Sports
Cody Fajardo, upstart Elks eye back-to-back wins over Riders
Nov 1, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; View of a CFL ball with a league french logo on the field during warmups before the CFL Eastern Conference Semi Final at Percival-Molson stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Edmonton Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo delivered the most prolific performance of his 11-year CFL career when he engineered a wild takedown of the defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 23.
Now he has been asked to do it again.
Fajardo and the Western Conference-leading Elks (6-1) look to make it back-to-back wins over the Roughriders (4-2) during Saturday night’s rematch in Edmonton.
Fajardo passed for a career-best 510 yards to go with four touchdown passes. He also engineered the drive that led to Vincent Blanchard’s walk-off, 57-yard field goal for an electric 36-34 road victory.
“That guy just lays it out there, leaves his heart on the field every time he plays,” Elks coach Mark Kilam said of Fajardo. “That’s why I’ll ride with that guy forever.”
Fajardo, 34, was MVP of the 2023 Grey Cup when the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the title game.
He was with Montreal again the following season before joining Edmonton for the 2025 campaign. He tossed 14 scoring passes for the Elks last season; he already has 13 in seven games this season.
“Nobody expects anything from the underdog,” Fajardo said. “It’s a good role to be in. More people have jumped on board here or there. But at the end of the day, it’s too late. The ship’s already left the station. I’m going to do what I’m going to do, no matter what.”
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris also performed well in last week’s dramatic affair. He passed for 386 yards and a season-best four touchdowns.
Harris said his club made fewer plays than the Elks, and that prevented the Roughriders from leaving the field with a victory.
“(The Elks) just won because they made one extra play than we did,” Harris said. “Ultimately, you could pick a bunch of plays, and if they went in a different direction, we would have won, but they didn’t. (The Elks) did. They made the plays and you tip your hat to them.
“I can promise you one thing: We will get better from this and we’ll reload.”
Roughriders running back A.J. Ouellette (288 yards in four games) will sit out after sustaining a knee injury in the third quarter of last week’s contest.
Quali Conley will be Saskatchewan’s main back. He has rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in two appearances this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sabrina Ionescu (27 points), Liberty surge past Mercury
Aug 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) against Phoenix Mercury forward Noemie Brochant (1) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Sabrina Ionescu had 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and the New York Liberty overcame a 10-point second-half deficit for a 94-92 victory over the host Phoenix Mercury on Saturday afternoon.
Breanna Stewart had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Han Xu had season highs with 17 points and three 3-pointers for the Liberty (17-13), who have won four of five.
DeWanna Bonner had a season-high 25 points along with seven rebounds and Kahleah Copper also scored 25 for the Mercury (11-19), who had a three-game winning streak broken.vAlyssa Thomas contributed 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Jonquel Jones added 16 points and nine rebounds, and her putback gave the Liberty an 89-83 lead with 1:38 left. Rebecca Allen’s 3-pointer on the next possession made it 92-84.
The Liberty swept the three-game season series after winning back-to-back games in New York on May 27 and 29.
Bonner made a 3-pointer after a New York turnover to close the gap to 92-90 with 24.1 seconds remaining after the last of three straight Liberty turnovers.
Stewart hit two free throws with 12.7 left for a 94-90 lead. Thomas’ layup with four seconds left brought the Mercury close, but the Liberty inbounded the ball and the Mercury could not foul as time expired.
The Liberty had a 37-23 rebounding edge, 16 second-chance points and 44 points in the paint.
Ionescu had seven points in the first quarter, when the Liberty scored 11 of the first 12 points and used a late 9-2 run for a 26-15 edge at the quarter. Their largest lead of the game was 13.
Bonner scored eight points as the Mercury closed the second quarter on an 18-9 stretch to get within 46-43 at the break. Stewart, who passed Candace Parker as the 10th-leading all-time scorer in the league Thursday, had six points in the first half.
Noemie Brochant’s 3-pointer gave the Mercury their first lead at 50-48 with 8:17 left in the third quarter.
Copper’s second 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run to give the Mercury their largest lead at 62-52 with 4:06 remaining in the third. The Liberty closed on a 12-1 run capped by Ionescu’s 3-pointer for a 66-65 edge.
The Liberty did not trail the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
May 27, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees on Saturday in exchange for two prospects.
Doval, 29, is 3-1 with one save and a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances out of the New York bullpen this season. The Pirates were seeking late-game relief help.
The Yankees received catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz in the deal. New York also included cash as part of the trade.
New York acquired Doval, a former All-Star closer, in a deal with the San Francisco Giants at last year’s trade deadline.
Doval is 29-20 with 109 saves and a 3.53 ERA in 341 career relief outings with the Giants (2021-25) and Yankees. He tied for the National League lead with 39 saves in 2023 when he made the NL All-Star team.
Alfonzo, 22, was batting .238 with nine homers and 35 RBIs in 62 games this season, including 60 for Double-A Altoona.
Cruz, 18, was batting .300 with eight RBIs and eight steals in 19 games for the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League affiliate.
The MLB trade deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Blazers sign F Jeremy Sochan to one-year contract
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan (20) runs up court after a basket during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Portland Trail Blazers forward Jeremy Sochan agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, per ESPN.
Sochan was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
Across three-plus seasons with the Spurs, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 212 games (149 starts). He shot 46.8% from the field and 28.7% from 3-point range.
He was waived by the Spurs in February. He then signed with the New York Knicks.
The 23-year-old only appeared in 16 regular season games for the Knicks, averaging a meager 6.9 minutes per game. In that limited run, he averaged 2.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists, while shooting 56.7% from the field.
During the postseason, he appeared in eight games during the team’s championship run, playing 26 total minutes and averaging 2.5 points.
Now, the former lottery pick will look to earn a bigger role on a revamped Blazers squad. Portland has a loaded backcourt with Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. The 6-foot-8 Sochan will give them frontcourt depth behind Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara.
–Field Level Media
Sabrina Ionescu (27 points), Liberty surge past Mercury
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
