THURSDAY SPORTS, AUGUST 20, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell girls tennis picked up two home victories Monday at Hitchcock Park, sweeping Brookings 9-0 and defeating Sioux Falls Jefferson 7-2. The Kernels improved to 5-1 in dual competitions this season. The Kernels return to action on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Harrisburg.
— Mitchell girls soccer hosts Spearfish on Friday at 4 p.m. The Kernels opened the season last week with a 9-0 win over Huron.
— Mitchell boys soccer hosts Spearfish on Friday at 6 p.m. The Kernels opened the season last week with a 4-2 win over Huron.
— Mitchell boys golf competes at the Pierre Invite on Tuesday starting at 10 am at Hillsview Golf Course. Mitchell Senior Asher Dannenbring placed first at the two-day Warrior-Lynx Invite earlier this week, shooting a 2-under-par 139 over the two days.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan volleyball, 4-0 on the season, competes at the Siouxland Invitational this week. DWU takes on Corban (Ore.) on Friday at 10 am, followed by Mayville State at 4 pm in Sioux City. Senior Lizzie Tyler set a new school record for career digs over the weekend with 1,787.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s soccer will be at Bellevue (Neb.) on Thursday at 5:30 pm to begin the regular season. The Tigers were picked to finish sixth in the GPAC preseason coaches poll released earlier this week.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer opens the season on Saturday at Jamestown at 3 pm. The Tigers were picked to finish seventh in the GPAC preseason coaches poll released earlier this week.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s soccer hosts Washington State on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Jackrabbits, 2-0 on the season, have outscored their opponents 17-0 with a 6-0 win vs. Manitoba and an 11-0 win over MSU-Moorhead. SDSU will be at Kansas State on Sunday at 1 pm.
— The weekly Dan Jackson Show covering South Dakota State football begins Monday, Aug. 24, from Cubby’s Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings. The hour-long show starts at 6 p.m. and airs on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, including KORN News Radio FM 101.3/AM 1490. Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the show features game recaps, interviews with coaches and players, and a preview of the upcoming matchup. SDSU football opens the season on Saturday, August 29 vs. Stetson at 6 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD women’s soccer will be at Green Bay on Thursday at 3 p.m. The Coyotes played Nebraska to a 1-1 tie on Sunday.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— Kody Clemens and Brooks Lee had RBI singles in the seventh inning as the Minnesota Twins beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 on Wednesday to sweep the three-game series. Clemens drove in three runs and Kaelen Culpepper added three hits for Minnesota. Yoendrys Gómez earned his third save in as many games and 20th of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth. With the game tied at 4, Josh Bell doubled with one out in the seventh inning and Clemens followed with an RBI single. Minnesota now holds a ½ game lead over Texas for the final AL Wild Cars spot. The Twins start a three-game series at San Diego on Friday night at 8:40 pm.
NFL
— The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea have agreed to a one-year contract extension, ending his hold-in. The deal adds $6 million to Vea’s 2026 salary and gives him $24 million in 2027, with $30 million guaranteed. Vea had requested a trade after reporting to camp without guaranteed money on his contract. The 31-year-old has not practiced during training camp because of a back injury.
— The Seattle Seahawks have signed two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs to a one-year contract. The 27-year-old Diggs was an All-Pro in 2021 after leading the NFL with 11 interceptions. He spent last season with Dallas and Green Bay but was limited by injuries. The move comes as cornerback Terrion Arnold remains unsigned while facing eight felony charges. Seattle had the NFL’s top scoring defense last season.
WNBA
— Olivia Miles scored 20 points and had seven assists before leaving with a left ankle injury as the WNBA-leading Minnesota Lynx beat the Golden State Valkyries 77-66 on Wednesday night. Kayla McBride also scored 20 for Minnesota, which has won five straight and 15 of its last 16. The Lynx improved to 30-7 on the season and will be at Washington on Friday at 6:30 pm.
NBA
— The Cleveland Cavaliers are acquiring Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson in a four-team trade that sends Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers. Watson will sign a four-year, $88 million contract with Cleveland. The 23-year-old averaged career highs of 14 points last season. The Cavaliers will send Denver an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-rounder.
PGA
— Scottie Scheffler is within about $1 million of surpassing Tiger Woods for the PGA Tour’s career earnings record. Scheffler has earned nearly $120 million in official PGA Tour prize money after winning 21 times in his career. He could pass Woods, who has earned nearly $121 million, with a third-place finish or better at this week’s BMW Championship.
GOLF
— LIV Golf players met Tuesday with the league’s CEO and a proposed new investor as the Saudi-backed circuit works to secure its future beyond this season. The investor’s identity and financial terms have not been disclosed. Players said the meeting provided more clarity, but some remained uncertain about what LIV will look like next year. The league has canceled next week’s team championship in Michigan, making this week’s event in Indianapolis the season finale. LIV also has reduced the tournament purse from $20 million to $10 million.
COLLEGE
— States are increasingly using taxpayer dollars to support college athletics as schools face rising costs for athlete payments, facilities, coaching and travel. North Carolina, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Louisiana are among states providing money or tax incentives to athletic programs. An AP analysis found operating expenses at public Division I schools have risen nearly one-third over the past four years, outpacing revenue. A proposed federal law could allow schools to spend nearly $50 million annually on athlete payments, potentially increasing pressure on states to help fund college sports.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
— North Carolina and N.C. State will meet in a nonconference men’s basketball game Dec. 15 in Greensboro. The in-state rivals will play at a neutral site after the ACC reduced its conference schedule from 20 to 18 games. The change, along with conference expansion, has eliminated some home-and-home series. It will be the second straight season the Tar Heels and Wolfpack meet only once in conference play
MLB
— The Los Angeles Dodgers placed closer Edwin Diaz on the injured list Tuesday because of inflammation on the right side of his neck. Diaz is 2-2 with an 11.85 ERA and seven saves in 11 opportunities this season. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani threw about 35 pitches in a bullpen session as he works toward returning to the mound. Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 because of left knee inflammation and right biceps discomfort. Ohtani is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts this season and leads the Dodgers with 30 home runs.
— Pete Alonso’s drive down the left-field line in the seventh inning was ruled foul as the New York Yankees scored twice in the top of the eighth to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3. Alonso, who had already homered in the third, nearly went deep again with the score tied at 3. His fly to left was initially called foul. One replay seemed to show the ball on the fair side of the pole, but it wasn’t clear what angle it was shot from. After a review, the call stood and Alonso ended up striking out.
— José Urquidy pitched six innings of two-hit relief, while rookie Braden Montgomery drove in two runs as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs 3-0. The White Sox and Cubs split their season series 3-3.
— Brandon Lowe homered off Detroit closer Kenley Jansen with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. The homer was the 27th this season for Lowe, the most in team history by a second baseman.
— Luis Arraez homered and Aaron Nola threw seven strong innings as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins, 4-1. Philadelphia won a season-best sixth straight game and closed within 4 ½ games of the first place Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
— Nolan Arenado hit a tiebreaking broken-bat bloop single over a drawn-in infield to spark a two-run 10th inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks avoided a series sweep by beating the Boston Red Sox 7-6.
— Dominic Canzone, Josh Naylor and Taylor Ward each drove in two runs each as the Seattle Mariners bounced back from a 22-0 loss by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-5 on Wednesday night.
— Yandy Díaz hit a two-run homer, Drew Rasmussen earned his sixth consecutive win and Bryan Baker converted his 25th straight save opportunity to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
— Mookie Betts homered and capped a three-hit night with an RBI single in the 10th inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-4 to complete a three-game sweep.
— Cade Cavalli struck out 11 over six innings for his second double-digit strikeout game in a row and retired the final 11 batters he faced as Washington beat Texas 6-0.
— Victor Bericoto had an RBI single, Matt Wilkinson worked two innings as an opener in his major league debut as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cleveland Guardians 1-0.
— Ethan Pecko struck out four in his major-league debut over 3 2/3 innings, while Christian Vázquez homered as the Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2.
— Carson Benge hitting a two-run homer, helping the New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres 4-2. The fourth-inning homer was the 15th of the season for Benge, who is the first Mets rookie with at least 15 homers and 15 steals since Darryl Strawberry in 1983.
— Sal Stewart hit a three-run home run as the Cincinnati Reds rallied for a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
— John Rave hit a tiebreaking, bases-clearing double during a seven-run eighth inning as the Kansas City Royals rallied past the Athletics 9-7.
Class 11B
- Elk Point-Jefferson at McCook Central/Montrose
- St. Thomas More vs. Mobridge-Pollock
- Winner vs. Hot Springs
- Deuel vs. Parker/Marion
- Sioux Valley vs. Aberdeen Roncalli
Wagner vs. Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central – KORN Country 92.1
Beresford vs. Mt. Vernon/Plankinton
Rapid City Christian vs. Chamberlain
Class 9AA
- Parkston at Hill City
- Hamlin vs. 5. Castlewood (9A)
- Bon Homme vs. Stanley County
- Platte-Geddes vs. Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian
- Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan at Viborg-Hurley
Class 9A
- Freeman at Alcester-Hudson
- Howard vs. De Smet
- Elkton-Lake Benton at Canistota
- Kimball/White Lake vs. Gregory
- Castlewood at 2. Hamlin (9AA)
Corsica-Stickney vs. Burke
Class 9B
- St. Mary’s at Deubrook Area
- Wall at Bennett County
- Warner at Northwestern
- Avon at Scotland/Menno – Q107.3
- Colman-Egan vs. Oldham-Ramona-Rutland