Top seeds unbeaten in early NCAA Tournament baseball regional games

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Top seeds unbeaten in early NCAA Tournament baseball regional games The first day of the NCAA Tournament headed into Friday night with no surprises among the national seeds.No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 5 LSU and No. 12 Kentucky won their regional openers, with the other four Southeastern Conference teams that earned national seeds playing at night.The Atlantic Coast Conference went 2 for 2 with No. 4 Clemson and No. 7 Virginia posting wins.No. 8 Stanford, the only Pac-12 school nationally seeded, also won.Indiana State, seeded 14th and hosting a regional for the first time, got a scare from Wright State before winning 6-5.The Sycamores of the Missouri Valley Conference trailed until they got to Horizon League pitcher of the year Sebastian Gongora in the eighth. Tristan Haught, who came on with one out and two runners on, gave up a sacrifice fly and walked two straight before Grant Magill singled in two runs for the lead.“That wasn’t the way we drew it out, by any means,” Sycamores coach Mitch Hannahs said. “It wasn’t the prettiest,...

Sale goes on IL, Rays, Red Sox rained out, will be made up on Monday

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Sale goes on IL, Rays, Red Sox rained out, will be made up on Monday BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox placed left-hander Chris Sale on the injured list on Friday with shoulder inflammation. It’s another setback for the seven-time All-Star as he attempts to re-establish himself as a reliable member of the rotation.“It’s just kind of a gut punch,” Sale told reporters before Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays was rained out. “I hate feeling like this. I started having fun playing baseball again. And now, back to not having fun. That sucks.”A day after being pulled from a start in the fourth inning, Sale said doctors weren’t sure what the injury was but he didn’t expect to need surgery. Acknowledging his past arm problems, he said he had always come back before and will do so again.“If there’s anything I can prove, it’s you’re not going to keep me down,” he said. “I’m just going to keep rolling. You knock me down I’m going to get back up.”Friday night’s series opener with Tampa Bay was called about an hour after the scheduled first pitch...

Royals left-hander Amir Garrett on injured list with elbow pain

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Royals left-hander Amir Garrett on injured list with elbow pain KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Royals left-hander Amir Garrett was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday because of pain in his pitching elbow.The Royals described the injury as a valgus extension overload and made the move retroactive to Tuesday. Right-hander Jackson Kowar was recalled from Triple-A Omaha.“It’s basically kind of like a bone bruise,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “There’s inflammation. There’s also a little bit of irritation.”Garrett had an injection intended to reduce inflammation. He will not throw for up to a week.“Probably five to seven days, no throw,” Quatraro said. “Re-evaluate, then three to four week overall timeline.”In his second season with the Royals, Garrett has a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings over 23 relief appearances. He last pitched during Kansas City’s 7-0 win at St. Louis on Monday, striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning. The team said the IL move was retroactive.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Spor...

Caglianone, Rivera carry Florida past Florida A&M, 3-0 in NCAA Gainesville regional opener

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Caglianone, Rivera carry Florida past Florida A&M, 3-0 in NCAA Gainesville regional opener GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Josh Rivera hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Florida needed to throw out two runners at the plate in the ninth inning to preserve a 3-0 win over Florida A&M in a first-round game of the NCAA Gainesville Regional on Friday.The Gators (45-14) advance to face Texas Tech on Saturday. Florida A&M (29-29) takes on UConn in an elimination game.Jac Caglianone fanned seven, walked three and scattered seven base hits over six innings to earn his seventh win in 10 decisions. Ryan Slater worked two perfect innings in relief. Brandon Neely took over in the ninth to earn his 11th save, but worked a rocky inning. After Slater got the first hitter to fly out to left, Josesph Pierini doubled to left, but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a single by Will Brown. Brown attempted to score from second on an infield single to short by Ben Kim to end the game. Starter Caleb Granger (6-5) worked six innings, allowing four hits and walking four whi...

Detroit Pistons announce deal with new coach Monty Williams

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Detroit Pistons announce deal with new coach Monty Williams DETROIT (AP) — Monty Williams is taking over the Detroit Pistons.The team said Friday it reached an agreement with Williams to fill its coaching vacancy. Terms of the deal were not announced, but a person familiar with the situation told the AP on Wednesday night it was a six-year contract.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not been announced at the time.“After spending some time with Monty, it’s clear that he’s found a unique balance between achieving victory at the highest level while at the same time nurturing a culture of growth, development and inspiration,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “I’m beyond excited. This is a huge win for us.”The 51-year-old Williams was fired by Phoenix on May 13, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he won the league’s coach of the year honors.Williams won 63% of his games over four regular seasons with the Suns, but they were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals two years in a row after los...

Red Sox lefty Chris Sale goes on IL for 6th season in a row

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Red Sox lefty Chris Sale goes on IL for 6th season in a row BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox placed left-hander Chris Sale on the injured list with shoulder inflammation on Friday, another setback for the seven-time All-Star as he attempts to re-establish himself as a reliable member of the rotation.“It’s just kind of a gut punch,” Sale told reporters before Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays was rained out. “I hate feeling like this. I started having fun playing baseball again. And now, back to not having fun. That sucks.”A day after being pulled from a start in the fourth inning, Sale said doctors weren’t sure what the injury was but he didn’t expect to need surgery. Acknowledging his past arm problems, he said he had always come back before and will do so again.“If there’s anything I can prove, it’s you’re not going to keep me down,” he said. “I’m just going to keep rolling. You knock me down I’m going to get back up. It’s obviously not where I want to be … but I...

Stewart banks in go-ahead shot, Liberty beat Sky in Vandersloot’s return

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Stewart banks in go-ahead shot, Liberty beat Sky in Vandersloot’s return CHICAGO (AP) — Breanna Stewart banked in a go-ahead shot with 7.1 seconds left and the New York Liberty rallied to defeat the Chicago Sky 77-76 on Friday night in Courtney Vandersloot’s return to the Windy City.Chicago called a timeout to set up a final play. Courtney Williams was short on a jump shot and Marina Mabrey grabbed the offensive rebound but she couldn’t get off a quality shot before the buzzer.Stewart finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for New York (4-1). Betnijah Laney scored 17 points and Vandersloot, who was drafted third in 2011 by Chicago, had eight points and eight assists.Sabrina Ionescu was fouled with 0.9 seconds left in the third quarter and she made two free throws for her first points of the game to pull New York within 59-56. Ionescu made her first field goal of the game with 8:17 left in the fourth — a wide open 3-pointer off a nice pass from Vandersloot — to make it 63-59.Kahleah Copper led Chicago (3-3) with 20 points. Alanna Smit...

Athletes Unlimited Softball to play two games during Little League Softball World Series

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Athletes Unlimited Softball to play two games during Little League Softball World Series OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Athletes Unlimited Softball announced Friday that it will temporarily move its entire operation to play two games during the Little League Softball World Series this summer.Athletes Unlimited will move from Rosemont, Ill. to the home of the Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, North Carolina, to have a doubleheader on Aug. 9 at East Carolina University’s softball stadium. The “Athletes Unlimited Pro Games during the Little League Softball World Series” games will be played in front of Little League players and their families.Athletes Unlimited players will also visit Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park, the home of the Little League Softball World Series, and interact with the 12 participating teams.Cheri Kempf, senior vice president of Athletes Unlimited and its head of softball, said this has been in the works since the league started softball four years ago. She hopes it becomes the equivalent of Major League Baseball’s Little League Classic. S...

Neighbors seek answers after police kill 14-year-old armed robbery suspect

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Neighbors seek answers after police kill 14-year-old armed robbery suspect AURORA, Colo. — The person shot and killed by an Aurora Police officer on Thursday has been identified as 14-year-old Jor’Dell Richardson.According to the Aurora Police Department, Richardson was among a group of teens suspected of robbing a convenience store near 8th Avenue and Dayton Street to get vape cartridges. Interim Police Chief Art Acevedo said while officers were attempting to take Richardson into custody, the teen would not let go of his gun, and “at one point, the officer discharges his firearm."At the scene on Friday, neighbors were trying to make sense of what happened."When they raised that age limit from 18 to 21 for cigarettes, it drove them kids crazy,” neighbor Anthony Whitfield said. Prosecutors want evidence of fake brain tumor used against former social worker Whitfield said he regularly visits the strip mall where the alleged robbery and shooting occurred. He described the area as “dangerous” because of young people with guns. “Where I come from, we die...

Veteran flies in B-25 bomber like those he serviced during WWII

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:19 GMT

Veteran flies in B-25 bomber like those he serviced during WWII LOVELAND (KDVR) - A 96-year-old World War II veteran will be reuniting with a fellow veteran he has not seen in 80 years: a B-25 bomber like the ones he worked on in 1945.Loveland resident Ken Calkins was just a kid in 1944 when he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. His job was that of a mechanic. He did not work on jeeps or trucks but on the famous B-25 bomber. 100-year-old WWII bomber pilot looks back on service during war The B-25 bomber was a workhorse of a plane for the allies during WWII.“This is a medium-attack bomber in two different configurations in the European and Mediterranean theater. Medium to low velocity, flying at about 9,000 feet, a tactical bomber," said Gary Oglesby, Commemorative Air Force.Maid in the Shade is a fully restored and battle-ready B-25 that belongs to the Commemorative Air Force. It was in Loveland on June 2, 2023, for the Flying Legends of Victory tour. (KDVR)Restored B-25 bomber goes on tourThe B-25 that was brought in by the Commemorative Air For...