Florida State outlasted Duke in a tight matchup on Friday, starting the series off with a 3-1 win.

Wes Mendes got the start for Florida State, with Duke rolling with Aidan Weaver.

After a flyout, Mendes struck out two to begin his outing. FSU, looking to redeem itself at the plate after struggling in Tuesday’s loss to Florida, began the bottom of the first with a 3-2 walk for Brayden Dowd, who stole second and advanced to third off an Eli Putnam groundout. Dowd was left stranded, though, after Myles Bailey and Kelvyn Paulino Jr. both went down swinging.

The top of the second saw another three-up, three-down frame, with Mendes striking out another two batters.

Hunter Carns got a left field line double and John Stuetzer was walked after, putting two on for FSU with no outs, but the opportunity was squandered after three straight Seminoles’ batters struck out swinging.

Mendes struck out the first two batters of the third before giving up his first hit of the game — a deep center field triple on a 3-2 count that Dowd was unable to field — but a third strikeout (his seventh overall at that point) kept the game locked at 0-0.

After a groundout to start the bottom of the third, Florida State got a lucky break off a throwing error, with Putnam advancing to third after an overthrow to first. Duke walked Bailey, who stole second after Paulino Jr. struck out. Once again, FSU left runners in scoring position stranded, as a Carns strikeout sent things to the fourth.

Both teams went three up, three down, with Duke registering the third hit of the game off a ground-rule double to begin the fifth. A groundout put the Blue Devils’ runner on third, but Mendes left him stranded after back-to-back strikeouts. The bottom frame was another quick one, with Fisher and Dowd both striking out before a Putnam flyout.

Mendes struck out the first hitter but then gave up two hits (both singles) in the sixth — the Seminoles caught the first runner stealing, the second advanced on a wild pitch. The Blue Devils added another man on base after he was hit by a pitch, but FSU managed to escape without any damage done.

Florida State got a double from Bailey to begin the bottom of the sixth, advancing to third on a wild pitch, getting sent home by a Paulino Jr. single up the middle to put the Seminoles up 1-0. FSU tacked on another run after a one-out Chase Williams RBI sent Carns home from second. Williams stole both second and third, joined by Bavaro on a 3-1 walk to extend the frame and end Weaver’s day as Duke made a change on the mound, the inning ending on a Fisher lineout.

In the top of the seventh, Mendes walked Lambdin, struck out Anderson, then allowed a fielder’s choice to Quagliano — Lambdin thrown out at second — before FSU made the switch to John Abraham. The righty struck out the first batter faced, ending the frame. Florida State couldn’t get anything going, going three up, three down.

Abraham gave up a right field double to start the eighth, with another double sending the runner home to make it a 2-1 game. That was all the ground Duke made up, though, as a fantastic 5-3-5 double play to third wrapped the frame and kept Florida State ahead.

Paulino Jr. walked to start the bottom of the eighth for FSU. Gabe Fraser came to pinch run, advancing to second on a wild pitch. Duke made another pitching change, after which a Stuetzer bunt advanced the runners, putting them in scoring position with one out. Williams went down swinging, but FSU extended its lead to two once more after Fraser scored on a wild pitch before the inning ended on a Bavaro strikeout.

With one final shot at evening things up, Duke got a lucky break off a throwing error, advancing a runner to second with one out, moving him to third after a groundout. A final strikeout wrapped things up, giving Florida State the win.

Mendes (6-1) struck out 12 in 6.2 (79 strikes on 104 pitches), giving up four hits. Abraham, in 2.1 innings of work, struck out four to earn the save, giving up three hits and one run.

The No. 8 Florida State Seminoles beat the Duke Blue Devils 3-1 on Friday at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. FSU improved to 20-5 overall and 6-1 in ACC play with the win.

Wes Mendes threw another gem for the Seminoles, pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts on four hits and a walk. He improved to 6-1 with the win, lowering his ERA to 1.33. John Abraham pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts.

Neither offense was able to get anything going until the sixth inning, when Myles Bailey hit a leadoff double, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Kelvyn Paulino Jr. Chase Williams made it 2-0 with a two-out single, scoring Hunter Carns, who reached on a fielder’s choice.

Duke got on the board in the eighth inning with back-to-back doubles. FSU turned an inning double play when Will Bavaro fielded a grounder at third and for the hitter at first, with Myles Bailey throwing it back to him to get the runner who tried to advance from second.

The Seminoles got the run back in the bottom of the inning after Paulino Jr. walked and was replaced by Gabe Fraser, who took second on a wild pitch and got to third on a sacrifice bunt. He came around to score on another wild pitch, putting FSU up 3-1.

FSU finished the game with just four hits, but worked six walks and used four wild pitches to score their runs. Duke finished with seven hits, but went 1-13 with runners on.

The Seminoles will try to win the series on Saturday in Game Two of the series. The game is set to start at 2 p.m. ET and will be on the ACC Network.

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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Recapping FSU baseball vs. Duke

It took Pittsburgh eighth-grader Otto Schellhammer until the Sweet 16 to finally miss one of his women’s picks for March Madness.

No. 6 seed Notre Dame beat second-seeded Vanderbilt on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas, to open the regional rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament. That ended the 14-year-old’s run as the last perfect bracket after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s tournaments from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests.

Schellhammer previously told The Associated Press it was “100% luck” and that he didn’t know anything about basketball despite that perfect start through 48 games. His mother, Amy, called it “absolutely hilarious” and said her son had been getting more excited about watching the games because of the perfect start.

He has Texas winning the title in his bracket.

Mike Benzie, the senior director of content for NCAA Digital, said there were about 36 million men’s entries and 5.2 million on the women’s side.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

It took Pittsburgh eighth-grader Otto Schellhammer until the Sweet 16 to finally miss one of his women’s picks for March Madness.

No. 6 seed Notre Dame beat second-seeded Vanderbilt on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas, to open the regional rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament. That ended the 14-year-old’s run as the last perfect bracket after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s tournaments from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests.

Schellhammer previously told The Associated Press it was “100% luck” and that he didn’t know anything about basketball despite that perfect start through 48 games. His mother, Amy, called it “absolutely hilarious” and said her son had been getting more excited about watching the games because of the perfect start.

He has Texas winning the title in his bracket.

Mike Benzie, the senior director of content for NCAA Digital, said there were about 36 million men’s entries and 5.2 million on the women’s side.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

NCAA hockey tournament bracket 2026: Full schedule, times, TV channels, scores for road to Frozen Four originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The March Madness brand belongs to basketball, but the NCAA men’s hockey tournament is just as wild and unpredictable.

Sixteen teams are set to vie for a national title over a pair of weekends, and if recent editions are any indication, it truly is anyone’s to take. Two of the four national seeds last year lost in the first round, and only one — No. 4 seed and eventual champion Western Michigan — made it to the Frozen Four.

The Broncos are back as the fourth seed to try and defend their title in a season that has seen the balance of power tilt heavily toward the Great Lakes State. Michigan is the top overall seed after winning the Big Ten title, and Michigan State enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed. 

Looking for a potential Cinderella story? That would be Merrimack, which won the Hockey East tournament as the No. 8 seed, beating the top three teams in the conference in Providence, UMass and UConn along the way. 

Who will hoist the national championship trophy in Las Vegas the second weekend in April? Here’s how to follow along with all the action. 

NCAA hockey tournament bracket 2026

The 2026 NCAA men’s hockey bracket has been revealed. The four national seeds — Michigan, North Dakota, Michigan State and Western Michigan — will each lead a four-team regional. See the full game schedule below. 

• Worcester Regional
  • No. 3 Michigan State
  • Dartmouth
  • Wisconsin
  • UConn
• Sioux Falls Regional
  • No. 2 North Dakota
  • Providence
  • Quinnipiac
  • Merrimack
• Albany Regional
  • No. 1 Michigan
  • Minnesota Duluth
  • Penn State
  • Bentley
• Loveland Regional
  • No. 4 Western Michigan
  • Denver
  • Cornell
  • Minnesota State

Where to watch 2026 NCAA hockey tournament

• TV channel: ESPN2, ESPNU
• Live streams:ESPN app, Fubo

NCAA hockey tournament games will air on a variety of ESPN platforms, and every game can be streamed live with the ESPN app. All games airing on ESPN broadcast networks can be streamed via Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers. 

Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows—anytime, anywhere—only in the new ESPN app.

NCAA hockey tournament schedule, scores 2026

Thu., March 26: Regional semifinals

Fri., March 27: Regional semifinals

Sat., March 28: Regional finals

Sun., March 29: Regional finals

Thu., April 9: Frozen Four

Sat., April 11: Championship

NCAA men’s hockey champions list

Here are the champions and runners-up of the last 10 NCAA men’s hockey tournaments. There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19. 

The Los Angeles Angels have signed utility player Chris Taylor to a minor-league deal, according to the team.

Additionally, the Angels are keeping Hunter Strickland on a similar deal, per team reporter Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register.

Taylor is known for his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he produced multiple clutch hits and was a valuable player who added flexibility to the lineup.

He has helped the Dodgers win two World Series titles and take home the NLCS MVP award in 2017.

As a defender, he can line up in the infield or outfield, still providing quality range and a good glove that will rarely make mistakes.

However, his bat has been on the decline since 2024, posting an OPS+ of 71 and 55 over the last two years.

Taylor battled a broken arm in 2025 as well, though he should be fully healthy for the start of the 2026 season if the front office needs a veteran player who can provide serviceable contributions.

He went the entire offseason unsigned until the start of the season, though Taylor was never expected to stop playing.

“Oh no, I’m still playing,” Taylor said on Dodger Talk with David Vassegh. “Don’t pull the cord on me yet, Vassegh. No, I’m still playing. I’m down here in Arizona working out. Um, you know, I… I don’t know where it’s going to be yet, obviously with free agency being the way it is, but, um, I will be playing again this coming season.”

Now, he gets the chance to reassert himself as a major leaguer and help the Angels make some progress after a poor 2025.

San Francisco (0-2) suffered its second straight shutout loss to the Yankees (0-2) on Friday to start the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

New York defeated the Giants, 3-0, to clinch a three-game series win at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California.

Friday marked the second game for San Francisco under first-year manager Tony Vitello. He served as Tennessee’s head coach from 2018-25.

The Giants totaled one hit in Game 2 after recording three hits in a, 7-0, series-opening loss on Wednesday.

Vitello discussed the Giants’ loss on Friday.

“As of right now, it’s a little emotional in there and there’s definitely a lot of try-hard,” Vitello said after Game 2. “Regardless of what the root of it is, the guys in the lineup – they’re fully capable.”

A series finale between the Giants and Yankees will be contested on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 7:15 p.m. EDT (Fox).

“As of right now, it’s a little emotional in there and there’s definitely a lot of try-hard. Regardless of what the root of it is, the guys in the lineup — they’re fully capable.”

Tony Vitello recaps the #SFGiants lack of offensive production in their first two games. pic.twitter.com/e1KrKVq614

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 28, 2026

More: Tony Vitello reacts to Giants’ opening day loss to New York

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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Tony Vitello reacts to San Francisco’s second shutout loss in 2026

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry missed his 24th straight game for the Golden State Warriors on Friday night but is set to resume 5-on-5 scrimmaging in the coming days with hopes he might still return from a lingering right knee injury before the end of the regular season.

The 38-year-old Curry was re-evaluated Friday ahead of the team’s home game against the Washington Wizards for the patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising he has been dealing with for the past two months.

He is scheduled to be evaluated again next week. Golden State had initially hoped he would return right after the All-Star break, and Curry sat out the All-Star Game this year. Curry, leading the Warriors with 27.2 points per game, last played Jan. 30 against Detroit.

The Warriors continue to be plagued by injuries, losing guard Moses Moody for the season on Monday in Dallas, and he underwent surgery Friday for a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

Curry’s younger brother, Seth, is still sidelined by a strained left inner thigh muscle. He has resumed scrimmaging and was listed as day-to-day.

Center Quinten Post is also day to day with right foot soreness.

Fellow big man Al Horford sat out his eighth consecutive game because of a strained muscle in his right calf but has started on-court workouts and will be re-examined in a week.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry missed his 24th straight game for the Golden State Warriors on Friday night but is set to resume 5-on-5 scrimmaging in the coming days with hopes he might still return from a lingering right knee injury before the end of the regular season.

The 38-year-old Curry was re-evaluated Friday ahead of the team’s home game against the Washington Wizards for the patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising he has been dealing with for the past two months.

He is scheduled to be evaluated again next week. Golden State had initially hoped he would return right after the All-Star break, and Curry sat out the All-Star Game this year. Curry, leading the Warriors with 27.2 points per game, last played Jan. 30 against Detroit.

The Warriors continue to be plagued by injuries, losing guard Moses Moody for the season on Monday in Dallas, and he underwent surgery Friday for a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

Curry’s younger brother, Seth, is still sidelined by a strained left inner thigh muscle. He has resumed scrimmaging and was listed as day-to-day.

Center Quinten Post is also day to day with right foot soreness.

Fellow big man Al Horford sat out his eighth consecutive game because of a strained muscle in his right calf but has started on-court workouts and will be re-examined in a week.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA