Sports
Nasa Hataoka kicks off LPGA season with Tournament of Champions lead
Apr 24, 2025; The Woodlands, Texas, USA; Nasa Hataoka of Japan walks onto the green on the 18th hole during the first round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Nasa Hataoka of Japan racked up seven birdies to open the LPGA season in style, setting the first-round lead at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Thursday in Orlando, Fla.
Hataoka rolled in consecutive birdies at Nos. 10-11 and 15-16 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club to head to the clubhouse with a 6-under-par 66. A star-studded quartet is one stroke back at 5-under 67: World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, countrywoman Chanettee Wannasaen, English phenom Lottie Woad and Sweden’s Linn Grant.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda and South Korea’s Amy Yang are another shot back at 4-under 68.
Thirty-nine players were invited to the season opener, a 72-hole event without a cut. They are playing alongside 44 amateurs playing in a separate competition with a Modified Stableford scoring format. Retired tennis pro Mardy Fish, a four-time winner of the celebrity division, has the early four-point lead there after scoring a 39.
Hataoka birdied two par-3 holes on the front nine before taking her only bogey of the round at the par-4 seventh hole. Of her four birdies coming in, the par-5 11th saw her hole a lengthy putt from the fringe.
“I think my putting really good today, so that’s why shoot 66,” Hataoka said. “So, yeah, I’m happy with that result.
Hataoka, 27, has nine top-10 finishes at the LPGA’s five majors. She said becoming a major champion and winning more than two tournaments were her goals for the season.
Thitikul, 22, is also in search of her first major title after some near-misses in 2025. She did win her second straight CME Group Tour Championship in November, so she came into this season on that high.
“I don’t even know how,” Thitikul said of how she brings a fresh mentality into 2026. “I still trying to do, and then I think maybe you have to be grounded and then you have to, you know, put yourself where you want it more and where you — you know, aiming for more.”
Woad, also 22, burst on the scene last July when she won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur and the Women’s Scottish Open three weeks later in her first start as a professional.
Woad had the lead thanks to six birdies through 14 holes but made her only bogey of the day at No. 18.
“(The course) definitely challenges you,” Woad said. “I mean, the practice days were pretty cold as well, so it played a little bit easier today, like a bit softer greens I think with the heat. Because when I was playing the practice rounds I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to stop it on this green.”
Defending champion A Lim Kim of South Korea opened with a 3-under 69, as did New Zealand star Lydia Ko.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Josh Jung’s 2-run blast lifts Rangers past Athletics
Apr 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen (9) scores at home plate as Athletics catcher Austin Wynns (29) attempts to make the tag during the third inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Josh Jung hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Athletics 4-3 on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Corey Seager had two hits and an RBI for Texas, which evened the three-game series after losing the opener 8-1 on Friday.
Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore allowed three runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over five innings. Cole Winn (2-1), Jalen Beeks and Jakob Junis each pitched a scoreless inning before left-hander Jacob Latz retired the Athletics in order in the ninth for his first save.
Shea Langeliers and Jacob Wilson had two hits apiece for the Athletics, who lost despite out-hitting the Rangers 7-5. The Athletics were 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and fell back into a tie with the Rangers for first place in the American League West.
The Athletics claimed a 1-0 run in the second inning when Wilson doubled and scored on Darell Hernaiz’s two-out single.
Gore allowed two more runs in the third. With two on and no outs, Colby Thomas singled in a run before Tyler Soderstrom grounded out. Wilson followed with a sacrifice fly to score Nick Kurtz from third.
Texas answered with two runs in the third against Jeffrey Springs (3-2). The Rangers loaded the bases with no outs and pushed a run across on Brandon Nimmo’s sacrifice fly before Seager singled in a run with two outs.
Springs gave up four runs on five hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out four.
The Rangers pulled ahead on Jung’s two-run homer in the sixth. Seager hit a leadoff single and Jake Burger flied out before Jung deposited Springs’ 0-1 slider over the right-center field wall.
The 381-foot blast was Jung’s fourth homer of the season. After going 0-for-17 in March, Jung is batting .371 (26-for-70) with 14 RBIs in his last 20 games.
The Athletics put the tying run in scoring position with one out in the eighth on Carlos Cortes’ double, but Jeff McNeil and Austin Wynns each flied out to end the threat.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Lorenzen, double plays help Rockies top Mets
Apr 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Michael Lorenzen tossed a season-high seven innings and earned the win Friday night for the visiting Colorado Rockies, who beat the New York Mets 4-3 in the opener of a three-game series.
Jake McCarthy laced the tiebreaking RBI double in the sixth while Troy Johnston had what proved to be the decisive two-run single an inning later for the Rockies, who improved to 11-16. Colorado didn’t win its 11th game last season until June 3, when it was 11-50.
TJ Rumfield hit into a run-scoring groundout in the fifth while Ezequiel Tovar finished with two hits.
Marcus Semien hit into a run-scoring double play in the second and Brett Baty delivered a two-run single in the eighth for the Mets, who had won two straight following a 12-game losing streak.
Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio had two hits apiece.
Lorenzen (2-2), who entered Friday with a 7.48 ERA and pitched beyond the fifth just once in his first five starts this season, gave up one run on seven hits and no walks while striking out three. He induced three double plays in his longest outing since last Sept. 19, when the right-hander tossed 7 2/3 innings for the Kansas City Royals in a 20-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Mets immediately rallied in the eighth against Jaden Hill, who gave up four singles, including Baty’s hit, while recording one out. But Antonio Senzatela entered and got Vientos to line into a double play.
The four double plays were the most for the Mets since they hit into four against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 9, 2019.
Senzatela threw a perfect ninth to close out his second save.
Freddy Peralta (1-3) took the loss for the Mets after allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda each homer twice as Rays beat Twins
Apr 24, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda (8) celebrates a home run during the fourth inning against Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Junior Caminero hit a pair of tape-measure home runs and drove in three runs and Jonathan Aranda also homered twice to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night.
It was the fifth career multi-homer game for Caminero, who has hit six home runs during a nine-game hitting streak.
Drew Rasmussen (2-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Bryan Baker retired all three batters he faced in the ninth for his fifth save.
Brooks Lee homered and doubled in a 3-for-4 game and Royce Lewis also homered for Minnesota, which took its seventh loss in the last eight games
Taj Bradley (3-1), traded by Tampa Bay to Minnesota at the last year’s trade deadline for reliever Griffin Jax, allowed six runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings in his first start against the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
Bradley, who came into the contest third in the American League with a 1.63 ERA, allowed four homers after giving up none in his first five starts of the season.
Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a 450-foot blast over the batter’s eye in center field by Caminero, the longest home run of his career.
The Rays extended the lead to 2-0 in the third inning when Nick Fortes led off with a double, was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Walls and scored on a groundout to first by Chandler Simpson.
Aranda led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run down the right field line to make it 3-0, but the Twins cut the lead to 3-1 in the fifth on Lee’s fourth home run.
Aranda led off the sixth with his second homer of the game and sixth of the season, a 414-foot drive deep into the bleachers in right to make it 4-1. Tampa Bay then broke the game open in the seventh when Caminero clubbed a two-run homer, this one a 435-foot drive off the batter’s eye in center, to extend the lead to 6-1.
Lewis ended the scoring with a leadoff homer down the left field line in the ninth off reliever Trevor Martin.
–Field Level Media
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Josh Jung’s 2-run blast lifts Rangers past Athletics
