Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics WICHITA, Kan. —Wichita State blanked UAB in the series finale, 5-0, behind&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/chloe-barber/7573">Chloe Barber's</a>&nbsp;complete game shutout Sunday morning at Wilkins Stadium.

Wichita State (21-19, 12-9) secured its third conference series win of the season after dropping its last three. The day belonged to the freshman in the circle. Barber missed tying her single game school record for strikeouts by one, finishing with 15. She allowed just three hits to go with five walks. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/cc-wong/8967">CC Wong</a>&nbsp;had another 2-for-2 day at the plate with a walk, double, home run, three RBI and two runs scored.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/taylor-sedlacek/7570">Taylor Sedlacek</a>&nbsp;also homered to go with two RBI. An&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/addison-barnard/7558">Addison Barnard</a>&nbsp;double and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/mila-seaton/7575">Mila Seaton</a>&nbsp;pinch-hit single were the only other hits on the day for Wichita State. A leadoff walk to open the bottom of the first paved the way for a Sedlacek two-run home run, providing Barber and the Shockers with early run support. The Shockers doubled their lead in the second on Wong's two-run double in the right-center gap. Wong would add the cherry on top in the fifth behind her 13th home run of the season. Barber struck out the side in the second and sixth innings and recorded multiple strikeouts in all but one inning. Wichita State opens a Texas road swing at Texas A&amp;M Commerce on Wednesday, April 24 at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713740032731.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of &nbsp;Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of &nbsp;Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics WICHITA, Kan. —Wichita State blanked UAB in the series finale, 5-0, behind&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/chloe-barber/7573">Chloe Barber's</a>&nbsp;complete game shutout Sunday morning at Wilkins Stadium.Wichita State (21-19, 12-9) secured its third conference series win of the season after dropping its last three. The day belonged to the freshman in the circle. Barber missed tying her single game school record for strikeouts by one, finishing with 15. She allowed just three hits to go with five walks. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/cc-wong/8967">CC Wong</a>&nbsp;had another 2-for-2 day at the plate with a walk, double, home run, three RBI and two runs scored.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/taylor-sedlacek/7570">Taylor Sedlacek</a>&nbsp;also homered to go with two RBI. An&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/addison-barnard/7558">Addison Barnard</a>&nbsp;double and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/mila-seaton/7575">Mila Seaton</a>&nbsp;pinch-hit single were the only other hits on the day for Wichita State. A leadoff walk to open the bottom of the first paved the way for a Sedlacek two-run home run, providing Barber and the Shockers with early run support. The Shockers doubled their lead in the second on Wong's two-run double in the right-center gap. Wong would add the cherry on top in the fifth behind her 13th home run of the season. Barber struck out the side in the second and sixth innings and recorded multiple strikeouts in all but one inning. Wichita State opens a Texas road swing at Texas A&amp;M Commerce on Wednesday, April 24 at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

🥎 Barber tosses complete game shutout to secure series win

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713736725313.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas Athletics<div>LAWRENCE, Kan. &ndash; &nbsp;Kansas softball was held scoreless in the series finale vs. No. 1 Texas, 7-0, in front of 1,039 fans at Arrocha Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.
Texas took the series sweep, as the Jayhawks fell to 27-17-1 overall this season and 11-10 in Big 12 Conference play. No. 1 Texas improved to 38-6 overall and 17-4 in the Big 12.&nbsp;
HOW IT HAPPENED
<ul style="text-align: start;color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Texas forced the Jayhawks into a bases loaded jam with no outs in the top of the first inning. Katie Brooks got out of the inning with a force out at home, followed by a double play to cap off the top half of the first.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">In the top of the third inning, the Jayhawks once again escaped the inning with bases loaded, as Hailey Cripe fielded the ground ball and turned two to leave Texas scoreless after three innings.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Angela Price got things going for the Jayhawks in the bottom half of the third inning with a double, her fourth double of the season. One batter later, sophomore Presley Limbaugh singled on a bunt, advancing Price to third base with one out. Limbaugh would later be caught stealing and Price would be stranded at third.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Texas scored first in the top half of the fourth inning as Alyssa Washington stole home following a Texas strikeout. The Longhorns led after four innings, 1-0.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">The Longhorns added six runs in the fifth inning, including a three-run home run to left center by Katie Cimusz, as the Longhorns led 7-0 at the end of the fifth inning.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Both teams were held scoreless over the two final innings, as Texas closed out the series with the win, 7-0.</li>
</ul>
PITCHERS OF RECORD Win: Citlaly Gutierrez (8-0) Final line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO Loss: Katie Brooks (12-4) Final line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 1 SO
QUOTABLES &amp; NOTABLES
&ldquo;I thought we played a much more competitive game today. Six of the seven innings were solid softball for us. Defensively, we turned four double plays. (Hailey) Cripe has been a stud at shortstop. We&rsquo;re getting the stops, we just have to figure out how to push some runs across when we have runners on base. Got a big week ahead of us, Kansas City on Wednesday and then at Oklahoma State next weekend. Big week ahead of us, we have to rebound, put this behind us, learn from it and move forward.&rdquo; &ndash; Head Coach Jennifer McFalls
<ul style="text-align: start;color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">In the bottom of the third inning, Price hit her fourth double of the season and second in the last week (at Missouri State, April 19, 2024).</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Limbaugh added two hits on Sunday, marking her 10th multi-hit game of the season. Limbaugh finished the series vs. Texas with four hits in nine at bats. She also extended her hitting streak to 12 games.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
UP NEXT
Kansas will host its fourth-straight home game as it welcomes the Kansas City Roos to Arrocha Ballpark on Wednesday, April 24, at 5 p.m. CT. Fans that wish to attend the game can purchase tickets&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetGroupList?groupCode=SB&linkID=kansas&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=&utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=navbar_website" style="color: transparent;font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">here</a>.&nbsp;</div>

🥎 KU shutout in series finale by No. 1 Texas

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan. —Catcher&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/raphael-pelletier/11471">Raphael Pelletier</a>&nbsp;homered twice,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jackson-wentworth/11477">Jackson Wentworth</a>struck out a career-high eight batters and the Wildcats picked up their first series win over Oklahoma State since 2010, as K-State won 7-2 on Saturday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium.

"You've heard me say it before, everything is predicated off good starting pitching and we got about as dominating of a performance that you'll get in the Big 12," said head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;following K-State's sixth series win of the season. "That just allows your offense to play pressure-free. They know they have time to build a lead because they have a kid that's feeling it out there and in the matchup is in our favor. It just frees up your offense to do so many things."

In front of a crowd of 2,344 fans, K-State (24-14, 9-8 Big 12) collected the program's 11th overall series win over Oklahoma State (25-14, 10-7 Big 12) in school history since the series began in 1911.

Wentworth, who improved to 3-1 on the season, punched out seven of the first nine batters he faced that included striking out the side in the first and third innings. The redshirt sophomore from Urbandale, Iowa, carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and surrendered just one run on solo home run from Ian Daughtery in the sixth. &nbsp; "We had some key performances, and it has to happen on the offensive side when you get a good pitching performance. [Pelletier] has been hot of late, two homers and a double, he injected some energy in our offense. Up and down our lineup we had some kids that had a good day, and we did a great job situationally hitting," Hughes commented. Pelletier, who finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double, drove in three of the Wildcats' seven runs while&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jaden-parsons/11530">Jaden Parsons</a>followed with a two-run homer in the sixth for his first home run at K-State. "You go and you situationally hit, you get a good start, you don't make any errors, it gives you a good chance to beat a good team, and to get a series win." <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jj-slack/11536">JJ Slack</a>&nbsp;closed the game and allowed one earned in his 2 2/3 innings of work with a season-high five strikeouts. K-State tagged the Cowboys' right-handed starter Brian Holiday (3-3) for five runs, all earned, on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Offensively, OSU was led by two-hit days from Daughtery and Carson Benge. In his first start since April 18, 2023, Wentworth struck out the Cowboys in order to lead off the afternoon matchup. The Wildcats looked to break through in the first as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>&nbsp;singled through the left side before stealing second until&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kaelen-culpepper/11460">Kaelen Culpepper</a>was issued a walk, but the duo was left stranded with Holiday's first strikeout of the game. After the second 1-2-3 inning behind Wentworth, Pelletier launched a solo shot off the scoreboard in right field and handed K-State the one-run edge. The Wildcats' catcher doubled the lead in the fourth frame with his second homer of the day, becoming the third Wildcat this season to produce a multi-home run game. OSU ended Wentworth's no-hit bid in the fifth as Nolan Schubart lined a base hit off the glove of Day and into right field. After five scoreless frames for the Cowboys, Daughtery belted a solo home run off the top of the wall in left field to make it a 2-1 ball game. The Wildcats immediately responded and scored five runs across two innings, highlighted by a two-run homer by Parsons. Slack relieved Wentworth in the seventh and inherited a runner on first with one out. The lefty issued a walk against the first batter he faced but struck out the next two batters looking to end the threat.&nbsp; The Wildcats look to finish the sweep in Sunday's series finale with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. Sunday's finale will be nationally televised and can be seen ESPNU and the ESPN app. &nbsp;Radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free live streaming audio available for all games at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Live=3268&amp;type=Archive">KStateSports.com/watch</a>&nbsp;and on the K-State Sports app.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713720309148.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of &nbsp;Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of &nbsp;Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics MANHATTAN, Kan. —Catcher&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/raphael-pelletier/11471">Raphael Pelletier</a>&nbsp;homered twice,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jackson-wentworth/11477">Jackson Wentworth</a>struck out a career-high eight batters and the Wildcats picked up their first series win over Oklahoma State since 2010, as K-State won 7-2 on Saturday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium."You've heard me say it before, everything is predicated off good starting pitching and we got about as dominating of a performance that you'll get in the Big 12," said head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;following K-State's sixth series win of the season. "That just allows your offense to play pressure-free. They know they have time to build a lead because they have a kid that's feeling it out there and in the matchup is in our favor. It just frees up your offense to do so many things."In front of a crowd of 2,344 fans, K-State (24-14, 9-8 Big 12) collected the program's 11th overall series win over Oklahoma State (25-14, 10-7 Big 12) in school history since the series began in 1911.Wentworth, who improved to 3-1 on the season, punched out seven of the first nine batters he faced that included striking out the side in the first and third innings. The redshirt sophomore from Urbandale, Iowa, carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and surrendered just one run on solo home run from Ian Daughtery in the sixth. &nbsp; "We had some key performances, and it has to happen on the offensive side when you get a good pitching performance. [Pelletier] has been hot of late, two homers and a double, he injected some energy in our offense. Up and down our lineup we had some kids that had a good day, and we did a great job situationally hitting," Hughes commented. Pelletier, who finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double, drove in three of the Wildcats' seven runs while&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jaden-parsons/11530">Jaden Parsons</a>followed with a two-run homer in the sixth for his first home run at K-State. "You go and you situationally hit, you get a good start, you don't make any errors, it gives you a good chance to beat a good team, and to get a series win." <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jj-slack/11536">JJ Slack</a>&nbsp;closed the game and allowed one earned in his 2 2/3 innings of work with a season-high five strikeouts. K-State tagged the Cowboys' right-handed starter Brian Holiday (3-3) for five runs, all earned, on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Offensively, OSU was led by two-hit days from Daughtery and Carson Benge. In his first start since April 18, 2023, Wentworth struck out the Cowboys in order to lead off the afternoon matchup. The Wildcats looked to break through in the first as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>&nbsp;singled through the left side before stealing second until&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kaelen-culpepper/11460">Kaelen Culpepper</a>was issued a walk, but the duo was left stranded with Holiday's first strikeout of the game. After the second 1-2-3 inning behind Wentworth, Pelletier launched a solo shot off the scoreboard in right field and handed K-State the one-run edge. The Wildcats' catcher doubled the lead in the fourth frame with his second homer of the day, becoming the third Wildcat this season to produce a multi-home run game. OSU ended Wentworth's no-hit bid in the fifth as Nolan Schubart lined a base hit off the glove of Day and into right field. After five scoreless frames for the Cowboys, Daughtery belted a solo home run off the top of the wall in left field to make it a 2-1 ball game. The Wildcats immediately responded and scored five runs across two innings, highlighted by a two-run homer by Parsons. Slack relieved Wentworth in the seventh and inherited a runner on first with one out. The lefty issued a walk against the first batter he faced but struck out the next two batters looking to end the threat.&nbsp; The Wildcats look to finish the sweep in Sunday's series finale with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. Sunday's finale will be nationally televised and can be seen ESPNU and the ESPN app. &nbsp;Radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free live streaming audio available for all games at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Live=3268&amp;type=Archive">KStateSports.com/watch</a>&nbsp;and on the K-State Sports app.

⚾ Cats power past no. 15 cowboys to capture series

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics GREENVILLE, N.C. — Wichita State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in game one and a 3-0 lead in game two but allowed 11 unanswered runs in both games to drop both ends of a doubleheader to #9 East Carolina by scores of 11-7 and 11-4 on Saturday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

After a pair of scoreless frames to open the twin bill, the Shockers exploded for seven runs in the top of the third inning.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mauricio-millan/7532">Mauricio Millan</a>&nbsp;was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, followed by an infield single from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>&nbsp;then sliced a ball down the left field line that tucked just inside the foul pole for an opposite field grand slam and a 6-0 lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/derek-williams/7627">Derek Williams</a>&nbsp;capped the barrage with a solo home run, the first time this season Wichita State has hit back-to-back home runs.

The 7-0 lead did not last for long, however, as East Carolina immediately responded with five runs in the home half of the inning and then scored one in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth to grab an 11-7 lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caleb-anderson/8973">Caleb Anderson</a>&nbsp;(1-3) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs over 2.0 innings in relief after starter&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-dobbs/7616">Tyler Dobbs</a>&nbsp;was knocked from the game after 2.2 innings. East Carolina starter Zach Root (6-0) recovered from the seven-run inning to complete 5.0 frames and earn the victory, allowing eight hits while striking out one and walking one. Danny Beal and Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman combined for four scoreless innings in relief to close out the win for the Pirates. Eight different Shockers recorded one hit apiece in the contest. Game Two Once again the Shockers seized the early advantage, striking thrice in the top of the first inning on an error, a balk, and a sacrifice fly from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brayden-luikart/7598">Brayden Luikart</a>. The lead lasted until the bottom of the fourth, when East Carolina tied the game at 3-3 on a three-run homer from Joey Berini. Berini then put the Pirates in front in the fifth with a run-scoring single, followed by a two-RBI knock from Colby Wallace that made it 7-4. East Carolina put the game out of reach with a four-run seventh and a Cam Clonch solo homer in the eighth that swelled the lead to 11-3.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-callahan/7594">Ryan Callahan</a>&nbsp;pulled a run back in the top of the ninth with a solo home run, his first with Wichita State. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/tommy-lapour/7600">Tommy LaPour</a>&nbsp;(3-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs over 4.2 innings. Shocker pitchers managed just one strikeout in the game. Aaron Groller (2-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings out of the ECU bullpen. Five Pirates relievers allowed just one run over the final seven innings. Wichita State returns to action on Tuesday night at Oklahoma. First pitch from Norman is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713706393955.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure> Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics GREENVILLE, N.C. — Wichita State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in game one and a 3-0 lead in game two but allowed 11 unanswered runs in both games to drop both ends of a doubleheader to #9 East Carolina by scores of 11-7 and 11-4 on Saturday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.Game OneAfter a pair of scoreless frames to open the twin bill, the Shockers exploded for seven runs in the top of the third inning.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mauricio-millan/7532">Mauricio Millan</a>&nbsp;was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, followed by an infield single from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>&nbsp;then sliced a ball down the left field line that tucked just inside the foul pole for an opposite field grand slam and a 6-0 lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/derek-williams/7627">Derek Williams</a>&nbsp;capped the barrage with a solo home run, the first time this season Wichita State has hit back-to-back home runs.The 7-0 lead did not last for long, however, as East Carolina immediately responded with five runs in the home half of the inning and then scored one in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth to grab an 11-7 lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caleb-anderson/8973">Caleb Anderson</a>&nbsp;(1-3) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs over 2.0 innings in relief after starter&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-dobbs/7616">Tyler Dobbs</a>&nbsp;was knocked from the game after 2.2 innings. East Carolina starter Zach Root (6-0) recovered from the seven-run inning to complete 5.0 frames and earn the victory, allowing eight hits while striking out one and walking one. Danny Beal and Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman combined for four scoreless innings in relief to close out the win for the Pirates. Eight different Shockers recorded one hit apiece in the contest. Game Two Once again the Shockers seized the early advantage, striking thrice in the top of the first inning on an error, a balk, and a sacrifice fly from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brayden-luikart/7598">Brayden Luikart</a>. The lead lasted until the bottom of the fourth, when East Carolina tied the game at 3-3 on a three-run homer from Joey Berini. Berini then put the Pirates in front in the fifth with a run-scoring single, followed by a two-RBI knock from Colby Wallace that made it 7-4. East Carolina put the game out of reach with a four-run seventh and a Cam Clonch solo homer in the eighth that swelled the lead to 11-3.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-callahan/7594">Ryan Callahan</a>&nbsp;pulled a run back in the top of the ninth with a solo home run, his first with Wichita State. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/tommy-lapour/7600">Tommy LaPour</a>&nbsp;(3-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs over 4.2 innings. Shocker pitchers managed just one strikeout in the game. Aaron Groller (2-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings out of the ECU bullpen. Five Pirates relievers allowed just one run over the final seven innings. Wichita State returns to action on Tuesday night at Oklahoma. First pitch from Norman is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

⚾ Shockers swept in doubleheader by ECU

WICHITA, Kan.—Jake Rucker&nbsp;extended his hit streak and delivered the go-ahead two-run base hit in the sixth inning to give the Wind Surge the lead. The Wind Surge held on to defeat Tulsa 7-3 in front of 4,080 fans at Riverfront Stadium.

Tulsa scored a first-inning run to take the lead, but the Surge answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.

Tulsa tied the game in the sixth inning before the Wind Surge grabbed the lead in the bottom of the inning. Rucker’s hit streak is extended to eight games and&nbsp;Emmanuel Rodriguez&nbsp;added two walks and a hit and has reached base in all 13 games he has played in.

The Drillers lead the series three games to two with the finale on Sunday. Wichita improves to 3-11 on the season.

Wichita continues their series with Tulsa tomorrow, Sunday, April 21, at Riverfront Stadium, with the first pitch time set for 1:05 PM.&nbsp;Jaylin Nowlin&nbsp;starts for Wichita. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>&nbsp;or watch online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/MiLB.TV">MiLB.TV</a>&nbsp;and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713705816013.jpeg" alt="Wind Surge Defeats Tulsa Saturday" />
 <figcaption>Wind Surge Defeats Tulsa Saturday</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan.—Jake Rucker&nbsp;extended his hit streak and delivered the go-ahead two-run base hit in the sixth inning to give the Wind Surge the lead. The Wind Surge held on to defeat Tulsa 7-3 in front of 4,080 fans at Riverfront Stadium.Tulsa scored a first-inning run to take the lead, but the Surge answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.Tulsa tied the game in the sixth inning before the Wind Surge grabbed the lead in the bottom of the inning. Rucker’s hit streak is extended to eight games and&nbsp;Emmanuel Rodriguez&nbsp;added two walks and a hit and has reached base in all 13 games he has played in.The Drillers lead the series three games to two with the finale on Sunday. Wichita improves to 3-11 on the season.Wichita continues their series with Tulsa tomorrow, Sunday, April 21, at Riverfront Stadium, with the first pitch time set for 1:05 PM.&nbsp;Jaylin Nowlin&nbsp;starts for Wichita. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>&nbsp;or watch online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/MiLB.TV">MiLB.TV</a>&nbsp;and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>.

⚾ Wichita Wind Surge shuts down Tulsa

AP Sports in a Minute for April 21st, 2024:

Nikola Jokic leads NBA champ Denver Nuggets past LeBron James and Lakers 114-103 in playoff opener

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets powered past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 in their Western Conference playoff opener. Two other Nuggets posted double-doubles — Jamal Murray (22 points, 10 assists) and Aaron Gordon (12 points, 11 rebounds) — and Michael Porter Jr. came close with 19 points and eight boards. James scored 27 points for L.A. and Anthony Davis had 32 points and 14 rebounds, but the Lakers lost to the Nuggets for the ninth consecutive time and Denver handed James just his fourth loss in 17 first-round openers.

Knicks beat 76ers 111-104 in Game 1 of playoffs. Brunson and Hart score 22 points and backups star

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart each scored 22 points, Deuce McBride led a huge effort by New York's backups with 21 and the Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111-104 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. McBride outscored the 76ers by himself with 13 points in the second quarter, when Joel Embiid had to leave after appearing to reinjure his surgically repaired left knee on a dunk. He returned and rallied the 76ers into the lead in the second half, but Hart hit a couple big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks pull it out. Hart also had 13 rebounds for the No. 2-seeded Knicks, who host Game 2 on Monday.

Donovan Mitchell scores 30, Cavaliers open playoffs with tough-minded 97-83 win in Game 1 over Magic

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 reounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic 97-83 in Game 1 of their playoff series. Evan Mobley added 16 points for Cleveland, which got bullied and bounced in just five games by the New York Knicks in the 2023 postseason. That experience scarred the Cavs, who entered these playoffs more confident and relatively healthy after a regular season filled with injuries. Paolo Banchero scored 24 points for the Magic, but he had nine turnovers in his playoff debut. Orlando shot just 33%v from the floor, and made just 8 of 37 3-pointers.

Timberwolves take down Suns 120-95 in Game 1 behind 33 points from Anthony Edwards

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter and had nine rebounds to carry the Minnesota Timberwolves in a tone-setting 120-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns to start the first round of the playoffs. The Wolves got their first Game 1 home win in the playoffs in 20 years. Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting to lead the Suns, whose disadvantages in depth and size were exploited. They were outrebounded 52-28 and outscored 52-34 in the paint by the Wolves.

Zack Wheeler has no-hit bid for 7 1/3 innings as Phillies beat slumping White Sox 9-5

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler pitched no-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings, Brandon Marsh homered and the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to five by beating the struggling Chicago White Sox 9-5. Wheeler didn't give up a hit until rookie Korey Lee's one-out single on a hard grounder into right field that just eluded diving first baseman Bryce Harper. The 33-year-old right-hander struck out eight, walked two and allowed no runs while throwing 75 of 106 pitches for strikes. Chicago is batting a major league-low .190 and extended its franchise-worst start to 3-17. The White Sox have lost eight of their last nine games.

Mutiso Munyao gives Kenya another London Marathon win after tribute to Kiptum

LONDON (AP) — Alexander Mutiso Munyao denied 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele a first London Marathon victory by pulling away from the Ethiopian great with about 3 kilometers to go for his biggest career win. Mutiso Munyao and Bekele were in a two-way fight for the win until the Kenyan made his move as they ran along the River Thames, quickly building a six-second gap that only grew as he ran toward the finish in front of Buckingham Palace. He finished in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, 1 second, with Bekele finishing about 14 seconds behind. Emile Cairess of Britain was third, nearly three minutes back.

Chinese doping case sparks unusually harsh spat between global and US drug-fighting agencies

DENVER (AP) — Revelations of nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers whose positive doping tests went unpunished have sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the head of the U.S. drug-fighting organization. WADA says it will turn to legal counsel to address a statement released by Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Tygart says WADA and anti-doping authorities in China failed to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.

Masters champ Scottie Scheffler posts a 63 and leads the RBC Heritage by 1 shot

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is not letting up. He won the green jacket last week. Now he's in position to add the plaid jacket from Harbour Town in the RBC Heritage. Scheffler was bogey-free for a 63. That took him from a three-shot deficit to a one-shot lead over Sepp Straka. Collin Morikawa was another shot back and Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg was among those three behind. Scheffler is going for his fourth win in his last five tournaments. He's trying to become the first player since Bernhard Langer to win in the next week after winning the Masters.

DeBrusk nets 2 power-play goals, Swayman saves 35 as Bruins win 5-1 to open series with Toronto

BOSTON (AP) — Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-1 victory over the the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of power play goals, and Bruins rookie Jonny Beecher scored on his first postseason shot on goal. Brandon Carlo added a goal for Boston about a minute after Matthews caught Swayman away from the crease but banged the puck off the near goalpost. David Kampf scored for Toronto and Ilya Samsonov stopped 23 shots for the Maple Leafs. Game 2 is Monday night.

Another race, another victory for Red Bull's Max Verstappen at Chinese GP

SHANGHAI (AP) — The three-time defending F1 champion Max Verstappen has won the Chinese Grand Prix. He started from pole for his fourth victory in five races this season and his 23rd in the last 27 extending through last season. Only a brake failure last month in the Australian GP in Melbourne probably kept him from winning all five. Lando Norris of McLaren was second followed by Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final	Philadelphia	9	Chicago White Sox	5	

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS 

Final tie	St Louis City	3	Sporting Kansas City	3	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, April 21st, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, April 21st, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports in a Minute for April 21st, 2024:<div><iframe title="April 21st, 2024 AP Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=mc42d-15ef167-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Nikola Jokic leads NBA champ Denver Nuggets past LeBron James and Lakers 114-103 in playoff openerDENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets powered past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 in their Western Conference playoff opener. Two other Nuggets posted double-doubles — Jamal Murray (22 points, 10 assists) and Aaron Gordon (12 points, 11 rebounds) — and Michael Porter Jr. came close with 19 points and eight boards. James scored 27 points for L.A. and Anthony Davis had 32 points and 14 rebounds, but the Lakers lost to the Nuggets for the ninth consecutive time and Denver handed James just his fourth loss in 17 first-round openers.Knicks beat 76ers 111-104 in Game 1 of playoffs. Brunson and Hart score 22 points and backups starNEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart each scored 22 points, Deuce McBride led a huge effort by New York's backups with 21 and the Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111-104 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. McBride outscored the 76ers by himself with 13 points in the second quarter, when Joel Embiid had to leave after appearing to reinjure his surgically repaired left knee on a dunk. He returned and rallied the 76ers into the lead in the second half, but Hart hit a couple big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks pull it out. Hart also had 13 rebounds for the No. 2-seeded Knicks, who host Game 2 on Monday.Donovan Mitchell scores 30, Cavaliers open playoffs with tough-minded 97-83 win in Game 1 over MagicCLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 reounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic 97-83 in Game 1 of their playoff series. Evan Mobley added 16 points for Cleveland, which got bullied and bounced in just five games by the New York Knicks in the 2023 postseason. That experience scarred the Cavs, who entered these playoffs more confident and relatively healthy after a regular season filled with injuries. Paolo Banchero scored 24 points for the Magic, but he had nine turnovers in his playoff debut. Orlando shot just 33%v from the floor, and made just 8 of 37 3-pointers.Timberwolves take down Suns 120-95 in Game 1 behind 33 points from Anthony EdwardsMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter and had nine rebounds to carry the Minnesota Timberwolves in a tone-setting 120-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns to start the first round of the playoffs. The Wolves got their first Game 1 home win in the playoffs in 20 years. Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting to lead the Suns, whose disadvantages in depth and size were exploited. They were outrebounded 52-28 and outscored 52-34 in the paint by the Wolves.Zack Wheeler has no-hit bid for 7 1/3 innings as Phillies beat slumping White Sox 9-5PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler pitched no-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings, Brandon Marsh homered and the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to five by beating the struggling Chicago White Sox 9-5. Wheeler didn't give up a hit until rookie Korey Lee's one-out single on a hard grounder into right field that just eluded diving first baseman Bryce Harper. The 33-year-old right-hander struck out eight, walked two and allowed no runs while throwing 75 of 106 pitches for strikes. Chicago is batting a major league-low .190 and extended its franchise-worst start to 3-17. The White Sox have lost eight of their last nine games.Mutiso Munyao gives Kenya another London Marathon win after tribute to KiptumLONDON (AP) — Alexander Mutiso Munyao denied 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele a first London Marathon victory by pulling away from the Ethiopian great with about 3 kilometers to go for his biggest career win. Mutiso Munyao and Bekele were in a two-way fight for the win until the Kenyan made his move as they ran along the River Thames, quickly building a six-second gap that only grew as he ran toward the finish in front of Buckingham Palace. He finished in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, 1 second, with Bekele finishing about 14 seconds behind. Emile Cairess of Britain was third, nearly three minutes back.Chinese doping case sparks unusually harsh spat between global and US drug-fighting agenciesDENVER (AP) — Revelations of nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers whose positive doping tests went unpunished have sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the head of the U.S. drug-fighting organization. WADA says it will turn to legal counsel to address a statement released by Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Tygart says WADA and anti-doping authorities in China failed to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.Masters champ Scottie Scheffler posts a 63 and leads the RBC Heritage by 1 shotHILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is not letting up. He won the green jacket last week. Now he's in position to add the plaid jacket from Harbour Town in the RBC Heritage. Scheffler was bogey-free for a 63. That took him from a three-shot deficit to a one-shot lead over Sepp Straka. Collin Morikawa was another shot back and Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg was among those three behind. Scheffler is going for his fourth win in his last five tournaments. He's trying to become the first player since Bernhard Langer to win in the next week after winning the Masters.DeBrusk nets 2 power-play goals, Swayman saves 35 as Bruins win 5-1 to open series with TorontoBOSTON (AP) — Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-1 victory over the the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of power play goals, and Bruins rookie Jonny Beecher scored on his first postseason shot on goal. Brandon Carlo added a goal for Boston about a minute after Matthews caught Swayman away from the crease but banged the puck off the near goalpost. David Kampf scored for Toronto and Ilya Samsonov stopped 23 shots for the Maple Leafs. Game 2 is Monday night.Another race, another victory for Red Bull's Max Verstappen at Chinese GPSHANGHAI (AP) — The three-time defending F1 champion Max Verstappen has won the Chinese Grand Prix. He started from pole for his fourth victory in five races this season and his 23rd in the last 27 extending through last season. Only a brake failure last month in the Australian GP in Melbourne probably kept him from winning all five. Lando Norris of McLaren was second followed by Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUE Final	Washington	5	Houston	4	Final	Boston	4	Pittsburgh	2	Final	Philadelphia	9	Chicago White Sox	5	Final	Cincinnati	7	L.A. Angels	5	Final	Atlanta	5	Texas	2	Final	Seattle	7	Colorado	0	Final	Toronto	5	San Diego	2	___AMERICAN LEAGUE Final	Tampa Bay	2	N.Y. Yankees	0	Final	Minnesota	4	Detroit	3	Final	Cleveland	6	Oakland	3	Final	Baltimore	9	Kansas City	7	___NATIONAL LEAGUE Final	Miami	3	Chicago Cubs	2	Final	Milwaukee	12	St. Louis	5	Final	San Francisco	7	Arizona	3	Final	N.Y. Mets	6	L.A. Dodgers	4	Final	Chicago Cubs	5	Miami	3	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Final	Cleveland	97	Orlando	83	Final	Minnesota	120	Phoenix	95	Final	New York	111	Philadelphia	104	Final	Denver	114	L.A. Lakers	103	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Final	Carolina	3	N-Y Islanders	1	Final	Boston	5	Toronto	1	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Final	Cincinnati	2	Atlanta	1	Final tie	Portland	2	Columbus	2	Final	Miami	3	Nashville	1	Final tie	Orlando City	2	CF Montréal	2	Final	New York City FC	2	D.C. United	0	Final	Toronto FC	1	New England	0	Final	Real Salt Lake	4	Chicago	0	Final	Austin FC	1	Houston	0	Final tie	St Louis City	3	Sporting Kansas City	3	Final	Colorado	2	FC Dallas	1	Final tie	New York	2	Los Angeles FC	2	Final	Vancouver	2	Seattle	0	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE Boston	at	Pittsburgh	1:35 p.m.	Chi White Sox	at	Philadelphia	1:35 p.m.	Houston	at	Washington	1:35 p.m.	L-A Angels	at	Cincinnati	1:40 p.m.	Seattle	at	Colorado	3:10 p.m.	Toronto	at	San Diego	4:10 p.m.	Texas	at	Atlanta	7:10 p.m.	Seattle	at	Colorado	8:10 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE Tampa Bay	at	N-Y Yankees	1:35 p.m.	Oakland	at	Cleveland	1:40 p.m.	Baltimore	at	Kansas City	2:10 p.m.	Detroit	at	Minnesota	2:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE Milwaukee	at	St. Louis	2:15 p.m.	Miami	at	Chi Cubs	2:20 p.m.	Arizona	at	San Francisco	4:05 p.m.	N-Y Mets	at	L-A Dodgers	4:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Miami	at	Boston	1 p.m.	Dallas	at	L.A. Clippers	3:30 p.m.	Indiana	at	Milwaukee	7 p.m.	New Orleans	at	Oklahoma City	9:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Tampa Bay	at	Florida	12:30 p.m.	Washington	at	N-Y Rangers	3 p.m.	Colorado	at	Winnipeg	7 p.m.	Nashville	at	Vancouver	10 p.m.	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Minnesota	at	Charlotte FC	6 p.m.	San Jose	at	LA Galaxy	8:15 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Sunday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —&nbsp;Craig Kimbrel tied Billy Wagner for seventh on the career list with his 422nd save, Anthony Santander had the first three-double game of his major league career and the Baltimore Orioles rode a seven-run second inning to a 9-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Salvador Perez tied his career high with five RBI for the Royals, who tried to overcome a 7-0 deficit, and hit a game-ending flyout to Colton Cowser in front of the left-field warning track.

Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save in six chances this year as the Orioles evened the three-game series. He is two saves behind John Franco on the career list and three back of Kenley Jansen.

Baltimore at first didn't keep the ball for the final out.

“I guess the ball just got thrown into the stands,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We've got to have a little more awareness in left field when you catch that, but he was great tonight.”

The ball was found at the bottom of one of the fountains in right field.

“Right when I threw it, I said: 'Craig has a lot of saves, that one might be important,” Cowser said. “We got the ball back, though, it was the only one in the fountains.”

Santander sprinted in to make a diving catch on Bobby Witt Jr's flare into short right field starting the ninth.

Corbin Burnes (3-0) pitched shutout ball until allowing Perez's three-run homer in the sixth, Perez's sixth home run this season. Burnes allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and a walk.

“He's a veteran hitter and he'd got me both times we've played them,” Burnes said. “For the most part tonight we were able to limit the contact and get some quick outs. For the most part, it was a good job tonight."

Perez added a two-run single in a four-run seventh.

“It is relentless the guys take a lot of pride in their at-bats. Salvador Perez coming up with the home run to get us back in the game was huge,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Cole Ragans (0-2) allowed seven runs and nine hits in 1 2/3 innings, Kansas City's shortest start this season.

“It was not good, just have to move on as soon as tonight," Ragans said. "I have a start in five days that I have to prepare for so I can’t let this one bother.”

Baltimore tied its season high with 15 hits, including eight with two strikes. Every Orioles starter had a hit.

Left fielder Austin Hays left after six innings because of calf tightness.

Ramón Urías hit an RBI double in the first and scored on James McCann's single, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mouncastle hit run-scoring singles, Santander doubled in a run and Jordan Westburg had a a two-run single.

“That second inning was probably our best all season offensively,” Hyde said. “We faced a really good starter with a lot of success against us and I thought we just took what was given to us.”

Kansas City placed RHP Jordan Lyles on the inactive list as he deals with a personal matter and recalled LHP Anthony Veneziano from Triple-A Omaha.

Baltimore LHP Cole Irvin (0-1, 6.75 ERA) goes to the mound and Kansas City sends RHP Seth Lugo (3-0, 1.05) for Sunday’s series finale.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708710110872.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —&nbsp;Craig Kimbrel tied Billy Wagner for seventh on the career list with his 422nd save, Anthony Santander had the first three-double game of his major league career and the Baltimore Orioles rode a seven-run second inning to a 9-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.Salvador Perez tied his career high with five RBI for the Royals, who tried to overcome a 7-0 deficit, and hit a game-ending flyout to Colton Cowser in front of the left-field warning track.Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save in six chances this year as the Orioles evened the three-game series. He is two saves behind John Franco on the career list and three back of Kenley Jansen.Baltimore at first didn't keep the ball for the final out.“I guess the ball just got thrown into the stands,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We've got to have a little more awareness in left field when you catch that, but he was great tonight.”The ball was found at the bottom of one of the fountains in right field.“Right when I threw it, I said: 'Craig has a lot of saves, that one might be important,” Cowser said. “We got the ball back, though, it was the only one in the fountains.”Santander sprinted in to make a diving catch on Bobby Witt Jr's flare into short right field starting the ninth.Corbin Burnes (3-0) pitched shutout ball until allowing Perez's three-run homer in the sixth, Perez's sixth home run this season. Burnes allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and a walk.“He's a veteran hitter and he'd got me both times we've played them,” Burnes said. “For the most part tonight we were able to limit the contact and get some quick outs. For the most part, it was a good job tonight."Perez added a two-run single in a four-run seventh.“It is relentless the guys take a lot of pride in their at-bats. Salvador Perez coming up with the home run to get us back in the game was huge,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.Cole Ragans (0-2) allowed seven runs and nine hits in 1 2/3 innings, Kansas City's shortest start this season.“It was not good, just have to move on as soon as tonight," Ragans said. "I have a start in five days that I have to prepare for so I can’t let this one bother.”Baltimore tied its season high with 15 hits, including eight with two strikes. Every Orioles starter had a hit.Left fielder Austin Hays left after six innings because of calf tightness.Ramón Urías hit an RBI double in the first and scored on James McCann's single, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mouncastle hit run-scoring singles, Santander doubled in a run and Jordan Westburg had a a two-run single.“That second inning was probably our best all season offensively,” Hyde said. “We faced a really good starter with a lot of success against us and I thought we just took what was given to us.”ROSTER MOVESKansas City placed RHP Jordan Lyles on the inactive list as he deals with a personal matter and recalled LHP Anthony Veneziano from Triple-A Omaha.UP NEXTBaltimore LHP Cole Irvin (0-1, 6.75 ERA) goes to the mound and Kansas City sends RHP Seth Lugo (3-0, 1.05) for Sunday’s series finale.

⚾ Orioles draw even in series with Royals

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State bounced back from a shutout loss on Friday with a 9-1 walk-off, run-rule victory in six innings over UAB Saturday night at Wilkins Stadium.

Wichita State (20-19, 11-9) snapped a four-game losing streak, its longest of the season, behind a complete performance in all three phases. The Shockers pounded out nine runs on 12 hits at the plate, the defense played mistake-free softball and the pitching was superb.

Aside from a solo home run,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lauren-howell/7566">Lauren Howell</a>&nbsp;(4-4) was lights out in the circle. She tossed a complete game, allowing just three hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/addison-barnard/7558">Addison Barnard</a>&nbsp;recorded her third multi-home run game of the season and 14th of her career with two home runs and five RBI, including the walk-off two-run shot off the United State flag in left field.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/taylor-sedlacek/7570">Taylor Sedlacek</a>&nbsp;was 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/sami-hood/7565">Sami Hood</a>&nbsp;doubled twice and drove in two runs.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/cc-wong/8967">CC Wong</a>&nbsp;scored three times to go with two doubles and two walks.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lainee-brown/7559">Lainee Brown</a>&nbsp;singled twice and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/bailey-urban/7572">Bailey Urban</a>drove in two on a double.

Wichita State made sure there wouldn't be a shutout two days in a row after putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back doubles from Urban and Hood combined for the early run support.

The Shockers added to their lead in the second behind a Barnard three-run opposite field missile and Hood's RBI double down the third base line.

UAB found the scoring column in the top of the fourth on a solo home run.

Finally after three scoreless frames, Wichita State put the cherry on top in emphatic fashion. Following Wong's leadoff double, Barnard drilled the first pitch she saw over the wall in left for a walk-off, two-run blast.

Wichita State and UAB wrap up the series Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on ESPN+.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713676908665.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State bounced back from a shutout loss on Friday with a 9-1 walk-off, run-rule victory in six innings over UAB Saturday night at Wilkins Stadium. Wichita State (20-19, 11-9) snapped a four-game losing streak, its longest of the season, behind a complete performance in all three phases. The Shockers pounded out nine runs on 12 hits at the plate, the defense played mistake-free softball and the pitching was superb.Aside from a solo home run,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lauren-howell/7566">Lauren Howell</a>&nbsp;(4-4) was lights out in the circle. She tossed a complete game, allowing just three hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/addison-barnard/7558">Addison Barnard</a>&nbsp;recorded her third multi-home run game of the season and 14th of her career with two home runs and five RBI, including the walk-off two-run shot off the United State flag in left field.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/taylor-sedlacek/7570">Taylor Sedlacek</a>&nbsp;was 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/sami-hood/7565">Sami Hood</a>&nbsp;doubled twice and drove in two runs.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/cc-wong/8967">CC Wong</a>&nbsp;scored three times to go with two doubles and two walks.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lainee-brown/7559">Lainee Brown</a>&nbsp;singled twice and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/bailey-urban/7572">Bailey Urban</a>drove in two on a double.Wichita State made sure there wouldn't be a shutout two days in a row after putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back doubles from Urban and Hood combined for the early run support.The Shockers added to their lead in the second behind a Barnard three-run opposite field missile and Hood's RBI double down the third base line.UAB found the scoring column in the top of the fourth on a solo home run.Finally after three scoreless frames, Wichita State put the cherry on top in emphatic fashion. Following Wong's leadoff double, Barnard drilled the first pitch she saw over the wall in left for a walk-off, two-run blast.Wichita State and UAB wrap up the series Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on ESPN+.

🥎 Barnard homers twice in run-rule win

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp; MANHATTAN, Kan. — Junior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/david-bishop/11518">David Bishop</a>&nbsp;delivered a one-out single to bring home&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/chuck-ingram/11526">Chuck Ingram</a>&nbsp;for the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th&nbsp;inning to give K-State a walk-off 6-5 victory Friday night over No. 15 Oklahoma State at Tointon Family Stadium.

K-State (23-14, 8-8 Big 12) trailed Oklahoma State (25-13, 10-6 Big 12) by two runs going into the home half of the 12th&nbsp;but managed to tie the game after catcher&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/raphael-pelletier/11471">Raphael Pelletier</a>doubled to left center and scored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kaelen-culpepper/11460">Kaelen Culpepper</a>. With the game tied 5-5 and runners on second and third, Bishop roped a 1-1 pitch down the left field line to drive in Ingram and give the Wildcats their second walk-off win of the season.

"It was a good Friday night win," said head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;following his team's walk-off victory. "I thought our pitching staff fought through some adversity in how they managed to prevent an inning from spiraling out of control, which was one of our goals tonight because Oklahoma State is a big inning team. It allowed us a chance to push the game into extra innings."

"A gutty comeback. To go down in extra innings, and our team showed tremendous character by keeping their heads up and keep playing to get the next hitter. This allowed us to have a great comeback win in extra innings at home. It was an awesome college baseball game," Hughes said. &nbsp;All nine players of the Wildcats' lineup contributed a hit, with multi-hit efforts from five different players. Pelletier, who went 2-for-6, drove in a game-high two runs while Culpepper scored twice.

<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/blake-dean/11520">Blake Dean</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/cole-wisenbaker/11478">Cole Wisenbaker</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyson-neighbors/11470">Tyson Neighbors</a>&nbsp;combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings, with Neighbors striking out five of the nine batters he faced.

<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/andrew-evans/11462">Andrew Evans</a>&nbsp;ended the game on the mound for the Wildcats and picked up his fourth victory of the season (4-2).

<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/owen-boerema/11457">Owen Boerema</a>&nbsp;yielded five hits with three earned runs against him over his 5 2/3 innings. The lefty finished with six strikeouts with five walks in a no decision. &nbsp; Five different players generated a hit for OSU led by Colin Brueggemann, who went 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored. Tommy Molsky tossed the final 2 1/3 innings and recorded his first loss of the season, finishing the night with three earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts (5-1).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713626209519.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp; MANHATTAN, Kan. — Junior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/david-bishop/11518">David Bishop</a>&nbsp;delivered a one-out single to bring home&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/chuck-ingram/11526">Chuck Ingram</a>&nbsp;for the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th&nbsp;inning to give K-State a walk-off 6-5 victory Friday night over No. 15 Oklahoma State at Tointon Family Stadium.K-State (23-14, 8-8 Big 12) trailed Oklahoma State (25-13, 10-6 Big 12) by two runs going into the home half of the 12th&nbsp;but managed to tie the game after catcher&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/raphael-pelletier/11471">Raphael Pelletier</a>doubled to left center and scored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kaelen-culpepper/11460">Kaelen Culpepper</a>. With the game tied 5-5 and runners on second and third, Bishop roped a 1-1 pitch down the left field line to drive in Ingram and give the Wildcats their second walk-off win of the season."It was a good Friday night win," said head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;following his team's walk-off victory. "I thought our pitching staff fought through some adversity in how they managed to prevent an inning from spiraling out of control, which was one of our goals tonight because Oklahoma State is a big inning team. It allowed us a chance to push the game into extra innings.""A gutty comeback. To go down in extra innings, and our team showed tremendous character by keeping their heads up and keep playing to get the next hitter. This allowed us to have a great comeback win in extra innings at home. It was an awesome college baseball game," Hughes said. &nbsp;All nine players of the Wildcats' lineup contributed a hit, with multi-hit efforts from five different players. Pelletier, who went 2-for-6, drove in a game-high two runs while Culpepper scored twice.<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/blake-dean/11520">Blake Dean</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/cole-wisenbaker/11478">Cole Wisenbaker</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyson-neighbors/11470">Tyson Neighbors</a>&nbsp;combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings, with Neighbors striking out five of the nine batters he faced.<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/andrew-evans/11462">Andrew Evans</a>&nbsp;ended the game on the mound for the Wildcats and picked up his fourth victory of the season (4-2).<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/owen-boerema/11457">Owen Boerema</a>&nbsp;yielded five hits with three earned runs against him over his 5 2/3 innings. The lefty finished with six strikeouts with five walks in a no decision. &nbsp; Five different players generated a hit for OSU led by Colin Brueggemann, who went 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored. Tommy Molsky tossed the final 2 1/3 innings and recorded his first loss of the season, finishing the night with three earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts (5-1).

⚾ Cats rally walk off no. 15 OSU in extra innings 

&nbsp;Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;GREENVILLE, N.C. — Wichita State scored four runs over the final three innings and brought the tying run to the plate in eighth but could not climb out of an early hole as #9 East Carolina held on for a 6-4 win on Friday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

East Carolina starter Trey Yesavage (8-1) was dominant over the first six innings, striking out a career-high 15 batters while holding the Shockers (21-18) to just two hits and three total baserunners. The Pirates built a 6-0 lead for him with two runs in the second, one in the third and three in the fourth, but Wichita State finally found the range against the talented righty in the seventh.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jaden-gustafson/7525">Jaden Gustafson</a>&nbsp;led off the inning with a pinch-hit single, followed by a walk to&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>. A pair of ground outs to first base plated one run and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/camden-johnson/7605">Camden Johnson</a>&nbsp;made it 6-2 with an RBI single.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/kam-durnin/7604">Kam Durnin</a>&nbsp;then knocked Yesavage from the game with a booming double to right-center, scoring Johnson to trim the ECU lead to 6-3.

Wichita State continued to chip away in the eighth.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mauricio-millan/7532">Mauricio Millan</a>&nbsp;singled and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>doubled to put runners at second and third with nobody out, but the Shockers could only muster one run on an ground out from Rogers that cut the deficit to 6-4. East Carolina reliever Ethan Norby struck out the final four batters to record his first save of the season.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caden-favors/7628">Caden Favors</a>&nbsp;(5-4) took the loss for Wichita State, allowing ten hits and six runs (four earned) over 6.0 innings. After the early damage, Favors settled in with two scoreless innings and ended his outing with seven strikeouts against just one walk.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-hamilton/7614">Brady Hamilton</a>&nbsp;put together a flawless outing in relief of Favors, retiring all six Pirates he faced on just 17 pitches.

The Shockers and Pirates conclude the series on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:30 pm CT, with game two scheduled to begin 50 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713622005006.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of &nbsp;Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of &nbsp;Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;GREENVILLE, N.C. — Wichita State scored four runs over the final three innings and brought the tying run to the plate in eighth but could not climb out of an early hole as #9 East Carolina held on for a 6-4 win on Friday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium. East Carolina starter Trey Yesavage (8-1) was dominant over the first six innings, striking out a career-high 15 batters while holding the Shockers (21-18) to just two hits and three total baserunners. The Pirates built a 6-0 lead for him with two runs in the second, one in the third and three in the fourth, but Wichita State finally found the range against the talented righty in the seventh.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jaden-gustafson/7525">Jaden Gustafson</a>&nbsp;led off the inning with a pinch-hit single, followed by a walk to&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>. A pair of ground outs to first base plated one run and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/camden-johnson/7605">Camden Johnson</a>&nbsp;made it 6-2 with an RBI single.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/kam-durnin/7604">Kam Durnin</a>&nbsp;then knocked Yesavage from the game with a booming double to right-center, scoring Johnson to trim the ECU lead to 6-3.Wichita State continued to chip away in the eighth.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mauricio-millan/7532">Mauricio Millan</a>&nbsp;singled and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>doubled to put runners at second and third with nobody out, but the Shockers could only muster one run on an ground out from Rogers that cut the deficit to 6-4. East Carolina reliever Ethan Norby struck out the final four batters to record his first save of the season.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caden-favors/7628">Caden Favors</a>&nbsp;(5-4) took the loss for Wichita State, allowing ten hits and six runs (four earned) over 6.0 innings. After the early damage, Favors settled in with two scoreless innings and ended his outing with seven strikeouts against just one walk.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-hamilton/7614">Brady Hamilton</a>&nbsp;put together a flawless outing in relief of Favors, retiring all six Pirates he faced on just 17 pitches.The Shockers and Pirates conclude the series on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:30 pm CT, with game two scheduled to begin 50 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.

⚾ Late rally falls short in series opener at ECU

AP Sports in a Minute for April 20th, 2024.

The NBA playoffs are finally here. And as LeBron James says, 'it's a sprint now'

There's a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league's best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender. And, once again, there's LeBron James, too. The NBA playoffs are about to begin with the Celtics and Nuggets the heavy favorites to collide in the Finals, and no shortage of teams have realistic belief that they can win the whole thing as well.

The Heat are headed to Boston after ousting the Bulls 112-91 in East play-in finale

MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 24 points and was an assist shy of a triple-double, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 21 points and the Miami Heat grabbed the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, running away from the Chicago Bulls 112-91 in a play-in tournament elimination game. Kevin Love scored 16 and Bam Adebayo added 13 for Miami. The Heat head to Boston for a rematch of the last two East finals against the Celtics. It's Round 1 this time, with the Heat set to be huge underdogs against the runaway favorite to win the NBA title. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points for the Bulls.

Ingram, Valanciunas lift Zion-less Pelicans past Kings and into the playoffs

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans booked a spot in the NBA playoffs with a 105-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings in a play-in tournament elimination game. The Pelicans won without leading-scorer Zion Williamson, who strained his left hamstring in a play-in loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. New Orleans used a balanced approach to improved to 8-5 this season without Williamson in the lineup. Six players scored 10 or more points. New Orleans now opens the playoffs at top-seeded Oklahoma City on Sunday. De'Aaron Fox scored 35 points for the Kings and Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Sign of the times: NCAA approves coach-to-player helmet communication for 2024 football season

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Following a sign-stealing scandal that rocked college football and hung over Michigan's championship run in 2023, the NCAA's oversight committee approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season. The football rules committee last month made a recommendation to allow — but not require — teams at the highest tier of Division I to use radio technology similar to what NFL teams use to call in plays. Only one player for each team will be permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field.

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula explores selling non-controlling, minority stake in franchise

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula are exploring the possibility of selling a non-controlling, minority interest in the franchise, the team announced. A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press the stake in the team the Pegulas would be preparing to sell would be about 25%. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced by the team. The Bills announced the Pegulas have hired Allen &amp; Company to oversee the process, while stressing no sale would take place without the Pegulas maintaining a controlling interest in the franchise.

Maple Leafs, Jets, Oilers and Canucks carry Canada's Stanley Cup hopes with drought now at 30 years

Hockey fans across Canada are preparing themselves for the annual thrill and torment that arrives with the NHL playoffs. Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto are in the 16-team field. Canada's Cup drought dates to Montreal's triumph in 1993, an agonizingly long time for fans in the nation that loves hockey more than any other. The Canucks, Flames, Oilers, Canadiens and Ottawa have all made it to the final since then only to fall short. The four Canadian clubs in this year's bracket are the most to make the cut in a normal season since 2017.

Verstappen takes pole for Chinese GP to extend F1 dominance. Hamilton 18th

SHANGHAI (AP) — Max Verstappen of Red Bull has completed the Formula 1 double. Verstappen has taken the pole for the Chinese Grand Prix just hours after winning the first F1 sprint of the season. Verstappen is the sport's best driver in the quickest car. The Dutchman has won 22 of the last 26 GPs and three of the first four this season. Only a brake failure in Australia probably kept him from sweeping all four races. Teammate Sergio Perez will start alongside Verstappen on Sunday on the front row with Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Lando Norris of McLaren on the second row.

Mario Andretti offended by F1 rejection. 'If they want blood, well, I'm ready,' says 1978 champ

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Mario Andretti says he was deeply offended by the language Formula One Management used in denying his family and General Motors the opportunity to join the global motorsports series. Andretti Cadillac in late January was denied its application to expand the grid to accommodate a two-car American team. Andretti is the 1978 F1 champion and said he was offended by the reasoning F1 gave in denying the application. He was with his son, Michael, last week when the team opened its new facility for an F1 team in England. The Andretti executives were able to meet with FOM after. Another meeting is scheduled for the Miami Grand Prix next month.

Nelly Korda 1 shot back through 36 holes at Chevron Championship as she chases 5th straight victory

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Nelly Korda is one shot off the lead through 36 holes at the Chevron Championship as she seeks to tie an LPGA Tour record with her fifth straight win. Korda shot a 3-under 69 on Friday at the year's first major. She's at 7-under 137, trailing Atthaya Thitikul and Jin Hee Im by a shot. Korda made a double bogey on the first hole but followed that with six birdies and one bogey. The 25-year-old, top-ranked Korda is seeking her second major title after winning the Women's PGA Championship in 2021.

Collin Morikawa part of 4-way tie for the lead at Hilton Head. Scottie Scheffler lurks 3 shots back

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Every round brings Collin Morikawa closer to where he feels his game should be. The two-time major champion contended last week at the Masters. And he shot a 66 at the RBC Heritage for a four-way share of the lead. Morikawa says even when he doesn't hit it his best, he knows he's on the right track and getting closer to the consistent form that made him such a threat. He's tied with Tom Hoge, Sepp Straka and J.T. Poston. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler certainly hasn't lost his touch. He made a 65 look easy and was three shots back.

		Seattle	at	Colorado	8:10 p.m.	(Postponed)

Final	Philadelphia	7	Chicago White Sox	0	

		Chi White Sox	at	Philadelphia	6:05 p.m.	

		Orlando City	at	CF Montréal	7:30 p.m.	

		D.C. United	at	New York City FC	7:30 p.m.	

		St Louis City	at	Sporting Kansas City	8:30 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, April 20th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, April 20th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports in a Minute for April 20th, 2024.<div><iframe title="April 20th, 2024 AP Sports in a Minute" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=pcwur-15ee415-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>The NBA playoffs are finally here. And as LeBron James says, 'it's a sprint now'There's a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league's best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender. And, once again, there's LeBron James, too. The NBA playoffs are about to begin with the Celtics and Nuggets the heavy favorites to collide in the Finals, and no shortage of teams have realistic belief that they can win the whole thing as well.The Heat are headed to Boston after ousting the Bulls 112-91 in East play-in finaleMIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 24 points and was an assist shy of a triple-double, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 21 points and the Miami Heat grabbed the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, running away from the Chicago Bulls 112-91 in a play-in tournament elimination game. Kevin Love scored 16 and Bam Adebayo added 13 for Miami. The Heat head to Boston for a rematch of the last two East finals against the Celtics. It's Round 1 this time, with the Heat set to be huge underdogs against the runaway favorite to win the NBA title. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points for the Bulls.Ingram, Valanciunas lift Zion-less Pelicans past Kings and into the playoffsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans booked a spot in the NBA playoffs with a 105-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings in a play-in tournament elimination game. The Pelicans won without leading-scorer Zion Williamson, who strained his left hamstring in a play-in loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. New Orleans used a balanced approach to improved to 8-5 this season without Williamson in the lineup. Six players scored 10 or more points. New Orleans now opens the playoffs at top-seeded Oklahoma City on Sunday. De'Aaron Fox scored 35 points for the Kings and Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 14 rebounds.Sign of the times: NCAA approves coach-to-player helmet communication for 2024 football seasonINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Following a sign-stealing scandal that rocked college football and hung over Michigan's championship run in 2023, the NCAA's oversight committee approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season. The football rules committee last month made a recommendation to allow — but not require — teams at the highest tier of Division I to use radio technology similar to what NFL teams use to call in plays. Only one player for each team will be permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field.Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula explores selling non-controlling, minority stake in franchiseORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula are exploring the possibility of selling a non-controlling, minority interest in the franchise, the team announced. A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press the stake in the team the Pegulas would be preparing to sell would be about 25%. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced by the team. The Bills announced the Pegulas have hired Allen &amp; Company to oversee the process, while stressing no sale would take place without the Pegulas maintaining a controlling interest in the franchise.Maple Leafs, Jets, Oilers and Canucks carry Canada's Stanley Cup hopes with drought now at 30 yearsHockey fans across Canada are preparing themselves for the annual thrill and torment that arrives with the NHL playoffs. Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto are in the 16-team field. Canada's Cup drought dates to Montreal's triumph in 1993, an agonizingly long time for fans in the nation that loves hockey more than any other. The Canucks, Flames, Oilers, Canadiens and Ottawa have all made it to the final since then only to fall short. The four Canadian clubs in this year's bracket are the most to make the cut in a normal season since 2017.Verstappen takes pole for Chinese GP to extend F1 dominance. Hamilton 18thSHANGHAI (AP) — Max Verstappen of Red Bull has completed the Formula 1 double. Verstappen has taken the pole for the Chinese Grand Prix just hours after winning the first F1 sprint of the season. Verstappen is the sport's best driver in the quickest car. The Dutchman has won 22 of the last 26 GPs and three of the first four this season. Only a brake failure in Australia probably kept him from sweeping all four races. Teammate Sergio Perez will start alongside Verstappen on Sunday on the front row with Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Lando Norris of McLaren on the second row.Mario Andretti offended by F1 rejection. 'If they want blood, well, I'm ready,' says 1978 champLONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Mario Andretti says he was deeply offended by the language Formula One Management used in denying his family and General Motors the opportunity to join the global motorsports series. Andretti Cadillac in late January was denied its application to expand the grid to accommodate a two-car American team. Andretti is the 1978 F1 champion and said he was offended by the reasoning F1 gave in denying the application. He was with his son, Michael, last week when the team opened its new facility for an F1 team in England. The Andretti executives were able to meet with FOM after. Another meeting is scheduled for the Miami Grand Prix next month.Nelly Korda 1 shot back through 36 holes at Chevron Championship as she chases 5th straight victoryTHE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Nelly Korda is one shot off the lead through 36 holes at the Chevron Championship as she seeks to tie an LPGA Tour record with her fifth straight win. Korda shot a 3-under 69 on Friday at the year's first major. She's at 7-under 137, trailing Atthaya Thitikul and Jin Hee Im by a shot. Korda made a double bogey on the first hole but followed that with six birdies and one bogey. The 25-year-old, top-ranked Korda is seeking her second major title after winning the Women's PGA Championship in 2021.Collin Morikawa part of 4-way tie for the lead at Hilton Head. Scottie Scheffler lurks 3 shots backHILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Every round brings Collin Morikawa closer to where he feels his game should be. The two-time major champion contended last week at the Masters. And he shot a 66 at the RBC Heritage for a four-way share of the lead. Morikawa says even when he doesn't hit it his best, he knows he's on the right track and getting closer to the consistent form that made him such a threat. He's tied with Tom Hoge, Sepp Straka and J.T. Poston. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler certainly hasn't lost his touch. He made a 65 look easy and was three shots back.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUE		Seattle	at	Colorado	8:10 p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Cincinnati	7	L.A. Angels	1	Final	Philadelphia	7	Chicago White Sox	0	Final	Boston	8	Pittsburgh	1	Final	Houston	5	Washington	3	Final	Atlanta	8	Texas	3	Final	Toronto	5	San Diego	1	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Cleveland	10	Oakland	2	Final	N.Y. Yankees	5	Tampa Bay	3	Final	Kansas City	9	Baltimore	4	Final	Detroit	5	Minnesota	4	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Chicago Cubs	8	Miami	3	Final	Milwaukee	2	St. Louis	1	Final	N.Y. Mets	9	L.A. Dodgers	4	Final	Arizona	17	San Francisco	1	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	Miami	112	Chicago	91	Final	New Orleans	105	Sacramento	98	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Boston	at	Pittsburgh	4:05 p.m.			Houston	at	Washington	4:05 p.m.			Chi White Sox	at	Philadelphia	6:05 p.m.			L-A Angels	at	Cincinnati	6:40 p.m.			Texas	at	Atlanta	7:20 p.m.			Seattle	at	Colorado	8:10 p.m.			Toronto	at	San Diego	8:40 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Tampa Bay	at	N-Y Yankees	1:05 p.m.			Detroit	at	Minnesota	2:10 p.m.			Oakland	at	Cleveland	6:10 p.m.			Baltimore	at	Kansas City	7:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Milwaukee	at	St. Louis	2:15 p.m.			Miami	at	Chi Cubs	2:20 p.m.			Arizona	at	San Francisco	4:05 p.m.			N-Y Mets	at	L-A Dodgers	4:05 p.m.			Miami	at	Chi Cubs	7:40 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS		Orlando	at	Cleveland	1 p.m.			Phoenix	at	Minnesota	3:30 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	New York	6 p.m.			L.A. Lakers	at	Denver	8:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS		N-Y Islanders	at	Carolina	5 p.m.			Toronto	at	Boston	8 p.m.	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER		Cincinnati	at	Atlanta	7:30 p.m.			Portland	at	Columbus	7:30 p.m.			Nashville	at	Miami	7:30 p.m.			Orlando City	at	CF Montréal	7:30 p.m.			D.C. United	at	New York City FC	7:30 p.m.			New England	at	Toronto FC	7:30 p.m.			Real Salt Lake	at	Chicago	8:30 p.m.			Austin FC	at	Houston	8:30 p.m.			St Louis City	at	Sporting Kansas City	8:30 p.m.			FC Dallas	at	Colorado	9:30 p.m.			New York	at	Los Angeles FC	10:30 p.m.			Vancouver	at	Seattle	10:30 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Saturday

WICHITA, Kan.— Tulsa utilized four pitchers to deal their first shutout of the season as the Drillers defeated the Wichita Wind Surge 5-0 at Riverfront Stadium.

Jose Ramos hammered a pair of home runs to lead the Drillers offense. The Drillers scored two runs in the fifth added a Ramos solo home run in the sixth and a two-run shot in the eighth inning.

Jake Rucker&nbsp;extended his hitting streak to seven games with a fifth-inning single. The Wind Surge offense sputtered on the day with just five hits.

Emmanuel Rodriguez&nbsp;has reached base in all 12 games he has played this season and had an infield hit and walk in the game.

Tulsa starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr earned the win pitching five and a third innings.&nbsp;Marco Raya&nbsp;pitched three scoreless for Wichita and&nbsp;Pierson Ohl&nbsp;took the loss in relief.

The Drillers lead the series three games to one. Wichita falls to 2-11 on the season.

Wichita continues their series with Tulsa tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, at Riverfront Stadium, with the first pitch time set for 6:05 PM. The Wind Surge will play as the Chili Buns and Coleman will give away coolers to the first 2,500 fans. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>&nbsp;or watch online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/MiLB.TV">MiLB.TV</a>&nbsp;and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713705938451.jpeg" alt="Tulsa Shuts Out Wichita" />
 <figcaption>Tulsa Shuts Out Wichita</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan.— Tulsa utilized four pitchers to deal their first shutout of the season as the Drillers defeated the Wichita Wind Surge 5-0 at Riverfront Stadium.Jose Ramos hammered a pair of home runs to lead the Drillers offense. The Drillers scored two runs in the fifth added a Ramos solo home run in the sixth and a two-run shot in the eighth inning.Jake Rucker&nbsp;extended his hitting streak to seven games with a fifth-inning single. The Wind Surge offense sputtered on the day with just five hits.Emmanuel Rodriguez&nbsp;has reached base in all 12 games he has played this season and had an infield hit and walk in the game.Tulsa starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr earned the win pitching five and a third innings.&nbsp;Marco Raya&nbsp;pitched three scoreless for Wichita and&nbsp;Pierson Ohl&nbsp;took the loss in relief.The Drillers lead the series three games to one. Wichita falls to 2-11 on the season.Wichita continues their series with Tulsa tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, at Riverfront Stadium, with the first pitch time set for 6:05 PM. The Wind Surge will play as the Chili Buns and Coleman will give away coolers to the first 2,500 fans. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>&nbsp;or watch online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/MiLB.TV">MiLB.TV</a>&nbsp;and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>.

⚾ Wind Surge shut down by Drillers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino and MJ Melendez homered to help the Kansas City Royals beat Baltimore 9-4 on Friday night and stop the Orioles’ four-game winning streak.

Adley Rutschman hit his first career grand slam for the Orioles, a seventh-inning homer off Will Smith.

Dean Kremer (0-2) retired his first 11 batters before Pasquantino drove a 1-1 splitter into the right-field bullpen for his fourth homer.

Pasquantino has four homers and 11 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak.

“Vinnie did a great job getting us going with that homer,” Michael Massey said. “It felt like one of those nights where we had to scratch and claw, and it broke open late for us.”

Returning from the injured list in his season debut, Massey had two hits and two RBIs.

MJ Melendez sparked a five-run sixth with an RBI single that ended an 0-for-23 slide. Massey and Hunter Renfroe each had two-run hits for a 6-0 lead.

“We were able to find some good at-bats late when we needed to and have a big inning,” Melendez said.

Maikel Garcia stopped an 0-for-26 slide with a leadoff single in the seventh and Melendez hit a three-run homer off Dillon Tate.

“A sinker, middle of the plate,” said Melendez. “Didn’t miss it.”

Kansas City won its ninth straight home game, their longest home winning streak since May 27-June 15, 2016.

Marsh (3-0) escaped jams in the first and fourth innings, working around a pair of Rutschman singles. Marsh allowed three hits and two walks, striking out six in 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

“We made a couple of mistakes there in the first with the scoring opportunity, and then with the bases loaded off a guy we’ve had a tough time with,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just didn’t push any runs across.”

Kremer allowed three runs, two hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. Three Baltimore relievers surrendered six runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings.

“Dean threw the ball great,” Hyde said. “A couple of walks in the sixth, but left with two outs in a 1-0 game. We’ve got to do a batter job of shutting the door for him. We just didn’t pitch great out of the pen.”

Baltimore stopped a five-game streak of hitting at least three home runs, falling one shy of the major league record set by the 1987 Orioles.

Massey was 2 for 4 after recovering from lower back tightness that had sidelined him since spring training. Kansas City optioned infielder Nick Loftin to Triple-A Omaha.

Orioles RHP Corbin Burnes (2-0, 2.28 ERA) opposes Royals LHP Cole Ragans (0-1, 1.93) on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713581267441.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Nelson Velazquez, left, and Michael Massey celebrate after scoring on a double hit by Hunter Renfroe during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Friday, April 19, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Nelson Velazquez, left, and Michael Massey celebrate after scoring on a double hit by Hunter Renfroe during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Friday, April 19, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>MARC BOWMAN Associated PressKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino and MJ Melendez homered to help the Kansas City Royals beat Baltimore 9-4 on Friday night and stop the Orioles’ four-game winning streak.Adley Rutschman hit his first career grand slam for the Orioles, a seventh-inning homer off Will Smith.Dean Kremer (0-2) retired his first 11 batters before Pasquantino drove a 1-1 splitter into the right-field bullpen for his fourth homer.Pasquantino has four homers and 11 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak.“Vinnie did a great job getting us going with that homer,” Michael Massey said. “It felt like one of those nights where we had to scratch and claw, and it broke open late for us.”Returning from the injured list in his season debut, Massey had two hits and two RBIs.MJ Melendez sparked a five-run sixth with an RBI single that ended an 0-for-23 slide. Massey and Hunter Renfroe each had two-run hits for a 6-0 lead.“We were able to find some good at-bats late when we needed to and have a big inning,” Melendez said.Maikel Garcia stopped an 0-for-26 slide with a leadoff single in the seventh and Melendez hit a three-run homer off Dillon Tate.“A sinker, middle of the plate,” said Melendez. “Didn’t miss it.”Kansas City won its ninth straight home game, their longest home winning streak since May 27-June 15, 2016.Marsh (3-0) escaped jams in the first and fourth innings, working around a pair of Rutschman singles. Marsh allowed three hits and two walks, striking out six in 5 2/3 scoreless innings.“We made a couple of mistakes there in the first with the scoring opportunity, and then with the bases loaded off a guy we’ve had a tough time with,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just didn’t push any runs across.”Kremer allowed three runs, two hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. Three Baltimore relievers surrendered six runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings.“Dean threw the ball great,” Hyde said. “A couple of walks in the sixth, but left with two outs in a 1-0 game. We’ve got to do a batter job of shutting the door for him. We just didn’t pitch great out of the pen.”Baltimore stopped a five-game streak of hitting at least three home runs, falling one shy of the major league record set by the 1987 Orioles.TRAINER’S ROOMMassey was 2 for 4 after recovering from lower back tightness that had sidelined him since spring training. Kansas City optioned infielder Nick Loftin to Triple-A Omaha.UP NEXTOrioles RHP Corbin Burnes (2-0, 2.28 ERA) opposes Royals LHP Cole Ragans (0-1, 1.93) on Saturday.

⚾ Royals win Friday over Baltimore

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp; WICHITA, Kan. —Wichita State managed just two hits and was shutout in a 3-0 loss to UAB Friday night at Wilkins Stadium.

Wichita State (19-19, 10-9) saw its losing streak reach four in a row in a crucial conference series with only eight league games remaining this season.

An&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/addison-barnard/7558">Addison Barnard</a>&nbsp;double in the sixth and a&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lainee-brown/7559">Lainee Brown</a>&nbsp;single in the seventh were the lone hits on the night for the home team.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/alison-cooper/7561">Alison Cooper</a>&nbsp;(5-7) settled in after giving up a pair of runs in the first and retired 12 straight Blazers at one point, but the lack of run support didn't help her cause. She finished the night allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in 5.2 innings, while striking out four.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lauren-howell/7566">Lauren Howell</a>&nbsp;struck out two and the Blazers had just one hit against her in 1.1 innings of relief.

UAB applied early pressure in the top of the first by putting its first two batters on base. After a sac bunt moved the runners into scoring position, the Blazers capitalized on a two-run triple down the right field line to go up 2-0.

An insurance run in the top of the sixth proved to be more than enough cushion for UAB.

Wichita State really threatened only twice with scoring opportunities on the night. The Shockers had two in scoring position in the bottom of the first with no outs and failed to score. Then in the sixth Barnard was left stranded at third following a double.

Up Next:Wichita State and UAB take the field again on Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713595475188.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp; WICHITA, Kan. —Wichita State managed just two hits and was shutout in a 3-0 loss to UAB Friday night at Wilkins Stadium.Wichita State (19-19, 10-9) saw its losing streak reach four in a row in a crucial conference series with only eight league games remaining this season.An&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/addison-barnard/7558">Addison Barnard</a>&nbsp;double in the sixth and a&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lainee-brown/7559">Lainee Brown</a>&nbsp;single in the seventh were the lone hits on the night for the home team.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/alison-cooper/7561">Alison Cooper</a>&nbsp;(5-7) settled in after giving up a pair of runs in the first and retired 12 straight Blazers at one point, but the lack of run support didn't help her cause. She finished the night allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in 5.2 innings, while striking out four.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/softball/roster/lauren-howell/7566">Lauren Howell</a>&nbsp;struck out two and the Blazers had just one hit against her in 1.1 innings of relief.UAB applied early pressure in the top of the first by putting its first two batters on base. After a sac bunt moved the runners into scoring position, the Blazers capitalized on a two-run triple down the right field line to go up 2-0.An insurance run in the top of the sixth proved to be more than enough cushion for UAB.Wichita State really threatened only twice with scoring opportunities on the night. The Shockers had two in scoring position in the bottom of the first with no outs and failed to score. Then in the sixth Barnard was left stranded at third following a double. Up Next:Wichita State and UAB take the field again on Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

🥎 Blazers blank Shockers in series opener

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713581457445.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas Athletics<div><div style="text-align: start;color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 14px;border: 0px;">
 <div style="font-size: 14px;border: 0px;">
 <div style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">
 LAWRENCE, Kan. &ndash; &nbsp;Kansas softball dropped the series opener to No. 1 Texas, 4-2, at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas on Friday evening in front of 1,188 fans.
 The Jayhawks kept it close but fell to 27-15-1 on the season and 11-8 in Big 12 Conference play, while the Longhorns improved to 36-6 overall and 15-4 in the Big 12.&nbsp;
 Sophomore Lizzy Ludwig pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and four runs in her first start of the season. Kansas matched Texas&rsquo; six hits, one of which was a two-run blast from junior Olivia Bruno, her third home run of the season and second in as many games.
 HOW IT HAPPENED
 <ul style="font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Presley Limbaugh started off the bottom half of the first with a leadoff single, which extended her hitting streak to 10 games, the longest by a Jayhawk this season. Lyric Moore would reach base via a walk, though both runners would be left stranded.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Following back-to-back walks to start the top of the second inning, Texas&rsquo; Katie Stewart put Texas on the board with a blooper that dropped down the right field line, scoring Alyssa Washington from second. Texas scored one more on a sacrifice fly to put the Longhorns up 2-0 after the top of the first.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">In the bottom of the third inning, Kansas put two runners on base following a Linduff single and a Cripe walk. With two outs, Bruno grounded out to third for the force out.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">In the top of the fourth inning, Texas&rsquo; Kayden Henry lined out to right field, where Linduff made an athletic play to make the grab before picking off the runner at first base to end the inning.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Campbell Bagshaw started the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff single, which led to runners on first and second with two outs after Angela Price was hit by a pitch. Both runners would be left on base after Limbaugh flew out to right to end the inning.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Texas&rsquo; Mia Scott doubled the Longhorns&rsquo; score with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning. The Longhorns led 4-0.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Kansas got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-run home run from Bruno, scoring Moore who reached on a walk. The home run brought Texas&rsquo; lead down to 4-2.</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Both teams went scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, as Texas brought in pitcher Mac Morgan to close things down. The Jayhawks had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning but were unable to capitalize.</li>
 </ul>
 PITCHERS OF RECORD
 Win: Teagan Kavan (13-3)
 Final line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 SO
 Loss: Lizzy Ludwing (0-1)
 Final line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 2 SO
 QUOTABLES &amp; NOTABLES
 &ldquo;I was really proud of Lizzy (Ludwig) tonight, we needed Lizzy to get back to feeling good and having confidence in the circle. I was really proud of what she did for us tonight. They&rsquo;re (Texas) a great hitting team and she gave up six hits. I thought we competed really well and hopefully we&rsquo;ll get those little balls fall for us tomorrow. I thought we had a lot of confidence in the box today. Bruno gave us three quality at-bats and her two-run home run was significant to keep us in the game that late. Gotta bounce back tomorrow. &rdquo; &ndash; Head Coach Jennifer McFalls
 <ul style="font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Ludwig made her seventh appearance and first start in the circle on Friday, making a solid effort of seven innings pitched, allowing six hits and four runs.&nbsp;</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Limbaugh&rsquo;s single in the first inning extended her hitting streak to a team-high 10 games. Limbaugh&rsquo;s streak is the longest active streak on the team, while matching Aynslee Linduff&rsquo;s 10-game hitting streak from Feb. 16 (Penn State) to March 5 (Creighton) .</li>
 <li style="color: rgb(30, 31, 33);font-size: 16px;border: 0px;">Bruno&rsquo;s two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning was her third of the season and second in as many games. Bruno also climbed into KU&rsquo;s top-10 all-time home runs list at ninth with 24 career home runs.</li>
 </ul>
 UP NEXT
 Kansas gets set for game two of the series against No. 1 Texas on Saturday, April 20 at 2 p.m. at Arrocha Ballpark, followed by the series finale on Sunday, April 21 at 12 p.m.
 </div>
 </div>
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 <div style="font-size: 14px;border: 0px;"><a href="https://wmt.digital/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="opens in a new window" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 14px;border: 0px;">Powered by</a></div>
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🥎 Jayhawks drop series opener to No. 1 Texas

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School baseball team continued to prove its a program on the rise, as the Salthawks swept its doubleheader over Goddard on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field.

Hutchinson (10-7) has now won six games in a row for the first time since 2013. The Salthawks ended the Lions' eight-game winning streak after an 8-3 win in the first game. Hutchinson finished off the sweep with a 5-4 win in game two. Goddard (11-6) had beaten Andover Central twice on Tuesday, ending the Jaguars' quest for an unbeaten season.

Game 1: Hutchinson 8, Goddard 3 The Salthawks' pitching staff struck out 11 batters and only walked one in the five-run win over the Lions.

Starting pitcher Jack Davis earned the win, going 5 2/3 innings on the bump, striking out seven and walking the final batter he faced in the sixth inning. 

Lakin Franz inherited a bases loaded situation in the sixth in relief of Davis. The senior struck out the Goddard batter looking to end the threat. Franz then struck out the side in the seventh to secure the win, as he faced the 3-4-5 hitters.

Hutchinson scored all eight of its runs with two outs, two in the second, four in the third and two more in the fifth.

Gabe Valadez finished 3 for 4 at the plate with an RBI single in the third inning. Carter Morgan reached safely in four of his five plate appearances, while driving in three runs. Cole Bleything finished 1 for 3 at the dish with an RBI double in the fifth inning.

Goddard - 001 011 0 - 3 7 3 Hutchinson - 024 020 x -8 9 4 W: Jack Davis. L: Boston Arnold. Time: 2:04.

Game 2: Hutchinson 5, Goddard 4 The Salthawks scored four in the bottom of the fifth inning to grab its first lead in game two and never looked back en route to completing the sweep.

The Salthawks sent eight to the plate in the fifth and had an RBI single from Morgan and a sacrifice fly from Valadez.&nbsp;

Hutchinson starting pitcher Juju Lyons picked up his fourth win of the season, tossing 5+ innings, allowing three runs, only one of which was earned.

Morgan finished 3 for 3 at the plate with an RBI, while Landon Parks, Franz and Valadez each drove in a run.

Franz came into the game in relief for Lyons, striking out two in two frames.

Goddard - 100 021 0 - 4 3 0 Hutchinson - 001 040 x - 5 5 2 W: Juju Lyons. L: Maddox Stevens. S: Franz. Time: 1:51.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713567810548.jpeg" alt="Hutchinson junior Jack Davis delivers a pitch in game one of the doubleheader against Goddard on Friday, April 19, 2024 at Hobart-Detter Field. (Hutch Post Photo/Sean Boston)" />
 <figcaption>Hutchinson junior Jack Davis delivers a pitch in game one of the doubleheader against Goddard on Friday, April 19, 2024 at Hobart-Detter Field. (Hutch Post Photo/Sean Boston)</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School baseball team continued to prove its a program on the rise, as the Salthawks swept its doubleheader over Goddard on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field.Hutchinson (10-7) has now won six games in a row for the first time since 2013. The Salthawks ended the Lions' eight-game winning streak after an 8-3 win in the first game. Hutchinson finished off the sweep with a 5-4 win in game two. Goddard (11-6) had beaten Andover Central twice on Tuesday, ending the Jaguars' quest for an unbeaten season.Game 1: Hutchinson 8, Goddard 3 The Salthawks' pitching staff struck out 11 batters and only walked one in the five-run win over the Lions.Starting pitcher Jack Davis earned the win, going 5 2/3 innings on the bump, striking out seven and walking the final batter he faced in the sixth inning. Lakin Franz inherited a bases loaded situation in the sixth in relief of Davis. The senior struck out the Goddard batter looking to end the threat. Franz then struck out the side in the seventh to secure the win, as he faced the 3-4-5 hitters.Hutchinson scored all eight of its runs with two outs, two in the second, four in the third and two more in the fifth.Gabe Valadez finished 3 for 4 at the plate with an RBI single in the third inning. Carter Morgan reached safely in four of his five plate appearances, while driving in three runs. Cole Bleything finished 1 for 3 at the dish with an RBI double in the fifth inning.Goddard - 001 011 0 - 3 7 3 Hutchinson - 024 020 x -8 9 4 W: Jack Davis. L: Boston Arnold. Time: 2:04.Game 2: Hutchinson 5, Goddard 4 The Salthawks scored four in the bottom of the fifth inning to grab its first lead in game two and never looked back en route to completing the sweep.The Salthawks sent eight to the plate in the fifth and had an RBI single from Morgan and a sacrifice fly from Valadez.&nbsp;Hutchinson starting pitcher Juju Lyons picked up his fourth win of the season, tossing 5+ innings, allowing three runs, only one of which was earned.Morgan finished 3 for 3 at the plate with an RBI, while Landon Parks, Franz and Valadez each drove in a run.Franz came into the game in relief for Lyons, striking out two in two frames.Goddard - 100 021 0 - 4 3 0 Hutchinson - 001 040 x - 5 5 2 W: Juju Lyons. L: Maddox Stevens. S: Franz. Time: 1:51.

⚾ Salthawks sweep Goddard, win sixth straight

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawks will host the Goddard Lions today at 4 p.m. at Hobart-Detter Field.

Catch all the action on hutchpost.com and the NFHS Network. Sean Boston with the call and&nbsp; Hutch High junior Matt Peterson will provide the NFHS Network and Hutchpost.com video stream for all the home games. 

Catch all the road games here on hutchpost.com with audio only.

The broadcast is available and archived on the Hutch High&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">NFHS Video Stream</a>. The stream&nbsp;is free but you must register to watch if you don't have a NFHS Network account.&nbsp;

Here is a "How to Video" to assist you in setting up your NFHS Network account. &nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/yzsjAoVP5Ts">CLICK HERE</a>

First pitch will be at 4 p.m. today on hutchpost.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713544822090.png" alt="GameDay vs Goddard - April 19th 2024 on the NFHS Network" />
 <figcaption>GameDay vs Goddard - April 19th 2024 on the NFHS Network</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawks will host the Goddard Lions today at 4 p.m. at Hobart-Detter Field.Catch all the action on hutchpost.com and the NFHS Network. Sean Boston with the call and&nbsp; Hutch High junior Matt Peterson will provide the NFHS Network and Hutchpost.com video stream for all the home games. Catch all the road games here on hutchpost.com with audio only.The broadcast is available and archived on the Hutch High&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">NFHS Video Stream</a>. The stream&nbsp;is free but you must register to watch if you don't have a NFHS Network account.&nbsp;

Here is a "How to Video" to assist you in setting up your NFHS Network account. &nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/yzsjAoVP5Ts">CLICK HERE</a>First pitch will be at 4 p.m. today on hutchpost.com.<div><iframe src="https://player.nfhsnetwork.com/#/events/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks/gam170913253a" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe>
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🎧🎥⚾ Hutch High plays host to Goddard

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs general manager Brett Veach tends to stick with the well-worn mantra of taking the “best player available” when the NFL draft rolls around.

However he also is willing to acknowledge that sometimes specific needs might make that a challenge.

There are couple of very specific needs as Kansas City prepares to make its selections beginning April 25.

The Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl, and third in five years, despite a wide receiver group that struggled with drops, poor productivity and seldom provided a big play. In fact, the Chiefs had to swing a midseason trade with the Jets to bring back Mecole Hardman, who is hardly a No. 1 option, just to give their wide receiver group some depth.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707336003255.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports WriterKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs general manager Brett Veach tends to stick with the well-worn mantra of taking the “best player available” when the NFL draft rolls around.However he also is willing to acknowledge that sometimes specific needs might make that a challenge.There are couple of very specific needs as Kansas City prepares to make its selections beginning April 25.The Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl, and third in five years, despite a wide receiver group that struggled with drops, poor productivity and seldom provided a big play. In fact, the Chiefs had to swing a midseason trade with the Jets to bring back Mecole Hardman, who is hardly a No. 1 option, just to give their wide receiver group some depth.The Chiefs thought they had begun to address the deficiency when they signed “Hollywood” Brown in free agency, pairing the injury-prone speedster with Rashee Rice, a breakout star a year ago. But Rice is facing felony charges in connection with a chain-reaction traffic crash in Texas, and nobody quite knows how much — or if at all — he will be able to play this upcoming season.So, wide receiver is back to being the biggest need in the draft for Kansas City."I think much like any position, we're always looking to get better," Veach said. “We put a high priority on the depth in our roster, so we’ll attack that much like we do all positions and try to get the very best players we can.”Given the Chiefs are due to pick last in the first round, it helps their cause that wide receiver is among the deepest positions in the draft. Three are expected to go in the top 10 and six or more could go before the first night has concluded.The other priority for Kansas City is left tackle, where Donovan Smith hit free agency and the position largely remains vacant.Wanya Morris was shaky when he got opportunities to play as a rookie, and he may need more seasoning before he is tasked with protecting Patrick Mahomes' blind side. Lucas Niang is another option, but he has struggled to stay healthy.Other positions where the Chiefs could add some depth including running back, tight end and defensive back.“Every team’s process is a little bit different and unique. We have ours and there’s always a chance to refine and tune things,” Veach said. “Again, I think in this league because of such a long season — I’m talking a 20-game season, it’s a marathon, you have to attack every position with a mindset of having that depth because it’s not a matter of if, but when, players go down.”NEEDSWide receiver and left tackle are not the only needs. The Chiefs also could use more help at running back, even after bringing back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on a prove-it deal, and perhaps another tight end to groom for post-Travis Kelce life.DON’T NEEDThe Chiefs chose to keep one of the league's best defenses intact, re-signing All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones to a mammoth deal along with five other regulars. So after drafting heavily on defense the past few years, the Chiefs are largely good on that entire side of the ball, though they might take a late flier on a pass rusher or defensive back.PICK ’EMThe Chiefs have the final pick in each round after winning their second straight Super Bowl and third in five years, so unless they make a trade, their initial selection will be No. 32 overall. They have late picks in each of the rounds except for the fifth, where a trade with Dallas last year moved them up and they also have a compensatory selection.