WEDNESDAY SPORTS, MAY 6, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels girls golf team captured the team title Tuesday at a quadrangular at Bakker Crossing Golf Course in Sioux Falls. Mitchell posted a team score of 318, finishing 20 strokes ahead of runner-up Yankton at 338. Host Sioux Falls Lincoln placed third, followed by Sioux Falls Jefferson. Anna Eliason led the Kernels with a runner-up finish, shooting a 7-over-par 78. Mitchell placed four golfers in the top five. Mia Larson shot 79, Londyn Hajek carded an 80, and Maddie Childs finished at 81. The Kernels compete Thursday at the Huron Invitational at Broadland Creek Golf Course
— Mitchell baseball split a home doubleheader on Tuesday vs. SF Roosevelt, winning game one 7-3 and losing game two 7-5. In game one, Mitchell scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after trailing 3-1 thanks to five consecutive hits. Jaxson Hartman had a pair of doubles with four RBI’s. Jacob Ebert got the win to improve to 4-1 on the season, allowing three unearned runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and four walks. In game two, Mitchell recovered after being down 4-0 after the top of the first inning to take a 5-4 lead after three innings. SF Roosevelt won it with two runs in the top of the eight innings to pull out the extra innings victory. Mitchell hosts Harrisburg on Friday at 5 pm for a doubleheader. The KORN pregame show starts at 4:45 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys tennis team split a home triangular Tuesday at Hitchcock Park, defeating Sioux Falls Roosevelt 9-0 before falling to Harrisburg 5-4. Mitchell (12-5 overall) closes the regular season Friday at home against Watertown at 4 p.m.
— Sioux Falls Jefferson improved to 12-0 on the season with a 21-0, three-inning win over Mitchell on Tuesday. Jefferson jumped ahead early with six runs in the first inning, three runs in the second and 12 more in the third inning. Mitchell (1-9) did not record a hit in the game. The Kernels return to action Friday at 3 p.m. against Rapid City Stevens.
— Mitchell has hired Bob Lemon as the new head coach of its girls soccer program. Lemon previously led the program for six seasons before stepping down after the 2022 season. He replaces Kindra Decker, who resigned after two seasons as head coach. School officials said his familiarity with the program and community made him a strong fit for the position.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— The GPAC has released the 2026 All-Conference teams for Baseball with Dakota Wesleyan ending up with five selections, led by junior outfielder Mason Riley, who was named to the GPAC Gold Glove Team. Riley anchored left field with a .984 fielding percentage and one error. He also led the Tigers offensively with a .281 batting average, 10 home runs and 32 RBI’s. Four other Tigers earned honorable mention All-Conference recognition. Senior pitcher Alex Mizsak went 8–2 with a 5.87 earned run average and a team-high 65 strikeouts over 79.2 innings. Two-way player Caleb Meyers hit .300 with 29 RBIs while adding 63 strikeouts and three pitching wins. Senior Dexter Payne hit .295 with 30 RBIs and also recorded 40 strikeouts on the mound. Senior infielder Kelbee Woodham rounded out the honorees, hitting .279 with four home runs and 18 RBIs.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State opens Summit League softball tournament play Wednesday against North Dakota State in a single-elimination matchup in Minneapolis. The sixth-seeded Jackrabbits face the third-seeded Bison at 4 p.m. The matchup comes just days after North Dakota State swept the regular-season series, including a 13-12 eight-inning win and two run-rule victories.
— Six South Dakota State softball players earned All-Summit League honors, led by freshman infielder Bria Riebel, who was named Freshman of the Year. Riebel, who started all 17 conference games, hit .315 with five home runs and 14 runs scored. Senior Abby Gentry earned First Team All-Summit League honors after hitting .500 with 25 hits, eight doubles and 16 RBIs during league play. Akayla Barnard, Emma Christensen and Emma Vike were each named to the Second Team.
— South Dakota State baseball returns home this weekend to host St. Thomas in their final home series of the season. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— The No. 4 seed USD will face No. 5 seed Kansas City in the opening round of the Summit League softball tournament Wednesday in Minneapolis at 1 pm.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— Byron Buxton hit a three-run homer, Brooks Lee drove in three runs and Taj Bradley struck out eight in six innings to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Washington Nationals 11-3. Buxton’s homer, his sixth in the last eight games and 11th this season, made it 10-3 in the eighth. Lee was 3 for 5 with two doubles and Trevor Larnach added two hits and two RBIs. Bradley gave up two runs and four hits to improve to 4-1. Game two of the series is Wednesday at 5:45 pm.
— Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who left Sunday’s game vs. Toronto because of soreness in his throwing elbow, does not appear to have any structural damage in his arm and could make his next scheduled start Saturday at Cleveland. Ryan faced just two Toronto batters on Sunday before leaving the mound.
NBA
— Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 18 points for the Thunder. The defending champions improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, despite missing 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams with an injured left hamstring for the third straight game. LeBron James scored 27 points and Rui Hachimura added 18 for the Lakers. Oklahoma City will host Game 2 on Thursday.
— Cade Cunningham scored 23 points and Tobias Harris added 20 as the Detroit Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, but the Cavaliers never fully recovered after trailing by as many as 18 points. James Harden added 22 points for the fourth-seeded Cavs. Detroit controlled much of the game, taking a 59-46 halftime lead. Game 2 of the series is set for Thursday night in Detroit.
— Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for public criticism of officiating following the team’s first-round playoff exit. The league announced the fine Tuesday after Brown made comments on a livestream questioning the integrity of game officials following Boston’s Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Brown said referees “clearly had an agenda” and suggested officials should be investigated, comments that violated league rules on public criticism of officiating.
NBA PLAYOFFS – WEDNESDAY
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 6 pm on ESPN – New York leads 1-0
San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 8:30 pm on ESPN – Minnesota leads 1-0
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS – TUESDAY
Colorado Avalanche 5, Minnesota Wild 2 – Colorado leads the series 2-0
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS – WEDNESDAY
Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens, 6 pm on TNT – Game 1
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Anaheim Ducks, 8:30 pm on TNT – Vegas leads the series 1-0
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— The American Football Coaches Association is recommending major changes to college football scheduling, including eliminating conference championship games, in an effort to shorten the College Football Playoff calendar. The group proposed completing the playoff by the second Monday in January and reducing the overall length of the season to better align with the academic calendar and player workload concerns. American Football Coaches Association also suggested reducing bye weeks and shortening the time between games. The proposals are non-binding and do not change current rules. Meanwhile, the current 12-team playoff format remains unchanged for next season, with expansion expected in the future. The national championship game is currently scheduled for Jan. 25, 2027, in Las Vegas.
NFL
— The NFL and the NFL Referees Association are moving closer to a new collective bargaining agreement that could avoid a work stoppage. A ratification vote by officials is expected this week as talks continue ahead of the current deal’s May 31 expiration. The league and union have been negotiating since 2024, and the NFL had recently begun preparing replacement officials in case an agreement was not reached. Both sides are continuing negotiations in hopes of finalizing a long-term agreement before the deadline.
— Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been found not guilty in a Massachusetts assault case, clearing the way for a possible return to the field, though league discipline may still be possible. A jury acquitted Diggs Tuesday of felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from a December incident involving his former personal chef. Despite the court outcome, the NFL said Diggs remains under review for possible discipline under the league’s personal conduct policy. Diggs most recently played for the New England Patriots, where he led the team with 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. He was released in March and is currently a free agent.
NHL
— The Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL draft lottery Tuesday night, landing the No. 1 overall pick. Toronto moved up despite having just an 8.5% chance, giving the team its first No. 1 pick since selecting Auston Matthews in 2016. The San Jose Sharks will pick second, followed by Vancouver, Chicago and the New York Rangers rounding out the top five.
MLB
— Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead homer off Jacob deGrom in the sixth inning as the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 7-4 for their fifth straight win and 15th in 17 games. DeGrom allowed six runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. It was the most runs allowed by deGrom since 2019.
— Shohei Ohtani allowed his first two home runs of the season to Christian Walker and Braden Shewmake, while Houston’s Peter Lambert pitched seven innings to give the Astros a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
— Matt Olson hit the go-ahead homer in the ninth as the Atlanta Braves beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2. Atlanta improved to a major league best 26-11.
— Michael Busch singled in the winning run in the 10th inning after hitting a tying homer in the eighth as the Chicago Cubs won their seventh straight by rallying again to beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2. The Cubs have won 13 straight at home, their best streak at Wrigley Field since a 14-game run in 2008.
— Michael Massey hit a go-ahead two-run homer as the Kansas City Royals pushed their winning streak to five with a 5-3 victory over Cleveland.
— Ben Williamson drove in the winning run with a single after Yandy Díaz tied it with an RBI single and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 for the their fifth straight victory. Tampa Bay won for the 11th time in 12 games and ran their winning streak at home to nine.
— Jackson Merrill had three hits and drove in two runs, while Xander Bogaerts homered as the San Diego Padres tied their season highs for hits with 14 and runs in a 10-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
— Ceddanne Rafaela homered and drove in four runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 10-3.
— Bryce Harper homered twice, while Cristopher Sánchez struck out 10 batters in eight innings as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Athletics 9-1. The Phillies have won seven of eight since interim manager Don Mattingly replaced the fired Rob Thomson.
— Mike Trout, Jorge Soler and Zach Neto hit home runs as the Los Angeles Angels held on for a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
— Adley Rutschman had a go-ahead, pinch-hit single and Leody Taveras followed with a run-scoring single in the ninth inning to lift the Baltimore Orioles past the Miami Marlins 9-7, snapping a five-game losing streak.