MURRAY SOFTBALL NIPS CALLOWAY IN CROSSTOWN CLASSIC
In high school softball on Monday, Murray High defeated Calloway County 2-1 in a pitcher’s duel that was decided in the third inning. After an Addison Hicks home run gave the Lady Lakers the lead, the Lady Tigers answered with two unearned runs in the bottom of the inning. Mackenzie Turley had Murray’s only RBI, making a winner of Kylie Chapman who went the distance, scattering five hits, walking none, and striking out 14. Isabel Housden was the tough-luck loser, giving up 6 hits, walking none, and striking out nine. In other area softball games:
Marshall County 7, Paducah Tilghman 2
McCracken County 20, St. Mary 0
Mayfield 13, Ballard Memorial 2
Graves County 9, Caldwell County 6
Hickman County 3, Union City 2
Lyon County 10, Crittenden County 4
Union County 14, Livingston Central 3
TIGERS FALL IN ALL-A SECTIONAL
Maddox Carlson gave up 1 hit over five innings as Crittenden County built a 10-0 lead and went on to an 11-4 win over Murray High in the All-A Classic Baseball Sectional at Ty Holland Field. Austin Miller had 2 of the Tigers 3 hits, but Murray was undone by eight errors which led to six unearned runs for the Rockets who advanced to the All-A Classic State Tournament. In other area baseball games:
Paducah Tilghman 3, Marshall County 2
St. Mary 16, Mayfield 3
Ballard Memorial 17, Fulton County 3
Lyon County 6, McCracken County 5 (8 innings)
Carlisle County 29, Fulton City 0
Hickman County 14, University Heights 0
Trigg County 11, Fort Campbell 4
JSU BUILDS ON DAY 1 LEAD; RACERS ARE 4TH
Jacksonville State extended its advantage to 14 shots after day two of the OVC Women’s Golf Championship at Hampton Cove, Alabama. Murray State is in fourth place with a 608. Jacksonville State’s Ana Perez Altuna kept her individual lead after a three-under round of 69. Murray State’s Raeysha Surendran is tied for third at 143 and teammate Ana Garcia Picchi is in 11th place at 151. The final round is being played today.
HOOD NAMED A ROBINSON AWARD FINALIST
Murray State head football coach Dean Hood is one of 16 finalists for the FCS Stats Perform Eddie Robinson Award which is given annually to the FCS national coach of the year. Hood oversaw one of the best turnarounds in the nation this spring when he led Murray State to its first winning season since 2011 and best OVC record since 2005. Murray State also returned to the top 25 polls under Hood this season coming in at #19 yesterday. The Eddie Robinson award will be voted on by a 40-person media panel and will be announced May 4.
GARDNER NAMED OVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Murray State’s Sam Gardner has been named OVC Pitcher of the Week. Gardner threw the first nine-inning complete game shutout for Murray State since 2013 in a 2-0 victory over Belmont Sunday. Gardner only allowed one base runner to reach second base on the day as Belmont went down in order in six of the nine innings. The Racers return to action today when they play at Bellarmine in a 2 pm Central Time game. The game was moved ahead due to expected inclement weather on Wednesday.
TURNER ADDS THREE TO SIGNING CLASS
Murray State women’s basketball has added three players for the 2021-22 season. Jaidah Black is a 6-1 Guard/Forward from Saginaw, Texas. The McDonald’s All-American nominee averaged 10.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in her senior season at Boswell High School. Cayson Conner is a 5’7″ guard from Marshall County High School. Her team finished the season as state runners-up. She averaged 14 points per game on 53% shooting from the field and was the Region 1 Player of the Year. Isabell West is a 6’1″ forward from Shakopee, Minnesota. At Iowa Central, West averaged 19.6 points per game and was fifth nationally with 13.5 rebounds per game. West was named the conference Player of the Year. Monday’s trio joins TaKiya Howard and Claira Gowan, who both signed last fall.
CARDINALS SMASH NATS
The St. Louis Cardinals hit five home runs on the way to a 12-5 win over the Nationals in Washington. St. Louis broke the game open in the fifth inning with five runs thanks to a grand slam from Paul DeJong and a solo shot from Justin Williams. The slam was DeJong’s second homer of the game. The Cardinals will look to make it two-in-row against the Nats tonight when they meet up again with first pitch at 6:05 p.m.
MORANT’S BIG NIGHT NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE GRIZZLIES
The Nuggets nipped the Grizzlies 139-137 in double-overtime in Denver. Ja Morant had 36 points, 12 assists, and eight boards in defeat. De’Anthony Melton scored 25 points off the bench, while Grayson Allen added 24 points in defeat. Memphis continues its seven-game trip tomorrow night against the Clippers in LA.
PREDS WIN
The Nashville Predators beat the Blackhawks 5-2 in Nashville. Tanner Jeannot and Kunin scored goals within an 18-second span early in the third period after Chicago drew within one in the second period. Juuse Saros made 30 saves for Nashville, which is fourth in the Central.
DERBY ATTENDANCE CAN INCREASE
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear is loosening restrictions on capacity for venues. Events with gatherings of more than one-thousand capacity will be able to operate at 50-percent capacity. This means increased attendance for the Kentucky Derby, which is May 1st at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
VALVANO HAS LEUKEMIA
Louisville basketball announcer Bob Valvano announced on Twitter he has leukemia and an aortic aneurysm. He came to Louisville as Bellarmine’s men’s basketball coach in 1994 before entering the broadcasting business. He is the brother of the late basketball coach Jim Valvano, who founded the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
MILTON TRANSFERS TO TENNESSEE
Former Michigan quarterback Joe Milton is heading to the SEC. Multiple reports say he plans to formally commit to Tennessee later this month. Milton has been in the transfer portal since February and is set to graduate in May. He played in five games for Michigan last season.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
Sharks forward Patrick Marleau stands alone atop the NHL record book for games played. He set a new mark when he stepped on the ice against the Golden Knights Monday for his 1,768th game. Marleau passed Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, who played in 1,767 games.
Quarterback Alex Smith is hanging up his cleats. The 36-year-old announced his retirement Monday in a video on Instagram. Smith was the first-overall pick by the 49ers in the 2005 draft. He also played for the Chiefs and Washington, returning last season after a leg injury in 2018.
The Reds will be without outfielder Nick Castellanos for the next two games. MLB.com reports his appeal of a two-game suspension has been denied. Castellanos was suspended for his role in a bench-clearing incident against the Cardinals in the second game of the season.
Hornets rookie guard LaMelo Ball is progressing in his recovery from a fractured wrist. The team says a CT scan shows it has healed and Ball has been cleared to resume individual basketball activities. ESPN reports the team is hopeful he can return to action in seven-to-10 days.
It’s going to be one and done for Gonzaga freshman guard Jalen Suggs. He announced on ESPN’s The Jump that he is entering the 2021 NBA Draft. Suggs is a projected top-three pick after leading the Bulldogs to within one win of a national championship and undefeated season.
MONDAY’S SCOREBOARD
MLB National League
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San Francisco Giants 2, Philadelphia Phillies 0
St. Louis Cardinals 12, Washington Nationals 5
Milwaukee Brewers 3, San Diego Padres 1
MLB American League
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Boston Red Sox 11, Chicago White Sox 4
Tampa Bay Rays 4, Kansas City Royals 1
Texas Rangers 6, Los Angeles Angels 4
Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics (Postponed)
MLB Interleague
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Seattle Mariners 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 3
NBA
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Detroit Pistons 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 105
Chicago Bulls 102, Boston Celtics 96
Golden State Warriors 107, Philadelphia 76ers 96
San Antonio Spurs 109, Indiana Pacers 94
Miami Heat 113, Houston Rockets 91
Washington Wizards 119, Oklahoma City Thunder 107
Phoenix Suns 128, Milwaukee Bucks 127 (OT)
Denver Nuggets 139, Memphis Grizzlies 137 (2 OT)
Utah Jazz 111, Los Angeles Lakers 97
NHL
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Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (OT)
Florida Panthers 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Dallas Stars 3, Detroit Red Wings 2 (SO)
Nashville Predators 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Ottawa Senators 4, Calgary Flames 2
Edmonton Oilers 4, Montreal Canadiens 1
Minnesota Wild 5, Arizona Coyotes 2
Vegas Golden Knights 3, San Jose Sharks 2 (SO)
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
MLB National League
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6:40 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Cincinnati Reds
7:05 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies
7:05 p.m. – St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals
7:30 p.m. – New York Mets at Chicago Cubs
10:10 p.m. – Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres
MLB American League
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6:10 p.m. – Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians
6:30 p.m. – Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics (G1)
7:10 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
8:10 p.m. – Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals
9:30 p.m. – Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics (G2)
9:38 p.m. – Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels
MLB Interleague
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4:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Seattle Mariners
6:35 p.m. – Atlanta Braves at New York Yankees
6:40 p.m. – Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins
6:40 p.m. – Pittsburgh Pirates at Detroit Tigers
8:40 p.m. – Houston Astros at Colorado Rockies
NBA
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7:30 p.m. – Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks
7:30 p.m. – Charlotte Hornets at New York Knicks
7:30 p.m. – Brooklyn Nets at New Orleans Pelicans
10:00 p.m. – LA Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers
10:00 p.m. – Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings
NHL
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6:30 p.m. – Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres
7:00 p.m. – New York Rangers at New York Islanders
7:00 p.m. – Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning
7:00 p.m. – Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers
7:00 p.m. – New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins
8:30 p.m. – Detroit Red Wings at Dallas Stars
9:00 p.m. – Toronto Maple Leafs at Vancouver Canucks
10:00 p.m. – Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings
Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues (Postponed)
