle Saturday in Voss, Norway, at the freestyle skiing world championships, beating James Woods of Britain.

• Anna Fenninger of Austria won a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday in Ofterschwang, Germany, while overall champion Tina Maze became the first woman to make eight GS podiums in one season.

Steelers release LB Harrison

NFL • The Pittsburgh Steelers have released linebacker James Harrison after the team and the hard-hitting defensive star who played on two Super Bowl champions failed to agree on a new contract.

• Cornerback Leodis McKelvin is staying in Buffalo after the Bills reached an agreement to re-sign their 2008 first-round draft pick on Saturday.

• George Saimes, regarded as one of the American Football League's best safeties and a member of the Buffalo Bills' Wall of Fame, died after a lengthy battle with leukemia. He was 71.

From wire reports