WEDNESDAY SPORTS, APRIL 29, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell baseball split a home doubleheader with Sioux Falls Lincoln on Tuesday at Drake Field dropping the opener 5-4. Mitchell left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting RBI singles from Carter McCormick and Jaxson Hartman. In Game 2, Mitchell scored four runs in the sixth inning after trailing 5-2. Tyler Christensen picked up the win, allowing one earned run over seven innings, Ethan Hegg went 3-for-3 performance. Mitchell now sits at 9-6 on the season and will travel to Brookings for a doubleheader on Friday at 6 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls golf placed second on Tuesday at the Pierre Invitational, finishing behind Aberdeen Central in the eight-team field. The Kernels finished with a team score of 331, 30 shots behind the Golden Eagles, with Watertown, Rapid City Stevens and Pierre rounded out the top five. Maddie Childs led Mitchell with a 7-over-par 78, good for a tie for fourth place overall. Mia Larson also cracked the top 10, finishing ninth with an 82. Londyn Hajek shot 84 for a tie for 12th. Aberdeen Central’s Olivia Braun earned medalist honors with a 1-under-par 70. Mitchell returns to action Thursday at the Hub City Invitational in Aberdeen.
— Mitchell Kernels softball fell to Yankton 16-13 on Tuesday night. Mallory Miedema led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run and six RBIs, while Emma Hegg added three hits and three runs scored. Rylee Jennings also homered and struck out nine. Mitchell rallied late, scoring eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but couldn’t complete the comeback. The Kernels drop to 1-6 on the season and will travel to Harrisburg on Friday at 5:30 pm.
— Mitchell track and field hosts a triangular vs. Huron and Aberdeen Central on Thursday at 4 pm at Joe Quintal Field.
— Mitchell boys tennis will host Aberdeen Central and Sioux Falls Washington for a triangular at Hitchcock Park on Friday at 11 am.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan sophomore Allison Meyerink of Mitchell repeated as the GPAC women’s golf individual champion. Meyerink finished the 54-hole tournament at Dakota Dunes Country Club with a three-round total of 233, winning the title by two strokes. She was in contention after opening with a 78, then moved into the lead with a strong second round 76 and closed with a 79. The win marks back-to-back GPAC individual titles for Meyerink. Morningside captured the team championship with a score of 953. Doane finished second as a team, followed by College of Saint Mary in third. Dakota Wesleyan placed ninth overall in the team standings.
— Dakota Wesleyan softball will be the No. 4 seed in the GPAC Tournament that starts on Wednesday. The Tigers take on No. 5 seed Northwestern at 2 pm in Fremont, Nebraska. DWU ended up losing a tiebreaker with Morningside for the No. 3 seed. The Tiger split a doubleheader at Northwestern on March 24.
— Dakota Wesleyan baseball will face No. 3 seed Morningside on Wednesday at 3 pm in the GPAC Tournament, hosted by Concordia in Seward, Nebraska. The Tiger split a doubleheader at Morningside on March 18.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s golf captured their first-ever Summit League team championship Tuesday in Mesa, Arizona, finishing with a three-round score of 882 to beat defending champion Denver by six strokes. Senior McKenzie Mages led the way, earning individual medalist honors with a one-under-par 212. All five Jackrabbits placed in the top 25. With the victory, SDSU advances to the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship for the first time in program history. The regional field will be announced Wednesday.
— South Dakota State sophomores Drew McDowell and Austin Henry combined for the program’s first Division I no-hitter, leading the Jackrabbits to an 11-1, seven-inning win over Buena Vista on Tuesday. McDowell had a career-high seven strikeouts and retiring 18 straight batters over six innings. Henry closed it out in the seventh to secure the no-hitter. At the plate, Luke Luskey drove in four runs, including a two-run homer. SDSU improves to 15-25 and wraps up its homestand Wednesday against Minnesota Morris at 3 pm.
— South Dakota State softball will close the regular season on the road with a three-game series at North Dakota State beginning Thursday.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD softball ends the regular season vs. Omaha with a three-game series starting on Thursday at 3 pm in Vermillion.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— Julio Rodriguez hit three doubles, scored twice and drove in two runs, while Josh Naylor had a homer and four RBIs as the Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 7-1. Four Seattle relievers combined to retire the last 12 Twins hitters. Minnesota starter Joe Ryan gave up two runs in six-plus innings. Byron Buxton homered and singled for the Twins, who have lost 10 of 12. Game three of the series is this afternoon at 12:40 pm.
NBA
— Joel Embiid scored 33 points, while Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and 10 rebounds as Philadelphia beat Boston 113-97 in Game 5. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Boston still leads the series 3-2 and can advance with a win at Philadelphia on Thursday.
— Jalen Brunson scored 39 points as the New York Knicks routed the Atlanta Hawks 126-97 for a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series. With their second straight lopsided victory, the Knicks positioned themselves to win the series Thursday night in Atlanta.
— Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks as the San Antonio Spurs never trailed in eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers with a 114-95 victory in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. De’Aaron Fox had 21 points for the Spurs, who led by as many as 28 in winning their third straight game in the best-of-seven series to advance to the second round for the first time since 2017.
— The NBA is moving closer to a major overhaul of its draft lottery system in an effort to reduce tanking and encourage more competitive play late in the season. Under a proposed “3-2-1 Lottery” format, the league would expand the lottery to 16 teams and significantly even the odds for landing the No. 1 pick. The biggest change targets the league’s worst teams, which would see their chances reduced and, in some cases, penalized. Instead of heavily favoring the worst records, the system would distribute lottery chances more evenly across teams that miss the playoffs and play-in tournament. If approved by owners next month, the new system would go into effect for the 2027 draft and run through at least 2029.
— Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones has pleaded guilty in a sweeping federal gambling and fraud case that has led to more than 30 arrests nationwide. Prosecutors say Jones is the first defendant to admit guilt in a scheme involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games tied to organized crime figures and other basketball insiders. Authorities allege Jones used nonpublic NBA information, such as injury updates involving players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, to help associates place profitable bets on platforms including DraftKings and FanDuel. He also admitted to participating in rigged poker games in Miami and the Hamptons. He faces multiple sentencing hearings in January and could receive a prison term ranging from roughly two to five years.
NBA PLAYOFFS – WEDNESDAY
Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic, 6 pm on Amazon Prime Video – Orlando leads 3-1
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors, 6:30 pm on ESPN – Series tied 2-2
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets, 9 pm on ESPN – Los Angeles leads 3-1
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS – TUESDAY
Boston Bruins 2, Buffalo Sabres 1 (OT)- Buffalo leads 3-2
Minnesota Wild 4, Dallas Stars 2 – Minnesota leads 3-2
Edmonton Oilers 4, Anaheim Ducks 1 – Anaheim leads 3-2
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS – WEDNESDAY
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens, 6 pm on ESPN2 – Series tied 2-2
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 6:30 pm on TNT – Philadelphia leads 3-2
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Utah Mammoth, 9 pm on TNT – Series tied 2-2
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
— The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is moving closer to a major expansion, with officials still on track to potentially grow the field from 68 to 76 teams starting as early as next season. The NCAA says no final decision has been made yet, but discussions continue across key committees, and approval is widely expected in the coming weeks. Under the proposed format, eight additional at-large teams would be added, increasing the overall field to 76. That would also mean more teams entering through early “play-in” style games, similar to the First Four system already in place since 2011.
— The NCAA has permanently banned two former Fordham men’s basketball players for their involvement in a point-shaving scheme tied to a broader federal gambling investigation. Former players Elijah Gray and Will Richardson agreed with a bettor to manipulate the outcome of a February 2024 game against Duquesne in exchange for payments ranging from $10,000 to $15,000. Gray later cooperated with investigators and said he ultimately did not follow through with the scheme, though he admitted to sharing information with a known bettor. Richardson, meanwhile, was found to have provided false information during an NCAA interview and did not cooperate with investigators. Gray has agreed to plead guilty in that case, with sentencing scheduled for later this year.
NFL
— The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to keep veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the fold while protecting themselves financially if he decides to leave or retire. The team has placed an “unrestricted free-agent tender” on Rodgers, which does not lock him into Pittsburgh but ensures the Steelers would receive a compensatory draft pick if he signs with another team before the 2026 season. Rodgers, who led Pittsburgh to an AFC North title last season, is still undecided about returning for what would be his 22nd NFL season. The tender also sets a baseline salary increase if Rodgers does return, but it does not prevent him from signing elsewhere during the offseason. Rodgers has said he will make his decision “down the line,” leaving his status unresolved as offseason workouts approach.
MLB
— The Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Rob Thomson after a -19 start, replacing him on an interim basis with bench coach Don Mattingly. Team president Dave Dombrowski first approached recently fired Boston manager Alex Cora about the job, but Cora declined for family reasons. That led Philadelphia to promote Mattingly just four months after he joined the staff. Thomson had guided the Phillies to four straight playoff appearances, including the 2022 World Series. Mattingly will now report to his son, Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly, believed to be the first father-son GM-manager duo in Major League Baseball history.
— Don Mattingly won his first game as Philadelphia’s interim manager, as Jesús Luzardo threw seven shutout innings to lead the Phillies past the San Francisco Giants 7-0.
— Bobby Witt Jr. hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning, whiles Salvador Perez had a solo shot as the Kansas City Royals beat the Athletics 4-1 for their fourth straight victory.
— Miami’s Janson Junk scattered three hits over six scoreless innings in outdueling Shohei Ohtani as the Marlins defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1.
— Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a three-run homer as the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 8-3. Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner each had a two-run double for the Cubs.
— Cam Schlittler struck out eight over six scoreless innings in a duel with Texas ace Jacob deGrom, while Aaron Judge homered in his third consecutive game as the New York Yankees held on for a 3-2 win over the Rangers.
— Sal Frelick hit a solo shot to end Milwaukee’s stretch of seven straight games without a homer as the Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-2.
— Trey Yesavage threw 5 1/3 shutout innings in his season debut as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 3-0.
— Nick Martinez pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning, while Jonathan Aranda drove in a run for the third straight game as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 1-0 to extend their winning streak to six games. The Rays are 13-1 against American League opponents this season. The Guardians have dropped four straight and five of six.
— Drew Romo hit the first two home runs of his career, one from each side of the plate, as the Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2. Angels starter José Soriano had his scoreless streak end at 25 2/3 innings. The right-hander gave up three runs and six hits over five innings, raising his major league-leading ERA from 0.24 to 0.84.
— Juan Soto hit a two-run homer that capped a seven-run fourth inning as the New York Mets breezed to an 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals.
— Martín Pérez threw five scoreless innings as the Atlanta Braves beat Detroit 5-2 for their 11th win in their last 13 games.
— Elly De La Cruz homered for the 10th time this season and drove in four runs as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2.
— Pete Alonso homered and Adley Rutschman drove in two runs as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Houston Astros 5-3. Shane Baz allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings to earn the victory.
— Nolan Gorman homered and drove in three runs, while Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker drove in three runs apiece to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to an 11-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.