Conference finals roundup: Lipscomb, High Point, Drake reach NCAAs
Led by 23 points from Joe Anderson, 17 from Will Pruitt and 16 from Gyasi Powell, the top-seeded Bisons (25-9, 14-4 ASUN) drained 40.4 percent of their field goals and 12 of 27 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range.
Lipscomb will play in the NCAA Tournament for the second time. The first came in 2018.
Jacari Lane poured in 18 points for the second-seeded Lions (24-10, 14-4), Corneilous Williams added 15 and Will Soucie had 10.
High Point 81, Winthrop 69
The Panthers rallied in the second half, outscoring the Eagles by 22 to win the Big South championship game in Johnson City, Tenn., and earn their first berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Bobby Pettiford scored 17 points and Kezza Giffa added 16 for No. 1 seed High Point (29-5, 14-2), which trailed by 10 at halftime. Abdoulaye Thiam chipped in 12 while Trae Benham posted an eight-point, 10-rebound effort in the win.
No. 3 seed Winthrop (23-11, 11-5) had five players score in double figures, led by Kelton Talford's 15-point, eight-rebound effort. Bryce Baker and Nick Johnson added 11 points, while K.J. Doucet and Kasen Harrison had 10 apiece.
Drake 63, Bradley 48
Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points and Tavion Banks added 13 to lead the top-seeded Bulldogs over the second-seeded Braves in the Missouri Valley championship game in St. Louis.
Drake's conference title secured its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its third in a row.
Drake (30-3, 17-3) drained 21 of 46 shots (45.7 percent) and 6 of 15 3-pointers while outrebounding Bradley 32-19, including 11-3 on the offensive glass. Banks added nine rebounds, while Stirtz, Cam Manyawu and Kael Combs each had four.
Darius Hannah led Bradley (26-8, 15-5) with 19 points, Duke Deen chipped in eight and Christian Davis had seven. The Braves shot just 41.5 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc.
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MLB roundup: Braves sweep Marlins in historic doubleheader
August 10 - While Jen Pawol made Major League Baseball history by serving as the first-base umpire, Atlanta starter Hurston Waldrep allowed one run in six innings as the host Braves defeated the Miami Marlins 7-1 Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader. Pawol, 48, became the first woman to umpire an MLB game and handled her duties without incident. Waldrep (2-0), making his first start this season, struck out six, walked one and scattered four hits. Michael Harris went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the seventh to pace the Braves' offense. Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin added two hits apiece and Baldwin drove in two. Marlins starter Ryan Gusto (7-5) made his first start since being acquired from Houston at the trade deadline and allowed three runs in six innings while amassing a career-high-tying eight strikeouts. Xavier Edwards' sixth-inning single drove in the Marlins' lone run. Braves 8, Marlins 6 (Game 2) Marcell Ozuna hit a pair of long home runs to power host Atlanta over Miami to sweep a day-night doubleheader following a victory in the opener. Ozuna was 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. It gives him 18 home runs this season. Atlanta rookie Drake Baldwin went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and has driven in 10 runs in the series. Starter Erick Fedde (4-12) pitched five innings and allowed four runs on five hits. It was Fedde's first victory since May 9 when he was with St. Louis. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (6-11) worked five innings and allowed five runs on seven hits, four walks and four strikeouts. He gave up both of Ozuna's home runs. Yankees 5, Astros 4 Trent Grisham slugged a tiebreaking homer with two outs in the eighth inning as New York topped visiting Houston. Grisham had three hits after entering the game in a 5-for-36 slide and snapped a 4-4 tie by blasting a full-count fastball from Bryan King (3-3) into the second deck in right field. Grisham's 21st homer occurred after recent bullpen acquisitions Camilo Doval and David Bednar contributed to the Yankees blowing a two-run lead in the top half of the eighth. But Bednar (3-5) pitched out of a jam then fired a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his third win. Giancarlo Stanton drove in two runs for New York. Yankees starter Luis Gil allowed two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in his second start back from a strained lat. For the Astros, Jeremy Pena hit his fourth career leadoff homer and Carlos Correa hit a tying RBI single in the fourth as the Astros lost for the 17th time in 27 games. Nationals 4, Giants 2 James Wood belted the third pitch of the game for a home run, Brad Lord worked six strong innings, and Washington held on for a road victory over San Francisco. Paul DeJong and Josh Bell also homered, while Lord (3-6), limited the Giants to one run and four hits in six innings. Jose A. Ferrer pitched out of eighth- and ninth-inning jams to help the Nationals even the three-game series at a win apiece with just the second victory in the last 10 games. A home run by Rafael Devers, his 22nd of the season, ended Lord's shutout bid in the sixth. Devers added a single and two walks to his home run, while Heliot Ramos also collected two hits for the Giants, who saw a three-game winning streak come to an end. Angels 7, Tigers 4 Taylor Ward had three hits, including a go-ahead two-run homer and Los Angeles defeated host Detroit. Ward scored two runs and knocked in three. Jo Adell hit a three-run homer and Luis Rengifo added a solo shot. Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi (6-7) gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings. Los Angeles closed out the game with four relievers each tossing an inning of scoreless relief, with Kenley Jansen picking up his 21st save. Javier Baez had three hits and scored a run for the Tigers. Matt Vierling, Gleyber Torres, Andy Ibanez and Jake Rogers drove in a run apiece. Charlie Morton (7-10), making his second start since being acquired from Baltimore, surrendered six runs on seven hits while recording 10 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Reds 2, Pirates 1 Noelvi Marte had three hits and an RBI and scored the eventual winning run to lead Cincinnati to a victory over host Pittsburgh. Marte's efforts backed up a quality start from Nick Martinez (10-9), who gave up one run on four hits over seven innings to help the Reds snap a three-game skid. Reds closer Emilio Pagan secured his 25th save of the season. The Pirates had one last chance in the ninth to record what would have been their fifth win in a row against Cincinnati this season and third of this series. Spencer Horwitz led the Pirates with two of their seven hits. Athletics 11, Orioles 3 Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers each homered and combined to drive in seven runs as the Athletics blew out host Baltimore. Jack Perkins (1-2) pitched six innings for his first major league victory, giving up three runs on three hits. Hogan Harris took care of the ninth to ensure a split in the first two games of this series between two teams occupying last place in their respective American League divisions. Rooker knocked in four runs and Langeliers had three hits to go with his three RBIs. Gunnar Henderson provided Baltimore's offense with a three-run homer in the first. Brandon Young (0-6) took the loss as he surrendered six runs and six hits over three innings. Guardians 3, White Sox 1 C.J. Kayfus hit his first home run and Joey Cantillo pitched into the sixth inning as visiting Cleveland beat Chicago for its fifth straight win. Cantillo (3-2) allowed one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings for Cleveland, which has won nine of its last 10. Nic Enright, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings before Cade Smith retired the White Sox in order in the ninth for his fifth save. Michael A. Taylor hit a solo homer for Chicago, which was held to four hits and lost its sixth straight. Brewers 7, Mets 4 William Contreras hit an insurance two-run homer immediately after his inning-ending flyout was negated by a pitch clock violation for host Milwaukee, which beat skidding New York. The Brewers rode the four-run seventh to their eighth win in as many games this month. Milwaukee has won 11 of its last 12 overall to improve its record to a baseball-best 72-44. Pete Alonso tied Darryl Strawberry atop the Mets franchise's all-time home run list by hitting the first of the team's three solo homers Saturday, but New York still lost its sixth straight game and for the 10th time in 11 games. Alonso's homer in the top of the second inning was his 26th of the season and the 252nd of his career. Royals 2, Twins 0 Maikel Garcia and Jonathan India drove in one run apiece, and that was more than enough for Kansas City as it held on for a shutout win over Minnesota in Minneapolis. Garcia's RBI double was the lone extra-base hit for Kansas City, which evened the series at one victory apiece with the rubber match set for Sunday afternoon. Kyle Isbel finished 2-for-4 and scored a run. Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (6-5) tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the victory. Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-4 to lead Minnesota, which totaled eight hits, all singles. Austin Martin tallied a pair of singles from the leadoff spot. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (4-7) allowed one run on four hits in six innings. Dodgers 9, Blue Jays 1 Blake Snell struck out 10 over five shutout innings and Shohei Ohtani blasted his 40th home run of the season to boost Los Angeles to a win over visiting Toronto. Max Muncy also homered and singled, and Andy Pages contributed two hits and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which will try for a three-game sweep of the American League East leaders on Sunday. Snell (2-1) allowed three hits and walked three in his second game back following a four-month absence with an injury to his throwing shoulder. Ernie Clement spoiled the shutout with a solo homer in the eighth for the Blue Jays, who had won three in a row heading into the series. Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt (11-6) allowed three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. Cubs 9, Cardinals 1 Michael Busch hit a three-run home run and scored twice to lead visiting Chicago past St. Louis. Busch went 2-for-5 with a double and the homer to power this victory. Matt Shaw (2-for-3, homer, two runs, two RBIs), Carson Kelly (3-for-4, RBI), Dansby Swanson (3-for-4, stolen base, two runs) and Kyle Tucker (1-for-4, walk, two runs, RBI) also had productive games. Chicago starter Colin Rea (9-5) limited St. Louis to one run on three hits in six innings. Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (6-9) allowed six runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. Phillies 3, Rangers 2 Max Kepler's two-run double in the seventh inning propelled Philadelphia to the front and backed the solid outing by Jesus Luzardo as the Phillies beat Texas and struggling ace Jacob deGrom in the second of a three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas. The Phillies guaranteed their third straight series win and have captured five of their past six games. Texas, meanwhile, has dropped three in a row. Luzardo (11-5) was the beneficiary of the Phillies' seventh-inning rally after hurling six frames while allowing a run on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk. He won his third straight start and is 4-0 over his past six appearances while allowing 14 runs over 35 2/3 innings over that stretch. deGrom (10-5) lost for the third outing in a row despite cruising through 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 5 Corbin Carroll homered for the third straight game, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drove in three runs and had a walk-off double in the ninth, and Arizona beat Colorado in Phoenix. Geraldo Perdomo doubled with one out in the ninth off Jimmy Herget (0-2) and scored on Gurriel's double, which gave rookie right-hander Andrew Hoffman (1-0) his first major league win in his sixth appearance. Carroll tied his career high with 25 homers and has four in the last seven games. Brenton Doyle had two hits including a homer and Ezequiel Tovar had two hits and an RBI for the Rockies, who have lost six in a row and have been outscored 66-17 in the stretch. Padres 5, Red Sox 4 (10 innings) Ramon Laureano's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted host San Diego over Boston. Xander Bogaerts was placed on second to start the inning and Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock (5-2) issued an intentional walk to Ryan O'Hearn. Laureano chopped the first pitch over the head of third baseman Alex Bregman and Bogaerts easily beat Roman Anthony's throw home. The Padres' Jason Adam (7-3) stranded a pair of runners in the top of the 10th, inducing an inning-ending fielder's choice grounder from Ceddanne Rafaela to earn the win. Mariners 7, Rays 4 Julio Rodriguez hit two home runs and Cal Raleigh added his major league-leading 44th long ball of the season as host Seattle defeated Tampa Bay. Josh Naylor added a pair of doubles and rookie right-hander Logan Evans (6-4) gave up three runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings as the Mariners won their sixth in a row and improved to 8-1 on their 10-game homestand that concludes Sunday. Andres Munoz worked the ninth for his 27th save. Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero homered for the Rays. Tampa Bay starter Joe Boyle (1-2) struggled with his command, giving up six runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander walked five and fanned five. --Field Level Media
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Jen Pawol makes history as MLB's first female umpire
August 9 - Jen made history as the first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball regular-season game when she worked Saturday's game between the Miami Marlins and host Atlanta Braves. Pawol, 48, was the first-base umpire in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Truist Park. She is expected to work third base in the second game before calling pitches behind the plate in Sunday's series finale. A fifth umpire was needed for the crew because of the doubleheader. Saturday's first contest serves as a makeup for the originally scheduled contest on April 6 that was postponed. Pawol has been a minor league umpire since 2016 and previously worked spring training games in 2024 and 2025. She is one of 17 current Triple-A call-up umpires eligible to substitute in MLB games. Pawol described being "overcome with emotion" when the league called her Thursday to notify her of her MLB debut, according to ESPN. "It was super emotional to finally be living that phone call that I'd been hoping for and working towards for quite a while, and I just felt super full," Pawol said. "I feel like a fully charged battery ready to go." --Field Level Media
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Hurston Waldrep shuts down Marlins as Braves take Game 1 of doubleheader
August 9 - Hurston Waldrep threw six strong innings and Michael Harris II broke the game open with a three-run homer to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 7-1 win over the visiting Miami Marlins on Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Waldrep (2-0), rated as the team's No. 4 overall prospect, was impressive in his first start of the season, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. Harris connected with a fastball from reliever George Soriano for a 409-foot shot into the Braves' bullpen in right-center field in the seventh inning to complete a four-run outburst. It was the 11th homer of the year for Harris, who went 2-for-4 and is batting .347 (33-for-95) over his last 24 games. Waldrep left the game after allowing a leadoff single to Liam Hicks in the seventh, but Pierce Johnson entered and finished the scoreless inning. Dylan Lee worked a scoreless eighth, and Tyler Kinley finished the game with a shutout ninth. Miami starter Ryan Gusto (7-5) made his first start for the Marlins after being picked up from Houston at the trade deadline. He pitched six innings and allowed three runs on four hits, two walks and matched his career high with eight strikeouts. The Braves scored two runs in the second inning to take the early lead. Sean Murphy was hit by a pitch to open the inning and scored on Ozzie Albies' infield grounder. Eli White later drove in Harris with a sacrifice fly. Atlanta scored again in the third when Drake Baldwin singled with the bases loaded and nobody out. Gusto, though, retired the next three batters to prevent further damage. Miami seemed poised to get on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning when Agustin Ramirez belted a fly ball deep to left field. But Jurickson Profar kept the Marlins scoreless by reaching high over the fence to take away a home run. The Marlins scored one run in the sixth after Xavier Edwards, playing on his 26th birthday, lined a run-scoring single to left to score Javier Sanoja. --Field Level Media
