Sports News Roundup: Tigers pound Yankees' Cole; Sports events hit by the coronavirus epidemic and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Spring training roundup: Tigers pound Yankees' Cole

Detroit's Travis Demeritte and Miguel Cabrera hit back-to-back homers off the Yankees' Gerrit Cole in the first inning, then repeated the feat in the second inning as the Tigers posted a 15-11 win over New York on Thursday in Lakeland, Fla. The Tigers also got homers from Brandon Dixon, Jeimer Candelario, Jake Rogers, Jose Azocar and Brady Policelli. Kyle Higashioka homered twice for the Yankees.

Sports events hit by the coronavirus epidemic

Here is a list of international sports events hit by the outbreak of a coronavirus: OLYMPICS NBA roundup: Clippers win sixth straight

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell posted double-doubles, and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers drubbed the Houston Rockets 120-105 on Thursday night. The Clippers extended their winning streak to six consecutive games and, perhaps of greater significance, squared the season series with Houston at two games apiece. The Clippers own the superior record within the Western Conference should the teams finish tied in the standings.

Keep calm and climb on: Tokyo holds test event despite coronavirus woes

Organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics pushed on with the test event for sports climbing on Friday even as a raft of matches and tournaments were being canceled or postponed worldwide due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Tokyo 2020 organizers have insisted they are planning for the Games to begin as scheduled on July 24, while the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has said that cancellation is not even being discussed.

All Tokyo 2020 venues completed on schedule

Tokyo 2020 organizers said on Friday that work on the Aquatics Centre was finished in February meaning that all the venues built for this year's Olympics have been completed on time. The Aquatics Centre, which will host swimming and diving events at Tokyo 2020, was one of eight new venues built for the Summer Olympics, in addition to the athletes' village.

NHL roundup: Rangers' Zibanejad scores five goals

Mika Zibanejad scored his fifth goal of the game 33 seconds into overtime as the New York Rangers survived to blow four one-goal leads and recorded a wild 6-5 victory over the visiting Washington Capitals on Thursday night. Zibanejad became the third Ranger with a five-goal game and raised his season total to a career-high 38 by finishing off a breakaway. No NHL player had scored five goals in a game this season.

Fujimori's appeal to reduce two-year doping ban dismissed by CAS

Japanese swimmer Hiromasa Fujimori's appeal against the length of his doping ban has been dismissed, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday. Fujimori was banned for two years by the international swimming federation (FINA) after testing positive for the banned substance Methylephedrine.

WTA roundup: Kenin reaches Lyon quarterfinals

Top-seeded Sofia Kenin survived a three-set test but second-seeded Kristina Mladenovic was eliminated Thursday in second-round action at the Open 6eme Sens in Lyon, France. Kenin, a 21-year-old from the United States who won the Australian Open in January, rallied past Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4.

WADA fails to keep Mexico laboratory open

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Friday that it had failed in its bid to convince Mexican authorities to keep open the country's accredited anti-doping laboratory. The global anti-doping body said the Laboratorio Nacional de Prevencion y Control del Dopaje ceased operations on Nov. 15 last year.

Basketball: Baltimore university bans spectators from games over coronavirus

Johns Hopkins University has barred spectators from attending the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament it is hosting this week because of recently confirmed cases of coronavirus in Maryland, it said on Friday. The Baltimore-based university is hosting the first two rounds of the tournament but decided spectators would not be permitted based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about large gatherings.