Photo By Dave Winder, MSU Athlecics
POSTPONED 2020 MSU ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME EVENT SET FOR JUNE
After a long wait, the 2020 Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame class will be honored with an in-person gathering at 6 pm on June 19 at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray. The event was postponed last fall because of Covid-19. The 2020 class includes John Beaton-baseball, Jenna Bradley-softball, Tara Isbell-soccer, coach Billy Kennedy-men’s basketball, Jackie Mounts-women’s basketball, Nick and Patrick Newcomb-men’s golf, Cameron Payne-men’s basketball, Walter Powell-football, and Joi Scott-women’s basketball. Tickets are $45 per person and can be purchased by calling the CFSB Center ticket office at 270-809-3000 or online. The CFSB Center will be used as a backup site if weather prohibits the event from being held outdoors at Stewart Stadium.
RACER BASEBALL AT MOREHEAD STATE
Winners of five of their last six games, the Murray State baseball team resumes OVC play today when they begin a four game series at Morehead State with a doubleheader today. The Eagles are in first place in the OVC standings with a record of 10-5, while the Racers are 11-7 in league play and tied for second place with Southeast Missouri. The Eagles are 6-3 at home in league games with the Racers are 5-4 in OVC road games. Today’s game times are noon and 3:30 central time, with a noon game tomorrow. Sunday’s game at 11 am is a non-conference game. All games will stream on ESPN Plus.
RACER SOFTBALL VISITS SEMO
Racer softball will play a key three-game series at Southeast Missouri beginning tomorrow in Cape Girardeau. Eastern Kentucky leads the OVC with a 21-5 league mark, followed by the Redhawks at 16-5, Austin Peay at 18-10, and Jacksonville State at 17-11. The Racers are 16-12, one game outside the top four which will advance to the COVID shortened OVC Tournament. Games begin at 2 pm and 4 pm on Saturday with the finale at 1 pm on Sunday. All games will stream on ESPN Plus.
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TODAY
Marshall County at Murray High, 5:15 pm
Calloway County at St. Mary, 5:30 pm
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SATURDAY
Logan County at Calloway County, Noon
Murray High vs Montgomery County Central, 12:30 pm
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SATURDAY
Calloway County vs Metcalfe County, Noon
Calloway County vs Franklin-Simpson, 2:00 pm
(Franklin-Simpson Lady Cats Invitational)
CARDINALS TAKE PHILLIES IN EXTRA INNINGS
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 in extra innings to earn a series split. In the tenth inning, Tyler O’Neill started on second base, moved to third on a groundout, and then scored the winning run on a wild pitch. The Cards now head to Pittsburgh for a series with the Pirates starting at 5:35 with airtime at 4:40 on WNBS AM and FM. After yesterday’s game, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that they have activated outfielder Harrison Bader from the 10-day Injured List and recalled right-handed pitcher Kodi Whitley from the team’s Alternate Training Site. In addition, the team placed pitchers Adam Wainwright and Andrew Miller on the Injured List.
AREA HOCKEY REPORT
St. Louis blew a third-period lead but recovered in overtime for a 5-4 victory over the Wild in Minnesota. The Blues face the Wild again tomorrow. The Nashville Predators return to action for the first time since Tuesday when they host Dallas tomorrow night at 7.
JSU HOSTS BLUE HENS IN FCS QUARTERFINALS
OVC football’s regular season champion Jacksonville State will host Delaware tomorrow at 2 in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. The 5th-ranked Blue Hens enter the game 6-0, while the 8th-ranked Gamecocks have a 10-2 record. The winner of this week’s game will advance to the Semifinals of the FCS Playoffs to face the winner of this week’s game between top-seed South Dakota State and Southern Illinois.
SENATE PASSES RESOLUTION HONORING UK VOLLEYBALL
Kentucky US Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul introduced a Senate Resolution yesterday congratulating the University of Kentucky Women’s Volleyball Team for winning the NCAA Championship. The Senate unanimously passed the resolution. Last Saturday, the Wildcats defeated Texas to claim the program’s first-ever national championship in volleyball.
TITANS TAKE FARLEY IN NFL FIRST ROUND
The NFL Draft continues today from Cleveland with rounds two and three. In last night’s first round, the Titans used the 22nd overall pick to select cornerback Caleb Farley out of Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-2 Farley opted out of the 2020 season and underwent back surgery last month, but he led the A-C-C with 16 passes defended in 2019. The Titans will pick 21st in the second round, and also have two third-round choices.
WASHINGTON SELECTS FORMER UK LINEBACKER
Former Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis is going to be a rich man. Davis was picked by the Washington Football Team with the 19th overall selection last night during the first round of the NFL draft. He’s the second-highest draft pick from UK during the Mark Stoops era. Josh Allen was taken with the seventh-overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 draft.
SHORT-HANDED MEMPHIS VISITS ORLANDO
The Memphis Grizzlies are in Orlando tonight to play the first of a back-to-back home-and-home set with the Magic. They’ve lost four of their last six games and sit tied for eighth in a tight Western Conference play-in tournament seeding race. Jaren Jackson Junior has been ruled out tonight due to left knee discomfort, and Grayson Allen is doubtful with a left hand injury.
CATS LOSE TO TENNESSEE; LOUISVILLE RETURNS TO ACTION
Tennessee baseball cruised to victory in last night’s series opener against Kentucky, 14-4. Game two in Knoxville is tonight. Number seven Louisville baseball is at Clemson tonight to open a three-game series with the Tigers. It’s the Cardinals’ first games in two weeks after last weekend’s ranked matchup against Pitt was cancelled. The Cards narrowly lead the A-C-C with 13 regular season games remaining.
VOLS ADD DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
The Tennessee Vols are strengthening their defensive line through the NCAA transfer portal. Former Southern California player Caleb Tremblay announced yesterday he’s committed to Tennessee. Tremblay is going into his final season of eligibility. Former Trojans kicker Chase McGrath transferred to UT earlier this year.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is over. The Jaguars made Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence the top overall pick. The Jets selected BYU quarterback second while the 49ers added North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance third. The Bears traded up for Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields while Alabama quarterback Mac Jones fell to the Patriots. Heisman winner DeVonta Smith landed with the Eagles.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is reportedly telling people in the Packers organization he does not want to return to Green Bay. The Packers have been trying to mend the relationship but Rodgers hasn’t budged. The Packers tell ESPN they are “committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond.”
The second night of the NFL Draft will be held tonight. Rounds two and three will be hosted in Cleveland before rounds four-through-seven are on Saturday. The Jaguars will have the first pick in the second round, having had the worst record in the 2020 season. Texas Christian’s Trevon Manning, Ole Miss’ Elijah Moore, and Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins are among the best players still available.
Jake Guentzel scored in overtime as the Penguins beat the Capitals 5-4 in Washington, DC. With the win and the Rangers regulation loss, Pittsburgh clinched a trip to the playoffs for the 15th-straight year. That represents the longest playoff streak in North American professional sports. The MLS’s Seattle Sounders are second with 12-consecutive seasons.
Keegan Bradley shot a seven-under 64 in the first round of the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, on Thursday. He holds a two-shot lead over Max Homa and four other golfers. Defending champion Paul Casey shot three-under to sit four-strokes back.
THURSDAY’S SCOREBOARD
MLB National League
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St. Louis Cardinals 4, Philadelphia Phillies 3 (10)
Chicago Cubs 9, Atlanta Braves 3
Milwaukee Brewers 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
Arizona Diamondbacks 5, Colorado Rockies 3
MLB American League
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Baltimore Orioles 4, New York Yankees 3 (10)
Oakland Athletics 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2
Seattle Mariners 1, Houston Astros 0
Chicago White Sox 3, Detroit Tigers 1 (G1)
Chicago White Sox 11, Detroit Tigers 0 (G2)
Texas Rangers 4, Boston Red Sox 1
MLB Interleague
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No Games Scheduled
NBA
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Dallas Mavericks 115, Detroit Pistons 105
Brooklyn Nets 130, Indiana Pacers 113
Houston Rockets 143, Milwaukee Bucks 136
Minnesota Timberwolves 126, Golden State Warriors 114
New Orleans Pelicans 109, Oklahoma City Thunder 95
Denver Nuggets 121, Toronto Raptors 111
NHL
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Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Dallas Stars 0
Boston Bruins 5, Buffalo Sabres 2
New Jersey Devils 5, Philadelphia Flyers 3
New York Islanders 4, New York Rangers 0
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Washington Capitals 4 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Detroit Red Wings 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Vancouver Canucks 1
Florida Panthers 4, Chicago Blackhawks 3 (OT)
St. Louis Blues 5, Minnesota Wild 4 (OT)
Calgary Flames 3, Edmonton Oilers 1
PGA
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Valspar Championship (at Palm Harbor, FL)
1. Keegan Bradley (-7)
T2. Five Others (-5)
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
MLB National League
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6:35 p.m. – St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
7:05 p.m. – Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals
7:05 p.m. – New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
7:10 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds
8:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers
9:40 p.m. – Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks
10:10 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres
MLB American League
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7:05 p.m. – Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees
7:10 p.m. – Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays
8:05 p.m. – Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers
8:10 p.m. – Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox
8:10 p.m. – Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins
9:40 p.m. – Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics
10:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners
MLB Interleague
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7:37 p.m. – Atlanta Braves at Toronto Blue Jays
NBA
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7:00 p.m. – Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers
7:30 p.m. – San Antonio Spurs at Boston Celtics
7:30 p.m. – Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers
8:00 p.m. – Portland Trail Blazers at Brooklyn Nets
8:00 p.m. – Orlando Magic at Memphis Grizzlies
9:00 p.m. – Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls
10:00 p.m. – Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns
10:30 p.m. – Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers
NHL
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7:00 p.m. – Winnipeg Jets at Montreal Canadiens
9:00 p.m. – San Jose Sharks at Colorado Avalanche
10:00 p.m. – Vegas Golden Knights at Arizona Coyotes
10:00 p.m. – Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks
PGA
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Valspar Championship (at Palm Harbor, FL)
