Sports
Royal Ravens knock Thieves from unbeaten ranks at CDL Major 3 qualifying
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. The Carolina Royal Ravens rallied from a loss in the opening map to hand the Los Angeles Thieves their first match defeat 3-2 in qualifying for the Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major on Saturday.
Three of the four matches on Day 2 of the third and final week were 3-2 decisions. First-place OpTic Texas downed FaZe Vegas to remain unbeaten, and Boston Breach recorded their first win by edging G2 Minnesota by the one-map margin. In the other match, the Riyadh Falcons topped winless Cloud9 New York 3-1.
The 12 Call of Duty League teams are playing a full qualifying round robin to determine seeding for the third major of the season, to be held May 15-17 as part of the DreamHack Atlanta event.
On Saturday, the Carolina Royal Ravens fell 250-197 on Gridlock Hardpoint to open their match against the Los Angeles Thieves. Carolina drew even with a 6-4 victory on Raid Search and Destroy, then lost again, this time on Exposure Overload, 5-3.
But the Royal Ravens captured the last two maps, Colossus Hardpoint (250-210) and Fringe Search and Destroy (6-4) to win the match 3-2 and blemish Los Angeles’ overall record at 3-1.
Carolina’s Logan “Lurqxx” Brown of the United States was selected the match MVP with 95 kills and a plus-7 kill-death differential.
OpTic Texas had to battle past FaZe Vegas 3-2 despite a fast start. Texas won 250-243 on Den Hardpoint and 6-4 on Gridlock Search and Destroy. Vegas rallied with victories on Scar Overload (4-2) and Gridlock Hardpoint (250-183) before OpTic closed it out with a 6-2 win on Plaza Search and Destroy.
Optic’s Mason “Mercules” Ramsey of the United States was the match MVP with 104 kills and a plus-8 K-D differential.
Boston Breach also started strong against G2 Minnesota, winning 250-247 on Scar Hardpoint and 6-4 on Fringe Search and Destroy. But Minnesota responded with victories on Den Overload (5-1) and Den Hardpoint (250-157) to force a fifth map. Boston emerged with a 6-4 triumph on Scar Search and Destroy for the 3-2 victory.
Breach’s Byron “Nastie” Plumridge of the United Kingdom was match MVP with 97 kills and a plus-12 K-D differential.
The Riyadh Falcons didn’t have to go to a fifth map, but they didn’t make it easy by dropping the opening map to Cloud9 New York, 250-197 on Gridlock Hardpoint. The Falcons then reeled off victories on Raid Search and Destroy (6-4), Exposure Overload (6-1) and Den Hardpoint (250-197) for the 3-1 victory.
Riyadh’s Amer “Pred” Zuibeari of Australia was match MVP with 87 kills and a plus-17 K-D differential.
Sunday’s schedule, Day 3 of Week 3
–Paris Gentle Mates vs. Miami Heretics
–Los Angeles Thieves vs. G2 Minnesota
–Toronto KOI vs. Cloud9 New York
Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major qualifying, with match record and map differential
1. OpTic Texas 5-0, 15-6
T2. Los Angeles Thieves, 3-1, 11-5
T2. Toronto KOI, 3-1, 11-5
4. Paris Gentle Mates, 3-1, 9-7
5. FaZe Vegas, 3-2, 12-9
6. Riyadh Falcons, 3-2, 11-9
7. Vancouver Surge, 2-3, 8-11
8. Carolina Royal Ravens, 2-3, 11-12
9. G2 Minnesota, 1-3, 6-9
10. Miami Heretics, 1-3, 5-10
11. Boston Breach, 1-4, 7-14
12. Cloud9 New York, 0-4, 3-12
–Field Level Media
Sports
Spencer Strider, Braves spoil Blake Snell's season debut for Dodgers
May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider (99) throws to the plate during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson each delivered two-run singles in the second inning and the visiting Atlanta Braves spoiled the season debut of left-hander Blake Snell with a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Right-hander Spencer Strider (1-0) allowed just one hit over six innings in his second start of the season as the Braves improved to 5-3 on a nine-game road trip. Atlanta arrived in Los Angeles following its first series loss of the season at Seattle.
Snell (0-1) allowed five runs on six hits over three innings as he returned from lingering shoulder fatigue. He was pitching for the first time since recording four outs in Game 7 of the World Series when Los Angeles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays.
Andy Pages hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning for Los Angeles to end Atlanta’s shutout bid. The Dodgers dropped to 1-1 on their seven-game homestand and fell to 9-11 since April 18.
The Braves got to Snell early by loading the bases three batters into the game on a walk and singles from Mauricio Dubon and Albies. They scored just one run in the inning on a ground out from Austin Riley.
Atlanta loaded the bases again in the second inning, this time with two outs, before Albies and Olson delivered their back-to-back two-run singles for a 5-0 lead.
Snell pitched a scoreless third inning before he departed after 77 pitches.
The Braves’ Michael Harris II tacked on an RBI double in the fifth against right-hander Edgardo Henriquez, and Drake Baldwin had a run-scoring single in the eighth against right-hander Paul Gervase.
Strider allowed two walks with eight strikeouts as he rebounded from a rough season debut on Sunday when he gave up three runs with five walks in 3 1/3 innings. Strider missed the first month of the season with a left oblique strain.
Pages’ two-run home run in the ninth inning for the Dodgers, against right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, was his ninth of the season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Byron Buxton accounts for both Twins runs to beat Guardians in 11
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Byron Buxton’s RBI double in the 11th inning gave the Minnesota Twins a 2-1 win over the host Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night as each team managed only two hits.
The game’s start was delayed two hours and 6 minutes by rain.
Buxton had both of the Twins’ hits as he led off the game with a home run. His double in the top of the 11th was the game-winner, scoring automatic runner Matt Wallner from third to snap Minnesota’s three-game losing streak.
The Twins escaped bases-loaded, one-out situations for the Guardians in the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings.
Cleveland had its three-game winning streak ended.
Minnesota reliever Eric Orze (1-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Luis Garcia worked the 11th for his first save.
Guardians right-hander Peyton Pallette (1-2) allowed one run on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in two innings.
Both starters were outstanding.
Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee allowed a run on one hit — Buxton’s homer — in six innings with two walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. His run of retiring 10 straight batters was snapped by a walk to Luke Keaschall with two outs in the fourth.
The Twins’ Joe Ryan gave up a run and two hits in six innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Kyle Manzardo’s RBI single tied the game 1-1 in the fourth for Cleveland. Jose Ramirez, who got the first hit off of Ryan with one out and stole second, scored on the play.
Ryan worked his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam later in the inning by striking out Angel Martinez and Austin Hedges.
Buxton’s homer was his 13th this season as he took Bibee’s 1-1 cutter over the wall in left.
The Twins placed starting pitcher Taj Bailey (4-1, 2.87) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 6, with pec muscle inflammation. Minnesota also recalled RHP Travis Adams from Triple-A St. Paul.
The Guardians acquired catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants for left-handed pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and Cleveland’s Competitive Balance Round A pick (29th overall) in the 2026 draft and sent catcher Bo Naylor to Triple-A Columbus.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jeong Sang-bin's goal lifts St. Louis City past Rapids
May 9, 2026; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; St. Louis City midfielder Conrad Wallem (6) and Colorado Rapids midfielder Paxten Aaronson (10) battle for the ball in the first half at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Jeong Sang-bin scored in the 26th minute Saturday and visiting St. Louis City SC logged its first clean sheet since last year, blanking the Colorado Rapids 1-0 in a contentious match.
It was the first goal this year for Sang-bin. Goalie Roman Burki started the sequence with a long goal kick that Simon Becher conveyed to a streaking Sang-bin. Racing down the pitch’s middle, Sang-bin easily dribbled by goalie Nicolas Hansen and poked the ball home.
Colorado’s bid at a second-half rally took a hit when Rob Holding was sent off in the 51st minute after fouling Becher. St. Louis (2-6-3, 9 points) played 36 minutes of 11-on-10 soccer before Chris Durkin was booked for the second time in the 87th minute, leveling the teams at 10 men each.
Rafael Navarro, Keegan Rosenberry and Georgi Minoungou each had good chances to equalize after Durkin’s dismissal. But Navarro’s header sailed right of the net in the 87th minute and Rosenberry couldn’t finish two minutes into stoppage time.
Minoungou then sailed a header over the crossbar, a shot that was estimated to have a 48% chance of going into the net. St. Louis held on through six more minutes of stoppage time for its first road win of the year.
The Rapids (3-5-4, 13 points) wasted a major advantage in possession time (58.1% to 41.9) and got just two of their 11 shots on frame, with Burki denying both. Colorado created a whopping 11 corner kicks but couldn’t convert its set pieces into goals.
Both teams were hoping to display better form than they showed in recent fixtures. St. Louis was 0-3-2 in its previous five matches and the Rapids were 0-3-1 in their prior four matches.
The first half was played on even terms until Sang-bin struck. Despite Colorado controlling the ball 55.1% of the time, each team took five shots and got one to net.
Referee Tim Ford whistled 36 fouls and administered a total of nine cards in a physical match.
–Field Level Media
