TULSA, Okla.—The Wichita Wind Surge dropped their second straight game to the Tulsa Drillers by a 4-3 final score. After winning the first three games against the Drillers this week on the road, the Wind Surge will play for the series win tomorrow afternoon.

Jake Rucker&nbsp;singled&nbsp;Kala’i Rosario&nbsp;home in the top of the second inning. Rucker has six RBIs this series, which is the most he’s tallied in a series this season. Yeiner Fernandez tied the game on an RBI double to right field in the Tulsa half of the frame.

The Drillers tallied two runs on a pair of run-scoring knocks in the bottom of the sixth on a Griffin Lockwood-Powell double and a Fernandez single off&nbsp;Jarret Whorff.&nbsp;Jorel Ortega&nbsp;served as the next equalizer of the night a half-inning later with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to left field to make the game a 3-3 deadlock heading into the seventh inning stretch.

After the bases filled up in the bottom of the seventh, Austin Beck drew a go-ahead bases-loaded walk to return the lead to Tulsa.&nbsp;Miguel Rodriguez&nbsp;retired the next three batters out of the bullpen to keep the contest close as Wichita was down to their final six outs.

<a href="https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=mlb-milbcom&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=reco-reel:Mid%20Article%20Reco%20Reel:" target="_blank">by Taboola</a><a href="https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=mlb-milbcom&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=reco-reel:Mid%20Article%20Reco%20Reel:" target="_blank">Sponsored Links</a>You May Like<a href="https://www.thespruce.com/featured/premium/light-the-moment-avec" target="_blank">The SpruceLighting the Moment</a><a href="https://www.milb.com/news/jackson-holliday-hits-first-homer-since-norfolk-tides-return" target="_blank">MiLB.comHolliday back in the swing of things with Tides</a><a href="https://www.milb.com/news/rangers-prospect-gleider-figuereo-own-legacy-pro-baseball-edinson-volquez" target="_blank">MiLB.comWood Ducks' Figuereo on path to carving legacy</a><a href="https://www.milb.com/news/fcl-phillies-throw-first-no-hitter-of-complex-league" target="_blank">MiLB.comFCL Phillies throw first no-no of Complex League</a>

The Wind Surge put runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but the side struck out to end the ballgame. Drillers pitchers amounted to 14 strikeouts against the visitors across the night.

Whorff fell to 0-2 on the year after giving up three earned runs on two hits and four walks in an inning of relief against two strikeouts.

Wichita plays their series finale with the Drillers at ONEOK Field tomorrow, Sunday, May 19, with a 1:00 PM first pitch. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>&nbsp;or watch online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/MiLB.TV">MiLB.TV</a>&nbsp;and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716121876601.jpeg" alt="Wind Surge blown away by Tulsa pitching in second straight loss" />
 <figcaption>Wind Surge blown away by Tulsa pitching in second straight loss</figcaption>
 </figure>TULSA, Okla.—The Wichita Wind Surge dropped their second straight game to the Tulsa Drillers by a 4-3 final score. After winning the first three games against the Drillers this week on the road, the Wind Surge will play for the series win tomorrow afternoon.Jake Rucker&nbsp;singled&nbsp;Kala’i Rosario&nbsp;home in the top of the second inning. Rucker has six RBIs this series, which is the most he’s tallied in a series this season. Yeiner Fernandez tied the game on an RBI double to right field in the Tulsa half of the frame.The Drillers tallied two runs on a pair of run-scoring knocks in the bottom of the sixth on a Griffin Lockwood-Powell double and a Fernandez single off&nbsp;Jarret Whorff.&nbsp;Jorel Ortega&nbsp;served as the next equalizer of the night a half-inning later with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to left field to make the game a 3-3 deadlock heading into the seventh inning stretch.After the bases filled up in the bottom of the seventh, Austin Beck drew a go-ahead bases-loaded walk to return the lead to Tulsa.&nbsp;Miguel Rodriguez&nbsp;retired the next three batters out of the bullpen to keep the contest close as Wichita was down to their final six outs.<a href="https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=mlb-milbcom&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=reco-reel:Mid%20Article%20Reco%20Reel:" target="_blank">by Taboola</a><a href="https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&amp;utm_source=mlb-milbcom&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=reco-reel:Mid%20Article%20Reco%20Reel:" target="_blank">Sponsored Links</a>You May Like<a href="https://www.thespruce.com/featured/premium/light-the-moment-avec" target="_blank">The SpruceLighting the Moment</a><a href="https://www.milb.com/news/jackson-holliday-hits-first-homer-since-norfolk-tides-return" target="_blank">MiLB.comHolliday back in the swing of things with Tides</a><a href="https://www.milb.com/news/rangers-prospect-gleider-figuereo-own-legacy-pro-baseball-edinson-volquez" target="_blank">MiLB.comWood Ducks' Figuereo on path to carving legacy</a><a href="https://www.milb.com/news/fcl-phillies-throw-first-no-hitter-of-complex-league" target="_blank">MiLB.comFCL Phillies throw first no-no of Complex League</a>The Wind Surge put runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but the side struck out to end the ballgame. Drillers pitchers amounted to 14 strikeouts against the visitors across the night.Whorff fell to 0-2 on the year after giving up three earned runs on two hits and four walks in an inning of relief against two strikeouts.Wichita plays their series finale with the Drillers at ONEOK Field tomorrow, Sunday, May 19, with a 1:00 PM first pitch. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>&nbsp;or watch online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/MiLB.TV">MiLB.TV</a>&nbsp;and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milb.com/windsurge.com">windsurge.com</a>.

⚾ Tulsa pitching too much for Wind Surge

Usyk beats Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years. Usyk added Fury's WBC title to his own WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a spectacular late rally Saunday highlighted by a ninth-round knockdown in a back-and-forth bout between two previously unbeaten heavyweight champs. Two judges favored Usyk, 115-112 and 114-113, while the third gave it to Fury, 114-113. Usyk started quickly, but then had to survive while the confident, charismatic Fury dominated the middle rounds. Usyk rallied in the final rounds, just as the Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist has done so many times in his career.

Schauffele and Morikawa are tied at the PGA Championship with a lot of company, except for Scheffler

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are tied for the lead at the PGA Championship going into the final round and they have a lot of company. Low scoring at Valhalla allows for that. Shane Lowry had the second 62 this week. That ties a major championship record. Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland are within two shots. Fifteen players are separated by five shots. Missing was Scottie Scheffler. He faded early and never recovered. His 73 ends 42 consecutive rounds at par or better. And now he's nine shots behind. Schauffele and Morikawa lead Sahith Theegala by one.

P.J. Washington's free throws finish rally as Mavs beat Thunder 117-116 to reach West finals

DALLAS (AP) — P.J. Washington Jr. made two free throws before an intentional miss with 2.5 seconds left, lifting the Dallas Mavericks to a 117-116 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas moved on to the Western Conference finals for the second time in three seasons. Washington was fouled by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a 3-point attempt after Chet Holmgren put the Thunder in front 116-115 with a dunk. The Thunder could only get a desperation shot from well past half court after Washington's missed free throw following two makes for a one-point lead. Dallas trailed by 17 in the second half. Luka Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points.

Seize the Grey wins the Preakness for D. Wayne Lukas and ends Mystik Dan's Triple Crown bid

BALTIMORE (AP) — Seize the Grey has won the Preakness Stakes for 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. His victory ended Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan's Triple Crown bid. Seize the Grey returned off the same two-week turnaround as Mystik Dan after impressing in a win on the Derby undercard enough to convince Lukas to try the Preakness. Lukas has saddled more horses in the Preakness than anyone else in the race's 149-year history. He has now won the middle leg of the Triple Crown seven times and is one back of the record held by good friend Bob Baffert. Mystik Dan finished second.

Rough return to 'normal' sends Scheffler down the leaderboard at PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler arrived at the golf course in plenty of time. Once he got there, nothing really worked. A day after he powered through his odyssey to the jailhouse, then back to the course just in time to get to the opening tee box, Scheffler enjoyed a more regular schedule but struggled to keep things together at the PGA Championship. He shot 2-over 73 in the third round to finish at 7 under for the tournament and drop from fourth to a tie for 24th. It snapped a string of 42 straight rounds of par or better.

Clark helps Liberty become 1st WNBA team to have $2M+ in 1-game ticket revenue, AP source says

NEW YORK (AP) — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark helped bring in record ticket revenue for the New York Liberty in her first game in the Big Apple. The Liberty had more than $2 million in ticket revenue for the game, a WNBA record, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk about the team's revenue. The game was sold out and tickets were hot on the secondary market. Clark's first three games with the Fever have been huge for attendance.

The WNBA is investigating whether Vegas tourism authority can sponsor Aces players for $100K each

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The WNBA is investigating whether the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's $100,000 annual sponsorship to Aces player for this season and next is legal. The sponsorship does not violate the WNBA's salary cap because the Las Vegas authority did not orchestrate it with the club. But other teams are likely to raise questions about the fairness of the sponsorship and whether it violates the spirit of the cap rules. Authority CEO Steve Hill says the sponsorship was done "the right way." He says the team had nothing to do with it.

Team Penske dominates first day of Indy 500 qualifying as Ganassi and Ericsson shut out of pole

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Team Penske swept three of the top four spots in Saturday qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 to give the team under so much scrutiny a solid shot at winning the pole for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Kyle Larson qualified for his first career Indianapolis 500 and made the Fast 12, which makes him eligible to compete with the Penske trio Sunday for the pole. Larson is the fifth driver to attempt to race both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, but first he's scheduled to make a pole run in Indy on Sunday and then start from the pole Sunday night for NASCAR's All-Star race in North Carolina. Seven different teams comprise the Fast 12.

Hart, Anunoby listed as questionable to play for Knicks on Sunday in Game 7 against the Pacers

NEW YORK (AP) — Starting forwards Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are both listed as questionable to play for the New York Knicks on Sunday in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks have been without Anunoby since he strained his left hamstring in Game 2. He scored a career playoff-high 28 points that night as New York took a 2-0 lead. The Knicks are 26-5 with Anunoby in the lineup this season. Hart left Game 6 in the fourth quarter with an abdominal strain after he was clearly in discomfort multiple times during the game.

Stewart helps New York top Indiana again 91-80 despite strong game from Caitlin Clark

NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 24 points to lead a balanced New York offense as the Liberty beat Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 91-80 in front of a sellout crowd. It was the second consecutive meeting between the teams who finished off a home and home set. Indiana lost on Thursday by 36 points, but was more competitive Saturday thanks to a strong effort by Clark. She finished with 22 points. It was the most in her young pro career. She also had eight assists, six rebounds and eight turnovers.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final	N.Y. Yankees	6	Chicago White Sox	1	

San Diego	at	Atlanta	6:20 p.m.	(Postponed)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS 

Final	Austin FC	3	Sporting Kansas City	2	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, May 19th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, May 19th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Report for May 19th:<div><iframe title="AP Sports Report for May 19th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=34v7v-16175d9-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Usyk beats Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 yearsRIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years. Usyk added Fury's WBC title to his own WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a spectacular late rally Saunday highlighted by a ninth-round knockdown in a back-and-forth bout between two previously unbeaten heavyweight champs. Two judges favored Usyk, 115-112 and 114-113, while the third gave it to Fury, 114-113. Usyk started quickly, but then had to survive while the confident, charismatic Fury dominated the middle rounds. Usyk rallied in the final rounds, just as the Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist has done so many times in his career.Schauffele and Morikawa are tied at the PGA Championship with a lot of company, except for SchefflerLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are tied for the lead at the PGA Championship going into the final round and they have a lot of company. Low scoring at Valhalla allows for that. Shane Lowry had the second 62 this week. That ties a major championship record. Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland are within two shots. Fifteen players are separated by five shots. Missing was Scottie Scheffler. He faded early and never recovered. His 73 ends 42 consecutive rounds at par or better. And now he's nine shots behind. Schauffele and Morikawa lead Sahith Theegala by one.P.J. Washington's free throws finish rally as Mavs beat Thunder 117-116 to reach West finalsDALLAS (AP) — P.J. Washington Jr. made two free throws before an intentional miss with 2.5 seconds left, lifting the Dallas Mavericks to a 117-116 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas moved on to the Western Conference finals for the second time in three seasons. Washington was fouled by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a 3-point attempt after Chet Holmgren put the Thunder in front 116-115 with a dunk. The Thunder could only get a desperation shot from well past half court after Washington's missed free throw following two makes for a one-point lead. Dallas trailed by 17 in the second half. Luka Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points.Seize the Grey wins the Preakness for D. Wayne Lukas and ends Mystik Dan's Triple Crown bidBALTIMORE (AP) — Seize the Grey has won the Preakness Stakes for 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. His victory ended Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan's Triple Crown bid. Seize the Grey returned off the same two-week turnaround as Mystik Dan after impressing in a win on the Derby undercard enough to convince Lukas to try the Preakness. Lukas has saddled more horses in the Preakness than anyone else in the race's 149-year history. He has now won the middle leg of the Triple Crown seven times and is one back of the record held by good friend Bob Baffert. Mystik Dan finished second.Rough return to 'normal' sends Scheffler down the leaderboard at PGA ChampionshipLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler arrived at the golf course in plenty of time. Once he got there, nothing really worked. A day after he powered through his odyssey to the jailhouse, then back to the course just in time to get to the opening tee box, Scheffler enjoyed a more regular schedule but struggled to keep things together at the PGA Championship. He shot 2-over 73 in the third round to finish at 7 under for the tournament and drop from fourth to a tie for 24th. It snapped a string of 42 straight rounds of par or better.Clark helps Liberty become 1st WNBA team to have $2M+ in 1-game ticket revenue, AP source saysNEW YORK (AP) — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark helped bring in record ticket revenue for the New York Liberty in her first game in the Big Apple. The Liberty had more than $2 million in ticket revenue for the game, a WNBA record, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk about the team's revenue. The game was sold out and tickets were hot on the secondary market. Clark's first three games with the Fever have been huge for attendance.The WNBA is investigating whether Vegas tourism authority can sponsor Aces players for $100K eachLAS VEGAS (AP) — The WNBA is investigating whether the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's $100,000 annual sponsorship to Aces player for this season and next is legal. The sponsorship does not violate the WNBA's salary cap because the Las Vegas authority did not orchestrate it with the club. But other teams are likely to raise questions about the fairness of the sponsorship and whether it violates the spirit of the cap rules. Authority CEO Steve Hill says the sponsorship was done "the right way." He says the team had nothing to do with it.Team Penske dominates first day of Indy 500 qualifying as Ganassi and Ericsson shut out of poleINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Team Penske swept three of the top four spots in Saturday qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 to give the team under so much scrutiny a solid shot at winning the pole for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Kyle Larson qualified for his first career Indianapolis 500 and made the Fast 12, which makes him eligible to compete with the Penske trio Sunday for the pole. Larson is the fifth driver to attempt to race both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, but first he's scheduled to make a pole run in Indy on Sunday and then start from the pole Sunday night for NASCAR's All-Star race in North Carolina. Seven different teams comprise the Fast 12.Hart, Anunoby listed as questionable to play for Knicks on Sunday in Game 7 against the PacersNEW YORK (AP) — Starting forwards Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are both listed as questionable to play for the New York Knicks on Sunday in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks have been without Anunoby since he strained his left hamstring in Game 2. He scored a career playoff-high 28 points that night as New York took a 2-0 lead. The Knicks are 26-5 with Anunoby in the lineup this season. Hart left Game 6 in the fourth quarter with an abdominal strain after he was clearly in discomfort multiple times during the game.Stewart helps New York top Indiana again 91-80 despite strong game from Caitlin ClarkNEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 24 points to lead a balanced New York offense as the Liberty beat Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 91-80 in front of a sellout crowd. It was the second consecutive meeting between the teams who finished off a home and home set. Indiana lost on Thursday by 36 points, but was more competitive Saturday thanks to a strong effort by Clark. She finished with 22 points. It was the most in her young pro career. She also had eight assists, six rebounds and eight turnovers.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUE Final	Milwaukee	4	Houston	2	Final	St. Louis	7	Boston	2	Final	Detroit	8	Arizona	3	___AMERICAN LEAGUE Final	N.Y. Yankees	6	Chicago White Sox	1	Final	Tampa Bay	5	Toronto	4	Final	Seattle	4	Baltimore	3	Final	Cleveland	11	Minnesota	4	Final	Kansas City	5	Oakland	3	Final	Texas	3	L.A. Angels	2	___NATIONAL LEAGUE San Diego	at	Atlanta	6:20 p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Chicago Cubs	1	Pittsburgh	0	Final	San Francisco	14	Colorado	4	Final	Miami	10	N.Y. Mets	9	Final	Philadelphia	4	Washington	3	Final	L.A. Dodgers	4	Cincinnati	0	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Final	Dallas	117	Oklahoma City	116	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Final	Edmonton	5	Vancouver	1	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Final	New York	91	Indiana	80	Final	Chicago	83	Dallas	74	Final	Phoenix	88	Atlanta	85	Final	Las Vegas	89	Los Angeles	82	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Final tie	Atlanta	1	Nashville	1	Final tie	LA Galaxy	0	Charlotte FC	0	Final	Cincinnati	3	St Louis City	1	Final	New York City FC	2	New York	1	Final	Philadelphia	3	New England	0	Final	Toronto FC	5	CF Montréal	1	Final	Miami	1	D.C. United	0	Final	Austin FC	3	Sporting Kansas City	2	Final	Columbus	3	Chicago	1	Final tie	FC Dallas	1	Houston	1	Final	Minnesota	2	Portland	1	Final	Real Salt Lake	5	Colorado	3	Final	Orlando City	1	San Jose	0	Final tie	Vancouver	1	Seattle	1	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE Boston	at	St. Louis	1:05 p.m.	Milwaukee	at	Houston	2:10 p.m.	Detroit	at	Arizona	4:10 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE Chi White Sox	at	N-Y Yankees	1:35 p.m.	Seattle	at	Baltimore	1:35 p.m.	Tampa Bay	at	Toronto	1:37 p.m.	Minnesota	at	Cleveland	1:40 p.m.	Oakland	at	Kansas City	2:10 p.m.	L-A Angels	at	Texas	2:35 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE Washington	at	Philadelphia	1:35 p.m.	N-Y Mets	at	Miami	1:40 p.m.	Pittsburgh	at	Chi Cubs	2:20 p.m.	Colorado	at	San Francisco	4:05 p.m.	Cincinnati	at	L-A Dodgers	4:10 p.m.	San Diego	at	Atlanta	7:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Indiana	at	New York	3:30 p.m.	Minnesota	at	Denver	8 p.m.	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Seattle	at	Washington	3 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Sunday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Seth Lugo struck out 10 and earned his American League-leading seventh victory as the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 5-3 Saturday night.

The Royals improved to 28-19, nine games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2015 season, when they went on to win the World Series. Kansas City also claimed its eighth series win of the season, a mark the Royals didn't reach until mid-September in 2023.

“With this pitching staff, we don't need much,” second baseman Michael Massey said. "When a hitter is on a hot streak, at what point is he just good and not on a hot streak? I feel like that's where we're starting to get as a team. It's not really a streak. We're just playing the way we're supposed to play.

Oakland lost its seventh straight game, the team's longest skid of the season.

Lugo (7-1) allowed two runs on six hits with a walk in 5 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old right-hander had his second straight double-digit strikeout game and became the eighth Royals pitcher to accomplish that feat. James McArthur picked up his 11th save.

“The starter's job is to pitch deep into the game,” he said. “When (John) Schreiber's having to go multiple innings and three relievers are used, I feel like the standard should be to pitch deeper and to take the load off (the bullpen).”

"You feel really good that he's going to keep you in it” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. ”His stuff looked really good. The home run pitch was just him not getting the ball where he wanted it.

“This was a good test for Lugo. This was the first night when it was really warm and humid, and you could see that they made him work.”

Ross Stripling (1-8) picked up his league-leading eighth loss. The 34-year-old righty allowed four runs on nine hits with no walks and two strikeouts in five-plus innings.

The Athletics had plenty of chances, pounding out 11 hits, but they only pushed across three runs.

“We just didn't get the big hit,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “They were able to capitalize with two outs. But, offensively, there were better signs.”

The Royals got to Stripling for a pair of runs in the first. Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. opened with singles. After the runners advanced to second and third on a groundout, Salvador Perez drove in both with a single to left field.

“I don't care when we score runs,” Quatraro said, “but it's better to get out to a lead. We knew Stripling was going to be tough.”

The Athletics answered in the second. Zack Gelof legged out a double before Seth Brown hit his fourth homer of the season, a 445-foot shot to center field to tie the score.

The Royals regained the lead in the fifth when Vinnie Pasquantino snapped an 0-for-14 slump with a two-out line drive single that scored Garcia. The Royals added to the lead in the sixth on an RBI single by Nelson Velazquez that scored Massey, who led off with a double.

The Athletics closed within a run on an RBI single by Brent Rooker in the seventh. But the Royals got that run back on a leadoff home run by Kyle Isbel, his fourth, in the bottom of the seventh.

The Athletics and Royals will close their three-game series Sunday afternoon. The Athletics will send LHP JP Sears (3-2, 3.96 ERA) to the mound to face RHP Brady Singer (3-2, 2.84 ERA).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716090494222.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>DAVID SMALE Associated PressKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Seth Lugo struck out 10 and earned his American League-leading seventh victory as the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 5-3 Saturday night.The Royals improved to 28-19, nine games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2015 season, when they went on to win the World Series. Kansas City also claimed its eighth series win of the season, a mark the Royals didn't reach until mid-September in 2023.“With this pitching staff, we don't need much,” second baseman Michael Massey said. "When a hitter is on a hot streak, at what point is he just good and not on a hot streak? I feel like that's where we're starting to get as a team. It's not really a streak. We're just playing the way we're supposed to play.“We're just a good team.”Oakland lost its seventh straight game, the team's longest skid of the season.Lugo (7-1) allowed two runs on six hits with a walk in 5 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old right-hander had his second straight double-digit strikeout game and became the eighth Royals pitcher to accomplish that feat. James McArthur picked up his 11th save.But Lugo was not satisfied.“The starter's job is to pitch deep into the game,” he said. “When (John) Schreiber's having to go multiple innings and three relievers are used, I feel like the standard should be to pitch deeper and to take the load off (the bullpen).”His manager was much more complimentary."You feel really good that he's going to keep you in it” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. ”His stuff looked really good. The home run pitch was just him not getting the ball where he wanted it.“This was a good test for Lugo. This was the first night when it was really warm and humid, and you could see that they made him work.”Ross Stripling (1-8) picked up his league-leading eighth loss. The 34-year-old righty allowed four runs on nine hits with no walks and two strikeouts in five-plus innings.The Athletics had plenty of chances, pounding out 11 hits, but they only pushed across three runs.“We just didn't get the big hit,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “They were able to capitalize with two outs. But, offensively, there were better signs.”The Royals got to Stripling for a pair of runs in the first. Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. opened with singles. After the runners advanced to second and third on a groundout, Salvador Perez drove in both with a single to left field.“I don't care when we score runs,” Quatraro said, “but it's better to get out to a lead. We knew Stripling was going to be tough.”The Athletics answered in the second. Zack Gelof legged out a double before Seth Brown hit his fourth homer of the season, a 445-foot shot to center field to tie the score.The Royals regained the lead in the fifth when Vinnie Pasquantino snapped an 0-for-14 slump with a two-out line drive single that scored Garcia. The Royals added to the lead in the sixth on an RBI single by Nelson Velazquez that scored Massey, who led off with a double.The Athletics closed within a run on an RBI single by Brent Rooker in the seventh. But the Royals got that run back on a leadoff home run by Kyle Isbel, his fourth, in the bottom of the seventh.UP NEXT:The Athletics and Royals will close their three-game series Sunday afternoon. The Athletics will send LHP JP Sears (3-2, 3.96 ERA) to the mound to face RHP Brady Singer (3-2, 2.84 ERA).

⚾️ Seth Lugo claims AL-leading 7th win as the Royals beat A's

WICHITA — For the fourth straight season Wichita State placed multiple student-athletes on the NFCA All-Central Region Team, it was announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Saturday morning.

Addison Barnard was named to the First Team and CC Wong picked up Second Team honors. Barnard has been named to the All-Central Region Teams all four years, and this is her second time on the First Team (2022).

Barnard wrapped up a stellar career at Wichita State, leaving the program as the all-time leader in home runs, RBIs, total bases, stolen bases and slugging percentage. Her 93 career home runs are fourth all time in NCAA history. She had three seasons of 20 or more home runs, and holds the top three single season marks on the home run list. Barnard closed her career with a bang in last week's American Athletic Conference Championship, setting tournament records in home runs (6), total bases (26) and RBI (13). Her senior season numbers included 12 doubles, 24 home runs, 48 RBIs, 34 walks and a career-high .397 batting average. Her .973 slugging percentage was the second highest in school history, trailing her own record set in 2022.

Wong made the most of her lone season in Wichita as a senior. A transfer from Grand Canyon, Wong was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year after hitting .481 in conference play with 10 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 29 runs, 31 RBI and 20 walks. For the entire season she hit .470 with 71 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs, 53 runs and 38 walks. Her .470 batting average currently ranks first nationally, and she also ranks third in on base percentage (.579) and 11th in slugging percentage (.868). Wong's .579 on base percentage broke Sydney McKinney's single season school record.

The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated student-athletes (eight maximum) and voted for the teams. All awarded student-athletes now become eligible for the 2024 NFCA Division I All-America squads.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716050450095.jpeg" alt="Image Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Image Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy Wichita State AthleticsWICHITA — For the fourth straight season Wichita State placed multiple student-athletes on the NFCA All-Central Region Team, it was announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Saturday morning.Addison Barnard was named to the First Team and CC Wong picked up Second Team honors. Barnard has been named to the All-Central Region Teams all four years, and this is her second time on the First Team (2022).Barnard wrapped up a stellar career at Wichita State, leaving the program as the all-time leader in home runs, RBIs, total bases, stolen bases and slugging percentage. Her 93 career home runs are fourth all time in NCAA history. She had three seasons of 20 or more home runs, and holds the top three single season marks on the home run list. Barnard closed her career with a bang in last week's American Athletic Conference Championship, setting tournament records in home runs (6), total bases (26) and RBI (13). Her senior season numbers included 12 doubles, 24 home runs, 48 RBIs, 34 walks and a career-high .397 batting average. Her .973 slugging percentage was the second highest in school history, trailing her own record set in 2022.Wong made the most of her lone season in Wichita as a senior. A transfer from Grand Canyon, Wong was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year after hitting .481 in conference play with 10 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 29 runs, 31 RBI and 20 walks. For the entire season she hit .470 with 71 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs, 53 runs and 38 walks. Her .470 batting average currently ranks first nationally, and she also ranks third in on base percentage (.579) and 11th in slugging percentage (.868). Wong's .579 on base percentage broke Sydney McKinney's single season school record.The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated student-athletes (eight maximum) and voted for the teams. All awarded student-athletes now become eligible for the 2024 NFCA Division I All-America squads.

🥎 Barnard, Wong earn NFCA All-Central Region Honors

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —&nbsp;

In a game that lasted five hours and 57 minutes, finishing just after midnight, Wichita State outlasted Memphis 12-10 in 13 innings on Friday night at FedExPark.

The win is Wichita State's seventh in a row and keeps the Shockers chances at the number three seed in the conference tournament alive. WSU can secure the three seed with a win in Saturday's series finale. The loss eliminates Memphis from AAC tournament contention.

&nbsp; It was a wild, seesaw affair that saw the lead yo-yo back and forth several times in the late innings. Memphis (22-30, 9-17) carried an 8-5 edge into the seventh, but the Shockers scored one in that inning on a&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/derek-williams/7627">Derek Williams</a>&nbsp;RBI double and two more in the eighth on a game-tying, two-run home run from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>&nbsp;to knot the game at 8-8.

The score stayed level until the 11th, when&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/lane-haworth/7609">Lane Haworth</a>&nbsp;gave the Shockers (29-26, 15-11) a 10-8 lead with a two-out, two-run double for his fourth hit of the night. Wichita State was within an out of finishing off the game in the bottom of the inning, but Shane Cox dumped a two-out, two-run single into right-center to tie the game at 10-10.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp; It appeared Memphis would win the game in the bottom of the 12th when the Tigers got runners to second and third with just one out against&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-geraghty/7613">Ryan Geraghty</a>&nbsp;(2-0). But the freshman righty responded with two strikeouts to leave the winning run at third base.

&nbsp; In the 13th, the Shockers got a leadoff single from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/gannon-snyder/7608">Gannon Snyder</a>&nbsp;and a walk from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/seth-stroh/7543">Seth Stroh</a>&nbsp;to put runners at first and second with nobody out. A fly out and a strikeout followed, but Memphis lefty JT Durham issued three consecutive walks to&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/derek-williams/7627">Derek Williams</a>&nbsp;that forced in two runs for a 12-10 lead.

Geraghty walked the first man he faced in the bottom of the 12th, bringing freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jeremiah-arnett/7612">Jeremiah Arnett</a>&nbsp;into the game. Pitching for the first time since April 30, Arnett struck out the first two hitters he faced and got Jonah Sutton on a fly out to shallow right to nail down his first career save.

The game was the longest in the history of the Memphis baseball program.

&nbsp; Wichita State used 10 pitchers on the night, pulling starter&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caden-favors/7628">Caden Favors</a>&nbsp;after just three innings in preparation for the conference tournament.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mason-munz/7619">Mason Munz</a>&nbsp;delivered one of the best performances of the season with 2.2 hitless, scoreless innings and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/nate-adler/7515">Nate Adler</a>&nbsp;followed by retiring all seven man he faced with four strikeouts.

&nbsp; Durham (4-2) took the loss for Memphis, allowing both runs in the 12th. Memphis shortstop Jake Curtis pitched two different times in the game, throwing two innings of relief in the seventh and eighth and going back to the mound to record the final out in the 13th.

&nbsp; WSU held a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth thanks to two big swings.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/seth-stroh/7543">Seth Stroh</a>&nbsp;cranked a two-out, two-run homer to right in the second and in the fifth&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/kam-durnin/7604">Kam Durnin</a>&nbsp;sliced a single to right field that was misplayed by Memphis outfielder Pierre Seals, allowing Durnin to circle the bases along with&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>. Memphis scored six times in the bottom of the fifth, however, setting the stage for the late inning heroics.

The Shockers conclude the regular season on Saturday afternoon against the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716044539136.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State AthleticsMEMPHIS, Tenn. —&nbsp;

In a game that lasted five hours and 57 minutes, finishing just after midnight, Wichita State outlasted Memphis 12-10 in 13 innings on Friday night at FedExPark.The win is Wichita State's seventh in a row and keeps the Shockers chances at the number three seed in the conference tournament alive. WSU can secure the three seed with a win in Saturday's series finale. The loss eliminates Memphis from AAC tournament contention.&nbsp; It was a wild, seesaw affair that saw the lead yo-yo back and forth several times in the late innings. Memphis (22-30, 9-17) carried an 8-5 edge into the seventh, but the Shockers scored one in that inning on a&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/derek-williams/7627">Derek Williams</a>&nbsp;RBI double and two more in the eighth on a game-tying, two-run home run from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>&nbsp;to knot the game at 8-8. The score stayed level until the 11th, when&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/lane-haworth/7609">Lane Haworth</a>&nbsp;gave the Shockers (29-26, 15-11) a 10-8 lead with a two-out, two-run double for his fourth hit of the night. Wichita State was within an out of finishing off the game in the bottom of the inning, but Shane Cox dumped a two-out, two-run single into right-center to tie the game at 10-10.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It appeared Memphis would win the game in the bottom of the 12th when the Tigers got runners to second and third with just one out against&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-geraghty/7613">Ryan Geraghty</a>&nbsp;(2-0). But the freshman righty responded with two strikeouts to leave the winning run at third base.&nbsp; In the 13th, the Shockers got a leadoff single from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/gannon-snyder/7608">Gannon Snyder</a>&nbsp;and a walk from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/seth-stroh/7543">Seth Stroh</a>&nbsp;to put runners at first and second with nobody out. A fly out and a strikeout followed, but Memphis lefty JT Durham issued three consecutive walks to&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/derek-williams/7627">Derek Williams</a>&nbsp;that forced in two runs for a 12-10 lead.Geraghty walked the first man he faced in the bottom of the 12th, bringing freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jeremiah-arnett/7612">Jeremiah Arnett</a>&nbsp;into the game. Pitching for the first time since April 30, Arnett struck out the first two hitters he faced and got Jonah Sutton on a fly out to shallow right to nail down his first career save.The game was the longest in the history of the Memphis baseball program.&nbsp; Wichita State used 10 pitchers on the night, pulling starter&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caden-favors/7628">Caden Favors</a>&nbsp;after just three innings in preparation for the conference tournament.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mason-munz/7619">Mason Munz</a>&nbsp;delivered one of the best performances of the season with 2.2 hitless, scoreless innings and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/nate-adler/7515">Nate Adler</a>&nbsp;followed by retiring all seven man he faced with four strikeouts.&nbsp; Durham (4-2) took the loss for Memphis, allowing both runs in the 12th. Memphis shortstop Jake Curtis pitched two different times in the game, throwing two innings of relief in the seventh and eighth and going back to the mound to record the final out in the 13th.&nbsp; WSU held a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth thanks to two big swings.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/seth-stroh/7543">Seth Stroh</a>&nbsp;cranked a two-out, two-run homer to right in the second and in the fifth&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/kam-durnin/7604">Kam Durnin</a>&nbsp;sliced a single to right field that was misplayed by Memphis outfielder Pierre Seals, allowing Durnin to circle the bases along with&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/dayvin-johnson/7596">Dayvin Johnson</a>. Memphis scored six times in the bottom of the fifth, however, setting the stage for the late inning heroics.The Shockers conclude the regular season on Saturday afternoon against the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

⚾ Shockers best Memphis in 13 Innings

MONROE, Louisiana – Hutchinson Community College freshman track and field athlete&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_chris_pj8c">Chris Johnson</a>&nbsp;capped off a season with PRs, event championships and school records with a most coveted prize on Friday the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

Johnson became the third Blue Dragon pole vaulter in team history win an NJCAA national title on Friday, clearing a school-record 16 feet, 8 1/2 inches.

With only two vaulters – Johnson and South Plains' Ajengo Segovia – remaining at 16-3 1/2 inches, both had two missed at that height. Segovia missed, but Johnson earned that height on his final attempt to clinch the national title.

Johnson made his school-record height of 16-8 1/2 on his first attempt, but missed all three times with the bar at 17 feet.

Johnson is the first Blue Dragon individual outdoor national champion which Richard Newman won the high jump in 2019. He is the first pole vault national champion since 1986 when Randy Bryant won the championship. Johnson joins Bryant and Michael Patton (1976) as Blue Dragon pole vault national champions.

Johnson is the 53rd overall individual national champion in Blue Dragon men's track and field history.

Johnson's 10 points scored on Friday vaulted the Blue Dragons into 10th place after Day 2 with 14 points. Iowa Western leads the men's title chase with 52 points. Barton is right behind with 51 points.

Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/brown_christopher_1wqz">Christopher Brown</a>&nbsp;scored two points with a seventh-place performance in the discus on Friday. Brown posted a PR with a heave of 170 feet, 1 inch, which ranks fifth in Blue Dragon history. Brown didn't qualify in the shot put with a 10-place finish and threw of 50 feet, 11 inches.

The Blue Dragon 4x400 relay just missed qualifying for Saturday's finals with a ninth-place time of 3:13.11. The relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/telemaque_rickyle_suiu">Rickyle Telemaque</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/warren_d-antonio_xcf2">D'Antonio Warren</a>, Elijah Williams and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/thid_david_jvzs">David Thid</a>&nbsp;posted the second-best time in Blue Dragon history.

Other Blue Dragon performances on Friday:+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/darrah_christian_vppx">Christian Darrah</a>&nbsp;posted a personal best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a 15th-place time of 9:39.65, the 10th fastest time in team history.

+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/legrand_leo_j8dp">Leo LeGrand</a>&nbsp;missed qualifying for the finals in the 800-meter preliminaries with a time of 1:52.16.

+ Sprinters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/seamster_ezekiel_gysy">Ezekiel Seamster</a>&nbsp;and Warren both missed qualifying for the finals in the 100 and 200 meters. Seamster was 12th in the 100 at 10.45 seconds and 17th in the 200 at 21.41 seconds. Warren was 29th in the 100 meters in a time of 10.72 seconds and 18th in the 200 meters at 21.42 seconds.

+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/roland_ty-rique_n9sc">Ty'Rique Roland</a>&nbsp;placed 11th in the high jump on Friday at 6 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716042501469.jpeg" alt="Chris Johnson becomes the third Blue Dragon pole vaulter to win an outdoor national championship, clearing 16 feet, 8 3/4 inches to capture the 2024 NJCAA Division I Track and Field men's pole vault title on Friday in Monroe, LA. (Vicki Bortzer/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Chris Johnson becomes the third Blue Dragon pole vaulter to win an outdoor national championship, clearing 16 feet, 8 3/4 inches to capture the 2024 NJCAA Division I Track and Field men's pole vault title on Friday in Monroe, LA. (Vicki Bortzer/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationMONROE, Louisiana – Hutchinson Community College freshman track and field athlete&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_chris_pj8c">Chris Johnson</a>&nbsp;capped off a season with PRs, event championships and school records with a most coveted prize on Friday the University of Louisiana-Monroe.A national championship.Johnson became the third Blue Dragon pole vaulter in team history win an NJCAA national title on Friday, clearing a school-record 16 feet, 8 1/2 inches.With only two vaulters – Johnson and South Plains' Ajengo Segovia – remaining at 16-3 1/2 inches, both had two missed at that height. Segovia missed, but Johnson earned that height on his final attempt to clinch the national title.Johnson made his school-record height of 16-8 1/2 on his first attempt, but missed all three times with the bar at 17 feet.Johnson is the first Blue Dragon individual outdoor national champion which Richard Newman won the high jump in 2019. He is the first pole vault national champion since 1986 when Randy Bryant won the championship. Johnson joins Bryant and Michael Patton (1976) as Blue Dragon pole vault national champions.Johnson is the 53rd overall individual national champion in Blue Dragon men's track and field history.Johnson's 10 points scored on Friday vaulted the Blue Dragons into 10th place after Day 2 with 14 points. Iowa Western leads the men's title chase with 52 points. Barton is right behind with 51 points.Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/brown_christopher_1wqz">Christopher Brown</a>&nbsp;scored two points with a seventh-place performance in the discus on Friday. Brown posted a PR with a heave of 170 feet, 1 inch, which ranks fifth in Blue Dragon history. Brown didn't qualify in the shot put with a 10-place finish and threw of 50 feet, 11 inches.The Blue Dragon 4x400 relay just missed qualifying for Saturday's finals with a ninth-place time of 3:13.11. The relay team of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/telemaque_rickyle_suiu">Rickyle Telemaque</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/warren_d-antonio_xcf2">D'Antonio Warren</a>, Elijah Williams and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/thid_david_jvzs">David Thid</a>&nbsp;posted the second-best time in Blue Dragon history.Other Blue Dragon performances on Friday:+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/darrah_christian_vppx">Christian Darrah</a>&nbsp;posted a personal best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a 15th-place time of 9:39.65, the 10th fastest time in team history.+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/legrand_leo_j8dp">Leo LeGrand</a>&nbsp;missed qualifying for the finals in the 800-meter preliminaries with a time of 1:52.16.+ Sprinters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/seamster_ezekiel_gysy">Ezekiel Seamster</a>&nbsp;and Warren both missed qualifying for the finals in the 100 and 200 meters. Seamster was 12th in the 100 at 10.45 seconds and 17th in the 200 at 21.41 seconds. Warren was 29th in the 100 meters in a time of 10.72 seconds and 18th in the 200 meters at 21.42 seconds.+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/roland_ty-rique_n9sc">Ty'Rique Roland</a>&nbsp;placed 11th in the high jump on Friday at 6 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

👟 HutchCC’s Johnson grabs NJCAA national pole vault title

HOBBS, New Mexico – Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/box_charlie_jgcb">Charlie Box</a>&nbsp;earned first-team NJCAA All-America honors to lead the Hutchinson Community College men's golf team to the ninth Top 10 national finish in program history on Friday at Rockwind Community Links.

The Blue Dragons posted their best round of the 72-hole tournament Friday with a 4-under 280 and placed ninth with a team score of 1,150.

Hutchinson has four consecutive Top 10 national placings, including back-to-back national team championships in 2021 and 2022 and a fifth-place performance in 2023.

Box became the program's sixth first-team NJCAA All-American and 17th overall NJCAA All-American when he tied four fourth place at 5-under 279. Box did not record a single over-par round with three under-par and one even-par round. Box was named a PING NJCAA All-American honorable mention selection on Monday.

Box had two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars in his final-round 1-under 70 on Friday.

He tied with New Mexico Military's Jackson Hicks, Midland's Benjamin Lund-Ravn and Odessa's Adam Bresnu for fourth place. Box was the second-best Region 6 individual finisher. Dodge City's Thanaphon Suwannapratheep earned the individual national championship at 9-under 275.

The Blue Dragons rallied from a four-stroke deficit against Dodge City to become the top Region 6 team finisher. Dodge City finished 11th at 1,158. Barton was 19th at 1,200. New Mexico Junior College won the team championship by three strokes over Odessa College. New Mexico shot 272 on the final day to complete the championship at 13-under 1,123.

The Blue Dragons got off to a sizzling start with nine birdies and only one bogey over the first seven holes. Hutchinson counted scores from Box (70),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/ross_louis_dfpl">Louis Ross</a>(67),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/thissen_kenton_qoy2">Keaton Thissen</a>&nbsp;(71) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/razinskas_david_7wz3">David Razinskas</a>&nbsp;(72) on Friday.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/anderson_marco_qoi7">Marco Anderson</a>&nbsp;shot a tournament-high 76 on Friday. He tied for 37th in the final standings with a 290.

Ross posted the low round of the championship for the Blue Dragons with a 4-under 67 on Friday with six birdies and two bogeys. Ross played the final eight holes in 4-under par. He finished tied for 55th at 296.

Thissen carded his best round of the championship with an even-par 71 in the final round. Thissen closed the tournament strong with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to finish tied for 60th at 297.

Razinskas was 2-under par through nine holes and had his round at 3-under through 12 holes. The Blue Dragon freshman had one birdie and four bogeys on the back nine to close at 1-over 72. Razinskas tied for 75th at 302.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716041844409.jpeg" alt="Charlie Box earns NJCAA first-team All-America honors after tying for fourth at the 2024 NJCAA Men's Division I Golf Championships on Friday in Hobbs, NM (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Charlie Box earns NJCAA first-team All-America honors after tying for fourth at the 2024 NJCAA Men's Division I Golf Championships on Friday in Hobbs, NM (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationHOBBS, New Mexico – Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/box_charlie_jgcb">Charlie Box</a>&nbsp;earned first-team NJCAA All-America honors to lead the Hutchinson Community College men's golf team to the ninth Top 10 national finish in program history on Friday at Rockwind Community Links.The Blue Dragons posted their best round of the 72-hole tournament Friday with a 4-under 280 and placed ninth with a team score of 1,150.Hutchinson has four consecutive Top 10 national placings, including back-to-back national team championships in 2021 and 2022 and a fifth-place performance in 2023.Box became the program's sixth first-team NJCAA All-American and 17th overall NJCAA All-American when he tied four fourth place at 5-under 279. Box did not record a single over-par round with three under-par and one even-par round. Box was named a PING NJCAA All-American honorable mention selection on Monday.Box had two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars in his final-round 1-under 70 on Friday.He tied with New Mexico Military's Jackson Hicks, Midland's Benjamin Lund-Ravn and Odessa's Adam Bresnu for fourth place. Box was the second-best Region 6 individual finisher. Dodge City's Thanaphon Suwannapratheep earned the individual national championship at 9-under 275.The Blue Dragons rallied from a four-stroke deficit against Dodge City to become the top Region 6 team finisher. Dodge City finished 11th at 1,158. Barton was 19th at 1,200. New Mexico Junior College won the team championship by three strokes over Odessa College. New Mexico shot 272 on the final day to complete the championship at 13-under 1,123.The Blue Dragons got off to a sizzling start with nine birdies and only one bogey over the first seven holes. Hutchinson counted scores from Box (70),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/ross_louis_dfpl">Louis Ross</a>(67),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/thissen_kenton_qoy2">Keaton Thissen</a>&nbsp;(71) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/razinskas_david_7wz3">David Razinskas</a>&nbsp;(72) on Friday.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2023-24/bios/anderson_marco_qoi7">Marco Anderson</a>&nbsp;shot a tournament-high 76 on Friday. He tied for 37th in the final standings with a 290.Ross posted the low round of the championship for the Blue Dragons with a 4-under 67 on Friday with six birdies and two bogeys. Ross played the final eight holes in 4-under par. He finished tied for 55th at 296.Thissen carded his best round of the championship with an even-par 71 in the final round. Thissen closed the tournament strong with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to finish tied for 60th at 297.Razinskas was 2-under par through nine holes and had his round at 3-under through 12 holes. The Blue Dragon freshman had one birdie and four bogeys on the back nine to close at 1-over 72. Razinskas tied for 75th at 302.

⛳️ Dragons place 9th; Box is 1st-Team NJCAA All-American

WICHITA – Hutchinson Community College sophomore starting pitcher&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/neill_bradley_q5wl">Bradley Neill</a>&nbsp;became the Blue Dragons' second 10-game winner on Friday at a key moment in the No. 10-ranked Blue Dragons season late Friday night at Eck Stadium.

Neill pitched a gritty career-long 8 2-3 innings to keep the Blue Dragons' season alive after an 8-6 victory over the Cowley Tigers in the Plains District (Region 6) Tournament elimination bracket third round.

The Blue Dragons (49-12) will meet 10th-seed Barton in the Elimination Bracket finals at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Hutchinson/Barton winner will play top-seeded Johnson County in the Plains District championship game at 4 p.m. A second championship game, if needed, will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Eck Stadium.

Both teams were playing their second elimination games of the day on Friday. The Blue Dragons outlasted Kansas City 9-8 on a walk-off double by&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/bradford_blake_6h1a">Blake Bradford</a>. Cowley eliminated Butler 15-14 in the 10 a.m. game.

BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL No. 2 Hutchinson (49-12) vs. No. 10 Barton (41-20) Plains District Tournament – Elimination Bracket Final When: Saturday, May 18, 2024 Where: Eck Stadium, Wichita, KS Time: 1:00 p.m. Video:&nbsp;KJCCC Network (Pay-Per-View), 12:55 p.m. X: @bluedraognsport Winner plays No. 1 Johnson County in Championship Game at 4 p.m. Saturday

Neill's final pitching line wasn't pretty – nine hits, six runs, two strikeouts and two walks. But his career highs of 8 2-3 innings and 135 pitches – Neill started and threw two innings against Dodge City on Friday – were signs of a pitcher carrying his team.

Neill was touched for one run in the first and two in the second to give Cowley a 3-1 lead at that point. The Tigers added a fourth run in the fifth inning that tied the game at four.

Neill (10-0) had four innings were he faced the minimum, retiring the Tigers in order in the third, fourth and eighth innings. He gave up a leadoff single in the seventh, but got a line-drive double play to second baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/griffin_hank_70om">Hank Griffin</a>&nbsp;and a groundout to end the seventh.

Cowley started getting to Neill in the ninth, scoring two runs to pull the Tigers within 8-6.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/snyder_landen_wpvr">Landen Snyder</a>&nbsp;came into the game and got Cade Baldridge to fly out to&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/davis_jon_e1bh">Jon Davis</a>&nbsp;to end the game.

Every time the Tigers scored on Friday, the Blue Dragons had an offensive answer.

After Cowley took a 1-0 lead in the first,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/babin_kael_g1ow">Kael Babin</a>&nbsp;scored on an RBI groundout from&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/pimental-guerrero_luis_ubag">Luis Pimentel-Guerrero</a>&nbsp;to tie the game at 1-1.

Down 3-1 in the bottom of the second, the Dragons pulled within one run when&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/bradford_blake_6h1a">Blake Bradford</a>&nbsp;scored on a Griffin infield single.

Hutchinson took a 4-3 lead with a two-run fourth inning. Babin forced in a run with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and Griffin scored when Pimentel-Guerrero rolled into a double play.

The Blue Dragons took a 5-4 lead on a Bradford RBI triple to right-center. Then scored three huge insurance runs when Pimentel-Guerrero hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to build an 8-4 lead.

Pimentel-Guerrero was only 1 for 5, but had four RBIs to lead the Dragons, who out-hit Cowley 12-9.

Bradford went 3 for 4 with a triple, two runs and an RBI. Griffin and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/davis_jon_e1bh">Jon Davis</a>&nbsp;had two hits each.

POSTGAME NOTES:+ The Blue Dragons extend their single-season record for wins to 49.

+&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/babin_kael_g1ow">Kael Babin</a>&nbsp;was hit with pitches in his first three plate appearances against Cowley and was drilled with pitches for total times between the two games.

+ This is the second time in Blue Dragon history to win both game on a Friday elimination day. Back in 2019, the Dragons defeated Cloud County and Barton, both games coming on walk-off victories.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716035638305.jpeg" alt="Bradley Neil reacts after pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth inning of the Blue Dragons' 8-6 win over Cowley in the Plains District Tournament at Eck Stadium in Wichita. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Bradley Neil reacts after pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth inning of the Blue Dragons' 8-6 win over Cowley in the Plains District Tournament at Eck Stadium in Wichita. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationWICHITA – Hutchinson Community College sophomore starting pitcher&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/neill_bradley_q5wl">Bradley Neill</a>&nbsp;became the Blue Dragons' second 10-game winner on Friday at a key moment in the No. 10-ranked Blue Dragons season late Friday night at Eck Stadium.Neill pitched a gritty career-long 8 2-3 innings to keep the Blue Dragons' season alive after an 8-6 victory over the Cowley Tigers in the Plains District (Region 6) Tournament elimination bracket third round.The Blue Dragons (49-12) will meet 10th-seed Barton in the Elimination Bracket finals at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Hutchinson/Barton winner will play top-seeded Johnson County in the Plains District championship game at 4 p.m. A second championship game, if needed, will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Eck Stadium.Both teams were playing their second elimination games of the day on Friday. The Blue Dragons outlasted Kansas City 9-8 on a walk-off double by&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/bradford_blake_6h1a">Blake Bradford</a>. Cowley eliminated Butler 15-14 in the 10 a.m. game.BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL No. 2 Hutchinson (49-12) vs. No. 10 Barton (41-20) Plains District Tournament – Elimination Bracket Final When: Saturday, May 18, 2024 Where: Eck Stadium, Wichita, KS Time: 1:00 p.m. Video:&nbsp;KJCCC Network (Pay-Per-View), 12:55 p.m. X: @bluedraognsport Winner plays No. 1 Johnson County in Championship Game at 4 p.m. SaturdayNeill's final pitching line wasn't pretty – nine hits, six runs, two strikeouts and two walks. But his career highs of 8 2-3 innings and 135 pitches – Neill started and threw two innings against Dodge City on Friday – were signs of a pitcher carrying his team.Neill was touched for one run in the first and two in the second to give Cowley a 3-1 lead at that point. The Tigers added a fourth run in the fifth inning that tied the game at four.Neill (10-0) had four innings were he faced the minimum, retiring the Tigers in order in the third, fourth and eighth innings. He gave up a leadoff single in the seventh, but got a line-drive double play to second baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/griffin_hank_70om">Hank Griffin</a>&nbsp;and a groundout to end the seventh.Cowley started getting to Neill in the ninth, scoring two runs to pull the Tigers within 8-6.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/snyder_landen_wpvr">Landen Snyder</a>&nbsp;came into the game and got Cade Baldridge to fly out to&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/davis_jon_e1bh">Jon Davis</a>&nbsp;to end the game.Every time the Tigers scored on Friday, the Blue Dragons had an offensive answer.After Cowley took a 1-0 lead in the first,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/babin_kael_g1ow">Kael Babin</a>&nbsp;scored on an RBI groundout from&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/pimental-guerrero_luis_ubag">Luis Pimentel-Guerrero</a>&nbsp;to tie the game at 1-1.Down 3-1 in the bottom of the second, the Dragons pulled within one run when&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/bradford_blake_6h1a">Blake Bradford</a>&nbsp;scored on a Griffin infield single.Hutchinson took a 4-3 lead with a two-run fourth inning. Babin forced in a run with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and Griffin scored when Pimentel-Guerrero rolled into a double play.The Blue Dragons took a 5-4 lead on a Bradford RBI triple to right-center. Then scored three huge insurance runs when Pimentel-Guerrero hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to build an 8-4 lead.Pimentel-Guerrero was only 1 for 5, but had four RBIs to lead the Dragons, who out-hit Cowley 12-9.Bradford went 3 for 4 with a triple, two runs and an RBI. Griffin and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/davis_jon_e1bh">Jon Davis</a>&nbsp;had two hits each.POSTGAME NOTES:+ The Blue Dragons extend their single-season record for wins to 49.+&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/babin_kael_g1ow">Kael Babin</a>&nbsp;was hit with pitches in his first three plate appearances against Cowley and was drilled with pitches for total times between the two games.+ This is the second time in Blue Dragon history to win both game on a Friday elimination day. Back in 2019, the Dragons defeated Cloud County and Barton, both games coming on walk-off victories.

⚾ Neill's gritty performance helps Dragons advance again

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp; — &nbsp;Eleven strikeouts from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jackson-wentworth/11477">Jackson Wentworth</a>&nbsp;led to K-State's eighth series win of the season, as the Wildcats defeated BYU, 2-1, Friday night at Tointon Family Stadium.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wentworth turned in his second quality start, as the redshirt-sophomore held the Cougars to one run over his career-long eight innings to earn the victory (4-4). A native of Urbandale, Iowa, Wentworth scattered five hits and punched out a career-high 11 batters, including striking out the side in the first and sixth.

&nbsp; "That was an awesome college baseball game," head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;said. &nbsp;It was clean with no errors and elite pitching. Jackson was as good as it gets. Your stuff has to be really good, and your repertoire has to be very deep to go through a lineup three times effectively and he was able to do that."&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp; The right-hander becomes the second Wildcat this season to strike out 10+ batters in a single game, joining&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/owen-boerema/11457">Owen Boerema</a>, who fanned 11 against Holy Cross (Feb. 25).

"He gave up five hits and we were lucky enough to scratch a couple of runs up there. I wish we had given Jackson a bit of a bigger lead, but we didn't so that meant every pitch he threw was going to be a pressure pitch and he was awesome," commented Hughes.

&nbsp; "<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyson-neighbors/11470">Tyson Neighbors</a>&nbsp;comes back the day after throwing 50 pitches, it's an incredible display of an unselfish team guy. He was outstanding and as efficient as it gets."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Neighbors relieved Wentworth in the ninth and retired the Cougars in order, that included a pair of strikeouts. In his last eight outings, the junior right-hander has allowed just one run over 13 1/3 innings and has earned a save in six of those eight games.

"So pitching and defense are the name of the game. That's what we saw tonight. It was a good series win for our program."

&nbsp; K-State (31-21, 15-14 Big 12) held a 6-5 advantage in hits led by two from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brendan-jones/11466">Brendan Jones</a>, who went 2-for-4 and scored both runs. The Cougars (20-31, 6-23 Big 12) Ben Hansen suffered the loss allowing two earned runs in his six innings of work.&nbsp;&nbsp;

THE RUNDOWN Wentworth struck out the side in the opening frame to build momentum in the Cats' dugout as Jones laced a single into left center to lead off for the Cats offense and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kyan-lodice/11469">Kyan Lodice</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp; With two outs,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kaelen-culpepper/11460">Kaelen Culpepper</a>&nbsp;punched his first hit of the series into left field to score Jones from second and take the one-run lead.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp; A solo homer by Parker Goff evened the score in the third but was immediately responded in the bottom of the inning with three consecutive singles, including the go-ahead single by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>.

ON DECK The Wildcats will honor eight players Saturday as part of their Senior Day Ceremony, starting at 3:45 p.m. Players to be honored include:<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2024/5/17/baseball-wentworth-strikes-out-11-cats-clinch-big-12-series#">Skip Ad</a><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/chuck-ingram/11526">Chuck Ingram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jaden-parsons/11530">Jaden Parsons</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/danniel-rivera/11532">Danniel Rivera</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-wintroub/11539">Josh Wintroub</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/ty-ruhl/11475">Ty Ruhl</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/raphael-pelletier/11471">Raphael Pelletier</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/orlando-salinas-jr-/11476">Orlando Salinas, Jr.</a>

&nbsp; The series finale is slated for 4 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium and can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free, live streaming audio available for all games at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Live=3268&amp;type=Archive">KStateSports.com/watch</a>&nbsp;and on the K-State Sports app.

&nbsp; Fans can purchase tickets to the BYU series at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.k-statesports.com/tickets">K-StateSports.com/Tickets</a>, call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stop by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716044230306.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State AthleticsMANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp; — &nbsp;Eleven strikeouts from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jackson-wentworth/11477">Jackson Wentworth</a>&nbsp;led to K-State's eighth series win of the season, as the Wildcats defeated BYU, 2-1, Friday night at Tointon Family Stadium.&nbsp;&nbsp;Wentworth turned in his second quality start, as the redshirt-sophomore held the Cougars to one run over his career-long eight innings to earn the victory (4-4). A native of Urbandale, Iowa, Wentworth scattered five hits and punched out a career-high 11 batters, including striking out the side in the first and sixth.&nbsp; "That was an awesome college baseball game," head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;said. &nbsp;It was clean with no errors and elite pitching. Jackson was as good as it gets. Your stuff has to be really good, and your repertoire has to be very deep to go through a lineup three times effectively and he was able to do that."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The right-hander becomes the second Wildcat this season to strike out 10+ batters in a single game, joining&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/owen-boerema/11457">Owen Boerema</a>, who fanned 11 against Holy Cross (Feb. 25)."He gave up five hits and we were lucky enough to scratch a couple of runs up there. I wish we had given Jackson a bit of a bigger lead, but we didn't so that meant every pitch he threw was going to be a pressure pitch and he was awesome," commented Hughes.&nbsp; "<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyson-neighbors/11470">Tyson Neighbors</a>&nbsp;comes back the day after throwing 50 pitches, it's an incredible display of an unselfish team guy. He was outstanding and as efficient as it gets."&nbsp;&nbsp;Neighbors relieved Wentworth in the ninth and retired the Cougars in order, that included a pair of strikeouts. In his last eight outings, the junior right-hander has allowed just one run over 13 1/3 innings and has earned a save in six of those eight games."So pitching and defense are the name of the game. That's what we saw tonight. It was a good series win for our program."&nbsp; K-State (31-21, 15-14 Big 12) held a 6-5 advantage in hits led by two from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brendan-jones/11466">Brendan Jones</a>, who went 2-for-4 and scored both runs. The Cougars (20-31, 6-23 Big 12) Ben Hansen suffered the loss allowing two earned runs in his six innings of work.&nbsp;&nbsp;THE RUNDOWN Wentworth struck out the side in the opening frame to build momentum in the Cats' dugout as Jones laced a single into left center to lead off for the Cats offense and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kyan-lodice/11469">Kyan Lodice</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With two outs,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/kaelen-culpepper/11460">Kaelen Culpepper</a>&nbsp;punched his first hit of the series into left field to score Jones from second and take the one-run lead.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A solo homer by Parker Goff evened the score in the third but was immediately responded in the bottom of the inning with three consecutive singles, including the go-ahead single by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>.ON DECK The Wildcats will honor eight players Saturday as part of their Senior Day Ceremony, starting at 3:45 p.m. Players to be honored include:<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2024/5/17/baseball-wentworth-strikes-out-11-cats-clinch-big-12-series#">Skip Ad</a><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/chuck-ingram/11526">Chuck Ingram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jaden-parsons/11530">Jaden Parsons</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/danniel-rivera/11532">Danniel Rivera</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-wintroub/11539">Josh Wintroub</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/ty-ruhl/11475">Ty Ruhl</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/raphael-pelletier/11471">Raphael Pelletier</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/orlando-salinas-jr-/11476">Orlando Salinas, Jr.</a>&nbsp; The series finale is slated for 4 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium and can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free, live streaming audio available for all games at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Live=3268&amp;type=Archive">KStateSports.com/watch</a>&nbsp;and on the K-State Sports app.&nbsp; Fans can purchase tickets to the BYU series at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.k-statesports.com/tickets">K-StateSports.com/Tickets</a>, call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stop by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

⚾ Wentworth strikes out 11

WICHITA, Kan. —&nbsp;

Wichita State track and field will send nine student-athletes to the First Round of the NCAA Championships May 22-25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Ranking in the top 48 of declared athletes in the NCAA West Region earns athletes an entry to the NCAA West Preliminaries where they will compete to place in the top 12 to advance to the NCAA Championships (June 5-8).

The trio of&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/brady-palen/7328">Brady Palen</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/destiny-masters/7317">Destiny Masters</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/marissa-jensen/7308">Marissa Jensen</a>&nbsp;will compete in the high jump for the second-straight year after both Palen and Masters advanced from the prelims to the NCAA Championship in 2023. Masters also qualified to this year's NCAA West Prelims in the javelin and is one of two Shockers to compete in multiple events.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/jason-parrish/8946">Jason Parrish</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bryan-haney/7349">Bryan Haney</a>&nbsp;will both race in the 400-meter hurdles, Haney's second-straight NCAA West Prelims appearance. The duo will race in the first round on Wednesday, May 22, and the top 24 from the first round will move on to Friday's quarterfinals.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/josh-parrish/8944">Josh Parrish</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/joseph-holthusen/7305">Joseph Holthusen</a>&nbsp;qualified in the 110-meter hurdles, Holthusen's first time back at the regional meet since 2019.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/josh-parrish/8944">Josh Parrish</a>&nbsp;will also compete in the long jump.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/lucy-ndungu/8950">Lucy Ndungu</a>&nbsp;qualified in the 10,000 meters, where she will race in the semifinal for a chance to move on directly to the final in Eugene.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/farrah-miller/7363">Farrah Miller</a>&nbsp;is set to race in the first round of the 800 meters on Thursday for a chance to move on to Saturday's quarterfinals.

Advancing directly to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Masters has already punched one ticket to Eugene, Ore. with her top-24 national mark in the heptathlon. She ranks 14th&nbsp;with her score of 5,749 points from the Wichita State Combined Events meet earlier this spring.

ROAD TO EUGENE The NCAA Division I Championships will take place June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore. at Hayward Field. This year for the west region, the road to Eugene goes through Fayetteville, Ark., where the top 48 individual athletes and the top 24 relays in the region will compete at the NCAA West Preliminaries (NCAA First Round) May 22-25 for a spot at the NCAA Championships. The top 12 in each event advance to the championship. Combined event athletes (heptathlon and decathlon) do not attend the First Rounds, but instead, the top 24 athletes overall advance directly to the NCAA Championship in Eugene.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716003021897.png" alt="Graphic courtesy of Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Graphic courtesy of Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State AthleticsWICHITA, Kan. —&nbsp;

Wichita State track and field will send nine student-athletes to the First Round of the NCAA Championships May 22-25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.Ranking in the top 48 of declared athletes in the NCAA West Region earns athletes an entry to the NCAA West Preliminaries where they will compete to place in the top 12 to advance to the NCAA Championships (June 5-8).The trio of&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/brady-palen/7328">Brady Palen</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/destiny-masters/7317">Destiny Masters</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/marissa-jensen/7308">Marissa Jensen</a>&nbsp;will compete in the high jump for the second-straight year after both Palen and Masters advanced from the prelims to the NCAA Championship in 2023. Masters also qualified to this year's NCAA West Prelims in the javelin and is one of two Shockers to compete in multiple events.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/jason-parrish/8946">Jason Parrish</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bryan-haney/7349">Bryan Haney</a>&nbsp;will both race in the 400-meter hurdles, Haney's second-straight NCAA West Prelims appearance. The duo will race in the first round on Wednesday, May 22, and the top 24 from the first round will move on to Friday's quarterfinals.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/josh-parrish/8944">Josh Parrish</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/joseph-holthusen/7305">Joseph Holthusen</a>&nbsp;qualified in the 110-meter hurdles, Holthusen's first time back at the regional meet since 2019.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/josh-parrish/8944">Josh Parrish</a>&nbsp;will also compete in the long jump.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/lucy-ndungu/8950">Lucy Ndungu</a>&nbsp;qualified in the 10,000 meters, where she will race in the semifinal for a chance to move on directly to the final in Eugene.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/farrah-miller/7363">Farrah Miller</a>&nbsp;is set to race in the first round of the 800 meters on Thursday for a chance to move on to Saturday's quarterfinals.Advancing directly to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Masters has already punched one ticket to Eugene, Ore. with her top-24 national mark in the heptathlon. She ranks 14th&nbsp;with her score of 5,749 points from the Wichita State Combined Events meet earlier this spring.ROAD TO EUGENE The NCAA Division I Championships will take place June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore. at Hayward Field. This year for the west region, the road to Eugene goes through Fayetteville, Ark., where the top 48 individual athletes and the top 24 relays in the region will compete at the NCAA West Preliminaries (NCAA First Round) May 22-25 for a spot at the NCAA Championships. The top 12 in each event advance to the championship. Combined event athletes (heptathlon and decathlon) do not attend the First Rounds, but instead, the top 24 athletes overall advance directly to the NCAA Championship in Eugene.

👟 Shockers qualify nine to NCAA west preliminaries

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>&nbsp;made another key addition to his team for the 2024-25 season with the signing of NJCAA All-American guard&nbsp;Chimobi (Mobi) Ikegwuruka(Galway, Ireland/Ellsworth [Iowa] Community College)&nbsp;to a Financial Aid Agreement on Friday afternoon (May 17).

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard who has experience playing internationally, including with the Irish U16 National Team, arrives at K-State after a redshirt freshman season at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa in 2023-24. He averaged a double-double (19.0 ppg., 10.3 rpg.) in leading the Panthers to a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Division II Championship with a 29-8 record. It was the school's first national tournament appearance in 38 seasons and their highest national finish since 1977 when they placed third.

"It's always a great day to be a Wildcat and we're excited to welcome Mobi and his family to K-State," said head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>. "He is an athletic wing who is a big-time acrobatic finisher that will be exciting to watch in the open court. He is also a versatile defender who can switch and guard 1-4. He has significant international experience with 3 years of eligibility remaining. Our fan base will love getting to know Mobi, who speaks four languages fluently and has a variety of interests including fashion and photography.

"Ikegwuruka was a 2024 NJCAA Division II Second Team All-American and a First Team All-Region XI performer at Ellsworth, playing for head coach&nbsp;Bryan Bender. He played in 21 games with 13 starts for the Panthers, averaging 19.0 points on 59.4 percent (155-of-261) shooting, including 50 percent (3-of-6) from 3-point range, to go with 10.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 2.1 steals and 1.5 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. He led the team in several categories, including scoring, field goal percentage, rebounding, steals and blocks.

In addition to his All-America and All-Region honors, Ikegwuruka was named a Fab 50 Freshman by&nbsp;JUCORecruiting.com.

Ikegwuruka scored 20 or more points in 13 games, including a career-high 27 points on 10-of-16 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws at Western Iowa Tech on Dec. 9, 2023. He rattled off seven consecutive 20-point games to end the regular season. He also collected 10 double-doubles, including in back-to-back games against Monroe Community College and Milwaukee Area Tech at the NJCAA Division II Championship. He posted 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Milwaukee Area Tech that sent Ellsworth to the Final Four for the first time since 1977.

Ikegwuruka nearly averaged a double-double in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play, posting 19.3 points on 58.8 percent (120-of-204) shooting with 9.8 rebounds per game.

Ikegwuruka has a variety of international experience, having played for the Irish U16 National Team at the 2019 FIBA European U16 Championships as well as for two club teams in the Czech Republic. In 8 games at the FIBA U16 Championships, he averaged 11.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.4 assists in 23.1 minutes per game. He scored in double figures in 4 games, including 25 points against the Republic of Georgia on August 9, 2019. He followed that with a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) against Portugal on August 10, 2019.

Ikegwuruka played for Czech U19 squads – GBA Lions Jindrichuv Hradec and Sojky Pelhrimov – as well as the main GBA Lions in the 1Liga from 2020-23. He played in 51 games for GBA Lions, Sojky P and Pelhrimov at various levels from 2020-22 with 44 of those 51 games coming during the 2021-22 season. His best stretch came in 13 games with Pelhrimov, averaging 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.8 steals in 26.4 minutes per game.

Ikeywuruka played in 7 games for the GBA Lions Jindrichuv Hradec in the 1Liga in 2022-23, averaging 14.1 points on 55.1 percent (38-of-69) shooting with 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game. He produced 3 20-point games, including a season-best 28 points against SP Basket on 11-of-13 field goals and 6-of-7 free throws on Dec. 9, 2022, to go with 3 double-doubles. &nbsp;

Ikegwuruka is the seventh player to sign with the Wildcats for the 2024-25 season, including the first junior college player. He joins Division I transfers&nbsp;Dug McDaniel(Washington, D.C./St. Paul VI Catholic VI/Michigan),&nbsp;Christian (C.J.) Jones(East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis/UIC),&nbsp;Max Jones(Clearwater, Fla./Clearwater/University of Tampa/Cal State Fullerton),&nbsp;Brendan Hausen(Amarillo, Texas/Amarillo/Villanova)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Baye Fall(Dakar, Senegal/ Accelerated Prep [Colo.]/Arkansas).&nbsp;The six transfers join top-50 high school prospect&nbsp;David Castillo(Bartlesville, Okla./Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]), who signed during the early signing period on Nov. 8.

K-State finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-15 record, including a tie for ninth in the Big 12 with an 8-10 mark, and advanced to the NIT. Among the Wildcats' 19 victories were 4 over Top 25 teams, including 3 in the Top 10. The team has won 45 games in head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>'s&nbsp;tenure, including consecutive postseason appearances.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716002578340.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State AthleticsMANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>&nbsp;made another key addition to his team for the 2024-25 season with the signing of NJCAA All-American guard&nbsp;Chimobi (Mobi) Ikegwuruka(Galway, Ireland/Ellsworth [Iowa] Community College)&nbsp;to a Financial Aid Agreement on Friday afternoon (May 17).The 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard who has experience playing internationally, including with the Irish U16 National Team, arrives at K-State after a redshirt freshman season at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa in 2023-24. He averaged a double-double (19.0 ppg., 10.3 rpg.) in leading the Panthers to a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Division II Championship with a 29-8 record. It was the school's first national tournament appearance in 38 seasons and their highest national finish since 1977 when they placed third."It's always a great day to be a Wildcat and we're excited to welcome Mobi and his family to K-State," said head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>. "He is an athletic wing who is a big-time acrobatic finisher that will be exciting to watch in the open court. He is also a versatile defender who can switch and guard 1-4. He has significant international experience with 3 years of eligibility remaining. Our fan base will love getting to know Mobi, who speaks four languages fluently and has a variety of interests including fashion and photography."Ikegwuruka was a 2024 NJCAA Division II Second Team All-American and a First Team All-Region XI performer at Ellsworth, playing for head coach&nbsp;Bryan Bender. He played in 21 games with 13 starts for the Panthers, averaging 19.0 points on 59.4 percent (155-of-261) shooting, including 50 percent (3-of-6) from 3-point range, to go with 10.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 2.1 steals and 1.5 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. He led the team in several categories, including scoring, field goal percentage, rebounding, steals and blocks.In addition to his All-America and All-Region honors, Ikegwuruka was named a Fab 50 Freshman by&nbsp;JUCORecruiting.com.Ikegwuruka scored 20 or more points in 13 games, including a career-high 27 points on 10-of-16 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws at Western Iowa Tech on Dec. 9, 2023. He rattled off seven consecutive 20-point games to end the regular season. He also collected 10 double-doubles, including in back-to-back games against Monroe Community College and Milwaukee Area Tech at the NJCAA Division II Championship. He posted 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Milwaukee Area Tech that sent Ellsworth to the Final Four for the first time since 1977.Ikegwuruka nearly averaged a double-double in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play, posting 19.3 points on 58.8 percent (120-of-204) shooting with 9.8 rebounds per game.Ikegwuruka has a variety of international experience, having played for the Irish U16 National Team at the 2019 FIBA European U16 Championships as well as for two club teams in the Czech Republic. In 8 games at the FIBA U16 Championships, he averaged 11.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.4 assists in 23.1 minutes per game. He scored in double figures in 4 games, including 25 points against the Republic of Georgia on August 9, 2019. He followed that with a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) against Portugal on August 10, 2019.Ikegwuruka played for Czech U19 squads – GBA Lions Jindrichuv Hradec and Sojky Pelhrimov – as well as the main GBA Lions in the 1Liga from 2020-23. He played in 51 games for GBA Lions, Sojky P and Pelhrimov at various levels from 2020-22 with 44 of those 51 games coming during the 2021-22 season. His best stretch came in 13 games with Pelhrimov, averaging 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.8 steals in 26.4 minutes per game.Ikeywuruka played in 7 games for the GBA Lions Jindrichuv Hradec in the 1Liga in 2022-23, averaging 14.1 points on 55.1 percent (38-of-69) shooting with 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game. He produced 3 20-point games, including a season-best 28 points against SP Basket on 11-of-13 field goals and 6-of-7 free throws on Dec. 9, 2022, to go with 3 double-doubles. &nbsp;Ikegwuruka is the seventh player to sign with the Wildcats for the 2024-25 season, including the first junior college player. He joins Division I transfers&nbsp;Dug McDaniel(Washington, D.C./St. Paul VI Catholic VI/Michigan),&nbsp;Christian (C.J.) Jones(East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis/UIC),&nbsp;Max Jones(Clearwater, Fla./Clearwater/University of Tampa/Cal State Fullerton),&nbsp;Brendan Hausen(Amarillo, Texas/Amarillo/Villanova)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Baye Fall(Dakar, Senegal/ Accelerated Prep [Colo.]/Arkansas).&nbsp;The six transfers join top-50 high school prospect&nbsp;David Castillo(Bartlesville, Okla./Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]), who signed during the early signing period on Nov. 8.K-State finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-15 record, including a tie for ninth in the Big 12 with an 8-10 mark, and advanced to the NIT. Among the Wildcats' 19 victories were 4 over Top 25 teams, including 3 in the Top 10. The team has won 45 games in head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>'s&nbsp;tenure, including consecutive postseason appearances.

🏀 Tang signs JUCO All-American Mobi Ikegwuruka

TULSA, Okla.—The Wichita Wind Surge had their four-game win streak snapped 8-6 against the Tulsa Drillers. After bringing the leading run to the plate in the top of the ninth, Tulsa turned a game-ending triple play to gain their first win of the series.

Carson McCusker&nbsp;brought home&nbsp;Emmanuel Rodriguez&nbsp;on a sacrifice fly to left field with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the first.&nbsp;Tanner Schobel&nbsp;added his sixth RBI of the series on a double to right center that scored&nbsp;Andrew Cossetti&nbsp;to give the Wind Surge a 2-0 lead. Cossetti doubled the Wind Surge advantage on a two-run home run, his fifth of the year, to left field an inning later.

Tulsa cut the four-run deficit to one in the bottom of the second on a Yeiner Fernandez two-RBI single, and a sacrifice fly against Wichita starter&nbsp;Marco Raya.&nbsp;Alerick Soularie&nbsp;sent a sacrifice fly of his own to right field in the following half-inning to put the Wind Surge ahead 5-3.

The Drillers duo of Brendon Davis and Diego Cartaya slapped solo home runs to the Wind Surge bullpen in the bottom half of the third, tying the game.&nbsp;Noah Cardenas&nbsp;yanked the lead back into Wichita’s hands on a run-scoring double to the left-center gap in the top of the fourth.

The back-and-forth scoring stopped for the time being, with the Wind Surge up 6-5 until Tulsa tallied three runs after the stretch in the bottom of the seventh. A run came in on an infield error to tie the game before Austin Beck lined a two-run double to right, just beyond Soularie’s reach, to give the home squad an 8-6 lead.

After putting runners on first and second in the top of the ninth, Schobel grounded into a 6-4-3-5 triple play to end the ballgame. Pinch runner&nbsp;Jorel Ortega&nbsp;and Schobel were the first two outs. Cardenas slightly overran the third base bag and was subsequently thrown out at third.

The losing pitcher for the Wind Surge is&nbsp;Aaron Rozek, who drops to 1-2 on the season after surrendering three unearned runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in four innings out of the bullpen.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716024518760.jpeg" alt="Wichita Win Streak Snapped After Game-Ending Triple Play.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Wichita Win Streak Snapped After Game-Ending Triple Play.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>TULSA, Okla.—The Wichita Wind Surge had their four-game win streak snapped 8-6 against the Tulsa Drillers. After bringing the leading run to the plate in the top of the ninth, Tulsa turned a game-ending triple play to gain their first win of the series.Carson McCusker&nbsp;brought home&nbsp;Emmanuel Rodriguez&nbsp;on a sacrifice fly to left field with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the first.&nbsp;Tanner Schobel&nbsp;added his sixth RBI of the series on a double to right center that scored&nbsp;Andrew Cossetti&nbsp;to give the Wind Surge a 2-0 lead. Cossetti doubled the Wind Surge advantage on a two-run home run, his fifth of the year, to left field an inning later.Tulsa cut the four-run deficit to one in the bottom of the second on a Yeiner Fernandez two-RBI single, and a sacrifice fly against Wichita starter&nbsp;Marco Raya.&nbsp;Alerick Soularie&nbsp;sent a sacrifice fly of his own to right field in the following half-inning to put the Wind Surge ahead 5-3.The Drillers duo of Brendon Davis and Diego Cartaya slapped solo home runs to the Wind Surge bullpen in the bottom half of the third, tying the game.&nbsp;Noah Cardenas&nbsp;yanked the lead back into Wichita’s hands on a run-scoring double to the left-center gap in the top of the fourth.The back-and-forth scoring stopped for the time being, with the Wind Surge up 6-5 until Tulsa tallied three runs after the stretch in the bottom of the seventh. A run came in on an infield error to tie the game before Austin Beck lined a two-run double to right, just beyond Soularie’s reach, to give the home squad an 8-6 lead.After putting runners on first and second in the top of the ninth, Schobel grounded into a 6-4-3-5 triple play to end the ballgame. Pinch runner&nbsp;Jorel Ortega&nbsp;and Schobel were the first two outs. Cardenas slightly overran the third base bag and was subsequently thrown out at third.The losing pitcher for the Wind Surge is&nbsp;Aaron Rozek, who drops to 1-2 on the season after surrendering three unearned runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in four innings out of the bullpen.

⚾ Wind Surge win streak snapped by game ending triple play

KANSAS CITY (AP) —&nbsp; Cole Ragans allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings, Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia homered and the Kansas City Royals beat Oakland 6-2 on Friday night to extend the Athletics losing streak to a season-high six.

Ragans (3-3) walked two and struck out seven, rebounding from a 9-3 loss at the Los Angeles Angels when he allowed seven runs and eight hits. He has three scoreless starts of at least six innings this season.

Chris Stratton and Matt Sauers finished the four-hitter, the ninth time Oakland has been held to four hits or fewer.

Oakland has been outscored 36-6 during its losing streak, which dropped the A's to 19-28.

“We just need to continue to grind at-bats out and find some offense,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said.

Kansas City went ahead in the first when Salvador Perez hit a two-out, run-scoring infield single. Perez was called out by first base umpire Ryan Additon, but a video review ruled Perez beat the throw from third baseman Brett Harris.

Massey hit a two-run homer off Austin Adams and Maikel Garcia a three-run drive against Brandon Bielak in a five-run sixth.

“We were only up 1-0 going into that inning so that was huge,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Massey gets the homer and things went from there, it was a huge spot in the game.”

Mitch Spence (3-2) gave up one run and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.

“I thought he did a nice job tonight,” Kotsay said. “To only give up one run over 4 2/3 innings and throw 75 pitches, that's a great outing and what was expected. I thought he'd be able to do that.”

Shea Langeliers hit a two-run homer off Sauers in the ninth, his 10th this season.

Oakland activated Bielak, a day after he was acquired from Houston for cash. LHP Hogan Harris was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

RHP Ross Stripling (1-7, 4.98 ERA) takes the mound for Oakland on Saturday while Kansas City starts RHP Seth Lugo (6-1, 1.66)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708710110872.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —&nbsp; Cole Ragans allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings, Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia homered and the Kansas City Royals beat Oakland 6-2 on Friday night to extend the Athletics losing streak to a season-high six.Ragans (3-3) walked two and struck out seven, rebounding from a 9-3 loss at the Los Angeles Angels when he allowed seven runs and eight hits. He has three scoreless starts of at least six innings this season.Chris Stratton and Matt Sauers finished the four-hitter, the ninth time Oakland has been held to four hits or fewer.Oakland has been outscored 36-6 during its losing streak, which dropped the A's to 19-28.“We just need to continue to grind at-bats out and find some offense,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said.Kansas City went ahead in the first when Salvador Perez hit a two-out, run-scoring infield single. Perez was called out by first base umpire Ryan Additon, but a video review ruled Perez beat the throw from third baseman Brett Harris.Massey hit a two-run homer off Austin Adams and Maikel Garcia a three-run drive against Brandon Bielak in a five-run sixth.“We were only up 1-0 going into that inning so that was huge,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Massey gets the homer and things went from there, it was a huge spot in the game.”Mitch Spence (3-2) gave up one run and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.“I thought he did a nice job tonight,” Kotsay said. “To only give up one run over 4 2/3 innings and throw 75 pitches, that's a great outing and what was expected. I thought he'd be able to do that.”Shea Langeliers hit a two-run homer off Sauers in the ninth, his 10th this season.ROSTER MOVESOakland activated Bielak, a day after he was acquired from Houston for cash. LHP Hogan Harris was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.UP NEXTRHP Ross Stripling (1-7, 4.98 ERA) takes the mound for Oakland on Saturday while Kansas City starts RHP Seth Lugo (6-1, 1.66)

⚾ Pitching leads Royals to Friday win

Schauffele leading and Scheffler contending at PGA Championship. It only seemed like a normal day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is right in the thick of contention at the PGA Championship. That's the only sliver of normalcy on a day that was beyond belief. The world's No. 1 player was in handcuffs and arrested on charges of assault for not following police instructions. They were investigating a fatal accident. He was trying to get into Valhalla. He was in jail. And then Scheffler shot a 66. Xander Schauffele had a 68 and was leading Collin Morikawa by one shot as the second round was ending. Tiger Woods missed the cut. They were mere footnotes.

Siakam helps Pacers beat Knicks 116-103 in Game 6 to send Eastern Conference semifinals to the limit

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and Myles Turner added 17 points to help the Indiana Pacers turned the tables on New York with a 116-103 victory to even the Eastern Conference semifinal at 3-3. The decisive Game 7 will be played Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Indiana outhustled the Knicks after getting dominated on the glass in Game 5 and the difference was obvious as Indiana never trailed in the second half. Jalen Brunson again led the severely short-handed Knicks with 31 points on 11 of 26 shooting. Josh Hart did not finish the game because of abdominal soreness after playing nearly 31 minutes.

Duchene scores winner in 2nd OT, Stars advance to Western Conference final with 2-1 win over Avs

DENVER (AP) — Matt Duchene scored at 11:42 of the second overtime after being involved in a play that led to a goal disallowed for goaltender interference in the first OT and the Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference final with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6. Duchene, a former draft pick of the Avalanche, secured a loose puck in front of the net and sent it over a sprawled out Alexandar Georgiev. Duchene took off down the ice and slid on his knees in celebration. Dallas advances to face either Edmonton or Vancouver. It's the second straight trip to the conference final for the Stars, who lost last season to eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas. Jake Oettinger was stellar all night in making 29 saves.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, May 18th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, May 18th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Report for May 18th, 2024:<div><iframe title="AP Sports Report for May 18th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=mzpqq-16164c9-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Schauffele leading and Scheffler contending at PGA Championship. It only seemed like a normal dayLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is right in the thick of contention at the PGA Championship. That's the only sliver of normalcy on a day that was beyond belief. The world's No. 1 player was in handcuffs and arrested on charges of assault for not following police instructions. They were investigating a fatal accident. He was trying to get into Valhalla. He was in jail. And then Scheffler shot a 66. Xander Schauffele had a 68 and was leading Collin Morikawa by one shot as the second round was ending. Tiger Woods missed the cut. They were mere footnotes.Siakam helps Pacers beat Knicks 116-103 in Game 6 to send Eastern Conference semifinals to the limitINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and Myles Turner added 17 points to help the Indiana Pacers turned the tables on New York with a 116-103 victory to even the Eastern Conference semifinal at 3-3. The decisive Game 7 will be played Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Indiana outhustled the Knicks after getting dominated on the glass in Game 5 and the difference was obvious as Indiana never trailed in the second half. Jalen Brunson again led the severely short-handed Knicks with 31 points on 11 of 26 shooting. Josh Hart did not finish the game because of abdominal soreness after playing nearly 31 minutes.Duchene scores winner in 2nd OT, Stars advance to Western Conference final with 2-1 win over AvsDENVER (AP) — Matt Duchene scored at 11:42 of the second overtime after being involved in a play that led to a goal disallowed for goaltender interference in the first OT and the Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference final with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6. Duchene, a former draft pick of the Avalanche, secured a loose puck in front of the net and sent it over a sprawled out Alexandar Georgiev. Duchene took off down the ice and slid on his knees in celebration. Dallas advances to face either Edmonton or Vancouver. It's the second straight trip to the conference final for the Stars, who lost last season to eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas. Jake Oettinger was stellar all night in making 29 saves.Panthers beat Bruins with late game-winner, advance to Eastern Conference finalBOSTON (AP) — Gustav Forsling scored the tiebreaking goal on a rebound with 1:33 left to lead the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 victory and eliminate the Boston Bruins from their second-round playoff series in six games. Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots for the Panthers. They advance to the Eastern Conference finals, where they will face the New York Rangers. Game 1 is on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Anton Lundell scored for the Panthers and also set up the game-winner. The Panthers also knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs after their record-setting regular-season last year. Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots for the Bruins. Pavel Zacha scored Boston's only goal.Scottie Scheffler arrested outside PGA Championship, then returns and climbs leaderboardLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship. Stunning images showed him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. He was arrested for second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and not following police directions. He was booked into jail at 7:28 a.m. He was released and arrived at Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. Police say a pedestrian was hit by a bus on the road leading to Valhalla Golf Club. ESPN says Scheffler drove past a police car and was chased down and cuffed.Ohtani hits 2-run homer and scores go-ahead run on his special day in LA as Dodgers beat Reds 7-3LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani slugged a two-run homer and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied after blowing a 3-0 lead to beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3. The Los Angeles city council earlier proclaimed May 17 as Shohei Ohtani Day in the city for as long as the Japanese two-way superstar plays for the Dodgers. He signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract in December. The Dodgers also got home runs from Mookie Betts and Jason Heyward, who had a two-run shot after coming off the injured list earlier in the day. Cincinnati's Stuart Fairchild and Tyler Stephenson went deep.Paul Skenes puts on dazzling show in 2nd major league start for Pittsburgh PiratesCHICAGO (AP) — This time, Paul Skenes brought his fastball. Not the one he struggled to command during an uneven major league debut. The dazzling one, the triple-digit heat that goes exactly where he wants it to go. The result was the same as it ever was for the big right-hander. Skenes turned in a dominant performance during his second major league start, striking out 11 while pitching six no-hit innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. He allowed just one baserunner on a full-count walk by Michael Busch in the fifth.Woods gets stuck in sand, makes two early triples en route to a 77 and will miss the cut at PGALOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tiger Woods will miss the cut at the PGA Championship after making two triple-bogeys over his first four holes on the way to a round of 6-over-par 77. Woods finished the two rounds at Valhalla, the site of his 2000 title, at 7 over and left the course tied for 136th place. The top 70 and ties will move to the weekend. When Woods finished his round, he was eight shots behind the projected cut line. This will be the fifth time Woods misses the cut at the PGA, and the first since 2019. It marked his 13th missed cut at a major since he turned pro in 1997.Getting into Valhalla during the PGA isn't easy on a good day. Then came a perfectly imperfect stormLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The death of a pedestrian and the arrest of golf star Scottie Scheffler have highlighted an uncomfortable week at Valhalla, the home of this year's PGA Championship. PGA Tour golfer Will Zalatoris says he encouraged his parents to skip the tournament because he had concerns about the logistics they faced getting to and from the course. Zalatoris and several other competitors were at a standstill in traffic on their way to the course when they decided it would be easier to walk the rest of the way instead. Zalatoris says some hard questions need to be asked and answered before the PGA considers bringing another major event the Louisville suburbs.Las Vegas Aces sell out a WNBA-record 15 of 20 home gamesHENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces have sold out 15 of their 20 home games. It's the most in WNBA history. Las Vegas in March became the first team to sell out its allotment of season tickets. The only games where individual tickets remain at Michelob Ultra Arena are Tuesday against the Phoenix Mercury, Aug. 30 against the Atlanta Dream, Sept. 15 against the Connecticut Sun and Sept. 19 against the Dallas Wings. Tickets also remain for the Sept. 3 game against the Chicago Sky at T-Mobile Arena. The Aces are chasing a third consecutive championship.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUEFinal	Houston	5	Milwaukee	4	Final	St. Louis	10	Boston	6	Final	Detroit	13	Arizona	0	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Baltimore	9	Seattle	2	Final	N.Y. Yankees	4	Chicago White Sox	2	Final	Cleveland	3	Minnesota	2	Final	Tampa Bay	4	Toronto	3	Final	Kansas City	6	Oakland	2	Final	L.A. Angels	9	Texas	3	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Pittsburgh	9	Chicago Cubs	3	Final	Philadelphia	4	Washington	2	Final	Miami	8	N.Y. Mets	0	Final	San Diego	3	Atlanta	1	Final	L.A. Dodgers	7	Cincinnati	3	Final	San Francisco	10	Colorado	5	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	Indiana	116	New York	103	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal	Florida	2	Boston	1	Final 2OT	Dallas	2	Colorado	1	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Connecticut	84	Washington	77	Final 2OT	Minnesota	102	Seattle	93	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Milwaukee	at	Houston	7:10 p.m.			Boston	at	St. Louis	7:15 p.m.			Detroit	at	Arizona	8:10 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Chi White Sox	at	N-Y Yankees	1:05 p.m.			Tampa Bay	at	Toronto	3:07 p.m.			Seattle	at	Baltimore	4:05 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Cleveland	6:10 p.m.			Oakland	at	Kansas City	7:10 p.m.			L-A Angels	at	Texas	7:15 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Pittsburgh	at	Chi Cubs	2:20 p.m.			Colorado	at	San Francisco	4:05 p.m.			N-Y Mets	at	Miami	4:10 p.m.			Washington	at	Philadelphia	6:05 p.m.			San Diego	at	Atlanta	7:15 p.m.			Cincinnati	at	L-A Dodgers	9:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS		Oklahoma City	at	Dallas	8 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS		Vancouver	at	Edmonton	8 p.m.	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Indiana	at	New York	1 p.m.			Los Angeles	at	Las Vegas	3 p.m.			Chicago	at	Dallas	8 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Phoenix	10 p.m.	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER		Atlanta	at	Nashville	1:45 p.m.			LA Galaxy	at	Charlotte FC	7:30 p.m.			St Louis City	at	Cincinnati	7:30 p.m.			D.C. United	at	Miami	7:30 p.m.			New York	at	New York City FC	7:30 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	New England	7:30 p.m.			CF Montréal	at	Toronto FC	7:30 p.m.			Sporting Kansas City	at	Austin FC	8:30 p.m.			Columbus	at	Chicago	8:30 p.m.			FC Dallas	at	Houston	8:30 p.m.			Portland	at	Minnesota	8:30 p.m.			Colorado	at	Real Salt Lake	9:30 p.m.			Orlando City	at	San Jose	10:30 p.m.			Vancouver	at	Seattle	10:30 p.m.	___