FRIDAY SPORTS, APRIL 18, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell baseball started the home portion of its 2025 spring schedule with a 4-1 win on Thursday vs. Tea Area at Drake Field. Mason Herman got the win on the mound for Mitchell, going 5+ innings, allowing just one run on six hits with five strikeouts, including getting out of a bases loaded jam in the third without giving up a run. Hudson Borgan finished 2-for-3 with a pair of extra base hits and two runs, while Jaxson Hartman had a pair of singles with two RBI’s and a run scored. Gavin Jones came in from right field for a six out save and was named the KORN Player of the Game. Jones came in with two runners on and no outs as Mitchell had a 4-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Jones struck out three of the four hitters he faced in the inning to maintain the three run lead. Mitchell (6-4) will be at Pierre on Monday for a doubleheader starting at 1 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels softball won at SF Roosevelt on Thursday night 11-1 with a seven run fifth inning. The Rough Riders committed eight errors. Mitchell’s Rylee Jennings had 10 strike outs, allowing just two hits. Matteah Graves finished with three RBI’s, two hits and two steals. The Kernels had eight stolen bases. Mitchell (4-3) hosts O’Gorman on Tuesday at 6 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys tennis swept their second triangular of the week on Thursday with a pair of wins at Huron, defeating the Tigers 9-0 and taking a 5-4 decision vs. Aberdeen Central. Mitchell improved to 5-2 in duals on the season. Kernels boys tennis will host Sioux Falls Christian on Monday at 1 pm, followed by Lennox at 3:30 pm at Hitchcock Park.
— Mitchell Kernels track and field won four events on Thursday at the Corn Palace Relays at Joe Quintal Field. Kellan Odell won the long jump and javelin, while Makenzie Hetland took first in the girls high jump at 5 feet, 2 inches. Macey Linke broke her own school record in the girls javelin with a throw of 108 feet, 4 inches. Mitchell Christian’s Silas Holdeman won the boys 1,600-meters in 4 minutes, 33 seconds.
— Mitchell Kernels girls golf opened its season on Thursday with a victory at the Harrisburg Invitational, one stroke ahead of Aberdeen Central, with a team score of 315. Maddie Childs finished second individually with a 74 (+3). Mitchell will take part in the Sioux Falls Washington quadrangular on Thursday at Bakker Crossing, along with Yankton and Harrisburg at 1 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan freshman Dakota Munger was named the GPAC Men’s Golfer of the Week in the GPAC. The Chamberlain native won the DWU Spring Invite last week with a two-round total of 140, shooting a 69 in the first round and a 71 in the second round.
— Dakota Wesleyan softball split a doubleheader vs. Doane on Thursday, winning the first game 8-0 before losing the second game 7-4. The Tigers end the regular season with back-to-back doubleheaders starting on Saturday vs. Waldorf at 1 pm, followed by two games vs. Morningside next Saturday, April 26.
— Dakota Wesleyan baseball lost two games at Briar Cliff on Thursday 7-3 and 6-5. The Tigers will host Briar Cliff in a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 pm at Drake Field.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— Rain and lightning Thursday afternoon forced play in the baseball series opener between South Dakota State and St. Thomas to be suspended in the bottom of the eighth inning. Play is scheduled to resume at 1 p.m. Friday with St. Thomas leading the Jackrabbits, 13-6. Game 2 of the series will follow shortly after the conclusion of the suspended game.
— South Dakota State softball hosts North Dakota State for three games this weekend starting with a doubleheader on Friday at 2 pm.
— South Dakota State’s Drew Teeter was named the Summit League’s Men’s Golfer of the Week on Thursday. The Jackrabbit sophomore finished the Hawkeye Invitational in 12th place after posting a 54-hole score of 215 (-1), which was his best three-round score as a Jackrabbit.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD softball will be at Omaha for a doubleheader on Friday at Noon.
COLLEGE
— Florida State has canceled all home athletic events, including its final spring football practices and a baseball series against Virginia, through the weekend after an on-campus shooting Thursday left two dead and at least six others injured. The two people who died were not students at the university, but the shooter is believed to be a student. Classes were canceled through Friday, and all athletic events were canceled through Sunday. Along with football and baseball, that includes a softball series scheduled against Georgia Tech. The Seminoles’ women’s golf team is playing in the ACC Tournament in North Carolina, its women’s track team is at an Invitational in Gainesville, and the men’s tennis team played Thursday night in Louisville as scheduled.
NFL
— Aaron Rodgers is in no rush to make a decision about his future. The free-agent quarterback said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday that he is “not holding anybody hostage” as he weighs whether to return for a 21st season. Rodgers was released by the New York Jets in March. The 41-year-old four-time NFL MVP has visited the Pittsburgh Steelers and talked with the Minnesota Vikings in recent weeks, but said there are certain things going on in his personal life that are currently taking precedence over anything related to football. Rodgers did cut down rumors that he was holding out for a multi-year contract or a big payday, saying that $10 million for one season would be enough to get him to sign.
GOLF
— Justin Thomas finished with 11 birdies tied the course record with a 10-under 61 to lead after round one at the RBC Heritage. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, coming off a tie for fourth at the Masters, finished with a round of 64.
MLB
— Cristopher Sánchez struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings as the Philadelphia Phillies scored five runs in the first as they beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4.
— Ben Rice had his first big league four-hit game and drove in two runs as New York beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on in the Yankees’ first game as a visitor at their spring training home. The Rays are playing this season at Steinbrenner Field because Hurricane Milton tore off the roof panels at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Oct 9.
— Riley Greene had three hits and two RBIs to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The Royals lost their fourth straight game and have dropped six of seven.
— Ryan O’Hearn hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the third inning as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-2 for their first series win in six tries this season.
— Tyler Soderstrom hit his major league-leading ninth home run of the season, helping the Athletics to an 8-0 win and a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. Chicago dropped to a major league-worst 4-14.
— Kumar Rocker struck out a career-best eight in a career-long seven innings to earn his first MLB victory as the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 to complete a three-game series sweep. Rocker threw a career-high 78 pitches and allowed three runs on five hits without a walk as the Rangers extended their home winning streak to nine games.
— Mark Vientos hit his first homer of the season to spark a four-run second inning as the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 in the opener of a four-game series.
— Pavin Smith and Josh Naylor hit solo homers as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Miami Marlins 6-4 for their fifth straight win.
— Oneil Cruz hit a leadoff home run, while Andrew Heaney pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 1-0. Pittsburgh won 1-0 on a leadoff homer for only the second time since 1900.
— Seattle’s Randy Arozarena hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning then added a two-run double during a four-run 10th as the Mariners rallied past the Cincinnati Reds 11-7.
NBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat, 6 pm on Friday, TNT
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 pm on Friday, ESPN
NBA PLAYOFFS – SATURDAY
4. Indiana Pacers vs. 5. Milwaukee Bucks, Noon on ESPN
4. Denver Nuggets vs. 5. Los Angeles Clippers, 2:30 pm on ESPN
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Detroit Pistons, 5 pm on ESPN
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7:30 pm on ABC
NBA PLAYOFFS – SUNDAY
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Dallas or Memphis, Noon on ABC
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Orlando Magic, 2:30 pm on ABC
1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8. Miami or Atlanta, 6 pm on TNT
2. Houston Rockets vs. 7. Golden State Warriors, 8:30 pm on TNT
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— The opening of the college football transfer portal has created a dash for cash. The delay in a judge approving the House v NCAA antitrust settlement has extended the window of there being no limits on the amount of money players can receive from their schools’ NIL collectives or from third-party endorsement deals. More than 400 players have entered the portal since it opened on Wednesday. Athletes have until April 25 to enter, and they clearly have leverage until the settlement is approved.