Hutchinson Community College women's soccer sophomore Esther Karhayu highlighted six Blue Dragons chosen to the 2020-21 Jayhawk West Women's Soccer All-Conference Team.

Karhayu was named the league's Player of the Year on Friday.

Karhayu, a sophomore forward from Kenya, was Hutchinson's top offensive threat this past season. She scored nine goals and finished with 18 points. Karhayu had game-winning goals against Butler, Barton, Dodge City and a Region VI opening-round victory over Coffeyville. Karhayu had three two-goal games this season – those coming against Barton, Dodge City and the Region VI tournament win over Coffeyville.

Karhayu is the sixth Blue Dragon to win the league's Offensive Player of the Year award, joining Jordan Downing in (2016), Jen Rogers (2013), Danielle Sheehy (2012) and Alicia Robinson (2010 and 2011). Karhayu is the 11th overall conference player of the year in program history.

Fellow sophomores Cheyenne Busker and Marah Franke joined Karhayu on the all-league first time. All three players are two-time all-conference selections. Karhayu and Busker are two-time first-team selections. Franke was a second-team selection as a freshman in 2019.

Busker was a dominant defender for the Blue Dragons this season. Usually marked up against the top opposing scoring threat, Busker helped the Blue Dragons limit the opposition to 19 goals in the spring of 2021. She was credited with one assist on the offensive side.

Franke was the top assist person for the Dragons in 2020-21 with eight assists. Her only goal of the season came in a 2-2 tie against nationally ranked Kansas City. Franke had three assists off cornerkicks this season.

Three Blue Dragons, all freshmen, earned second-team honors – midfielder Aimee Maher and defenders Zara Lawless and Ella-Mae Miller.

Maher was perfect on three penalty-kick attempts this year. She finished the season with six goals and two assist (14 points).

Lawless had a goal and assist this season and Miller added a goal and assist. Both freshmen played key roles for the Blue Dragons defensively.

STEVE CARPENTERHutchCC Sports InformationHutchinson Community College women's soccer sophomore Esther Karhayu highlighted six Blue Dragons chosen to the 2020-21 Jayhawk West Women's Soccer All-Conference Team.Karhayu was named the league's Player of the Year on Friday.Karhayu, a sophomore forward from Kenya, was Hutchinson's top offensive threat this past season. She scored nine goals and finished with 18 points. Karhayu had game-winning goals against Butler, Barton, Dodge City and a Region VI opening-round victory over Coffeyville. Karhayu had three two-goal games this season – those coming against Barton, Dodge City and the Region VI tournament win over Coffeyville.Karhayu is the sixth Blue Dragon to win the league's Offensive Player of the Year award, joining Jordan Downing in (2016), Jen Rogers (2013), Danielle Sheehy (2012) and Alicia Robinson (2010 and 2011). Karhayu is the 11th overall conference player of the year in program history.Fellow sophomores Cheyenne Busker and Marah Franke joined Karhayu on the all-league first time. All three players are two-time all-conference selections. Karhayu and Busker are two-time first-team selections. Franke was a second-team selection as a freshman in 2019.Busker was a dominant defender for the Blue Dragons this season. Usually marked up against the top opposing scoring threat, Busker helped the Blue Dragons limit the opposition to 19 goals in the spring of 2021. She was credited with one assist on the offensive side.Franke was the top assist person for the Dragons in 2020-21 with eight assists. Her only goal of the season came in a 2-2 tie against nationally ranked Kansas City. Franke had three assists off cornerkicks this season.Three Blue Dragons, all freshmen, earned second-team honors – midfielder Aimee Maher and defenders Zara Lawless and Ella-Mae Miller.Maher was perfect on three penalty-kick attempts this year. She finished the season with six goals and two assist (14 points).Lawless had a goal and assist this season and Miller added a goal and assist. Both freshmen played key roles for the Blue Dragons defensively.

Karhayu tapped as West Player of the Year

Future Hutchinson Community College men's basketball player Jayden Garrison will be playing on Saturday at the Kansas Basketball Coaches' Association All-Star Game on Saturday in Salina.

Garrison, a consensus Class 1A all-state player from Little River, will be a member of KBCA Blue All-Star team. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kansas Wesleyan University.

Garrison was the No. 3-leading scorer in the state, according to MaxPreps statistics. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 24.4 points per game in his senior season at Little River. He shot 53 percent overall and 40 percent from 3-point range (68 made 3s). Garrison also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.2 assists per game.

Garrison have five games of 30 or more points, including a season high of 35 points against Peabody-Burns.

Garrison and Little River advanced this season to the Class 1A state semifinals.

STEVE CARPENTERHutchCC Sports InformationFuture Hutchinson Community College men's basketball player Jayden Garrison will be playing on Saturday at the Kansas Basketball Coaches' Association All-Star Game on Saturday in Salina.Garrison, a consensus Class 1A all-state player from Little River, will be a member of KBCA Blue All-Star team. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kansas Wesleyan University.Garrison was the No. 3-leading scorer in the state, according to MaxPreps statistics. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 24.4 points per game in his senior season at Little River. He shot 53 percent overall and 40 percent from 3-point range (68 made 3s). Garrison also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.2 assists per game.Garrison have five games of 30 or more points, including a season high of 35 points against Peabody-Burns.Garrison and Little River advanced this season to the Class 1A state semifinals.

Future Blue Dragon Garrison in KBCA game Saturday

Two Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball 2021 signees will play in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game on Saturday in Salina.

Hayley Hughes from Hutchinson Trinity Catholic High School and Natalie Payne from Shawnee Mission South will both play for the Gold All-Stars.

The KBCA Girls All-Star Game will tip off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina.

Hughes will come into the Blue Dragon women’s basketball program as Trinity Catholic’s career scoring leader and career leader in four other statistical categories. She scored 1,307 points in her Celtic career and tallied 390 rebounds, 270 assists and 171 steals while shooting 74 percent from the free-throw line to re-write the record book.

The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in the 2020-21 season for Trinity Catholic. She earned Class 2A second-team KBCA all-state honors.

Payne is a 5-11 guard who averaged 18.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this past season at Shawnee Mission South. She earned KBCA Class 6A all-state honorable mention honors.

STEVE CARPENTERHutchCC Sports InformationTwo Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball 2021 signees will play in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game on Saturday in Salina.Hayley Hughes from Hutchinson Trinity Catholic High School and Natalie Payne from Shawnee Mission South will both play for the Gold All-Stars.The KBCA Girls All-Star Game will tip off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina.Hughes will come into the Blue Dragon women’s basketball program as Trinity Catholic’s career scoring leader and career leader in four other statistical categories. She scored 1,307 points in her Celtic career and tallied 390 rebounds, 270 assists and 171 steals while shooting 74 percent from the free-throw line to re-write the record book.The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in the 2020-21 season for Trinity Catholic. She earned Class 2A second-team KBCA all-state honors.Payne is a 5-11 guard who averaged 18.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this past season at Shawnee Mission South. She earned KBCA Class 6A all-state honorable mention honors.

Future Blue Dragon women to play Saturday

Royals host Boston for weekend series,&nbsp; expanded college football playoff takes another step closer to reality.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592395252100.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Royals host Boston for weekend series,&nbsp; expanded college football playoff takes another step closer to reality.&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Evening Sports Update for June 18" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=hkb55-106a5b9-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&btn-skin=7"></iframe></div>

Afternoon Sports June 18, 2021

By TOMMY REZAC <a href="https://stjosephpost.com">St. Joseph Post</a>

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The city of St. 
Joseph and Missouri Western State University will soon know for sure 
what the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan is for training camp.

The NFL 
has given the green light for all 32 teams to travel to their training 
camp sites this summer. Fans will also be allowed to watch as long as 
state and local protocols are followed.

Training camp has been at 
Missouri Western’s campus since 2010. It was held in Kansas City's 
practice facility last summer due to COVID-19. 

Missouri Western 
athletic director Josh Looney says the school's relationship with the 
Chiefs has always been positive, and he looks forward to hearing their 
plans about training camp soon.

"Obviously at Missouri Western, we
 feel very confident in our ability to host a camp this year and meet 
protocol," Looney told the Post in an interview. "We continue to work 
with the Chiefs and we're not in a position to share any dates or 
confirm things, and so it's still a bit of a waiting game."

The Chiefs are contracted to hold training camp in St. Joseph through
 2024. A full training camp schedule is expected to be announced in the 
next week or two.

"We'll follow the NFL's lead and adapt and we 
feel like we're in a good position to follow whatever protocols are 
necessary regarding training camp in 2021," Looney said.

Training 
camp has always brought hundreds of fans from Kansas City and beyond to 
St. Joseph, giving local restaurants, hotels and businesses a nice 
boost.

Looney says Kansas City's recent run of five straight 
division titles, back-to-back conference titles and a 2020 Super Bowl 
win has fueled the excitement, especially during the 2019 camp.

"We
 had a record camp and it was an unbelievable atmosphere," Looney 
recalled. "A sea of red throughout the community. We had a rally 
downtown to welcome the team to camp. Then, they go and win the Super 
Bowl. Then, in 2020 it was canceled and we were expecting another record
 camp, so I think there's pent up demand."

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

By TOMMY REZAC <a href="https://stjosephpost.com">St. Joseph Post</a>ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The city of St. 
Joseph and Missouri Western State University will soon know for sure 
what the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan is for training camp.The NFL 
has given the green light for all 32 teams to travel to their training 
camp sites this summer. Fans will also be allowed to watch as long as 
state and local protocols are followed.Training camp has been at 
Missouri Western’s campus since 2010. It was held in Kansas City's 
practice facility last summer due to COVID-19. Missouri Western 
athletic director Josh Looney says the school's relationship with the 
Chiefs has always been positive, and he looks forward to hearing their 
plans about training camp soon."Obviously at Missouri Western, we
 feel very confident in our ability to host a camp this year and meet 
protocol," Looney told the Post in an interview. "We continue to work 
with the Chiefs and we're not in a position to share any dates or 
confirm things, and so it's still a bit of a waiting game."The Chiefs are contracted to hold training camp in St. Joseph through
 2024. A full training camp schedule is expected to be announced in the 
next week or two."We'll follow the NFL's lead and adapt and we 
feel like we're in a good position to follow whatever protocols are 
necessary regarding training camp in 2021," Looney said.Training 
camp has always brought hundreds of fans from Kansas City and beyond to 
St. Joseph, giving local restaurants, hotels and businesses a nice 
boost.Looney says Kansas City's recent run of five straight 
division titles, back-to-back conference titles and a 2020 Super Bowl 
win has fueled the excitement, especially during the 2019 camp."We
 had a record camp and it was an unbelievable atmosphere," Looney 
recalled. "A sea of red throughout the community. We had a rally 
downtown to welcome the team to camp. Then, they go and win the Super 
Bowl. Then, in 2020 it was canceled and we were expecting another record
 camp, so I think there's pent up demand."You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Missouri Western officials optimistic about return of Chiefs training camp

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<div><iframe title="Eagle Radio Sports for Friday Morning" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=sdvrr-1069ce9-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&btn-skin=7"></iframe></div><a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Eagle Radio Sports for Friday Morning

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — After a long week of waiting, Caeleb Dressel finally punched his ticket for the Tokyo Olympics with a victory in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. swimming trials. That was not a surprise. But there was a stunner on the fifth night of the trials — defending Olympic champion Simone Manuel failed to advance from the semifinals in the women's 100 free. Manuel tied for the gold at Rio to become the first Black female ever to win an individual swimming event. But she missed a spot in the final at this year's trials by two-hundredths of a second.&nbsp;

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Katie Ledecky's rivals are lining up to challenge the world's dominant female distance swimmer at next month's Tokyo Olympics. One of them is Ariarne Titmus of Australia. She fired off two of the second-fastest times ever in the 200- and 400-meter freestyles at her country's trials. Ledecky answered with times that were slower in both events at the U.S. trials. With little over a month to go until Tokyo, Ledecky is searching for any edge she can find to drop precious seconds. She's qualified for three individual events so far. Next up, Ledecky swims the 800 free on Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Simone Manuel revealed the reason behind her surprising failure to make the 100-meter freestyle final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. The 24-year-old sprinter says she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome — or burnout — in March. She suffered from symptoms including insomnia, depression, anxiety and muscle soreness. Manuel had to take a complete break from training and swimming for three weeks and didn't return to the pool until mid-April. She won't be able to defend her 100 free title at the Tokyo Games. Manuel says she'll still try to make the team in the 50 freestyle beginning Saturday in Omaha.

ATLANTA (AP) — Charlie Morton didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning and took a shutout into the eighth, lifting the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0. Morton gave up his first hit when Paul Goldschmidt lined a single to left-center with one out, but the right-hander followed by getting Nolan Arenado to pop up and struck out Tyler O'Neill. He allowed singles to Matt Carpenter and pinch-hitter José Rondón in the eighth and was pulled with two outs. Atlanta led 1-0 in the fifth on Guillermo Heredia's third homer. Ozzie Albies had an RBI triple in the sixth, and Abraham Almonte followed with an RBI double to make it 3-0.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their three-day mandatory minicamp Thursday with a sense of optimism that comes from playing in the last two Super Bowls and the offseason additions to the roster. These three days comprised the final practices the Chiefs will have in Phase 3 of the offseason program ahead of training camp which begins late July. Head coach Andy Reid was most pleased that he could see his player in person.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A showdown between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at the College World Series with a national championship on the line would have all the emotions of their rivalry bubbling up like a family brawl. The schools separated by 194 miles are on opposite sides of the CWS brackets, so a championship matchup is possible. It also makes it easier for coaches to shower each other with compliments and rave about what it means in the state for both to be heading to Omaha, Nebraska. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin says seeing the Vols and Commodores playing on TV will inspire children to want to play. Tennessee coach Tony Vitello agrees, saying it will help spark interest in the sport across the state.&nbsp;

ATLANTA (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have signed left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a one-year contract that pays $800,000 while in the major leagues and $150,000 while in the minors. Manager Mike Shildt said LeBlanc will pitch in relief. LeBlanc, 36, is 46-48 in his 13-year career with a 4.59 ERA. He's 34-41, 4.73 ERA in 121 career starts and 12-7 with a 4.23 ERA in 125 relief appearances with three saves. He went 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in one start and five relief appearances for Baltimore this season. Right-hander Seth Elledge was optioned to Triple-A Memphis following Wednesday's win over Miami in a corresponding move.&nbsp;

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Home runs have defined the NCAA baseball tournament so far. A total of 381 have been hit in 123 games. That's the highest total through super regionals since at least 2005. History says it's unlikely homers will come at the same rate once the College World Series begins at TD Ameritrade Park for the College World Series beginning Saturday. Coaches know their teams will need to be versatile offensively. Division I Baseball Committee chairman Jeff Altier says he expects plenty of homers. He says the college game has become similar to pro ball with batters swinging for fences every at-bat.

Bucks bounce back to defeat Nets 104-89 and force Game 7

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Khris Middleton scored 38 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) added 30 and the Milwaukee Bucks never trailed in a 104-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday to force a decisive seventh game in their second-round playoff series. 

Game 7 will take place Saturday night in Brooklyn. The home team has won each of the first six games in this series. Milwaukee never trailed and broke the game open by going on a 14-0 run that started with less than 8 ½ minutes left. Kevin Durant had 32 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets.

UNDATED (AP) — Rick Carlisle has stepped down as coach of the Dallas Mavericks, the second major departure for that franchise in as many days. 

Carlisle spent 13 seasons in Dallas, leading the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title. His decision was announced Thursday, one day after general manager Donnie Nelson and the team agreed to part ways, ending a 24-year run for Nelson as part of the organization. Dallas becomes the seventh team with a coaching vacancy, joining New Orleans, Washington, Orlando, Indiana, Portland -- and Boston, where Carlisle played for the team that won the 1986 NBA title. 

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is officially out for Friday night's Game 6 of the Western Conference second-round series against the Utah Jazz. Leonard sprained his right knee during Monday night's Game 4 win. He traveled with the Clippers to Salt Lake City, Lue said, then returned to Los Angeles for further testing. Despite missing Leonard, LA took a 3-2 series lead on Wednesday night with a 119-111 victory behind 37 points from Paul George. The Clippers are 12-9 without their All-Star forward this season, including 1-0 in the playoffs. 

Russell Henley opens US open with 67, darkness suspension

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The opening round of the U.S. Open had to be suspended due to darkness with 36 players left on the course. 

The start of the round was delayed 90 minutes due to fog before giving way to bright sunshine on brutally-tough Torrey Pines. Russell Henley shot a 4-under 67 in the morning wave and is tied with Louis Oosthuizen (LOO'-ee OOST'-hay-vihn, who will have to play his final two holes Friday morning. 

Francesco Molinaro and Rafa Cabrera Bello are one back after opening with 68s. A group of five players, including two-time U.S. Open champion and Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama, are two back.

UNDATED (AP) — Charlie Morton didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning and took a shutout into the eighth, lifting the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0. 

Morton gave up his first hit when Paul Goldschmidt lined a single to left-center with one out, but the right-hander followed by getting Nolan Arenado to pop up and struck out Tyler O'Neill. He allowed singles to Matt Carpenter and pinch-hitter José Rondón in the eighth and was pulled with two outs. 

— Germán Márquez allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, C.J. Cron ignited a five-run first with a grand slam and the Colorado Rockies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 for their fourth consecutive victory. Garrett Hampson followed Cron's slam with a homer, and Raimel Tapia extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games with an RBI single in the sixth. Luis Urias had a three-run double for the Brewers. Milwaukee committed four errors and lost its fourth in a row.

— Shohei Ohtani yielded five hits and a run over six strong innings, and Taylor Ward hit his first career grand slam in the Los Angeles Angels' 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Ohtani also drew two walks at the plate in another two-way performance for the Angels, who celebrated the Big A's return to full capacity with 30,709 fans watching their 15th win in 23 games. Matt Manning allowed four hits and two runs over five innings in a solid major league debut for Detroit. Jonathan Schoop homered off Ohtani in the sixth for the Tigers, whose three-game winning streak ended.

— Shed Long Jr. hit a tying double in the bottom of the ninth inning and pinch-hitter Kyle Seager singled home the winning run to rally the Seattle Mariners past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5. Seattle lost starter Justin Dunn to a sore right shoulder after two innings, but came from behind with the help of a two-run homer by Ty France and a solo shot from Luis Torrens. Dylan Moore drew a four-pitch walk from reliever Pete Fairbanks to start the ninth. Jake Bauers singled and Long tied it 5-all with his double. Seager batted for Taylor Trammell and singled through the right side of a drawn-in infield to score Bauers. Seattle has won four of five.

— Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead homer in a four-run seventh inning and the New York Yankees pulled off a wacky triple play in an 8-4 win over the reeling Toronto Blue Jays. Stanton broke a 3-all tie with his 13th homer, an opposite-field, two-run shot off Anthony Castro. The triple play in the first inning marked the first time the storied Yankees franchise turned two in one yea. 

— Jose Altuve homered for the fourth time in three games, Michael Brantley and Abraham Toro also connected, and the Houston Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 10-2. 

— The Cleveland Indians extended Baltimore's road losing streak to 19 games with a 10-3 win over the Orioles. José Ramírez hit a two-run homer and Bobby Bradley added a solo shot during a three-run first inning. Yu Chang had four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the eighth. Austin Hays and Maikel Franco homered for the Orioles, who have lost eight straight overall. Indians starter Eli Morgan remained in the game after being struck by a line drive above the right elbow in the first inning.

— The Arizona Diamondbacks made dubious history Thursday, setting an MLB record with their 23rd straight road loss, a 10-3 trouncing at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. The dejected D-backs trudged off the field and quietly made their way back to Oracle Park's visiting clubhouse following the final out of their record-setting loss, breaking a tie with the 1963 Mets and '43 Philadelphia Athletics for road futility The D-backs have lost 14 in a row overall and have the worst record in the majors.

— Kyle Hendricks flummoxed the Mets for six innings to win his career-best seventh straight start, Javier Báez hit a two-run homer in the first off Marcus Stroman and the Chicago Cubs beat New York 2-0 to avoid a four-game series sweep. Hendricks struck out seven and walked two, retiring his last eight batters after consecutive walks in the fourth. He improved to 4-0 against the Mets. 

UNDATED (AP) — All fully vaccinated players and staff can stop wearing masks in dugouts, bullpens and clubhouses under the latest change to Major League Baseball's coronavirus protocols.

In addition, fully vaccinated players and staff may eat in restaurants without restrictions and attend sporting events at venues with government approved safety protocols. The new rules are contained in a memo from, the commissioner's office and players' association.

— Mets ace Jacob deGrom's shoulder showed no abnormalities, but New York was not yet ready to commit to him taking his next turn in the rotation Sunday against Washington. DeGrom left his second straight start with an arm injury, coming out after three perfect innings against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night with right shoulder soreness. He had an MRI today. DeGrom is 6-2 with a 0.54 ERA and 111 strikeouts and eight walks in 67 innings.

— The Texas Rangers have acquired right-hander Dennis Santana from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade. The Rangers sent minor league lefty Kevin Bautista to Los Angeles. Santana was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Saturday. He had a 6.00 ERA in a career-high 16 relief appearances this season. 

— The St. Louis Cardinals have signed left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a one-year contract. Manager Mike Shildt said LeBlanc will pitch in relief. LeBlanc, 36, is 46-48 in his 13-year career with a 4.59 ERA. He's 34-41, 4.73 ERA in 121 career starts and 12-7 with a 4.23 ERA in 125 relief appearances with three saves.

— First baseman Mike Ford has been traded by the New York Yankees to the Tampa Bay Rays for $100,000 and a player to be named. Ford was designated for assignment Saturday when reliever Zack Britton was activated from the injured list. Ford, who turns 29 on July 4, batted .133 with three homers and five RBIs in 60 at-bats this season. 

Point scores again, Lightning beat Islanders 2-1 in Game 3

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Brayden Point kept up his scoring touch with a tiebreaking goal late in the second period, Andrei Vasilevskiy (va-sih-LEHV'-skee) stopped 27 shots and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 2-1 Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup semifinals. 

Yanni Gourde also scored to help Tampa Bay improve to 6-1 on the road in the playoffs. Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders, and Semyon Varlamov (SEHM'-yahn vahr-LAH'-mahv) finished with 23 saves. Game 4 is Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum, with Game 5 back in Tampa on Monday night.

Hurricanes, Brind'Amour reach extension after 3 playoff bids

UNDATED (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have reached a three-year contract extension with coach Rod Brind'Amour after three straight playoff appearances.

The Hurricanes announced the agreement Thursday. The extension comes a little more than a week after the Hurricanes were eliminated by reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay in the second round. Brind'Amour is one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award presented annually to the NHL's top coach. Brind'Amour helped Carolina end a nine-season playoff drought after taking over in 2018. This season marked the first time the franchise had made three straight playoff trips since relocating to North Carolina in 1997.

NFL suspends 49ers D-lineman Jordan Willis for doping

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL has suspended San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Jordan Willis for violating the league's policy of performance-enhancing substances. 

Willis will be able to practice in training camp and play in all preseason games before beginning his suspension without pay. He'll be eligible to return to the active roster on Oct. 25 in advance of the 49ers' game at Chicago on Halloween. 

The Chicago Bears have submitted a bid to buy a suburban horse racing track in suburban Arlington Heights, suggesting a willingness to move out of downtown Soldier Field for a new stadium. Soldier Field is the oldest stadium in the NFL. It opened in 1924. It can set 61,500 fans, making it the smallest venue in the league.

CFP expansion will push conferences to reconsider divisions

ROSEMONT, Ill (AP) — Officials in charge of the College Football Playoff have opened two days of meetings in suburban Chicago. 

The main topic is whether to expand the four-team playoff to 12, as proposed by a working group. Six spots would be reserved for league champions and the rest would go to at-large teams. The discussions put league championship games in the spotlight. The winner would be in the mix for a playoff bid, but an upset would hurt the league's chances overall.

Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon and Tokyo Olympics

MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal is skipping Wimbledon as well as the Tokyo Olympics. 

The 35-year-old Spaniard says he made the decision after "listening" to his body. Nadal reached the French Open semifinals last week but lost to Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich). He says the fact that there are only two weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon makes it harder for his body to recover from the "demanding" clay-court season.Nadal has won the title at Wimbledon twice and also won the Olympic gold medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

Naomi Osaka's agent says the four-time Grand Slam champion will sit out Wimbledon but compete at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-old, who was born in Japan, withdrew from the French Open after the first round, saying she needed a mental health break. 

DOJ: 2 states' transgender restrictions unconstitutional

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice is challenging bans involving transgender people that target athletes in West Virginia and children in Arkansas. The department on Thursday slammed those bans as violations of federal law. 

The department filed statements of interest in lawsuits seeking to overturn new laws in the two states. In West Virginia, a lawsuit filed on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl challenges a ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports. Arkansas became the first state to ban gender confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of four transgender youth and their families as well as two doctors. 

UConn coach says refusal to violate protocols led to ouster

UNDATED (AP) - A former strength coach for UConn's men's basketball team has sued the school, claiming his contract wasn't renewed after he refused demands from coach Dan Hurley that he violate NCAA guidelines and school COVID-19 protocols. 

Sal Alosi alleges he was asked by Hurley to hold virtual and later indoor workouts that violate coronavirus guidelines. The school denies the allegations. A hearing was held Thursday on a motion by UConn to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge did not immediately rule on that motion. 

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — After a long week of waiting, Caeleb Dressel finally punched his ticket for the Tokyo Olympics with a victory in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. swimming trials. That was not a surprise. But there was a stunner on the fifth night of the trials — defending Olympic champion Simone Manuel failed to advance from the semifinals in the women's 100 free. Manuel tied for the gold at Rio to become the first Black female ever to win an individual swimming event. But she missed a spot in the final at this year's trials by two-hundredths of a second.&nbsp;OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Katie Ledecky's rivals are lining up to challenge the world's dominant female distance swimmer at next month's Tokyo Olympics. One of them is Ariarne Titmus of Australia. She fired off two of the second-fastest times ever in the 200- and 400-meter freestyles at her country's trials. Ledecky answered with times that were slower in both events at the U.S. trials. With little over a month to go until Tokyo, Ledecky is searching for any edge she can find to drop precious seconds. She's qualified for three individual events so far. Next up, Ledecky swims the 800 free on Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Simone Manuel revealed the reason behind her surprising failure to make the 100-meter freestyle final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. The 24-year-old sprinter says she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome — or burnout — in March. She suffered from symptoms including insomnia, depression, anxiety and muscle soreness. Manuel had to take a complete break from training and swimming for three weeks and didn't return to the pool until mid-April. She won't be able to defend her 100 free title at the Tokyo Games. Manuel says she'll still try to make the team in the 50 freestyle beginning Saturday in Omaha.ATLANTA (AP) — Charlie Morton didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning and took a shutout into the eighth, lifting the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0. Morton gave up his first hit when Paul Goldschmidt lined a single to left-center with one out, but the right-hander followed by getting Nolan Arenado to pop up and struck out Tyler O'Neill. He allowed singles to Matt Carpenter and pinch-hitter José Rondón in the eighth and was pulled with two outs. Atlanta led 1-0 in the fifth on Guillermo Heredia's third homer. Ozzie Albies had an RBI triple in the sixth, and Abraham Almonte followed with an RBI double to make it 3-0.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their three-day mandatory minicamp Thursday with a sense of optimism that comes from playing in the last two Super Bowls and the offseason additions to the roster. These three days comprised the final practices the Chiefs will have in Phase 3 of the offseason program ahead of training camp which begins late July. Head coach Andy Reid was most pleased that he could see his player in person.NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A showdown between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at the College World Series with a national championship on the line would have all the emotions of their rivalry bubbling up like a family brawl. The schools separated by 194 miles are on opposite sides of the CWS brackets, so a championship matchup is possible. It also makes it easier for coaches to shower each other with compliments and rave about what it means in the state for both to be heading to Omaha, Nebraska. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin says seeing the Vols and Commodores playing on TV will inspire children to want to play. Tennessee coach Tony Vitello agrees, saying it will help spark interest in the sport across the state.&nbsp;ATLANTA (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have signed left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a one-year contract that pays $800,000 while in the major leagues and $150,000 while in the minors. Manager Mike Shildt said LeBlanc will pitch in relief. LeBlanc, 36, is 46-48 in his 13-year career with a 4.59 ERA. He's 34-41, 4.73 ERA in 121 career starts and 12-7 with a 4.23 ERA in 125 relief appearances with three saves. He went 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in one start and five relief appearances for Baltimore this season. Right-hander Seth Elledge was optioned to Triple-A Memphis following Wednesday's win over Miami in a corresponding move.&nbsp;OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Home runs have defined the NCAA baseball tournament so far. A total of 381 have been hit in 123 games. That's the highest total through super regionals since at least 2005. History says it's unlikely homers will come at the same rate once the College World Series begins at TD Ameritrade Park for the College World Series beginning Saturday. Coaches know their teams will need to be versatile offensively. Division I Baseball Committee chairman Jeff Altier says he expects plenty of homers. He says the college game has become similar to pro ball with batters swinging for fences every at-bat.NBABucks bounce back to defeat Nets 104-89 and force Game 7MILWAUKEE (AP) — Khris Middleton scored 38 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) added 30 and the Milwaukee Bucks never trailed in a 104-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday to force a decisive seventh game in their second-round playoff series. Game 7 will take place Saturday night in Brooklyn. The home team has won each of the first six games in this series. Milwaukee never trailed and broke the game open by going on a 14-0 run that started with less than 8 ½ minutes left. Kevin Durant had 32 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets.Mavericks, Carlisle part waysUNDATED (AP) — Rick Carlisle has stepped down as coach of the Dallas Mavericks, the second major departure for that franchise in as many days. Carlisle spent 13 seasons in Dallas, leading the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title. His decision was announced Thursday, one day after general manager Donnie Nelson and the team agreed to part ways, ending a 24-year run for Nelson as part of the organization. Dallas becomes the seventh team with a coaching vacancy, joining New Orleans, Washington, Orlando, Indiana, Portland -- and Boston, where Carlisle played for the team that won the 1986 NBA title. In other NBA news:Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is officially out for Friday night's Game 6 of the Western Conference second-round series against the Utah Jazz. Leonard sprained his right knee during Monday night's Game 4 win. He traveled with the Clippers to Salt Lake City, Lue said, then returned to Los Angeles for further testing. Despite missing Leonard, LA took a 3-2 series lead on Wednesday night with a 119-111 victory behind 37 points from Paul George. The Clippers are 12-9 without their All-Star forward this season, including 1-0 in the playoffs. PGARussell Henley opens US open with 67, darkness suspensionSAN DIEGO (AP) — The opening round of the U.S. Open had to be suspended due to darkness with 36 players left on the course. The start of the round was delayed 90 minutes due to fog before giving way to bright sunshine on brutally-tough Torrey Pines. Russell Henley shot a 4-under 67 in the morning wave and is tied with Louis Oosthuizen (LOO'-ee OOST'-hay-vihn, who will have to play his final two holes Friday morning. Francesco Molinaro and Rafa Cabrera Bello are one back after opening with 68s. A group of five players, including two-time U.S. Open champion and Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama, are two back.MLBMorton shuts down CardinalsUNDATED (AP) — Charlie Morton didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning and took a shutout into the eighth, lifting the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0. Morton gave up his first hit when Paul Goldschmidt lined a single to left-center with one out, but the right-hander followed by getting Nolan Arenado to pop up and struck out Tyler O'Neill. He allowed singles to Matt Carpenter and pinch-hitter José Rondón in the eighth and was pulled with two outs. In other MLB action:— Germán Márquez allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, C.J. Cron ignited a five-run first with a grand slam and the Colorado Rockies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 for their fourth consecutive victory. Garrett Hampson followed Cron's slam with a homer, and Raimel Tapia extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games with an RBI single in the sixth. Luis Urias had a three-run double for the Brewers. Milwaukee committed four errors and lost its fourth in a row.— Shohei Ohtani yielded five hits and a run over six strong innings, and Taylor Ward hit his first career grand slam in the Los Angeles Angels' 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Ohtani also drew two walks at the plate in another two-way performance for the Angels, who celebrated the Big A's return to full capacity with 30,709 fans watching their 15th win in 23 games. Matt Manning allowed four hits and two runs over five innings in a solid major league debut for Detroit. Jonathan Schoop homered off Ohtani in the sixth for the Tigers, whose three-game winning streak ended.— Shed Long Jr. hit a tying double in the bottom of the ninth inning and pinch-hitter Kyle Seager singled home the winning run to rally the Seattle Mariners past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5. Seattle lost starter Justin Dunn to a sore right shoulder after two innings, but came from behind with the help of a two-run homer by Ty France and a solo shot from Luis Torrens. Dylan Moore drew a four-pitch walk from reliever Pete Fairbanks to start the ninth. Jake Bauers singled and Long tied it 5-all with his double. Seager batted for Taylor Trammell and singled through the right side of a drawn-in infield to score Bauers. Seattle has won four of five.— Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead homer in a four-run seventh inning and the New York Yankees pulled off a wacky triple play in an 8-4 win over the reeling Toronto Blue Jays. Stanton broke a 3-all tie with his 13th homer, an opposite-field, two-run shot off Anthony Castro. The triple play in the first inning marked the first time the storied Yankees franchise turned two in one yea. — Jose Altuve homered for the fourth time in three games, Michael Brantley and Abraham Toro also connected, and the Houston Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 10-2. — The Cleveland Indians extended Baltimore's road losing streak to 19 games with a 10-3 win over the Orioles. José Ramírez hit a two-run homer and Bobby Bradley added a solo shot during a three-run first inning. Yu Chang had four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the eighth. Austin Hays and Maikel Franco homered for the Orioles, who have lost eight straight overall. Indians starter Eli Morgan remained in the game after being struck by a line drive above the right elbow in the first inning.— The Arizona Diamondbacks made dubious history Thursday, setting an MLB record with their 23rd straight road loss, a 10-3 trouncing at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. The dejected D-backs trudged off the field and quietly made their way back to Oracle Park's visiting clubhouse following the final out of their record-setting loss, breaking a tie with the 1963 Mets and '43 Philadelphia Athletics for road futility The D-backs have lost 14 in a row overall and have the worst record in the majors.— Kyle Hendricks flummoxed the Mets for six innings to win his career-best seventh straight start, Javier Báez hit a two-run homer in the first off Marcus Stroman and the Chicago Cubs beat New York 2-0 to avoid a four-game series sweep. Hendricks struck out seven and walked two, retiring his last eight batters after consecutive walks in the fourth. He improved to 4-0 against the Mets. Mets DeGrom has good MRIUNDATED (AP) — All fully vaccinated players and staff can stop wearing masks in dugouts, bullpens and clubhouses under the latest change to Major League Baseball's coronavirus protocols.In addition, fully vaccinated players and staff may eat in restaurants without restrictions and attend sporting events at venues with government approved safety protocols. The new rules are contained in a memo from, the commissioner's office and players' association.In other MLB news: — Mets ace Jacob deGrom's shoulder showed no abnormalities, but New York was not yet ready to commit to him taking his next turn in the rotation Sunday against Washington. DeGrom left his second straight start with an arm injury, coming out after three perfect innings against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night with right shoulder soreness. He had an MRI today. DeGrom is 6-2 with a 0.54 ERA and 111 strikeouts and eight walks in 67 innings.— The Texas Rangers have acquired right-hander Dennis Santana from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade. The Rangers sent minor league lefty Kevin Bautista to Los Angeles. Santana was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Saturday. He had a 6.00 ERA in a career-high 16 relief appearances this season. — The St. Louis Cardinals have signed left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a one-year contract. Manager Mike Shildt said LeBlanc will pitch in relief. LeBlanc, 36, is 46-48 in his 13-year career with a 4.59 ERA. He's 34-41, 4.73 ERA in 121 career starts and 12-7 with a 4.23 ERA in 125 relief appearances with three saves.— First baseman Mike Ford has been traded by the New York Yankees to the Tampa Bay Rays for $100,000 and a player to be named. Ford was designated for assignment Saturday when reliever Zack Britton was activated from the injured list. Ford, who turns 29 on July 4, batted .133 with three homers and five RBIs in 60 at-bats this season. NHLPoint scores again, Lightning beat Islanders 2-1 in Game 3UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Brayden Point kept up his scoring touch with a tiebreaking goal late in the second period, Andrei Vasilevskiy (va-sih-LEHV'-skee) stopped 27 shots and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 2-1 Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Yanni Gourde also scored to help Tampa Bay improve to 6-1 on the road in the playoffs. Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders, and Semyon Varlamov (SEHM'-yahn vahr-LAH'-mahv) finished with 23 saves. Game 4 is Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum, with Game 5 back in Tampa on Monday night.Hurricanes, Brind'Amour reach extension after 3 playoff bidsUNDATED (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have reached a three-year contract extension with coach Rod Brind'Amour after three straight playoff appearances.The Hurricanes announced the agreement Thursday. The extension comes a little more than a week after the Hurricanes were eliminated by reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay in the second round. Brind'Amour is one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award presented annually to the NHL's top coach. Brind'Amour helped Carolina end a nine-season playoff drought after taking over in 2018. This season marked the first time the franchise had made three straight playoff trips since relocating to North Carolina in 1997.NFLNFL suspends 49ers D-lineman Jordan Willis for dopingUNDATED (AP) — The NFL has suspended San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Jordan Willis for violating the league's policy of performance-enhancing substances. Willis will be able to practice in training camp and play in all preseason games before beginning his suspension without pay. He'll be eligible to return to the active roster on Oct. 25 in advance of the 49ers' game at Chicago on Halloween. In other NFL news:The Chicago Bears have submitted a bid to buy a suburban horse racing track in suburban Arlington Heights, suggesting a willingness to move out of downtown Soldier Field for a new stadium. Soldier Field is the oldest stadium in the NFL. It opened in 1924. It can set 61,500 fans, making it the smallest venue in the league.FBCCFP expansion will push conferences to reconsider divisionsROSEMONT, Ill (AP) — Officials in charge of the College Football Playoff have opened two days of meetings in suburban Chicago. The main topic is whether to expand the four-team playoff to 12, as proposed by a working group. Six spots would be reserved for league champions and the rest would go to at-large teams. The discussions put league championship games in the spotlight. The winner would be in the mix for a playoff bid, but an upset would hurt the league's chances overall.TENNISNadal pulls out of Wimbledon and Tokyo OlympicsMADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal is skipping Wimbledon as well as the Tokyo Olympics. The 35-year-old Spaniard says he made the decision after "listening" to his body. Nadal reached the French Open semifinals last week but lost to Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich). He says the fact that there are only two weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon makes it harder for his body to recover from the "demanding" clay-court season.Nadal has won the title at Wimbledon twice and also won the Olympic gold medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In another major Wimbledon withdrawal:Naomi Osaka's agent says the four-time Grand Slam champion will sit out Wimbledon but compete at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-old, who was born in Japan, withdrew from the French Open after the first round, saying she needed a mental health break. TRANSGENDER LAWSUITSDOJ: 2 states' transgender restrictions unconstitutionalWASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice is challenging bans involving transgender people that target athletes in West Virginia and children in Arkansas. The department on Thursday slammed those bans as violations of federal law. The department filed statements of interest in lawsuits seeking to overturn new laws in the two states. In West Virginia, a lawsuit filed on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl challenges a ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports. Arkansas became the first state to ban gender confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of four transgender youth and their families as well as two doctors. UCONNUConn coach says refusal to violate protocols led to ousterUNDATED (AP) - A former strength coach for UConn's men's basketball team has sued the school, claiming his contract wasn't renewed after he refused demands from coach Dan Hurley that he violate NCAA guidelines and school COVID-19 protocols. Sal Alosi alleges he was asked by Hurley to hold virtual and later indoor workouts that violate coronavirus guidelines. The school denies the allegations. A hearing was held Thursday on a motion by UConn to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge did not immediately rule on that motion. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sports Headlines for Friday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Hutchinson Monarchs came up just short in a donnybrook Thursday night at Hobart Detter, losing to the Sunflower Seeds 11-10. Tanner Schrag got to third in the bottom of the ninth before a flyout ended the game. 

Each team scored in the fourth. The Seeds put up an eight spot in the sixth to take a 9-1 lead, the Monarchs then chipped away with three in their half of the sixth and four more in the seventh. The Seeds scored one in the eighth and one in the ninth and the Monarchs plated a pair before leaving Schrag at third to end it. 

The Seeds and the Monarchs continue their set tonight at Hobart-Detter. That will be the Hutch Post game of the week. You can watch it online. First pitch is at 7 p.m.

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Hutchinson Monarchs came up just short in a donnybrook Thursday night at Hobart Detter, losing to the Sunflower Seeds 11-10. Tanner Schrag got to third in the bottom of the ninth before a flyout ended the game. Each team scored in the fourth. The Seeds put up an eight spot in the sixth to take a 9-1 lead, the Monarchs then chipped away with three in their half of the sixth and four more in the seventh. The Seeds scored one in the eighth and one in the ninth and the Monarchs plated a pair before leaving Schrag at third to end it. The Seeds and the Monarchs continue their set tonight at Hobart-Detter. That will be the Hutch Post game of the week. You can watch it online. First pitch is at 7 p.m.

Monarchs lose 11-10 to Seeds Thursday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — What a first act for first-year Hutchinson Community College head football coach Drew Dallas.

Waiting more than a year to coach his first game at Hutchinson after being hired, all Dallas did was lead the 2020-21 Blue Dragons through unpredictable, uncharted waters to the program's first national championship in 89 years.

Dallas on Thursday was named NJCAA Football's National Coach of the Year.

Dallas led Hutchinson to the program's eighth Jayhawk Conference championship, third undefeated season (1947, 1969 and 2020-21) and into an opportunity to play in the NJCAA Championship game.

Ranked No. 1 all season long, the Blue Dragons rallied from 14-0 and 21-10 down to defeat No. 2 Snow College on June 5 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas, to win the Blue Dragons' first national football championship and eighth national team title overall.

In Dallas' first season, the 2020-21 Blue Dragons: + Were picked No. 1 in the NJCAA preseason rankings and went wire-to-wire. + Dallas was also selected as the KJCCC Coach of the Year and sophomore defensive back&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/torrence_roterius_ols7">Roterius Torrence</a>&nbsp;was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. + <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/4f0082b0-8cff-4340-95a8-ff3d55767e9c">Torrence was named the NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Year</a>. + Had a record 30 all-Jayhawk Conference selections, including 16 first-team performers. + Had a record 10 NJCAA All-Americans, including six first-team selections. + Had a 32.3 point-per-game winning margin this season.

Hutchinson ranked second in the nation this season in points per game, total yards of offense, total rushing yards and rushing yards per game.

Hired on Dec. 31, 2019, Dallas was about to embark on the strangest season by a first-year coach … ever. Just after getting his staff hired in February, the Coronavirus pandemic was about to bring the world to a screeching halt. In doing so, Dallas' first spring practice season with his new team was wiped out and the 2020 season he thought he was preparing for was ultimately pushed from its usual fall season into late spring 2021.

While trying to prep his team for the upcoming season – whenever it may have started – Dallas had to navigate his staff and players through the daily COVID-19 grind, which oftentimes changed hourly and had nothing to do with football.

"It was a 100 percent day-by-day focus," Dallas said. "It was hard to have any plan of substance that went over the course of a week. Countless calendars were made and thrown away in a matter of 15 minutes. It was just a matter of going day-by-day and not looking too far ahead of what you wanted to accomplish."

Finally, March 26, 2021, rolled around – Dallas' head coaching debut some 471 days from the day he was hired. And even on that night, Dallas had to wait a little longer for his first coaching win as a 60-minute weather delay temporarily halted what turned into a 33-7 win over Coffeyville.

The No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons defeated Butler 41-10 in El Dorado one week later and eventually took a 3-0 record into a national Top 5 battle at Gowans Stadium against No. 3 Garden City on April 25. The Blue Dragons held the Broncbusters to 45 points under their season scoring average and 230 yards under their season rushing average as Hutchinson defeated Garden City 23-7.

One week later at No. 7 Independence, the top-ranked Blue Dragons rolled up a season-high 512 total yards and survived an injury to starting quarterback C.J. Ogbonna as backup&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/laible_dylan_mrze">Dylan Laible</a>&nbsp;threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-24 victory over the Pirates.

The Blue Dragons completed the regular season 7-0 to win the first KJCCC championship since 2014 and eighth league title overall.

Against Snow College on June 5, the Blue Dragons trailed 14-0 and 21-10 before scoring touchdowns on three-straight second-half possessions –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/lewis_anwar_oe0l">Anwar Lewis</a>&nbsp;had touchdown runs of 29 and 3 yards to take the lead and game MVP&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/edwards_tye_vovm">Tye Edwards</a>&nbsp;– who rushed for 139 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns – scored a huge insurance TD from 1 yard out with 7:27 to play.

Leading 29-27, Blue Dragon linebacker&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/pinkley_tre_bmqr">Tre Pinkney</a>&nbsp;– the nation's leader in quarterback sacks – intercepted a pass with 1:04 remaining to seal the victory for the Blue Dragons.

The Blue Dragons out-gained Snow College 511-390. The Dragons had 278 passing yards and 233 rushing yards – the Badgers were the nation's rush defense leader allowing only 37.8 yards per game.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update. &nbsp;

By STEVE CARPENTER&nbsp;Blue Dragon Sports InformationHUTCHINSON, Kan. — What a first act for first-year Hutchinson Community College head football coach Drew Dallas.Waiting more than a year to coach his first game at Hutchinson after being hired, all Dallas did was lead the 2020-21 Blue Dragons through unpredictable, uncharted waters to the program's first national championship in 89 years.Dallas on Thursday was named NJCAA Football's National Coach of the Year.Dallas led Hutchinson to the program's eighth Jayhawk Conference championship, third undefeated season (1947, 1969 and 2020-21) and into an opportunity to play in the NJCAA Championship game.Ranked No. 1 all season long, the Blue Dragons rallied from 14-0 and 21-10 down to defeat No. 2 Snow College on June 5 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas, to win the Blue Dragons' first national football championship and eighth national team title overall.In Dallas' first season, the 2020-21 Blue Dragons: + Were picked No. 1 in the NJCAA preseason rankings and went wire-to-wire. + Dallas was also selected as the KJCCC Coach of the Year and sophomore defensive back&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/torrence_roterius_ols7">Roterius Torrence</a>&nbsp;was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. + <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/4f0082b0-8cff-4340-95a8-ff3d55767e9c">Torrence was named the NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Year</a>. + Had a record 30 all-Jayhawk Conference selections, including 16 first-team performers. + Had a record 10 NJCAA All-Americans, including six first-team selections. + Had a 32.3 point-per-game winning margin this season.Hutchinson ranked second in the nation this season in points per game, total yards of offense, total rushing yards and rushing yards per game.Hired on Dec. 31, 2019, Dallas was about to embark on the strangest season by a first-year coach … ever. Just after getting his staff hired in February, the Coronavirus pandemic was about to bring the world to a screeching halt. In doing so, Dallas' first spring practice season with his new team was wiped out and the 2020 season he thought he was preparing for was ultimately pushed from its usual fall season into late spring 2021.While trying to prep his team for the upcoming season – whenever it may have started – Dallas had to navigate his staff and players through the daily COVID-19 grind, which oftentimes changed hourly and had nothing to do with football."It was a 100 percent day-by-day focus," Dallas said. "It was hard to have any plan of substance that went over the course of a week. Countless calendars were made and thrown away in a matter of 15 minutes. It was just a matter of going day-by-day and not looking too far ahead of what you wanted to accomplish."Finally, March 26, 2021, rolled around – Dallas' head coaching debut some 471 days from the day he was hired. And even on that night, Dallas had to wait a little longer for his first coaching win as a 60-minute weather delay temporarily halted what turned into a 33-7 win over Coffeyville.The No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons defeated Butler 41-10 in El Dorado one week later and eventually took a 3-0 record into a national Top 5 battle at Gowans Stadium against No. 3 Garden City on April 25. The Blue Dragons held the Broncbusters to 45 points under their season scoring average and 230 yards under their season rushing average as Hutchinson defeated Garden City 23-7.One week later at No. 7 Independence, the top-ranked Blue Dragons rolled up a season-high 512 total yards and survived an injury to starting quarterback C.J. Ogbonna as backup&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/laible_dylan_mrze">Dylan Laible</a>&nbsp;threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-24 victory over the Pirates.The Blue Dragons completed the regular season 7-0 to win the first KJCCC championship since 2014 and eighth league title overall.Against Snow College on June 5, the Blue Dragons trailed 14-0 and 21-10 before scoring touchdowns on three-straight second-half possessions –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/lewis_anwar_oe0l">Anwar Lewis</a>&nbsp;had touchdown runs of 29 and 3 yards to take the lead and game MVP&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/edwards_tye_vovm">Tye Edwards</a>&nbsp;– who rushed for 139 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns – scored a huge insurance TD from 1 yard out with 7:27 to play.Leading 29-27, Blue Dragon linebacker&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2020-21/bios/pinkley_tre_bmqr">Tre Pinkney</a>&nbsp;– the nation's leader in quarterback sacks – intercepted a pass with 1:04 remaining to seal the victory for the Blue Dragons.The Blue Dragons out-gained Snow College 511-390. The Dragons had 278 passing yards and 233 rushing yards – the Badgers were the nation's rush defense leader allowing only 37.8 yards per game.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update. &nbsp;

Drew Dallas named NJCAA Football National Coach of the Year

Hutchinson Community College defensive back Roterius Torrence capped off his Blue Dragon football career by winning a national championship on June 5.

The sophomore cornerback from Bessemer, Alabama, added one more accolade for his play this season as the NJCAA named Torrence as the 2020-21 National Defensive Player of the Year.

Torrence is the second Blue Dragon to win a National Player of the Year Award for football – joining Eugene Kinlaw, who was the 2008 NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound cornerback is the second Blue Dragon athlete this season to earn a National Player of the Year honor, joining golfer Ben Partridge, who was named the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year on June 6. Torrence is the eighth Blue Dragon to earn a National Player of the Year award in their respective sport – Kinlaw (2008 football); Partridge (2021 men’s golf); Kadeem Allen (2014 men’s basketball); Kyle Simonds (2014 baseball-pitcher); Sarah Rothe (2014 softball-catcher); Shakur Juiston (2017 men’s basketball); and Michael Helman (2017-baseball).

The Auburn University commit helped produce a defense that ranked No. 3 in scoring defense and No. 7 in total defense in the nation this season and helped the No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons defeat No. 2 Snow College 29-27 in the NJCAA Championship Game on June 5 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Torrence had a huge second-quarter interception in the championship game when the Blue Dragons were trailing 14-3. For the game, Torrence had three total tackles and the interception in the championship contest.

Already this season, Torrence was named first-team all-Jayhawk Conference, first-team NJCAA All-American and the 2020-21 Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Torrence didn’t post the huge overall numbers one might associate with this honor. His numbers simply don’t tell the entire story of Torrence’s tremendous sophomore season, but they do speak volumes to the respect opposing teams gave him throughout the 2020-21 season.

Torrence had 26 total tackles in eight games started this season. Torrence broke up five passes with one interception During the regular season, Torrence was hardly targeted over the final five games of the regular season, thus cutting the field in half for opposing offenses.

“Ro plays extremely physical at the line of scrimmage in press coverage and fits very well in coverage on the down-field throws," Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas said. “His presence on the field was instrumental in our success as a defensive unit. Nearly every week, Ro was able to eliminate the opposing teams best offensive threat at the wide receiver position.”

Torrence had a season-high eight tackles in a 41-10 victory over Butler on April 3. He had a big game with five tackles and three passes broken up in No. 1 Hutchinson’s 23-7 win over No. 3 Garden City on April 25. He followed that performance with a four-tackle game against No. 7 Independence in a 42-24 victory on May 2.

Torrence helped the Blue Dragons secure their eighth Jayhawk Conference championship, third undefeated season (1947, 1969) in going 8-0 and first national football championship in the program’s 89-year history.

“This is a tremendous individual honor for him and I am extremely proud of Ro’s progression and development at the cornerback position because of how hard he works and his professional approach to the game,” Dallas said.

STEVE CARPENTERHutchCC Sports InformationHutchinson Community College defensive back Roterius Torrence capped off his Blue Dragon football career by winning a national championship on June 5.The sophomore cornerback from Bessemer, Alabama, added one more accolade for his play this season as the NJCAA named Torrence as the 2020-21 National Defensive Player of the Year.Torrence is the second Blue Dragon to win a National Player of the Year Award for football – joining Eugene Kinlaw, who was the 2008 NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year.The 6-foot-3, 205-pound cornerback is the second Blue Dragon athlete this season to earn a National Player of the Year honor, joining golfer Ben Partridge, who was named the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year on June 6. Torrence is the eighth Blue Dragon to earn a National Player of the Year award in their respective sport – Kinlaw (2008 football); Partridge (2021 men’s golf); Kadeem Allen (2014 men’s basketball); Kyle Simonds (2014 baseball-pitcher); Sarah Rothe (2014 softball-catcher); Shakur Juiston (2017 men’s basketball); and Michael Helman (2017-baseball).The Auburn University commit helped produce a defense that ranked No. 3 in scoring defense and No. 7 in total defense in the nation this season and helped the No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons defeat No. 2 Snow College 29-27 in the NJCAA Championship Game on June 5 in Little Rock, Arkansas.Torrence had a huge second-quarter interception in the championship game when the Blue Dragons were trailing 14-3. For the game, Torrence had three total tackles and the interception in the championship contest.Already this season, Torrence was named first-team all-Jayhawk Conference, first-team NJCAA All-American and the 2020-21 Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year.Torrence didn’t post the huge overall numbers one might associate with this honor. His numbers simply don’t tell the entire story of Torrence’s tremendous sophomore season, but they do speak volumes to the respect opposing teams gave him throughout the 2020-21 season.Torrence had 26 total tackles in eight games started this season. Torrence broke up five passes with one interception During the regular season, Torrence was hardly targeted over the final five games of the regular season, thus cutting the field in half for opposing offenses.“Ro plays extremely physical at the line of scrimmage in press coverage and fits very well in coverage on the down-field throws," Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas said. “His presence on the field was instrumental in our success as a defensive unit. Nearly every week, Ro was able to eliminate the opposing teams best offensive threat at the wide receiver position.”Torrence had a season-high eight tackles in a 41-10 victory over Butler on April 3. He had a big game with five tackles and three passes broken up in No. 1 Hutchinson’s 23-7 win over No. 3 Garden City on April 25. He followed that performance with a four-tackle game against No. 7 Independence in a 42-24 victory on May 2.Torrence helped the Blue Dragons secure their eighth Jayhawk Conference championship, third undefeated season (1947, 1969) in going 8-0 and first national football championship in the program’s 89-year history.“This is a tremendous individual honor for him and I am extremely proud of Ro’s progression and development at the cornerback position because of how hard he works and his professional approach to the game,” Dallas said.

Torrence named NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Year

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Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday Morning

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Katie Ledecky's most grueling night at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials resulted in two more victories. She didn't seem bothered to have to swim her shortest and longest events about 70 minutes apart. The 24-year-old from the nation's capital won the 200-meter freestyle first. Then she came back for the 1,500 free — a new event for the women at these Olympics. It was a totally different race, stressing endurance over speed. But it looked just the same. Ledecky has secured three individual races in Tokyo with the 800 still to go.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yadier Molina grounded an RBI single down the third base line in the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Miami Marlins 1-0 to sweep the season series. Molina's eighth career regular season walk-off hit came with one out and sent Miami to its fourth straight loss. Paul Goldschmidt reached on an error by shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr. to start the ninth. After Matt Carpenter walked with one out, Molina singled off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. The Cardinals went 6-0 against Miami this year for their first season sweep over the Marlins.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Willi Castro homered during a three-run rally in the seventh inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 for a three-game sweep. The Royals have lost six in a row and 11 of 12. Kansas City starter Brady Singer was removed after just three innings with tightness in his pitching shoulder. Tigers starter Tarik Skubal picked up the win, allowing three runs in six innings. Michael Fulmer earned his fifth save in six chances. Adalberto Mondesi hit a home run in his first at-bat since returning from the injured list. Salvador Perez also connected for the Royals, hitting his 17th of the season.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Josh Prenot failed to advance from the preliminaries of the 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. It was a bitter blow for the silver medalist from the 2016 Rio Games, who says he'll take the next year off and see if that helps him forget how much he currently hates the sport. Prenot managed the 17th-best time of 2 minutes, 13.42 seconds, with only the top 16 advancing to the evening semifinals. Prenot's time was nearly 6 seconds slower than Rio, where the 27-year-old Missouri native was runner-up to Dmitriy Balandin of Kazakhstan in the Olympic final.&nbsp;

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Lilly King Show is headed to Tokyo. No subject is off limits. Drug cheats? Ban 'em. The Aussies? They better be prepared to settle for a whole bunch of silver medals in swimming. In a sport where most athletes obediently stay in their lane, in and out of the pool, King is willing to speak her mind on pretty much any subject. As long as she can remember, the 24-year-old from Indiana has never been too concerned about rubbing others the wrong way. She'll take that attitude to the Tokyo Olympics after winning the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. swimming trials in Nebraska.&nbsp;

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — On Tuesday, it was the Milwaukee Bucks blowing a 17-point lead to fall behind three-games-to-two against Brooklyn in the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals. One day later, it was the Philadelphia 76ers coughing up a 26-point advantage in a 109-106 loss to the Hawks.

Atlanta outscored the Sixers 40-19 in the fourth quarter to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semis. Trae Young poured in 39 points and John Collins had a double-double of 19 points and 11 boards. Young was fouled on a 3-pointer and hit all three free throws with 1:26 left to put the Hawks ahead.

Danillo Gallinari contributed 16 points and eight rebounds, while fellow backup Lou Williams provided 15 points.

Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') and Seth Curry combined for 73 points in the loss, with Embiid finishing with 37 and 13 rebounds. Curry added 36 points, but Tobias Harris was held to just four on 2 of 11 shooting.

The Hawks can wrap up the series on Friday in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the Clippers took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals by earning their third straight win over the Jazz, 119-111. Paul George carried the load with 37 points and 16 rebounds while Los Angeles played without forward Kawhi (kah-WY') Leonard because of a a knee injury sustained in Game 4.

Marcus Morris scored 25 points and Reggie Jackson added 22 for the Clippers, who shot 51% from the field.

The Jazz made a franchise record 10 3-pointers and shot 13-of-18 from the field overall in the first quarter. Bojan (BOY'-ahn) Bogdanovic led the way, going 6-of-7 from outside, tying an NBA postseason record for most 3-pointers made in a single quarter. Bogdanovic finished with nine treys and 32 points, Donovan Mitchell had 21 points and Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR') added 17 with 11 rebounds for Utah.

UNDATED (AP) — The Phoenix Suns could be missing a very key piece to their starting lineup when they begin their next playoff series.

The Suns say guard Chris Paul has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, and his availability for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is unclear. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Paul has been vaccinated against COVID-19. That could mean that Paul could be cleared to return faster than those who tested positive before vaccines were available.

— Hornets versatile point guard LaMelo Ball is the NBA Rookie of the Year despite missing 21 games with a fractured wrist. Ball beat out finalists Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings to win the award. He led all rookies with averages of 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game and was third with 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

— Head coach Scott Brooks won't be returning to the Wizards, who made the playoffs three times in his five years at the helm. Washington won its play-in game and was promptly knocked out by the 76ers in five games. The Wizards were 183-207 under Brooks.

— Stan Van Gundy was given the one season to coach the Pelicans before the two sides mutually agreed to part. New Orleans just went 31-41 to finish 11th in the Western Conference, two games out of a play-in berth. The Pelicans had the eighth-worst defense in the league this season following a truncated training camp.

— Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson is leaving the team after 24 seasons. Nelson was instrumental in the club's acquisitions of Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic (DAHN'-chihch). The Mavericks said Wednesday the club and Nelson agreed to part ways, with owner Mark Cuban saying the 58-year-old son of former coach Don Nelson was "instrumental to our success and helped bring a championship to Dallas."

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens aren't going to go away quietly in the Stanley Cup semifinals.

The Habs have evened the series at a game apiece as Carey Price stopped 29 saves in a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Price improved to 9-4 in the playoffs, his most victories in a postseason. Eight of those wins have come in Montreal's last nine games.

Paul Byron, Joel Armia (joh-EHL' ahr-MEE'-ah) and Tyler Toffoli (tah-FOH'-lee) scored for Montreal, with Byron making it 3-0 with 2:45 left in the second period. The Habs have won 21 straight playoff games when scoring at least three goals.

Alex Pietrangelo peh-TRAN'-jeh-loh) scored twice for Vegas and Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves.

The Knights had won five in a row since dropping the first two games of their second-round series in Colorado.

TORONTO (AP) — Jason Spezza (SPEHT'-suh) has re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, agreeing to the NHL-minimum $750,000 for next season.

The 38-year-old Spezza had 10 goals and 30 points in 54 regular-season games for his hometown team and added three goals and five in seven playoff contests.

UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have won a series matchup of AL division leaders, but it took extra innings to accomplish it.

The White Sox pulled out an 8-7 win over the Rays behind Yasmani Grandal's (yahs-MAH'-nee grahn-DAHLZ') game-ending single in the 10th. Jóse Abreu (ah-BRAY'-oo) hit his 12th homer of the season for the White Sox, who squandered a 7-2 lead before winning for the 10th time in their last 13 games.

Yandy Díaz and Mike Zunino (zuh-NEE'-noh) homered for the Rays. 

Meanwhile, the Mets continue to win games and lose key players.

Jacob deGrom was pulled from a second straight start with an arm injury, this time leaving after three perfect innings with right shoulder tightness in New York's 6-3 victory over the Cubs. DeGrom struck out eight of the nine batters he faced and lowered his ERA to 0.54, the lowest in major league history after 11 starts.

Dominic Smith hit a one-out solo homer in the third and added a run-scoring grounder in the fourth as the Mets earned their sixth win in seven games, putting the NL East leaders a season-high 10 games over .500.

— The Red Sox earned their second-straight, 10-8 win over the Braves as Christian Arroyo slugged a pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning. Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run single and Xander Bogaerts (BOH'-gahrts) had three doubles as part of Boston's 14-hit attack.

— Gary Sánchez belted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Aroldis (ah-ROHL'-dihs) Chapman dodged a ninth-inning jam to wrap up the Yankees' 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. Gerrit Cole is 8-3 after limiting Toronto to four hits over eight innings.

— The Athletics have a six-game winning streak after Ramón Laureano hit a home run and made a homer-robbing catch in his return from the injured list, highlighting an 8-4 win over the Angels. Matt Olson singled twice in a six-run sixth and finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. 

— Jose Altuve (al-TOO'-vay) homered twice and made major league history by hitting a leadoff homer one game after belting a walk-off grand slam, carrying the Astros to an 8-4 win over the Rangers. Astros rookie Chas McCormick recorded his first two-homer game on a night when Houston went deep a season-high six times.

— José Ramírez homered and drove in three runs as the Indians sent the Orioles to their team record-extending 18th consecutive road loss, 8-7. César Hernández had a two-run triple and Adam Civale (sih-VAH'-lee) became the first 10-game winner of the season despite allowing five runs in as many innings.

— Willi Castro homered during a three-run seventh that send the Tigers to a 6-5 victory and a three-game sweep of Kansas City. The Royals have lost six in a row and 11 of 12. 

— Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer against his former team and rookie starter Bailey Ober struck out six as the Twins dumped the Mariners, 7-2. Ryan Jeffers also homered in Minnesota's first win in four games.

— The Diamondbacks tied a major league record with their 22nd consecutive road loss as Buster Posey hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the Giants' 13-7 trouncing of Arizona. Steven Duggar and LaMonte (lah-MAHNT') Wade Jr. connected in the fourth as San Francisco sent its NL West rival to a 13th consecutive loss overall. 

— Zack Wheeler outpitched Clayton Kershaw and Rhys Hoskins ended an 0-for-33 slump with an early homer in the Phillies' 2-0 shutout of the Dodgers. Wheeler gave up five hits with six strikeouts in six innings to help Philadelphia become the first team to shut out Los Angeles since September 2019.

— Yadier Molina (YAH'-dee-ehr moh-LEE'-nah) delivered his eighth career walk-off hit with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to complete the Cardinals' 1-0 and three-game sweep of the Marlins. St. Louis starter Johan Oviedo worked a career-high seven scoreless innings and Miami's Sandy Alcantara (al-KAN'-tah-rah) pitched a team season-high 8 1/3 innings. 

— The Reds won for the 11th time in 13 games as Tyler Mahle (MAH'-lee) tied his career high with 12 strikeouts in a 2-1 decision over the Brewers. Tucker Barnhart doubled home the tiebreaking run to send Cincinnati to its sixth straight win and a three-game sweep.

— The Nationals picked up a 3-1 win over the Pirates behind Paolo Espino, who allowed three hits over five shutout innings for his first major league win at age 34. Josh Bell hit a two-run homer against his former team as Washington completed a three-game sweep that extends Pittsburgh's losing streak to 10 games.

— Pinch-hitter Charlie Blackmon singled home the winning run in the ninth to give the Rockies an 8-7 win over the sputtering Padres. San Diego wasted Fernando Tatis (tah-TEES') Jr.'s NL-leading 21st home run and lost for the 13th time in 17 games.

Rays' Hill says union 'dropped the ball' on grip enhancers

UNDATED (AP) — Veteran Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Rich Hill says the players' union "dropped the ball" when it came to this week's announcement from Major League Baseball about grip-enhancing substances. 

MLB says pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games starting Monday for using illegal substances to doctor baseballs. The 41-year old Hill said he feels like the sides should have come together and settled this together. 

— Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's game against the Rangers with a strained left quadriceps. Bregman was injured in the first inning while running to first base when he grounded into a double play.

— The Phillies will be without second baseman Jean Segura for at least three weeks due to a Grade 1 left groin strain. The team also says slugger Bryce Harper is day to day with lower back tightness. Both were injured on Tuesday.

NFL loosening many COVID restrictions for vaccinated players

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL and NFL Players Association have updated COVID-19 protocols to loosen restrictions for fully vaccinated players and to encourage others to get the vaccine.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Katie Ledecky's most grueling night at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials resulted in two more victories. She didn't seem bothered to have to swim her shortest and longest events about 70 minutes apart. The 24-year-old from the nation's capital won the 200-meter freestyle first. Then she came back for the 1,500 free — a new event for the women at these Olympics. It was a totally different race, stressing endurance over speed. But it looked just the same. Ledecky has secured three individual races in Tokyo with the 800 still to go.ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yadier Molina grounded an RBI single down the third base line in the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Miami Marlins 1-0 to sweep the season series. Molina's eighth career regular season walk-off hit came with one out and sent Miami to its fourth straight loss. Paul Goldschmidt reached on an error by shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr. to start the ninth. After Matt Carpenter walked with one out, Molina singled off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. The Cardinals went 6-0 against Miami this year for their first season sweep over the Marlins.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Willi Castro homered during a three-run rally in the seventh inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 for a three-game sweep. The Royals have lost six in a row and 11 of 12. Kansas City starter Brady Singer was removed after just three innings with tightness in his pitching shoulder. Tigers starter Tarik Skubal picked up the win, allowing three runs in six innings. Michael Fulmer earned his fifth save in six chances. Adalberto Mondesi hit a home run in his first at-bat since returning from the injured list. Salvador Perez also connected for the Royals, hitting his 17th of the season.OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Josh Prenot failed to advance from the preliminaries of the 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. It was a bitter blow for the silver medalist from the 2016 Rio Games, who says he'll take the next year off and see if that helps him forget how much he currently hates the sport. Prenot managed the 17th-best time of 2 minutes, 13.42 seconds, with only the top 16 advancing to the evening semifinals. Prenot's time was nearly 6 seconds slower than Rio, where the 27-year-old Missouri native was runner-up to Dmitriy Balandin of Kazakhstan in the Olympic final.&nbsp;OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Lilly King Show is headed to Tokyo. No subject is off limits. Drug cheats? Ban 'em. The Aussies? They better be prepared to settle for a whole bunch of silver medals in swimming. In a sport where most athletes obediently stay in their lane, in and out of the pool, King is willing to speak her mind on pretty much any subject. As long as she can remember, the 24-year-old from Indiana has never been too concerned about rubbing others the wrong way. She'll take that attitude to the Tokyo Olympics after winning the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. swimming trials in Nebraska.&nbsp;NBASixers collapse, fall to HawksPHILADELPHIA (AP) — On Tuesday, it was the Milwaukee Bucks blowing a 17-point lead to fall behind three-games-to-two against Brooklyn in the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals. One day later, it was the Philadelphia 76ers coughing up a 26-point advantage in a 109-106 loss to the Hawks.Atlanta outscored the Sixers 40-19 in the fourth quarter to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semis. Trae Young poured in 39 points and John Collins had a double-double of 19 points and 11 boards. Young was fouled on a 3-pointer and hit all three free throws with 1:26 left to put the Hawks ahead.Danillo Gallinari contributed 16 points and eight rebounds, while fellow backup Lou Williams provided 15 points.Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') and Seth Curry combined for 73 points in the loss, with Embiid finishing with 37 and 13 rebounds. Curry added 36 points, but Tobias Harris was held to just four on 2 of 11 shooting.The Hawks can wrap up the series on Friday in Atlanta.Meanwhile, the Clippers took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals by earning their third straight win over the Jazz, 119-111. Paul George carried the load with 37 points and 16 rebounds while Los Angeles played without forward Kawhi (kah-WY') Leonard because of a a knee injury sustained in Game 4.Marcus Morris scored 25 points and Reggie Jackson added 22 for the Clippers, who shot 51% from the field.The Jazz made a franchise record 10 3-pointers and shot 13-of-18 from the field overall in the first quarter. Bojan (BOY'-ahn) Bogdanovic led the way, going 6-of-7 from outside, tying an NBA postseason record for most 3-pointers made in a single quarter. Bogdanovic finished with nine treys and 32 points, Donovan Mitchell had 21 points and Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR') added 17 with 11 rebounds for Utah.Paul enters COVID-19 protocolsUNDATED (AP) — The Phoenix Suns could be missing a very key piece to their starting lineup when they begin their next playoff series.The Suns say guard Chris Paul has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, and his availability for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is unclear. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Paul has been vaccinated against COVID-19. That could mean that Paul could be cleared to return faster than those who tested positive before vaccines were available.In other NBA news:— Hornets versatile point guard LaMelo Ball is the NBA Rookie of the Year despite missing 21 games with a fractured wrist. Ball beat out finalists Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings to win the award. He led all rookies with averages of 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game and was third with 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.— Head coach Scott Brooks won't be returning to the Wizards, who made the playoffs three times in his five years at the helm. Washington won its play-in game and was promptly knocked out by the 76ers in five games. The Wizards were 183-207 under Brooks.— Stan Van Gundy was given the one season to coach the Pelicans before the two sides mutually agreed to part. New Orleans just went 31-41 to finish 11th in the Western Conference, two games out of a play-in berth. The Pelicans had the eighth-worst defense in the league this season following a truncated training camp.— Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson is leaving the team after 24 seasons. Nelson was instrumental in the club's acquisitions of Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic (DAHN'-chihch). The Mavericks said Wednesday the club and Nelson agreed to part ways, with owner Mark Cuban saying the 58-year-old son of former coach Don Nelson was "instrumental to our success and helped bring a championship to Dallas."NHLHabs knot series with KnightsLAS VEGAS (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens aren't going to go away quietly in the Stanley Cup semifinals.The Habs have evened the series at a game apiece as Carey Price stopped 29 saves in a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Price improved to 9-4 in the playoffs, his most victories in a postseason. Eight of those wins have come in Montreal's last nine games.Paul Byron, Joel Armia (joh-EHL' ahr-MEE'-ah) and Tyler Toffoli (tah-FOH'-lee) scored for Montreal, with Byron making it 3-0 with 2:45 left in the second period. The Habs have won 21 straight playoff games when scoring at least three goals.Alex Pietrangelo peh-TRAN'-jeh-loh) scored twice for Vegas and Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves.The Knights had won five in a row since dropping the first two games of their second-round series in Colorado.Game 3 is Friday night in Montreal.Spezza stays with LeafsTORONTO (AP) — Jason Spezza (SPEHT'-suh) has re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, agreeing to the NHL-minimum $750,000 for next season.The 38-year-old Spezza had 10 goals and 30 points in 54 regular-season games for his hometown team and added three goals and five in seven playoff contests.MLBSox win on Grandal's hitUNDATED (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have won a series matchup of AL division leaders, but it took extra innings to accomplish it.The White Sox pulled out an 8-7 win over the Rays behind Yasmani Grandal's (yahs-MAH'-nee grahn-DAHLZ') game-ending single in the 10th. Jóse Abreu (ah-BRAY'-oo) hit his 12th homer of the season for the White Sox, who squandered a 7-2 lead before winning for the 10th time in their last 13 games.Yandy Díaz and Mike Zunino (zuh-NEE'-noh) homered for the Rays. Meanwhile, the Mets continue to win games and lose key players.Jacob deGrom was pulled from a second straight start with an arm injury, this time leaving after three perfect innings with right shoulder tightness in New York's 6-3 victory over the Cubs. DeGrom struck out eight of the nine batters he faced and lowered his ERA to 0.54, the lowest in major league history after 11 starts.Dominic Smith hit a one-out solo homer in the third and added a run-scoring grounder in the fourth as the Mets earned their sixth win in seven games, putting the NL East leaders a season-high 10 games over .500.Around the majors:— The Red Sox earned their second-straight, 10-8 win over the Braves as Christian Arroyo slugged a pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning. Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run single and Xander Bogaerts (BOH'-gahrts) had three doubles as part of Boston's 14-hit attack.— Gary Sánchez belted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Aroldis (ah-ROHL'-dihs) Chapman dodged a ninth-inning jam to wrap up the Yankees' 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. Gerrit Cole is 8-3 after limiting Toronto to four hits over eight innings.— The Athletics have a six-game winning streak after Ramón Laureano hit a home run and made a homer-robbing catch in his return from the injured list, highlighting an 8-4 win over the Angels. Matt Olson singled twice in a six-run sixth and finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. — Jose Altuve (al-TOO'-vay) homered twice and made major league history by hitting a leadoff homer one game after belting a walk-off grand slam, carrying the Astros to an 8-4 win over the Rangers. Astros rookie Chas McCormick recorded his first two-homer game on a night when Houston went deep a season-high six times.— José Ramírez homered and drove in three runs as the Indians sent the Orioles to their team record-extending 18th consecutive road loss, 8-7. César Hernández had a two-run triple and Adam Civale (sih-VAH'-lee) became the first 10-game winner of the season despite allowing five runs in as many innings.— Willi Castro homered during a three-run seventh that send the Tigers to a 6-5 victory and a three-game sweep of Kansas City. The Royals have lost six in a row and 11 of 12. — Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer against his former team and rookie starter Bailey Ober struck out six as the Twins dumped the Mariners, 7-2. Ryan Jeffers also homered in Minnesota's first win in four games.— The Diamondbacks tied a major league record with their 22nd consecutive road loss as Buster Posey hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the Giants' 13-7 trouncing of Arizona. Steven Duggar and LaMonte (lah-MAHNT') Wade Jr. connected in the fourth as San Francisco sent its NL West rival to a 13th consecutive loss overall. — Zack Wheeler outpitched Clayton Kershaw and Rhys Hoskins ended an 0-for-33 slump with an early homer in the Phillies' 2-0 shutout of the Dodgers. Wheeler gave up five hits with six strikeouts in six innings to help Philadelphia become the first team to shut out Los Angeles since September 2019.— Yadier Molina (YAH'-dee-ehr moh-LEE'-nah) delivered his eighth career walk-off hit with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to complete the Cardinals' 1-0 and three-game sweep of the Marlins. St. Louis starter Johan Oviedo worked a career-high seven scoreless innings and Miami's Sandy Alcantara (al-KAN'-tah-rah) pitched a team season-high 8 1/3 innings. — The Reds won for the 11th time in 13 games as Tyler Mahle (MAH'-lee) tied his career high with 12 strikeouts in a 2-1 decision over the Brewers. Tucker Barnhart doubled home the tiebreaking run to send Cincinnati to its sixth straight win and a three-game sweep.— The Nationals picked up a 3-1 win over the Pirates behind Paolo Espino, who allowed three hits over five shutout innings for his first major league win at age 34. Josh Bell hit a two-run homer against his former team as Washington completed a three-game sweep that extends Pittsburgh's losing streak to 10 games.— Pinch-hitter Charlie Blackmon singled home the winning run in the ninth to give the Rockies an 8-7 win over the sputtering Padres. San Diego wasted Fernando Tatis (tah-TEES') Jr.'s NL-leading 21st home run and lost for the 13th time in 17 games.Rays' Hill says union 'dropped the ball' on grip enhancersUNDATED (AP) — Veteran Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Rich Hill says the players' union "dropped the ball" when it came to this week's announcement from Major League Baseball about grip-enhancing substances. MLB says pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games starting Monday for using illegal substances to doctor baseballs. The 41-year old Hill said he feels like the sides should have come together and settled this together. Elsewhere around the majors:— Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's game against the Rangers with a strained left quadriceps. Bregman was injured in the first inning while running to first base when he grounded into a double play.— The Phillies will be without second baseman Jean Segura for at least three weeks due to a Grade 1 left groin strain. The team also says slugger Bryce Harper is day to day with lower back tightness. Both were injured on Tuesday.NFLNFL loosening many COVID restrictions for vaccinated playersUNDATED (AP) — The NFL and NFL Players Association have updated COVID-19 protocols to loosen restrictions for fully vaccinated players and to encourage others to get the vaccine.Unvaccinated players must continue to get daily testing, wear masks and practice physical distancing. They won't be allowed to eat meals with teammates, can't participate in media or marketing activities while traveling, aren't permitted to use the sauna or steam room and may not leave the team hotel or interact with people outside the team while traveling.TENNISVenus, Murray get Wimbledon wild cards; prize money reducedUNDATED (AP) — Former Wimbledon champions Venus Williams and Andy Murray will receive wild cards to compete in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament when it starts in less than two weeks.The All England Club also announced Wednesday that the men's and women's singles winners will each get $2.4 million, a nearly 28% decrease from 2019, although the overall reduction in prize money is 5.2%.Organizers highlighted plans to have a full crowd of 15,000 at Centre Court for the men's and women's finals next month, a year after the tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. In other tennis news: — Roger Federer has failed to reach the Halle Open quarterfinals for the first time. Félix Auger-Aliassime rallied from a set down to stun the former champion 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round. HORSE RACINGKentucky judge divides Medina Spirit urine sample for testsUNDATED (AP) — A Kentucky judge has granted representatives of trainer Bob Baffert and the owners of Kentucky Derby winner Medina (meh-DEE'-nah) Spirit most of a split sample of the horse's urine to be further tested for the steroid betamethasone and other substances. The Hall of Fame trainer and Zedan Racing Stables last week sued the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for remnants of Medina Spirit's urine to prove that traces of the steroid betamethasone in his system came from a topical ointment rather than an injection. EURO-2020-PLAYER COLLAPSESEriksen to be fitted with implanted heart monitoring deviceCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Danish soccer federation says player Christian Eriksen will be fitted with an implantable device to monitor his heart rhythm. Eriksen is recovering in a Copenhagen hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark's game against Finland at the European Championship. The Danish federation says doctors have determined that Eriksen needs to have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. It says such a device "is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances." <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;