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No. 25 Mississippi State wraps home schedule vs. messed-up Texas

NCAA Basketball: Louisiana State at Mississippi StateMar 1, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard (12) and forward Cameron Matthews (4) celebrate during the second half against the LSU Tigers at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

No. 25 Mississippi State gets another chance to build momentum for the postseason when it closes its home schedule against struggling Texas in a key late-season Southeastern Conference game Tuesday in Starkville, Miss.

The Bulldogs (20-9, 8-8 SEC) snapped a two-game losing streak with an 81-69 home win over LSU on Saturday. Josh Hubbard scored 30 points and Riley Kugel added 12 as Mississippi State outscored LSU by 14 points after halftime and bounced back from a 38-point drubbing at then-No. 6 Alabama on Feb. 25.

“It was as big a game as we’ve had all year long,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said after the win over LSU. “I put some added pressure on (the team) because I wanted them to feel that way. I wanted them to feel like it was a must-win, because I felt like it was.

“For a number of different reasons, I wanted to see how they’d act in that pressurized situation — hoping that we’re in those types of games here shortly.”

Mississippi State shot 64 percent from the floor in the second half and clinched its third consecutive 20-win season.

Saturday was Hubbard’s 24th 20-point game of his career, in which the sophomore has started 43 straight games.

“Being a complete player is what I worked on in the offseason,” Hubbard said. “Just getting downhill, being aggressive, putting some pressure on the defense.”

The Bulldogs’ final two games are against squads not ranked in the Top 25. Three of Mississippi State’s wins in league play have come versus ranked teams.

The game has added importance for the Longhorns (16-13, 5-11), who likely need to win Tuesday in Starkville and Saturday versus Oklahoma at home in its regular-season finale to be considered for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

Texas has put itself in this position by losing six of its last seven contests, including the last three to unranked South Carolina, Arkansas and Georgia. The Longhorns looked completely uninspired Saturday in an 83-67 home setback to Georgia, falling behind by 27 points six minutes into the second half and never making a serious run.

“We didn’t get the kind of start we wanted to get off to, especially from an offensive standpoint,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said. “I feel like we let that dictate a little bit of our defensive effort to start the ballgame.”

Arthur Kaluma led the Longhorns with 15 points while reserve Jayson Kent added 14 and Jordan Pope had 10. Tre Johnson, the SEC’s leading scorer at 20.6 points per game, was limited to 12 points and didn’t attempt a shot from the floor after halftime.

“We can’t be having these first-half lapses and then decide to turn it up in the second half,” Texas forward Devon Pryor said. “We need to just start the game off strong every time.”

Texas has won five of its eight meetings with the Bulldogs, which includes a 69-55 win in their last matchup November 21, 2012, in the Maui Invitational.

–Field Level Media

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Pirates wreck Reds; tie MLB record for consecutive walks

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh PiratesMay 2, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Home plate umpire Willie Traynow keeps Cincinnati Reds second baseman Sal Stewart (27) away from Pittsburgh Pirates cvatcher Henry Davis after he was nearly hit by the ball during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images

The host Pittsburgh Pirates scored 15 runs in the first four innings and took advantage of record wildness by the Cincinnati Reds to roll to a 17-7 victory on Saturday.

Rookie Konnor Griffin doubled, tripled and went 4-for-5 while driving in two, while Ryan O’Hearn doubled and drove in three as the top eight hitters in the Pirates lineup each had at least one hit while seven batters had at least two hits.

Pittsburgh also drew seven consecutive walks in the second inning — tying a major league record set in 1909 and equaled in 1983. The Pirates scored five runs in the second without a hit, becoming the first team to accomplish the feat since 1994.

Right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (2-2) was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst. He struck out a career-high 10 while scattering eight hits, two walks and five runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Will Benson and JJ Bleday homered and Nathaniel Lowe drove in three runs for the Reds, who trailed 15-3 after four innings. Cincinnati starter Rhett Lowder (3-2) surrendered eight runs, five hits and four walks before being removed with one out in the second.

Since losing 2-0 to Cincinnati in their first meeting on March 30, Pittsburgh has won the last four by a combined 42-14 score.

For a second straight day, the game was played in raw conditions, with a game-time temperature of 43 degrees.

Lowder appeared miserable in the cold and struggled badly early. He was unable to find his rhythm or command while allowing four runs before there were two outs in the first inning. The five runs allowed in the first were a career high for the right-hander.

Lowder labored through 30 pitches in the first as O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna and Griffin each doubled in the five-run outburst. Lowder then walked the bases loaded in the second before being pulled.

Reliever Connor Phillips came in and walked all four Pirates he faced to force in four runs. He left after throwing just five of his 21 pitches for strikes.

The last time seven straight walks were issued in a Major League game came on May 25, 1983, when three Pirates pitchers walked seven in a row at Atlanta in a 6-0 Braves win.

The five runs without a hit in the second happened for the first time since April 27, 1994, when the Seattle Mariners allowed five runs to the New York Yankees in the top of the third inning.

With the score 15-6, Pittsburgh reliever Chris Devenski was ejected for throwing inside near the ribcage of Sal Stewart to open the seventh. Stewart took exception and stared out at the mound. But the encounter did not escalate as umpires intervened.

–Field Level Media

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Max Meyer, 2 relievers hold Phillies to 1 hit

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at Miami MarlinsMay 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer (23) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Max Meyer only allowed one hit in seven shutout innings and Xavier Edwards homered in the host Miami Marlins’ 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday

Meyer (2-0) faced one over the minimum number of batters with a walk and seven strikeouts in the longest start of his career. He threw 55 strikes in 83 pitches.

Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi each retired the side in order in the combined one-hitter.

Otto Lopez and Edwards each had two hits with a run and an RBI and Connor Norby was 2-for-3 with a run batted in for the Marlins, who evened the four-game series at one win each.

Garrett Stubbs got the lone hit for the Phillies, who had their four-game winning streak under interim manager Don Mattingly snapped. Kyle Schwarber was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and has struck out in all eight at-bats over his last two games, tying a career high for consecutive strikeouts.

Philadelphia right-hander Andrew Painter (1-3) gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings with three walks and seven strikeouts.

The Marlins took a 2-0 lead in the third on consecutive bases-loaded, two-out walks to Agustin Ramirez and Norby.

It was the second straight inning Miami loaded the bases with one out with three consecutive singles. In the second, Painter got Graham Pauley on a foul out and struck out Esteury Ruiz swinging to end the inning.

Edwards’ one-out solo homer in the fifth made it 3-0. He drove Painter’s 1-1 four-seam fastball into the right-field stands for his second home run.

Lopez’s infield single with two outs in the sixth increased the Marlins’ advantage to 4-0.

Stubbs singled in the third with one out and was erased on an inning-ending double play.

Justin Crawford was scratched from the Phillies’ lineup because of a migraine.

Philadelphia also activated catcher J.T, Realmuto from the 10-day injured list (back spasms) earlier Saturday and designated Dylan Moore for assignment. Realmuto was hitless in three at-bats.

–Field Level Media

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Kelvin Yeboah nets brace as Minnesota rallies past Crew

Syndication: The Columbus DispatchColumbus Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki (25) attempts to block the shot of Minnesota United FC forward Tomás Chancalay (8) in the first half of the MLS match at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.

Kelvin Yeboah’s brace and a goal and an assist by Anthony Markanich keyed a 15-minute second-half comeback as Minnesota United defeated the host Columbus Crew 3-2 on Saturday.

Markanich broke a 2-2 tie in the 74th minute off a throw-in when he scored on a header off a cross by Nectarios Triantis.

After Taha Habroune in the 31st and Hugo Picard in the 56th staked the Crew to a 2-0 lead, Yeboah scored from corner-kick setups in the 59th and 66th minutes as Minnesota (6-3-2, 20 points) moved to 5-1-1 in their past seven matches.

The Crew (3-5-3, 12 points) had won two straight and looked to be cruising until their collapse, falling to 2-2-2 at home.

Habroune, the 20-year-old Homegrown player, worked a give-and-go in tight space with Max Arfsten at the top right corner of the box for his second career goal in 33 matches.

Arfsten heeled the ball to Habroune, who rocketed a shot to the upper right corner. Arfsten has three goals and four assists in the past seven matches.

Picard scored his first career goal in his 19th MLS match after having scored four goals in two U.S. Open Cup matches this season, including two vs. USL One club One Knoxville on Wednesday.

He scored on a rebound of his own shot that was blocked by Loons defender Jefferson Diaz.

The Minnesota rally started when Yeboah slid between two defenders and right-footed a flick by Markanich.

Yeboah made it 2-2 when he had an open header from a corner kick by Joaquin Pereyra. Of Yeboah’s seven goals, five have come on the road where the Loons are 4-2-1.

Minnesota’s Colombian international midfielder James Rodriguez did not play due to “a previously scheduled routine medical procedure — not related to any injury,” according to the club. He practiced Friday morning and will rejoin the team next week.

–Field Level Media

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