OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady threw every pitch for the Red Raiders in the Women’s College World Series through the first two games of the championship series and the first inning of the third.

Canady, who has signed a second NIL deal worth more than $1 million, finally broke down and was pulled after the first inning of Game 3 against Texas on Friday. After dominating much of the World Series, the two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year gave up five hits and five earned runs on 25 pitches.

Canady threw 88 pitches on Wednesday, 107 on Thursday and started Friday in the game that will decide the championship.

She had no doubt she was going to pitch, despite going the distance in the previous five World Series games.

“I’m always going to play — like throw my game, throw what I’m confident in,” Canady said after a 4-3 win over Texas in Game 2. “It’s gotten me through three years, so I’m just going to keep doing that.”

Cat Osterman, one of the most decorated pitchers in U.S. softball history, says the heavy pitching load has taken a toll on Canady and Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan, but it’s not quite like if a baseball pitcher did it. Osterman said because of the way a softball is released, fighting through is more about endurance and leg strength than arm pain.

“It’s more of being fatigued than it is being sore or painful,” she said. “Obviously, with baseball guys, like it’s a five day recovery period. And I know the upper body probably feels a lot worse than anything. And that’s not the case for us.”

Osterman, who is a general manager of the Volts in the Athletes Unlimited softball league that begins play Saturday, said softball pitching still is tough on the body.

“I’m not going to say there’s not effort and strain on the arms, because absolutely there is, but it’s not as much the arm as it is the legs,” she said. “And so for us, it’s a matter of can you train your body to have enough endurance, core and lower half, to sustain the impact of 200 pitches a day, etc.

Osterman played for Texas back in the day when there were no off days at the World Series. Canady had breaks between games three times during this World Series. The first two were earned because of wins. The third was because there’s an off day built into the schedule before the championship series.

Osterman said she understands why Canady kept going. Osterman, for all she achieved, never won a national title because she pitched during one of UCLA’s championship runs.

“I mean, when you’re this close to winning a national championship, there’s nerves, there’s adrenaline,” she said. “It all plays a part.”

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Indianapolis Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor still has two years left on his current contract, but could be in store for another big payday when he hits free agency in 2027.

Anthony Holzman-Escareno of NFL.com put together his ‘All-Paid Team of Tomorrow,’ and at the top of the running back position group was Taylor. Holzman-Escareno projects that Taylor could earn $21 million per year on his next deal.

“With the cupboard bare of running backs who are poised to legitimately challenge Saquon Barkley for the All-Paid crown, Taylor is shunted to the top of the list,” wrote Holzman-Escareno.

Taylor signed a three-year, $42 million extension with the Colts back in 2023. At that time, he was still just 24 years old, and when he’s set to be a free agent again, he will still only be 28 years old at that time.

Currently, Taylor is averaging $14 million per year, which heading into the 2025 season, is the fourth-highest mark in the NFL.

Taylor appeared in just 18 total games between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but stayed relatively healthy in 2024–missing only three games–and he was highly productive once again. On the year, Taylor rushed for 1,431 yards, which was the fourth-most in football, and scored 11 rushing touchdowns.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Jonathan Taylor projected to get another big deal down the road

Phillies’ Bryce Harper Out of Lineup Again Friday at Pirates originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Right when Philly thought it got its captain back, Bryce Harper turned out to not be 100% after all.

Although Harper successfully returned Tuesday after missing five games with a right elbow injury, he’s out of the Phillies’ lineup again Friday night for when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

According to manager Rob Thomson, it’s due to some lingering soreness.

“It’s his right wrist,” Thomson said before Friday’s game. “It’s been sore for a while. He’s been fighting through it. He’s just been having trouble swinging, so if it’s affecting his swing, we’re going to hold him off and get it right.”

“Any time with feet and hand (injuries) scares me,” Thomson added. “Whether they believe that or admit to it or not, I believe it.”

Rob Thomson explains why Bryce Harper isn’t in the lineup tonight.

(Via @AntSanPhilly) pic.twitter.com/s6zz2655NM

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) June 6, 2025

It comes at a very unfortunate time, as the Phillies have lost six of their last seven games – including two of three with their franchise star back in the lineup. 

That said, Thomson’s concerns could be warranted. Harper went only 1-for-11 in Toronto, homering in his first at bat before striking out five times between games two and three.

For someone with such an aggressive swing, getting around on the ball fast is crucial, and it seemed that Bryce was unable to do that well this week.

Alec Bohm will slide back over to first base in Harper’s absence, with Edmundo Sosa playing third.

Some good news is that catcher J.T. Realmuto is back in after taking a foul ball to the groin Wednesday. He has the task of managing a bullpen game while Philly attempts to stop their recent skid.

Related: Phillies’ Slumping Leadoff Man Gets Vote of Confidence From Rob Thomson

Related: Phillies’ Rob Thomson Praises Mick Abel Amid Latest Start

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

What Analysts Get Wrong About Baker Mayfield’s Buccaneers Deal originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

There is a common misconception when it comes Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

When Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million extension during the 2024 offseason, analysts compared the deal to similar agreements made by Geno Smith in Seattle (three-years, $75 million). 

Mayfield was coming off a season in which he helped the Buccaneers reach the divisional round of the playoffs. He absolutely earned that money. 

Now, though, Mayfield has outplayed his current contract. That’s the argument made by NFL.com writer Tom Blair this week. 

Blair made it clear that Mayfield has outplayed his $33.3 million average. Last season, the former first overall pick set career highs in most statistical categories including passing yards (4,500), touchdowns (41), and passer rating (106.8). 

There’s something that most analysts like Blair get wrong about Mayfield’s contract, though. While Mayfield’s per-year average is low, his cap hit is just over $23 million for this season. That number is actually $2 million more than Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, and $5 million less than Patrick Mahomes. 

Next offseason, Mayfield’s cap hit is set to increase to a whopping $49 million. That cap number will count for 18% of the team’s money per Spotrac, and will be $18 million more than Hurts next season. 

A big reason why the Buccaneers have been able to retain some of their top talent is because of Mayfield’s current contract. Compared to other top quarterbacks in the conference, the Oklahoma product costs a fair amount. 

And at the end of the day, the Buccaneers know they need to retain as much of their talent as possible if they want to make a Super Bowl push. 

Mayfield may seem like an underpaid asset for Tampa Bay, but the reality is that he is exactly where he needs to be to keep the Bucs in contention. 

Related: Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield Has Glowing Scouting Report On Emeka Egbuka

Related: Buccaneers Boast Crowded Wideout Room Ahead of Training Camp

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

It appears fans are in for another long wait as the Dallas Cowboys drag out talks with Micah Parsons on a contract extension despite all the information telling them the deal should be done. originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

FRISCO — Fans waited every passing day of last summer for the Dallas Cowboys to lock in contract extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Both obvious moves on the team’s part, but Dallas never veered of course and paid both players at the eleventh hour. 

There was a laser focus on both players’ situations at the time. Anyone taking a step back, however, could have predicted the same thing happening a year later when defensive star Micah Parsons was due his own contract extension. 

Flash forward and the exact same situation has unfolded at The Star. Through the first week of June, the Cowboys have no progress with Parsons and have yet to play nice with his agent to get the ball rolling on this front. 

While the saga continues, it becomes more obvious by the day that Parsons deserves his new deal and probably deserved it months ago. 

Tom Blair at NFL.com continues to drive the campaign, listing Parsons as one of the veterans most deserving of a raise heading into next season. 

“Just three guys since 1960 have collected 50-plus sacks, nine-plus passes defensed and nine-plus forced fumbles in their first four pro seasons, and Parsons is one of them. The other two: Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware and imminent Hall of Famer J.J. Watt.”

That is just one stat that illustrates the trajectory that Parsons is currently on. One would think that such mention with another Cowboy great like Ware and the Canton-bound Watt would make this more of a glaring point. 

Nonetheless, the Cowboys are choosing to play this their way. Even if another defensive star or nonquarterback resets the market, they are content waiting until they are ready. 

Will that wait last as long as Prescott’s hours before Week 1 kickoff raise from September? Hopefully not. But the bottom line remains the same: Parsons is deserving of a massive contract extension and remains within his right to fight for a pay day. 

Related: Cowboys’ Dak $60 Million Salary In Danger of Lamar Leapfrog with Ravens

Related: Cowboys Joe Milton Gets Surprising QB Ranking And Goes Viral for Insane Athleticism

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Soroka struck out seven in six sparkling innings, and the Washington Nationals beat Patrick Corbin and the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Friday night.

Soroka (3-3) allowed two hits and walked one. Brad Lord and Jose A. Ferrer each got three outs before Kyle Finnegan finished the two-hitter for his 18th save.

The speedy game was over in 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Adolis García singled with two outs in the fifth for Texas’ first hit. Josh Smith added a one-out single in the sixth for the Rangers in their fourth consecutive loss.

Washington took a 1-0 lead in the second when Nathaniel Lowe and Alex Call opened with back-to-back singles. Lowe went to third on a flyout and scored on a groundout by Robert Hassell III.

Call led off the seventh with his first homer of the season.

Corbin (3-5) allowed five hits in eight innings in his longest start of the season. He struck out two and walked none against his former team.

The 35-year-old Corbin, who signed with the Rangers in March, went 47-77 with a 5.11 ERA over the past six seasons with the Nationals. In 2019 he was 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA and threw three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the win in Game 7 of the World Series against the Astros.

Key moment

The Rangers put two runners on in the sixth, but Soroka escaped the jam when Marcus Semien flied out.

Key stat

Texas has lost nine of its past 10 road games overall. It has dropped six straight road series openers.

Up next

Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (5-2, 2.34 ERA), who has allowed two runs or fewer in nine consecutive starts, opposes left-hander Mitchell Parker (4-5, 4.71 ERA) in the middle game of the series on Saturday.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces World No 2 Coco Gauff in the French Open final, with a new women’s singles champion set to be crowned at Roland Garros.

Sabalenka ended three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek’s winning run with a dominant final-set in the semi-finals to progress to her first French Open final. Gauff defeated French wildcard Lois Boisson 6-1 6-2 to reach her second final at Roland Garros, having lost to Swiatek in the 2022 final in Paris.

The 21-year-old will be taking a different mentality into her second French Open final, explaining: “I have a lot more confidence just from playing a grand slam final before and doing well in one. I think going into Saturday I’ll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible.”

On Sunday, there will also be a clash between World No 1 and World No 2 in the men’s final as Jannik Sinner takes on Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster title match. The young rivals will be playing in their first grand slam final, and it is unlikely to be the last time they meet for one of the sport’s biggest trophies.

The order of play for today and the latest results, are below:

French Open order of play – Saturday 7 June

Court Philippe-Chatrier

From 2pm BST

Women’s singles final

[1] Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff [2}

Followed by

Men’s doubles final

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski vs Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos

Court Simonne-Mathieu

From 11am BST

Girls’ singles final

Hannah Klugman vs Lili Tagger

Court 14

Men’s wheelchair singles final

[1] Tokita Oda vs Alfie Hewett [2]

Court TBA

Men’s wheelchair doubles final

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid vs Stephane Houdet and Tokito Oda

French Open results – Friday 6 June

Court Philippe-Chatrier

[2] Carlos Alcaraz bt. Lorenzo Musetti [8] – Musetti retired with Alcaraz leading 4-6 7-6 6-0 2-0

[1] Jannik Sinner bt. Novak Djokovic [6] 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3)

Chicago Sky Announce Kamilla Cardoso News Before Indiana Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Chicago Sky are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference as they boast a 2-4 record to begin the 2025 WNBA season. Back-to-back wins against the 1-6 Dallas Wings before a week-long break snapped a four-game losing streak to start the year.

Ariel Atkins has been the team’s biggest contributor, averaging 15.3 points per game. Veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot is also chipping in 12.0 points and 6.2 assists per game to lead the Sky offense.

Second-year center Kamilla Cardoso has improved her scoring output in 2025 from 9.8 to 11.3 points per game thus far. Unfortunately, she has been dealing with a shoulder injury in the week leading up to the team’s matchup against the Indiana Fever on Saturday.

Cardoso was held out of certain portions of practice this week and she was originally reported to be a game-time decision against the Fever.

Per Chicago State of Mind Sports, the Sky have announced their official injury report. Cardoso is not listed, which means she is available to play on Saturday.

“Kamilla Cardoso has been removed from report (Shoulder),” the account wrote.

Chicago Sky Injury Report Update:

Kamilla Cardoso has been removed from report (Shoulder)

Moriah Jefferson is OUT (Leg)#Skytown

— Chicago State of Mind Sports (@ChiStateOfMind_) June 6, 2025

Cardoso recorded a career-high 23 points on May 29 against the Dallas Wings, which helped lead the Sky to their first win of the 2025 season. She also added eight rebounds in that game, and has been averaging 6.5 rebounds per contest this year.

The Sky lost to the Fever on opening day by a lopsided score of 93 to 58. Cardoso and her teammates will look to avenge that loss when they host Indiana at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday for an 8:00 p.m. EST tipoff.

Related: Chicago Sky Coach Sends Message After Major Kamilla Cardoso News

Related: Chicago Sky Coach’s Angel Reese Comments Surface Before Indiana Fever Game

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

Analyst Predicts Chiefs To Be ‘Taken Down’ As AFC West Champs originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Kansas City Chiefs will enter the 2025 season in uncharted territory with many now doubting their ability to be one of the best teams in football.

With a Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles still fresh in the mind, some have the Chiefs slipping back into the chasing pack this upcoming season. 

Now, replicating a 15-2 regular season is tough, so there will be some regression in that aspect, but given the state of the AFC West, which the Chiefs have won for nine straight years, the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers won 10+ games and made the playoffs last season are thought to improve.

Plus, with the Las Vegas Raiders featuring Pete Carroll and Geno Smith, the AFC West might not be a cakewalk for Kansas City.

In fact, former NFL cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who appeared on ESPN’s Get Up!, believes 2025 marks the end of the Chiefs’ divisional dominance.

“I think it’s going to be a much more competitive division,” Foxworth said. “Throughout all of last season, we saw this team have significant issues, some of which they’ve tried to address, but we won’t find out if they’ve been addressed or not until the season comes. 

“My feeling is that they’re going to get taken down as the champs of the AFC West. But it doesn’t mean by any stretch they don’t have a realistic chance of winning a championship again because they are the Chiefs and they still have Patrick Mahomes.”

Not winning the division isn’t the be-all and end-all for the Chiefs, and with Mahomes having a 35-5 record against the AFC West, naturally, that will eventually start to even out.

Will that be in 2025? There is growing momentum that suggests so.

However, as Foxworth stated, just because the Chiefs don’t make it 10 straight division titles doesn’t put them out of playoff contention; after all, an 11 or 12-win season would still put Andy Reid’s team in the thick of the Super Bowl hunt.

And in truth, until we see the Chiefs fall off the proverbial cliff, they will always be spoken of as one of the teams to beat in the race for the Super Bowl.

Related: Chiefs Rookie Gets Brutally Honest Feedback At OTAs

Related: Skyy Moore’s Chiefs Career Could Be Coming to an End

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.