SATURDAY SPORTS, MAY 2, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels boys tennis team picked up a pair of wins Friday in a home triangular at Hitchcock Park. The Kernels defeated Aberdeen Central 8-1, then topped Sioux Falls Washington 6-3 to improve to 10-3 on the season. Mitchell dominated singles play, with Cooper Star, Dawson Adams and Simon Wiese each earning shutout victories against Washington. The Kernels also swept doubles against Aberdeen Central and won two of three doubles matches against the Warriors. Mitchell is now 4-0 in ESD play and will host Vermillion, Pierre and Yankton on Monday at 10:30 am at Hitchcock Park.
— Mitchell baseball was swept on Friday night in a doubleheader at Brookings, 11-0 and 15-4. Mitchell falls to 9-8 on the season. They return to action on Sunday as they host Douglas for an 11 am doubleheader at Drake Field.
— Harrisburg softball powered past Mitchell on Friday, defeating the Kernels 14-4 in six innings. The Tigers jumped out early with a six-run second inning and a six-run sixth to extend their winning streak to nine games. Mitchell scored all four of its runs in the sixth inning. Iris Ackman delivered a two-run double, while Mallory Miedema and Rylee Jennings each added RBIs. Mitchell fell to 1-7 on the season and returns to action Tuesday at home against Sioux Falls Jefferson at 5:30 pm.
HOWARD WOOD DAKOTA RELAYS
— Sanborn Central/Woonsocket’s Liz Boschee captured the girls javelin title Friday at the Dakota Relays with a winning throw of 135 feet, 5 inches at Howard Wood Field. In the girls high jump, Wagner’s Ashlyn Koupal placed second for the third straight year, clearing 5-4. Other area highlights included Freeman’s Rylee Peters qualifying fourth for the 100-meter hurdles finals with a personal-best 15.09 seconds. In relay events, Freeman’s boys 4×800 team finished second, Mitchell Christian was third and Wessington Springs took sixth. Kimball/White Lake’s boys 4×200 relay placed second in Class B, while Freeman was eighth. Freeman’s girls 4×200 relay finished fourth, and Kimball/White Lake’s girls 4×800 team took fifth. Mount Vernon/Plankinton also placed fifth in the girls 4×800 Class A race. Mitchell’s boys 4×200 relay finished eighth in Class AA.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan’s baseball season came to an end on Friday as the sixth-seeded Tigers fell to second-seeded Concordia 14-5 in the GPAC Lincoln Bracket final. DWU finishes the season 21-28, its best record since 2019. Concordia scored in each of the first six innings, including a four-run fifth. Dakota Wesleyan had 12 hits but stranded 13 runners. Mason Riley hit a two-run home run, while Shane Cowan and Lane Darrow each had three hits. Jake Watson led Concordia with six RBIs. The Bulldogs advance to the GPAC championship game vs. Doane on Monday in Crete, Nebraska.
— Dakota Wesleyan will host a series of summer camps for girls basketball players of all ages in Mitchell. The Tigers will open with an individual camp May 27-28 at the DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex, featuring sessions for athletes in kindergarten through sixth grade. Team camps for high school varsity and junior varsity squads are scheduled for June 29 and July 27, with each team guaranteed three games. Dakota Wesleyan will also host an elite camp for players in grades 9 through 12 on June 30 at the Christen Family Athletic Center.
— The NAIA has named 41 Dakota Wesleyan student-athletes as Scholar-Athletes for the 2026 spring season. To earn the honor, students must maintain at least a 3-point-5 GPA and meet eligibility requirements. Baseball led the way for DWU with 13 honorees, while softball, track and field, and golf also contributed to the total. The Great Plains Athletic Conference had 683 total honorees, the second-most of any conference in the NAIA, and nearly 5,000 student-athletes nationwide received the distinction this spring.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s basketball standout Brooklyn Meyer will return for one more season as a Jackrabbit, this time on the volleyball court. The school announced Meyer, a four-year women’s basketball star, will join the volleyball program for the 2026 season as a graduate student. She is eligible under NCAA rules to compete in a fifth year in a different sport. Meyer was a multi-time All-American and three-time first-team All-Summit League selection in basketball, finishing her career with 2,097 points, third-most in program history. She also helped lead SDSU to four straight Summit League Tournament titles and was named tournament MVP this past season. Meyer, who played high school volleyball in Iowa, said she is excited for the opportunity to play as a middle blocker while pursuing a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics. South Dakota State volleyball is coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.
— South Dakota State softball has now lost seven games in a row after a 13-4, five inning loss at North Dakota State on Friday. The Jackrabbits briefly took a 4-3 lead in the second inning behind RBIs from Emma Vike, The Bison responded with six runs in the bottom of the second and four more in the third. SDSU falls to 23-31 overall and 5-11 in conference play. The final game of the series and final game of the regular season is Saturday at 1 pm.
— North Dakota State pulled away late to defeat South Dakota State 8-1 on Friday in Summit League baseball action. The Jackrabbits scored their only run in the fourth inning, but North Dakota State scored runs in five different innings, including a four-run eighth to break the game open. SDSU committed four errors and managed just six hits in the loss. The Jacks fall to 23-31 overall. Game two of the three game series is Saturday at 2 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD softball earned an extra-inning win Friday, defeating Summit League leader Omaha 5-4 in 10 innings. The Coyotes scored three runs in the first inning and held a 4-0 lead into the seventh before Omaha rallied with four runs to tie the game. USD answered in the 10th inning when Brooke Carey delivered a walk-off RBI single to seal the victory. Madison Evans pitched a 10-inning complete game for the Coyotes, striking out 11 and earning the win. USD wraps up the regular season on Saturday at Noon on Senior Day in Vermillion.
NFL
— A new report says the Minnesota Vikings are favored to host the 2028 NFL draft, with Cincinnati Bengals likely in line for 2029. Minnesota officials announced a bid earlier this year, with events planned around U.S. Bank Stadium and across Minneapolis and nearby areas. The league’s events committee is expected to discuss host sites next week, with a final vote later this month. Meanwhile, the 2027 NFL Draft is set for Washington, D.C.
KENTUCKY DERBY
— The 152nd Kentucky Derby is shaping up as one of the most wide-open editions in years, with no clear favorite among a 20-horse field set to run Saturday at Churchill Downs. Renegade opened as the early 4-1 favorite, but a tough rail draw and a deep field have made the race highly unpredictable. Other top contenders include Commandment and Further Ado. Renegade drew the No. 1 post position, a historically difficult spot that has not produced a Derby winner since 1986.
WORLD CUP
— Tickets for most early group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup remain on general sale, but many come with extremely high prices just weeks before kickoff. According to FIFA’s official ticketing platform, seats are still available for several matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with prices ranging from about $380 to more than $4,000 depending on category and matchup. The most expensive listed group-stage ticket is for the United States’ opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles, with top-tier seats reaching $4,100. Even mid-range categories for that game are listed above $1,000. By contrast, some lower-demand matches including Curaçao against Ivory Coast remain available at the cheapest price point of $380. Some high-profile matches, including select group games involving Brazil, England, and Argentina, are already sold out, while semifinal tickets in U.S. cities are listed at nearly $10,000 for premium seats.
NBA
— Detroit’s Cade Cunningham scored 32 points as the top-seeded Pistons pulled off a season saving comeback Friday night, erasing a 24-point deficit and beating the Orlando Magic 93-79 to force a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Detroit trailed by 22 at the half and Orlando’s lead went to 62-38 early in the third quarter. The Magic became the first team since 1996-97, when play-by-play began getting tracked digitally, to lose at home after leading by at least 24 points with a chance to win a series. The Magic missed 23 consecutive shots from the field, while Detroit went on a 35-5 run. Game 7 in Detroit is Sunday at 2:30 pm on ABC
— Toronto’s RJ Barrett hit a game winning jumper in overtime as the Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-110 on Friday night in Game 6, tying their first-round series at 3-3. Barrett finished with 24 points for Toronto, while Scottie Barnes added 25 points and 14 assists. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 24 points, and Evan Mobley had 26 points and 14 rebounds, including a late basket that forced overtime. Game 7 will be played in Cleveland on Sunday.
NHL
— Gage Goncalves scored at 9:03 of overtime to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their first-round playoff series. Game 7 will be played Sunday in Tampa.
— The Buffalo Sabres advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2007 with a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 6 on Friday night. The Sabres will face the winner of the Tampa Bay–Montreal series in the next round.