HUSKER BASEBALL STRANDS WINNING RUNS ON BASE IN CREIGHTON LOSS:
Nebraska scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth but stranded the tying run on third base, falling 8-7 to Creighton on Tuesday night at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.
Nebraska (24-25) scored seven runs on 10 hits and an error, while Creighton (32-13) totaled eight runs, nine hits and two errors.
Joshua Overbeek went 3-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and team-high three runs. Gabe Swansen was 2-for-5 with a solo homer, while Riley Silva had a 2-for-3 night with an RBI and a run scored.
Trailing 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth, the Huskers had runners on first and third with one out, but a pair of swinging strikeouts put a halt to Nebraska’s threat and clinched the 8-7 win for the Bluejays.
Nebraska concludes its home slate this weekend, as the Huskers welcome Michigan to Lincoln. First pitch of Friday’s series opener between the Big Red and Wolverines is set for 6:02 p.m. on Nebraska Public Media/B1G+.
KEARNEY WINS 20TH GAME IN WALK-OFF FASHION:
Hollywood couldn’t have written the script for Kearney High baseball in the bottom of the ninth inning. Down 2-1, the Bearcats would find the tying run through a Kole Throckmorton RBI single to score Owen Waha, followed up by a Gunner DeMilt single to win the contest, 3-2.
Kearney improved to 20-9 on the season, and will have district play later this week. Class A districts will be announced this morning.
NEBRASKA FOOTBALL OPPONENT AKRON HANDED BOWL BAN:
The home-opener for Nebraska football this fall will be against an opponent who already knows they won’t be playing in a bowl game.
Akron has been handed a postseason ban after posting a failing Academic Progress Rate score for 2023-24. The Zips had a 914 multi-year APR score, which is below the 930-threshold required to remain eligible for postseason competition.
Only three football programs received postseason bans for their latest APR rate, with Akron being the only one in FBS. The two FCS programs are Mississippi Valley State and UAPB. Florida A&M, Missouri State, Murray State, and Utah Tech all received practice time reductions for low APR rates.
Nebraska had an APR score of 976.
DANNEN NAMED TO CFP COMMITTEE
Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen was named to the College Football Playoff Committee yesterday.
Dannen, entering his second full year as Nebraska’s Athletic Director, will be joined by former Arkansas and Kansas AD Jeff Long on the committee. The duo will replace Southern Methodist AD Damon Evans and USA Today sportswriter Steve Weiberg.
Although Nebraska has never sniffed a College Football Playoff berth, access to the field has never been easier for programs in the top 20 but not the top five. This past fall saw the CFP expand from four to 12 teams, and discussions are continuing if expansion will take the field to 16 in the near future.
UNK W’S TENNIS MAKES NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR 13TH TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY:
The UNK women’s tennis team has reached the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history.
The Lopers (18-5) are the third seed in the Central Regional and will head to Topeka, Kan., to face sixth seed and MIAA rival Central Oklahoma (13-6) on Monday, May 12. The winner faces second seed and 14th-ranked Washburn on Tuesday with match times TBD.
The other Central regional has Augustana as the host with Southern Arkansas the four seed and MIAA Tournament runner up Northwest Missouri the fifth seed. The winners of both Central Regionals advance to the “Sweet 16” May 21-25 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
YESTERDAY’S BASEBALL SCORES:
Kearney 3, Burke 2
Adams Central 9, St. Paul/Palmer 3
CURRY LEAVES WARRIORS’ WIN VS. WOLVES WITH HAMSTRING STRAIN, PUTTING REST OF SERIES IN QUESTION:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Golden State star Stephen Curry was sidelined by a strained left hamstring early in the second quarter at Minnesota, and the Warriors were bracing for an extended absence of their sharpshooting leader after opening the series by beating the Timberwolves 99-88 on Tuesday.
Curry will have an MRI on Wednesday. His status is day to day, but coach Steve Kerr acknowledged it’s unlikely he’ll be available to play in Game 2 on Thursday.
“He’s obviously crushed, but the guys picked him up and played a great game,” Kerr said. “Obviously we’re all concerned about Steph, but that’s part of the game. Guys get hurt, and you move on. Our guys did a great job of moving on and getting a great win 48 hours after a Game 7 road win. It’s an amazing group of guys. They compete. They’re together.”
Curry started grabbing at the back of his left leg early in the second quarter shortly after hitting a 26-foot step-back 3-pointer. He powered through some discomfort for a bit, and after getting a 14-foot floater to fall for a 27-20 lead he started motioning to the bench that he needed to come out.
Once a timeout by the Timberwolves finally stopped the clock, Curry jogged gingerly to the locker room with 13 points in 13 minutes on 5-for-9 shooting.
KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER SOVEREIGNTY WON’T RUN IN THE PREAKNESS, DASHING TRIPLE CROWN POSSIBILITY:
(AP) — Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness Stakes, officials announced Tuesday, meaning there won’t be a Triple Crown champion for a seventh consecutive year.
“We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” said Mike Rogers, executive VP of 1/ST Racing, which operates the Preakness. “We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision.”
Mott told Preakness officials the plan will be to enter Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown, on June 7 at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. Mott on Sunday morning had foreshadowed skipping the Preakness in the name of long-term interests.
Sovereignty won a muddy Derby with jockey Junior Alvarado at odds of 7-1 by passing favorite Journalism down the stretch.
WEDNESDAY’S TIME SCHEDULE:
MLB
Cleveland at Washington, 12:05 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.
San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
Seattle at Athletics, 3:35 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Arizona, 3:40 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at Miami, 4:40 p.m.
Texas at Boston, 6:45 p.m.
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 7:05 p.m.
San Diego at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.
Cincinnati at Atlanta, 7:15 p.m.
Baltimore at Minnesota, 7:40 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 7:40 p.m.
Detroit at Colorado, 8:40 p.m.
Toronto at L.A. Angels, 9:38 p.m.
NBA Playoffs – Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference
New York at Boston – Game 2, 7 p.m.
Western Conference
Denver at Oklahoma City – Game 2, 9:30 p.m.
NHL Playoffs – Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference
Florida at Toronto – Game 2, 7 p.m.
Western Conference
Dallas at Winnipeg – Game 1, 9:30 p.m.
PWHL Playoffs – Semifinals
Minnesota at Toronto – Game 1, 7 p.m.