With the support of President Trump, Mr. Paxton unseated Senator John Cornyn in a high-profile Republican runoff.

The Fresno City Amateur brings some of the state's best amateur golfers to compete at Riverside Golf Course.This year's field featured Fresno State's Bettencourt brothers, who both finished in the top five.In this week's Bulldog Breakdown, Action News sports anchor Sydney Berger catches up with the home-grown players.For sports updates, follow Sydney Berger on Facebook, X and Instagram.

After posting sectional semifinal victories, four Peoria-area softball teams have moved onto the Sweet Sixteen of the Illinois High School Association postseason.In Class 1A, Illini Bluffs will play in its sixth Sweet Sixteen in seven seasons. Dunlap will meet LaSalle-Peru in Class 3A, while Washington will look to win its first sectional title in five years.Three other local teams — Stark County (1A), Brimfield/Elmwood (2A) and Peoria Notre Dame (2A) — play their sectional semifinal games on Wednesday, May 27. IHSA softball: These 11 Peoria-area softball teams are headed to the 2026 IHSA sectionalsHere is what's facing that group of four teams as they head into sectional title games on Friday, May 29:CLASS 1AIllini BluffsHow they won: Illini Bluffs used a big second inning en route to a 17-1, four-inning semifinal win over Barry Western at the Concord Triopia Sectional on Tuesday, May 26. The Tigers used seven hits in the second inning, getting run-scoring hits from McKenzie Nutter (3-for-3, five RBIs), Chloe Eeten (two RBIs), Emerson Eeten (2-for-3, two RBIs, double) and Sara Finn (2-for-2, two RBIs, double). Nutter started the scoring thanks to a two-run home run in the first. Cora Ellison did the rest for the Tigers, scattering five hits with four strikeouts and no strikeouts. Loryn White went 2-for-2 with a triple to pace Barry Western (16-11). IB has now outscored three postseason opponents, 30-2. This is IB's sixth Sweet 16 appearance over the last seven seasons.What's next: Illini Bluffs (20-6) vs. Concord Triopia (29-1), 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 29 in the Concord Triopia Sectional final.CLASS 3ADunlapHow they won: Gabby Drake played hero as Dunlap escaped with a 2-1 semifinal win over Ottawa at the LaSalle-Peru Sectional on May 26. Drake's sacrifice fly plated the game-winning run in Addie Reed, who led off the sixth inning with a single. Illinois signee Sutton Centoni had tied the game in the top of the fourth when her RBI single to right scored Reed. Centoni (19-3) tossed a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts and four walks, while giving up one earned run. That score came off the bat of Teagan Darif. The Ottawa (22-11) lead-off hitter planted a 1-1 pitch over the left field for a 1-0 advantage. The score held until Centoni's two-out, run-scoring hit. Dunlap hasn't won a sectional championship since a 1992 Class A state fourth-place finish.What's next: Dunlap (28-8) vs. LaSalle-Peru (23-14), 4 p.m. Friday, May 29 in the LaSalle-Peru Sectional final.LaSalle-PeruHow they won: Host L-P used a pair of single scores to outlast East Peoria 2-0 in a sectional semifinal on May 26. The Cavaliers went ahead by a run in the fourth when Makenzie Chamberlain gave L-P its third consecutive single to score Lydia Steinbach. Two innings later, Chamberlain struck again with a double to center field, bringing home Anna Riva. From there, L-P pitcher Taylor Vescogni cruised behind seven strong innings with 12 strikeouts and one walk on 87 pitches. EP (24-10) managed three hits — two by Ashlyn Sweatt (2-for-3) — but was shutout for the fifth time. Raiders pitcher Addison Duncheon struck out four, walked one and allowed five hits. L-P last won a sectional when it was the 2011 Class 3A state runner-up.What's next: LaSalle-Peru (23-14) vs. Dunlap (28-8), 4 p.m. Friday, May 29 in the LaSalle-Peru Sectional final.WashingtonHow they won: An eight-run inning helped propel Washington to an 11-3 semifinal win over Mt. Zion at the Lincoln Sectional on May 26. The Panthers sent 13 batters to the plate in the fifth inning, getting six hits including a two-run double from Addy MacGregor as well as a two RBI-triple by Reagan McMenimen. Sophie Walker and Kami Barth both added run-scoring singles. Mt. Zion (24-14) had gone ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first when Nikki Ellegood's RBI-groundout scored Addison Rotz. But Washington responded with two runs over the next three innings. Payton Swanson scored the go-ahead run in the fourth off a Walker hit. Morgan Clarke struck out two and gave up five hits for Washington, which last won a sectional in 2021.What's next: Washington (25-8) vs. Champaign Central or Normal U-High, 4 p.m. Friday, May 29 in the Lincoln Sectional final.Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA softball: 2026 sectional scores for Peoria-area schools

UFC welterweight Bassil Hafez announced he has been suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. Hafez (9-5-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) beat Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) to the news by announcing his suspension prior to a press release. CSAD typically includes specifics about the positive test, including the substance found, when the test was taken, and the length of the suspension the athlete will face. In getting ahead of the release, Hafez did not reveal any of those details in his statement. However, he did say the substance was discovered in a peptide he was taking while recovering from three surgeries this year, and has been fully cooperating with CSAD throughout the testing process.Hafez, 34, wrote a statement in addition to speaking about the situation on video. "I have bad news for you guys," Hafez wrote on Instagram. "I’ve been suspended by the UFC and CSAD because of a mistake that happened during my recovery. I took a supplement during my healing process that ended up containing a banned substance. I had provided the clinic with the banned substance list and made it clear that those ingredients were not allowed, but it still ended up being included in the mix. At the end of the day, it falls on me for not double and triple checking before taking it. Being injured and sidelined from the sport I’ve spent the last 16 years training for has been incredibly rough, both mentally and physically. "The could’ve, would’ve, should’ve won’t change anything now. I’ve been tested my entire career (17 times to be exact) and have never had a positive test or any issues before this. All I can say is that mistakes happen, and I’ll learn from this. Now it’s time to accept the outcome, move forward, and do better in the future. I can’t wait to see you guys in the Octagon again. All love ❤️ Your support is always appreciated."Hafez's last appearance was in November 2024, in a losing effort against Oban Elliott at UFC 309. His lone UFC win in three fights came in the bout prior, a unanimous decision win over Mickey Gall at UFC 302. More details about Hafez's suspension will be reported when available.View this post on Instagram

The Brooklyn Nets have developed their teams through a number of strategies over the decades, and their front office has put together considerable success through the NBA draft. Many of the franchise's best players have joined the Nets either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades made on that day.Moreover, it is not only the star players who have been acquired by the Nets through the draft. Several prominent alumni have been selected by the team each offseason during this annual event, with certain colleges being more prominently represented than others. An analysis of the players from different schools reveals that both prestigious programs and smaller institutions have contributed top talent to the Nets' roster over the years.So without further ado, let's take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Nets out of Kansas.Rex Walters - guardDraft year and position: first round (16th pick, 16th overall), 1993 NBA DraftSeasons at Kansas: twoSeasons played with Nets: threeJalen Wilson - forwardDraft year and position: second round (21st pick, 51st overall), 2023 NBA DraftSeasons at Kansas: fourSeasons played with Nets: threeAll stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Every Kansas player drafted by the Nets

BOSTON (AP) — Michael Harris II had four hits, including a two-run home run, Matt Olson added another two-run homer and the Atlanta Braves held on to beat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Tuesday night.The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Braves, who have beaten the Red Sox in three of their four meetings this season. It was the ninth career four-hit game for Harris and his second of the season.Atlanta took a 7-4 lead into the ninth when things got a little diceyBoston led off the inning with a single by Mickey Gasper and double by Nick Sogard off Raisel Iglesias. Isiah Kiner-Falefa closed to gap to a run with a two-run single, followed by a single by Jarren Duran. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a groundball into a force at third for the second out of the inning. Wilyer Abreu then hit a tapper back to Iglesias to end the game.Braves starter Spencer Strider (3-0) went five innings plus one batter, allowing three runs off three hits, including two home runs. Iglesias picked up his ninth save.Jarren Duran, Rafaela Ceddanne and Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered for Boston, which has lost its last four. Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez (2-3) lasted five innings, plus three batters, allowing five runs off six hits, including the home run.Kiner-Falefa’s seventh-inning blast off Dylan Lee into the seats of the Green Monster got Boston within 5-4 in the seventh. But the momentum was short-lived with Harris' homer in the following inning to push the lead back to three runs. The night of round trippers started when Duran and Ceddanne hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, sending ropes to opposite sides of the field to put Boston in front 2-0. It allowed Suarez to mostly cruise until the fifth inning, when Atlanta tied it on Olson’s two-out, two-run homer to right field. It was the 15th of the season for Olson, who entered the night with only extra-base hits (both doubles) in his previous 13 games.That was followed in the sixth inning by Harris' go-ahead RBI double that scored Austin Riley.Suarez exited after Harris’ double in favor of reliever Greg Weissert. But it didn’t stop Atlanta from adding two more runs via a Dominic Smith RBI groundout and a Ronald Acuña Jr. RBI single that made it 5-2. Up next Braves RHP Bryce Elder (4-2, 1.97 ERA) is set to start opposite Red Sox LHP Connelly Early (4-2, 3.33)___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

After connecting his opponent to past criticism of President Trump, the conservative state senator now advances to the general election.

Abner Uribe was fired up. So was Pat Murphy – albeit in a different way.Uribe capped his inning-ending strikeout of St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson with a double crotch chop celebration directed directly toward the visiting dugout. Abner Uribe did the double crotch chop at the Cardinals dugout after an inning ending strikeout. Pat Murphy seemed quite displeased as Uribe came to the dugout. pic.twitter.com/MSiwk6tcxM— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) May 27, 2026The ever-passionate Uribe typically ends his outings with some sort of outward expression of emotion, but this one reached a different height. As he walked off the field, his manager came up off the top step and stood on the dirt warning track looking like a stern parent. Murphy had some words for Uribe as he walked past him and into the dugout. Previously in the inning, Uribe challenged a pitch outside the strike zone for the first ABS challenge issued by a Brewers pitcher all year. Later, Uribe was seen exchanging words with Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera during their at-bat. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Abner Uribe caps inning with double crotch chop vs Cardinals

May 26— The Austin girls golf team advanced to the second day of the Section 1AAA Tournament as the Packers finished sixth on the first day of the meet in Cannon Falls Tuesday.Ailani Thiravong had the eighth best overall score with an 82 for the Packers, who will compete in the Section 1AAA finals at Cannon Falls Thursday.Austin scoring: Ailani Thiravong, 82; Lucy Annis, 93; Gracie Grennman, 96; Reagan Harty, 99; Adalyn Coyle, 101; Ali Muzik, 105

May 26— The No. 5 seeded Austin baseball team went through one tough inning as it lost to top-seeded Northfield (15-6 overall) 5-0 in a Section 1AAA Tournament game in Northfield Tuesday.The Raiders seized a 5-0 lead when they scored five times in the bottom of the fifth in a game that saw each team collect six hits.Dylan Wencl went two-for-three for Austin.The Packers (9-14 overall) will play an elimination game at 5 p.m. Thursday.Austin pitching: Noah Dunlap (W) 5 IP, 6 H, 6 BB, 5 ER, 5 K; Keagen Duholm, 1 IP, 0 R, 2 KAustin hitting: Dylan Wencl, 2-for-3; Brandon Rye, 2-for-4; Noah Dunlap, 0-for-2, BB; Haydn Quitmeyer, 1-for-3; Benton Purkapile, 1-for-3

Spurs vs Thunder live box score: Full stats from NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals Game 5 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The San Antonio Spurs are coming off a dominant win in Game 4 to even the series. They head to Oklahoma City for a pivotal Game 5. The winners of Game 5s after tying the series at 2-2 go onto to win the series 88% of the time historically. Game 4 included two statistical aspects that need to continue for the Spurs to be successful, while the Thunder will need to adapt to those aspects to be successful. In Game 4 we saw the return of the dominant version of Wembanyama. 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and a presence that affects the game. In the two Spurs loses, Wemby failed to reach the 20-point range and was not a presence as a rim protector. For the Thunder it's a little bit more concerning. The two-time, back-to-back League MVP only scoring 19 points on 40% shooting while only registering 7 assists and 4 rebounds. Coming from a player almost expected to flirt with a 30-point triple double a night. The team is built around SGA. That could have something to do with Stephon Castle as the primary SGA defender in Game 4. When SGA is less than what is expected it throws the production distribution off. Spurs vs. Thunder Western Conference Finals Game 4 Box ScoreSan Antonio SpursStartersMinPtsFG3PTFTRebAstStlBlkD. FoxPG19:1221-90-30-02820S. CastlePG21:10122-51-37-85320D. VassellSG19:5100-40-30-03210J. ChampagnieSF17:44176-124-71-27020V. WembanyamaC21:09112-70-27-71012BenchMinPtsFG3PTFTRebAstStlBlkD. HarperSG11:5051-31-12-21100K. JohnsonSF7:5463-40-00-01100L. KornetC4:5700-00-00-00000H. BarnesPF3:5300-00-00-00000C. BryantPF2:5052-31-20-00000B. BiyomboC000-00-00-00000K. OlynykC000-00-00-00000M. PlumleeC000-00-00-00000J. McLaughlinPG000-00-00-00000L. Waters IIISG000-00-00-00000Team Totals5817-477-2117-19201582Oklahoma City ThunderStartersMinPtsFG3PTFTRebAstStlBlkS. Gilgeous-AlexanderPG21:12225-112-210-101321J. McCainSG16:1742-70-20-12000L. DortSF14:3073-71-40-04000C. HolmgrenC18:58125-60-02-27111I. HartensteinC14:4642-30-00-05101BenchMinPtsFG3PTFTRebAstStlBlkC. WallaceSG15:0472-41-22-21310A. CarusoSG12:29143-42-36-62430J. WilliamsPF11:2031-21-20-03100K. WilliamsPF5:5431-11-10-02000I. JoeSG000-00-00-00000A. WigginsSG000-00-00-00000N. TopićPG000-00-00-00000Team Totals7624-458-1620-212713731st Half Team StatsSASOKCFG17-4421-40Field Goal %39533PT7-217-14Three Point %3350FT17-1920-20Free Throw %89100Rebounds1823Offensive Rebounds66Defensive Rebounds1217Assists1513Steals87Blocks12Total Turnovers89Points Conceded Off Turnovers1014Fast Break Points102Points in Paint1822Fouls1312Technical Fouls00Flagrant Fouls00Largest Lead813Percent Led3457More NBA Playoff news:San Antonio has best NBA Playoff win since 198310,170 days: Spurs vs. Thunder Western Conference Finals is a generational NBA Playoff seriesSpurs vs. Thunder: 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals schedule announcedFull stats from NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals Game 1Spurs vs. Thunder final score, results: Victor Wembanyama goes off with 41 points, 24 rebounds in 2OT thriller

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 26: Garrett Mitchell #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers flips his bat while hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field on May 26, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images By any measure, the St. Louis Cardinals have overachieved this season. Their trip to Milwaukee would be viewed by many as a measuring stick to determine how competitive this young team is compared to the NL Central division leaders. If the first two games are the measuring stick, the answer is not very as the Brewers hammered the Cardinals again Tuesday night shutting out St. Louis 6-0. Michael McGreevy gave the St. Louis Cardinals a reasonable start for the first 4 innings, but he received no run support and the 5th inning would be his undoing as it has been for many of the St. Louis starters lately. You won’t see any offensive highlights from the Cardinals here, but the Brewers provided more than their share. The first would come in the bottom of the 4th inning when Michael McGreevy made one too many mistakes to Jake Bauer who crushed a 394 foot solo home run into the right field seats giving the Brewers their first lead at 1-0. The infamous 5th inning would be one that Michael McGreevy would not finish. It started with a Christian Yelich double followed by walks to Chourio and Turang to load the bases. William Contreras would quickly unload them when he blasted a double to the right-center field wall upping the Brewer lead to 3-0. That would end Michael McGreevy’s night with his final stat line being 4 innings allowing 7 hits while striking out 6 and walking 3 giving up 5 earned runs. That final earned run would cross the plate when Ryan Fernandez started his relief effort by giving up a 3-run bomb to Garrett Mitchell that traveled 421 feet careening off the center field overhang giving Milwaukee a commanding 6-0 lead. The Cardinals bats made Brewers starter Kyle Harrison look like Cy Young. To his credit, he pitched well throwing 6 complete innings allowing a measly 4 hits and no earned runs to St. Louis with no walks and two strikeouts. One minor subplot late in the game was Abner Uribe’s exaggerated gesture after he struck out Alec Burleson (confirmed strike on appeal). The managers apparently discussed the issue in between innings. Quite possible we’ll be hearing more about this in the near future. The Cardinals will try to avoid a sweep Wednesday afternoon when Dustin May takes the mound for St. Louis. The Brewers starter is to be determined at this point. First pitch at American Family Field in Milwaukee is set for 12:40pm central time and the game will be watchable on Cardinals.tv.

The health secretary wrangled two nonvenomous snakes while visiting Florida in a video that drew widespread attention.

Joc Pederson and the Rangers dropped eight runs on the Astros in the first inning on Tuesday night. (Kelcee Skoug/MLB Photos via Getty Images)Kelcee Skoug via Getty ImagesThe Texas Rangers responded perfectly after finding themselves on the wrong side of a no-hitter.The Rangers, after the Houston Astros completed a combined no-hitter against them on Monday night, absolutely erupted at the start of Tuesday’s contest between the two teams. The Rangers scored eight runs in the first inning of the game at Globe Life Field to take a massive lead right away. That was more than enough to lead them to the 10-7 win.According to Elias, the Rangers are now the first team in more than 120 years to score eight or more runs in the first inning following a game in which they were no-hit. The last team to pull that off was the Chicago White Sox back in 1905. The Rangers ran up the score immediately on Tuesday. Jake Burger hit a two-run single to center to get things started. Evan Carter then hit a two-RBI triple, and Ezequiel Duran then hit him in with a double. Finally, Joc Pederson cleared the bases with a deep shot to right field. That was his fourth home run of the season, and gave the Rangers an 8-0 lead. The @Rangers have scored EIGHT runs in the 1st inning 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0uZic7VjU1— MLB (@MLB) May 27, 2026In total, Astros starter Jason Alexander gave up six hits and nine runs before he was pulled after the sixth inning. The Astros did narrow the gap a bit late, thanks to a pair of runs in the eighth and a solo home run from Jeremy Peña in the ninth, but the comeback attempt started just too late. The opening inning was just too much for them to overcome.That all came after Tatsuya Imai led the Astros on a three-pitcher combined no-hitter on Monday night. Imai pitched six no-hit innings on Monday night in a 9-0 win over the Rangers. Steven Okert and Alimber Santa came in for three innings of relief to complete the no-hitter, which was the first in Major League Baseball since 2024.THE MOMENT!!! pic.twitter.com/yRVK1rHq9G— Houston Astros (@astros) May 26, 2026The Rangers’ win on Tuesday snapped a four-game losing skid, and brought them to 25-29 on the season. While they are still sitting in third in the AL West race, the no-hitter is clearly behind them. They made sure to get that done instantly.

BOSTON (AP) — Michael Harris II had four hits, including a two-run home run, Matt Olson added another two-run homer and the Atlanta Braves held on to beat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Tuesday night.The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Braves, who have beaten the Red Sox in three of their four meetings this season. It was the ninth career four-hit game for Harris and his second of the season.Atlanta took a 7-4 lead into the ninth when things got a little dicey. Boston led off the inning with a single by Mickey Gasper and double by Nick Sogard off Raisel Iglesias.Isiah Kiner-Falefa closed the gap to a run with a two-run single, followed by a single by Jarren Duran. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a groundball into a force at third for the second out of the inning.Wilyer Abreu then hit a tapper back to Iglesias to end the game.Braves starter Spencer Strider (3-0) went five innings plus one batter, allowing three runs off three hits, including two home runs. Iglesias picked up his ninth save.Jarren Duran, Rafaela Ceddanne and Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered for Boston, which has lost its last four. Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez (2-3) lasted five innings, plus three batters, allowing five runs off six hits, including the home run.Kiner-Falefa’s seventh-inning blast off Dylan Lee into the seats of the Green Monster got Boston within 5-4 in the seventh.But the momentum was short-lived with Harris’ homer in the following inning to push the lead back to three runs.The night of round trippers started when Duran and Ceddanne hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, sending ropes to opposite sides of the field to put Boston in front 2-0.It allowed Suarez to mostly cruise until the fifth inning, when Atlanta tied it on Olson’s two-out, two-run homer to right field. It was the 15th of the season for Olson, who entered the night with only extra-base hits (both doubles) in his previous 13 games.That was followed in the sixth inning by Harris’ go-ahead RBI double that scored Austin Riley.Suarez exited after Harris’ double in favor of reliever Greg Weissert. But it didn’t stop Atlanta from adding two more runs via a Dominic Smith RBI groundout and a Ronald Acuña Jr. RBI single that made it 5-2.Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

May 26—MOORHEAD — The Bemidji High School baseball team suffered a heartbreaker in Moorhead to begin the Section 8-4A tournament.Down 8-6 in the seventh inning, Heaton Brodina launched a solo home run to center, while Leo McKeon secured an RBI single to tie the game 8-8.With Brodina pitching in the bottom of the seventh, Moorhead drew two walks before Mason Groce hit a walk-off three-run home run, winning the first game of sections 11-8. Due to the double-elimination format, another loss for the Lumberjacks will end their season.Moorhead scored two runs in the first two innings off of starter Gunner Ganske to lead 2-0 early. Miles Gish got one back in the third inning, thanks to an RBI single. A hit batter with the bases loaded and Kash Rasmus' RBI single in the fourth inning made it 4-2 Bemidji.The lead didn't last long. The Spuds scored one before Jackson Gaard hit a three-run home run into left field to take the lead right back, 6-4.The Jacks scored one in the fifth inning from a Lawson Berg solo shot to trail 6-5, but the Spuds added two in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-5. BHS scored three runs in the next two innings before Groce hit his walk-off home run.Moorhead 11, Bemidji 8BHS 001 311 2 — 8-10-2MOR 110 420 3 — 11-9-1WP: Jonah Meyer (0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K)LP: Brodina (1.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K)

May 26—BEMIDJI — A year ago, the Bemidji High School boys golf team, comprised of a seventh grader, two eighth graders, a freshman, a sophomore and a senior, finished 35 strokes back of Alexandria in the Section 8-3A Tournament.Standing alone in seventh place individually was Beckett Grand, the freshman. He climbed into an individual state-qualifying position after being outside of the top 10 after Day 1, finishing the two-round meet with a score of 147.What followed is what he recalls as the greatest week of his life."It was the coolest experience ever," said Grand, now a sophomore, of playing at the 2025 Class 3A state tournament at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids. "The pressure was there. There were so many people watching. I'd do anything to go back."In his first round, Grand carded an 84. He rebounded on Day 2 with a 78 to finish with a two-day score of 12, good for 77th individually."The first time there, it didn't go very well, but I learned a ton," Grand said. "I learned how to deal with that pressure and I know what it's like to play there. It's a new level down there. The best kids in the state are playing at Bunker. If I go back, I'll go in with a different mindset than I did the first time because I know how to handle it better."That's what the past year has been about for Grand — booking a return trip to the state tournament. He'd rather not make the trek solo.Bemidji will head into the two-day Section 8-3A Tournament on Wednesday at Headwaters Golf Club in Park Rapids. The top team and the top six individuals not on the top team will qualify for state. It'll be loaded with the same familiar foes this young core of varsity golfers has battled against time and time again.But there's a different feeling around the course this spring."We seriously could win it this year," said Grand, intently. "Other years, you dream about it. You know you can do it, but it's still a dream. This year, we actually have a chance. It's a really tough section. Brainerd is really good. Alex and Sartell are really good. Buffalo has a few really good kids. It's one of the best sections in the state. It's stupid good."BHS is a year older, but is still young. The Jacks likely won't have a senior on the varsity roster for the section tournament. Four of the top-six players in their last meet were freshmen or younger.At times, Bemidji has looked like a youthful team this spring."We have grit, but we have to show it," Grand said. "We've all started tournaments this season where we were just terrible. We have to stay level because we've done that this year. We have to avoid the big numbers. That's something we struggle with, making some big ones. If we stay away from that and keep level, we seriously have a chance."Despite only being a sophomore, Grand is looked up to as a leader by his younger teammates."So much advice can come from him," freshman Logan Brink said. "We want to do the same stuff. He tells you to make sure to play smart and play your game. He's easy to talk to and he cares about this team."Brink and Drew Valley, another freshman, were not regulars on the varsity roster a year ago. Even though Brink was in the lineup for the 2025 8-3A Tournament in Sauk Center, he didn't have his breakout until this year."I think I started feeling comfortable from the start of the season," he said. "We all played a lot before the season started in the simulators. We took a trip down to Florida. Getting down there and being able to hit the range a bunch helped."Brink's best finish came on April 25 at The Vintage in Staples. He won the medalist with a round of 75"That was a great feeling," Brink said. "Being able to go out there and shoot a low score and feel that sense of accomplishment was really fun. It gave me a lot of confidence."Valley didn't enter the spring season with experience at the varsity level. However, like Brink, it didn't take long for him to shake the nerves on the first tee box at the Monticello Country Club on April 13 in his debut tournament."I'd never been there before, but I just told myself I was playing a round of golf," Valley said. "I think in that first (varsity) round, after about seven holes, it felt normal again. It just felt like I was playing golf."While the Lumberjacks lost only one senior from a year ago and returned veterans like Grand, Jackson Fogelson, Axel Burlingame and Graham Fish, their spots in the lineup weren't guaranteed. BHS head coach Seth Knudson routinely holds qualifying rounds in practices."Everyone is competitive," Valley said. "Everyone is always competing for those top-six spots. You have to keep grinding to keep up. That's fun. Everyone's trying to win. It's definitely always a competition, even on the practice facilities."Brink added: "Even going out and playing nine holes with your buddies is always competitive on this team."The constant competition keeps a player like Grand on his toes. He admitted his sophomore season didn't get off to the best start. The shift from hockey to golf — and the transition from the simulator and gym sessions to the course — is a challenge."It's the short game," Grand said. "It's so hard right away. You have to really find your touch around the greens because you just lose it going into the winter. That's where I started to find it again. It's easier to keep your swing all winter, but the short game goes away when you live in Minnesota."Whether the Lumberjacks return to state as a team this year or not will be decided when the section tournament concludes on Thursday at Headwaters. But players like Grand can see that Bemidji has the guns to restore its identity as a state power."All of us just grind. It shows how deep we are," Grand said. "We're really deep this year, which means it'll be great for years to come. It's not like we put our clubs away when the high school season ends. We have five or six guys we all know can break 75. It's probably more than that, but we all know we can go out and shoot a score. We haven't really had our day yet, but we play Headwaters all the time in the summer. Hopefully, we can find that day at sections."

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 23: Michael Olise of Munich controls the ball during the DFB Cup Final 2026 match between FC Bayern München and VfB Stuttgart at Olympiastadion on May 23, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images) | Getty Images Bayern Munich’s phenom Michael Olise has just finished an astounding season, surprising everyone with his level, and even being considered by many as a legit Ballon d’Or contender. With France being one of the top contenders for the championship, the Frenchman will be one of the players to keep an eye on during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. However, the kit Olise will be wearing during the summer could have been a different one entirely.Former Nigeria coach and former Bayern player Gernot Rohr recently discussed how he tried to convince Olise to join the Nigerian national team a few years back (Brilafm889 via @iMiaSanMia). “In 2019, I saw Olise and I had a look at him with my assistant. We went to watch a match and we tried to invite him but he did not want to join us at the time,” declared Rohr. At the time, Olise was eligible to play for five teams: England (where he was born), France (his mother’s nationality), Nigeria (his father’s roots), Algeria and Haiti (due to his mother’s roots). Having had that many options, especially two European powerhouses, surely did not help Nigeria’s chances. “Because I think he already knew he can have a big future in a European team and can play for several countries of course. Six or seven years ago when we saw him, he was already so strong. Unfortunately he refused to play for Nigeria,” lamented Rohr.Today, Olise is set to become a big name in the summer’s major tournament, while Nigeria has been left wondering what it could have been had Olise’s decision been different back in 2019.If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor… Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:New, improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community posts

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Yankees clubbed six home runs and every starter in the lineup had at least two hits for the first time in franchise history, sending New York to a 15-1 rout of Kansas City on Tuesday night and its 12th consecutive win over the Royals.Amed Rosario homered twice and Cody Bellinger, Anthony Volpe, Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also went deep for the Yankees, who have hit a league-leading 82 home runs this season. Kansas City, by comparison, has hit just 51.The Yankees finished with 24 hits against Kansas City, their most since a game against Baltimore on July 30, 2011.Cam Schlittler (7-2) allowed his third homer of the year, a solo shot by Bobby Witt Jr., but little else over six innings. It was the seventh time in his last eight starts that Schlittler allowed one earned run or fewer, and he struck out six without issuing a walk.The Royals sent Bailey Falter (0-2) out against him to lead off a designated bullpen game. He wound up allowing as many runs (seven) as he recorded outs, and the Yankees proceeded to pull away against Luinder Avila and the rest of the Kansas City staff.That included backup outfielder Tyler Tolbert, who threw a diet of 44 mph lobs in the ninth inning.Bellinger started the damage for New York by homering for the second straight game, a two-out shot in the first. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a double and, when the Royals thought they were out of the inning on a sinking liner right fielder Jac Caglianone lazily snared at grass level, a challenge by Yankees manager Aaron Boone showed the ball had touched the ground.Rather than escaping the inning down 1-0, the Royals trailed 2-0 with a runner on base. Rosario made it 4-0 a couple of pitchers later, sending Falter's hanging curveball 420 feet over the left-field fence, and the Yankees were on their way.Up nextYankees RHP Gerrit Cole (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second start since Tommy John surgery when he faces Royals LHP Noah Cameron (2-3, 4.72) in the series finale Wednesday night. Cole allowed two hits over six scoreless innings against Tampa Bay last Friday night. It was his first major league game since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Dodgers.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Joc Pederson hit a three-run homer to cap an eight-run first inning in Texas' 10-7 win over the Astros on Tuesday night, a day after three Houston pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter against the Rangers.The first Texas hit was a single by No. 3 hitter Brandon Nimmo, while Jake Burger had a two-run single and Evan Carter drove in two more with a bouncing triple past first baseman Christian Walker into the right-field corner.Pederson, who struck out against Jason Alexander (1-1) to start the bottom of the first, drove a 1-2 fastball from the right-hander about a dozen rows into the seats in right field for his fourth homer.Texas ended Houston's four-game winning streak and stopped a four-game skid.Yordan Alvarez homered twice, including a three-run shot that went 449 feet, to give the slugger 18 this season, and Cam Smith had his fifth on a solo shot that cut Houston's deficit to 9-6 in the eighth.Jacob Latz pitched 1 1/3 innings for his sixth save, getting Alvarez on a sharp grounder to end the game two batters after Jeremy Peña's solo homer. Tatsuya Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa, who was making his major league debut for the Astros, held Texas hitless in a 9-0 victory in the series opener on Monday night.Texas’ eight-run first was the second-largest for a team that went hitless in its previous game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Chicago White Sox had a nine-run first against the Boston Americans in the second game of a doubleheader on Sept. 27, 1905, after getting no-hit by Bill Dinneen in the opener.Jack Leiter (2-4) retired the final eight hitters he faced, starting with the leadoff man Peña and Isaac Paredes to end the fourth when the Astros had the bases loaded with one out trailing 9-4.Alexander (1-1) managed to get through six innings because he retired his final 12 hitters after giving up Carter's solo homer leading off the third.Up nextHouston RHP Mike Burrows (2-6, 5.75 ERA) is set to face RHP Jacob deGrom (3-4, 3.86) in the third game of the four-game set.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Yankees smashed six home runs and Cam Schlittler was strong through six innings in their 15-1 win over the Royals in Kansas City on Tuesday night.It's the Yankees' third win in a row and 13th straight victory over the Royals, including the postseason. New York's 24 hits are a season high, with every starter getting at least two base knocks, the first time in franchise history that has occurred. It's the most hits the Yankees had in a single game since 2011. Here are the takeaways....-Going up against an opener, the Yankees made the Royals pay. Cody Bellinger opened up the scoring again with his eighth homer of the season, launching a two-out solo shot in the first on a slider over the heart of the plate from Bailey Falter.After a Paul Goldschmidt double, Ben Rice hit a sharp liner toward Jac Caglianone in right field, who could not maintain control of the ball. It was initially called an out, but Aaron Boone challenged and it was overturned, allowing Goldschmidt to score. Amed Rosario made the Royals pay with a two-run bomb that went 420 feet into the fountain in left center field to put the Yankees up 4-0.-Anthony Volpe launched his first homer of the season in the second, a 409-foot blast that went 103 mph to straightaway center. It's his first regular season homer since Aug. 29 of last year. Volpe finished 3-for-6 with two RBI. -The Yankees would pour on four more runs in the third thanks to RBI from Volpe, Trent Grisham and Bellinger. Aaron Judge's double in the fifth pushed the Yankees' lead to 10-1. Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. added solo homers in the seventh and eighth, respectively. Rosario would launch his second homer of the game in the ninth off shortstop Tyler Tobert to put the Yankees up 15-1. -The offensive onslaught was more than enough for Schlittler. The young right-hander tossed just 77 pitches but got through six innings, allowing just one hit on four hits. His one mistake was a Bobby Witt Jr. homer back in the third inning. Schlittler struck out six batters and has now gone at least 6.0 innings in his last four starts (2-1). Ryan Yarbrough mopped up the rest of the innings, pitching three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk. Game MVP: Amed RosarioRosario's two-run bomb in the first inning made the Royals pay and gave the Yankees the breathing room for Schlittler to do his thing.HighlightsCody Bellinger hits a home run to get things started early for the Yankees! pic.twitter.com/NViy3J8T1g— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 26, 2026Amed Rosario hits a 2-run homer! pic.twitter.com/NNRklHQqvZ— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 26, 2026Anthony Volpe hits his first home run of the season!pic.twitter.com/KPgOeLzg7l— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 27, 2026What's nextThe Yankees and Royals wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m.Gerrit Cole will make his second start this season and go up against Noah Cameron (2-3, 4.72 ERA).

May 26, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Bailey Falter (36) looks on after giving up two-run home run to New York Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario (14) in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images One of my pet theorems about the Kansas City Royals franchise and their fans is that nobody really knows what winning looks like, what good players look like. It’s a point of view naturally warped by decades of mediocrity punctuated by brief seasons of excitement. Tonight, the New York Yankees crushed the Royals 15-1 and notched a hilarious 24 hits in a farce of a game that was never close.There’s not much of a story to this one, really. The Royals, down a couple of starting pitchers and bereft of any legitimate arms in the upper minors to help, made this a bullpen game. One week ago, I sat in the press box and wrote about a game wrecked by Bailey Falter and The Bullpen Dudes. Tonight, I type this sitting in the press box and am writing about a game being wrecked by Bailey Falter and The Bullpen Dudes once again. Falter’s first inning was one of the worst innings I think I’ve ever seen. No, he didn’t give up nine runs in a frame like Edinson Volquez did in 2016 or 10 runs like Vin Mazarro’s fourth inning disaster in 2011, but it was frankly a miracle he didn’t give up more. And that’s because, well, just look at this:Seven batted balls. An average—average!!!—exit velocity of 104 MPH. Not a single ball had an expected batting average of less than .460, and that one was the home run. Just an absolute embarrassment. Four runs scored. Now, to be somewhat fair to Falter, he should have been out of it with just Cody Bellinger’s solo home run on the board. Two batters later, Ben Rice hit a sinking line drive to right field. Jac Caglianone had a bead on it but jogged it down instead of ran it down, barely catching the ball with his glove touching the ground.But the Yankees challenged. They thought the ball touched the ground in the course of the catch, and the MLB replay officials agreed. That ended up scoring Paul Goldschmidt and led to two more runs. Ben Rice lines out Caglianone and was called out. Yankees challenged the catch and it was overturned making it 2-0 Yanks pic.twitter.com/s984GjA3fP— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 26, 2026Falter managed to squeeze through the second inning with only one additional run given up, but the Yankees tagged him (and reliever Luinder Avila) for another four runs in the third. Just look at this beautiful pitching from Falter:Candidate for one of the worst pitches of all time pic.twitter.com/ngxDs2mnQV— MahomesToKelce (@kcmojimmy) May 27, 2026The Yankees ended up with a whopping 11 batted balls off Falter at more than 100 MPH, tagging Avila with two more. Stephen Cruz later gave up a 103.9 MPH home run from Trent Grisham. Eli Morgan gave a 107.3 MPH homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. It was a bloodbath. The Royals bats were, as you might expect, silent. Kansas City didn’t get shut out thanks to a laser beam opposite-field homer from Bobby Witt Jr., in a sort of “Chris Paul hits a huge 3 to cut the lead to 42” sort of way. It was his second consecutive day with a home run. His wRC+ is up to 135. That’s nice.Bobby homers on his 2nd consecutive day for his 9th of the season. pic.twitter.com/yQt2XpD08E— Royals.TV (@kcroyalstv) May 27, 2026The rest of the game happened, but it was over in the first inning, unfortunately. Despite the conditions, the sizable crowd remained jovial throughout. I’m sure that was because of the significant count of Yankees fans; during the “root, root root for the TEAM NAME” section of the seventh-inning stretch, the volume of the words “Yankees” and “Royals” was identical. But this goes back, I think, to my initial statement a few hundred words ago. Royals fans are so used to losing that they didn’t seem particularly phased by the drubbing. Despite getting totally pantsed by a team that most Royals fans despise, the only notable boos were reserved for Jazz Chisholm (warranted) and varying calls by the officiating crew (maybe warranted, depending on your opinion of the Cags drop call). Now, it was indeed a lovely night at the ballpark with absolutely perfect weather, and Lord knows there are enough angry Royals fans on the internet to make up for the chill vibes at Kauffman tonight. And yet I simply can’t imagine Yankees fans in the Bronx suffering a game like this without being ticked about it, and I can’t imagine St. Louis Cardinals fans just sitting around if the Cubs were dominating at Busch Stadium.At one point there was this, I guess? It was a Vinnie bobblehead night.This will haunt me pic.twitter.com/Uea3hNRWGx— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) May 27, 2026Anyway, it’s easy to chalk a game like this up to a pitching mismatch—Yankees starter Cam Schlittler has been the best pitcher in the American league, after all—and to just shake a game like this off. Some of tonight’s result was because the Royals put in Tyler Tolbert in to pitch the ninth inning, so like, ok. But the truth of the matter is that this is simply the result of a talent difference. The Yankees are a good team. The Royals are not. The Royals are 22-33. They are not coming back from this.

Rico Verhoeven’s bid to pull off the biggest upset in boxing history was controversially called to an end on Saturday after referee Mark Lyson halted Verhoeven’s efforts against pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk in the bout’s penultimate round. The stoppage has been the subject of much controversy, which was only fueled after replays showed the bell rang to signal the end of Round 11 seconds before Lyson waved off the contest.Verhoeven’s trainer, Peter Fury, shared his thoughts on the contentious ending with Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday."I thought he hit him with a very good shot, Oleksandr Usyk [did],” Fury began. “[Verhoeven] genuinely went down, but he got up. There was punches [being thrown by Usyk]. But when I say punches [weren’t] landing, a lot of it was going against the gloves, and [Verhoeven] threw a punch back. He was on his feet. “I didn't realize the bell had ended [in the moment], but the bell had ended. What [Lyson] should've done is sent [Verhoeven] back to his corner, because this is a guy that's in a competitive fight for the championship of the world. He's on his feet, the bell’s gone — send him back to the corner. He's not taking a beating where this guy's going to get brain damage. He's on his feet and he fired back. He fired a right hand, and he missed, but he's there. “You saw when [Verhoeven] was stopped, what he said to the referee — he was coherent at all times. And even at the end of it, it tells you the type of man Rico is, because he said at the end when he was talking to [Lyson] in the ring, he said, 'Look, I don't like this. I'd rather go out on my shield.' And that's the type of man he is. Yes, it's a mistake. What the referee’s done is wrong. It's totally wrong what he’s done. But accidents do happen; it's human error.”Ironically, Verhoeven’s efforts being controversially cut short by Lyson prevented another controversy from unfolding to its full extent. The Dutch kickboxer was only one round away from going to the scorecards and having the decision go against him — unless he scored a knockdown of his own in Round 12. During the fight, most pundits believed Verhoeven was significantly ahead after 10 rounds, however two of the bout’s judges had it tied at five rounds apiece, with a third having Verhoeven up by two. Fury’s nephew, former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, may be known for his boastful personality and antics outside of the ring, but it’s fair to say that uncle Peter is the polar opposite. The elder Fury’s reaction to the stoppage was as understanding and humble as one could expect in a situation where a referee’s verdict may have legitimately cost Verhoeven the opportunity to make history and maximize his earning potential. Fury and Lyson shared a flight on the way back to the UK from Egypt, and during the journey, Fury enquired of Lyson’s decision to stop the bout, with Lyson alledgely revealing that — like Fury — he also did not hear the bell signal the end of Round 11."I shook his hands,” Fury said of Lyson. “I said, ‘There's no hard feelings, mistakes happen.' And that's it. I want to believe the best in people. I don't want to look at what could be and what could not be. It's tragic, and it's definitely the wrong thing to do [to stop the fight] — that's a fact because it's caused a lot of controversy when it was a great fight. It takes away some [of the] limelight from what Usyk had to deal with as well. It got messy through somebody else's mistake."Heading into the contest, nobody gave Verhoeven much of a chance of being competitive, never mind pulling off the victory. But Fury — who previously coached Tyson Fury to a world heavyweight title and Savannah Marshall to championships in two divisions — believed that Verhoeven could successfully make the transition from a legendary kickboxer to a world-class boxer. Rico Verhoeven stunned the boxing world with how well he did against Oleksandr Usyk.KHALED DESOUKI via Getty Images"I felt comfortable [about Rico boxing],” Fury revealed. “I've known Rico and Dennis [Krauweel] for 15 years, and I know what he can do. With him being an undisputed kickboxing champion [with] 90-odd professional fights, and this guy's been fighting since the age of 6. Plus, add to the fact that he's a super athlete. I genuinely believed — which has come to be true as well — that I could transform him and give him a new style.“[Verhoeven] needs so much credit because he's so professional, hard-working and dedicated — it's on another level, it really is. What he’s done for me in the sparring, the way he was coming on, and not just that [but] believing in the process when it didn't seem possible — I can't credit him enough. I'm thankful the fight went how it did. He was very competitive in it and he put on a marvelous display. I'm absolutely over the moon."Usyk is boxing’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. He proved far too good for the cruiserweight division and the British heavyweight trio of Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois on his way to becoming a three-time undisputed champion. It was the one-fight novice Verhoeven, however, who made the art of beating Usyk look simple at times, which has led many to come to the conclusion that Usyk may have taken the challenge lightly and not prepared to the best of his ability. Fury, on the other hand, wasn’t receptive to such an idea."Absolutely not,” Fury responded when asked if Usyk may have overlooked Verhoeven. “I know Team Usyk, and I know people in his team. I know them very well — I've got the height of respect for them. I can assure you, Oleksandr Usyk trained for this the same as he's trained for all of his other fights. He's had the same amount of time, he's had good sparring, and he knew what was ahead of him. “Don't forget he thought he was coming in with a guy around 120-plus kilos [265 pounds]. That's a lot of weight, and he knows how good Rico is. Don't forget, he was asked a question: Is Dubois a harder fight than Rico? He said, 'No, Rico is going to be more difficult.’ …. The extra pounds were put on [by Usyk] because it helps you absorb body shots, it makes you a little bit stronger to absorb the punishment, and what he’s done was very calculated. I'm not going to take anything away from Oleksandr Usyk because I know heavyweight boxing, and I know what it takes to get in there. “What Rico was doing was putting Usyk under immense pressure,” Fury continued. “If Usyk hadn't have been in fantastic, phenomenal shape and prepared like he had, he wouldn't have made it [11 rounds], because Rico would've got to him. The pace Rico set, that sheer body weight, getting in clinches, roughing him up, and Oleksandr to withhold his momentum and still be there in the 11th round, still throwing punches, still be strong, after taking a lot of punches — how can anybody sit there in their right mind and say he took this fight lightly? They don't know boxing if they're doing that.“Oleksandr Usyk doesn't take anybody lightly. When he signs up for a fight, he goes into camp, locks himself away, and he dedicates like nobody [else]. That's why he's such a great three-time undisputed world champion. Guys like this, especially where he's from, don't take the foot off the gas."Much of the talk after Saturday has been about a potential rematch between the pair. Usyk is no stranger to rematches, having taken part in his fair share of them at heavyweight. It seems unlikely that a second meeting between the duo will be next because Usyk has WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel to take care of. Fury and Verhoeven have both expressed their desires for a rematch at some point, though. "One hundred percent, I [want the rematch],” Fury said. “It would be nice for them to get it back on. Usyk will feel, 'I've been robbed of a knockout. It was there on the plate for me. If you come out [for Round 12], I'd have probably got to him.' Especially with the controversy that's gone on around it. Rico feels like he made a [mistake] in there in the 11th round, which he didn't need to make. I would like to see the fight happening [again]. Hopefully they can get it back on, because we'd be all for that fight again, no problem at all."

In a three-hour meeting, members of the grocery cooperative voted by a margin of more than 2 to 1 in favor of a boycott.

President Trump’s record of ousting those he sees as disloyal continued apace with Senator John Cornyn’s defeat. Whether his relationship with Senate Republicans can be repaired is another question.

New England Dominating NBA With Recent Eye-Popping Success originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Basketball was invented in Massachusetts, so it's not surprising that New England is a hoops hotbed.That's remained true for over a century, especially in 2026. Look no further than some of the NBA's recent award winners, where New Englanders are dominating.Rhode Island native Joe Mazzulla won his first NBA Coach of the Year award on Tuesday. While the Boston Celtics lost in the first round of the playoffs, they had a phenomenal regular season that far exceeded expectations. Despite parting ways with much of their championship core last summer and losing Jayson to an Achilles injury for most of the season, the Celtics didn't skip a beat. Mazzulla led them to a 56-26 record and the two seed in the Eastern Conference, getting the most out of an undermanned and inexperienced roster.Coach of the Year - Rhode IslandRookie of the Year - MaineThe #1 Draft Pick - MassachusettsShout out to New England in the NBA— GreenRunsDeep (@CelticsGRD) May 27, 2026Meanwhile, Maine native Cooper Flagg won NBA Rookie of the Year honors for his stellar season with the Dallas Mavericks. The top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft lived up to the hype, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in his age-19 season.Luka Doncic may be gone, but the future is still fairly bright in Dallas thanks to Flagg. Boston fans are already dreaming of him potentially playing for the Celtics someday.Like Flagg, the first overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft will likely be a New Englander as well. A 19-year-old out of BYU, Massachusetts native AJ Dybantsa Jr. is expected to go first overall to the Washington Wizards next month.In other words, New England rules the basketball world, regardless of what the Celtics do this summer.More NBA: Podcast Host Reveals Who's To Blame For Starting Jaylen Brown Controversy

EVANSVILLE — The final weekend of the high school girls track and field season is set.A handful of athletes from Southwestern Indiana advanced from the regional at Central High School on Tuesday, May 26. The state finals will be held on Friday, June 5 at North Central High School in Indianapolis. The top three finishers in each event advanced to state, plus any individual or relay team meeting the three-participant standard in the finals of their event.Here are a few takeaways from the regional and a list of everyone who advanced.More: Players, teams to watch across SW Indiana baseball sectionalsNorth sprinter broke a record previously held by Evansville legendDe'Janay Layne had this meet circled for some time.Part of it is the nature of the state tournament. There couldn't be any missteps with a spot in Indianapolis on the line. The North senior also knew this group of sprinters would push her more than at any point this spring. A challenge she embraced.The result was another milestone performance in a career full of them. Layne was a double regional champion in the 100 (11.86 seconds) and 200 (24.40), in addition to running a strong leg of the 4x400 relay to help the Huskies advance to the state finals. The winning time in the 100 was a meet record, while the 200 was only .01 seconds off the mark she set last year."I've been practicing and pushing myself as hard as I can to get to this moment," Layne said. "I'm not surprised, but I am blessed to be able to trust the process. I just tell myself it's me against the clock. I'm not focused on anybody else and just run my race."The time in the 100 is the notable achievement. The regional meet record was previously held by Alexia Smith at 12.03 seconds in 2023. The Bosse star completed her high school career as one of the top track athletes in Evansville history. Among her accolades were two individual state titles and a trio of top-five finishes her senior year.Layne was a freshman that spring. Smith was the runner she aspired to become. The North star could join her as a two-time state champion next week in the state finals. Layne will be among the top athletes in the 100 and 200."She was a dog," Layne remembers of Smith. "I saw how strong she was. I loved watching her. I knew I would get to her level and never doubted myself."Who won the IHSAA regional team championship?Floyd Central won its third straight regional title by a comfortable margin. The Highlanders won four individual championships (two relays) and advanced five others to the IHSAA state championship. Jasper was the runner-up after earning advancing spots in five events, highlighted by victories from Madelyn Knies (300 hurdles) and Katherine Woebkenberg (pole vault). The latter was a regional meet record at 12-feet, 6 inches. The previous mark was 12-01.5 by Sarah Hayhurst in 2014.Castle advanced to state in four events, including a victory from the 4x400 relay team. Gibson Southern finished fourth with five advancing spots. Boonville was fifth with five advancing events, with senior Ava Kelley earning three of them (100, long jump, 4x100 relay).The other individual regional champions from Southwestern Indiana were Ellie Meunier (Forest Park), Ruth Dickason (Mater Dei), Mallory Watt (Princeton), Whitney Shoup (Boonville), Leah Heldman (Mater Dei) and Jenna Herr (Memorial). Below is every individual who advanced to the state finals.Evansville Central RegionalTeam standings: Floyd Central 95, Jasper 60, Castle 52, Corydon Central 45, Gibson Southern 43, Boonville 41, North 36, Forest Park 33, Mount Vernon 28, Mater Dei 25, New Albany 19, Memorial 18, Perry Central 14.5, Princeton 13, Borden 12, North Posey 10, Heritage Hills 7.5, Wood Memorial 7, Vincennes Rivet 6, Southridge 6, Washington 6, Reitz 6, Crawford County 5, North Harrison 5, South Knox 5, Tecumseh 4, Harrison 4, Eastern (Pekin) 3, North Knox 3, Pike Central 3, Tell City 2, Providence 2, Barr-Reeve 2.100: De'Janay Layne (North) 11.86; Ava Kelley (Boonville) 12.07; Ayanna Starks (New Albany) 12.33200: De'Janay Layne (North) 24.40; Aubree Adams (Corydon Central) 25.16; Ayanna Starks (New Albany) 25.38400: Ellie Meunier (Forest Park) 57.97; Iana Tecson (North) 58.83; Brooklyn Lutz (Castle) 59.00800: Ruth Dickason (Mater Dei) 2:15.78; Adeline Shultz (Floyd Central) 2:18.39; Emma Campbell (Floyd Central) 2:21.571,600: Mallory Watt (Princeton) 5:02.91; Isabella Milliner (Floyd Central) 5:11.09; Eve Vinson (Heritage Hills) 5:12.293,200: Noel Nifong (Floyd Central) 11:17.27; Rowen Engelbright (North Posey) 11:18.57; Maddie Graber (Southridge) 11:19.84100 hurdles: Whitney Shoup (Boonville) 14.81; Kynlee Reeves (Gibson Southern) 15.03; Stella Hall (Mount Vernon) 15.12300 hurdles: Madelyn Knies (Jasper) 45.92; Stella Hall (Mount Vernon) 45.97; Jackie Smith (Floyd Central) 46.014x100 relay: Floyd Central (Conway, Smith, Jackson, Lewis) 48.93; Castle 49.27; Boonville 49.484x400 relay: Castle (Cunningham, Mominee, Zaccardelli, Lutz) 4:03.13; North 4:04.91; Jasper 4:05.124x800 relay: Floyd Central (Campbell, Milliner, Nifong, Shultz) 9:33.03; Gibson Southern 9:50.95; Jasper 9:54.13High jump: Leah Heldman (Mater Dei) 5-4; Riley Rarick (Borden) 5-4; Addison Luff (Boonville) 5-3; Paige Schnaus (Gibson Southern) 5-3; Emery Stroud (Crawford County) 5-3Pole vault: Katherine Woebkenberg (Jasper) 12-6; Riley Hinson (Forest Park) 10-6; Rachel Rowan (Corydon Central) 10-3Long jump: Aubree Adams (Corydon Central) 18-2.25; Lyla Conway (Floyd Central) 17-7; Ava Kelley (Boonville) 17-3.25Shot put: Jenna Herr (Memorial) 38-3.50; Samantha Hulse (Jasper) 37-9; Izabell Grantz (Castle) 36-3.50Discus: Riley Jackson (Floyd Central) 133-4; Ashlyn Hopf (Gibson Southern) 119-7; Makenna Cummings (Gibson Southern) 114-11Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville-area athletes headed to 2026 IHSAA girls track & field state

Thunder vs. Spurs live score, updates, highlights from 2026 Western Conference Finals Game 5 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Western Conference finals have become a battle of adjustments between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder Game 5 on Tuesday night will be no different.With that being said, the Spurs head back to Oklahoma City with momentum after locking the series back up at 2-2. For the Thunder, this is time to refocus and prove why they're the NBA's top team, especially at home.Victor Wembanyama has been phenomenal in the first four game, setting the tone for a chance to advance. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has also lived up to expectations, he has shown faults.However, both team have said this is a chess match. The numbers back it up. Through four games, San Antonio holds a slim 446-442 scoring edge. The Spurs are shooting 43% from the field, while Oklahoma City is at 42%. With neither side standing down, Game 5 could decide who moves one and who comes up short. NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live scores | Full schedule | Updated bracketThunder vs Spurs live updates, highlights from NBA Western Conference Finals playoff Game 54th Quarter9:02- Both teams open the quarter sloppy with several miscues on both sides of the floor. OKC still has a 107-93 lead.End of 3rd Quarter: Thunder 101, Spurs 913rd QuarterSpursThunderFG29-6732-62Field Goal %43523PT11-3011-23Three Point %3748FT22-2626-30Free Throw %8587Rebounds2732Assists2220Steals97Blocks34Total Turnovers1212Points Off Turnovers1616Fast Break Points172Points in Paint3428Fouls2218Technical Fouls00Flagrant Fouls00Largest Lead8203rd Quarter25.2 seconds- Two very questionable calls by the officials on back-to-back Spurs possessions. A clear goaltending that wasn't called following by an out of bound called off the Spurs, which the officials didn't recognize the challenge by Mitch Johnson. 2:00- Devin Vassell 3-pointer pulls Spurs back within nine, 95-86. This game is weird to say the least. 5:39- Spurs on 15-2 run in the past two minutes, cut Thunder's lead 87-79. Timeout on the floor. The past 17 minutes of game time has been wild with San Antonio getting back into the game after large OKC leads. 8:30- Dylan Harper and 5 run to open the quarter and take 20 point lead. Not the way the Spurs wanted to start the half at all. 10:52- Both team open the second half with sloppy play. We'll see who settles down first. Halftime: Thunder 69, Spurs 58HalftimeSan AntonioOKCFG17-4421-40Field Goal %39533PT7-217-14Three Point %3350FT17-1920-20Free Throw %89100Rebounds1823Assists1513Steals87Blocks12Total Turnovers89Points Off Turnovers1014Fast Break Points102Points in Paint1822Fouls1312Technical Fouls00Flagrant Fouls00Largest Lead8132nd Quarter1:20 Thunder take the largest lead of the night 65-52. This had been a roller coaster quarter with both teams riding the waves. 2:10: Thunder back up 58-49 with Wemby out of the game. 6:08: Spurs go on a 9-0 run to cut the Thunder's lead to 45-44. Timeout on the floor. 8:09- Thunder maintain lead up 45-35 with physical play on both sides of the floor.10:40- Jaylin Williams hits back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Thunder 39-30 lead. The Spurs look flat to start the second quarter. End of 1st Quarter: Thunder 29, Spurs 271st QuarterSpurs ThunderFG10-2410-20Field Goal %42503PT5-133-7Three Point %3843FT2-26-6Free Throw %100100Rebounds813Assists96Steals65Blocks00Total Turnovers57Points Off Turnovers611Fast Break Points80Points in Paint1012Fouls42Technical Fouls00Flagrant Fouls00Largest Lead821st Quarter17.7 seconds- Another pair of SGA free throw gives OKC 29-27 lead before the end of the first quarter. 1:55- SGA's first points come at the free throw line to tie the game again at 22. 2:17- Thunder tie the game at 20. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has zero points thus far and 0-4 from the field. 3:59- Julian Champagnie has 13 of the Spurs 18 points as the spark the team needed right off the bat. OKC cuts the lead to 18-15 with a Chet Holmgren floater over Victor Wembanyama.So far, San Antonio has been dangerous without Wemby leading the charge. Once he settles in, this could be goodnight for the Thunder. One thing to watch as the game goes on. 7:06- Spurs on a 10-2 run with 11 early points by Julian Champagnie. What a great start on the road, taking a 16-8 lead. 7:56- Spurs jump out to an early 11-6 lead. Both teams traded baskets before Julian Champagnie hit back-to-back 3-pointers. 12:00- Start of the 1st Quarter in OKC How to Watch Game 4 Western Conference Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder (2-2) vs San Antonio Spurs (2-2)Tuesday, May 26Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. ETTV: NBC and PeacockMore NBA Playoff news:San Antonio has best NBA Playoff win since 198310,170 days: Spurs vs. Thunder Western Conference Finals is a generational NBA Playoff seriesSpurs vs. Thunder: 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals schedule announcedFull stats from NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals Game 1Spurs vs. Thunder final score, results: Victor Wembanyama goes off with 41 points, 24 rebounds in 2OT thriller

EDITOR'S NOTE: Coaches are reminded to send in game results each weeknight by emailing pjsports@providencejournal.com from 6 to10 p.m.🥎GAME OF THE DAYThe Chariho softball team just found out that winning your first state title won’t be an easy task.Tuesday’s first round game was supposed to be a walk in the park for the second-seeded Chargers, but No. 10 Pilgrim made it anything but. A pitchers duel broke out and Chariho got late-game heroics from Anna Tretton, who hit a two-out single in the seventh to give the Chargers a 2-1 walk-off win over the Patriots.Chariho went undefeated this spring, winning 20 games relatively drama free. With the best pitcher in the state in Adriana Jeannenot and a lineup that’s produced all season, a first-round win at home seemed to be a lock.Pilgrim didn’t drive to Wood River Junction intending on rolling over. The Patriots struck first in the top of the third after Lia Wasilewksi opened the inning with a double, moved to third on a groundout, then scored on a bunt by Abigail Bryson.Chariho didn’t led the deficit last. The Chargers answered in the bottom half of the third after picking up two walks, then getting an RBI single from Tretton.The rest of the game – and the entire game – was dominated by Jeannenot and the combination of Pilgrim’s Gretchen Dombeck and Gabriella Santiago.Tied at 1 going to the bottom of the seventh, Maddie Dorgan drew a two-out walk, stole second, moved to third on a passed back, then scored on Tretton’s single.Tretton was the offensive star for Chariho with two hits and two RBI. Jeannenot threw seven innings of four-hit ball, striking out four. The Chargers move on to the winners’ bracket semifinal and will play the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 6 Westerly and No. 3 Cranston West.Dombeck threw four innings of three-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts. Santiago threw 2 2/3 innings, giving up two hits and two runs with three walks while striking out five. The Patriots will play the loser of Wednesday’s game between No. 6 Westerly and No. 3 Cranston West.⚾BASEBALL – D-I Pod 1 First RoundNo. 1 Hendricken 11, No. 9 Moses Brown 1The top-seed Hawks found their offense early, plating three runs in the second inning thanks to a Yadier Blanco triple, Jude Monti getting hit by a pitch and Parker Boyd doubling to right. Hendricken never looked back as they cruised to the next round in Pod 1 play.Mason Crain collected a pair of hits and RBIs, as did Blanco to pace the Hawks. Dylan Poloski was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Ryan Pierce also scored a pair of runs in the win.On the mound, Stephen Maynard earned the complete-game victory (five innings), striking out six, allowing just two hits and one run.BraydenMenard drove in the Quakers' lone run in the loss.Hendricken will face the winner of Tuesday's North Kingstown vs. South Kingstown game on Thursday. No. 4 South Kingstown 10, No. 5 North Kingstown 3Read Bill Koch's story on the Rebels' win here.⚾BASEBALL – D-I Pod 2 First RoundNo. 2 La Salle 12, No. 7 Smithfield 1Shortstop and leadoff hitter Adryan Urena cracked two homers and drove in seven runs to lead the Rams to the victory at home. La Salle’s starting pitcher Cameron Caprio worked five strong innings, giving up just one run on four hits. He struck out two batters.La Salle first baseman David Cavalloro had two hits and drove in three runs. Left fielder Axel Da Silva also had two hits and drove in a run.For the Sentinels, starter Connor Curtis took the loss. Second baseman Johnny Brown had a hit and an RBI.No. 3 East Providence 2, No. 6 Lincoln 1Alex Enright and the bottom of East Providence’s lineup had enough. Enright tripled in the bottom of the sixth to score JJ Renaud and then crossed home after an error in the sequence. The two runs, sparked by Renaud’s single, were enough for Ben Hallene as the Townies escaped the Pod 2 Opening Round with a 2-1 victory.Hallene finished with a complete game, allowing one earned run on seven hits with six strikeouts to just two walks.Enright, Renaud and Max Pawlik, forever known now as the unsung heroes, combined for five of East Providence’s eight hits. Enright, along with the winning triple, doubled in the second inning and Pawlik smacked a two-bagger in the sixth.East Providence travels to No. 2 La Salle on Thursday. First pitch is TBD.Lincoln struck in the third as Brennan Robert doubled to right and then advanced on a sac bunt from Connor Smith. Robert then came around to score on Carson Mellen’s single to right field. It remained a 1-0 game, behind five strong innings from Andrew Swerdloff, until East Providence broke through. Swerdloff allowed just five hits with five strikeouts and three walks.Lincoln now hosts Smithfield on Thursday in the one-loss bracket. First pitch is TBD.No. 2 La Salle 12, No. 7 Smithfield 1Shortstop and leadoff hitter Adryan Urena cracked two homers and drove in seven runs to lead the Rams to the victory at home. La Salle’s starting pitcher Cameron Caprio worked five strong innings, giving up just one run on four hits. He struck out two batters.La Salle first baseman David Cavalloro had two hits and drove in three runs. Left fielder Axel Da Silva also had two hits and drove in a run.For the Sentinels, starter Connor Curtis took the loss. Second baseman Johnny Brown had a hit and an RBI.⚾BASEBALL – D-II Pod 1 First RoundNo. 4 Middletown 1, No. 5 Narragansett 0 (8 innings)Evan Agren scored the only run of the game with one out in the eighth inning as the Islanders outlasted the Mariners in the opening round of the D-II playoffs.The Islanders and Mariners were locked in a scoreless tie though seven innings thanks to the awesome performances on the hill by both Cam Carlisle of Middletown and Aiden Clancey of Narragansett.Carlisle pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing 4 hits and zero runs with four strikeouts and no walks but was not around for the decision. He gave way to Kenny Pirches, who pitched 0.2 of innings in relief and picked up the win.Clancey, also pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowed only two hits, one run and four walks with 10 strikeouts. Despite his solid outing, he ended up with the loss.Middletown moves on to the D-II Pod 1 winners final and will face East Greenwich on Thursday at 5 p.m.No. 1 East Greenwich 8, No. 8 Johnston 3The Avengers plated five runs in the first inning that proved to be enough to hold off the visiting panthers and advance to the winner's bracket final.Anders Nelson led the way by driving in four runs on two hits, and Miles Doman struck out eight through 6.1 innings to earn the victory. Keyan Zahedi came in for the final two outs, recording a strike out and not allowing a hit to close out the win.Walker Kilka collected a pair of hits, and Van Martin, Brady O'Brien, Doman and Nolan Collucci each had an RBI in the victory.For Johnston, Ethan Bracey and Jake Rankin each drove in a run in the loss.The Avengers will face Middletown in the winner's bracket final of Pod 1 on Thursday.⚾BASEBALL – D-II Pod 2 First RoundNo. 3 North Providence 3, No. 6 CharihoDown 1-0 to Chariho in the opening round of the D-II playoffs, North Providence scored a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and came away with the victory over the Chargers.The Cougars got a solid outing from starting pitcher Mike Ryan, who pitched a complete game, allowing only one run on six hits while striking out two and walking two to earn the victory.Jayden Allard jump-started the NP offense as he went 3-for-3 and scored a run. Carter Harris, Josh Rodriguez and Anthony Roman each contributed to the win with an RBI apiece.Ethan Gordon was the tough-luck loser for Chariho as he pitched six strong innings, allowing three runs on six hits with four walks and three Ks. Also, Gordon's single in the fourth plated the lone Chargers' run.North Providence advances to the D-II Pod 2 winners final.No. 2 West Warwick 18, No. 10 St. Raphael 0The Wizards broke out the hitting sticks and ran roughshod over the Saints in the opening round of the D-II Pod 2 playoffs.Juniors Nick Andruchow and Mason Hunt led a 15-hit attack for the Wizards at McCarthy Field. Andruchow was 4-for-4, including two homeruns and a double with six RBI. Hunt, meanwhile, had three doubles and two RBI’s.Junior Charlie Brown also added two singles that plated two runs in the win.Three WW pitchers− Hunt, Jaxson Hull, and Lucas Martin − combined to throw the three-hit shutout.The Wizards move on to the D-II Winners Final and will face North Providence on Thursday at a time to be determined.⚾BASEBALL – D-III Pod 1 First RoundNo. 1 Woonsocket 11, No. 8 North Smithfield 1Patrick Munger pitched the Villa Novans to an easy victory over the Northmen on Tuesday, striking out nine in a dominant, five-inning one-hitter.Woonsocket scored seven runs in the second inning to provide Munger with all the runs he'd need, and more. The offense was paced by lead-off batter Braylon Guilbeault, who collected a pair of hits, drove in three and scored one. Joe Greenless had two hits and two RBIs and Jayden Piette had two RBIs, as well.Munger, Guilbeault and Greenless all recorded triples in the victory.Nick Tremblay recorded the lone hit for North Smithfield, and Wyatt Pullen drove in the only run in the loss.Woonsocket advances to face Classical, who handled Hope on Tuesday, in the winner's final game on Thursday.No. 4 Classical 8, No. 12 Hpoe 1Eli Ozbek struck out eight through six innings and Silas McKay struck out three in one inning of scoreless relief as the Purple dispatched their city rivals to advance to the winner's final of Pod 1 play.Hubert Matos, Danny Salazar and Ozbek each drove in two runs, with Ozbek collecting a team-high three hits, to pace the offense.Hope starter Chris Bernard struck out two through 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs (four earned) in the loss. Bernard led the Blue Wave with a hit, RBI and two walks. He scored Hope's lone run.Classical will next face Woonsocket on Thursday.⚾BASEBALL – D-III Pod 2 First RoundNo. 7 BVP 9, No. 2 Exeter-West Greenwich 7BVP exploded for five-runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-2 lead, but had to hang on to escape with a win over Exeter-West Greenwich in the opening round of the D-III playoffs at Wawaloam Field.Alex Torres led the Pride at the dish as he went 3-for-5 and scored two runs. Also factoring in the win were Andriel DeJesus, who had two hits, plated a run and scored twice, and Aurelio Cosme, who had one hit, two RBI and scored a run.Dylan Main, the cleanup hitter for the Scarlet Knights, did his best to keep his team in contention. The shortstop had three hits, including a grand slam in the seventh to close the gap before falling short. The Pride advance to the D-III winners final on Thursday, 🥎SOFTBALL – D-I quarterfinalsNorth Kingstown 7, St. Raphael 1Riley McHale and Hannah Place came up with big hits as part of a four-run second inning that gave pitcher Alexis St. Germanin the support needed to pull out a 7-1 win over the Saints.North Kingstown, the No. 4 seed, got a terrific effort from their freshman hurler. St. Germain was confident and in control from the start and befuddled the St. Raphael hitters all afternoon. She threw seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out seven.The Skippers did their damage in the second inning. Up 1-0 with two runners on, McHale ripped triple to make it 3-0 and Place followed with an RBI double. NK added two more in the fifth and another in the sixth before St. Germain closed the door on fifth-seeded St. Raphael.Rosemarie Hayward had a terrific game for NK, going 3-for-3 with two RBI. Adelyn Barnes scored two runs in the win that sends the Skippers to the winners’ bracket semifinal with a matchup against No. 1 La Salle on Friday at 5 p.m.Piper McMurray provided all the offense for the Saints with a solo home run in the seventh inning. St. Raphael drops down to the losers’ bracket and will host No. 9 Prout at a date and time to be determined.La Salle 9, Prout 0The Rams did what they’ve done all season, getting a great performance from their offense and an elite performance in the circle in a 9-0 win over the Crusaders.La Salle, the No. 1 seed, took any hopes of an upset by No. 9 Prout out of play in the third inning. Up 1-0, Kayleigh Ventura ripped a three-run home run as part of a five-run inning that was followed by three in the fourth.All-Stater Hailey Vigneau got the start and dominated, allowing two hits in four innings of work. Gia DeNinno finished off the game and threw three no-hit innings to earn the save.Nikki Pallotta had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with three runs and one RBI. Elle Kershaw drove in a pair of runs in the win that sends La Salle to the winners’ bracket semifinal, where it will host No. 4 North Kingstown on Friday.Prout falls to the losers’ bracket and will travel to play No. 5 St. Raphael at a date and time to be determined.🥎SOFTBALL – D-II quarterfinalsKent County 3, East Greenwich 2Sophia Moreira came up with the swing Kent County needed as Reagan Motta and Aria Eddy took control in the circle in a 3-2 win over the Avengers.Motta served as the perfect opener for No. 4 Kent County, throwing two innings of one-hit, one run ball before handing things over to Eddy. The sophomore was equally impressive, throwing five innings of four-hit ball while allowing one run with nine strikeouts.The game was tied at one going to the third where Moreira followed Motta’s single with a two-run shot to left field. No. 5 East Greenwich answered with a run in the fourth, but couldn’t get another across the plate.Motta helped the Kent County offense, going 2-for-2 with two runs. Kent County moves on to the winners’ bracket semifinals and will travel to play No. 1 Lincoln Thursday at 3:45 p.m. at Saylesville Elementary School.Maura Taylor gave EG all she had from atop the order, going 2-for-3 with one run. The Avengers drop to the losers’ bracket and will host No. 9 South Kingstown on Friday at 4:30 p.m.Portsmouth 12, Barrington 0Barbara Rainey got the Patriots going early and they didn’t stop hitting until they walked off with a 12-0 win over the Eagles.No. 3 Portsmouth was not messing around with No. 6 Barrington and put on a hitting display, starting with an RBI double in a two-run first inning. The Patriots piled on five runs in the second and four in the third before Carmen Elshant’s RBI single in the fourth gave them a walk-off win via the 12-run rule.Rainey had herself a day, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Emily Bronson was 3-for-3 with two runs and Lillyan Morgado was 2-for-3 with one run. Elshant was terrific out of the eight-hole, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs and No. 9 hitter Josephine Rainey drove in two runs and scored twice. Kylie Toner led Portsmouth with three runs.Mia Ruggieri threw all four innings for the Patriots, giving up one hit with one strikeout. Portsmouth moves on to the winners’ bracket semifinal and it will travel to play No. 2 Johnston on Friday at 5 p.m. Barrington falls to the losers’ bracket and will host No. 7 Ponaganset on Friday at a time to be determined.Lincoln 6, South Kingstown 3Brielle Lambert came up clutch with a needed hit and Kayleigh Gouchie shined in a relief appearance in the Lions’ 6-3 win over South Kingstown.Things looked good for No. 1 Lincoln after scoring four runs in the third, but No. 9 South Kingstown came right back with three runs in the top of the fourth to make it a one-run game.Lambert came up clutch for the Lions in the fifth, delivering a two-out double and then scored on an RBI single by Alicia Valois.Molly Ganim was solid in her start – throwing five innings of three-hit ball with no earned runs and two strikeouts – and Gouchie shut the door on any SK comeback hopes with two no-hit innings.Valois finished the game 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run. Lucia Whyte drove in a pair in the win, which sends Lincoln to the winners’ bracket semifinals. The Lions will host No. 4 Kent County on Thursday at 3:45 p.m.South Kingstown drops to the losers’ bracket and will travel to play No. 5 East Greenwich Fridya at 4:30 p.m.Johnston 2, Ponaganset 1Eric Rueb’s story on the Panthers’ dramatic win over the Chieftains is coming soon.🥎SOFTBALL – D-III QuarterfinalsTiverton 13, Classical 0The Tigers scored early and then piled on late, getting a home run from Lia Doster to walk off with a 13-0 win over the Purple.No. 1 Tiverton hasn’t been challenged in D-III this spring and this was no exception. The Tigers scored twice in the first against No. 8 Classical and had four in the second before exploding for seven in the fourth, capped by Doster’s two-run home run that brought the 12-run rule into play.Carlie Martin had a big game for the Tigers, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Doster went drove in the two runs, scored three times and threw four innings of one-hit ball. Tiverton moves on to the winners’ bracket semifinal and will host No. 4 Cranston East on Thursday at 4 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s D-III final.Classical drops to the losers’ bracket and will play No. 5 Central at Aldo Fredo Field on Thursday at 4 p.m.Rogers 7, Middletown 0Lila Leys got all the support she needed in the first inning, as she took control of the game from start to finish in a 7-0 win over the Islanders.No. 2 Rogers had plenty of confidence against their regional rival and Leys showed exactly why. She was brilliant all afternoon, throwing a two-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts. No. 7 Middletown handed over two runs after a two-out error in the first inning and the Vikings added three runs in the third to put things out of reach early.Emma Brown had two hits and scored one run for Rogers and Norah Gardullo had two hits and drove in one run. Tess Margolis scored twice in the win, which sends the Vikings to the winners’ bracket semifinal where they’ll host Exeter-West Greenwich Friday at a time to be determined.Middletown falls to the losers’ bracket and it will travel to play No. 6 Pawtucket on Friday at a time to be determined.Cranston East 16, Central 7The Thunderbolts flipped the scoreboard with a big third inning, then put things away with an equally big fifth in a 16-7 win over the Knights.No. 5 Central looked primed for an upset win over fourth-seeded Cranston East after Raynelis Rivas hit a grand slam to make it 5-3.The Thunderbolts struck back in the bottom half with six runs, tying the game on a Cienna Fatorma double and then taking the lead on a two-run single by Skyla Belmont-Gomez. Cranston East led 10-5 going to the bottom of the fifth when it put things away for good with another six-run inning.Fatorma had a nice day for the Bolts, going 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBI. Belmont-Gomez drove in four runs and Angelina Saing finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run. Lexi Montalban drove in two runs in the win, which sends Cranston East to the winners’ bracket final to play top-seeded Tiverton on Thursday at 4 p.m.Stasy Baez also had a home run for Central, which falls to the losers bracket with the loss. The Knights will host Classical Thursday at 4 p.m.🥎SOFTBALL – Other scoresDivision III quarterfinalsNo. 3 Exeter-West Greenwich 4, No. 6 Pawtucket 1🥍GIRLS LACROSSE – D-III quarterfinalEast Providence 11, Ponaganset 6The defending Division III champs weren’t ready to see their season end early as Alyssa Karalekas put on a show to lead the Townies to an 11-6 upset over the Chieftains.It’s been a rebuilding year for East Providence, which battled injury problems and inexperience before finding its flow in the second half of the season. Seeded sixth for the tournament, the Townies leaned on Karalekas and the senior responded in a big way.East Providence led 3-1 when Karalekas took over with three goals in the second quarter to make it 7-1 at halftime. No. 3 Ponaganset tried to rally with a Jillian Dixon goal 42 seconds into the third quarter, but the Townies ripped off three straight – two from Sydney Olson – to put things out of reach.Karalekas led East Providence with six goals. Nadiyah Calouro-Vargas scored three and Olson had the other two. The Townies move on to next week’s semifinals and will travel to play Toll Gate.Lana Hess left it all out on the field in her final game for Ponaganset, scoring three goals. Jillian Dixon had the other three for the Chieftains, who got another spectacular effort in goal from senior Kaelyn Souza.🎾BOYS TENNIS – D-II semifinalNo. 4 North Smithfield 4, No. 1 Narragansett 3The Northmen are off to the Division II championship after outlasting the top-seed Mariners on Tuesday afternoon at Sprague Park. The North Smithfield singles players swept their Narragansett opponents, and they had to because all the doubles matches were won by the Mariners.The Northmen's top singles players, Nate Tremblay, won the clinching match, beating EthanSmith, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1. Other singles winners were Tim Ferri over William Harris, 6-2, 6-4, OliverDrolet over SydneyMatson, 6-2, 6-0, and Bryce Santos over AJ Coutu, 6-1, 6-3.At doubles, it was Narragansett's Myles Harding and Rocco Lombardi over Chase Nelsen and Ben Wallbillich, 6-7, 6-4, Evan Boze and Aaron Perrone over Carter Hawes and Cody Roy, 6-0, 6-2, and Will Hunter and Dylan Nollsch over Alex Sevegny and Ben Cuddy, 6-2, 6-2.🎾BOYS TENNIS – D-III semifinalPCD 4, North Providence 0The defending D-III champs will make a return trip to slater park after a dominant 4-0 win over the Cougars.No. 3 Providence Country Day made the clock strike zero on seventh-seeded North Providence, which upset No. 2 West Warwick last week. The Knights earned a quick win at No. 1 singles from Ben Kravitz, 6-0, 6-0, and a doubles sweep soon followed.The No. 2 team of Iver Matheson and Ben Schoen earned the second point with their 6-1, 6-1 win and the No. 1 team of Jed Dodd and Ben-ZionWalter were next with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. The No. 3 doubles team of Charles Meere and Joe Semonelli put the finishing touches on the victory with their 6-3, 6-3 win.Providence Country Day will take on the winner of Wednesday’s match between top-seeded Warwick and No. 4 Scituate in Saturday’s D-III championship at Slater Park on Saturday at a time to be determined.🎾BOYS TENNIS - Other scoresDivision I quarterfinalsNo. 5 South Kingstown at No. 4 Hendricken (no score reported)Division II semifinalsNo. 2 Prout 4, No. 3 East Providence 1🏐BOYS VOLLEYBALL – D-I preliminariesNo. 7 East Providence 3, No. 10 Chariho 0Jake Rousseau's story on the Townies' win is coming soon.No. 9 Coventry 3, No. 8 Classical 0Cameron Marcotte led the Oakers with 23 kills, 14 digs and three aces. Michael Smith had 15 kills, and Zackary Rzemien recorded 32 assists in the win (25-18, 25-17, 26-24).For the Purple, Caden Pina led the team with 10 kills in the loss.🏐BOYS VOLLEYBALL – D-II preliminariesNo. 8 Juanita Sanchez 3, No. 9 South Kingstown 1 RI HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULEWednesday, May 27⚾BASEBALL - D-III - Pod 2No. 11 Tiverton vs. No. 3 Scituate at Manning Field, 4:30 p.m.🥎SOFTBALL - D-I QuarterfinalNo. 6 Westerly vs. No. 3 Cranston West at Brayton Avenue Complex, 6 p.m.🥍GIRLS LACROSSE - D-II QuarterfinalNo. 5 Narragansett at No. 4 Cranston West, 6 p.m.🎾BOYS TENNIS - D-I SemifinalNo. 3 Moses Brown at No. 2 Barrington, 4:15 p.m.🎾BOYS TENNIS - Division III SemifinalNo. 4 Scituate vs. No. 1 Warwick at Warwick Vets Middle School, 4:15 p.m.🏐BOYS VOLLEYBALL - D-II QuarterfinalsNo. 5 Central Falls at No. 4 Lincoln, 5:30 p.m.No. 6 Central vs. No. 3 Pawtucket at Tolman High School, 6 p.m.No. 7 Portsmouth at No. 2 Westerly, 6 p.m.🏐BOYS VOLLEYBALL - D-III QuarterfinalNo. 8 Mount Pleasant at No. 1 Mt. Hope, 6 p.m.This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island High School sports playoff scores from Tuesday May 26 2026

Spurs robbed by non-goaltend call for Luke Kornet shot vs. Thunder's Cason Wallace originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Even before the refs missed a challenge call by Mitch Johnson and gave him an ensuing technical foul for complaining, they were already having a bad third quarter that was costing the San Antonio Spurs.They somehow missed a clear and obvious goaltending call a few minutes prior.Luke Kornet looked to score on a tip-in rebound.Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace impressively leaped to challenge it.But it should've been a basket. Kornet tipped the ball, and it was back over the cylinder when Wallace whacked the ball away from the hoop.MORE: Bronny James' golf swing makes his dad look badThis is goaltending as obvious as it can be based on NBA rules:Not a goaltend???pic.twitter.com/F9CEBSinoq— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 27, 2026There are rules in Europe that allow for certain contests of the basketball when it's on the rim.This isn't Europe, though. This is the NBA, and they don't ref the Association with FIBA rules.MORE: Mavs' Jalen Brunson mistake joins constant Luka Doncic narrativeIt's hard to figure out how this was missed, or not reviewed even.The Spurs deserved two points here and weren't granted the bucket.In a close game and a close series, that could mean everything.More NBA news:James Harden might be delusionalBobby Marks sees 5 possible outcomes for LeBron JamesHeat, Norman Powell can impact the Giannis trade pictureCJ McCollum heads for interesting free agencyTimberwolves can't afford to lose this talented free agent

Mr. Allred beat the incumbent, Representative Julie Johnson, and is now favored to win the general election in a heavily Democratic Dallas-based district.

CHICAGO (AP) — Brooks Lee hit a bases-loaded double in the 11th inning and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Tuesday night.The Twins improved to 4-1 on their 10-game road trip and have won seven of nine overall. They had lost seven straight against the White Sox, last winning on Aug. 22, 2025.Luke Keaschall singled in the 11th and Byron Buxton drew a walk with an ABS challenge to load the bases for Lee. He cleared them on the third pitch he saw and gave Minnesota a 5-2 lead.The Twins had nearly taken the lead in the 10th inning on Orlando Arcia's two-out single, but Kody Klemens was thrown out at home by Rikuu Nishida to end the inning.Taylor Rogers (1-1) earned the win with a scoreless 10th, and Yoendrys Gómez earned his third save in the 11th.Joe Ryan tied a season high with nine strikeouts, allowed five hits and issued no walks in 7 2/3 innings, his longest outing of the season. He was working on a shutout until Munetaka Murakami hit a tying two-run homer in the eighth inning.The Twins were held hitless until the fourth inning. Trevor Larnach hit a leadoff double, Clemens got him home with a stand-up triple and Austin Martin drove in Clemens on a line-drive single.Sean Burke allowed two runs in seven innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight and walking two. Tyler Davis (2-2) took the loss in relief.Up nextWhite Sox RHP David Sandlin is slated to make his big league debut against Twins LHP Connor Prielipp (1-2, 4.03) in the third game of the four-game series. Sandlin will be the 10th player to debut with the White Sox this season.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

May 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers have hit the fewest amount of homers in the major leagues this season, coming into the night with just 35 long balls. It’s been a tough year for Bernie Brewer, not being able to go down his slide as often as he’d like. But on Tuesday night, he was able to make use of his slide a couple times in the Crew’s 6-0 win over the Cardinals.Jake Bauers got the scoring started for the Brewers with a solo shot in the 4th inning on an 0-1 cutter that leaked too far out over the plate. It was Bauers’ 8th home run of the season, which leads the team. He’s now surpassed his home run total from last year.Then the Brewers really busted the game open in the 5th inning. It started with a leadoff double from Christian Yelich, which was followed by walks from Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang. That loaded the bases for William Contreras, who ripped a double to the opposite field on the first pitch he saw, bringing home two runs. That was all for Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy as Oli Marmol went to his bullpen.For some reason, with both a lefty and a righty warming, and four of the next five batters being true lefties, Marmol opted for the right-hander Ryan Fernandez. Fernandez hung a slider to Garrett Mitchell, who sent the ball 421 feet to dead center to give the Brewers a 6-0 lead and sent Bernie Brewer down the slide again. It was the first time the Brewers have had multiple homers in a home game since April 30th against the Diamondbacks.Garrett Mitchell with a 421 ft 3-run shot 💥 pic.twitter.com/npCwLSMfiO— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 27, 2026Meanwhile, on the mound, Kyle Harrison was twirling a gem once again. He carved through the Cardinals lineup with ease, allowing just two base runners to reach scoring position all night and not a single runner to reach 3rd base. Harrison had just two strikeouts on the night, well below where he was in his last start when he had 11 punchouts. Harrison extended his scoreless innings streak to 18 IP, covering his last three starts. In those 18 IP, Harrison has allowed just 11 total hits, only one walk, and has 20 strikeouts. After 92 pitches from Harrison, Pat Murphy went to his bullpen. Grant Anderson posted a 1-2-3 seventh with the help of a 4-6-3 double play. Then Abner Uribe had a pair of strikeouts in the 8th inning and added a new emote to his end-of-inning celebration, the DX chop. Directed at the Cardinals dugout. Abner Uribe's K Celly. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/UVWmgEXxQS— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2026Pat Murphy strongly condemned Uribe’s celebration, saying “That’s unacceptable. I don’t know what got over him. I mean, he’s been an emotional guy, but that kind of thing, that’s just not how we do things. And I was embarrassed by it.”Uribe offered a different story, saying via translator Daniel de Mondesert, “I understand that that’s unacceptable to go out there and react in a way like that, but at the same time I don’t think it’s professional for their manager to be making signs towards our dugout that he’s going to be hitting guys and there was an event that occurred during the practice today too, and I don’t think that was right and I have my teammates’ back always.”Uribe declined to comment on what the pre-game incident actually was. He apologized to his Brewers teammates, coaches, and all the higher-ups, but declined to apologize to the Cardinals.After that, it was on to Trevor Megill back in a 9th inning role, even though this was not a save situation. Megill slammed the door, kept the shutout intact, and gave the Brewers the series win. While the rivalry between the Brewers and Cubs has been the hottest the last couple of years, the rivalry with the Cardinals sure seems to be alive and well. The Brewers have a chance for a sweep on Wednesday.

West Ottawa's Will Nagelvoort is headed back to the state tournament.The Panthers golfer shot a 74 at Tuesday's Division 1 regional in at the Grand Traverse Resort's Spruce Run Golf Club to finish second among individual qualifiers.The top three teams qualify for state and the top three individuals not on those teams also qualify as individuals.More: Saugatuck golf claims SAC Lakeshore title in stunning fashion, aims for regionals nextTraverse City West (295), Mona Shores (308) and Forest Hills Northern (310) were the team qualifiers.West Ottawa finished 12th as a team. Brody Sayrath shot a 79, Rowan Gibbs shot an 89, Tritan Meiste fired a 91 and Jacob Crawford added a 92 for a team total of 333.In Division 4, Saugatuck's Grant Schrotenboer is headed to state.Schrotenboer fired a 77 to finish first among individual qualifiers and third overall in the region.Saugatuck just missed out on state finishing fifth with a 334.Schoolcraft won the region with a 313, while Kalamazoo Christian (315) and Delton Kellogg (321) also qualified as teams.Saugatuck's Noah Conklin shot an 80, while Nick Mohr (83), Charlie Lanning (94) and Walt Bos (95) rounded out the scoring for the Trailblazers.Holland, Holland Christian, Hamilton, Zeeland East and Zeeland West will compete in the Division 2 regionals on Wednesday, May 27. Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa golfer Will Nagelvoort, Saugatuck's Schrotenboer hit state

Nobody has been able to stop Los Angeles Sparks All-Star and All-WNBA guard Kelsey Plum in the first two weeks of the 2026 WNBA season.Plum leads the WNBA in scoring at 26.8 points per game on a career-high 58.9% shooting from the field and 48.8% shooting from 3. The last time we saw her, she posted 38 points on an absurdly efficient 12-for-17 shooting from the floor and dished nine assists in the Sparks’ 101-95 win over the Las Vegas Aces last Saturday.After the game, ESPN’s Michael Voepel relayed, “With 38 points tonight, she joins Elena Delle Donne (2015) & Maya Moore (2014) as only WNBA players to score 25+ points 5 times in their 1st 6 games of a season. EDD and Maya won the MVP award the years they did that.”An extremely unlucky injury is the only thing preventing Plum from continuing her MVP campaign this week.PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MAY 21: Kelsey Plum #10 of the Los Angeles Sparks during the WNBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center on May 21, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Sparks defeated the Mercury 97-88. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)The Sparks confirmed via press release Tuesday night that Plum suffered an ankle sprain during practice and “will be re-evaluated in one week.” Los Angeles (3-3) is set to travel to Washington on Friday and Connecticut on Saturday before hosting the Aces on Tuesday, June 2. Heavily dependent on Plum’s re-evaluation next week, she could return against the Dallas Wings on Friday, June 5.Plum, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, began her career with the Aces and won two championships before the Aces traded her to the Sparks in February 2025.Related ArticlesBecky Hammon Doubles Down on Controversial Jalen Brunson RemarkChargers' Derwin James Agrees to Massive Contract Extension: ReportBucky Irving’s Recovery Timeline Takes a Concerning Turn for the BuccaneersStart your unlimited Newsweek trial

More softball action on Tuesday Rochester senior lasers unexpected homer to reach softball sectional finalsTuesday, May 26 SOFTBALL CLASS 3A Centralia Sectional No. 1 Chatham Glenwood 10, No. 3 Marion 0 (5 innings) Sophia Feld and Ryleigh Kiel both homered, and the Titans advanced to the sectional championship game. Sophia Feld (2-for-4, two runs) drove in Kiel and Hope Gilmore when she lifted a three-run home run to center field in the top of the first inning. Glenwood tacked on five runs in the second. Kiel and Gilmore (2-for-3, run) each had an RBI single, and Sydney Feld drilled a three-run triple to give the Titans an 8-0 lead.Kiel (2-for-2, two runs) hit a solo homer, and Sophia Feld finished her four-RBI day with a run-scoring single in the fifth. Jemma Lamb had a hit and scored three runs, and Kyleigh Donnelly collected two hits and scored a run. Senior pitcher Irie Lohrenz went the distance and threw a two-hit shutout for the win. She struck out five and walked three. Glenwood (27-2) plays No. 1 subsectional seed Waterloo (27-3) for the title at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Waterloo defeated No. 3 Jerseyville 10-1 in the other semifinal.GIRLS SOCCERCLASS 1ARochester Sectional No. 1 Williamsville 1, No. 2 Rochester 0 (SO)Williamsville junior goalkeeper Brynn Stark only made one stop in the penalty-kick shootout, but it was all the Bullets needed to fend off Rochester. When Calynn Frye put Williamsville's fifth penalty-kick shot into the net, it touched off a celebration to give Williamsville a 5-4 edge in the five-round shootout. Williamsville (19-5-2) hasn't allowed a goal in three postseason games, outscoring opponents 17-0. Williamsville was held to just three shots on goal and despite the Rockets putting 11 on net, Stark stopped them all to force the shootout. The Bullets will face No. 1 Pleasant Plains after the Cardinals downed No. 3 Mount Zion 7-0 in Tuesday's other semifinal. Plains (22-0-2) won both matches this season: 4-0 on April 3 and 5-1 on May 1.More: PORTA baseball setting win records, now aims for postseason runMonday, May 25BASEBALLCLASS 2APleasant Plains Regional No. 8 Auburn 9, No. 9 Riverton 5 Auburn plated its nine runs in the first four innings and staved off the Hawks to advance. Riverton grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first half of the first on an error, a wild pitch and a dropped third strike. Auburn answered with three runs in the bottom half on an RBI single by Carter Smith and two balks by pitcher Brodee Bates. The Hawks went ahead 4-3 in the second on an RBI groundout by Braden Eiskant before the Trojans took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Trey Boston (2-for-3, three runs) drove in a run with a single, and Peyton Campbell (2-for-2, three runs) delivered a two-run home run. Campbell was the winning pitcher, striking out six, walking two and allowing three hits and four runs (two earned) in five innings. Auburn (11-15) plays Sangamo Conference rival and No. 1 seed Pleasant Plains in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Litchfield Regional No. 8 Carlinville 8, No. 9 Hillsboro 5 Noah Convery delivered on the mound and at the plate, and the Cavaliers scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to rally past the Hiltoppers. Convery had a two-run home run in the first inning, and Carlinville added a run in the second when Colin McKinney scored on a wild pitch. Eli Zaidi (2-for-4) lined a two-run double to get Hillsboro within 3-2 in the third and the Hiltoppers took a 5-3 lead in the fourth when Sawyer Hindle (2-for-4, two runs) hit an RBI single, Joel Malloy scored on a passed ball and Zaidi plated a run with a base hit. Convery started the comeback with a run-scoring single, and Drew Quarton scored on an error to tie the game. The Cavaliers took the lead when Blake Killam and McKinney both walked with the bases loaded, and Zander Bellm forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch. Convery threw 2 1/3 relief innings for the win. He struck out six, walked one and yielded one hit. Carlinville (8-16) plays top-seed Roxana in the semifinal on Wednesday at 4. Williamsville Regional No. 10 Beardstown 9, No. 7 Quincy Notre Dame 8 The Tigers scored three runs apiece in the fifth and sixth innings and held on to advance to the semifinals. Beardstown (8-16) plays No. 2 seed Petersburg PORTA on Wednesday at 4:30. Trailing 5-3 in the fifth, Beardsown’s Zach Meyer laced a run-scoring double and later scored on an error to tie the game. Maddox Medrano’s RBI double gave the Tigers a 6-5 lead. Parker Bell’s RBI double and Trey Riddell’s one-run single highlighted Beardstown’s three-run sixth that led to a 9-5 lead. QND’s Eli Johnson homered to center field to get the Raiders within two runs in the bottom half of the sixth, and an RBI groundout in the seventh made it 9-8. But reliever Colby Desollar (3-for-5, three runs) preserved the win by getting the final two outs. CLASS 1ALeroy Regional No. 7 Athens 15, No. 10 Decatur Christian Unity 0 (4 innings) Braxton Rexroad provided four RBIs, and the Warriors scored 10 runs in the bottom of the second inning to advance in the regionals. Rexroad started the scoring with an RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning. He added a two-run single in the second and an RBI base hit in the fourth. Cole Ishmael (2-for-3, run) and Wyatt Gleason both had two-RBI singles in the second, and Drake Carver blew the game wide open with a two-run triple. Kyson Ketchum (2-for-3, two runs, two RBIs) added an RBI double in the fourth. Starting pitcher Carter Brock threw three innings, striking out five and walking none while allowing one hit. Vincent Moscardelli fanned one and pitched the final inning. Athens (13-15) advanced to the semifinals and will play No. 2 seed Argenta-Oreana at Leroy on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Hardin Calhoun Regional No. 8 Edinburg 12, No. 9 White Hall North Greene 3 Colton Puccetti went 4-for-5 with two doubles and compiled six RBIs as the Wildcats moved on. Trailing 1-0, Puccetti started Edinburg’s scoring with an RBI single, and he scored on a wild pitch to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Puccetti added a run-scoring base hit in the second and swatted a three-run double in the third that followed a solo home run by Carter Foli (2-for-3, triple) in a four-run inning. Puccetti ended his big day with a run-scoring double in the fifth before Brody Pop connected on a three-run home run. Noah Clark pitched six innings for the win, and Puccetti threw one scoreless inning to ice it. Clark struck out 11, walked two and allowed six hits and three runs (two earned). He went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI in the leadoff spot. Puccetti struck two and walked two in his one inning. Edinburg plays No. 1 seed Pawnee in the semifinals at 4:30 on Wednesday. Liberty Regional No. 8 Rushville-Industry 13, No. 9 Concord Triopia 3 Jagger Bartlett and Nathan Stambaugh drove in three runs apiece, and the Rockets moved on to the semifinals. Rushville-Industry (9-13) plays No. 1 seed Jacksonville Routt on Wednesday at 4:30. Jackson Spencer got the Rockets going with an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning. Stambaugh made it 3-0 with a two-run single and Barlett (2-for-3) followed with a run-scoring base to highlight Rushville-Industry's five-run inning. Bartlett added a two-run single in the third. The Rockets took advantage of 10 walks. Bradley Hollingsworth walked three times, scored three runs and had two RBIs, while Rylan Reimolds walked four times and scored four runs.This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Spring high school postseason top performers May 25-30

Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, overcame scandals and a significant fund-raising disadvantage to win. His victory sets up the general-election clash that Democrats had hoped for.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced the winners of the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Tuesday night. Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall hosted the show, which recognizes and celebrates excellence in sports television and digital coverage. The entire event was streamed live on YouTube. Media professionals can rewatch the show and all of the key moments by visiting YouTube.com/@TheEmmys.What We Know: Roy Wood served as host of the show. A total of 47 category winners were announced according to NATAS. Many of sports media’s top stars were in the building. Among them were Pat McAfee, Pablo Torre, Mina Kimes, Laura Rutledge, Rich Eisen, Chris Berman, Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, Scott Hanson and many more. ESPN earned an industry-leading 63 nominations. The ceremony featured presenters from across the sports community. Included were: Andrés Cantor (Telemundo), Ian Eagle (CBS Sports), Rich Eisen (NFL Network), Scott Graham (NFL Films), New York Sirens athlete Elle Hartje, NBA Champion Dwight Howard, Brian Kenny (MLB Network), MLB Champion Pedro Martinez (TNT Sports), Mark Shapiro (TKO Group Holdings), Jonathan Scott (TNT Sports), Jenny Taft (FOX Sports), Pablo Torre (Pablo Torre Finds Out), Colleen Wolfe (NFL Network), Nick Wright (FOX Sports). What They Said: “In an era defined by endless content and increasingly individualized media consumption, sports television remains one of the few experiences that still consistently brings people together in real time,” said NATAS President and CEO, Adam Sharp. “Tonight we honor the extraordinary professionals whose talent, creativity and innovation bring those dramatic victories, enduring heartbreaking defeats to life.”What Stood OutMost: Greg Olsen was named Outstanding Personality/Event Analyst. Olsen beat Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, Bill Raftery and Cris Collinsworth. It was his second time winning the category. Anytime Olsen finishes ahead of Brady it generates industry headlines. Mike Tirico and Sunday Night Football stood tall in the Outstanding Live Sports Series and Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play category. Tirico finished ahead of Joe Buck, Joe Davis, Ian Eagle and Jim Nantz. SNF prevailed over FOX NFL Sunday, Monday Night Football on ESPN/ABC, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, and Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video. ESPN’s Katie George also shined. The talented newcomer earned the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality: Emerging On-Air Talent besting JJ Watt, Matt Ryan, Jason Kelce, Richard Sherman and Andraya Carter.And the Winners Are…Outstanding Live Sports Special: Championship EventFOX MLB: World SeriesToronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles DodgersFOXOutstanding Live Sports Special: Non-Championship EventFOX MLB: The 95th All-Star GameFOXOutstanding Live Sports SeriesSunday Night FootballNBC | PeacockOutstanding Sports Playoff CoverageFOX MLB: The American League PlayoffsFOX | FS1Outstanding Edited Sports Event Coverage4 Nations Face-Off: UnveiledNHL Productions [NHL Productions | Radan Films | NHLPA]Outstanding Edited Sports SpecialNot So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso SpecialESPNOutstanding Edited Sports Series: HostedE60ESPNOutstanding ESports Championship Coverage2025 Call of Duty League Championship WeekendOpTic Texas vs Vancouver SurgeESL FACEIT GroupOutstanding Sports Documentary: ShortFinal FinishersEast 89th St Productions [Tribeca Studios | Bluff Road Films]Outstanding Sports Documentary: LongChampions Of The Golden ValleyOlympics.com [Olympic Channel | XTR Studios | Sturgefilm | Tideshift | Optimist |Taleem]Outstanding Sports Documentary SeriesCocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the CartelPrime Video [Amazon MGM Studios | Unrealistic Ideas]Outstanding Sports Documentary Series: SerializedQuarterbackNetflix [NFL Films | Omaha Productions | 2PM Productions]Outstanding Sports Studio Show: DailyNFL LIVEESPNOutstanding Sports Studio Show: WeeklyCollege GameDayESPNOutstanding Sports Studio Show: Limited RunRoad to the Final FourCBS | TNTOutstanding Sports JournalismSave: The Katie Meyer StoryE60ESPNOutstanding Sports Feature: Short FormBehan StrongNCAA March MadnessCBSOutstanding Sports Feature: Long FormTim Green – A Voice ReclaimedNFL Films PresentsFS1 [NFL Films]Outstanding Sports Open/TeaseAmerica’s Team: The Gambler and His CowboysNetflix [Skydance Sports | NFL Films | Stardust Frames Productions | Netflix]Outstanding Interactive Experience: SportsFan Optionality on Prime VideoPrime Video SportsPrime Video [Amazon MGM Studios]Outstanding Digital Innovation: SportsWorld of Red Bull in Apple ImmersiveRed Bull Media House [Apple]Outstanding Technical Team: Sports EventFOX MLB: World SeriesToronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles DodgersFOX | FS1Outstanding Technical Team: Sports StudioNBA on Prime VideoAmazon MGM Studios [Amazon MGM Studios]Outstanding Sports Camera Work: Short FormThe Harder ChoiceThe 126th Army-Navy GameCBSOutstanding Sports Camera Work: Long FormI Skied Down Mount EverestRed Bull Media House [East Studio]Outstanding Sports Editing: Short Form4 Nations Face-Off: For Crest and CountryNHL on ESPNESPNOutstanding Sports Editing: Long FormCeltics CityHBO Max [Ringer Films | Words + Pictures | Left/Right | NBA Entertainment]The Dick Schaap Outstanding Sports Writing Award: ShortFormWimbledonESPNOutstanding Sports Writing: Long FormIn Season with the NFC EastHard KnocksHBO Max [NFL Films]Outstanding Music Direction: SportsHome TurnDaytona Beach, FLNASCAR Studios [Bluefoot Entertainment]Outstanding Sports Audio/Sound: Live EventFOX MLBFOX | FS1Outstanding Sports Audio/Sound: Post-ProducedHard KnocksTraining Camp with the Buffalo BillsHBO Max [NFL Films]Outstanding Sports Graphic Design: Event/ShowNBA on NBC & PeacockNBC | PeacockOutstanding Sports Graphic Design: SpecialtyBelievers: Boston Red SoxESPN [ESPN | Religion of Sports | Artists Equity]Outstanding Studio Or Production Design/Art Direction:SportsThe NFL TodayThe Virtual Time Machine: Rebuilding the Legacy of The NFL TodayCBSThe George Wensel Technical Achievement AwardFOX MLB: The PostseasonUmpCam AR: Strike Zone SystemMLB | Major League Baseball [Fox Sports | Bolt6 | Virtual Eye]Outstanding Promotional Announcement: SportsUnforgettable Awaits2025 NBA FinalsNBA Entertainment [Translation]Outstanding Public Service Content: SportsChampionSuper Bowl LXNFL | 72andSunny [Morton Jankel Zander, Inc.]Outstanding Sports Personality: Studio HostErnie JohnsonTNT | CBSOutstanding Sports Personality: Studio AnalystAlex RodriguezFOX | FS1Outstanding Sports Personality: Play-By-PlayMike TiricoNBC | PeacockOutstanding Sports Personality: Event AnalystGreg OlsenFOX | NFL NetworkOutstanding Sports Personality: Sideline ReporterTracy WolfsonCBS | TNTOutstanding Sports Personality: Emerging On-Air TalentKatie GeorgeESPNOutstanding Sports On-Air Personality In SpanishMiguel GurwitzTelemundo | Universo | PeacockOutstanding Sports Studio Show In SpanishESPN FCESPNOutstanding Sports Feature Story In SpanishLos Colores del IstmoMundo OriginalsMundo NFL [SWAY | Cobra FilmsBarrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.Jason BarrettJason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.barrettmedia.comThe post The 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Recognize Sports Television’s Best appeared first on Barrett Media.

Tuesday's decision by the Supreme Court to not accept the NFL’s petition for appeal in the Brian Flores case means that all of his claims will be decided in court, not in arbitration.And Flores recently added some new factual allegations to the various legal theories raised in his four-year-old litigation against the league and various teams.In the third amendment to his initial civil complaint, Flores has added specific allegations of retaliation against the NFL.The 483-paragraph, 106-page document includes at paragraphs 298 through 312 allegations that the NFL has retaliated against Flores since the filing of his initial lawsuit."Despite it being widely understood by the public and sports media that Mr. Flores should be considered one of the elite Head Coach candidates, Mr. Flores has not been offered a Head Coach job since starting this lawsuit," the new complaint alleges at paragraph 311.From paragraph 312 of the new complaint: "The NFL teams’ failure to hire Mr. Flores is consistent with an NFL Head Coach hiring process that is [sic] has for decades treated Black candidates disparately to white candidates and led to significantly disparate impact. It is also consistent with a culture of retaliation in which NFL teams close ranks against those who raise complaints of discrimination."The new factual allegations did not result in an additional cause of action; the existing lawsuit already includes multiple specific claims for retaliation.As to the concept of retaliation based on the failure of teams to hire Flores as its head coach, the current complaint lists only one team — the Texans. In 2022, Houston made Flores one of three finalists for the job (along with Josh McCown and Jonathan Gannon) before hiring Lovie Smith instead. Flores claims that the decision to not hire him was motivated by the filing of his lawsuit against the NFL and multiple teams.Although no specific other teams have been accused of failing to hire Flores in retaliation for filing and pursuing his lawsuit, the discovery process could lead to evidence that would support a finding that Flores was not given proper consideration by one or more teams with vacancies during the 2023, 2024, 2025, and/or 2026 hiring cycles.The contention that the NFL maintains a "culture of retaliation" shows that Flores suspects his failure to get more interviews and/or any offers resulted from retaliation. Time will tell whether other specific teams are added to the case as defendants.Flores's current claims target the Dolphins, Texans, Broncos, and Giants. (His co-plaintiffs, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, have sued the Cardinals and Titans, respectively.)Obviously, Flores won't be able to force any team to hire him. His aggressive legal arguments won't make that any easier. Throughout the litigation, however, he has chosen doing what he believes is right over what would be expedient for his career.And so he'll continue to serve as Minnesota's defensive coordinator, while waiting for a head-coaching opportunity that may never materialize. In the end, the NFL and/or specific teams could be on the wrong end of a verdict that requires them to pay Flores as if he has been a head coach since 2022. Even if Flores never becomes a head coach again.

The Kutztown Cougars, fresh off their BCIAA championship, were just eight outs away from capturing their 12th district title and second in three years.But then came Susquenita’s bats, which slowly erased those hopes hit by hit during a decisive fifth inning in Tuesday’s District 3 Class 3A softball championship at Seaber Softball Stadium on the campus of Millersville University.The second-seeded Cougars ultimately fell 6-5 to the Blackhawks, who also defeated Kutztown 2-0 in last season’s district championship game.“Nothing to take away from them, they’re definitely a good team. We knew coming in they were a good hitting team. We got to that point in the last couple of games where we get that five, six, seven-run lead and can’t put it away. It’s been like three out of the last four games. I don’t know,” Cougars coach Kevin Conrad said of the loss. “They did hit some hard balls in that inning. It’s one of those things, you don’t know when to pull the trigger and when not to pull the trigger. We lived and died all year with Savannah (Follweiler) in the circle and with our offense, and they just got the best of us.”Kutztown (18-5) built a five-run lead by scoring two runs in both the first and third innings.In the third, Jayden Gehris drove in two runs with a double to center field that scored Jade Fitzgerald and Kya Barrell as the Cougars continued to control the game early on.In the circle for the top-seeded Blackhawks (22-1) was Kylah Fleisher, whom Kutztown was seeing well early in the game.Kutztown’s top hitters, Felicia Oldt (2-for-2), Jayden Gehris (1-for-4), and Savannah Follweiler (1-for-4), combined to drive in all five of the Cougars’ runs on the day.Follweiler also turned in a strong performance in the circle early on, allowing only a few singles through the opening innings while striking out four batters during the game.But in the fifth inning, the Blackhawks finally began to figure out Follweiler’s pitches.The inning started with a single from Madelynn Smiley, followed by a base hit from Braelyn Prinz with one out.Kaydon Brandt then drove in Susquenita’s first run of the game with another single to the outfield.From there, the Blackhawks continued to pour it on, totaling seven hits during a five-run inning.With the bases loaded and two outs, Follweiler escaped further damage by recording a strikeout to stop the rally in a now-tied 5-5 game.“I know we had a couple of miscues there that maybe could have held one or two more runs, but like I said, taking nothing away from them,” Conrad said of the detrimental fifth inning. “We’ve been battling them the last four or five years, back and forth.”Blackhawks coach Rodney Reed gave high praise to Conrad and the Cougars after the game for the way Kutztown’s program is run and how the team consistently keeps Susquenita on their toes during district playoff time.“When we start the season off, one of our biggest things is not to meet Kutztown before the finals,” Reed said. “Kevin runs a great program over there. They’re fighters, and they’re going to give you a game. I think all of the games, except for one, have been within one or two runs.”“I don’t know Kevin that well because we’re pretty far apart, but I’m pretty sure he runs the program pretty much the same way I do, with working hard and practicing hard. But to beat Kutztown in the district finals, that is saying something. That’s a class-act team, and I really respect them.”The Cougars opened the sixth inning with a hit from Gabriella Parker, the freshman who delivered a walk-off game-winning single against Littlestown in last Friday’s district semifinal.Ava Kutz later reached base after being hit by a pitch, but with two runners on, the Blackhawks escaped the inning with two flyouts and a 1-3 putout.Then in the bottom of the sixth, Susquenita’s bats stayed hot.Prinz blasted a double off the center-field fence to begin the inning, prompting Conrad to pull Follweiler in favor of Paityn Ziegler.Brandt then stepped to the plate and ripped a hard ground ball past the second baseman, allowing Prinz to score and giving the Blackhawks their first lead of the game.“The more you see them, the more you’re going to get the timing down and all that,” Reed said. “I’m not going to say I wasn’t getting a little worried. I don’t like that zero on the bottom of the scoreboard, but once we got it rolling, I kept telling the girls to play loose, whether we win or lose.”A groundout followed by two pop-ups ended the sixth inning, leaving the Cougars with their backs against the wall and just three outs remaining to find some late-game magic at the plate.Unfortunately for Kutztown, it never came.With one out in the seventh, Oldt singled to give the Cougars some life, but a pop-up to shortstop and a 6-3 putout ended the game as Kutztown fell short in back-to-back district finals against Susquenita.“I’m so proud of these girls, and we’re not done yet. Hopefully, we’ll make a good run in the states, too,” Conrad said. “Just the never-give-up attitude on this young team. We graduated four girls last year, and the Player of the Year (Brianna Bauscher) in Berks County. To bring five freshman starters in here and be back here (in the district finals), if somebody would have told me that at the beginning of the year, I probably would have lost a wager there. But I’m so proud of them, and this is going to sting a little bit, but I know we’re going to be ready come Monday.”Kutztown and Susquenita will both continue their seasons Monday in the opening round of the PIAA state playoffs. Opponents, times, and locations are still to be determined.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights sweep Colorado Avalanche in Western Conference final, advance to Stanley Cup Final.

Ian Miller scored five goals as Wilson edged New Oxford 12-11 in the third place game of the District 3 Class 3A boys lacrosse playoffs on Tuesday.Wilson will play the District 1 runnerup in the opening round of the PIAA tournament on Tuesday.Beckett Redner had 3 goals and Sam Nevins 2 goals and an assist for the Bulldogs.Harrison Moyer and Luke Azzanesi each had a goal and assist, and Alex Crouse won 19 of 25 faceoffs. Goalie Ethan Harding made 10 saves.Twin Valley 13, Cocalico 1Cooper Glass scored six goals as Twin Valley rolled to a 13-1 victory over Cocalico in the third place match in the District 3 Class 2A boys lacrosse tournament.Patrick Shanahan chipped in two goals and two assists, and Drew Engle had two goals and an assist.Goalei Sean Murphy made 8 saves.The Raiders will play the District 12 champion on Tuesday in the first round of the PIAA tournament.

Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant, populist agenda has helped his Reform U.K. Party emerge from the fringe of British politics. But it faces an uphill climb to win power.

China’s tobacco monopoly has become so financially vital to the government that even its powerful leader has failed to curb the country’s smoking habit.

May 26, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26), third baseman Austin Riley (27), catcher Sandy León (9) and first baseman Matt Olson (28) react after defeating the Boston Red Sox in nine innings at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves kept things interesting on Tuesday night but ultimately improved to 37-18 after a 7-6 win over the Boston Red Sox. Spencer Strider got the start, and the win; things started out shaky, but he settled in to give the offense a chance to even things up. His night ended after five innings, allowing three runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out five.The Atlanta lineup tallied nine hits, and Michael Harris II accounted for four of those. He went 4-for-4, recorded three RBI, and scored two runs. It was a sight to see after he had a quiet series offensively against the Washington Nationals.Have a night, Money Mike! 💸@MoneyyyMikeee | #BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/XhTcvWI8Us— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 27, 2026The series continues tonight at 6:45 ET, as the Braves go for the series win. More Braves News:Today we remember Bob Horner, the Braves star who passed away at 68.MLB News:The New York Mets made several roster moves on Tuesday, including reinstating A.J. Minter from the injured list. The Milwaukee Brewers placed right-hander Logan Henderson on the 15-day injured list with a low back strain. The move is retroactive to May 23. The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a major league deal with veteran Craig Kimbrel. He was designated for assignment by the New York Mets last week and elected free agency. From the Feed:Cast your vote here for Player of the Game after the series-opening win at Fenway Park.José Azócar has returned to the Braves on a minor league deal and appeared in Gwinnett’s lineup on Tuesday.

Kennet Eichhorn (Hertha Berlin) looks on during the DFB Pokal match between Hertha Berlin and 1. Kaiserslautern at Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany on December 2, 2025. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images LFC has concrete plan for Eichhorn (Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg)Getting Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha Berlin could prove to be a tough task for Bayern Munich. Some of Europe’s other elites are now involved in the pursuit. Much like Manchester City’s plan for Eichhorn, Liverpool would want to acquire the phenom and immediately loan him out: 🚨🔴 More on our exclusive news about 16 y/o gem Kennet Eichhorn. In personal meetings and talks, Liverpool presented him with a clear career plan – just like many other clubs did. #LFC want to sign him now and then loan him out for 1-2 years to a club ideally playing in the Champions League.LFC are already speaking with clubs that could become possible loan destinations. Main competitors: ManCity/Leverkusen, Bayern and Leipzig. BVB and Stuttgart are also still hoping. @SkySportDEIt is not inconceivable that Bayern Munich ultimately lands Eichhorn, but it seems like it could be getting more difficult by the day. Vlahović to Chelsea? (ESPN)Dušan Vlahović has been in the rumor mill for almost a year now and Chelsea FC could be ready to give the striker a serious option: Chelsea are among the teams looking at a free transfer for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to Football Insider. The Blues could look to sign the 26-year-old as a replacement for Liam Delap, who is expected to be moved on from Stamford Bridge in the next transfer window. Newcastle are also looking at Vlahovic, while the Bianconeri are hopeful of signing him to a new contract to avoid losing him for nothing this summer, with less than two months remaining on his deal.Every few weeks, Bayern Munich is loosely linked to the big Serb, but nothing substantiated has emerged. PSG, LFC eyeing Diomande, LFC also wants Barcola (Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano)Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC could be big players for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande: 🚨 Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool are both in talks with Yan Diomande’s camp over move this summer.Decision up to Diomandé but also RB Leizpig after they had offered new deal + release clause.👀 #LFC also have Bradley Barcola high on shortlist.The Barcola element to this story is interesting. Bayern Munich has reportedly had interest in both Barcola and Diomande. Real to chase Bastoni? (ESPN)It will be near-impossible to pry Alessandro Bastoni away from Inter Milan, but Real Madrid might try anyway: Potential new Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho likes Inter Milan center back Alessandro Bastoni and could look to bring him to the Bernabeu despite Barcelona’s interest in the 27-year-old being well known, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport. Barça have long-wanted the Italy international, although his €70 million is a stumbling block. Madrid are looking to bolster their defence, with the contracts of David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Antonio Rüdiger all due to expire in the summer.Stuttgart making moves (VfB Stuttgart)VfB Stuttgart is already putting in some work on its roster for 2026/27. First, the club finalized the much anticipated transfer of Grischa Prömel from Hoffenheim: VfB verpflichtet Grischa PrömelDer Mittelfeldspieler wechselt von der TSG Hoffenheim zum Club aus Cannstatt. Er erhält beim VfB einen Vertrag bis zum 30. Juni 2029.Schön, dass du da bist!Hier geht's zur Meldung: https://t.co/VImuEmJWXw#VfB | #VfB1893 | #Prömel2029 |… pic.twitter.com/W2blsti5co— VfB Stuttgart 1893 (@VfB) May 25, 2026VfB signs Grischa PrömelThe midfielder is transferring from TSG Hoffenheim to the club from Cannstatt. He receives a contract with VfB until June 30, 2029.Great to have you here!Here’s the announcement: http://go.vfb.de/news7850VfB | #VfB1893 | #Prömel2029 | [Advertisement] EgeTransVfB Stuttgart is also in talks with Deniz Undav for a new deal: 🚨🆕 VfB Stuttgart are planning new talks with Deniz Undav this week. There will be new adjustments to the offer.A contract until 2029 is on the table. The overall package would cost more than €20m (salary, bonuses, commissions, signing fees). A decision is expected soon.… pic.twitter.com/VJXxomj2Cz— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 25, 2026🚨🆕 VfB Stuttgart are planning new talks with Deniz Undav this week. There will be new adjustments to the offer.A contract until 2029 is on the table. The overall package would cost more than €20m (salary, bonuses, commissions, signing fees). A decision is expected soon.@_dennisbayer @SkySportDEDennis Seimen is headed back to VfB Stuttgart after his loan at SC Paderborn has ended and is expected to take over for Alexander Nübel: ℹ️Die Gerüchte um Dennis #Seimen sind falsch. Unsere Infos sind eindeutig: Der 20-Jährige soll beim @VfB die Nummer eins werden. Punkt.Eine erneute Seimen-Leihe nach Paderborn war nie Thema. #Nübel kehrt zum #FCB zurück. Zum Text 👇https://t.co/wA6dbR850s#VfB#SCPpic.twitter.com/fX2XeDEfCg— Simeon Kramer (@KramerSimeon) May 26, 2026ℹ️The rumors about Dennis #Seimen are false.Our info is clear: The 20-year-old is set to become number one at @VfB. Period.A renewed Seimen loan to Paderborn was never on the table. #Nübel is returning to #FCB. Read the full text below 👇https://zvw.de/vfb-stuttgart/falsche-ger%C3%BCchte-um-dennis-seimen-vfb-plan-mit-dem-keeper-bleibt-unver%C3%A4ndert_arid-1084790 VfB #SCPFinally, VfB Stuttgart has permanently signed Bilal El Khannouss through 2023 now that his loan from Leicester City is over: 🚨✍️ Bilal El Khannouss has signed a contract at VfB Stuttgart until 2030. Not until 2028 as officially stated. @SkySportDE 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/hNNIf0HjXw— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 26, 2026Rüdiger, Real in agreement for new contract (Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano)It looks like Antonio Rüdiger is getting a new deal from Real Madrid: 🚨 BREAKING: Toni Rüdiger and Real Madrid reach verbal agreement on new contract valid until June 2027.Plan to sign soon also with timing for official statement to be dictated by elections process ongoing.Rüdiger has accepted Real proposal. 🔐 pic.twitter.com/bCf2Ckvf9U— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 26, 2026If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor… Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Comment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreate community posts

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - SEPTEMBER 30: UFC President Dana White and former middleweight champion Anderson Silva speak to the media during the UFC 168: Weidman v SIlva 2 press conference at the Hilton Hotel on September 30, 2013 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) | Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Welcome to Midnight Mania!Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Tuesday, May 26, 2026.Dana White finally reveals the one fight he tried to book for UFC White House — but ‘couldn’t get it done’: It’s a shame Zhang Weili fights so infrequently with no clear explanation why.Monday Morning Hangover: Will Rico Verhoeven have similar success against Oleksandr Usyk in potential rematch?: I expect Usyk will make the necessary adjustments to clearly defeat Verhoeven. Sadly, the kickboxer probably missed his one real shot. Is Khamzat retired? Paulo Costa giving up on grudge match: ‘I don’t think he’ll be back’: If Khamzat actually moves to 205, this fight would be an incredible title eliminator. InsomniaI would love to hear Anderson Silva’s current perspective on his relationship with Dana White/the end of his UFC career. And for the record, Silva officially ended his UFC career with a 1-3 run, though just a single win in his final nine appearances. Dana White talks Anderson Silva: That guy won't talk to me to this day because I said it's over and he was in his 40s.pic.twitter.com/xcOZaLc0cf— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 26, 2026Awkward …Ryan Garcia sat in front of Devin Haney 👀Glory in Giza | May 23rd | Live NOW on DAZN 🥊 pic.twitter.com/xPKsSmpcPu— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 23, 2026Rico Verhoeven breaking down the controversial final moments of his loss to Usyk in his own words:Rico Verhoeven breaks down the final sequence against Oleksandr Usyk and the controversial stoppage from his perspective 👀“I got hit with the uppercut. People who know my fights know I’ve been dropped multiple times… No matter how much time is left on the clock, I get back… pic.twitter.com/ZuRLTViZ5o— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 26, 2026Reminder: keep an eye on Cameron Smotherman’s weight cut over the next few days.I genuinely hope Cameron Smotherman has a better weight cut this week 🙏But the timing on this line from Bisping as he face planted was just absolutely impeccable 😭😭"It's not hard is it?" 💥 pic.twitter.com/a6FbnUjJRH— RedWolf🐺 (@RedWolfMMA) May 26, 2026Catching kicks is the easiest path to takedowns in MMA. Do not give your leg to Armenian high crotch goblin, Arsen Baghryan pic.twitter.com/IqduZeJ1v0— MixingMartialArts (@RyanAWagMMA) May 26, 2026Every Ilia Topuria training clip I see is downright jaw-dropping. Good luck, Justin. Ilia Topuria is looking EXTREMELY locked in right now 😳(via @Topuriailia) pic.twitter.com/J9oq8G1RjG— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 24, 2026Statistically, ranked UFC fighters compete much more often than they used to.Browsed the UFC rankings and they are STARVING us. Only two ranked P4P have fights booked- men and women. Most of the divisions top 15 are just a wasteland of “TBD”. Only men’s flyweight is moving. Why are they not booking their ranked talent? Is it on purpose to keep costs down?— Kwisatz Haterach (@EyeofMihawk) May 21, 2026Ran the numbers – across all divisions, top-15 by our ELO averaged 1.51 fights/yr in 2016 vs 1.04 in 2024.Share of ranked ELO fighters with zero bookings in a year climbed from 21% (2015) to a peak of 40% (2023).Trend's real, even excluding the 2020 COVID dip. pic.twitter.com/tGgCN1mS2O— Octametrics (@OctaMetricsHQ) May 22, 2026Slips, rips, and KO clipsA new counter-punching Adesanya just dropped!Matheus Adesanya needs 26 seconds to take out Matheus Koringa. He moves to 3-0 and is a fighter to keep an eye on. #JungleFight150pic.twitter.com/bGxwAYCHdh— Edwin (@STAYGOLDEDWIN) May 24, 2026Getting third-partied in an MMA fight is absolutely brutal. How much do you think he got paid for this?There's no mercy in an MMA battle royale #DWT4pic.twitter.com/k1UFgfBN4L— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 24, 2026Santiago mixed up the delivery of his right hand well in this quick clip.Violent KO by Hector Santiago at Money Moicano MMA pic.twitter.com/oSpyRtidoD— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 23, 2026Random LandSerious style.🔥🚨LATEST: This man in Hangzhou China is being praised for what most viewers consider the most unique haircut of all time. pic.twitter.com/go0ITRh4cx— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) May 25, 2026Get involved with Mania community in The Feed!Midnight Music: This live performance of Rumble RIPS!Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Enrique Hernandez #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images Kiké Hernández got off to an excellent start in his first two games back, collecting two hits in each of his first two games since getting activated off the injured list on Monday. But the Dodgers infielder/outfielder left Tuesday’s game after four innings with a strained left oblique strain.Hernández doubled and scored in the Dodgers’ four-run fourth inning. But on replay appeared to be laboring while running around first base on the hit.View LinkHe was replaced on defense by Hyeseong Kim in the top of the fifth inning, with SportsNet LA showing manager Dave Roberts talking to a frustrated Hernández in the dugout, before Hernández retreated to the clubhouse.It was a long road for Hernández just to get his season started. He missed the first 53 games after undergoing left elbow surgery in November, and played three weeks on a rehab assignment in Triple-A before getting activated off the 60-day injured list on Monday. Hernández told reporters on Monday at Dodger Stadium this was the healthiest he’s felt in a year.“I think I was in so much pain this year that it helped with the patience,” he said Monday.Hernández started at third base on both Monday and Tuesday. He doubled in a run and singled on Monday, then homered in his first at-bat on Tuesday before the fourth-inning double. Now we’ll see how long that 1.000/1.000/2.250 batting line holds for the utility man.Mookie Betts strained his oblique earlier this season in April, and he missed 36 days before returning.“I was trying to hurry, but the docs were like, ‘It takes a month for it to just heal,’” Betts said on May 11 when he was activated off the injured list. “Then you have to do all your prep to get back to playing. So you can’t really rush time.”

We are weeks away from the start of the FIFA World Cup across North America, including in Atlanta.On Tuesday, the official roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team was announced. Shortly after, the team boarded a plane and headed to metro Atlanta.Channel 2’s Cory James was in downtown Fayetteville on Tuesday night as the team arrived at their hotel to nothing but excitement near Trilith Studios.[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]Hundreds of people stood along Iver Place chanting and cheering as players high-fived fans, took pictures and signed autographs.“This is surreal, it’s like being one with the team and fans just being a whole community, it’s something to really, really take in,” one fan said.Prince Watson, a 9-year-old soccer forward and striker, was taking it in with his brother and father. He said there was one person he was hoping to see.“Christian Pulisic,” Watson said.“What do you like about him?” James asked.“He has great striking position and plays soccer a lot,” he replied.RELATED STORIES:Public safety officials say they’re prepared for the FIFA World CupAtlanta prepares for FIFA World Cup amid Ebola outbreak in CongoFIFA World Cup: Take a look at the new natural grass playing surface at Atlanta stadiumSandra McFarland owns a business near the team’s hotel and says she is looking forward to having more people in town during the World Cup.“In the world of sports it’s like the super bowl so, we love having U.S. soccer here. We’re thrilled about what it’s going to bring to our town and commerce and community, we’re excited,” McFarland said.Earlier this month, The Arthur M. Blank US Soccer National Training Center opened in Fayetteville. Starting Wednesday morning, the team will start training at the brand new facility.Channel 2 Action News will be there and have all the latest starting on Channel 2 Action News at Noon.[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Enzo Maresca could hand an England international a lifeline at Manchester City but it does seem unlikelyAs Manchester City celebrated the entire club’s achievements for 2025-26 and farewelled Pep Guardiola, John Stones and Bernardo Silva at Co-op Live on Monday night, it was pleasing to see Jack Grealish as part of the celebrations. Grealish returned to help parade one of the 20 trophies that City won during Pep Guardiola’s reign as manager. That was fitting for Grealish as he did help City win a selection of trophies during his time as a member of Pep Guardiola’s squad. Jack Grealish spent the 2025-26 season out on loan at Everton and showed signs that he may get back to his best before a stress fracture in his foot ended his season in January.Heading into the summer transfer window, it appeared that Grealish would be sold by Manchester City, with Everton seemingly his likely destination. However, a new era is set to get underway at City with Enzo Maresca as manager. A new report indicates that Maresca feels that Grealish could play a role in his squad, so the possibility that Grealish could revive his City career exists. But is there a role for Grealish at the FA Cup and Carabao Cup holders? That isn’t immediately clear.Enzo Maresca reportedly believes that Jack Grealish could have a role to play in the new era at City.Jeremy Cross has reported for The Mirror that Enzo Maresca could hand Jack Grealish a reprieve and resurrect his City career. Furthermore, Cross reports that Maresca is set for talks with the England international over the possibility of Grealish returning to City. Furthermore, Cross reports that Grealish had decided he had no future at City while Pep Guardiola remained as manager. With Guardiola having departed his post as City manager, circumstances have now changed. As per Jeremy Cross, Maresca believes that Grealish can play a role in a new era at Manchester City. Lastly, it is also reported that Maresca will expect Jack Grealish to report for Manchester City’s preseason training.It is hard to see Jack Grealish returning to Manchester City but isn’t impossible.The possibility that Jack Grealish could return to Manchester City does seem fanciful at first glance. Grealish’s time at City looked to have come to its natural conclusion last summer. A loan move to Everton was the best move for him and City. Grealish started the season strongly for Everton, but unfortunately, injury ended his season. The expectation was that Grealish would be sold by City at some point this summer.However, a new era is to begin at City following Pep Guardiola’s departure. Enzo Maresca is expected to be named as Manchester City’s next manager in the near future. If Maresca feels that Grealish can play a role for him, the idea that Grealish can remain at City isn’t as far-fetched as first thought. City may need another winger this summer; Jack Grealish could play that particular role. However, it doesn’t seem that Grealish’s age fits Manchester City’s squad profile. But it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Grealish could start preseason with City and see how that unfolds.Enzo Maresca reportedly believes that he can offer Jack Grealish a lifeline and extend his Manchester City career. The pair are reportedly set for talks, as Jeremy Cross has reported. It seems unlikely that Grealish will be at City next season, but stranger things have happened in football, so you can never say never.