The USC men’s basketball team is losing one of its most key players at one of the most critical points of the season.
Chad Baker-Mazara, a sixth-year graduate student, is no longer with the program, the team announced in a statement Sunday afternoon.
No further details were provided by the team, but Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times reported that “it wasn’t any one incident, but an accumulation of issues that led to Baker-Mazara’s departure.”
Baker-Mazara put up 14 first-half points in USC’s 82-67 loss to Nebraska on Saturday but exited the game just three minutes into the second half after he fell hard on the baseline while trying to chase down Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort. He briefly went into the locker room and did not re-enter the game.
“He said he couldn’t go,” head coach Eric Musselman told reporters after the game.
USC was Baker-Mazara’s fifth team in six years. He began his college career at Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State a year later and earning Mountain West sixth man of the year honors. From there, Baker-Mazara spent a year in junior college at Northwest Florida State before landing at Auburn, where he played two seasons and had a prominent role in their Final Four run in the 2024-25 season. He re-entered the portal shortly thereafter and ended up at USC.
Baker-Mazara started 22 of 26 games for the Trojans this season and has been their leading scorer after Rice went down with a season-ending right shoulder injury just six games into the season. He averaged 18.6 points on 44.4% shooting (38.3% from three), 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists — all career-highs.
The Trojans have been one of the teams on bubble watch for March. They’re currently one of the first four out in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology, but they’ve lost five straight games, including a critical Quad 1 matchup against rival UCLA last Tuesday.
They’ll finish out the regular season this week with a road game against Washington on Wednesday before returning home for one more clash against the Bruins on Saturday.
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa assesses Champions League showdown against Manchester City
Real Madrid are back in La Liga action on Monday, as they prepare to host Getafe at the Bernabeu in a local derby. A win is required for Los Blancos to close back to within a point of Barcelona in the title race, after they ceded top spot last weekend following defeat to Osasuna.
As per Diario AS, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa looked ahead to the clash during his pre-match press conference. He expects a tough test against an always-stubborn Jose Bordalas side.
“Well, we face the match with a lot of desire, focused and knowing the difficulty of the opponent. Getafe are a very good coaching team with a coach who always brings out the best in his players, in his team. They are always a very uncomfortable opponent, capable of playing very close games. We know how difficult we are going to be tomorrow and we are looking forward to playing at home in front of our fans and getting the three points.”
“It is going to be an exciting duel between two great clubs. It is a tie that the Madridistas like a lot because of the size of the opponent. When the time comes, we will prepare it to the maximum, knowing the demand it will entail.”
Image via Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images
Arbeloa on schedule changes
As a result of Real Madrid hosting Man City in the first leg on the 11th of March, La Liga have chosen to bring forward their La Liga clash with Celta Vigo to Friday. Arbeloa believes this is the right decision.
“The Champions League has been going on for a long time. It can condition you a little, like everything. With the schedules, the most logical thing has been done taking into account the Champions League ties that we have and that everyone has, including Atlético and Barcelona. I think that in this case the most logical thing has been done.”
Arbeloa: Vinicius Junior form is nothing to do with me
Arbeloa was also asked about his role in Vinicius Junior’s stark upturn in form since he took over as Real Madrid head coach.
“I don’t know if I’ve done anything. The credit goes to Vinicius, who is a fantastic, extraordinary footballer. My only merit, if I have any, is to give him a lot of confidence, a lot of affection, and that his teammates look for him and above all find him in situations where he can bring out his talent and the greatest of his qualities, which is to face, which is to dribble, which is to be able to run at opponents, which is to be able to have one-on-one situations.
“He is a determinant, fundamental player. As a coach, the only thing I work on is that in the more situations we can find Vinicius where he can exploit his qualities. I think we will play better and be more dangerous.”
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Taylor Hendricks scored 19 points, Jaylen Wells had 18 and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 125-106 on Sunday.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 17 points, and Scotty Pippen Jr. and Ryan Rupert each had 16 to help Memphis sweep the season series for the third time in five years.
Jarace Walker led Indiana with 21 points, and Micah Potter had 18.
Memphis took a 77-66 advantage four minutes into the third period.
The Grizzlies were without guard Ja Morant for the 17th consecutive game because of a left elbow injury. Rookie Cedric Coward sat out with a knee injury.
Memphis center Zach Edey will have another operation on his ailing left ankle, according to the team. The 7-foot-3 Edey has been sidelined since Dec. 7.
Indiana’s Pascal Siakam missed his second consecutive game with a sore right shooting hand.
Up next
Grizzlies: At Minnesota on Tuesday night.
Pacers: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Golden State guard Stephen Curry will be out at least 10 more days, according to the team’s injury update. Curry last played on Jan. 30 and has missed the last 10 games with patellofemoral pain syndrome, commonly known as runner’s knee.
With Curry sidelined for 10 more days, he will miss the Warriors’ next five games. Curry is on pace to miss his most games since the 2022-2023 season and has been plagued with knee injuries in the past.
With Curry playing in only 39 games and the Warriors having only 22 games left, he is no longer eligible for NBA awards such as MVP or All-NBA teams. The NBA requires players to play at least 65 games to be eligible.
The Warriors say Stephen Curry (knee) will be sidelined for at least 10 more days: pic.twitter.com/SyimQFwLqz
When Curry has played, he continued to play at a high level. He leads the team, averaging 27.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds on 39.1% from behind the arc.
Injuries continue to pile up for the Warriors. Jimmy Butler went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Warriors trade acquisition Kristaps Porziņģis has only played in one game this season for the team and has missed the last four games due to illness. Porziņģis only played a total of 18 games and has averaged 23.9 minutes between both teams this season.
Despite the Warriors injuries and recent struggles the remain the eight seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors are 31-29 and will take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Golden State guard Stephen Curry will be out at least 10 more days, according to the team’s injury update. Curry last played on Jan. 30 and has missed the last 10 games with patellofemoral pain syndrome, commonly known as runner’s knee.
With Curry sidelined for 10 more days, he will miss the Warriors’ next five games. Curry is on pace to miss his most games since the 2022-2023 season and has been plagued with knee injuries in the past.
With Curry playing in only 39 games and the Warriors having only 22 games left, he is no longer eligible for NBA awards such as MVP or All-NBA teams. The NBA requires players to play at least 65 games to be eligible.
The Warriors say Stephen Curry (knee) will be sidelined for at least 10 more days: pic.twitter.com/SyimQFwLqz
When Curry has played, he continued to play at a high level. He leads the team, averaging 27.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds on 39.1% from behind the arc.
Injuries continue to pile up for the Warriors. Jimmy Butler went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Warriors trade acquisition Kristaps Porziņģis has only played in one game this season for the team and has missed the last four games due to illness. Porziņģis only played a total of 18 games and has averaged 23.9 minutes between both teams this season.
Despite the Warriors injuries and recent struggles the remain the eight seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors are 31-29 and will take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
The Dodgers’ Jackson Ferris delivers a first-inning pitch against the San Diego Padres last week in Peoria, Ariz. (Norm Hall / Getty Images)
The way the Dodgers have spent money in recent years, one area that often gets overlooked is their ability to draft, trade for and develop prospects.
The Dodgers boast five prospects in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 rankings, tied for third-most among teams. The group includes four outfielders — Josue De Paula (No. 15), Zyhir Hope (No. 27), Eduardo Quintero (No. 30) and Mike Sirota (No. 60) — in the top 60. Two of those prospects, De Paula and Quintero, were international signings, and the other two, Hope and Sirota, were acquired via trade.
Sirota came over in last year’s trade that sent Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds. A year earlier, the club acquired Hope and promising young pitcher Jackson Ferris from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielder Michael Busch and right-hander Yency Almonte, who recently returned to the Dodgers on a minor league contract.
Ferris, who pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings in his second Cactus League start Saturday in the Dodgers’ 7-6 split-squad loss to the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium, noticed the contrast going from the Cubs to the Dodgers.
“It was different,” Ferris said last month at his locker at Camelback Ranch. “It was honestly a breath of fresh air. Getting to know these coaches, they just understand exactly what they wanted for me and how they were going to go about it.
“It was cool to see how different things were. The Cubs [are] a great organization, good minor league system and everything, it was crazy to see how different the Cubs are from the Dodgers. The Dodgers are just as good, if not better, at everything in the minor leagues and in the big leagues.”
Ferris arrived at Cubs minor league camp in early January 2024, ready to get to work. A few days later, he was surprised when the team told him he had been traded.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting it after only throwing like 55-ish innings in my first year and doing well,” Ferris said. “So, I didn’t really know how to react. The Cubs coaches were talking highly of the Dodgers coaches, so then I was pretty excited.”
Ferris credits the Dodgers for being more detail-oriented than the Cubs and helping him improve as a pitcher.
“It was my first year of pro ball, so maybe it was just like being a high schooler, I didn’t necessarily get a whole lot of coaching,” Ferris said of his time with the Cubs. “I’d say it was more like, ‘Go out there and let’s just see how you do in your first year.’ Whereas whenever I came here, they studied my throw, everything and it was like, ‘Here, we think these drills are going to help you,’ and we just kind of took off in our first year of being here.”
That season, Ferris posted a 3.20 ERA across 34 starts between high-A Great Lakes and double-A Tulsa, earning minor league pitcher of the year honors from the organization. Last year, Ferris logged a 3.86 ERA across 26 games and 126 innings at double-A Tulsa.
This year Ferris could be knocking on the door of a big-league promotion. He’s impressed through his first two Cactus League starts, with just four baserunners and no runs over 2-2/3 innings, while working with a versatile five-pitch mix that features a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a “bullet slider,” a straight changeup and a 12-to-6 curveball.
“I like Jackson,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently. “I like the player. He’s a good kid. A lot of talent. I think for me, it’s just trying to harness his arsenal. It’s a good fastball. He needs to continue to get ahead, be able to put hitters away with the secondary pitches, be efficient with his pitches per inning, but I like Jackson.”
Mookie Betts makes Cactus League debut
Shortstop Mookie Betts played in his first spring training game Sunday, reaching on a fielder’s choice and grounding out in two at-bats while scoring a run in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Angels at Camelback Ranch.
“I know I had an 0-for-2, but I got two good swings,” Betts said after he was lifted from the game. “I was prepared, I was ready to go. Couldn’t ask for anything more than what I’ve been doing.”
Left-hander Alex Vesia pitched a scoreless fourth inning, striking out the side. Vesia has struck out five of the nine batters he has faced across three appearances this spring.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 23: Pitcher Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch on February 23, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners lost today’s game against the Rangers, 9-4, and are now 3-6 in spring training, which will happen when half your roster is off at the WBC. But despite the absence of regulars, today’s game offered plenty of intrigue for those who know where to look.
Before he left for Team USA, Cal Raleigh extracted a promise from the beat writers that they would text him updates on what his pitchers were up to when not under Cal’s steely gaze. Logan Gilbert – perhaps responding to Cal’s unprompted heckle of him yesterday about his own spring training debut – immediately decided to test out the babysitter of Andrew Knizner behind the plate. His first two pitches of the game whistled in at 96 mph before he promptly followed that up with a cutter, one of two pitches (the other being the sinker) that he likes to play with during spring training and then leave in Peoria, at Cal’s insistence. It probably should have gone for an easy out, but Logan, enjoying his personal Rumspringa of being away from the watchful eyes of his regular catcher, decided he would try to field his position. It, uh, did not go well.
“It went really well in my mind,” said Gilbert mournfully postgame. “I thought I got it there. I was like. Oh. I’ve got this.”
[Narrator: he did not, in fact, Got This.]
“MAN DOWN!” cackled Luis Castillo from across the clubhouse while Gilbert was talking.
(An inning later, Gilbert also made a halfhearted attempt at another grounder that rolled past him, but smartly let it go for Cole Young – whose defense looks much improved this spring – to hoover up for him. Perhaps Cal made a mid-inning phone call to the dugout.)
That wasn’t Gilbert’s lone time straying from Cal Raleigh’s light. He flashed all his usual pitches, sitting 96 on his four-seamer and dutifully mixing in his slider, splitter, and curveball, but he also threw two sinkers and six of the cutters, including the one he would have gotten the out on to Osuna, one for a swinging strikeout on Kyle Higashioka, and one for a flyout to Josh Smith. So will the cutter finally make its way to T-Mobile Park?
Probably not, says Gilbert, Cal or no Cal, although not for lack of effort. “I’ve been trying for six years.”
The only damage against Gilbert was a solo home run, when Rangers prospect Cam Cauley ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Gilbert, a solid choice, given that Gilbert threw nine of ten first-pitch strikes today.Working with a 50-pitch cap, Gilbert was able to get through the lineup one time plus one batter, seeing Alejandro Osuna twice.
Gilbert’s outing on the mound impressed his manager.
“I thought Logan was really good today,” said Dan Wilson postgame. “I thought he came out with a different mindset today, used all his stuff, was ahead in the count, and we just saw an intensity today that was something we haven’t seen in a little bit.”
He was less impressed by Gilbert’s fielding.
“He’s gonna hear about that one for a while, I think, from the bench,” said Wilson wryly.
The positives weren’t only on the pitching side, either. The game got off to a good start for the Mariners thanks to Cole Young. In the game preview I said Young drew a tough left-on-left matchup today, facing Rangers starter Jacob Latz. I was corrected by staffer Zach Mason, who accurately observed that it cannot be a tough matchup when one of the participants is bad at their job. Nevertheless, this was no cheapie, going 442 feet at 106 miles off the bat, as Young continues to piece together a solid spring.
Also encouraging: that home run scored Victor Robles, who was on base with just his second hit of the spring. Robles figures to get some more playing time while his outfield-mates are with their WBC teams, so hopefully this is the second of many to come.
Following Logan was the spring debut of Ryan Sloan, and if you were wondering why so many prospect-knowers have been saying Sloan is “untouchable” in Seattle’s system when trade discussions were heated, this outing probably answered that for you. Sloan was absolutely dominant in a 12-pitch, 1-2-3 inning where he got eight swings, only two of which the Rangers trio of Higashioka, Smith, and Ezekiel Duran – so not exactly spring training cannon fodder – were able to touch. He opened up against Higashioka with a four-seamer that came in at 98.9 mph and didn’t let up from there, firing a hard slider before going back to the heater at 97 for a soft-contact flyout. He then took apart Josh Smith on a three-pitch strikeout that included a hard (91.7 mph) changeup Smith whiffed over and a generous strike three call on a heater (again at 98.9) that was a touch above the zone. Sloan finished his day by throwing a 94 mph cutter for a first-pitch ball that Duran was ruled not to have swung at (it sure looked like a swing) before eventually getting him to ground out softly on a slider.
Sloan’s outing had everything you could want: big velocity, filthy secondaries, weak contact, ugly swing-and-miss. This is why that word “untouchable” was thrown around in pre-season. There’s just only so many freshly-minted 20-year-olds who haven’t reached Double-A yet who can make a big-league hitter look this bad.
Speaking of bad, the rest of the game. Maybe just go back and watch Gilbert and Sloan’s innings again rather than watch the rest of this game, which devolved into the Rangers stacking up a seven-run sixth inning. I was in the clubhouse talking to Sloan while it happened, so I choose not to recognize it. The Mariners’ younger players fought for a pair of extra runs in the bottom of the eighth, stacking three walks against Rangers reliever Robby Ahlstrom before Spencer Packard connected for a two-run single, but the damage was done, and the Mariners lost, 9-4.
However, even in a game of bad results, there are good processes to celebrate. The Mariners hitters didn’t do much offensively, but they struck out just one more time (6) than they walked (5). Gilbert’s outing was a familiar reminder of the dominant pitcher he is; Sloan’s was a glimpse of the dominant pitcher he might very well be. Cole Young continued to build on what’s been a solid spring for him and reminded everyone that he might usually be a contact merchant, but he can still put a charge into a lousy pitch (sorry for all the strays, Jacob Latz). And even Troy Taylor, who has had a rough spring so far coming off a disappointing 2025, had one of his best outings in a long while, giving up a leadoff hit on a first-pitch fastball but coming back to strike out the next three hitters, punctuating his last K with a nasty sweeper.
It’s a reminder that baseball careers are built slowly, a little at a time, and the end result one day doesn’t necessarily determine an overall arc. It was the youngest member of the team today, Ryan Sloan, who reflected on the trap that good results can be:
“When you’re going through periods of success, it’s so easy to kind of get away from what you know works, just because results are good, process is good, and it just makes it really easy to get away from it. I’ve never felt like it’s so easy to get away from my routine, just because things have been going well. So I came up with the motto, just get better today. I just think, one day at a time, just do what I know works, get better today, and continue to do that week in and week out.“
Despite the final line, many Mariners did get better today, in big ways and small ways and ways that aren’t even in this recap. And in spring training, that’s all you can ask for.
Kevin Mannell pitches at Auburn | Nebraska Athletics
For the second game in a row, Nebraska pitching wrapped a big beautiful gift with a bright red bow for the Auburn Tigers in the form of 12 walks and three hit batters. You. Can’t. Win. Games. When. You. Walk. Batters. Until the Cornhusker pitching staff internalizes this fundamental aspect of the game, there are going to be more ugly games for fans to sit through.
Gavin Blachowicz got his third Sunday start of the season, but did not have the same command of his pitches that he had in his previous two outings. Bristol Carter led off the Tiger first inning with a double and scored two batters later on an Eric Guevara single to put Auburn up 1-0 after one.
Blachowicz got a taste of Auburn hitting in the bottom of the second inning with Chris Rembert leading off with a single and Logan Gregorio reaching on a fielder’s choice, and then both runners advancing on a crucial Jett Buck throwing error. Auburn ended up scoring an earned run on a sacrifice fly ball, and then three unearned runs on a Chase Fralick home run. This was the fifth four run inning of the series for the Tigers and they held a commanding 5-0 lead.
Tiger starter Alex Petrovic was effective in his first three innings against the Big Red, though the boys from Lincoln did put the lead-off man on twice, and had two on with no outs in their second. The Cornhuskers we able to get back into the game in the fourth after Case Sanderson singled, Joshua Overbeek walked, and Dylan Carey was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cole Kitchens hit a shot to the shortstop that he misplayed, scoring Sanderson. Then Devin Nunez hit a deep fly ball to score Overbeek. However, the rally was silenced as catcher Trey Fikes looked at strike three. Auburn added a run in their half of the fourth to make the score 6-2 Tigers after four complete innings.
Offensively, this was a game of wasted opportunities. In six of nine innings the Cornhuskers put the lead-off batter on, yet they only scored twice. Six times they had at least two runners on base and only scored three runs. To rub salt into the wound, with two on and two out in the top of the 8th inning, Jeter Worthley faced a full count and was called out on a pitch-clock violation.
Kevin Mannell came in to relieve Blachowicz to start the third. The Mississippi State transfer had his best appearance of the season going four innings with five strikeouts and steadying the ship, though he did give up one run. Despite that, the four innings was huge because of the shortage of arms in the bullpen today.
The seventh inning exposed the Nebraska bullpen as three pitchers appeared, Braxton Stewart, Auden Pankonin, and Grant Cleavinger. Auburn scored two runs on one hit, three walks and a hit batter. After seven innings, the Tigers were up 8-2 over the Cornhuskers.
Joshua Overbeek scored his second run of the game, and Nebraska’s final run of the game, in the top of the eighth inning. He singled and beat a throw to third on a Dylan Carey double. Max Buettenback drove him in on a sacrifice fly.
The eighth inning could not have been uglier for Nebraska pitching. Freshman Jace Ziola started it off with a walk, hit batter and a walk. With bases loaded, another freshman, Cooper Grace came in and went walk, walk, walk. In came senior Caleb Clark who induced a ground ball double play, but then went walk, walk, and ground out to first base. Four runs, no hits, no errors, seven walks, and one hit batter. Final score: Auburn 12, Nebraska 3.
Ironically, Nebraska out-hit Auburn today, eight to seven. By the same token, Auburn issue six free passes to Nebraska’s 15.
Nebraska did get back into it in the middle innings, and with Kevin Mannell slowing down Auburn scoring, Nebraska was a couple of hits away from making it an interesting game. That was not to be and the Cornhuskers dropped the series to Auburn.
The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday at Haymarket Park against Omaha. South Dakota State then comes to town for one game on Wednesday. It most likely will not be 74-degrees with a bright blue sky like it was today in Alabama, but it’s baseball!
Notes
· Dylan Carey’s single in the second inning was his 200th hit in his Cornhusker career, he is the 28th Husker to reach that mark
· Six times during the weekend series Auburn put up four runs.
· On the weekend, Nebraska pitching surrendered 25 walks and hit eight batters. You can believe that Coach Rob Childress will address that with his staff this upcoming week.
· With the entire bullpen seeing action this weekend, it will be interesting to see who is called on to start Tuesday and Wednesday. One would think that Ryan Harrahill will get one of the starts, and maybe Colin Nowaczyk will be given a chance to get back on track after his recent struggles.
· The big question mark with pitching is whether Cooper Katskee will start a midweek game, or will the coaching look to get him into the routine to start next Sunday, which he was tabbed to do at the start of the season.
Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) warms up during a Spring Training workout at Scottsdale Stadium Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
The San Francisco Giants improved to 7-2 in Cactus League play with a 9-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Logan Webb’s second start of Spring, and last before he joins Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, went without any major hiccups. The veteran allowed one run on two hits and a hit batter while breaking the seal on the third inning for San Francisco’s starters. 38 pitches was all he needed to record nine outs and establish his quartet of pitch offerings.
A high-and-tight sinker to lead-off man Jase Bowen got the afternoon off on the wrong foot, and a hanging sweeper to Ty France aided San Diego’s first run, but at no point did Webb seem to be grappling for comfort or control. The necessary tweaks were made for the breaking ball. He filled up the zone, painted corners, tallying 10 called strikes and five whiffs on 17 swings (29%).
The only other hit Webb allowed was a leadoff bloop in shallow left that Willy Adames should’ve caught. The defense got better after that. Patrick Bailey requested a reexamination of a misunderstood cutter, earning Webb his third backwards-K of the day. Matt Chapman subdued a hard-hit one-hopper before starting an inning-ending double play. Some loud contact ultimately didn’t leave the infield in the 3rd to end Webb’s afternoon.
J.T. Brubaker handed in two scoreless innings with his hard-slider collecting a trio of swinging strike-threes. Tristan Beck faced the most stress of any arm in the 6th. A single, triple and hit batter didn’t add up to a Padre run thanks to backstop Daniel Susac nabbing the speedy Bryce Johnson attempting to steal second, and Beck getting infielder Sung-Mun Song swinging with an elevated four-seamer.
Though most of San Diego’s main offensive threats didn’t make the trip from Peoria, the Giants arms put in a solid display of no-nonsense pitching.
For the bats, it was all sorts of nonsense. The good kind. Up and down the order, starting and second-string, the bats put on a display of loud contact, balls in play, opposite field approaches.
The lineup recorded 14 hits against 5 strikeouts. They went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while seven different hitters collected an RBI. Willy Adames and Grant McCray both stole a base, and multiple hit-and-runs were executed successfully. Small ball!
Casey Schmitt went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a 105 MPH lineout to center. Matt Chapman and his infield replacement, Oslevis Basabe, both doubled, and Basabe also singled an eye-fastball fastball in the 8th.
Victor Bericoto, the hottest bat in camp, pinch hit for McCray in the 6th and promptly socked a 111 MPH RBI single to left. He’d rip another two frames later. The minor league outfielder is now 7-for-13 in 6 games, and his nine RBIs are tied for most in all of Spring Training so far.
All in all, the San Francisco offense is buzzing. Their 68 runs and 104 hits in 9 games are third most in the league (most teams have played at least 10 games as well), while their .323 average and .387 OBP are high marks, and their .887 team OPS is tied for second.
The teams populating the tops of the statistical rankings along with our Giants? The Diamondbacks…the White Sox…the Rockies. Yeah, that’s a pretty dubious bunch and a good reminder that we just witnessed a week-and-a-half of weird, heavily-caveated baseball. As much as it feels good to bask in this kind of hitting, don’t let the desert sun fool you. The heat will play its tricks.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 30 points and Notre Dame rallied for a 65-62 victory over No. 10 Louisville on Sunday.
The Fighting Irish (20-9, 12-6 Atlantic Coast) outscored the Cardinals 9-2 in the final 4:25 to finish the regular season with five straight victories, and their All-American guard overcame foul trouble to secure the win.
Hidalgo scored seven in that run and also had a steal with 14 seconds left. She could have scored an easy fast-break layup, but she chose to run off some clock as Louisville (25-6, 15-3) had fouls to give.
Imari Berry missed a 3-pointer for Louisville, which committed 19 turnovers, in the closing seconds that could have forced overtime.
Hidalgo added 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals, and Vanessa de Jesus finished with 14. Mackenly Randolph led Louisville with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
After a slow start, the Irish got their offense going in the second quarter, with Hildago leading the way. Hidalgo scored 10 of her points during an 18-3 run over a 3:06 span that gave Notre Dame a 31-19 lead with 2:54 remaining.
Louisville battled back in the third, using a 10-2 run to cut the Irish’s advantage to just 47-45 in the final seconds, but Hidalgo answered with a banked-in 3-pointer at the buzzer.
However, she drew her fourth foul on a charge with 8:32 left. Louisville scored twice in the next minute to tie the game at 52. She left the game with 6:52 remaining, and by the time she returned with 4:40 to go, the Cardinals led 60-56.
Up next
Notre Dame begins play in Thursday’s second round of the ACC tournament, while Louisville starts in the quarterfinals on Friday.
