RACERS AND GAMECOCKS PREP FOR OVC SHOWDOWN
It will be the biggest football game at Roy Stewart Stadium since 2002 when 10th-ranked Jacksonville State squares off against 17th-ranked Murray State at 2 pm Sunday with an outright OVC Championship on the line as well as the league’s auto bid to the FCS Playoffs. Unlike Murray State, Jacksonville State played four non-league games in the fall and come to Murray with an 8-2 overall record, and like the Racers, 5-1 in the OVC. Despite what is on the line, JSU head coach John Grass says they will change nothing about how they prepare for this week’s game. Racer head coach Dean Hood has consistently praised his team’s resiliency, and was pleased with their effort last week despite the loss at Austin Peay. Airtime for Sunday’s game is set for 1:30 on FROGGY 103.7.
GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT BEGINS WITH TWO OVERTIME GAMES
First round action of the KHSAA Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 concludes today with four more games. In yesterday’s action, Bowling Green defeated Bishop Brossert in double overtime 50-48, Franklin County went overtime to down South Laurel 55-50, Sacred Heart rolled Knott County Central 64-32, and Anderson County defeated Southwestern 78-67. In today’s games, Marshall County plays Pikeville at 10 am, Bethlehem will play Bullitt East at 1, Henderson County faces Apollo at 4, and Dixie Heights will battle Russell at 8. Coverage begins 15 minutes before tipoff on WNBS AM and FM.
WEDNESDAY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES
Taylor County 13, Murray High 3
Lake County 6, Mayfield 3
McCracken County 12, Russell County 1
South Fulton 10, Ballard Memorial 2
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES
Livingston Central 5, Elliott County 0
RACER TENNIS FALLS AT SEMO
Murray State tennis fell 4-3 at Southeast Missouri on Wednesday in a clash of the league’s last two unbeaten teams in league play. The duo of Gabrielle Geolier and Anja Loncarevic teamed up to stay undefeated in OVC doubles play by way of a 6-3 win at the Number 3 doubles. The Racers are now 7-7 overall and 3-1 OVC, and will return home tomorrow at noon to face SIUE.
WEDNESDAY’S OVC SOFTBALL SCORES
Belmont 12, Tennessee State 0 (5)
Belmont 8, Tennessee State 0
Eastern Kentucky 1, Western Kentucky 0
Morehead State 4, Dayton 3 (8)
Morehead State 7, Dayton 6
WEDNESDAY’S OVC BASEBALL SCORES
Jacksonville State 14, Alabama State 10
RACERS WIN JOEY HAINES INVITE
The Murray State women’s track & field program won the women’s team competition with a score of 167 points and saw several athletes record top-10 program marks at SEMO’s Joey Haines Invite. The Racers swept the team relays for the second meet in a row. The Racers will travel to Nashville to participate in the Vandy Black and Gold Invite the weekend of April 16-17.
OVC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT TO BE PLAYED IN JACKSON
The 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship will be held at The Ballpark at Jackson from May 27-29. The OVC Baseball Championship was previously held at The Ballpark at Jackson from 2010 through 2016. This year’s championship will feature the top four teams in the OVC standings competing in a double-elimination format with the winner getting the OVC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
CARDS COMPLETE SWEEP OF MARLINS
Dylan Carlson smacked a grand slam in the ninth in the Cardinals 7-0 win against the Marlins in Miami. Yadier Molina hit a two-run shot for St. Louis, which completed the three-game sweep. Jack Flaherty recorded his first win of the season after tossing six scoreless frames. The Cards home-opener is this afternoon against the Brewers, and the time-shifted broadcast can be heard at 9:40 this evening due to coverage of the Girls Sweet 16.
MEMPHIS CRUSHES ATLANTA
Grayson Allen poured in 30 points in the Grizzlies dismantling of the Hawks 131-113 in Atlanta. Jonas Valanciunas contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds to the win, while Ja Morant also scored 19 to go with 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Memphis won its fourth straight and plays tomorrow night at the Knicks.
AREA HOCKEY ROUNDUP
Jordan Binnington made an NHL career high 50 saves as the Blues ended their seven-game losing streak with a 3-1 win against the Golden Knights at the Enterprise Center. The Blues host the Wild tomorrow night. The Nashville Predators meet the Red Wings again tonight in Detroit. Nashville is seeking its ninth win in 10 games after a shootout win Tuesday over the Red Wings.
TITANS HIRE SCHWARTZ
Jim Schwartz is joining the Titans’ coaching staff. His job title will be senior defensive assistant. He spent 10 years, eight as the defensive coordinator, on the Tennessee staff from 1999-2008. Schwartz was the defensive coordinator for the Eagles the last five seasons and was the head coach of the Lions from 2009-13.
DERBY TICKETS ON SALE
Infield seats for the Kentucky Derby are on sale. Derby Day tickets are 75-dollars until April 18th and keep increasing as time goes on. Tickets to the Oaks Day race start at 55-dollars if purchased before April 18th. They can be found at KentuckyDerby.com.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
The chase for the green jacket begins today at Augusta National. First-round play tees off this morning at The Masters. Americans Michael Thompson and Hudson Swafford are the first pair to go off at 8 a.m. Eastern. Dustin Johnson won the 2020 Masters in November.
The Islanders are making a big splash before the NHL trade deadline. They are acquiring forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the Devils. In return, New Jersey is getting A.J. Greer, Mason Jobst, a 2021 first-round draft pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022.
Sean Miller is out as men’s basketball coach at the University of Arizona. The Wildcats announced Millers’ departure Wednesday after 12 seasons. Associate head coach Jack Murphy takes over as interim coach. Miller’s tenure was marred by a lengthy infractions investigation.
Excessive speed is the cause of Tiger Woods’ crash in February. The Los Angeles County Sheriff says Woods hit a median going about 85 miles-per-hour in a 45 mile-per-hour zone. Investigators believe that Woods mistakenly put his foot on the gas instead of the brake.
WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
MLB National League
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Atlanta Braves 7, Washington Nationals 6 (F/7) (G1)
Atlanta Braves 2, Washington Nationals 0 (F/7) (G2)
Cincinnati Reds 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 4
Milwaukee Brewers 4, Chicago Cubs 2 (F/10)
Philadelphia Phillies 8, New York Mets 2
San Francisco Giants 3, San Diego Padres 2 (F/10)
St. Louis Cardinals 7, Miami Marlins 0
Colorado Rockies 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 0
MLB American League
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Cleveland Indians 4, Kansas City Royals 2
Minnesota Twins 3, Detroit Tigers 2
Boston Red Sox 9, Tampa Bay Rays 2
Texas Rangers 2, Toronto Blue Jays 1
Seattle Mariners 8, Chicago White Sox 4
Baltimore Orioles 4, New York Yankees 3 (F/11)
MLB Interleague
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Oakland Athletics 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 3 (F/10)
NBA
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Indiana Pacers 141, Minnesota Timberwolves 137
Washington Wizards 131, Orlando Magic 116
Boston Celtics 101, New York Knicks 99
Brooklyn Nets 139, New Orleans Pelicans 111
Memphis Grizzlies 131 , Atlanta Hawks 113
Houston Rockets 102, Dallas Mavericks 93
Charlotte Hornets 113, Oklahoma City Thunder 102
Denver Nuggets 106, San Antonio Spurs 96
Phoenix Suns 117, Utah Jazz 113 (OT)
NHL
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Edmonton Oilers 4, Ottawa Senators 2
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Montreal Canadiens 2
St. Louis Blues 3, Vegas Golden Knights 1
Minnesota Wild 8, Colorado Avalanche 3
Los Angeles Kings 4, Arizona Coyotes 3
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
MLB National League
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1:10 p.m. – Miami Marlins at New York Mets
1:35 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates
3:10 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies
4:15 p.m. – Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals
MLB American League
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3:05 p.m. – Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles
4:10 p.m. – Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
4:10 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
7:07 p.m. – Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays (at Dunedin, FL)
8:10 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros
MLB Interleague
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No Games Scheduled
NBA
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7:30 p.m. – Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat
7:30 p.m. – Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors (at Tampa, FL)
8:00 p.m. – Cleveland Cavaliers at Oklahoma City Thunder
9:00 p.m. – Milwaukee Bucks at Dallas Mavericks
10:00 p.m. – Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz
10:00 p.m. – Phoenix Suns at LA Clippers
10:00 p.m. – Detroit Pistons at Sacramento Kings
NHL
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7:00 p.m. – New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres
7:00 p.m. – Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders
7:00 p.m. – Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers
7:00 p.m. – Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals
7:00 p.m. – Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes
7:00 p.m. – Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets
7:00 p.m. – Winnipeg Jets at Montreal Canadiens
7:00 p.m. – Edmonton Oilers at Ottawa Senators
7:30 p.m. – Nashville Predators at Detroit Red Wings
8:00 p.m. – Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks
Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames (Postponed)
PGA
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The Masters Tournament (at Augusta, GA)
