Photo by Dave Winder, MSU Athletics
RACER SOCCER PICKED 2ND IN PRESEASON POLL
SIUE women’s soccer was picked first and Murray State was picked to finish second in the preseason OVC Soccer Poll of coaches and Sports Information Directors. SIUE received 12 first place votes and Murray State received 4. SEMO was picked to finish third followed by UT Martin at fourth. Belmont, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, and Morehead State rounded out the poll. The Racers return OVC Defender of the Year Izzy Heckman who was named a pre-season Player to Watch. The Racers soccer team’s exhibition match at Evansville was canceled last night due to inclement weather. The Racers will host Samford in a 1 pm exhibition tomorrow at Cutchin Field.
BOYS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER SCORES
Mayfield 3, Graves County 2
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER SCORES
Graves County 10, Mayfield 0
St. Mary 7, Crittenden County 1
CARDINALS DOWN PIRATES
J.A. Happ tossed six-innings of one-hit, one-run ball as the Cardinals defeated the Pirates 4-1 in Pittsburgh. Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong homered for St. Louis, which has won three of four. Alex Reyes record his 26th save. Game two of the series is on the air tonight at 5:10 on WNBS AM and FM.
FLAHERTY EXPECTED BACK ON FRIDAY
Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty is set to return to the rotation on Friday. The right-hander is coming back from a left oblique injury. He will not be on a pitch count. His return marks the start of a three-game set against the Royals in Kansas City.
GRIZZLIES ADD PONS
The Memphis Grizzlies are adding a former Vol to their roster. Memphis signed former Tennessee forward Yves Pons to a contract. The details of the deal were not disclosed. Pons scored 8.7 points per game last season for Tennessee and was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
RACERS DATE TO PLAY MEMPHIS NOT FINALIZED
The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball non-conference home schedule is out. The Tigers play two exhibition and seven home non-conference games this fall. Their most notable home games are against Saint Louis on November 16th, WKU on November 19, Murray State on December 10th or 11th, and Alabama on December 14th.
AREA MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP
In area minor league games, the Memphis Redbirds had just one hit in their 4-0 loss to the Tides in Norfolk, and the Louisville Bats beat the Nashville Sounds 8-1 in Louisville. Those series continue tonight.
GARBER VISITS NASHVILLE
MLS commissioner Don Garber was impressed with the progress of Nashville’s soccer-specific stadium. Garber toured Nashville SC’s stadium that is under construction and said “We are just excited about what this will look like”. The stadium is in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood and is set to open by mid-May of 2022.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
NFL officials will crack down on taunting during the upcoming season. Taunting penalties will be strictly enforced this year, with two violations resulting in automatic ejection. The league says the player in question could also be fined or suspended depending on the severity of the player’s actions. Competition committee chairman Rich McKay said coaches brought up the issue in the spring, pointing to the importance of respect among those on the field.
Russell Westbrook is officially donning the purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers. The point guard was introduced in his first news conference at Staples Center, holding his trademark “0” [[ zero ]] uniform. Westbrook said he is truly “blessed and thankful” for the opportunity to return home to Los Angeles. Westbrook mentioned growing up a Lakers fan and being from L.A. as motivators to bring a championship to his hometown. The 32-year-old guard has appeared in one NBA Finals, back in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The first meeting between the top two overall picks of the 2021 NBA Draft did not disappoint. Jalen Green scored 25 points as the Rockets blasted the Pistons 111-91 in the Las Vegas Summer League. Top overall pick Cade Cunningham had a big day as well, finishing with 20 points. Elsewhere around the Las Vegas Summer League, the Hawks edged the Pacers 84-83, the Celtics crushed the Nuggets 107-82, and the Bulls took down the Spurs 92-89.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are dealing with yet another injury to their star-studded roster. Outfielder Mookie Betts has been battling a sore right rip and is “very probable” to hit the injured list, according to manager Dave Roberts. Betts left Friday’s game early with hip discomfort, before playing on Saturday and missing Sunday’s game. This comes after third baseman Justin Turner was expected to miss the team’s series against the Phillies with left groin pain.
The more things change in college football, the more they stay the same. Despite an offseason with the introduction of players profiting from N-I-Ls and potential realignment, the top of the coaches poll is still rich with blue bloods. Alabama and Clemson are ranked one and two in the preseason coaches poll, which was released Tuesday, followed by Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Georgia. The only surprises come in the second-half of the top ten, after you get past number six Texas A&M and number seven Notre Dame, where you have number eight Iowa State, number nine North Carolina, and number ten Cincinnati.
TUESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
MLB National League
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Atlanta Braves 3, Cincinnati Reds 2
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Milwaukee Brewers 4, Chicago Cubs 2 (Game 1)
Milwaukee Brewers 6, Chicago Cubs 3 (Game 2)
Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 0
San Francisco Giants 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 7
San Diego Padres 6, Miami Marlins 5
Washington Nationals 3, New York Mets 1 (Suspended)
MLB American League
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Minnesota Twins 4, Chicago White Sox 3
Kansas City Royals 8, New York Yankees 4
Tampa Bay Rays 8, Boston Red Sox 4
Oakland Athletics 4, Cleveland Indians 3 (10)
Los Angeles Angels 6, Toronto Blue Jays 3 (Game 1)
Toronto Blue Jays 4, Los Angeles Angels 0 (Game 2)
Detroit Tigers 9, Baltimore Orioles 4
Texas Rangers 5, Seattle Mariners 4 (10)
MLB Interleague
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Houston Astros 5, Colorado Rockies 0
WNBA
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No Games Scheduled
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (All Times Are Eastern)
MLB National League
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4:10 p.m. – Washington Nationals at New York Mets (DH)
4:10 p.m. – Miami Marlins at San Diego Padres
7:05 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies
7:05 p.m. – St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
7:20 p.m. – Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Braves
8:05 p.m. – Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs
9:45 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants
MLB American League
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1:10 p.m. – Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins
2:10 p.m. – New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals
7:05 p.m. – Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles
7:10 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians
7:10 p.m. – Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
9:38 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels
10:10 p.m. – Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners
MLB Interleague
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2:10 p.m. – Colorado Rockies at Houston Astros
WNBA
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No Games Scheduled
