AP Sports Summary for September 26th:
UNLV and Air Force to remain in Mountain West with financial incentives, AP source says
UNLV and Air Force have decided to remain in the Mountain West, allowing the conference to thwart off attempts at further poaching by the Pac-12 and American Athletic Conference, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because the schools had not made their intentions public. The Mountain West declined to comment on its internal discussions. The conference has already lost five members to the rebuilding Pac-12 over the last two weeks, incuding Utah State earlier this week.
Alyssa Thomas helps the Connecticut Sun eliminate Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever from playoffs
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Alyssa Thomas had 19 points and 13 assists to help the Connecticut Sun sweep Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs with an 87-81 win Wednesday night. The third-seeded Sun will now face Minnesota in the semifinals which begin Sunday. Clark played much better in Game 2 than she did in her postseason debut last Sunday. The AP Rookie of the Year finished with 25 points and nine assists, but it wasn't enough. Aliyah Boston added 16 points and 19 rebounds.
Napheesa Collier scores 42 to tie a WNBA playoff record for points, and the Lynx swept the Mercury
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 42 to tie a WNBA playoff record for points in a game, and the Minnesota Lynx swept the Phoenix Mercury 101-88 on Wednesday night. Collier tied Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry for the 42-point record when she made 1 of 2 free throws with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. It was one of just two misses from the free-throw line in 14 attempts for Collier, who was subbed out with 58.3 seconds left. Minnesota plays again on Sunday against Connecticut, which advanced to its sixth consecutive semifinals after an 87-81 victory over Indiana earlier Wednesday.
Langford and García homer as the Rangers beat the A's 5-1 in final scheduled night game at Coliseum
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Wyatt Langford and Adolis García homered to help the Texas Rangers spoil the final scheduled night baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum, beating the Athletics 5-1. An animated crowd of 35,270 came out on a chilly late September evening, regularly chanting "Sell the team!" as a message to owner John Fisher. The A's have played in the Coliseum since 1968 and are scheduled to move to Sacramento for at least the next three seasons while waiting for a ballpark they hope to open in Las Vegas.
Giroud, Loris propel LAFC to 3-1 extra-time victory over Sporting KC in US Open Cup final
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Omar Campos and Kei Kamara scored in extra time and Los Angeles FC won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. Olivier Giroud scored for LAFC in regulation, which ended knotted at 1-1. It was LAFC's first appearance in the Open Cup championship and snapped a run of four straight title matches without a victory. The team's last trophy came in the 2022 MLS Cup final. Erik Thommy scored for Sporting KC, which won four previous Open Cup finals, with the last in 2017.
UNLV QB to sit out season after agent says $100,000 promised for transfer has not been paid
UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka has decided to sit out the rest of the undefeated team's season because of a dispute over a $100,000 NIL payment that was promised but never paid after he agreed to transfer to the Rebels last winter, Sluka's agent told The Associated Press. Sluka's announcement came in a social media post. The Rebels are 3-0 led by the Holy Cross transfer, who can preserve his last year of college eligibility by not playing in any more games.
Mets and Braves to play doubleheader on Monday after forecast washes out rest of pivotal series
ATLANTA (AP) — The last two games of the pivotal series between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves have been postponed due to the forecast for inclement weather. New York, Atlanta and Arizona are battling for the last two NL wild cards. Heading into the day, the 87-70 Mets were in the second spot, a half-game ahead of the Diamondbacks and a full game better than the 86-71 Braves. The last two games of the three-game set, originally scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, will be made up as a doubleheader Monday in Atlanta. The first game will start at 1:10 p.m., with the second starting 40 minutes after the last out of the first.
Ohtani's 50-50 home run ball goes up for auction with starting bid of $500,000
RUNNEMEDE, N.J. (AP) — The baseball that Shohei Ohtani hit for his 50th home run, which gave him 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same season, is going up for auction on Friday. Ohtani became the first player in Major League history in the 50-50 club. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar accomplished the feat last week in Miami. The opening bid for the ball is $500,000. There is black scuffing and abrasions on the white leather ball, which was authenticated by Major League Baseball. The fan who caught it is working with Goldin, a New Jersey-based auction house.
LeBron and Bronny James are already scrimmaging with Lakers ahead of historic father-and-son season
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James and son Bronny James are already scrimmaging with the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers during voluntary offseason workouts. JJ Redick and his new coaching staff are already planning and discussing the moment early in the new season when a father and son will share an NBA court for the first time. The specifics of that historic day aren't set yet, but Redick shares the basketball world's anticipation of the chance to watch the top scorer in NBA history playing alongside the Lakers' new second-round draft pick. Redick sees only positive aspects in pairing the duo on the court.
Blue Jackets honor Johnny Gaudreau before their first home game since his death
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An emotional video tribute to Johnny Gaudreau and 13 seconds of silence — for his uniform number — opened the Columbus Blue Jackets' first game at Nationwide Arena since the star player's death nearly a month ago.The tributes came just prior to the Blue Jackets' 3-0 preseason victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.Gaudreau and brother Matthew were killed Aug. 29 near their boyhood home in New Jersey when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on the eve of sister Katie's wedding. The driver who police say struck them is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Cleveland 5 Cincinnati 2
Final Kansas City 3 Washington 0
Final Minnesota 8 Miami 3
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Seattle 8 Houston 1
Final Detroit 7 Tampa Bay 1
Final Toronto 6 Boston 1
Final Baltimore 9 N.Y. Yankees 7
Final Chicago White Sox 4 L.A. Angels 3
Final Texas 5 Oakland 1
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
N-Y Mets at Atlanta 4:40 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Philadelphia 9 Chicago Cubs 6
Final Pittsburgh 2 Milwaukee 1
Final St. Louis 5 Colorado 2
Final Arizona 8 San Francisco 2
Final L.A. Dodgers 4 San Diego 3
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Final Tampa Bay 8 Florida 7
Final Washington 5 New Jersey 3
Final Columbus 3 St. Louis 0
Final OT Vancouver 4 Calgary 3
Final Winnipeg 6 Edmonton 1
Final Dallas 5 Minnesota 2
Final Detroit 4 Chicago 2
Final Los Angeles 3 Vegas 2
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Connecticut 87 Indiana 81
Final Minnesota 101 Phoenix 88
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Kansas City at Washington 1:05 p.m.
Miami at Minnesota 7:40 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Detroit 1:10 p.m.
L-A Angels at Chi White Sox 2:10 p.m.
Texas at Oakland 3:37 p.m.
Baltimore at N-Y Yankees 7:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee at Pittsburgh 12:35 p.m.
St. Louis at Colorado 3:10 p.m.
San Diego at L-A Dodgers 10:10 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Atlanta 1:10 p.m. (Postponed)
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Boston at N-Y Rangers 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Ottawa 7 p.m.
Montreal at Toronto 7 p.m.
N-Y Islanders at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Dallas at N-Y Giants 8:15 p.m.
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