Thursday 28th March 2024

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021

sportspic-25
sportspic-25

Photo by Dave Winder, MSU Athletics

KEASLING INDUCTED INTO OVC HALL OF FAME
Former Murray State women’s tennis coach Connie Keasling has been named to the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame. The Murray State Hall of Fame member as of 2018 was inducted as part of the class of 2021 along with two former athletics directors, Phil Dane of UT Martin and Theresa Phillips, who also coached women’s basketball at Tennessee State. Keasling is Murray State’s 13th inductee into the OVC Hall of Fame, the ninth head coach, and the first inductee since former AD Mike Strickland was inducted in 2017. She is the third MSU woman to be inducted following former MSU president, Dr. Kayla Stroup in 1997, and Coach Margaret Simmons in 2014. Keasling is the first female tennis-only coach to earn the honor from the OVC. She led Murray State to five OVC Championships in 1987, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2007 and five runner-up finishes. Her Racer teams also made four NCAA Tournament appearances.

RACER FOOTBALL RETURNS WITH TRADITIONAL GAMEDAYS IN THE FALL
Murray State football fans can expect tradition-rich gameday experience as the Racers compete in five home games this fall. The Racers open the 2021 season on September 2 at home against Mississippi Valley State with the annual Gold Rush game. The Racers return home on October 2 for Family Weekend against Eastern Illinois. Three weeks later, MSU returns to Roy Stewart Stadium for a special Battle of the Border edition of Homecoming including the return of Tent City. On November 6, the Racers will honor local heroes and the military as they take on Tennessee Tech. In the home finale on November 13, Murray State honors both the 2021 MSU Hall of Fame Class and the 2021 football seniors. Racer Football season tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket office at 270-809-3000 or by visiting the ticket office at the CFSB Center

CARDINALS LOSING STREAK GROWS
The Indians topped the Cardinals 10-1 in St. Louis following a strong performance by Shane Bieber. Bieber tossed six innings of one-run ball, only allowing five hits for the win. Jose Ramirez plated four runs and reached 35 RBI this season for Cleveland, which has won four-of-six. The Cardinals’ only run came from an Edmundo Sosa RBI-single. Carlos Martinez gave up five runs in four innings for the loss. St. Louis has dropped six straight. The teams meet again tonight with airtime set for 6:20 on Classic Hits WNBS AM and FM. Yadier Molina could be back in the Cardinals lineup tonight. The veteran catcher is dealing with a left knee bone-contusion. He suffered the injury by taking a foul tip off his knee in the fourth inning of a loss to the Reds this past Saturday.

AREA MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP
Michael De Leon hit two two-RBI doubles in the Louisville Bats 9-3 win over the Mud Hens in Toledo. The six-game series continues tonight. Louisville defeated Toledo 9-2, and the Memphis Redbirds game against the Gwinnett Stripers was rained out yesterday in Memphis. The two teams are set to play Games One and Two tonight in a doubleheader.

SWEENEY NAMED A GOLDEN SPIKES SEMIFINALIST
USA Baseball this week announced the 25 semifinalists for its Golden Spikes Award, moving one step closer to naming the top amateur baseball player of the year. Trey Sweeney from Eastern Illinois was among the 25 semifinalists which included 22 different universities. Sweeney was the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year this season and was among the nation’s leaders in RBIs with 58. The winner of the 43rd Golden Spikes Award will be announced in July.

TITANS ADJUST TANNEHILL CONTRACT
As expected, the Tennessee Titans — who just traded for superstar wide receiver Julio Jones — have announced they’re restricting quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s contract. The move helps the team stay under the salary cap. The new contract for Tannehill frees up 18-million dollars in cap space for the Titans, who are now able to sign the rest of their draft class.

JONES TO WEAR NUMBER 2
New Tennessee Titans wide receiver Julio Jones will wear No. 2 in Tennessee. Titans wideout A.J. Brown offered Jones his No. 11 – the number Jones wore with the Falcons – but Jones declined. There was speculation Jones would go back to the No. 8 he wore with Alabama, but obviously that did not come to fruition.

BAFFERT SUES KHRC
Trainer Bob Baffert is suing the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, calling for more tests of Derby winner Medina Spirit. Baffert continues to argue the banned substance found in the horse’s blood was the product of a topical ointment, not an injection. Baffert faces a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs. If that holds up, he would likely be suspended from the other top tracks as well. The lawsuit was filed in Franklin Circuit Court in Kentucky yesterday.

ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS LOOK AT BETTING LAWS
Changes are being proposed to rules governing betting on in-state college teams by Illinois residents. A bill passed the House last week that would allow Illinoisans to gamble on in-state colleges under some circumstances. The new rules would allow bettors to place bets on team wagers, not individual performances. Bettors would also have to make wagers in person at a casino. Betting on in-state college teams by Illinois residents through sports betting apps would still be banned. If the Senate concurs with the bill, it will go to the governor’s desk.

ZIMMERMAN ADDED TO USMNT
Nashville SC defender Walker Zimmerman has been added to the United States Men’s National Team roster for its friendly match against Costa Rica tonight in Utah. The 28-year-old from Georgia has made 13 previous appearances for the US and was the 2020 MLS Defender of the Year. USMNT beat Mexico 3-2 in the CONCACAF Nations League Championship on Sunday. Nashville SC is back in action after the international break on June 18 in a road match against the New York Red Bulls.

NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is being named the N-B-A’s M-V-P. He beat out Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who were the other two finalists. He’s the first center since Shaquille O’Neal to win the award in 1999-2000. He’s the sixth international player, and third European, to win the award. He is the first MVP in franchise history for Denver.

Joel Embiid scored 40 points as the 76ers evened things up with the Hawks with a 118-102 win in Game Two in Philadelphia. The series is tied at one game apiece. The Jazz held off the Clippers late with a 112-109 win in Game One in Salt Lake City. Tonight, the Suns will look to take the second game of their series when they host the Nuggets in Game Two.

Mark Stone scored 50 seconds into overtime as the Golden Knights completed a come-from-behind win against the Avalanche 3-2 in Denver. Vegas now holds a three-games-to-two lead in the series. Brayden Point scored a power play goal in the second period as the Lightning beat the Hurricanes 2-nothing in Raleigh. Tampa Bay eliminated Carolina four-games-to-one. Tonight, the Bruins will play for their playoff lives as they visit the Islanders in Uniondale down three-games-to-two.

As Major League Baseball continues to figure out how to crack down on the potential doctoring of balls by pitchers, one of the game’s top hurlers is getting defensive from a reporter’s line of questions. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole stammered and concluded “I don’t quite know how to answer that,” on Tuesday when he was asked if he ever used a sticky paste called Spider Tack while pitching. The question came following an interview with the Twins’ Josh Donaldson, who correlated the reduction in Cole’s spin rate to the suspension of four minor leaguers.

TUESDAY’S SCOREBOARD

MLB National League
——-
Atlanta Braves 9, Philadelphia Phillies 5
Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 3
Miami Marlins 6, Colorado Rockies 2
Milwaukee Brewers 5, Cincinnati Reds 1
Chicago Cubs 7, San Diego Padres 1

MLB American League
——-
Houston Astros 7, Boston Red Sox 1
Detroit Tigers 5, Seattle Mariners 3
New York Yankees 8, Minnesota Twins 4
Chicago White Sox 6, Toronto Blue Jays 1
Los Angeles Angels 8, Kansas City Royals 1

MLB Interleague
——-
Baltimore Orioles 10, New York Mets 3
Tampa Bay Rays 3, Washington Nationals 1
San Francisco Giants 9, Texas Rangers 4
Cleveland Indians 10, St. Louis Cardinals 1
Oakland Athletics 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

NBA Playoffs
——-
Philadelphia 76ers 118, Atlanta Hawks 102
(Best-of-seven East semifinals tied, 1-1)

Utah Jazz 112, Los Angeles Clippers 109
(Jazz lead best-of-seven West semifinals, 1-0)

NHL Playoffs
——-
Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Carolina Hurricanes 0
(Lightning win best-of-seven Central second round series, 4-1)

Vegas Golden Knights 3, Colorado Avalanche 2 (OT)
(Golden Knights lead best-of-seven West second round series, 3-2)

WNBA
——-
Washington Mystics 85, Minnesota Lynx 81
Dallas Wings 85, Phoenix Mercury 81

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (All Times Are Eastern)

MLB National League
——-
4:10 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres
7:05 p.m. – Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
7:05 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates
7:10 p.m. – Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins
7:10 p.m. – Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds

MLB American League
——-
7:10 p.m. – Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox
7:10 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers
8:10 p.m. – New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins
8:10 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox
9:38 p.m. – Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels

MLB Interleague
——-
2:05 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Texas Rangers
3:37 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Oakland Athletics
7:05 p.m. – New York Mets at Baltimore Orioles
7:10 p.m. – Washington Nationals at Tampa Bay Rays
8:15 p.m. – Cleveland Indians at St. Louis Cardinals

NBA Playoffs
——-
9:30 p.m. – Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns
(Suns lead best-of-seven West semifinal series, 1-0)

NHL Playoffs
——-
7:30 p.m. – Boston Bruins at New York Islanders
(Islanders lead best-of-seven East second round series, 3-2)

WNBA
——-
7:00 p.m. – Seattle Storm at Atlanta Dream
8:00 p.m. – Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky

 

Loading...