FRIDAY SPORTS, APRIL 17, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell’s 4×200 relay team of Alexier Padilla, Carter Lee, Sam Mullenmeister and Samari Wright took first place with a time of 1:30.88, one of the top marks in the state this season on Thursday at the Corn Palace Relays at Joe Quintal Field. In the field events, Bryer Stach led the way with a winning throw of 163 feet in the discus, the top mark in Class AA this year, while Logan Bessler added a runner-up finish. Stach also placed third in the shot put. On the track, the Kernels added a second-place finish in the 4×400 relay and saw several top-eight efforts across running and jumping events. Meanwhile, the Sioux Falls Lincoln boys broke the state record in the 4×400 relay finishing in 3:14.69. The Corn Palace Relays featured eight new meet records and a state record. Mitchell is back in action on Friday, April 24 at the Pierre Invitational at 11 am.
— Mitchell baseball picked up a doubleheader sweep over Huron on Thursday at Drake Field, improving to 7-1 on the season. Mitchell won game one 5-1 as Carter McCormick struck out eight over five shutout innings. Stratton Forst drove in two runs in the first inning, while Mitchell took advantage of five Huron errors, including scoring three times in the fifth inning on three Huron errors. In game two, Mitchell walked it off for a 2-1 win. Ian Weber delivered the game-winning double in the seventh to score Michael Gomez. Kaiden Allen went six innings, allowing one run on four hits. Mitchell now heads to Yankton on Sunday for a doubleheader at 2 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels softball dropped its home opener on Thursday, falling 6-2 to the Sioux Falls Roosevelt. Mitchell is now 0-3 on the season, with all three losses coming against Sioux Falls schools. Roosevelt jumped out early with two runs in the first inning and added to the lead throughout, taking advantage of five Kernel errors that led to three unearned runs. Brooklyn Schlimgen drove in a run in the sixth with another scoring on an error. Mallory Miedema and Kinsley Herges each had two hits to lead Mitchell, while Rylee Jennings threw all seven innings. Mitchell will look for its first win on Monday at home against Aberdeen Central at 4 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys tennis team split a pair of duals on Thursday in Brandon, beating Brandon Valley 6-3 before falling to O’Gorman 8-1. Against Brandon Valley, Mitchell won four of six singles matches. In the second dual, O’Gorman handed Mitchell its first loss of the season, sweeping singles play. Mitchell is now 6-1 overall and returns to action Monday for a triangular in Sioux Falls against Lennox and Sioux Falls Christian at 1 pm at Tomar Park.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan softball extended its winning streak to 14 games with a doubleheader sweep of Mount Marty on Thursday in Mitchell. The Tigers won game one 7-4, followed by a 4-2 victory, improving to 32-11 overall and 15-1 in GPAC play, while staying unbeaten at home and in first place in the conference. In the opener, Avery Perkins led the offense with a three-run homer in the first inning, while Jaycee Tebay added a two-run shot. Alison Ernsberger struck out nine in the win. In Game two, Perkins delivered again with a two-run homer, while Jordyn Blogg added a solo shot for insurance. Mandalyn Nachtigall picked up the win with eight strikeouts with Ernsberger earning the save. Dakota Wesleyan will now host Midland on Sunday for a Senior Day doubleheader at 1 pm, with just six regular-season games remaining.
— Dakota Wesleyan baseball split a doubleheader with Concordia on Thursday at Drake Field. The Tigers dropped game one 10-1, as Concordia broke things open with a four-run fourth inning. Dexter Payne drove in the lone run for DWU, while the Tigers struck out 16 times in the loss. In game two, Dakota Wesleyan rallied for a 6-5 win. Talan Ball tied the game with a two-run homer in the sixth, while Lane Darrow delivered a three-run triple to give DWU the lead. Dakota Wesleyan is now 17-22 overall and 8-14 in GPAC play and will host Concordia again Sunday for another doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Drake Field.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD softball will be at North Dakota on Saturday for the start of a three-game series with a single game at 5 pm.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— The Minnesota Twins start a three game home series vs. Cincinnati on Friday at 7:10 pm. The Twins are 11-8 on the season, holding a half game lead over Cleveland for first place in the AL Central.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State track and field teams turned in a record-setting day Thursday across meets in California and Wisconsin. Cody Larson broke his own school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 8:28.94, a time expected to rank among the top 10 nationally. Lucas Flemmer set a program record in the 400 meters, winning in 46.80 seconds to become the first Jackrabbit to break 47 seconds. The SDSU women’s 4×100 relay team also set a school record, winning in 45.54 seconds.
— South Dakota State baseball opens the second half of Summit League play this weekend with a three-game home series against Oral Roberts in Brookings. The series begins at 3 p.m. Friday at Erv Huether Field, with games scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. SDSU enters the weekend 12-21 overall and 6-6 in league play, sitting in the middle of the conference standings after winning three straight Summit League series. The Jackrabbits opened a 10-game homestand earlier this week with a 13-3 win over Midland. Oral Roberts leads the conference at 11-1 in league play and holds a 20-14 overall record. The Golden Eagles swept SDSU in their first meeting this season and have won 12 straight in the series vs. the Jacks.
— South Dakota State softball is scheduled to play at Omaha on Friday at 6 pm to begin a three-game series. The Jackrabbits are 23-24 on the season and 5-4 in the Summit League, one game behind St. Thomas for second place in the conference.
NBA
— Ex-NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is expected to become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling investigation that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including mobsters and other basketball figures. A change of plea hearing for Jones is scheduled for April 28 in Brooklyn federal court. The 49-year-old Jones had previously pleaded not guilty to separate indictments charging him with profiting from rigged poker games and providing sports bettors with non-public information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
— The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham will be eligible for awards such as MVP and All-NBA this season despite falling short of the 65-game minimum. The league and the National Basketball Players Association announced the ruling on Thursday. Doncic played in 64 games and Cunningham played in 63. But the league and the union both agreed that each should be on the ballot based on the “extraordinary circumstances provision” in the collective bargaining agreement. An appeal to get Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards on the ballot failed.
— The NBA is sending Denver and Indiana to Mexico City for a regular-season game on November 7, the league announced Thursday. The game will be the 35th in Mexico, all since 1992, and the 16th regular-season contest there. Other than the U.S. and Canada, no nation has played host to more NBA games than Mexico. The NBA will also play regular season games in Paris and Manchester, England, next season.
NBA PLAYOFFS
No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. TBA – Sunday at 5:30 pm on NBC
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers – Sunday at Noon on ABC
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks – Saturday at 5 pm on Amazon Prime Video
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors – Saturday at Noon on Amazon Prime Video
No. 8 Orlando Magic vs. No. 9 Charlotte Hornets – Friday at 6:30 pm on Amazon Prime Video
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. TBA – Sunday at 2:30 pm on ABC
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers – Sunday at 8 pm on NBC
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves – Saturday at 2:30 pm on Amazon Prime Video
No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets – Saturday at 7:30 pm on ABC
No. 8 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors – Friday at 9 pm on Amazon Prime Video
GOLF
— Tiger Woods’ attorney plans to fight prosecutors’ attempts to subpoena the golfer’s prescription drug records. The attorney argues that Woods has a constitutional right to privacy regarding his medications. He asked a judge in Florida this week to hold a hearing to determine if the records are necessary for the investigation. Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence. Authorities say he showed signs of impairment after an accident last month. Prosecutors are seeking his prescription records from a pharmacy in Palm Beach.
MLB
— The Dodgers shattered Major League Baseball’s spending record with a combined $515 million in payroll and luxury tax last year en route to their second straight World Series title, according to final figures compiled by the commissioner’s office. L.A.’s 2025 spending included records for payroll at $345 million and tax of $169 million. The Dodgers’ total was seven times the $68 million payroll of the Miami Marlins, the lowest-spending team, and more than the payrolls of the bottom six clubs combined.
— A rash of drone sightings during the Colorado Rockies’ first homestand of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies sent law enforcement scrambling to track down the operators. No one was arrested after more than a half dozen drone sightings around Coors Field earlier this month, but it is possible the drone pilots could still face fines up to $75,000. Officials issued a warning Thursday to try to keep drones away from the stadium during the Rockies’ next home games because they are concerned about the potential threat they pose. Even if the drones aren’t attacking, their presence distracts law enforcement from other potential threats that could be more serious, officials say.
— Cleveland rookie Parker Messick took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, while José Ramírez homered for the third time in four games as the Guardians opened a seven-game homestand with a 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Making his 11th major league start, Messick faced one batter more than the minimum through eight innings before Leody Taveras led off the ninth with a grounder that just eluded diving second baseman Juan Brito and went into right field for a single.
— Mike Trout hit his fifth homer of the series as the Los Angeles Angels overcame a homer by Aaron Judge in their 11-4 victory over the New York Yankees for a four-game split. Trout went 6 for 16 with five homers and nine RBIs in the four game series.
— Riley Greene doubled home two runs to tie the score with two outs in the ninth inning, while Colt Keith followed with the winning single as the Detroit Tigers rallied past the Kansas City Royals 10-9. Kansas City has dropped four in a row, all by one run, and seven of nine.
— Fernando Tatis Jr.’s two-run single capped a four-run rally in the second inning as the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 5-2 for their eighth straight win and 11th in 12 games. Mason Miller struck out the side on 14 pitches in the ninth for his sixth save and to extend his scoreless innings streak to 30 2/3 innings, the longest active streak in the majors.
— Garrett Mitchell scored the go-ahead run as the Milwaukee Brewers bunted three straight times in the seventh inning to break a tie and beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1.
— Joc Pederson hit a go-ahead single in a four-run ninth inning as the Texas Rangers rallied in a 9-6 victory over the Athletics to earn a split of their four-game series.
— Hunter Goodman homered and doubled to help the Colorado Rockies snap a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros.
— Landen Roupp allowed one hit in six innings, while Matt Chapman had an RBI double to spark a three-run rally in the seventh to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-0.
— Junior Caminero homered and the Tampa Bay Rays scored twice on bases-loaded walks in the ninth inning, rallying for a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox for their sixth straight victory.
— James Wood singled to score automatic runner Jorbit Vivas in the 10th inning as the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7.