Weekday Morning Sports Report – Friday 8/24/18

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sportsreport-500

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 7, Chicago White Sox 2
Chicago Cubs 7, Cincinnati Reds 1

Tigers 7, White Sox 2 – Boyd sharp as Tigers rout White Sox 7-2
Matthew Boyd pitched six scoreless innings and Ronny Rodriguez hit his first career home run to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Rodriguez also hit an RBI double, and Nicholas Castellanos and Mikie Mahtook homered off James Shields (5-15). All three of Detroit’s homers were solo shots in the sixth inning. Boyd (8-11) allowed six hits, walked one and struck out six. Jose Rondon hit a two-run homer in the eighth for the White Sox, who fell to 3-10 this season against Detroit. Chicago manager Rick Renteria missed his fourth straight game since experiencing lightheadedness Monday in Minnesota. The White Sox said he was back in Chicago and would have further testing. Shields allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. He is now 1-8 with 6.12 ERA on the road this year.

Cubs 7, Reds 1 – Hamels goes distance, Cubs beat Reds 7-1
Cole Hamels tossed a complete game to continue his dramatic turnaround with the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs, who got home runs from Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez in a 7-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night. Hamels (4-0) allowed eight hits, struck out seven and walked two in his 17th career complete game and the first by a Cubs pitcher this season. His ERA in five starts with Chicago is 0.72. Before being traded to the Cubs, the veteran left-hander was 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts for the Texas Rangers. Rizzo went 2 for 2 with a walk and three RBIs.   Baez was 3 for 5, reached on an error and scored three runs. The homer, his 27th, was a mammoth 481-foot solo shot that cleared the bleachers just left of straightaway center and landed on Waveland Avenue.

Today
Cincinnati (Harvey 6-7) at Chicago Cubs (Mills 0-0), 2:20 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Lopez 4-9) at Detroit (Fulmer 3-9), 7:10 p.m.          Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM ONLY

MLB – White Sox’s Kopech apologizes for racist, homophobic tweets
Chicago White Sox rookie pitcher Michael Kopech has apologized for racist and homophobic tweets he posted as 17-year-old and has since deleted. The tweets from 2013 surfaced Tuesday as Kopech made his major league debut. “I had to delete some stuff,” Kopech told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday. “Things I said that were immature and inappropriate. I used some poor language in there. Obviously, I’m trying to be looked at as a role model and the last thing I want to do is have some kid look at what I’m saying and take it the wrong way. “It’s unfortunate that I was ever at that point mentally, but it’s not who I am now. Yeah, I cleaned some tweets up and tried to get rid of them. But, obviously, people saw them. It’s not who I am now and it’s not who I want to be. It was something I did in high school, and with everything I’ve gone through the last five seasons I feel like a big part of my career was maturing. Hate to see it, but it’s not who I am anymore.”

MLB – MRI reveals Darvish has stress reaction in elbow
Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish says he was relieved when an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his right elbow. Darvish has been sidelined since late May with what was originally diagnosed as triceps and elbow injuries. The Cubs were hoping to get the veteran right-hander back for the final month of the season, but Darvish left a rehab start Sunday with South Bend after 1 inning and 18 pitches.

NCAAFB – Patterson says Michigan will have little bit of everything
Shea Patterson says Michigan’s offense will have a little bit of everything. He adds with a smile that he’s adjusting well to the team’s new scheme. Patterson spoke to reporters Thursday night, making his first comments since being named the 14th-ranked Wolverines’ starting quarterback. Michigan opens Sept. 1 at No. 12 Notre Dame. Jim Harbaugh is expected to make changes to his offense to take advantage of Patterson’s mobility and ability to throw on the move. Patterson appealed to the NCAA to play this year after transferring from Mississippi. He threw for 3,000-plus yards with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over 10 starts in two years at Ole Miss. Patterson says he has become comfortable at Michigan after enduring a cold winter.

NFL – National Football League – Preseason week 3
Last Night
Cleveland Browns 5, Philadelphia Eagles 0            

Tonight
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:00 p.m.
Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings, 8:00 p.m.
Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders, 10:30 p.m.

Saturday
Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m.
San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts, 4:30 p.m.

NFL – Lions bolster LB position in trade for Eli Harold with 49ers
The Detroit Lions bolstered their depth at linebacker by acquiring Eli Harold in a trade with San Francisco. Detroit gave the 49ers a draft pick, which was not disclosed, in exchange for Harold on Thursday. The Lions made room for him by waiving defensive lineman JoJo Wicker.  Detroit lost Steve Longa, a backup linebacker and key player on special teams, last week with a season-ending knee injury. Harold started 24 games for San Francisco and played in 48 games over three seasons. He played in every game last season, starting 10 times, and had 34 tackles and two sacks. San Francisco drafted the former Virginia standout in the third round in 2015. He has 84 tackles and five sacks in his career.

Tennis – Serena, Venus Williams could meet in US Open 3rd round
Serena and Venus Williams have been drawn into a potential third-round matchup at the U.S. Open, which would be their earliest Grand Slam meeting in 20 years. If the sisters do play each other, the winner could face No. 1-ranked Simona Halep in the fourth round. That is the most intriguing possible matchup to emerge in the women’s and men’s brackets at Thursday’s draw for the last major of the year. This marks Serena’s return to Flushing Meadows after missing the hard-court tournament in 2017. She gave birth to her daughter last Sept. 1.  She has won six of her 23 Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open and was given the No. 17 seed by the U.S. Tennis Association _ nine places above her current ranking. Venus is seeded 16th.

NHL – Canadian women’s hockey star joins Maple Leafs’ front office
One of the top players in women’s hockey history is joining the Toronto Maple Leafs’ front office. Longtime Canadian national team star Hayley Wickenheiser is the NHL club’s new assistant director of player development. She attended the team’s development camp as a guest coach in June. The 40-year-old Wickenheiser won four Olympic gold medals with Canada. She retired as a player in 2017, finishing as the career leading scorer for the Canadian team. The Leafs also announced Scott Pellerin has been elevated to senior director of player development, and Stephane Robidas will serve as director of player development.

Ex-coach charged with perjury in Nassar probe
Investigators say a former head gymnastics coach at Michigan State University lied in June when she denied that witnesses had told her in the past about being sexually assaulted by former sports doctor Larry Nassar. Charging documents released Thursday don’t specify who allegedly reported Nassar’s abuse to the former coach, Kathie Klages. But former gymnast Larissa Boyce has said she told Klages that Nassar had abused her in 1997, when Boyce was 16. Boyce had been training with the Spartan youth gymnastics team at the time. Klages has denied that Boyce reported abuse to her.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
South Bend 10, Lake County 9 – 10 innings
West Michigan 5, Dayton 4 – 10 innings
Great Lakes 9, Fort Wayne 6
Bowling Green 7, Lansing 3

Tonight
Lansing at Dayton, 7 p.m.
Great Lakes at West Michigan, 7:05 p.m.
Fort Wayne at South Bend, 7:35 p.m.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association – Playoffs – Round 2 (1 Game)
Last Night
Washington Mystics 96, Los Angeles Sparks 64
Phoenix Mercury 96, Connecticut Sun 86

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Football – Week 1 (All Games at 7:00 unless said otherwise)
Non-Conference
Holland West Ottawa 35, Lakeshore 10

  • Holland West Ottawa scored three opening half touchdowns for a 19-0 lead before Lakeshore found the scoreboard with a 2nd quarter field goal as the Panthers went on for a 35-10 win over the Lancers.  Lancer quarterback Jake Trivedi was 1 of 2 passing for 41 yards, but he also ran 14 times for 35 yards and a touchdown run.  West Ottawa outgained Lakeshore by a wide margin.  The Panthers combined for 459 yards of total offense compared to 174 for Lakeshore.  The Panthers also had 275 yards through the air.   West Ottawa QB Isaac VanDyke was 17 of 22 for 248 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  Lakeshore kicker Kyle Wojahn made a 31 yard field goal and was 1 for 1 on PAT’s.  Next week, Lakeshore will host Portage Northern on Thursday night.

Fennville 35, South County 6
Saginaw Nouvell 42, Lake Michigan Catholic 6
Hartford 33, Gobles 0
Kalamazoo United 46, Berrien Springs 7
Coloma 64, Brandywine 40
Schoolcraft 52, Buchanan 0
Saugatuck 55, Comstock 32
Climax-Scotts 26, Martin 0
Delton-Kellogg 35, Parchment 14

SMAC
Niles 32, Battle Creek Lakeview 27

  • Braydon Lake’s 90 yard touchdown pass to Jordon Brown with 1:13 left gave Niles the lead and the Vikings went on for a 32-27 win at Battle Creek Lakeview.   Niles will host St. Joseph next Thursday.

Mattawan 31, Kalamazoo Central 3

Wolverine Conference
Sturgis 54, South Haven 6

  • Sturgis turned five South Haven turnovers into a 34-6 halftime lead and the Trojans went on for a 54-6 season opening win over the Rams.  All of the offense for Sturgis came on the ground as they ran for 386 yards, compared to just 211 yards of total offense for South Haven.   The Rams only score came with just :04 seconds left in the first quarter when Rams QB Charles Soristo threw a 22 yard pass to Jalen Fox in the back corner of the endzone over a Sturgis defender which made the score 13-6.   Soristo was 8 for 22 for 177 yards and a score. The Rams are home next Thursday against Plainwell. 

Dowagiac 54, Vicksburg 14
Edwardsburg 55, Allegan 0
Paw Paw 27, Otsego 7
Three Rivers 23, Plainwell 13

Southwest 10
Decatur 26, Marcellus 6
Mendon 39, Bloomingdale 14
Centreville 22, White Pigeon 12

Girls Golf
SMAC Jamboree at Stonehedge North
1. St. Joseph                 374      Cailey Rooker (74 medalist)
2. Mattawan                  383
3. Gull Lake                  390
4. Portage Central        395
5. Niles                         420
6. Lakeshore                 493
7. Kalamazoo Central    546
Portage Northern      DNC
Kal. Loy Norrix          DNC

Boys Tennis
Sturgis Invitational
1. Ann Arbor Greenhills 58
2. St. Joseph                  50
3. Sturgis                     42
T-4. Grand Haven           34
T-4. Warren DeLasalle   34
6. Williamston               30
7. G.R. West Catholic    25
8. Kal. Loy Norrix          15

Girls Volleyball
Holland Black River 3, River Valley 0         (25-19, 25-13, 25-19)

Boys Soccer
Berrien Springs 7, Coloma 1

Today
Football – Week 1 (All Games at 7:00 unless said otherwise)
SMAC
Battle Creek Central at St. Joseph                      95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 6:30
Portage Central at Gull Lake
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Portage Northern, 7:30 p.m.

Non Conference/Independent
Battle Creek Harper Creek at Benton Harbor         News/Talk 94.9 WSJM 6:40
River Valley at Fremont (IN)
Bangor at Cassopolis

SAC
Lawton at Watervliet

8-Man Football
Wyoming Tri-Unity at Michigan Lutheran
Mayville at Lawrence