WSJM Sports

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Arizona Diamondbacks 7, Detroit Tigers 5
Miami Marlins 6, Chicago White Sox 5
San Francisco Giants 13, Chicago Cubs 3

D-Backs 7, Tigers 5 – Diamondbacks score 4 in 9th, beat Tigers for 5th straight win, Detroit’s 9th loss in row
Christian Walker hit a go-ahead double with two outs in a four-run ninth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Detroit 7-5 for a three-game sweep that extended the Tigers’ losing streak to nine games. Detroit led 5-2 in the eighth before Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s RBI grounder. Carroll hit an RBI single in the ninth, and Walker hit an RBI double, with the go-ahead run scoring on left fielder Kerry Carpenter’s error. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a run-scoring single.

Marlins 6, White Sox 5 – De La Cruz hits 2-run double as Miami Marlins rally past Chicago White Sox 6-5
Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run double in Miami’s three-run ninth inning, and the Marlins beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5. Jorge Soler hit two of Miami’s four solo homers, helping the Marlins rally for the victory in the rubber game of the weekend set. Garrett Cooper and Jean Segura also connected. It was Miami’s fifth comeback win in its last seven games and No. 20 on the season. Miami scored five times in the ninth inning of a 5-1 victory on Saturday. The Marlins won for the 8th  time in 9 games overall. They’re off to their best start since they also were 37-29 in 2004.

Giants 13, Cubs 3 – Pederson, Estrada homer, SS Crawford pitches as Giants rout Cubs 13-3
Joc Pederson and Thairo Estrada each hit two-run homers and drove in four runs as the San Francisco Giants built a six-run lead through five innings and rolled to a 13-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. Blake Sabol added two hits and two RBIs for a Giants offense that banged out 15 hits less than 24 hours after being no-hit for 7 2/3 innings by Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks in a 4-0 loss. San Francisco used John Brebbia as an opener for the second consecutive game. Tristan Beck pitched two innings and earned the win for San Francisco. Gold Glove shortstop Brandon Crawford came off the bench to get the final three outs for the Giants. Yan Gomes had two hits for the Cubs.

Tonight
Atlanta (Morton 5-6) at Detroit (TBD), 6:40 p.m.           News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
White Sox and Cubs are off

MLB – White Sox closer Liam Hendriks sidelined by elbow inflammation
White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has been sidelined by elbow inflammation after he missed the start of the season while he recovered from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks was placed on the 15-day injured list before the team’s 6-5 loss to the Miami Marlins. Left-hander Tanner Banks was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Hendriks made his major league return from cancer when he pitched an inning against the Los Angeles Angels on May 29. The 34-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with a save and a 5.40 ERA in five appearances this year.

NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven)
Tonight
Game 5
Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets, 8:30 p.m.                                           (DEN leads 3-1)

NBA – Nuggets try to avoid letdown with 1 win to go for team’s first title
Everything from the history books to the way they’ve played through most of the postseason suggests the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league. The goal now for Denver is to avoid a letdown against the Miami Heat in what will be the first title-clinching opportunity in franchise history. The Nuggets are trying to keep their minds on hoops, not that trophy, and the mission could be helped by the fact that Miami’s only win in this series came a week ago in Denver. Also, the Heat have won seven road games during the postseason.

NBA – Conor McGregor knocks out Heat mascot in bizarre promotion at NBA Finals
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor knocked out the Miami Heat mascot in a midgame bit that went wrong. The man who plays “Burnie,” briefly sought medical attention Friday night after taking two punches from McGregor during a third-quarter stoppage of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Denver Nuggets. The Heat said Saturday that the employee wearing the flame costume, who was not identified, received pain medication and was resting at home.

NHL – 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – (best of seven)
Tuesday
Game 5
Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights, 8:00 p.m.                          (VGK leads 3-1)

NHL – Golden Knights try not to think of Stanley Cup returning to Vegas on verge of title
The Vegas Golden Knights left Florida on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup. The trophy will be in the building the next time they play. That’s back at home in Game 5 of the final on Tuesday night against the Panthers. But the immediate task at hand for players and coaches is not to dwell on how close they are to the franchise’s first title. The Golden Knights have shown all playoffs and throughout this series that they are championship-worthy.

NHL – Status of Tkachuk is biggest question facing Panthers down 3-1 in Cup Final
The status of leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk is the biggest question facing the Florida Panthers down 3-1 to Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final. Tkachuk left for a stretch during the third period of Game 4 because of an undisclosed injury. Coach Paul Maurice said any of his injured players would be treated before and after flying to Las Vegas for Game 5. Florida would make history by becoming the first team in 81 years to erase a 3-1 deficit in the final.

Women’s National Basketball Association
Yesterday
Las Vegas Aces 93, Chicago Sky 80
Phoenix Mercury 85, Indiana Fever 82

Aces 93, Sky 80 – Wilson has 21 points, 10 rebounds as Aces cruise to 93-80 win over Sky
A’ja Wilson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Chelsea Gray added 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Chicago Sky 93-80. Kelsey Plum had 16 points and Jackie Young scored 14 for Las Vegas. Marina Mabrey led Chicago with 20 points. Kahleah Copper scored 18 points and Dana Evans added 10 points and eight assists.

Mercury 85, Fever 82 – Griner, Cunningham lead fourth-quarter rally, Mercury defeat Fever 85-82
Brittney Griner scored 29 points, Sophie Cunningham scored 11 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, and the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 85-82. Indiana built a 67-59 lead entering the fourth quarter before Cunningham hit two 3-pointers to spark a game-tying 8-0 run. NaLyssa Smith scored five straight points for Indiana and the Fever led 77-72 near the five-minute mark, she also finished with 29 points.

WNBA –Mercury make travel ‘adjustments’ following airport incident with Griner
Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard says the WNBA team will adjust its travel plans following Saturday’s incident in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Nygaard would not say what changes will be made, citing league policy and safety concerns about the team’s future road trips. Brittney Griner’s teammates say they were startled when a “social media figure” confronted Griner at the airport. Airport officials eventually escorted the team’s players to a different room with more privacy. The league says it approved charter flights to all road games this season for the All-Star after she returned from detainment in Russia.

Golf – Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open, first Canadian champion since 1954
Nick Taylor became the first Canadian in 69 years to win his national open, holing a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole to beat Tommy Fleetwood in the RBC Canadian Open. Taylor tossed his putter into the air and jumped into the arms of his caddie after the longest made putt of his PGA Tour career. Fellow Canadian players Mike Weir, Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin were among those who ran out to the green to congratulate him. Hadwin was tackled on the green by a security guard. The last player from Canada to win the Canadian Open was Pat Fletcher in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver.

Tennis – Djokovic wins his 23rd  Grand Slam title by beating Ruud in the French Open final
Novak Djokovic has won his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final. Djokovic broke a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis. Nadal is a 14-time champion at Roland Garros who missed the tournament because he is injured. Djokovic adds to the French Open titles he earned in 2016 and 2021. He is the only man with at least three titles from each major. He also won 10 trophies at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon and three at the U.S. Open.

NASCAR – Martin Truex Jr. surges to 4th career Sonoma Raceway victory
Martin Truex Jr. has won at Sonoma Raceway for the fourth time. He passed Chase Elliott for the lead after a late restart and held off Kyle Busch for his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season. Truex confidently drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to another victory on the hilly road course at the base of Northern California wine country, where he also won in 2013, 2018 and 2019. Only Jeff Gordon with five has more victories at Sonoma than Truex, who earned the 33rd win of his Cup career and his second in the last six races.

NCAAFB – Michigan to face USC and UCLA in Big Ten’s new schedule rotation in 2024
Southern California and UCLA will both face Michigan during their first season as members of the Big Ten Conference in 2024. Next year will be the first season with 16 teams and no divisional format as the top two teams will qualify for the conference championship game. Big Ten teams will continue to play nine conference games. The Crosstown Showdown between USC and UCLA is one of 11 protected rivalries to guarantee it continues every year.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at West Michigan Whitecaps, PPD, Rain
Lake County Captains at Great Lakes Loons, PPD Rain
Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend Cubs, PPD, Rain

Tonight
No games tonight

MHSAA – High School Sports
Saturday
Baseball – Regional Finals/State Quarterfinals
Division 1 at Novi
Battle Creek Lakeview 5, Livonia Franklin 4
Novi 4, Hartland 0
Quarterfinal
Novi 12, Battle Creek Lakeview 2

Division 1 at Central Michigan University
Traverse City West 6, Caledonia 2
Mattawan 12, Cedar Springs 0
Quarterfinal
Mattawan 5, Traverse City West 0
-Mattawan will face Novia in semifinals Thursday at Michigan State University at 11:30 a.m.

Division 2 at Kalamazoo College
Grand Rapids Christian 8, Lakeshore 2
Olivet 3, Hamilton 1
Quarterfinal
Grand Rapids Christian 12, Olivet 2

Division 3 at Cornerstone University, GR
Watervliet 5, Chesaning 1
Lansing Catholic 7, North Muskegon 0
Quarterfinal
Lansing Catholic 6, Watervliet 4

Division 3 at Adrian College
Bridgman 4, Grass Lake 3
Ottawa Lake Whiteford 5, Jackson Lumen Christi 2
Quarterfinal
Bridgman 4, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 3 – 9 inn.
-Bridgman will face Standish Sterling in semifinals Thursday at Michigan State University at 5:30 p.m.

Division 4 at Jackson Lumen Christi
Decatur 11, Concord 4
Kal. Hackett 8, Petersburg-Summerfield 6
Quarterfinal
Kalamazoo Hackett 7, Decatur 0
-Kalamazoo Hackett will face Beal City in semifinals Friday at Michigan State University at 2:30 p.m.

Softball – Regional Semis/Finals
Division 1 at Battle Creek Lakeview
Portage Central 6, Mattawan 5
Brownstone Woodhaven 4, Saline 0
Regional Championship
Brownstone Woodhaven 10, Portage Central 0

Division 2 at Berrien Springs
Hamilton 4, Wayland 2
Vicksburg 9, Edwardsburg 4
Regional Championship
Vicksburg 4, Hamilton 1
-Vicksburg will face Parma Western in quarterfinals Tuesday at Kalamazoo College at 4:00 p.m.  

Division 2 at Mason
Three Rivers 6, Lake Odessa Lakewood 4
Parma Western 4, Lansing Waverly 2
Regional Championship
Parma Western 3, Three Rivers 2

Division 3 at Watervliet
Buchanan 13, Coloma 0
Kalamazoo Christian 11, Bronson 1
Regional Championship
Buchanan 7, Kalamazoo Christian 1
-Buchanan will face Ravenna in quarterfinals Tuesday at Cornerstone University (GR) at 4:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Colon
River Valley 6, Decatur 5
Mendon 3, Burr Oak 1
Regional Championship
Mendon 8, River Valley 7
-Mendon will face Fowler in quarterfinals Tuesday at Albion College at 5:30 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Philadelphia Phillies 3, Detroit Tigers 2
Chicago White Sox 6, New York Yankees 5 – Game 1
New York Yankees 3, Chicago White Sox 0 – Game 2
Los Angeles Angels 3, Chicago Cubs 1

Phillies 3, Tigers 2 – Wheeler, Clemens lead Phillies past Tigers 3-2 for 5th straight win
Zack Wheeler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Kody Clemens came through with a game-ending single and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied past the Detroit Tigers 3-2 for their fifth victory in a row. Brandon Marsh tied it in the ninth with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for the defending NL champions. Nick Maton hit a go-ahead single in the top of the ninth after Tyler Nevin broke up Wheeler’s no-hit bid with one out in the eighth for the Tigers, who lost their sixth in a row and eighth in the last nine. The game originally was scheduled for Wednesday night but was postponed due to poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.

White Sox 6, Yankees 3/Yankees 3, White Sox 0 – Yanks blank White Sox 3-0 for doubleheader split
Randy Vásquez pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning for his first major league win, Billy McKinney hit his first home run with the Yankees and New York beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 for a doubleheader split. Chicago extended its winning streak to a season-high five games with a 6-5 victory in the opener, when Eloy Jiménez hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh off Michael King. Jake Burger had a two-run shot off Yankees starter Luis Severino before Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada also went deep against the right-hander. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer in Game 2.

Angels 3, Cubs 1 – Adell homers in return to majors as Angels beat Cubs 3-1 to complete series sweep
Jo Adell homered in his first game back in the majors, Reid Detmers finally posted his first victory of the season and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Chicago Cubs 3-1 to complete their third series sweep of the season. It’s the first time the Angels, who have won four straight, have swept the Cubs in a three-game series. Trey Mancini had an RBI double for Chicago, swept for the fourth time this year. The Cubs have dropped four in a row and 10 of 14.

Tonight
Arizona (Kelly 7-3) at Detroit (Lorenzen 2-2), 6:40 p.m.            News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
Miami (Pérez 3-1) at Chicago White Sox (Cease 3-3), 8:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Stroman 6-4) at San Francisco (DeSclafani 4-5), 10:15 p.m.

NHL – 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – (best of seven)
Last Night
Florida Panthers 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 – OT                               (VGK leads 2-1)

Panthers 3, Golden Knights 2 – OT – Panthers rally, top Golden Knights 3-2 in OT in Game 3 of Stanley Cup final
Carter Verhaeghe scored 4:27 into overtime and the Florida Panthers pulled off some more postseason dramatics to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. Matthew Tkachuk tied it with 2:13 left in the third period for the Panthers, who got the franchise’s first title-series game win in seven tries. Florida had to fend off a power play to start overtime, and Verhaeghe got the winner from the slot to get the Panthers within 2-1 in the series. Game 4 is Saturday night. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots for Florida. Adin Hill made 20 saves for Vegas, but got beat on the only shot he faced in overtime.

Saturday
Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers, 8:00 p.m.                          (VGK leads 2-1)

NHL – Blackhawks, Athanasiou agree to 2-year, $8.5 million contract
The rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks have locked in one of their top scorers, agreeing to a two-year, $8.5 million contract with forward Andreas Athanasiou. The 28-year-old Athanasiou tied for the team lead with 20 goals and ranked third with 40 points in his first season with Chicago. He matched career highs with four game-winning goals and three power-play goals. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Athanasiou has 125 goals and 111 assists in 459 games with Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles and Chicago. The Blackhawks went 26-49-7 and finished last in the Central Division.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Indiana Fever at Minnesota Lynx, 8:00 p.m.
Chicago Sky at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:00 p.m.

NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven)
Tonight
Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, 8:30 p.m.                                           (DEN leads 2-1)

NBA – Heat still confident, Nuggets remain focused as NBA Finals reach Game 4
Jimmy Butler showed up in plush blue slippers Thursday for what was officially called practice. Kyle Lowry was trying to distract him during an interview session. Nikola Jokic continued to say how he doesn’t care about statistics. Jamal Murray talked about all the fun he’s having. At this point, there isn’t a lot of off-day, on-court work for the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. Game 4 of the NBA Finals is Friday night in Miami. The Nuggets got a historic effort from Jokic and Murray to reclaim the lead in the series with a 109-94 win Wednesday night.

Horse Racing – Belmont Stakes could be affected if air quality doesn’t improve
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has warned that the Belmont Stakes could be canceled if air quality doesn’t improve. Racing at Belmont Park was called off on Thursday because of hazy, smoky conditions from wildfires in Canada. It was the second straight day that the bad air affected sports in the northeastern United States. In Major League Baseball, the Washington Nationals’ home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was called off. The Belmont is the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. Hochul says it could be scrapped if the air quality index exceeds 200. She says horses will have to undergo additional evaluations if the air is in the 150-200 range.

MLS – MLS hopes Messi will boost attendance, TV viewers and market share
After two decades competing against Real Madrid, Manchester United and Brazil, Lionel Messi will be going against the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA. Major League Soccer is hoping for a breakout boost to its television audience and market share after Messi joins Inter Miami next month. Following Pelé’s signing with the New York Cosmos in 1975 and David Beckham joining the LA Galaxy in 2007, Messi is expected to become the third supreme soccer evangelist in a nation where the sport has been playing catch-up for more than a century.

NFL – Minnesota Vikings releasing star running back Dalvin Cook for salary cap reasons
The Minnesota Vikings are parting ways with star running back Dalvin Cook for salary cap reasons. He has been informed he’ll be released, a person familiar with the team’s decision told The Associated Press. In six years with the Vikings, Cook reached third on the franchise all-time rushing list with 5,993 yards. He is coming off his fourth consecutive season surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing mark. Cook was scheduled to count more than $14.1 million against Minnesota’s salary cap. Cutting him will chop $9 million off the team’s cap charges for this year.

Tennis – Unseeded Muchova to face No. 1 Swiatek in French Open women’s final
No. 1 Iga Swiatek has moved closer to a second consecutive French Open championship by defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 7-6 (7) in the semifinals. The victory Thursday also assured Swiatek of keeping the No. 1 ranking after the tournament. The 22-year-old from Poland is trying to win her third title at Roland Garros and fourth major trophy overall. On Saturday, Swiatek will face unseeded Karolina Muchova, a 26-year-old from the Czech Republic, who advanced to her first Slam final with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 victory over No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion.

NCAA – Swarbrick to step down as ND AD; NBC Sports’ Peter Bevacqua to take over
Jack Swarbrick will step down as Notre Dame’s athletic director next year after a 16-year run in which he helped the school maintain the football program’s independent status amid an unprecedented flurry of conference realignment. Notre Dame says NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua will succeed Swarbrick. Bevacqua will join the university July 1 as a special assistant to the president for athletics before taking over the athletic department sometime in the first quarter of 2024.

NCAASB – Oklahoma wins third straight Women’s College World Series
Jordy Bahl threw three innings of perfect relief and Oklahoma won its third straight Women’s College World Series title and seventh overall, beating Florida State 3-1 for a two-game sweep. The Sooners finished 61-1 and extended their Division I-record win streak to 53 games. They have won six titles since 2013 after getting their first in 2000, all under coach Patty Gasso. Oklahoma’s only defeat was a 4-3 loss at Baylor on Feb. 19. The Sooners set a record for win percentage and have the fewest losses of any NCAA champion. They led the nation in runs per game, earned run average and batting average.

NCAAWBB – NCAA changes delay-of-game penalty in women’s hoops, adds rule on flopping
The NCAA is changing its penalty for delay-of-game violations in women’s basketball and adding a new rule on flopping. Players will no longer get charged a technical foul for certain delay-of-game violations, including the one Iowa star guard Caitlin Clark got called for in the Hawkeyes’ NCAA championship game loss to LSU. The All-American received a technical foul because she didn’t pass the ball to an official after a foul was called late in the third quarter. That was deemed to be a delay of game by the officials. Under the new rule, that play would have resulted in the team getting a technical foul and not Clark.

NCAAFB – NCAA panel approves stopping clock for first downs in Division III
The game clock will continue to stop for first downs in Division III for at least another year after the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee approved a recommendation from the Football Rules Committee. The biggest rule change this season in all other divisions will have the game clock continue to run when a first down is gained except in the last two minutes of either half. Previously, the clock stopped when a first down was gained and restarted on the referee’s signal. Division III administrators and coaches asked to hold off on implementation so they can see how it affects games in the upper divisions.

NCAAMBB – NCAA tweaks rules on block/charge calls in men’s basketball
The NCAA is tweaking how block/charge calls are made in men’s basketball. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved rule changes that require a defender to be in position to draw a charge at the time the offensive player plants a foot to go airborne for a shot. If the defender arrives after the player has planted a foot, officials have been instructed to call a block when there’s contact. Defenders previously had to be in position to draw a charge before the offensive player went airborne. NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee members made the proposal after NCAA members complained that too many charges were being called on those types of plays.

NCAA – NCAA made a ‘big mistake’ by not setting up framework for NIL compensation
NCAA President Charlie Baker wants a federal law to regulate the way college athletes can be compensated for name, image and likeness that creates a registry of deals, agent certification and uniform contract standards. Baker hopes a bill can move through Congress in the fall before next year’s election cycle ramps up. If not, Baker says the NCAA has to be prepared to try to cleanup NIL on its own. Speaking at the Future of College Sports Summit in Washington, Baker says the previous NCAA leadership made a mistake in not trying to regulate NIL on its own.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Wisconsin 4, West Michigan 1
Lake County 7, Great Lakes 2
South Bend 3, Lansing 1

Tonight
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.
Lake County Captains at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Soccer – Regional Finals
Division 1 at Byron Center
Hudsonville 1, Portage Central 0

Today
Girls Soccer – Regional Finals
Division 2 at Vicksburg
Plainwell vs. Pinckney, 6:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Portage Northern
Our Lady of the Lake vs. Kalamazoo Christian, 6:30 p.m.

Boys Golf – State Finals (2 rounds)
Round 1
Division 1 at The Meadows, GVSU, 9:00 a.m.
Portage Central (team)

Division 2 at The Fortress, Frankenmuth, 9:00 a.m.
Gull Lake (team, Vicksburg (team), Jacob Marohn (Lakeshore @ 9:00 a.m.)

Division 3 at Forest Acres West, MSU, 9:00 a.m.
Carter Crist (Coloma @ 9:00 a.m.)

Division 3 at Bedford Valley, Frankenmuth, 9:00 a.m.
Luis Lorenz (Cassopolis @ 9:00 a.m.

Saturday
Baseball – Regional Finals/State Quarterfinals
Division 1 at Novi
Battle Creek Lakeview vs. Livonia Franklin, 10:00 a.m.
Novi vs. Hartland, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals, 3:00 p.m.

Division 1 at Central Michigan University
Caledonia vs. Traverse City West, 10:00 a.m.
Mattawan vs. Cedar Springs, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals, 3:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Kalamazoo College
Lakeshore vs. Grand Rapids Christian, 10:00 a.m.
Olivet vs. Hamilton, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals, 3:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Cornerstone University, GR
Watervliet vs. Chesaning, 10:00 a.m.
Lansing Catholic vs. North Muskegon, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals, 3:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Adrian College
Bridgman vs. Grass Lake, 10:00 a.m.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford vs. Lumen Christi, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals, 3:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Jackson Lumen Christi
Decatur vs. Concord, 10:00 a.m.
Kal. Hackett vs. Petersburg-Summerfield, 12:00 p.m.
Quarterfinals, 2:00 p.m.

Softball – Regional Semis/Finals
Division 1 at Battle Creek Lakeview
Mattawan vs. Portage Central, 10:00 a.m.
Saline vs. Brownstone Woodhaven, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Championship, 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Berrien Springs
Hamilton vs. Wayland, 10:00 a.m.
Vicksburg vs. Edwardsburg, 12:30 p.m.
Regional Championship, 3:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Mason
Three Rivers vs. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 10:00 a.m.
Lansing Waverly vs. Parma Western, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Championship, 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Watervliet
Coloma vs. Buchanan, 10:00 a.m.
Bronson vs. Kalamazoo Christian, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Championship, 2:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Colon
River Valley vs. Decatur, 10:00 a.m.
Burr Oak vs. Mendon, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Championship, 2:00 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Los Angeles Angels 6, Chicago Cubs 2
Detroit Tigers at Philadelphia Phillies, PPD, Air Quality
Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees, PPD, Air Quality

Angels 6, Cubs 2 – Trout, Moniak use bats and gloves to power Angels past Cubs, 6-2
Mike Trout homered, Mickey Moniak had a three-run double and Luis Rengifo hit a tying homer and a tiebreaking RBI single in the Los Angeles Angels’ 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Trout and Moniak also made stellar defensive plays for the Angels, who are on their first three-game winning streak in two weeks. Hard-throwing reliever Ben Joyce earned his first major league victory for the Angels. Trey Mancini hit an RBI double and scored on Miguel Amaya’s single for the Cubs, who have lost three straight and nine of 13.

Tigers at Phillies, PPD, – Phillies-Tigers game postponed to Thursday due to smoke from Canadian wildfires
The Philadelphia Phillies’ series finale against the Detroit Tigers was postponed due to poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires. The game was rescheduled for 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, originally an off day for both teams. Philadelphia won 1-0 Tuesday in haze and with the smell of smoke in the air. Phillies players and manager Rob Thomson said the conditions did not affect them, though a strong wind blowing in from center field halted three would-be home runs short of the fence.

White Sox at Yankees, PPD – White Sox-Yankees postponed, Rodón throws simulated game despite hazardous air
The hazardous air quality at Yankee Stadium didn’t prevent Carlos Rodón from putting in some work. With several members of the New York Yankees’ front office watching closely, Rodón threw 20 pitches in a simulated game on the field Wednesday afternoon — the latest step in his long rehabilitation from back trouble. The left-hander faced teammates Jake Bauers and Oswaldo Cabrera under a hazy sky in the Bronx, which smelled of smoke because of Canadian wildfires that disrupted professional sports schedules along the East Coast of the United States. A little while after Rodón was on the mound, the unhealthy air prompted Major League Baseball to postpone New York’s game against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday — along with the Detroit Tigers’ game in Philadelphia.

Today
Chicago White Sox (Lynn 4-6) at N.Y. Yankees (Severino 0-1), 4:05 p.m. – Game 1
Chicago White Sox (Clevinger 3-3) at N.Y. Yankees (Vásquez 0-1), 7:05 p.m. – Game 2
Detroit (Holton 0-0) at Philadelphia (Wheeler 4-4), 6:05 p.m.              News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 5:40
Chicago Cubs (Smyly 5-3) at L.A. Angels (Detmers 0-5), 9:38 p.m.

NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven)
Last Night
Denver Nuggets 109, Miami Heat 94                                                 (DEN leads 2-1)

Nuggets 109, Heat 94 – Jokic and Murray both have triple-doubles, Nuggets beat Heat 109-94 for 2-1 lead
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, and Denver’s two stars made sure the Nuggets reclaimed the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat 109-94 in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, getting the rebound he needed with 9 seconds remaining. Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. Game 4 is Friday in Miami. Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Miami, and Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Heat.

Friday
Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, 8:30 p.m.                                           (DEN leads 2-1)

WNBA – Texas homecoming for Griner in WNBA star’s 1st game there since Russian release
Brittney Griner had a Texas homecoming in her first game in her home state since being released from a Russian prison. The Phoenix Mercury were on the road for only the second time this season, since Griner missed all of last season while detained before a prisoner swap in December. People were shouting words of encouragement to Griner when she was out to dinner with teammates. She also met in private before Wednesday’s game with the women’s basketball team from Baylor. That campus about 100 miles away is where she was part of a 40-0 national championship in 2012.

NHL – 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – (best of seven)
Tonight
Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers, 8:00 p.m.                          (VGK leads 2-0)

MLS –Messi picks MLS’s Inter Miami in a move that stuns soccer after exit from PSG
Lionel Messi says he is coming to Inter Miami and joining Major League Soccer. After months of speculation, Messi announced his decision to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon in David Beckham since its inception but has yet to make any real splashes on the field. That will likely soon change. One of Inter Miami’s owners, Jorge Mas, tweeted out a photo of a darkly silhouetted Messi jersey shortly before the Argentinian great revealed his decision in interviews with Spanish news outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner makes his move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain.

MLS – Messi heads to Miami as latest big name to raise soccer’s profile in US
Lionel Messi is set to become part of the next chapter of men’s soccer in North America. Messi’s announcement that he will join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami is another landmark moment for the league and the sport in the United States. But he’s only the latest big-name international player to bring his talents to the U.S. It started with Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cryuff in the NASL, and since the MLS was launched other stars like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimović have raised the profile of the game in North America.

Golf – McIlroy, a strong anti-Saudi voice, now feels like ‘sacrificial lamb’ amid merger
Rory McIlroy says the PGA Tour’s collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund makes him feel like a sacrificial lamb. McIlroy has been the strongest anti-Saudi voice during the disruption brought on by LIV Golf. He was among those left in the dark on the agreement that merges the business end of the PGA Tour, European tour and the Public Investment Fund. McIlroy says Saudi Arabia was going to keep spending money in golf. He says the tour is better off having it as a minority investor instead of trying to keep up and going to court over lawsuits.

Golf – Hypocrisy isn’t new in sports, it’s just more obvious in PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger
Major League Baseball was once so concerned about gambling it banned Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays just for working as casino greeters. Now MLB itself and almost all its teams have official casino sponsors. The NCAA railed for decades that paying players would destroy college sports, all while raking in billions off of their unpaid labor. Now schools boast of booster collectives that help recruit top talent to their teams. So when the PGA Tour overcame its indignation and agreed to merge with LIV Golf the flip-flop followed a long-established tradition in sports of flexible attitudes.

NFL – Jaylon Johnson hopes to remain with Bears, seeks contract extension
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson insists he is not worried about his future with the Chicago Bears and hopes to remain with the team beyond next season. Johnson says he “100%” would like a contract extension as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. Johnson has established himself as one of Chicago’s best players. His absence from voluntary offseason activities until this week stirred speculation that he was upset and holding out for a new deal. But he insists that wasn’t the case. Johnson says his main reason for remaining home in Fresno, California, was simply to spend time with his 3-year-old daughter. He also had charitable commitments, including a golf tournament this past weekend as well as a nonprofit football camp.

NFL – Colts keep Rodgers out of practice as NFL investigates gambling allegations
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. sat out of Wednesday’s practice, two days after team officials said they were aware of an NFL investigation into gambling allegations about one of Indy’s players. Neither the Colts nor the league have publicly identified Rodgers as the target. But Rodgers issued a statement on Twitter acknowledging he made an “error in judgment” just hours after media reports linked him to the investigation. Coach Shane Steichen would not say whether Rodgers would practice until there is a resolution.

Tennis – Gauff is 0-7 vs. Swiatek after losing to her in the French Open quarterfinals
Coco Gauff has lost in the French Open quarterfinals to two-time champion Iga Swiatek in a rematch of last year’s final at Roland Garros. The No. 1-ranked Swiatek won 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday and has not dropped a set in the tournament. Swiatek will face 14th-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia in Thursday’s semifinals. Gauff is a 19-year-old American who has lost all seven matches she has played against Swiatek. Haddad Maia is the first Brazilian woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1968. She eliminated No. 7 Ons Jabeur in three sets earlier Wednesday. Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud reached the men’s semifinals.

NCAAFB – Ex-Florida State football player acquitted in fatal shooting
A South Florida jury has agreed that a former Florida State football player acted in self-defense when he fatally shot one man and injured another several hours after he scuffled with his girlfriend. Travis Rudolph was found not guilty Wednesday of one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder by a Palm Beach County jury. Rudolph was first arrested in April 2021 after investigators say four men went to his home several hours after he fought with his girlfriend. Rudolph armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire on them as they drove away. He testified that the men shot back at him. Investigators say they never found evidence of the fleeing men returning fire.

WWE – The Iron Sheik, charismatic former pro wrestling villain, dies at 81
The Iron Sheik, a former pro wrestler who played a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars, has died at age 81. The WWE posted an article confirming the death of the ex-wrestler and Twitter personality Wednesday. A statement also was posted on his Twitter page, but neither mentioned a cause of death or where he died. The Iron Sheik, whose real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, grew up in Iran. In his pro career, he donned curled boots and used the “Camel Clutch” as his finishing move on matches while playing the role of an anti-American heel for the WWF, which later became the WWE.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Wisconsin 9, West Michigan 4
Great Lakes 10, Lake County 1
South Bend 1, Lansing 0

Tonight
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.
Lake County Captains at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Soccer – Regional Semifinals
Division 2 at Vicksburg
Plainwell 1, Thornapple-Kellogg 0 – OT
Pinckney 1, Gull Lake 0

Baseball – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at DeWitt
Battle Creek Lakeview 11, Okemos 2

Division 1 at Portage Northern
Mattawan 6, Zeeland East 3

Division 2 at Berrien Springs
Lakeshore 8, Vicksburg 0

Division 2 at Hamilton
Hamilton 3, Gull Lake 1

Division 3 at Watervliet
Watervliet 3, Parchment 2

Division 3 at Bridgman
Bridgman 6, Centreville 2

Division 4 at Colon
Decatur 9, Michigan Lutheran 5

Division 4 at Mendon
Kalamazoo Hackett 5, Zion Christian 1

Today
Girls Soccer – Regional Finals
Division 1 at Byron Center
Portage Central vs. Hudsonville, 6:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Portage Northern
Our Lady of the Lake vs. Kalamazoo Christian, 6:30 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Philadelphia Phillies 8, Detroit Tigers 3
San Diego Padres 5, Chicago Cubs 0
White Sox were off

Phillies 8, Tigers 3 – Phillies’ ace Nola loses no-hitter in 7th, wins game 8-3 over Tigers
Aaron Nola took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out 12, Trea Turner homered twice among his four hits to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to their third straight win, 8-3 over the Detroit Tigers. Nola fanned 10 and had faced the minimum through six as he tried to pitch the Phillies’ first no-hitter since 2015. Nola allowed a two-out home run to Nick Maton in the seventh inning. There have been no no-hitters in the majors this season, the first since Major League Baseball introduced a pitch clock. There were a record nine in 2021 and four last year.

Padres 5, Cubs 0 – Sánchez’s homer, Snell’s strong effort carry Padres to 5-0 win over Cubs
Gary Sánchez hit a two-run home run and Blake Snell and three relievers combined on a four-hitter for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Chicago Cubs 5-0 to salvage a split of a four-game series. Manny Machado had three hits, scored twice and made a sensational play at third base in his fourth game back from a stint on the injured list with a fractured left hand. Sánchez hit his third homer in seven games with the Padres when he lined a 2-2 pitch from Kyle Hendricks into the left field seats with one out in the second. Machado was aboard on a leadoff single.

Tonight
Detroit (Alexander 1-0) at Philadelphia (Walker 4-3), 6:40 p.m.            News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
Chicago White Sox (Giolito 4-4) at N.Y. Yankees (Schmidt 2-5), 7:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Wesneski 2-2) at L.A. Angels (Anderson 2-1), 9:38 p.m.

NHL – 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – (best of seven)
Last Night
Vegas Golden Knights 7, Florida Panthers 2                                     (VGK leads 2-0)

Golden Knights 7, Panthers 2 – Golden Knights take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final with 7-2 win over Panthers
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and started an early blitz that chased the NHL’s hottest postseason goalie, and the Vegas Golden Knights seized control of the Stanley Cup Final with a 7-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 2. Adin Hill continued his stellar play in net with 29 saves for the Golden Knights, who grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Marchessault also had an assist to finish with three points. Brett Howden scored twice for the Knights, who also got goals from Alec Martinez, Nicolas Roy and Michael Amadio. Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell scored for the Panthers. The series shifts to Florida for Game 3 on Thursday.

Thursday
Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers, 8:00 p.m.                          (VGK leads 2-0)

NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven)
Tonight
Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, 8:00 p.m.                                           (Series tied 1-1)

NBA – Miami Heat are on a comeback run like few others in this year’s NBA playoffs
The easiest way to explain what the Miami Heat are doing in the comeback department during these playoffs is simply to put up their numbers against the rest of the league. When facing a deficit of at least 12 points this postseason, the Heat are 7-6. The rest of the NBA is 6-59. Combined. The latest comeback came in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night against Denver when the Heat won 111-108 to even the title series. Miami rallied from 15 points down.

NBA – NBA says it won’t mind if Wembanyama’s debut comes in Sacramento, not Las Vegas
Victor Wembanyama’s next couple of weeks are now set. He’ll be playing in the French league finals starting this weekend, and then the San Antonio Spurs almost certainly will make him the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on June 22. And if that means the French teenager’s summer league debut comes in Sacramento instead of Las Vegas in early July, the league is fine with that. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league doesn’t have a preference regarding the site of Wembanyama’s first game with the Spurs.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky, 8:00 p.m.

NFL – Colts confirm NFL investigating player for possible gambling
The Indianapolis Colts say they are aware the NFL has opened a gambling investigation into one of the team’s players. A team spokesman also says the team will have no additional comment. The player has not been publicly identified. The confirmation comes after reports first leaked Monday and less than two months after the NFL suspended five players — including four from the Detroit Lions — for gambling policy violations. The Colts are holding workouts this week at the team facility.

NFL – Colts add Perriman in hopes of strengthening receiving group
The Indianapolis Colts have signed free agent Breshad Perriman in hopes he can strengthen their team’s receiving contingent. Perriman was a first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, No. 26 overall, but did not play as a rookie. He became a free agent in 2019 and has been with three teams over the past five seasons, including two stints with Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old Perriman has 145 receptions, 2,343 yards and 16 touchdown receptions in 80 games. Last season with Tampa Bay, he caught nine passes for 110 yards and one TD.

NFL – Biden says Chiefs ‘building a dynasty’ as he hosts Super Bowl champs at White House
President Joe Biden says the Kansas City Chiefs are “building a dynasty” as he hosts the team at the White House to mark their Super Bowl victory in February. Speaking on the South Lawn, Biden praised the team for playing with “the real joy of the game and love for each other and the great city you represent.” He also praised the team for their charitable work off the field, saying, “as these guys know about football, they know about life and how to use their platform to make a difference.”

NCAAFB – Coroner rules natural causes in heart-ailment death of UNLV football player
Authorities in Las Vegas say the death of a 20-year-old UNLV football player who was found unresponsive in his studio apartment in February was caused by a heart ailment. The Clark County coroner said Monday that an autopsy found Ryan Keeler had a disease that causes thickening of the heart muscle. He died Feb. 20 of a fatal irregular heartbeat, and the coroner ruled his death natural. Las Vegas police say their inquiry in the case was closed. UNLV head coach Barry Odom had called Keeler a standout student and athlete. He was from Chicago and arrived at UNLV by transfer from Rutgers University.

IndyCar – Detroit Grand Prix to make track improvements for 2nd year downtown
The Detroit Grand Prix’s short, narrow and bumpy track took some shots a day before the race returned to streets downtown. Race chairman said any potential damage was recovered by an exciting race on Sunday. Alex Palou won the race with a dominant performance, a day after saying the 1.7-mile circuit was too tight and too short for IndyCar. While the Spaniard did say the race went smoother than expected, he did suggest it can be improved for 2024. Denker agreed, but added the track can’t be made longer as Palou suggested.

Soccer – Players demand change for rampant online racist abuse, turn to AI for help
Online racist abuse of soccer players is prolific on social media platforms. It’s the latest form of racism blighting the world’s most popular sport. It’s technology-fueled, visual, permanently intrusive, 24/7 and a haunting reminder of the 1980s-style monkey chants and banana throwing. Players and teams targeted by abuse are coming up with ways to raise awareness and reduce their exposure to offensive users. It includes using companies who configure AI software to act as a filter to stop discriminatory comments from being seen. Some are choosing alternative platforms to promote not just themselves but more ethical behavior online. There’s also legislation in the works in the European Union and Britain to force big tech companies to act tougher on racism.

Tennis – French Open – Coco Gauff vs. Iga Swiatek; it’ll happen in the quarterfinals
Coco Gauff put aside a skinned knee and a bad stretch in the first set to reach the French Open quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. The 19-year-old American was a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Monday at Court Philippe Chatrier. Next for Gauff will be a rematch against No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who beat her in last year’s final at Roland Garros. Swiatek advanced when her fourth-round opponent, Lesia Tsurenko, stopped playing because of trouble breathing in the first set. Also advancing to the quarterfinals were Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Alexander Zverev and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
No games last night

Tonight
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.
Lake County Captains at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

MWL – Minor leaguers Taveras, Francia suspended for positive drug tests
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Leonardo Taveras was suspended for 80 games under baseball’s minor league drug program following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Clomiphene. Los Angeles Angels right-hander Darlin Francia was suspended for 56 games after a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol. The 24-year-old Taveras was 1-1 with two saves and 38 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings over 11 games this season with High A Peoria. The 19-year-old Francia is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts and three relief appearances for the Arizona Complex League Angels. Eight players have been disciplined under the minor league program this year.

MCCAA – SMC Women’s Basketball looking for a new head coach
After their first year back, the Southwestern Michigan College women’s basketball team is searching for their second head coach.  Jeanine Wasielewski is stepping aside after he job of two years and taking another coaching position out of the area.   Wasielewski’s first year was filled by building the team from scratch before staring play at the start of the 2022-23 season.  The Roadrunners finished their first season back with a record of 18-9, 8-4 in the MCCAA Western Division, which earned them fourth place and a berth in the NJCAA District A Tournament.    In a press release, Wasielewski said, “It has been an amazing two years at SMC and I am proud of what our student-athletes, basketball program and athletic department have accomplished in a successful return to intercollegiate competition.” Roadrunners Athletic Director Rodell Davis said “We are grateful to Coach Waz for helping us get the program re-started.”

MHSAA – High School Sports
Today
Girls Soccer – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at Byron Center
Hudsonville vs. Byron Center, 5:30 p.m.
Portage Central vs. Midland, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Holland Christian
Three Rivers vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 5:00 p.m.
GR Catholic Central vs. GR South Christian, 7:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Portage Northern
Our Lady of the Lake vs. Kalamazoo Heritage, 5:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Grandville Calvin Christian, 7:00 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Chicago White Sox 6, Detroit Tigers 2
Chicago Cubs 7, San Diego Padres 1

White Sox 6, Tigers 2 – Hendriks gets win on Burger slam, White Sox beat Tigers 6-2 for 3-game sweep
Jake Burger’s game-ending grand slam handed Liam Hendriks his first win since returning from cancer, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-2 for a three-game series sweep. Hendriks worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two. It was the third big league appearance for the All-Star closer since he missed the start of the season after he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Yoán Moncada and Tim Anderson walked with one out to load the bases for Burger, who hit a drive to left-center off Alex Lange for his 12th homer of the season. It was his first career slam and game-ending homer.

Cubs 7, Padres 1 – Stroman wins 4th straight start, Amaya hits 1st homer as Cubs beat Padres 7-1
Marcus Stroman pitched six strong innings to win his fourth consecutive start and rookie Miguel Amaya went 3 for 3 with his first major league home run as the Chicago Cubs defeated the San Diego Padres 7-1. Yan Gomes and Trey Mancini hit back-to-back homers off Padres starter Ryan Weathers, and Dansby Swanson added a two-run double later in the second inning. Amaya’s two-run drive off reliever Drew Carlton made it 7-0 in the third. Stroman allowed just an unearned run and four hits, striking out six. He lowered his ERA to 2.39. Julian Merryweather, Michael Fulmer and Brandon Hughes each tossed a scoreless inning to finish the five-hitter.

Tonight
Detroit (Wentz 1-5) at Philadelphia (Nola 4-4), 6:40 p.m.          News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
Chicago Cubs (Hendricks 0-1) at San Diego (Snell 1-6), 9:10 p.m.
White Sox are off

MLB – Las Vegas ballpark pitch revives debate over public funding for sports stadiums
A proposal to help finance a new ballpark for Major League Baseball’s Athletics in Las Vegas has revived nationwide debates about public funding for private stadiums. And that has pitted Nevada’s powerful tourism industry and labor unions against some progressive groups, raising concerns about ceding tax revenue when services such as public schools are funded below the national average. Proponents say the proposal could create new jobs, increase the state’s general revenue and further diversify the city’s casino and gaming-based economy. But skeptics warn of empty promises, citing growing evidence that minimal dollars generated from the new stadium would not otherwise be spent among nearby resorts and restaurants.

NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven)
Last Night
Miami Heat 111, Denver Nuggets 108                                               (Series tied 1-1)

Heat 111, Nuggets 108 – Heat roar back in the 4th quarter, beat Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 of NBA Finals
Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 21 and the Miami Heat evened up the NBA Finals by overcoming a monster effort from Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday night. Max Strus scored 14 and Duncan Robinson had 10 for the Heat, who had a big early lead, then got down by as many as 15 — before reclaiming the lead in the fourth. And even then, they had to dig deep to finish it off. Jokic was 16 of 28 from the floor, the last of those shots a 4-footer with 36 seconds left to get the Nuggets within three.

Tuesday
Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, 8:00 p.m.                                           (Series tied 1-1)

NHL – 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – (best of seven)
Tonight
Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights, 8:00 p.m.                          (VGK leads 1-0)

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Yesterday
Chicago Sky 86, New York Liberty 82
Las Vegas Aces 84, Indiana Fever 80

Sky 86, Liberty 82 – Copper, Williams help Chicago rally from 19-down to beat New York 86-82
Kahleah Copper scored 27 points and Courtney Williams added 12, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to help the Chicago Sky rally to beat the New York Liberty 86-82 in the second meeting between the teams in three days. The Sky were down 19 early in the third quarter before rallying and taking the lead midway through the fourth. Breanna Stewart had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead New York, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped.

Aces 84, Fever 80 – Wilson scores 27 with 10 boards, Parker hits 2 late FTs as Aces beat Fever, improve to 6-0
A’ja Wilson scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Candace Parker made two free throws with 24 seconds left and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 84-80 to extend its franchise record for consecutive wins to open a season to six games. Kelsey Mitchell made 5 of 6 from 3-point range and led Indiana (1-4) with 22 points but missed an open potential tying layup in the closing seconds.

IndyCar – Alex Palou wins Detroit Grand Prix in IndyCar’s return to downtown track
Alex Palou started and finished first in the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, winning his second IndyCar race in less than a month and for the sixth time of his career. The Spaniard won the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May. He led 74 of 100 laps on Detroit’s new street course and went ahead for the last time on lap 77. He stayed in front after Will Power made a move that didn’t pan out as he made contact with Scott Dixon on lap 91. Palou pulled away in his Honda with five laps left and Power finished second in his Chevrolet.

NASCAR – Kyle Busch holds off Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Cup Series win outside St. Louis
Kyle Busch held off Denny Hamlin through a series of late restarts to win the chaotic, caution-filled NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis in overtime Sunday. Bubba Wallace brought out the 11th and final yellow when his brake rotor let go with five laps remaining. Busch won a green-white-checkered shootout to the finish. There also were two red flags to go with a two-hour weather delay that caused the mid-afternoon race to finish in the twilight. Hamlin finished second while Joey Logano, the winner a year ago in the Cup Series debut at the track, got around Kyle Larson on the final lap to finish third. Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top five ahead of Ryan Blaney, last week’s winner at Charlotte.

Tennis – French Open – Carlos Alcaraz faces Stefanos Tsitsipas at French Open
Novak Djokovic has broken a tie with rival Rafael Nadal by reaching the French Open quarterfinals for the record 17th time. Djokovic was never truly in trouble during a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday. Djokovic is closing on bettering Nadal in a more prestigious category: Grand Slam singles championships. Both currently sit at 22. Djokovic will face No. 11 Karen Khachanov next. No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz beat Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets and now plays No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka beat Sloane Stephens at night to reach the quarterfinals. Elina Svitolina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Karolina Muchova also advanced.

Tennis – French Open –Gauff and Swiatek can set up a rematch of last year’s final in Paris
Coco Gauff can get another shot at Iga Swiatek in the French Open. Each just needs to win one more match. A year ago at Roland Garros, Swiatek defeated Gauff for the championship at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. This time, they would meet in the quarterfinals. Swiatek is a 22-year-old from Poland. Gauff is a 19-year-old from the United States. No. 1 seed Swiatek will face Lesia Tsurenko on Monday, while No. 6 Gauff’s fourth-round match comes against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Swiatek has had a smoother path so far: She won all three of her matches in Week 1 in straight sets, and four of those sets ended 6-0.

Golf – LPGA – NCAA champ Zhang becomes 1st LPGA Tour winner in pro debut in 72 years
Two-time NCAA champion Rose Zhang became the first LPGA Tour winner in her pro debut in 72 years, capturing the Mizuho Americas Open with a par on the second hole in a playoff against Jennifer Kupcho on Sunday. The last female player to win in her pro debut was Beverly Hanson, who edged Babe Zaharias to take the Eastern Open in 1951. Zhang shot a 2-over 74 Sunday and squandered a chance to win the LPGA event on the 72nd when she missed an 8-foot par saver after making at least a half dozen in a gritty final round performance.

NFL – Norma Hunt, wife of late Chiefs founder, dies at 85
Norma Hunt, the second wife of the late Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt and the only woman to attend every Super Bowl, has died. She was 85. The Hunt family, which still owns the franchise, announced the passing of the Chiefs’ matriarch in a statement released by the team Sunday night. No cause of death was given. Norma Hunt was among the few to have attended every Super Bowl when she was present for the Chiefs’ 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona. Norma Hunt had two sons, Clark and Daniel, and was closely linked to the Chiefs franchise through her charitable work. The team had yet to announce memorial details.

Soccer – Racist abuse of Vinícius Júnior highlights entrenched problem in soccer
The vicious, relentless and high-profile racist insults directed at Brazilian soccer player Vinícius Júnior underscore an entrenched and decades-old issue that refuses to go away in the world’s most popular sport. It is a deeper societal problem that is manifested in soccer matches predominantly in Europe, but also all around the world, and has been amplified by the reach of social media. Federations have been slow and, in some cases unwilling, to use powers to sanction teams for the racist behavior of their fans. Players past and present worry racism is just an accepted part of soccer. Experts say more education and stronger punishments are required to combat racism.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
Lansing Lugnuts 3, Cedar Rapids Kernels 2
Dayton Dragons 12, West Michigan Whitecaps 5
Fort Wayne Tin Caps 8, South Bend Cubs 2
Beloit Sky Carp 6, Great Lakes Loons 0

Tonight
No games tonight

MHSAA – St. Joseph wins Division 1 Boys Track and Field State Championship
Even though St. Joe didn’t win the last race of the day, a fourth place finish in the 1600 meter relay by 0.16 seconds helped secure the Bears first Boys Track and Field State Championship since 1997, when the Bears won the Class B State Title.  St. Joe finished the meet with 40.75 points,2.75 points ahead of Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.  Chippewa Valley finished 3rd in that final race, earning 6 points, while the Bears 4th place finish earned 5 points and the state title. St. Joe’s 1600 meter relay team of Shay White, Will Fiesbeck, Alex Moyer and Trey McGinnis as the Anchor.  McGinnis came in 2nd in the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.79 seconds.  He also came in 2nd in the 200 meter dash with a time of 21.28. St. Joe’s Jerry Capaccio was and individual State Champion in the Discuss with a throw of 167 feet 2 inches.   He came in second in the shot put with a throw of 56 feet and 11 and a quarter inches.   Capaccio earn 18 points on the day. St. Joe also earned points in the High Jump, Joshua Scott had .75 points with a 7th place tie with a jump of 6 feet 3 inches. The 3200 meter relay team of Fiesbeck, Moyer, White, and Eli Toney added another point with an 8th place finish with a time of 7:58.57.  The times in the Boys 3200 Meter Relay and 1600 Meter Relay were St. Joe school records.  It’s the seventh state championship for the St. Joseph boys track and field team, and first since 1997 when the Bears won the Class B championship.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our final WSJM Sports Player of the Week for the 2022-2023 season is Jake Hindenach of Paw Paw Red Wolves baseball.

For the week, Paw Paw went 2-2, sweeping Niles 10-2 and 10-3 and then being swept by South Haven.  Jake was 6 of 13 at the plate, he had a pair of doubles, a pair of home runs, a triple and drove in 5.   He walked twice, stole two bases and scored 6 times.    He allowed three runs while pitching in the 2nd game against Niles to get the win.

Jake is also on the Paw Paw basketball team and has a 3.57 Grade Point Average.   WSJM Sports Dave Wolf sat down with Jake and coach Derek Vanderburg to discuss Jake’s play not only during the week, but during the season as the Red Wolves prepare for Districts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven)
Last Night
Denver Nuggets 104, Miami Heat 93                                                 (DEN leads 1-0)

Nuggets 104, Heat 93 – Jokic gets triple-double, Nuggets roll past Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of NBA Finals
Nikola Jokic got a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 win in Game 1 of the title series on Thursday night. Jokic finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who waited 47 years to make the finals and didn’t disappoint. Aaron Gordon scored 16 and Michael Porter Jr. added 14 for Denver, which trailed for all of 34 seconds and eventually led by as many as 24. Bam Adebayo finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, which shot 41% for the game — 33% from 3-point range. Gabe Vincent scored 19, Haywood Highsmith had 18 and Jimmy Butler added 13 for the Heat.  Miami was 2 for 2 from the free throw line.  Game 2 is on Sunday Night.

Sunday
Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets, 8:00 p.m.                                           (DEN leads 1-0)

NBA – Referee Eric Lewis not selected to work NBA Finals while league looks into tweets
Eric Lewis was not selected as one of the 12 referees who will work the NBA Finals, while the league continues to investigate whether he used a Twitter account to defend himself and other referees from online complaints. Lewis had been chosen to work the finals in each of the last four seasons. But after some now-deleted tweets were revealed last week, the league opened an investigation into whether Lewis violated NBA rules by speaking about officiating in an unauthorized manner. It has not been determined if Lewis was using the account.

NBA – NBA planning to announce latest Ja Morant decision after Finals, Silver says
The latest sanctions, if any, that the NBA plans to levy against Memphis guard Ja Morant for his second instance of displaying a gun on social media will be announced shortly after the finals, Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday. Silver did not say what the penalties were, not even saying if Morant would be available at the start of next season. Morant was suspended for eight games by the NBA in March for an incident where he broadcast himself on Instagram displaying a gun in a suburban Denver club, and was suspended by the Grizzlies last month after another video showed Morant displaying what appeared to be a gun yet again.

NHL – 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – (best of seven)
Saturday
Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights, 8:00 p.m.                          (Game 1)

NHL – Golden Knights out to fulfill owner’s quest to win Stanley Cup in 6th year
The Vegas Golden Knights will play the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final beginning Saturday. This is Vegas’ second Cup Final appearance in its six seasons as an NHL franchise. Its other trip occurred in 2018. The Golden Knights have six players left over from the first team to advance that far. They have helped the Knights reach at least the NHL semifinals four times in the past six years. Their remaining team goal is capturing the Cup.

NHL – Patrick Kane has hip resurfacing surgery and is expected to be out 4-6 months
Patrick Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery and is expected to miss four to six months. Agent Pat Brisson confirmed Kane’s operation in a text message to The Associated Press. Kane has been dealing with a nagging hip injury that hampered him this past season with the Chicago Blackhawks and then in the playoffs with the New York Rangers. Brisson expects Kane to make a full recovery. It was not immediately clear what the surgery means for Kane’s status as a pending free agent.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Tigers, White Sox, and Cubs were off

Tonight
Detroit (Olson 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (TBD), 8:10 p.m.        News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 7:45
Chicago Cubs (Taillon 0-3) at San Diego (Wacha 5-1), 9:40 p.m.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
New York Liberty at Chicago Sky, 6:00 p.m.

Sunday
Chicago at New York, 2:00 p.m.
Las Vegas at Indiana, 4:00 p.m.

Soccer – Coach confirms Lionel Messi’s last match for PSG this weekend
Lionel Messi is leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season after two years at the club. PSG coach Christophe Galtier says ahead of their game against Clermont on Saturday that it will be Messi’s last match at the Parc des Princes. Galtier says “I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of soccer. … and I hope that he will receive the warmest of welcomes.” PSG recruited Messi in August 2021 with the ambition to finally win the Champions League. The team is still waiting. PSG won its record-extending 11th French league title last weekend but it again exited Europe’s top tournament in the round of 16.

NCAAFB – SEC to play 8-game conference schedule in 2024; long-term model still TBD
The Southeastern Conference will play eight league games in 2024 when it expands to 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas, but beyond that the schedule model is to be determined. Commissioner Greg Sankey says the conference’s presidents voted to implement a short-term solution to a scheduling conundrum that has been debated for more than a year. The SEC has been holding its spring meetings on the Florida Gulf Coast this week. Conference leaders have been trying to decide between a nine-game conference schedule that would include three annual rivalry games and an eight-game model with one annual rivalry game.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
Cedar Rapids 24, Lansing 5
South Bend 1, Fort Wayne 0
West Michigan 6, Dayton 5
Great Lakes at Beloit, PPD to 6/2 rain

Tonight
Great Lakes Loons at Beloit Snappers, 5:05 p.m. (DH)
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Soccer – District Championships
Division 2 at Lakeshore
Plainwell 3, Lakeshore 0

Division 4 at Our Lady of the Lake
Our Lady of the Lake 3, Michigan Lutheran 2

Division 4 at Hartford
Kalamazoo Heritage Christian 8, Watervliet 0

Boys Golf – Regionals
Division 2 at Diamond Springs GC, Hamilton
1.          GR Christian                  296
2.          GR South Christian         323
3.          Unity Christian               327
4.          Otsego                          332
T5.        Hamilton                        348
T5.        Plainwell                       348
T5.        Zeeland West                 348
8.         Charlotte                      360
9.         Holland                         362
10.        Hastings                                    368
T11.      Holland Christian           369
T11.      Wayland                        369
13.        Zeeland East                  372
14.        Allegan                         374
15.        Ionia                             376
16.        Thornapple Kellogg         378
17.        W Mi Aviation                 422
18.        Lansing Waverly              516

Individual Qualifiers
Eli Timmerman, Hamilton               77
Spencer Shearer, Otsego              78
Landon Eastman, Otsego               79

Softball – Regular Season
Parchment 15, Lawton 0
Schoolcraft 13, Zeeland West 3

Today
Girls Soccer – District Championships
Division 2 at Coldwater
Gull Lake vs. Harper Creek, 1:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Three Rivers
Berrien Springs vs. Three Rivers, 6:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Saugatuck
Saugatuck vs. GR Calvin Christian, 6:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Kalamazoo Hackett
Kal. Christian vs. Kal. Hackett, 6:00 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Saturday
Baseball – District Semis/Finals
Division 1 at Zeeland West
St. Joseph vs. West Ottawa, 10:00 a.m.
Zeeland West vs. Zeeland East, 10:00 a.m.
Championship 12:30 p.m.

Division 1 at Portage Northern
Mattawan vs. Kalamazoo Central, 10:00 a.m.
Loy Norrix vs. Portage Central, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Berrien Springs
Lakeshore vs. Edwardsburg, 10:00 a.m.
Niles vs. Berrien Springs, 12:30 p.m.
Championship 3:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Vicksburg
Paw Paw vs. Three Rivers, 10:00 a.m.
Vicksburg vs. Dowagiac, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Hamilton
Hamilton vs. South Haven, 10:00 a.m.
Allegan vs. Holland Christian, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Wayland
Wayland vs. Gull Lake, 10:00 a.m.
Hopkins vs. Otsego, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Watervliet
Bangor vs. Bloomingdale, 10:00 a.m.
Watervliet vs. Coloma, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Galesburg-Augusta
Parchment vs. Galesburg-Augusta, 10:00 a.m.
Comstock vs. Climax-Scotts, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:30 p.m.

Division 3 at Grandville Calvin Christian
Saugatuck vs. Calvin Christian, 10:00 a.m.
Holland Black River vs. Covenant Chr., 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Bridgman
Brandywine vs. Buchanan, 10:00 a.m.
Lawton vs. Bridgman, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Schoolcraft
Centreville vs. Union City, 10:00 a.m.
Constantine vs. Bronson, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 4 at New Buffalo
Our Lady of the Lake vs. River Valley, 9:30 a.m.
Michigan Lutheran vs. Eau Claire, 11:30 a.m.
Championship 1:30 p.m.

Division 4 at Lawrence
Gobles vs. Lawrence, 10:00 a.m.
Marcellus vs. Decatur, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Martin
Zion Christian vs. Martin, 1:00 p.m.
Potter’s House vs. Tri-Unity, 3:00 p.m.
Championship 5:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Mendon
Mendon vs. White Pigeon, 1:30 p.m.
Kal. Hackett vs. Kal. Heritage, 4:00 p.m.
Championship 6:30 p.m.

Softball – District Semis/Finals
Division 1 at Portage Northern
Kal. Central vs. Portage Northern, 10:00 a.m.
St. Joseph vs. Mattawan, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 1 at Loy Norrix
Loy Norrix vs. Portage Central, 10:00 a.m.
Jackson vs. BC Lakeview, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Edwardsburg
Lakeshore vs. Niles, 10:00 a.m.
Dowagiac vs. Edwardsburg, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Otsego
Vicksburg vs. Otsego, 10:00 a.m.
Gull Lake vs. Plainwell, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Wayland
Hopkins vs. GR South Christian, 10:00 a.m.
Wayland vs. Allegan, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Hamilton
South Haven vs. Holland Christian, 10:00 a.m.
Hamilton vs. Saugatuck, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Harper Creek
Sturgis vs. Coldwater, 10:00 a.m.
Three Rivers vs. Harper Creek, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Coloma
Bridgman vs. Watervliet, 10:00 a.m.
Bangor vs. Coloma, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Constantine
Buchanan vs. Constantine, 10:00 a.m.
Centreville vs. Brandywine, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Kalamazoo Christian
Parchment vs. Kal. Christian, 10:00 a.m.
Schoolcraft vs. Galesburg-Augusta, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 4 at New Buffalo
River Valley vs. Eau Claire, 9:30 a.m.
Michigan Lutheran (bye)
Championship 11:30 a.m.

Division 4 at Decatur
Decatur vs. Gobles, 10:00 a.m.
Lawrence vs. Kal. Hackett, 12:00 p.m.
Championship 2:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Mendon
Marcellus vs. Climax-Scotts, 1:00 p.m.
Mendon vs. Howardsville Christian, 3:00 p.m.
Championship 5:00 p.m.

Girls Soccer – District Championship
Division 1 at Kalamazoo Central
Mattawan vs. Portage Central, 10:00 a.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 3, Texas Rangers 2
Los Angeles Angels 12, Chicago White Sox 5
Tampa Bay Rays 4, Chicago Cubs 3

Tigers 3, Rangers 2 – Rogers, Marisnick lead Tigers over Rangers 3-2
Jake Rogers hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and Jake Marisnick followed with a run-scoring single in his Tigers debut, leading Detroit over the Texas Rangers 3-2. Texas took two of three and has won six straight road series for the first time. The Rangers’ 35-20 record is the team’s best 55-game start. Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a double in the third. With the score 1-1, Nick Maton and Tyler Nevin started the sixth with singles off Dane Dunning.

Angels 12, White Sox 5 – Ohtani homers twice, including career longest at 459 feet, Angels beat White Sox 12-5
Shohei Ohtani homered in consecutive innings, including a 459-foot drive that was the longest of his Major League Baseball career, and drove in four runs to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox 12-5. Mike Trout put the Angels ahead 2-0 with a 476-foot home run in the first. Ohtani drove a first-pitch fastball from Lance Lynn just to left of straightaway center for a 4-1 lead in the third. Ohtani hit a full count fastball more than a dozen rows over the bullpen in right-center in the fourth.

Rays 4, Cubs 3 – Beeks escapes bases-loaded jam, Lowe, Siri hit homers as Rays beat Cubs 4-3
Brandon Lowe and Jose Siri each hit two-run homers late in the game, Jalen Beeks got the final two outs after coming in with the bases loaded and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep. Lowe greeted Mark Leiter Jr. with a long two-run homer to center in the seventh to tie it at 2-all and Siri connected in the eighth to give Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead after Chicago scored a run. The Cubs loaded the bases in the ninth against Kevin Kelly. Beeks recorded his first save of the season.

Today
Tigers, Cubs, and White Sox are off

MLB – Tigers’ Riley Greene on injured list with left leg stress fracture
Centerfielder Riley Greene was put on the 10-day injured list by the Detroit Tigers because of a stress fracture in his left leg. Greene was injured during Detroit’s 10-6 loss to Texas on Tuesday and left the game in the third inning. He was sent for tests and an MRI showed a stress fracture in his left fibia. The move came one day after the Tigers placed their best pitcher, Eduardo Rodriguez. on the 15-day injured list with a ruptured ligament in his left index finger.

MLB – Cubs’ Steele leaves start against Rays because of left forearm tightness
Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele exited Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays after three innings because of left forearm tightness. Steele retired all nine batters he face. He got a visit from manager David Ross and a trainer with one out in the third. Steele retired the next two batters, with third baseman Patrick Wisdom making a lunging stab on Taylor Walls’ line drive foul and stopping Jose Siri’s hard grounder before throwing him out. Hayden Wesneski came in to start the fourth inning. Steele is 6-2 with a 2.65 ERA in 12 starts.

NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven)
Tonight
Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets, 8:30 p.m.                                           (Game 1)

NBA – Butler, Jokic lead Heat, Nuggets into a NBA Finals after unconventional paths
Nikola Jokic wasn’t supposed to be here. Neither was Jimmy Butler, for that matter. Jokic was drafted behind 40 other players in 2014. Butler was drafted behind 29 others in 2011. Jokic grew up in Serbia, not even thinking about the NBA. Butler didn’t have the easiest upbringing in Texas, then went the junior-college route at the start of his journey toward the pros. And here they are. The NBA Finals. One of them is going to become a champion for the first time, with Jokic leading the Denver Nuggets and Butler leading the Miami Heat — a matchup that starts Thursday night in Denver, with the Nuggets heavily favored to win it all.

NBA – Pistons reach agreement to hire former Suns coach Monty Williams
The Detroit Pistons have reached an agreement to hire former Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams, according to two people familiar with the situation. One of the people told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Williams agreed to a six-year contract. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. Phoenix fired Williams two-plus weeks ago, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he won the league’s coach of the year honors.

Indy 500 – Fan whose car was damaged by flying tire at Indy 500 will receive new ride
An Indianapolis 500 fan whose vehicle was damaged when a tire flew off a racecar and out of the track during the race will receive a new car. An Indianapolis Motor Speedway spokesperson tells The Indianapolis Star that Penske Entertainment will provide fan Robin Matthews with a new car. The wheel came off with less than 20 laps to go in Sunday’s race when Felix Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood collided. Kirkwood’s left rear tire bounced off the track and over the fence in the second turn before landing in a parking lot. The wheel traveled about 350 yards before crashing into the front of Matthews’ parked Chevrolet.

NCAAMBB – Purdue’s Edey returning to school at NBA draft deadline
Wednesday marked the deadline for players who were early entrants to the NBA draft to withdraw and return to college basketball. The list of returnees includes Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey after being named Associated Press national player of the year. There’s also national champion Connecticut getting back guard Tristen Newton. But Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe is staying in the draft as a former AP national player of the year. UCLA returned Pac-12 freshman of the year Adem Bona. Michigan State retained guards Jaden Akins and A.J. Hoggard. Other returnees included Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James and Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
Cedar Rapids 3, Lansing 2
Fort Wayne 5, South Bend 2
West Michigan 6, Dayton 3
Great Lakes 4, Beloit 3

Tonight
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Beloit Snappers, 7:35 p.m

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Soccer – District Semifinals
Division 2 at Coldwater
Gull Lake 2, Marshall 1
Harper Creek 1, Vicksburg 0

Division 3 at Unity Christian
Unity Christian 8, Allegan 0
Holland Christian 8, Fennville 0

Division 4 at Saugatuck
Calvin Christian 3, Black River 0
Saugatuck 3, Covenant Christian 0

Baseball – Regular Season
Constantine 5, Dowagiac 0 – Game 1
Constantine 11, Dowagiac 8 – Game 2
Saugatuck 13, Martin 8 – Game 1
Saugatuck 6, Martin 2 – Game 2

Softball – Regular Season
St. Joseph 12, Zeeland West 0
Watervliet 1, Brandywine 0
Delton-Kellogg 4, Coloma 1
River Valley 5, Constantine 3 – Game 1
River Valley 7, Constantine 4 – Game 2.

Boys Golf – Regionals
Top 3 teams qualify for State, and top 3 players not on top 3 team
Division 2 at Coldwater GC (Complete Results from the MHSAA)

1. Vicksburg                         299
2. Mason                              319
3. Gull Lake                          319
4. Jackson Northwest            348
5. Harper Creek                     332
6. St. Joseph                         334
7. Lakeshore                         335
8. Parma Western                  335
9. Marshall                          344
10. Niles                                345
11. Eaton Rapids                     348
12. Paw Paw                            355
13. Jackson                            357
14. Edwardsburg                     369
15. Three Rivers                     371
16. Sturgis                             401
17. Coldwater                         405

Individual Qualifiers
Jacob Marohn, Lakeshore          78
Joey Mario, Harper Creek          78
JJ Miller, Jackson Northwest    78

Division 3 at The Medalist GC, Marshall (Complete Results from the MHSAA)

1. Dowagiac                          347
2. Olivet                               360
3. Hillsdale                          364
4. Quincy                              372
5. South Haven                     374
6. Jonesville                         385
7. Schoolcraft                      389
8. Watervliet                        402
9. Union City                         402
10. Parchment                         403
11. Cosmtock                          405
12. Hopkins                            415
13. Delton-Kellogg                 420
14. Buchanan                          421
15. Brandywine                        454
16. Constantine                       456
17. Berrien Springs                 487

Individual Qualifiers
Sam Sawyer, Quincy                   84
Carter Crist, Coloma                85
Zachary Mains, Jonesville         85

Division 4 at Clearbrook GC, Saugatuck (Complete Results from the MHSAA)

1. Kalamazoo Christian         325
2. Saugatuck                         341
3. Kalamazoo Hackett            340
4. Cassopolis                        358
5. Climax-Scotts                   388
6. River Valley                      397
7. Lawton                             401
8. Colon                               415
9. White Pigeon                     416
10. Howardsville Christian     420
11. Bridgman                           427
12. Mendon                             432
13. Centreville                        477
14. Our Lady of the lake          479

Individual Qualifiers
Luis Laurenz, Cassopolis           81
Flavio Hernandez, Burr Oak      83
Simon Vinson, Colon                 85

Today
Girls Soccer – District Championships
Division 2 at Lakeshore
Lakeshore vs. Plainwell, 6:30 p.m.

Division 4 at Our Lady of the Lake
Our Lady of the Lake vs. Michigan Lutheran, 3:30 p.m.

Division 4 at Hartford
Watervliet vs. Kalamazoo Heritage Christian, 5:00 p.m.

Boys Golf – Regionals
Division 2 at Diamond Springs GC, Hamilton, 10:00 a.m.
Allegan, Charlotte, GR Christian, GR South Christian, GR West Michigan Aviation, Hamilton, Hastings, Holland, Holland Christian, Hudsonville Unity Christian, Ionia, Lansing Waverly, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, Otsego, Plainwell, Zeeland East, Zeeland West

Softball – Regular Season
Lawton at Parchment, 6:00 p.m.
Zeeland West at Schoolcraft, 4:30 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Texas Rangers 10, Detroit Tigers 6
Chicago White Sox 7, Los Angeles Angels 3
Chicago Cubs 2, Tampa Bay Rays 1

Rangers 10, Tigers 6 – Grant Anderson wins in relief in MLB debut, Rangers beat Tigers 10-6
Reliever Grant Anderson won in an overpowering major league debut and the Texas Rangers beat the Detroit Tigers 10-6 on Tuesday night to improve to 35-19, the best record in franchise history at the one-third mark. Anderson stuck out seven of the nine batters he faced after taking over for starter Martín Pérez in the fifth inning. Texas second baseman Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games with a fifth-inning single. Jonah Heim drove in four runs, Josh Jung homered and had three runs and Aroldis Garcia had four hits and three runs. Miguel Cabrera had three hits and drove in two runs for Detroit. Cabrera passed Ken Griffey Jr. for 15th place with 5,272 total bases.

White Sox 7, Angels 3 – Vaughn drives in 3, González homers to help White Sox beat Angels 7-3
Andrew Vaughn drove in three runs, Romy González homered and the Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3. The White Sox looked as if they were headed toward their fourth straight loss after Los Angeles raced out to a 3-1 lead against Lucas Giolito. But the White Sox turned it around in a big way, scoring five in the fourth against Tyler Anderson. Vaughn smacked a three-run double to put Chicago on top. González drove him in with a double, stole third and scored when Urshela allowed catcher Chad Wallach’s throw to wind up in left field, stretching Chicago’s lead to 6-3. González made it a four-run game with a solo homer in the sixth against Chase Silseth. Taylor Ward and Shohei Ohtani homered for Los Angeles.

Cubs 2, Rays 1 – Hoerner homers, bullpen shines as Cubs beat McClanahan, Rays 2-1
Nico Hoerner homered and the Chicago Cubs made the most of a rare gaffe by Tampa Bay, handing Shane McClanahan his first loss of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Rays. The game was tied at 1 when Ian Happ led off the sixth with a shallow fly ball that dropped between Tampa Bay second baseman Brandon Lowe and right fielder Josh Lowe in a miscommunication between the fielders. After Seiya Suzuki struck out and Trey Mancini bounced to second, Mike Tauchman hit a tiebreaking RBI single into left field. That was enough for Chicago, which topped the majors’ best team for the second straight day after entering the series with a four-game losing streak.

Today
Texas (Dunning 4-0) at Detroit (Wentz 1-5), 1:10 p.m.              News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 12:45
L.A. Angels (Barría 1-2) at Chicago White Sox (Lynn 4-5), 2:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay (Eflin 7-1) at Chicago Cubs (Steele 6-2), 2:20 p.m.

MLB – Tigers lose Eduardo Rodriguez and Riley Greene on dispiriting Tuesday
The Detroit Tigers might have lost their best pitcher and their best hitter Tuesday. Hours after starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez went on the 15-day disabled list with a ruptured pulley in his left index finger, centerfielder Riley Greene came out of the game in the third inning. Greene is hitting .294 in his second season and leads the team with 60 hits and 29 runs. Rodriguez is 4-4 in 11 starts with a 2.13 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings.

NHL – Cup Finals between Vegas and Florida will end with a first-time NHL champion
Stanley isn’t just getting a tan. He’s getting a new home. The Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers pits teams against each other who have never won the NHL championship. It’s the first time that has happened since 2018 when Vegas made it in its inaugural season before losing to Washington. While ratings aren’t expected to be stellar, the series is a chance to for the league to show off its expansion beyond traditional hockey hotbeds. Game 1 is Saturday in Las Vegas.

NBA – The NBA Finals are set: It’s the Heat and the Nuggets for the Larry O’Brien Trophy
Cancel that flight plan, Denver. Turns out, the NBA Finals are starting in the Mile High City after all. And Jimmy Butler was proven right. Finally, we have a title-series matchup: The Miami Heat, champions of the Eastern Conference even after getting in as only the No. 8 seed, will take on the Western Conference champion Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The series starts in Denver on Thursday night. The Heat got there by winning Game 7 of the East title series in Boston on Monday night. It came one year to the day after the Celtics won a Game 7 on Miami’s floor to win the East title a year ago.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Atlanta Dream 83, Chicago Sky 65
Connecticut Sun 81, Indiana Fever 78

Dream 83, Sky 65 – Howard scores 20, Dream cruise past Sky 83-65
Rhyne Howard scored 20 points, Allisha Gray and rookie Haley Jones each added 13 points and the Atlanta Dream eased past the Chicago Sky 83-65. Cheyenne Parker had 10 points and eight rebounds for Atlanta (2-2). The Dream made 18 of 24 free throws compared to 9 of 11 makes for the Sky. The Dream led 40-25 at halftime after Chicago shot just 28% and turned it over eight times. The Sky finished the game 25 for 77 (33%) with 15 turnovers. Dana Evans scored 11 points to lead Chicago (3-2). Kahleah Copper, Marina Mabrey and Kristine Anigwe each added 10.

Sun 81, Fever 78 – Jones gets key block, Connecticut holds off Fever 81-78
Tiffany Hayes scored 22 points, Brionna Jones had 19 points and 11 rebounds and the Connecticut Sun held off the Indiana Fever 81-78. Rookie Aliyah Boston made her first career 3-pointer to pull Indiana within 79-76 with 48.1 seconds left. After a timeout, DeWanna Bonner missed a contested layup and Indiana raced the other way, but Jones blocked a shot at the rim. Indiana retained possession and Boston made a putback to make it 79-78. Hayes was fouled with 9.4 seconds left and made two free throws for a three-point lead. Indiana found Lexie Hull open in the corner for a potential tying shot but her 3-pointer came up short. Alyssa Thomas added 13 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists and Natisha Hiedeman scored 11 for Connecticut.

NCAAMBB – North Carolina transfer Caleb Love commits to Arizona
Caleb Love is now headed to Arizona. The North Carolina transfer tweeted that he will play next season with the Wildcats, less than a month after decommitting from Michigan. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.6 points and 3.3 assists in three seasons at North Carolina. He averaged 17.6 points in seven NCAA Tournament games, helping lead the Tar Heels to the 2022 national championship game. Love entered the transfer portal after leading North Carolina with 73 3-pointers as a junior and initially committed to Michigan. He decommitted from the Wolverines earlier this month, reportedly due to an admissions issue involving academic credits.

NCAABB – Kentucky to house teams in dorms for regional due to hotel room shortage
A shortage of hotel rooms in the Lexington area this weekend will require visiting baseball teams in the NCAA Tournament’s Lexington Regional to stay in dormitories on the Kentucky campus or in hotels more than 30 miles away. Kentucky is the No. 12 seed for the 64-team tournament and earned the right to host Ball State, Indiana and West Virginia for double-elimination play Friday through Monday. Several previously scheduled events in the Lexington area created a room shortage. Ball State and West Virginia spokesmen said their teams and staff would stay in the dorms. Indiana did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Cedar Rapids 5, Lansing 4
South Bend 11, Fort Wayne 8
Dayton 4, West Michigan 2
Great Lakes 20, Beloit 0
(GL 20, runs on 20 hits, hits 20-4)

Today
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Lansing Lugnuts, 11:05 a.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 6:35 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Beloit Snappers, 7:35 p.m

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Baseball – Regular Season
St. Joseph 11, Paw Paw 7
Bridgman 6, Michigan Lutheran 0
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 10, Comstock 3
Otsego 5, Harper Creek 1 – Game 1
Harper Creek 13, Otsego 3 – Game 2
Eau Claire 13, Bangor 6
South Haven 12, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 3 – Gm 1
Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg 10, South Haven 9 – Gm 2
Allegan 3, Coloma 2 – Game 1
Allegan 5, Coloma 2 – Game 2
Mendon 6, Lawrence 5 – Game 1
Lawrence 9, Mendon 0 – Game 2

Baseball – District Quarterfinals
Division 1 at Portage Northern
Mattawan 23, Portage Northern 3

Division 2 at Vicksburg
Vicksburg 8, Sturgis 4

Division 2 at Wayland
Wayland 10, Plainwell 9

Division 3 at Watervliet
Watervliet 11, Hartford 0

Division 3 at Galesburg-Augusta
Parchment 1, Kalamazoo Christian 0

Division 3 at Grandville Calvin Christian
Holland Black River 13, Fennville 3

Division 3 at Bridgman
Brandywine 16, Cassopolis 1

Division 3 at Schoolcraft
Centreville 7, Schoolcraft 3

Division 4 at New Buffalo
Our Lady of the Lake 11, New Buffalo 1

Softball – Regular Season
Michigan Lutheran 4, Kalamazoo Hackett 3 – F/8
Bangor 32, Benton Harbor 0 – Game 1
Bangor 23, Benton Harbor 1 – Game 2
Edwardsburg 6, Mattawan 5 – Game 1
Edwardsburg 12, Mattawan 2 – Game 2
Kalamazoo Central 3, Watervliet 2 – F/8 – Game 1
Watervliet 7, Kalamazoo Central 6 – Game 2
Otsego at Harper Creek, 4:00 p.m.
Fennville 26, Allegan 25 – game 1
Allegan 18, Fennville 0 – game 2

Softball – District Quarterfinals
Division 1 at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Loy Norrix 19, Battle Creek Central 0

Division 2 at Edwardsburg
Lakeshore 6, Berrien Springs 0

Division 2 at Hamilton
South Haven 15, Holland 1

Division 2 at Otsego
Vicksburg 11, Paw Paw 0

Division 3 at Coloma
Bridgman 7, Hartford 6

Division 3 at Constantine
Buchanan 15, Cassopolis 0

Division 3 at Kalamazoo Christian (1st round at local site)
Parchment 15, Lawton 0
Schoolcraft 14, Comstock 0

Division 4 at Decatur
Decatur 18, Martin 0

Division 4 at Mendon
Marcellus 9, White Pigeon 1

Girls Soccer – District Semifinals
Division 1 at Kalamazoo Central
Portage Central 2, Battle Creek Lakeview 1
Mattawan 3, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 1

Division 2 at Lakeshore
Plainwell 6, Otsego 0
Lakeshore 8, Edwardsburg 0

Division 3 at Three Rivers
Berrien Springs 1, South Haven 0
Three Rivers 5, Dowagiac 1

Division 4 at Our Lady of the Lake (2nd round at local site)
Our Lady of the Lake 6, Bridgman 1
Michigan Lutheran 9, New Buffalo 1

Division 4 at Hartford (2nd round at local site)
Watervliet 1, Bangor 0
Kalamazoo Heritage 3, Lawton 1

Division 4 at Kalamazoo Hackett
Kalamazoo Hackett 6, Schoolcraft 1
Kalamazoo Christian 7, Calhoun Christian 0

Today
Girls Soccer – District Semifinals
Division 2 at Coldwater
Gull Lake vs. Marshall, 5:00 p.m.
Vicksburg vs. Harper Creek, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Unity Christian
Allegan vs. Unity Christian, 5:00 p.m.
Fennville vs. Holland Chr., 7:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Saugatuck
Black River vs. Calvin Chr., 5:00 p.m.
Saugatuck vs. Covenant Chr. 7:00 p.m.

Baseball – Regular Season
Constantine at Dowagiac, 4:00 p.m.
Saugatuck at Martin, 4:30 p.m.

Softball – Regular Season
St. Joseph at Zeeland West, 5:00 p.m.
Brandywine at Watervliet, 5:00 p.m.
Coloma at Delton-Kellogg, 4:30 p.m.
Constantine at River Valley, 4:00 p.m.
Gull Lake at Kalamazoo Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Plainwell at Portage Northern, 4:00 p.m.

Boys Golf – Regionals (host school in bold)
Division 2 at Coldwater GC, 10:00 a.m.
Harper Creek, BC Pennfield, Coldwater, Eaton Rapids, Edwardsburg, Jackson, Jackson NW, Marshall, Mason, Niles, Parma Western, Paw Paw, Gull Lake, St. Joseph, Lakeshore, Sturgis, Three Rivers, Vicksburg,

Division 3 at The Medalist GC, Marshall, 9:00 a.m.
Berrien Springs, Bronson, Buchanan, Coloma, Comstock, Constantine, Delton-Kellogg, Dowagiac, Hillsdale, Hopkins, Jonesville, Brandywine, Olivet, Parchment, Quincy, Schoolcraft, South Haven, Springport, Union City, Watervliet

Division 4 at Clearbrook GC, Saugatuck, 9:00 a.m.
Bridgman, Burr Oak, Cassopolis, Centreville, Climax-Scotts, Colon, Gobles, Holland Calvary, Kalamazoo Christian, Kalamazoo Hackett, Lawton, Marcellus, Howardsville Christian, Mendon, New Buffalo, Saugatuck, Our Lady of the Lake, River Valley, White Pigeon

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MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Texas Rangers 5, Detroit Tigers 0
Los Angeles Angels 6, Chicago White Sox 4
Chicago Cubs 1, Tampa Bay Rays 0

Rangers 5, Tigers 0 – Eovaldi wins 6th straight decision, Seager has 4 RBIs, Rangers beat Tigers 5-0
Nathan Eovaldi won his sixth straight decision, Corey Seager hit a three-run homer with four RBIs and the Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-0. Eovaldi allowed four hits and a season-high three walks in five innings with four strikeouts. He is 6-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his last eight starts. Brock Burke, Jonathan Hernández and José Leclerc finished a five-hitter, the Rangers’ fifth shutout this year. Matthew Boyd gave up five runs on five hits and four walks in six-plus innings. Detroit had been trying to reach .500 for the first time since a 4-4 start in 2022.

Angels 6, White Sox 4 – Drury, Angels spoil Hendriks’ return with 6-4 victory over White Sox
Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss homered during a fast start for the Los Angeles Angels, who spoiled Liam Hendriks’ return for the Chicago White Sox with a 6-4 victory. Drury hit a three-run shot and Thaiss followed with another drive during a four-run first inning against a shaky Michael Kopech. Hendriks pitched the eighth in his first big league appearance since he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The crowd of 23,599 roared when he walked out to the bullpen after the fourth, and then saluted the All-Star closer with a standing ovation when he entered the game.

Cubs 1, Rays 0 – Stroman pitches 1-hitter as Cubs beat major league-leading Rays 1-0
Marcus Stroman pitched a one-hitter, and the Chicago Cubs beat the major league-leading Tampa Bay Rays 1-0. Stroman simply dazzled, delivering his fourth complete game and second shutout in nine seasons. His only other one was against the Cubs during his 2014 rookie season with the Toronto Blue Jays. He set a season high with 105 pitches and matched one with eight strikeouts. The right-hander walked one in winning his third straight start and helping the Cubs bounce back from a weekend sweep by the Cincinnati Reds. The only hit Stroman allowed was when Wander Franco delivered a clean single to left leading off the seventh. He then walked Brandon Lowe, but got out of that jam by getting Randy Arozarena to fly out and Josh Lowe to ground into a double play.

Tonight
Texas (Pérez 6-1) at Detroit (Faedo 1-2), 6:40 p.m.         News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
Tampa Bay (McClanahan 8-0) at Chicago Cubs (Hendricks 0-1), 8:05 p.m.
L.A. Angels (Anderson 2-0) at Chicago White Sox (Giolito 3-4), 8:10 p.m.

MLB – Hendriks pitches 8th inning for White Sox in return from non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Liam Hendriks has returned to the mound with the Chicago White Sox, marking another memorable moment in his return from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks allowed two runs in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels. The closer was reinstated from the 15-day injured list before the series opener. Fellow reliever Jimmy Lambert was placed on the IL with right ankle inflammation. The 34-year-old Hendriks had no record and a 10.80 ERA in six rehab appearances with Triple-A Charlotte. The Australian right-hander allowed one run and one hit in one inning in his last game with the Knights on May 16.

NHL – NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Conference Finals (Best of 7)
Last Night
Western Conference Finals
Vegas Golden Knights 6, Dallas Stars 0                                  (VGK wins 4-2)

Golden Knights 6, Stars 0 – Golden Knights reach 2nd Stanley Cup Final after Game 6 win over Stars
William Karlsson scored two goals and had an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final with a 6-0 rout over Dallas. The Stars had extended the Western Conference Final to six games after losing the first three. William Carrier, Keegan Kolesar and Michael Amadio each had a goal and an assist for the Knights. Jonathan Marchessault also had a goal. Carrier, Marchessault and Karlsson were part of the inaugural 2017-18 Knights season that ended in their Cup Final. Adin Hill stopped 23 shots for his second career playoff shutout — both against the Stars. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers will be Saturday night in Las Vegas.  It will be the first Stanley Cup Championship for either team.

NBA – National Basketball Association Playoffs – Conference Finals (Best of 7)
Last Night
Eastern Conference Finals
Miami Heat 103, Boston Celtics 84                                        (MIA wins 4-3)

Heat 103, Celtics 84 – Jimmy Butler helps Heat to 103-84 Game 7 win over Celtics and spot in NBA Finals
Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and Caleb Martin gave Miami 26 points and 10 rebounds in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to help the Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 and turn back Boston’s attempt at an unprecedented comeback. The Heat recovered after blowing a 3-0 lead in the series and advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons. They will face the Western Conference champion Nuggets. Game 1 is in Denver on Thursday night. Miami is the first No. 8 seed to play for a championship since the 1999 New York Knicks. Top-seeded Denver has been waiting since sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers on May 22. Game 6 hero Derrick White scored 18 for Boston.

NBA – 76ers hire former Raptors coach Nick Nurse, AP source says
A person with knowledge of the decision says the Philadelphia 76ers have hired coach Nick Nurse weeks after he was fired by the Toronto Raptors. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move. Nurse led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship after they beat the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Nurse will replace Doc Rivers, who was fired after he led the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference finals.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Chicago Sky at Atlanta Dream, 7:00 p.m.
Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun, 7:00 p.m.

Tennis – Alcaraz, Djokovic wins French Open debuts
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic both picked up straight-set victories in the first round of the French Open against opponents ranked outside the Top 100 and making their Grand Slam debuts. Alcaraz is seeded No. 1, Djokovic is No. 3 and most everyone expects them to face each other in the semifinals. Alcaraz beat Flavio Cobolli on Monday. Djokovic defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic. With 14-time champion Rafael Nadal sidelined by injury and missing the clay-court major tournament, Alcaraz and Djokovic are popular picks to emerge as the men’s champion.

NASCAR – Blaney wins Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte to end winless drought
Ryan Blaney pulled away late to win the rescheduled Coca-Cola 600 on Monday at Charlotte Speedway, giving team owner Roger Penske a sweep of the Memorial Day weekend’s top races in the United States. Josef Newgarden won a record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday for Team Penske. It marked the first time Team Penske has earned a sweep of the two races in the same year. Like Newgarden, Blaney went into the crowd to celebrate with fans. Blaney took the lead from William Byron on a restart and led the final 26 laps to win his first Cup Series race since the 2021 Daytona’s Coke Zero Sugar 400. Blaney’s victory snapped a 59-race drought.

Indy 500 – Column: Indy 500’s ending creates controversy and conspiracies
It’s called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” because the Indianapolis 500 is supposed to be one of the most dramatic and difficult races in the world. Sure, it’s an automobile race. But it’s also very much entertainment, even if Marcus Ericsson vehemently disagrees. The controversial ending to the 107th running of the Indy 500 gave Josef Newgarden the win. Newgarden drives for Roger Penske, who owns the race and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So when IndyCar went to an unprecedented one-lap shootout that allowed Newgarden to win the race, well, Ericsson was furious and conspiracy theorists went wild.

Indy 500 – IndyCar sure to investigate wheel that flew over stands from Indy 500 wreck
IndyCar owner Roger Penske says he is sure series officials will investigate what led to a wheel coming loose during a crash in the Indianapolis 500. The wheel from Kyle Kirkwood’s damaged car ended up sailing over the catch fence and grandstands before landing on a parked automobile. Nobody was hurt. The wheels are supposed to have tethers that keep them attached in the event of a crash, but it appeared that the tether came loose or was ripped apart. Penske said “we were very fortunate we didn’t have a bad accident.” Kirkwood and fellow driver Felix Rosenqvist were uninjured in the crash.   The car that was hit by the tire had to be towed and the driver was given a ride home after the race.

NCAAMLAC – Notre Dame wins first men’s lacrosse national title in program history
Liam Entenmann made a season-high 18 saves and Brian Tevlin scored a go-ahead goal with 27 seconds left in the third quarter to help Notre Dame claim its first men’s lacrosse national title with a 13-9 victory over Duke. Third-seeded Notre Dame (14-2) had lost in its previous two championship game appearances in 2010 and 2014 — both to Duke. The top-seeded Blue Devils (16-3) were playing in their seventh national championship game in program history. Entenmann made eight saves on nine shots in the first half as Notre Dame cruised to a 6-1 lead after scoring six unanswered goals — from six different players. Notre Dame scored two goals in the final 30 seconds of the third for a 9-7 lead and Quinn McCahon capped a 6-1 scoring run.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
No games last night

Tonight
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Lansing Lugnuts, 6:00 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 6:35 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Beloit Snappers, 7:35 p.m

MHSAA – High School Sports
Today
Baseball – Regular Season
St. Joseph at Paw Paw, 4:30 p.m.
Bridgman at Michigan Lutheran, 4:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Comstock, 4:30 p.m.
Gull Lake at Kalamazoo Central, 4:00 p.m.
Otsego at Harper Creek, 4:00 p.m.
Eau Claire at Bangor, 4:30 p.m.
South Haven at Thornapple Kellogg, 4:15 p.m.
Coloma at Allegan, 4:15 p.m.
Mendon at Lawrence, 4:30 p.m.

Baseball – Districts
Division 1 at Portage Northern
Mattawan vs. Portage Northern, 4:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Vicksburg
Sturgis vs. Vicksburg, 4:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Wayland
Plainwell vs. Wayland, 4:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Watervliet
Hartford vs. Watervliet, 5:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Galesburg-Augusta
Parchment vs. Galesburg-Augusta, 4:30 p.m.

Division 3 at Grandville Calvin Christian
Fennville vs. Holland Black River

Division 3 at Bridgman
Brandywine vs. Cassopolis, 4:30 p.m.

Division 3 at Schoolcraft
Centreville vs. Schoolcraft, 4:30 p.m.

Division 4 at New Buffalo
Our Lady of the Lake vs. New Buffalo, 4:30 p.m.
Softball – Regular Season
Eau Claire at Our Lady of the Lake, 4:15 p.m.
Bangor at Benton Harbor, 4:15 p.m.
Mattawan at Edwardsburg, 4:00 p.m.
Watervliet at Kalamazoo Central, 4:00 p.m.
Otsego at Harper Creek, 4:00 p.m.
Allegan at Fennville, 4:30 p.m.

Softball – Districts
Division 1 at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Battle Creek Central vs. Loy Norrix, 4:30 p.m.

Division 2 at Edwardsburg
Lakeshore vs. Berrien Springs, 5:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Hamilton
South Haven vs. Holland, 4:30 p.m.

Division 2 at Otsego
Paw Paw vs. Vicksburg, 4:30 p.m.

Division 3 at Coloma
Hartford vs. Bridgman, 4:30 p.m.

Division 3 at Constantine
Buchanan vs. Cassopolis, 4:30 p.m.

Division 3 at Kalamazoo Christian (1st round at local site)
Parchment at Lawton, 4:30 p.m.
Comstock at Schoolcraft, 4:30 p.m.

Division 4 at Decatur
Martin vs. Decatur, 4:30 p.m.

Division 4 at Mendon
White Pigeon vs. Marcellus, 5:00 p.m.

Girls Soccer – Districts
Division 1 at Kalamazoo Central
Portage Central vs. Battle Creek Lakeview, 5:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix vs. Mattawan, 7:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Lakeshore
Otsego vs. Plainwell, 5:00 p.m.
Edwardsburg vs. Lakeshore, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Three Rivers
South Haven vs. Berrien Springs, 5:00 p.m.
Dowagiac vs. Three Rivers, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Hudsonville Unity Christian
Allegan vs. Unity Christian, 5:00 p.m.
Fennville vs. Holland Christian, 7:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Our Lady of the Lake (2nd round at local site)
Bridgman at Our Lady of the Lake, 5:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at Michigan Lutheran, 5:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Hartford (2nd round at local site)
Bangor at Watervliet, 5:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Heritage vs. Lawton, 6:00 p.m. at Hartford

Division 4 at Saugatuck
Holland Black River vs. Calvin Christin, 5:00 p.m.
Saugatuck vs. GR Covenant Christian, 7:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Kalamazoo Hackett
Schoolcraft vs. Kalamazoo Hackett, 5:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Calhoun Christian, 7:00 p.m.

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