The Kansas Stars won the National Baseball Congress World Series, defeating Everett 7-1 in Sunday’s championship game at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The team made up of former major league players, had an average age of around 40, about two decades older than most of their competition in six wins over eight days.

Ben Sheets was the winning pitcher. Seventeen years ago, Sheets was the winner in the United States’ Olympic gold-medal winning game over Cuba. Ryan Langerhans was the tournament’s most valuable player. Langerhans last recorded double-digit hits in a major-league season for the Mariners in 2010. Chipper Jones, likely headed for the Hall of Fame in a vote later this year, might have taken his last competitive at-bat. In Wichita. Jones’ last game before this week was a playoff loss for the Braves.

The Kansas Stars beat the Cheney Diamond Dawgs 8-4 in the semi-finals. Cheney was the team that elimated the Great Bend Bat Cats from the tournament last Friday. Everett had advanced to the championship game by coming from behind to beat the Hays Larks 10-9 on Saturday night.

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SEREGNO, Italy – Kansas sophomore Malik Newman scored 32 points as the Jayhawks routed the Italian All-Stars A2, 118-74, to close out their four game Italy tour Sunday evening. KU ended its Italy trip with a 4-0 record.

The 500 KU-partisan crowd at Palasport Enrico Somaschini gymnasium just north of Milan saw Jayhawks dominate the Italian All-Stars from the opening tip behind Newman’s performance. KU used a guard-oriented crew to dominate the game as sophomore center Udoka Azubuike missed his second-straight contest as he was not feeling well and freshman forward Billy Preston did not play as he was nursing a sore knee.

Newman wasn’t the only Jayhawk to shine in the Tour’s finale, a game which saw KU win its 24th-consecutive exhibition contest and improved to 83-9 all-time exhibition play. Senior guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk scored 26 points and junior guard Lagerald Vick added 20 in the victory. Senior Devonte’ Graham posted a game-high 10 assists to go along with seven steals. KU dominated the rebounds, 49-32, with sophomore guard K.J. Lawson pulling down a team-high Kansas shared the ball from the outset posting 22 assists on 27 field goals at halftime. For the game, KU had 34 assists led by Graham’s 10 with sophomore guard Charlie Moore dishing six and Vick and Newman five each.

Kansas concluded its fourth game in five days posting its four victories by an average of 36 points with the 44-point win in the finale being the widest margin. Self told reporters after the game the Jayhawks have got a lot out of the experience.

“The trip has been good. The people here have been very nice,” Self said. “I believe the best thing we got out of it was traveling, team chemistry and comradery. We learned a lot about each other on the trip. But the best thing for us basketball-wise was probably the 10 practices we had back in the states before we came here. It’s been a good trip. Certainly, we look forward to our last day tomorrow.”

With KU summer school session finishing at the end of July, the Jayhawks will head to their homes before returning for the fall semester which will begin Aug. 21.

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -The Royals have placed Salvador Perez on the 10-day DL due to a right intercostal strain.

They have recalled Cameron J. Gallagher from Omaha.

“We have placed @SalvadorPerez15 on the 10-day DL (right intercostal strain), retro to Aug. 5,” the Royals tweeted.

“Salvy is eligible for reinstatement from the DL on Tuesday, August 15,” they added.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Rookie Jakob Junis pitched eight sharp innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 9-1 to split their doubleheader Sunday.

Nelson Cruz homered twice and drove in four runs as the Mariners held off the Royals 8-7 in the first game.

Whit Merrifield homered in both games for the Royals.

Junis (4-2), who was added to Kansas City’s roster as the extra 26th man for the twinbill, allowed one run. He retired his final 19 batters after giving up an RBI double to Danny Espinosa in the second inning.

Junis walked none and struck out a career-high seven.

Melky Cabrera hit a three-run homer off Erasmo Ramirez (4-4) during a four-run third inning. It was Cabrera’s first home run since the Royals acquired him in a July 30 trade with the Chicago White Sox. Cabrera also had an RBI double.

Eric Hosmer homered and drove in three runs for the Royals.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – Jacob Peterson scored in stoppage time to lift Atlanta United to a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City Sunday night. Kansas City is unbeaten in its last nine MLS matches, dating to a 1-0 loss at Colorado on May 27th.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Rookie Jakob Junis pitched eight sharp innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 9-1 to split their doubleheader Sunday. Nelson Cruz homered twice and drove in four runs as the Mariners held off the Royals 8-7 in the first game. Whit Merrifield homered in both games for the Royals. Eric Hosmer homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City.

CINCINNATI (AP) – Jose Martinez hit his first grand slam during the Cardinals’ nine-run fourth inning, and St. Louis overcame Adam Wainwright’s rough return from the disabled list, beating the Cincinnati Reds 13-4 Sunday. The Cardinals took two of three in the series. They’re 5-8 against Cincinnati this season.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa has a neck injury similar to one that held him out during spring workouts. Enunwa dropped a pass from Christian Hackenberg during 7-on-7 drills during practice at MetLife Stadium when he took and step and fell to the turf face-first Saturday. Trainers attended to Enunwa for several minutes before the former Nebraska Huskers receiver got to both knees and then walked slowly to the locker room.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Hunters may begin purchasing Nebraska fall turkey permits later this month. The permits will be available starting August 14th at OutdoorNebraska.org and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission permitting offices.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – Lincoln Riley is still getting used to his new job as head football coach at Oklahoma. The 33-year-old was promoted from offensive coordinator in June after Bob Stoops abruptly stepped down, and it’s been a whirlwind since. He expects to be more comfortable by the time the Sooners open the season Sept. 2 against Texas-El Paso.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – TCU sophomore guard Jaylen Fisher isn’t going with the team to Australia after tearing a meniscus in his left knee at practice. While the men’s and women’s teams from TCU left for a 12-day foreign trip, the school said Fisher remained home to receive proper medical care. Fisher averaged 9.9 points a game as a freshman last season when TCU won the NIT championship.