Weekday Morning Sports – Friday 5/12/17

sportsreport-208
sportsreport-208

95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Friday, May 12, 2017

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 7, Los Angeles Angels 1
Minnesota Twins 7, Chicago White Sox 6
Cubs were off

Tigers 7, Angels 1 – Upton, Fulmer lead Tigers to rare win at Angels, 7-1
Justin Upton hit a three-run homer and Michael Fulmer pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in the Detroit Tigers’ 7-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. Mike Trout went 0 for 4 as the Angels’ designated hitter after missing five straight games and six of the previous seven with a tight left hamstring. The two-time AL MVP hadn’t played since last Friday, and his 17-game hitting streak ended. Andrew Romine hit a two-run homer as the Tigers got a rare win over the Angels in the opener of a four-game series at the Big A, where Detroit hasn’t won a series in seven tries since August 2009. The Tigers improved to 7-23 against Los Angeles since September 2012.

Twins 7, White Sox 6 – Escobar’s homer, 4 RBIs lead Twins past White Sox
Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run homer then added a fourth RBI with a double as the Minnesota Twins outlasted the struggling Chicago White Sox 7-6 on Thursday night. Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano crushed solo shots and Joe Mauer singled in a run for Minnesota, which hung on to deal the White Sox a season-high fifth straight loss after jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning. Melky Cabrera launched a three-run homer off Twins starter Phil Hughes in the fifth. Chicago’s Matt Davidson drove in two runs, on a solo homer and a groundout. Ryan Pressley (1-2), the third of five Twins relievers, pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the win. Brandon Kintzler pitched the final five outs for his eighth save in nine chances. He struck out Omar Narvaez and Leury Garcia in the eighth with the tying run on third and go-ahead run on second. Chicago starter Derek Holland (3-3) permitted seven runs, but just three earned, and six hits in five innings in taking the loss. Four White Sox relievers followed with four hitless innings.

Tonight
San Diego (Chacin 3-3) at Chicago White Sox (Gonzalez 3-2), 8:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Butler 0-0) at St. Louis (Leake 4-1), 8:15 p.m.
Detroit (Zimmermann 3-1) at L.A. Angels (Shoemaker 1-2), 10:07 p.m.   WSJM Sports/Cosy-FM 9:40

MLB – Thank you, NYC: Jeter toasts city ahead of jersey retirement
Derek Jeter is paying tribute to New York City a few days before the Yankees permanently retire his jersey. Jeter posted an essay titled “Thank You, New York” on his Players’ Tribune website on Thursday. Jeter writes about being “quiet, unsure and a little intimidated” coming to New York after growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He praises the city for supporting him throughout his 20 seasons with the Yankees writing, “I’ll never forget how you looked out for me.” The piece is accompanied by a video in which Jeter and other New Yorkers recite the essay. The Yankees will retire Jeter’s No. 2 on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium ahead of their game against the Houston Astros. The 14-time All-Star shortstop helped lead New York to five World Series titles.

NBA – 2017 NBA Playoffs – Round 2 (Best of 7)
Last Night
San Antonio Spurs 114, Houston Rockets 75                                          (SAN wins 4-2)

Spurs 114, Rockets 75 – Spurs crush Rockets
LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs have advanced to the NBA’s Western Conference finals by slamming the Rockets, 114-75 in Houston. Aldridge had a season-high 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who led by 19 at halftime and outscored the Rockets 27-11 in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Simmons had 18 points while starting in place of Kawhi Leonard, who sat out with a sprained ankle suffered in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Tonight
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards, 8:00 p.m.                                 (BOS leads 3-2)

NHL – 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs – Conference Finals (best of 7)
Tonight
Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks, 9:00 p.m.                                   (Game 1)

NHL – Blackhawks re-sign forward Richard Panik to 2-year deal
The Blackhawks have rewarded Richard Panik for a breakout season by re-signing him to a two-year deal that runs through 2018-19. The 26-year-old Panik set career highs with 22 goals, 22 assists and 44 points in his first full season in Chicago. Panik showed he could play on the top line and scored 18 even-strength goals, fourth on the team, and general manager Stan Bowman applauded the Slovak forward’s consistency throughout the season. He had 19 goals and 20 assists in 151 NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs before being demoted to the American Hockey League and traded to Chicago. With the Blackhawks he has 28 goals and 24 assists in 112 games.  Bowman announced the contract Thursday.

NFL – Bears release veteran receiver Royals
The Chicago Bears have released veteran receiver Eddie Royal. Royal was limited to nine games in each of his two seasons in Chicago because of injuries after agreeing to a three-year deal in March 2015. He caught 33 passes for 369 yards this year after finishing with 37 receptions for 238 yards and a TD last season. Royal has 408 catches for 4,357 yards and 28 touchdowns in nine seasons with Denver, San Diego and Chicago. The Bears also waived defensive lineman Will Sutton, fullback Paul Lasike and offensive lineman Cornelius Edison on Thursday.

NCAAFB – Notre Dame, ACC announce games through 2037
Notre Dame will continue to play five football games each season against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference through 2037. The schedule from 2026 to 2037 was announced Thursday and continues a partnership that started in 2014. The games from this fall until 2025 have already been announced. The Fighting Irish play Labor Day night games at Clemson in 2031 and at Virginia Tech in 2036. Notre Dame will host 30 of the games from 2026 through 2037, while 30 are on the road.  The ACC had a 6-9 record against Notre Dame over the past three seasons. The Fighting Irish’s five games against ACC foes in 2017 include road games at Boston College, North Carolina and Miami and home games vs. NC State and Wake Forest.

WNBA – Lynx picked to win WNBA title, Delle Donne MVP favorite
The Minnesota Lynx are the favorite to win the WNBA championship in a survey of the league’s 12 general managers. Washington’s Elena Delle Donne, who was traded to the Mystics from the Chicago Sky during the offseason, is the top choice to win the league’s Most Valuable Player.  Five of the league’s 12 general managers picked the Lynx to win their fourth title since 2011. The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Lynx in the finals last season. Three GMs picked the Sparks to repeat.  The Mystics, largely thanks to the addition of Delle Donne, were selected as the league’s most improved team. San Antonio’s Kelsey Plum, who was the league’s No. 1 overall draft pick, is the Rookie of the Year favorite.  The WNBA begins its season on Saturday.

AHL – 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs – Round 2/Central Division Finals (best of 7)
Saturday
Grand Rapids Griffins at Chicago Wolves, 8:00 p.m.                              (GR leads 3-1)

ECHL – 2017 Kelly Cup Playoffs – Round 3/Western Conference Finals (best of 7)
Tonight
Colorado Eagles at Toledo Walleye, 7:35 p.m.                                       (Game 1)

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Great Lakes 7, Clinton 3
Lansing 4, Kane County 1
South Bend 5, Peoria 3
West Michigan 10, Burlington 3

Tonight
Great Lakes at Clinton, 7:30 p.m.
Lansing at Kane County, 7:30 p.m.
South Bend at Peoria, 7:30 p.m.
West Michigan at Burlington, 7:30 p.m..

MHSAA – High School Sports
Tonight
Baseball
River Valley 8, Bloomingdale 0 – Game 1
River Valley 10, Bloomingdale 0 – Game 2
Gull Lake 8, Vicksburg 2 – Game 1
Vicksburg 4, Gull Lake 2 – Game 2
Decatur 7, Allegan 4 – Game 1
Allegan 6, Decatur 1 – Game 2
Coloma 21, Bangor 5 – Game 1
Coloma 12, Bangor 1 – Game 2
Mattawan 1, B. C. 0 – Game 1
B. C. Lakeview 10, Mattawan 5 – 10 Inn – Game 2
Fennville 3, Saugatuck 1 – Game 1
Saugatuck 7, Fennville 2 – Game 2
Watervliet 6, Gobles 3 – Game 1
Watervliet 4, Gobles 1 – Game 2

Softball
Decatur 3, Allegan 1 – Game 1
Decatur 15, Allegan 9 – 9 Innings – Game 2
Dowagiac 10, Brandywine 0 – Game 1
Dowagiac 12, Brandywine 3 – Game 2
River Valley 6, Bloomingdale 2 – Game 1
River Valley 16, Bloomingdale 1
Coloma 17, Bangor 0 – Game 1
Coloma 15, Bangor 0 – Game 2
Mattawan 15, B. C. Lakeview 0 – Game 1
Mattawan 15, B. C. Lakeview 0 – Game 2
Watervliet 7, Gobles 5 – Game 1
Watervliet 13, Gobles 3 – Game 2

Girls Tennis
Holland Christian 5, St. Joseph 3
Vicksburg 4, Lakeshore 4 – TIE

Tonight
Girls Soccer
Vicksburg at St. Joseph, 6:45 p.m.
Portage Northern at Plainwell, 6:45 p.m
Mattawan at Three Rivers, 6:45 p.m.
Otsego at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 6:45 p.m.
Bridgman at Dowagiac, 5:00 p.m.
Saugatuck at G.R. Covenant Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Bangor at Parchment, 6:00 p.m.
Comstock at Watervliet, 5:00 p.m.

Baseball
Bridgman at Benton Harbor, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Berrien Springs, 4:15 p.m.
Allegan at Dowagiac, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Plainwell at Edwardsburg, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
South Haven at Sturgis, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Paw Paw at Three Rivers, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Otsego at Vicksburg, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Marcellus at Howardsville Christian, 4:30 p.m.
White Pigeon at Lawrence, 4:30 p.m.
Cassopolis at Decatur, 4:30 p.m.

Softball
Bridgman at Benton Harbor, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Allegan at Dowagiac, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Plainwell at Edwardsburg, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
South Haven at Sturgis, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Paw Paw at Three Rivers, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Otsego at Vicksburg, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Hartford at River Valley, 4:15 p.m.
White Pigeon at Lawrence, 4:30 p.m.
Cassopolis at Decatur, 4:30 p.m.

Track and Field
2017 Wolverine Conference Track and Field Championship at Vicksburg, 2:00 p.m.
South Haven, Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, Allegan, Otsego, Plainwell, Three Rivers, Sturgis, Vicksburg, Paw Paw

Saturday
Track and Field
2017 Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference Track and Field Championship, at Gull Lake 9:00 a.m.
St. Joseph, Lakeshore, Niles, Mattawan, Portage Central, Portage Northern, Gull Lake, Kalamazoo Central, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Battle Creek Central, Battle Creek Lakeview