Sports
Iowa State runs roughshod over Arizona State in Big 12 tourney
Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) protects the ball during the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images Milan Momcilovic scored 21 points and Joshua Jefferson added 20 points and 12 rebounds as No. 7 Iowa State walloped Arizona State 91-42 on Wednesday in a Big 12 Conference tournament second-round game in Kansas City, Mo.
The fifth-seeded Cyclones (26-6) advance to play fourth-seeded Texas Tech, No. 16 in the latest AP poll, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday afternoon.
Iowa State led by as many as 33 points in the first half and by 29 at halftime as it held the 12th-seeded Sun Devils to 31.8% shooing from the floor while forcing 15 turnovers that led to 18 points for the Cyclones.
The second half was not much better for Arizona State, as Iowa State eventually expanded the margin to 49 points, with the margin of victory the largest in Big 12 tournament history.
Blake Buchanan added 17 points for the Cyclones, while Tamin Lipsey scored 11.
Santiago Trouet led Arizona State (17-16) with 13 points and was the only Sun Devil in double figures. Maurice Odem, who came into this tournament averaging more than 17 points per game, scored just two on Wednesday after producing nine in a win over Baylor on Tuesday.
The Sun Devils lost to Iowa State twice in the past five days by a combined total of 70 points.
Iowa State set the table early on, scoring the game’s first seven points before going upon 13-2 on a layup by Momcilovic at the 13:28 mark of the first half. Lipsey’s 3-pointer with 9:20 to go in the half stoked the margin to 14 points. A jumper from beyond the arc by Jamarion Batemon on the break after a steal by Lipsey put Iowa State ahead 27-10 with 7:51 left.
The Cyclones continued to expand on the lead as Momcilovic hit a free throw and then a 3-pointer, the latter with 4:03 still to play before halftime, to go up 33-10. Iowa State’s run eventually reached 16 consecutive points and built the lead to 40-10 before a jumper by Massamba Diop ended a six-minute scoreless stretch for the Sun Devils.
Bryce Ford’s jumper with 1 second left cut Arizona State’s deficit to 45-16 at the break.
Momcilovic led Iowa State’s attack with 12 points while Buchanan and Bateman added nine each before halftime. No player had more than four points for the Sun Devils in the first half as they shot just 7 of 22 from the field and missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals' Cole Ragans leave game with triceps, elbow soreness
Apr 26, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans (55) pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Kansas City starting pitcher Cole Ragans left the Royals’ Wednesday game against the Cleveland Guardians after the third inning due to left triceps and elbow soreness, the team announced.
Ragans gave up no runs and a hit while striking out four and walking two. He threw 58 pitches. He is 1-4 with a 4.84 ERA in eight starts this season, with 45 strikeouts and 23 walks in 35 1/3 innings.
An All-Star in 2024, Ragans, 28, was drafted in the first round in 2016 by the Texas Rangers. He was traded to Kansas City in 2023 in a deal that sent closer Aroldis Champman to Texas.
Ragans is 22-24 overall in his career with a 3.76 ERA in 91 appearances (74 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Healthy Sonny Gray pitches Red Sox to sweep of Tigers
May 6, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images Sonny Gray pitched five scoreless innings in his return to action and the visiting Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 4-0 victory on Wednesday night.
Gray (3-1) came off the injured list and gave up four hits while recording two strikeouts. Gray strained his right hamstring in a start last month against the Tigers.
Tyler Samaniego struck out three in two innings. Zack Kelly and Greg Weissert each pitched an inning to complete the shutout.
Masataka Yoshida had two hits and scored a run. Caleb Durbin supplied an RBI double.
Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (0-3) gave up four runs, two earned, in five innings while recording a season-high 10 strikeouts. Riley Greene led the offense with two hits.
Flaherty struck out the first five batters he faced. The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the inning as Greene led off with a double and Zach McKinstry and Spencer Torkelson drew two-out walks. Jace Jung, just recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, then hit a sinking liner that right fielder Wilyer Abreu snared with a sliding grab.
Boston took the lead in the third. Marcelo Mayer reached on an infield hit and Flaherty hit Carlos Narvaez with a pitch. Durbin then smacked a double to left, scoring Mayer. One out later, Willson Contreras hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Narvaez.
Detroit had a pair of baserunners in the bottom of the inning as Matt Vierling and Greene hit singles. Dillon Dingler flied out to center, ending the threat.
The Red Sox pushed their lead to 4-0 in the fourth. Masataka Yoshida had a one-out single and Ceddanne Rafaela drew a walk. With two out, third baseman Colt Keith made an error on a Narvaez grounder, allowing both runners to score.
In the seventh, Boston loaded the bases on three walks by Drew Anderson.
Brant Hurter retired the next two batters on a strikeout and groundout to leave the runners stranded.
Kelly issued two one-out walks in the eighth, then struck out Greene and Dingler.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sabres' power play tallies twice to topple Canadiens in Game 1
May 6, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Montréal Canadiens in game one of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images Ryan McLeod and defenseman Bowen Byram each converted on the power play to lift the host Buffalo Sabres to a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference second-round series.
Buffalo went 2-for-3 with the man advantage after going 1-for-46 on the power play over its previous 13 games.
By scoring his fourth goal, Byram matched the franchise record for most in a postseason by a defenseman set by Mike Ramsey (1983) and equaled by Jason Woolley (1999) and Alexei Zhitnik (1999).
McLeod and Josh Doan each collected a goal and an assist. Jordan Greenway also tallied and Alex Lyon made 26 saves for the Sabres, who host Game 2 on Friday.
Selke Trophy finalist Nick Suzuki scored a power-play goal, Kirby Dach also tallied and Jakub Dobes turned aside 12 shots for the Canadiens.
Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson hit the post in his bid to open the scoring early in the first period. He then lost his footing and the puck at his own blue line, leading to a 3-on-1 opportunity and Zach Benson feeding Doan on the doorstep for an easy conversion at 4:31 of the period.
McLeod converted from a sharp angle along the goal line to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead with 6:34 remaining in the first period.
Suzuki answered at left post to halve the deficit with 45 seconds to play in the first period, but Greenway regained the two-goal advantage at 3:32 of the second. He unleashed a shot from above the left circle that caromed off Dobes’ glove and into the net. Tyson Kozak drove to the net to provide a bit of a screen on the play.
The Sabres made it 4-1 at 9:01 of the second. McLeod knocked down a Canadiens’ clearing attempt, allowing Byram to collect the puck and use a screen from Doan to wrist a shot past Dobes.
Dach used a second effort to chip the puck from a sharp angle past Lyon to trim Montreal’s deficit to 4-2 with 3:29 remaining in the second period.
The Canadiens outshot the Sabres 11-1 in the third period, but could not get any closer.
–Field Level Media
Royals' Cole Ragans leave game with triceps, elbow soreness
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