Sports
North Carolina battles Ole Miss after rout in First Four
Mar 18, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) reacts in the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images MILWAUKEE — The question of which team sixth-seeded Ole Miss would face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament South Region on Friday was emphatically answered by North Carolina.
The 11th-seeded Tar Heels (23-13), whose spot in the tournament was roundly questioned, advanced with a 95-68 rout of San Diego State in a First Four matchup Tuesday behind 26 points from RJ Davis. It was North Carolina’s ninth win in its last 11 games.
“We’re getting better,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said afterward. “And over the last month and half, two months, we’ve just gotten better and better. And it’s coming at the right time.”
Ole Miss (22-11) lost to Auburn 62-57 in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament. Their No. 6 seed is the highest since the Rebels were a No. 3 in 2001, when they advanced to the Sweet 16. The Rebels are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since a 95-72 first-round loss to Oklahoma in 2019.
Ole Miss has been inconsistent but has victories over Alabama and Tennessee — both No. 2 seeds. The Rebels average 77.2 points per game, allowing 71.7. Ole Miss is 10-2 when scoring 80 points or more.
“An interesting thing about our resume; you know we didn’t lose a game this year to a team that’s not in the NCAA Tournament,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said Monday.
Sean Pedulla averages 14.9 points, including a team-high 78 3-pointers, to pace a balanced attack. Five other players average at least 10.0 points per game.
Malik Dia is the leading rebounder with 5.7 per game, but the Rebels have been outrebounded by 4.7 per contest.
Mississippi is the fourth program Beard has taken to the NCAA Tournament. He has never lost a first-round game.
“Every member of our staff has been a part of NCAA Tournament wins and runs,” Beard said. “So just trying to share our knowledge and our experiences with our players. Things as easy as logistics, how the practice times will work, how the kind of neutral crowds are going to feel the first and second rounds.”
Seven of North Carolina’s 13 losses have come against teams that are either No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in the tournament, including three to Duke.
Against San Diego State, Davis hit 8 of 12 shots, including all six attempts from beyond the arc. The 14 3-pointers by the Tar Heels were their most ever in an NCAA Tournament game.
Davis averages 17.3 points with a team-leading 84 3-pointers. Ian Jackson adds 12.3 points and Seth Trimble 11.7.
North Carolina averages 81.2 points and allows 74.8. The Tar Heels are 15-3 when scoring 80 points or more.
“It would be great if we hit 14 threes on Friday. I’ll take that,” Davis said. “But the reason that I consistently tell the team the three boxes we have to check is defense, rebounding, take care of the basketball. Those are the things that travel and those are the things you can take care of.”
The Tar Heels are in the NCAA Tournament for the 54th time, second only to Kentucky.
–By Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media
Sports
Martin Ojeda (3 goals), Orlando rally to snap Miami's unbeaten streak
May 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Martín Ojeda (10) scores a goal as Inter Miami CF defender Maximiliano Falcón (37) follows on the play during the first half at Miami Freedom Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Martin Ojeda scored his second career MLS hat trick, Tyrese Spicer pounced for a winner in second-half stoppage time and visiting Orlando City rallied from three goals down to a historic 4-3 victory over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Saturday night.
Orlando (3-7-1, 10 points) became only the third team in MLS history to win a regular season match after going three goals behind, the first since the LA Galaxy in 2018. The unlikely comeback extended Miami’s wait for a first win in its recently opened Nu Stadium to at least a fifth match, after drawing the first three and losing to its Florida Derby rivals.
Messi had a goal and two assists for Miami (5-2-4, 19 points), which saw its 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions snapped. Telasco Segovia also scored and had two assists, Ian Fray scored the early goal and Luis Suarez also had two assists for the Herons.
But Ojeda outdueled his more famous Argentine countryman, leveling his third goal in the 79th minute from the penalty spot after referee Guido Gonzalez ruled Maximiliano Falcon had pushed down Iago Teodoro during an Orlando corner-kick sequence.
Ojeda hesitated to get Dayne St. Clair to lunge to the right, then finished to the left for a stunning equalizer that came 46 minutes after Messi had given Miami a three-goal lead.
Then in second-half stoppage time, Ojeda was present in a dummy capacity as Braian Ojeda played a throughball from deep in his own half for Spicer.
The halftime substitute finished hard and low through the legs of St. Clair to complete one of the most unlikely victories in MLS history.
Martin Ojeda’s first goal came in the 39th minute. Justin Ellis provided the final pass, but it was mostly Ojeda creating the shot himself, spinning to elude a defender and then unleashing a ferocious left-footed strike that beat Clair to the bottom-left corner.
The second came in the 68th after Adrian Marin’s impressive slaloming run up the left. The result was similar, this time Ojeda hitting the inside of the right post with a perfectly placed shot that left St. Clair rooted to the ground.
Miami harassed Orlando throughout the opening hour and quickly built a three-goal lead.
In the fourth minute, after the Herons failed to put away one dangerous chance, Messi recycled the ball on the left and laid it off for Segovia, whose cross picked out Fray’s head at the 6-yard box.
A Messi give-and-go with Suarez set up a tap-in for Sevogia in the 25th minute. And then Messi found the bottom-left corner from the edge of the penalty area in the 33rd.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dillon Dingler, Keider Montero guide Tigers past Rangers
May 2, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) celebrates at home plate with teammates Riley Greene (31) and Colt Keith (33) after hitting a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Dillon Dingler had a three-run home run and a double to spark the Detroit Tigers to a 5-1 home win against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
Keider Montero (2-2) gave up one run on five hits, walked two and struck out two in 6 2/3 innings as Detroit evened the three-game series.
Gleyber Torres had two hits and an RBI for the Tigers before leaving with left side tightness. Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a run and Wenceel Perez was 2-for-3 with a run and a walk.
Jake Burger hit a solo home run while Josh Smith and Josh Jung each had two hits for Texas.
Moments after Rangers right fielder Ezequiel Duran fielded Greene’s single and threw out Torres at the plate in the first, Dingler launched a homer that traveled 443 feet to left.
An inning later, Detroit took a 5-0 lead with a pair of two-out singles. Perez singled, stole second and scored on Kevin McGonigle’s grounder up the middle. McGonigle swiped second and came around to score on Torres’ bloop single to shallow right.
Montero gave up two walks in the third, but kept Texas off the board. In the fourth, Burger’s solo shot was the Rangers’ first hit and cut the Detroit lead to 5-1.
Duran and Smith posted back-to-back singles to lead off the fifth, but Montero induced a double play and a popout to escape the jam.
With one out in the eighth, the Rangers threatened with runners on second and third. Reliever Drew Anderson got Joc Pederson to ground out and struck out Burger. Anderson gave up two hits and struck out three in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Rangers starter Kumar Rocker (1-3) gave up five runs on six hits in two innings.
Torres exited the game in the third with what was reported as left-side tightness.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals stave off Dodgers’ rally for 6th straight win
May 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images Jordan Walker slugged a two-run homer among his two hits and Michael McGreevy tossed six scoreless innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.
McGreevy (2-2) allowed three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Right-hander Ryne Stanek and lefty JoJo Romero each pitched a scoreless inning before the Dodgers scored two runs on four straight hits against righty Riley O’Brien in the ninth.
O’Brien recorded two quick outs before giving up back-to-back infield singles to Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez. Max Muncy and Andy Pages followed with RBI singles before O’Brien struck out pinch hitter Dalton Rushing for his ninth save.
Los Angeles lost its fourth straight game and has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its last 11 games.
St. Louis took a 3-0 lead on four hits in the third inning. Ivan Herrera hit a leadoff double against Roki Sasaki (1-3) and scored on Alec Burleson’s double to right field.
Walker followed with a two-run blast to left field. The 372-foot shot was Walker’s 10th homer of the season and second in his last three games.
The Dodgers had plenty of early traffic on the basepaths against McGreevy, but they were held scoreless while hitting into four double plays in the first five innings.
Los Angeles put two runners on with one out in the second inning before Pages struck out and Hyeseong Kim grounded out.
The pattern continued in the third inning, when Alex Freeland hit a leadoff single and second baseman JJ Wetherholt started a double play with a diving catch on Shohei Ohtani’s liner.
Sasaki gave up three runs on five hits with two walks over six innings. He retired the final 10 batters he faced and threw a career-high 104 pitches.
Stanek replaced right-hander McGreevy to begin the seventh inning and retired two batters before Hernandez singled and Muncy walked. Both were stranded when Pages struck out.
The Dodgers were held without a home run for the fifth straight game and have hit a total of three homers in their past 11 games.
–Field Level Media
Martin Ojeda (3 goals), Orlando rally to snap Miami's unbeaten streak
Dillon Dingler, Keider Montero guide Tigers past Rangers
