Photo by Dave Winder, MSU Athlecics
RACERS VS GOVS TODAY IN QUEST FOR FIRST TITLE IN 30 YEARS
The Murray State baseball team will close out the regular season with a three-game series versus Austin Peay, beginning with a single game today at 5 and a 1 pm twinbill tomorrow. The Racers have already clinched a spot in next week’s OVC Tournament in Jackson, Tennessee while the Governors are currently in fourth place and battling for one of the four spots in the tournament. Only the top four teams in the OVC will earn a spot in Jackson and the tournament will be in double-elimination format. The Racers sit atop the conference standings by 1/2 game over Southeast Missouri. The Racers will go for their first regular season conference title in 30 since 1991, when the team went 24-18 overall and 14-3 in OVC play. It was Coach Johnny Reagan’s 11th and final OVC title who was in his 34th season of coaching.
GIBSON’S GEM PUSHES TIGERS PAST VIKINGS
In high school baseball yesterday, Kade Gibson tossed a complete game three-hitter as Murray High blanked St. Mary 2-0 in Paducah. Gibson walked 3 and struck out 6 as the Tigers improved to 13-14. Carson Tucker and Resse Wilson each had an RBI for Murray.
FLOYD NAMED TO ALL-SOPHOMORE ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Murray State cornerback Marcus Floyd was among eight Ohio Valley Conference football players named to the HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-American Team. Floyd racked up 32 tackles, three interceptions, nine pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown in the Racers win at then nationally-ranked Southeast Missouri. He earned All-OVC honors and was previously named an All-American by Stats Perform The picks also included UT Martin quarterback John Bachus, SEMO running back Geno Hess, Austin Peay offensive lineman Bucky Williams, Jacksonville State offensive lineman Tylan Grable, Tennessee State defensive lineman Davoan Hawkins, Eastern Illinois linebacker Jason Johnson, and Jacksonville State defensive back Nicario Harper.
WITHERSPOON NAMED TO FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Racer running back Damonta Witherspoon was among five Ohio Valley Conference players named to the HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American Team. Witherspoon earned All-OVC honors after carrying the ball 107 times for 513 yards and five touchdowns as. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 73.3 rushing yards per game. He ranked 28th nationally in rushing touchdowns and 32nd in total rushing yards. Among freshmen his 513 yards was the sixth-most nationally. The other selections were Tennessee State running back Devon Starling, Jacksonville State linebacker Jaylen Swain, UT Martin kicker Tyler Larco, and Southeast Missouri punter Zach Haynes.
UTM AND DAVIS CONCLUDE PLAY IN GOLF REGIONALS
The NCAA Men’s Golf Indiana Regional came to an end on Wednesday with UT Martin shooting a final round 297 to wrap up the 54-hole event with an 896. That ranked 11th in the 13-team field that featured eight nationally ranked top-50 squads. Ross Redmont and Tate Chumley led the Skyhawks yesterday with identical scores of 73. For the tournament, Nick Wolf and Chumley tied for 38th place in the individual standings with a 220. Belmont’s Evan Davis finished in a tie for 19th place at the Kingston Springs Regional. with a 213. His 66 was the second lowest round of the day and tied for the second lowest round of the Regional. He finished eight shots behind the medalist.
BARRY INKS WITH BC
Former Jacksonville State tight end Trae Barry will finish his career at Boston College. Barry was a first-team FCS All-American for the Gamecocks this spring before entering the NCAA transfer portal. He chose the Eagles over Ole Miss and Florida State.
FLAHERTY WINS AGAIN; BUSCH MOVING TO FULL CAPACITY
Jack Flaherty improved to 8-and-0 after striking out seven and allowing two-runs over six innings in the Cardinals 8-5 win against the Pirates at Busch Stadium. Bob Gibson is the only other St. Louis pitcher to start 8-and-0 in his first nine starts of the season. Tommy Edman went 2-for-3 with three RBI for the Cards, who swept the two-game set. St. Louis hosts the Cubs tomorrow night. The Cardinals are expanding Busch Stadium to full capacity for the remainder of 2021 season beginning June 14th. The expansion goes into effect for the start of a three-game home set against the Miami Marlins.
GRIZZLIES WIN
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Spurs, 100-96, in the nine-ten game of the Western Conference play-in tournament, and will face the Warriors in San Francisco tomorrow for the eighth and final playoff spot. Dillon Brooks had a game-high 24 points, and Jonas Valanciunas added 23 to go with 23 rebounds. A win over the Warriors tomorrow would give the Grizzlies their first playoff berth since 2017 and result in a first-round matchup against the top seed Jazz.
PREDS AND BLUES LOSE PLAYOFF GAMES
The Nashville Predators couldn’t get any of their 32 shots to go in as they were blanked by the Hurricanes, 3-0, in game two of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. The Canes are up 2-0 in the series as it shifts to Nashville for game three tomorrow. The St. Louis Blues now trail the Avalanche 2-0 in their first round playoff series after losing game two 6-3 in Denver. The series now shifts to St. Louis for Game Three tomorrow night.
REDBIRDS WIN
The Memphis Redbirds scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to come back and win a 6-5 thriller over the Bats. Zach Thompson starts game three of the six-game set tonight.
SEC SENDING MONEY TO SCHOOLS
Southeastern Conference schools are receiving an extra 23-million-dollars from the league. The SEC announced Wednesday that the money is to help cover the schools’ revenue losses over the past year. The extra money will be labeled by the league as “supplemental revenue.” The SEC is banking on “future increases in media rights revenue” to distribute the money earlier than anticipated as each athletics department has fallen an average 45-million-dollars over the past year because of the pandemic.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
Yankees pitcher Corey Kluber has thrown a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers in New York’s 2-nothing win in Arlington. It is the sixth official no-hitter this season, the second in consecutive days for the first time since 1969, and the 12th thrown in franchise history. The right-hander struck out nine batters while walking just one. Tyler Wade tripled in a run in the sixth before being driven in on a sacrifice fly by DJ LeMahieu.
Fernando Tatis Junior went 4-for-4 with a homer and a pair of RBI as the Padres beat the Rockies 3-nothing in San Diego. It was Tatis’ first game back since testing positive for COVID-19. He finished a triple shy of the cycle. Jake Cronenworth also hit an inside-the-park homer in the game for the Friars, which have won six-straight and nine-of-ten.
LeBron James hit a go-ahead three with under a minute remaining as the Lakers topped the Warriors 103-100 in the Western Conference seven versus eight play-in game. James finished with a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Lakers will play the Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Stephen Curry had 37 points in defeat for the Warriors. Golden State will face the Grizzlies at home Friday night for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies advanced to a meeting with the Warriors after dispatching of the Spurs 100-96 in the nine versus 10 game in Memphis. Tonight, the Wizards and Pacers battle in D.C. for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and the chance to face the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
Craig Smith scored 5:48 into the second overtime to lift the Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Capitals in Boston. Sebastian Aho netted a pair as the Hurricanes topped the Predators 3-nothing in Raleigh. Nathan MacKinnon had a hat trick as the Avalanche topped the Blues 6-3 in Denver. Dominic Toninato spearheaded a three-goal third for the Jets as they topped the Oilers 4-1 in Edmonton. Tonight, in a trio of Game Threes, the Panthers will visit the Lightning in Tampa, the Penguins will visit the Islanders in Uniondale, and the Golden Knights will visit the Wild in Minnesota. In the North Division, Montreal and Toronto kick off their best-of-seven series.
The PGA’s second Major tees off today as golfers will compete in the PGA Championship at the Kiawah Island Ocean Course in South Carolina. Defending champion Collin Morikawa will be in a group Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. The world’s number one golfer, Dustin Johnson, will be playing after missing the last couple of events with a flare up in his right knee. The 2020 Masters champion will group with Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry.
WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
MLB National League
——-
San Diego Padres 3, Colorado Rockies 0
San Francisco Giants 4, Cincinnati Reds 0
Miami Marlins 3, Philadelphia Phillies 1
Atlanta Braves 5, New York Mets 4
Washington Nationals 4, Chicago Cubs 3
St. Louis Cardinals 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 5
Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 2
MLB American League
——-
Chicago White Sox 2, Minnesota Twins 1
Tampa Bay Rays 9, Baltimore Orioles 7
Boston Red Sox 7, Toronto Blue Jays 3
New York Yankees 2, Texas Rangers 0
Cleveland Indians 3, Los Angeles Angels 2
Houston Astros 8, Oakland Athletics 1
Detroit Tigers 6, Seattle Mariners 2
MLB Interleague
——-
Kansas City Royals 6, Milwaukee Brewers 4
NBA Playoffs
——-
#9 Memphis Grizzlies 100, #10 San Antonio Spurs 96
(Western Conference 9 vs.10 Play-In Game)
#7 Los Angeles Lakers 103, #8 Golden State Warriors 100
(Western Conference 7 vs.8 Play-In Game)
NHL Playoffs
——-
Boston Bruins 3, Washington Capitals 2 (2OT)
(Bruins lead best-of-seven East first round series, 2-1)
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Nashville Predators 0
(Hurricanes lead best-of-seven Central first round series, 2-0)
Winnipeg Jets 4, Edmonton Oilers 1
(Jets lead best-of-seven North first round series, 1-0)
Colorado Avalanche 6, St. Louis Blues 3
(Avalanche lead best-of-seven West first round series, 2-0)
NHL Regular Season
——-
Calgary Flames 6, Vancouver Canucks 2
WNBA
——-
Chicago Sky 85, Atlanta Dream 77
Connecticut Sun 88, Indiana Fever 67
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
MLB National League
——-
12:35 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds
2:20 p.m. – Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs
7:05 p.m. – Miami Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies
7:20 p.m. – Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves
10:10 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB American League
——-
12:35 p.m. – Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles
2:05 p.m. – New York Yankees at Texas Rangers
3:37 p.m. – Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics
4:07 p.m. – Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles Angels (DH)
7:37 p.m. – Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays (at Dunedin, FL)
MLB Interleague
——-
No Games Scheduled
NBA Playoffs
——-
8:00 p.m. – Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards
(Eastern Conference 8th Seed Play-In Game)
NHL Playoffs
——-
6:30 p.m. – Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
(Lightning lead best-of-seven Central first round series, 2-0)
7:00 p.m. – Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders
(Best-of-seven East first round series tied, 1-1)
7:30 p.m. – Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs
(Game One of best-of-seven North first round series)
9:30 p.m. – Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
(Best-of-seven West first round series tied, 1-1)
WNBA
——-
8:00 p.m. – Seattle Storm at Minnesota Lynx
PGA
——-
PGA Championship (at Kiawah Island, SC)
