Sports
No. 9 Texas Tech meets TCU in showdown of surging teams
Feb 15, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders forward JT Toppin (15) blocks out Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Robert Jennings II (25) during the first half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images A Texas Tech offense that is hitting its stride and a TCU defense that has tightened will square off Tuesday night in a Big 12 showdown in Fort Worth, Texas.
The No. 9 Red Raiders (20-5, 11-3) are coming off a 93-55 win at Oklahoma State on Saturday. They are tied for second place in the Big 12 with Arizona and have won nine of their past 10 games, including two in a row.
TCU (14-11, 7-7) also has won two straight games — a 73-72 nail-biter over visiting Oklahoma State on Wednesday that featured a Vasean Allette buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and a 74-70 road win over Arizona State on Saturday.
JT Toppin, Texas Tech’s leading scorer and rebounder this season, was slowed by an ankle injury earlier this month. But he didn’t miss a start and still has averaged 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He scored career-high 41 points in a double-overtime win against Arizona State on Wednesday and a robust 32 against Oklahoma State.
He’s on the Karl Malone Watch List, awarded to the nation’s top power forward, and has a double-double in three straight games.
“He’s healthy; when you see him move it’s not hard to tell he’s healthy,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “Honestly he’s just moving better. One, he’s feeling better, and two, our offense is starting to really move the basketball. We had 23 assists and just eight turnovers (against the Cowboys).”
With Toppin commanding attention at the rim, the Red Raiders’ shooters have had open looks from 3-point range. Texas Tech is 14th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 38.4.
Three Red Raiders shoot at least 40 percent from beyond the arc, led by senior guard Chance McMillian at 44 percent.
“I think we’ve got a couple of the best 3-point shooters in the country,” McCasland said. “I think we’ve got a couple of the best set up guys in the country. When you get JT in the middle of that, it’s a monster to deal with.”
Meanwhile, for the Horned Frogs, who have won four of their past five games, redshirt freshman Jace Posey has come on strong. Against the Sun Devils, he came off the bench to play 30 minutes, collecting 20 points, hitting 6 of 8 shots from the floor, and making eight free throws and two steals.
“I’m staying the course,” Posey said. “Some things are going to go your way, and some things are not. If you can just stay the course, when your moment comes, you should perform.”
Noah Reynolds, who leads TCU in scoring with an average of 12.8 points per game, scored 19 against Arizona State and said the Horned Frogs’ defense, which led 31-24 in defensive rebounds and forced 14 turnovers, is key to the team’s success.
“We need more of a consistent effort on defense,” Reynolds said. “Myself and Vasean, when we guard at a high level, it translates directly to winning for our basketball team. It starts at the point of attack for our basketball team. When we are out there pressuring guards, creating turnovers in the ball screen, it makes our offense even easier and helps us flow better. We’ve got to be two dogs at the point of attack on defense.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves win in 11 innings as Orioles squander opportunities
Jul 26, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) attempting to make a tag on Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II (23) and is safe in the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images Austin Riley doubled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the host Baltimore Orioles 3-2 on Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of the three-game series.
Dominic Smith drove in two runs with a pair of singles and finished with three hits while starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez threw 5 2/3 shutout innings for the Braves, who won for the eighth time in their last 11 games. Tyler Kinley (6-4) was the winning pitcher by going 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Pete Alonso homered for the Orioles, who tied the game in the bottom of the ninth but then wasted game-winning opportunities in the next two innings. Andrew Kittredge (1-3) took the loss.
After a wild pitch and two walks, the Orioles had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th. But Gunnar Henderson lined into a double play and Taylor Ward was retired on a flyout. They reloaded the bases with two outs in the 11th but didn’t score.
The Orioles tied the game with an unearned run on Jackson Holliday’s groundout, which accounted for the second out of the ninth inning. The Braves stranded two runners in the top of the 10th.
Lopez allowed five hits and one walk with six strikeouts before Dylan Dodd, Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias followed him in relief.
Orioles starter Shane Baz lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks. Alonso and Ward each had two of Baltimore’s six hits.
The Braves struck first on Smith’s run-scoring single in the second inning. That gave Smith his first 40-RBI season since 2023 when he was with the Washington Nationals.
Smith singled in another run in the fourth.
Alonso’s 22nd long ball of the season came off Lee in the eighth inning to cut the gap to 2-1.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and Coby Mayo ran for him. Mayo took third on a fielding error by Ozzie Albies at second base before Holliday drove him in, but Iglesias retired Jeremiah Jackson to force extras.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twins roll up big lead, hold on to beat Athletics
Jul 26, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins right fielder Kody Clemens (2) slides into third base for a run scoring triple as Athletics third baseman Tommy White (47) looks to catch the ball. White would be unable to gather the ball and Clemens would score on the play during the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins held on for an 11-8 win over the Athletics on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Ryan Kreidler finished 3-for-4 with three doubles and an RBI for Minnesota, which won the rubber match of the three-game series. Kody Clemens went 3-for-5 with two triples and an RBI.
Nick Kurtz hit a three-run home run to lead the Athletics. Jeff McNeil was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp (3-5) held the Athletics to one run on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-10) gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Minnesota started the scoring with three runs in the first.
Royce Lewis drove in the first run on a fielder’s choice groundout. Clemens delivered in the next at-bat with a triple to right-center field, and he trotted home to score after Athletics shortstop Alika Williams fired an errant cutoff throw toward third that bounced out of play.
The Twins doubled their lead to 6-0 with three more runs in the second.
Minnesota loaded the bases for two outs for Jeffers, and the Twins made it 4-0 before he made contact. Athletics right-hander Luis Morales committed a bases-loaded walk to allow Alex Jackson to score from third.
Moments later, Jeffers ripped a two-run single to right.
Another miscue by the Athletics allowed the Twins to push their lead to 7-0 in the fourth. Catcher Jonah Heim committed a throwing error that allowed Ryan Kreidler to score.
The Athletics got on the scoreboard in the sixth. Kurtz belted a three-run, 412-foot shot to center for his 21st homer of the season.
Minnesota made it 8-3 on a sacrifice fly by Austin Martin in the sixth.
The Athletics cut the deficit to 8-6 with three runs in the seventh. Donovan Walton drew a bases-loaded walk, McNeil notched an RBI groundout and Carlos Cortes hit a sacrifice fly.
The Twins responded with a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-6. Clemens tripled off the right-field wall, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Luke Keaschall.
Kreidler and Jeffers drove in one run apiece in the eighth to give the Twins an 11-6 lead.
McNeil and Cortes each drove in a run in the ninth to finish the scoring for the Athletics.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Reds push across three runs in 10th to knock off Cardinals
Jul 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Cincinnati Reds right fielder Noelvi Marte (4) is tagged out by St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) in the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images The Cincinnati Reds scored three times in the top of the 10th inning to take a 5-3 win against the host St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of a three-game set on Sunday.
Andrew Abbott allowed two runs on three hits and fanned four in six innings for the Reds. Brock Burke (4-4) retired all four batters he faced in the eighth and ninth and Julian Garcia picked up his first career save.
Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy struck out a career-high nine batters while holding Cincinnati to two runs on six hits in six innings.
With Tyler Stephenson on as the automatic runner, a wild pitch from Matt Svanson (2-3) moved him to third and Sal Stewart singled to drive him home to give the Reds a 3-2 edge.
Elly De La Cruz singled, and he and Stewart advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt from Edwin Arroyo.
Svanson was then replaced by Justin Bruihl, who intentionally walked Eugenio Suarez to fill the bases, and Nathaniel Lowe singled, scoring Stewart and De La Cruz for a 5-2 advantage.
St. Louis narrowed it to 5-3 on an Alec Burleson single that drove in automatic runner JJ Wetherholt.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Burleson opened the frame with a double, and Masyn Winn singled up the middle to give the hosts runners on the corners with nobody out. Burleson then came around to score on Jose Fermin’s sacrifice fly.
De La Cruz pulled the Reds even in the top of the third, belting a slider 410 feet into the seats in left-center field to make it 1-1, his 18th home run of the season.
Ivan Herrera put St. Louis in front 2-1 in the bottom half when he launched a sweeper to the same spot as De La Cruz.
After the Cardinals and Reds each failed to capitalize on a pair of baserunners in their respective half of the fourth, Ke’Bryan Hayes tied it 2-2 in the top of the fifth on a solo shot over the wall in left field.
–Field Level Media
Braves win in 11 innings as Orioles squander opportunities
Twins roll up big lead, hold on to beat Athletics
