NEW YORK (AP) – Artemi Panarin had a goal and three assists, Adam Fox had a goal and two assists and the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-4. Colin Blackwell, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Pavel Buchnevich also scored for New York, which extended its point streak to four games. It was the first time in 11 years that different Rangers scored in a game. Igor Shesterkin made 42 saves for New York. Jared McCann, Mike Matheson, Jake Guentzel and Brian Dumoulin scored for Pittsburgh, which lost for the second time in seven games.
UNDATED (AP) – The Baylor men’s basketball program was in shambles when Scott Drew took over 18 years ago, ridden with scandal following the murder of a player by a teammate. On Monday, Drew was cutting down the nets after the Bears earned the first NCAA championship in program history. Baylor opened with an 11-1 run and led 29-10 midway through the first half before celebrating an 86-70 pounding of previously-unbeaten Gonzaga. Jared Butler poured in 22 points and had seven assists for the Bears, who shot 10-for-23 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 38-22. Mark Vital led Baylor’s board dominance by grabbing 11. MaCio Teague Teague chipped in 19 points and Davion Mitchell added 15 while trying to keep Jalen Suggs in check. The Zags were attempting to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to go undefeated in Division I men’s hoops. Instead, they are the first team to end a perfect run in a title game since Larry Bird’s Indiana State team against Magic Johnson and Michigan State in 1979. Suggs had a team-high 22 points for the Bulldogs, but Drew Timme scored just two of his 12 points after halftime. Corey Kispert also had a quiet night with 12 points.
CINCINNATI (AP) – Nick Castellanos hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning hours after deciding to appeal a two-game suspension for his part in a brawl, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3. Jose De Leon tied a career high with nine strikeouts and allowed two runs, three hits and two walks over five innings to help the Reds secure a third straight win. Mike Moustakas tied it at 2 in the fifth with his first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field off Luis Oviedo. Moustakas also doubled and scored in the eighth.
NEW YORK (AP) – The major league All-Star game is coming back to Coors Field. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that MLB will relocate the All-Star Game to Denver’s Coors Field after pulling the Midsummer Classic from Atlanta over objections to sweeping changes to Georgia’s voting laws. The league is expected to announce Tuesday that the Rockies will host the game. Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998, the fourth season for the stadium and sixth for the Rockies franchise.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Stanford held off Arizona to win the women’s NCAA title Sunday night. Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford beat Arizona 54-53, giving the Cardinal and coach Tara VanDerveer their first national championship in 29 years. It wasn’t a masterpiece by any stretch with both teams struggling to score and missing easy layups and shots, but Stanford did just enough to pull off the win surviving a miss by Aari McDonald that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
You can hear the Men’s title game Monday on WJPA-AM (1450) and online Listen Here! From the first tip to the final whistle, we’re you home for NCAA March Madness!
Men’s National Championship (Monday):
7:00 pm #1 Baylor vs. #1 Gonzaga
CHICAGO (AP) – Zach Davies pitched into the sixth inning in his Chicago Cubs debut, leading his new team to a 4-3 victory over the short-handed Pittsburgh Pirates. Ian Happ homered and Kris Bryant reached three times as Chicago earned its second straight win after losing on opening day. Joc Pederson also drove in a run with a groundout. Davies, who was acquired in the December trade that sent Yu Darvish to San Diego, permitted two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
CHICAGO (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with a strained left wrist. One of the preseason favorites for NL Rookie of the Year, Hayes got hurt on a swing during Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He also used his left hand diving back to first on a pickoff attempt. Manager Derek Shelton says X-rays were negative, but an MRI showed some inflammation.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Jordan Spieth has ended a slump that lasted 82 starts and nearly four years, closing with a 6-under 66 to win the Valero Texas Open. It’s his first victory since the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale. Now he heads to Augusta National as one of the favorites at the Masters. Spieth sealed it with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, and he won by two shots over Charley Hoffman.
NCAA March Madness hits its crescendo this weekend with the Women’s & Men’s Final Four and the National Championship games.
You can hear the Women’s National Championship game Sunday and the Men’s title game Monday on WJPA-AM (1450) and online Listen Here! From the first tip to the final whistle, we’re you home for NCAA March Madness!
Women’s Final Four (Friday):
#1 Stanford 66, #1 South Carolina 65
#3 Arizona 69, #1 UConn 59
Men’s Final Four (Saturday):
#1 Baylor 78, #2 Houston 59
#1 Gonzaga 93, #11 UCLA 90 OT
Women’s National Championship (Sunday):
5:30 pm #1 Stanford vs. #3 Arizona
Men’s National Championship (Monday):
7:00 pm #1 Baylor vs. #1 Gonzaga
BOSTON — Brad Marchand had two of his three goals and set up another in Boston’s five-goal second period, and the Boston Bruins rebounded from a lackluster effort with a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon. Patrice Bergeron moved into a tie for fourth on the club’s all-time scoring list. David Pastrnak scored twice, David Krejci and Bergeron each had a goal for Boston. Bergeron has 899 career points to equal Rick Middleton (898). Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Jared McCann, Mark Jankowski and Cody Ceci each scored for the Penguins, who had ended a 10-game winless stretch in Boston (0-8-2) with a 4-1 victory over the Bruins on Thursday. It was their first win in TD Garden since Nov. 24, 2014. The loss ended Pittsburgh’s five-game winning streak and was just its fourth in the last 15 games (11-3-1). Casey DeSmith had 21 saves for Pittsburgh. He had allowed just two goals or less in his last eight games for a 1.05 goals-against-average.
