Leake, Piscotty Carry Cards Past Nats
(Washington, DC) — Mike Leake threw seven shutout innings to outduel Max Scherzer as the Cardinals beat the Nationals 6-1 in D.C. Stephen Piscotty went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and five RBI as St. Louis avoided a three-game sweep. Leake struck out seven while allowing just four hits and no walks to even his record at 1-and-1. Scherzer fanned 10 but gave up three runs in six frames to fall to 1-and-1. Adam Eaton singled in Washington’s run.
Dodgers Blank Cubs
(Chicago, IL) — Andrew Toles led the game off with a homer and the Dodgers’ pitching staff did the rest in a 2-0 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Brandon McCarthy fired six innings of four-hit ball to improve to 2-and-0. Kenley Jansen shut the door in the ninth for his second save. John Lackey struck out 10 in six strong innings but dipped to 1-and-1 with the hard-luck loss. The Cubs received their World Series championship rings prior to the game.
White Sox Trim Tribe
(Cleveland, OH) — Derek Holland took a no-hitter into the sixth as the White Sox trimmed the Indians 2-1 in Cleveland. Holland allowed only one hit and four walks while striking out four in six innings to earn his first win. David Robertson closed it out for his first save. Matt Davidson’s two-run single in the second was all the offense Chicago would need. Michael Brantley plated Cleveland’s only run with a groundout in the eighth. Danny Salazar struck out 11 in six frames but was saddled with the tough-luck loss.
Bulls Claim Last Playoff Spot By Blasting Nets
(Chicago, IL) — The Bulls clinched the final playoff spot in the East by blasting the Nets 112-73 in Chicago. Jimmy Butler poured in 25 points for the Bulls, who will meet the top-seeded Celtics in the opening round. Paul Zipser scored a career-high 21 points off the bench in the victory. Archie Goodwin had 20 points for the Nets, who gave Brook Lopez and others the night off. Brooklyn ends the year an NBA-worst 20-and-62.
Pacers Soar Past Hawks To Punch Playoff Ticket
(Indianapolis, IN) — Paul George compiled 32 points and 11 rebounds as the Pacers punched their playoff ticket with a 104-86 win over the Hawks at Indiana. Jeff Teague added 19 points for the Pacers, who won their fifth in-a-row to finish the regular season 42-and-40. Indiana will play second-seeded Cleveland in the first round. Ersan Ilyasova had 15 points for Atlanta, which rested several starters. The 43-and-39 Hawks will take on the Wizards in the first round.
Blues Sink Wild In OT
(Saint Paul, MN) — Joel Edmundson’s goal late in the first overtime period lifted the Blues to a 2-1 win over the Wild in St. Paul in Game One of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Minnesota sent the game to extra time with 23 seconds left in the third on a tally by Zach Parise. Vladimir Sobotka gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead in the second. Jake Allen turned away 51 shots for the Blues, who will try to take a 2-0 lead in Game Two on the road on Friday.
Blackhawks Host Predators In Game One
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks and Predators meet in Game One of their first-round series at the United Center tonight. The ‘Hawks will also host Game Two of the best-of-seven set on Saturday. Chicago won four of the five meetings between the teams during the regular season.
Underwood Completes Staff at Illinois
(Champaign, IL) — Illinois head coach Brad Underwood announced Wednesday the hiring of Ron Coleman as assistant coach and Stephen Gentry as assistant to the head coach. Coleman comes to Champaign after serving the last two years as an assistant at UIC under coach Steve McClain. Gentry arrives at Illinois after spending the 2016-17 season as director of player development at Oklahoma State, where the Cowboys won 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.