Weekday Morning Sports – Friday 4/7/17

95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Friday, April 07, 2017

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Chicago White Sox 11, Detroit Tigers 2
Chicago Cubs 6, St. Louis Cardinals 4

White Sox 11, Tigers 2 – Davidson, Soto power White Sox past Tigers, 11-2
Matt Davidson had his first career triple and first home run as a member of the Chicago White Sox in an 11-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.  Geovany Soto, the catcher who joined the White Sox as a free agent this offseason, added his first two home runs for Chicago to help give Rick Renteria his first victory as the team’s manager. James Shields (1-0) threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out five. Shields allowed Tyler Collins’ solo homer in the second inning to open the scoring, but the Tigers managed only four hits. Soto’s three-run home run in the third made it 5-1 and chased left-hander Matthew Boyd (0-1).

Cubs 6, Cardinals 4 – Stuck out! Ball clings to Molina, Cubs rally past Cardinals
In a most sticky situation, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina couldn’t find a ball that clung to his chest protector and the Chicago Cubs turned the bizarre play into a late rally, beating St. Louis 6-4 Thursday. The Cardinals led 4-2 in the seventh inning when things became crazy at Busch Stadium. Pinch hitter Matt Szczur led off by striking out on a pitch from Brett Cecil that skipped in the dirt. The ball bounced into Molina’s protector and appeared to get trapped by a sticky substance. Molina kept looking around for the ball, and only found it once Szczur was at first base. The Gold Glove catcher gave a bemused look and smiled. The Cubs capitalized when a walk set up Kyle Schwarber’s go-ahead home run.

Today
Boston (Wright 0-0) at Detroit (Fulmer 0-0), 1:10 p.m.     WSJM Sports/Cosy-FM 12:45
Minnesota (Hughes 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (Holland 0-0), 8:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Anderson 0-0) at Milwaukee (Nelson 0-0), 8:10 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Chicago Bulls 102, Philadelphia 76ers 90
Indiana Pacers 104, Milwaukee Bucks 89

Bulls 102, Sixers 90 – Butler has triple-double, fuels Bulls past 76ers 102-90
Jimmy Butler had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and helped give Chicago’s playoff hopes a needed boost in the Bulls’ 102-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. The Bulls, Miami and Indiana entered the night with 38-40 records and in a three-way tie for seventh in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  Butler had his fourth career triple-double.  With Rajon Rondo and Dwayne Wade sidelined with injuries, the Bulls still cruised against the lowly Sixers. Jerian Grant scored 15 points starting for Rondo, Nikola Mirotic scored 22 and the Bulls took a 14-point lead in the first half. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the Sixers with 18 points.

Pacers 104, Bucks 89 – Paul George scores 23 points, Pacers beat Bucks 104-89
Paul George had 23 points and 10 rebounds and the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-89 on Thursday night to keep their playoff hopes alive. Point guard Jeff Teague added 15 points and seven assists for the Pacers, Thaddeus Young had 12 points. and Lance Stephenson nine in his third game back with Indiana. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He scored 16 points in the first half to help the Bucks keep pace, but Indiana kept him in check in the second half and pulled away. Mirza Teletovic added 15 points for the Bucks.  Milwaukee has lost three straight after winning seven of previous eight.

Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets, 8:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Anaheim Ducks 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0

Ducks 4, Blackhawks 0 – Ducks close in on Pacific with 4-0 win over resting `Hawks
Corey Perry scored a power-play goal, John Gibson made 37 saves in his 12th career shutout and the Anaheim Ducks clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who moved to the brink of their fifth consecutive Pacific Division title in a meeting of the Western Conference’s two division leaders. Chris Wagner and Ryan Kesler also scored for Anaheim, which has earned points in 13 consecutive games since March 10 (10-0-3). With the best record in the West already sewed up, the Central Division champion Blackhawks rested captain Jonathan Toews, forwards Marian Hossa and Artem Anisimov and defensemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Golf – Masters – Hoffman goes on birdie-run after top-ranked Johnson withdraws
Charley Hoffman was too hot to catch. Dustin Johnson was too sore to play.  Hoffman has the first-round lead at the Masters, taming Augusta National during an afternoon in which the top-ranked Johnson had to withdraw because of a back injury. Hoffman bogeyed two of his first five holes before carding seven birdies over the next 11 to take a commanding four-stroke lead over William McGirt. No other players broke 70. Lee Westwood ran off five straight birdies late in the afternoon and salvaged a 70. Only eight other players broke par, a group that included Phil Mickelson, Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia. Johnson’s Masters experience ended before he teed off. He hurt his lower back Wednesday while falling down a flight of steps in the home he is renting for the tournament. Johnson walked to the first hole as if he would play in the final group of the day, but changed his mind at the last possible moment.

NCAAHKY – Men’s College Hockey – 2017 Frozen Four
Last Night
United Center, Chicago, IL
(1) Denver 6, (4) Notre Dame 1
(2) Minnesota-Duluth 2, (3) Harvard 1

Denver 6, Notre Dame 1 – Dominant Denver beats Notre Dame 6-1 in Frozen Four semis
Dylan Gambrell scored twice, Tariq Hammond had a goal and two assists, and Denver routed Notre Dame 6-1 on Thursday night to advance to the Frozen Four championship. Top-seeded Denver dominated from the start, using a blend of speed, precision and power to overwhelm the Fighting Irish. Emil Romig and Henrik Borgstrom scored in the first period, and the Pioneers put it away with three more in a 4:11 span in the second. Denver also made it to the national semifinals last year, falling 4-2 to eventual champion North Dakota in heartbreaking fashion. The Fighting Hawks advanced with two goals in the final 56.8 seconds, and the Pioneers have been on a mission ever since that loss in Florida last year. Next up is Saturday night’s final against conference rival Minnesota Duluth, which edged Harvard 2-1 in the first semi at the United Center. The Pioneers (32-7-4) and Bulldogs split two games in Denver on consecutive nights in December. Denver is going for its first title since 2005 and the eighth overall for one of college hockey’s marquee programs.

UMD 2, Harvard 1 – Late Iafallo lifts Minnesota Duluth past Harvard, 2-1
Alex Iafallo tipped in Willie Raskob’s shot with 26.6 seconds remaining to lift Minnesota Duluth to a 2-1 victory over Harvard in the Frozen Four semifinals Thursday night. A rather slow game ended in spectacular fashion when Raskob took a pass from Joey Anderson and fired the puck toward the slot. Iafallo directed it between Merrick Madsen’s pads to break the tie. Minnesota Duluth (28-6-7) hung on when Harvard’s Luke Esposito hit the crossbar with four seconds remaining after a scramble in front of the net.  That sent the Bulldogs to their third championship game and their first since the 2011 team brought home the program’s lone title.

Saturday
United Center, Chicago, IL
(1) Denver vs. (2) Minnesota-Duluth, 8:00 p.m.       95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 7:30

NFL – Jury in Aaron Hernandez trial sent home for day
The jury in the double-murder trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez has been sent home for the day after hearing instructions from the judge on the law. Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Friday after getting final instructions from Judge Jeffrey Locke.  Hernandez is serving a life sentence in another murder case.

NCAA – Racial, gender hiring practices on decline in college sports
A study finds that racial and gender hiring practices in college sports declined from the previous year and still lag behind those in professional sports. The annual report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport gives college sports a grade of C+ for racial hiring and a C for gender hiring.

NCAA – Former Baylor assistant drops lawsuit, moves to arbitration
A former Baylor University assistant athletic director is dropping his lawsuit against the school and several regents. However, the attorney for Colin Shillinglaw vows to continue efforts to prove through arbitration his client’s claims of libel, slander and conspiracy. Baylor officials had used Shillinglaw’s case to reveal text messages that they said show former head coach Art Briles and other officials trying to cover up sexual assaults by players and improperly handling assault reports. Briles has denied any wrongdoing. Shillinglaw’s lawyer says he didn’t participate in any such conduct but can no longer find a job.

IIHF – US routs Germany 11-0, sets up matchup with Canada for gold
Hilary Knight scored 1:06 into the game and Kelli Stack added a goal midway through the first period to give the U.S. a cushion that it wasn’t content with in an 11-0 victory over Germany on Thursday night in the women’s hockey world championship semifinals. The Americans, who scored five times in the second period and finished with 50 shots, will face Canada for gold on Friday night. They will be shooting to win a fourth straight world championship final against the rival Canadians, who beat them in the 2014 Olympics. Nicole Hensley stopped eight shots for the U.S. for a shutout needing to break a sweat. The Germans will face Finland in the bronze-medal game Friday, aiming for their first medal in the International Ice Hockey Federation world championship. The Finns have won 11 bronze in 17 the women’s world championships.

IIHF – Canada beats Finland 4-0 to reach women’s world final
Marie-Philip Poulin had a goal and an assist in a 2-plus minute span of second period, helping Canada pull away and beat Finland 4-0 on Thursday night in the women’s hockey world championship semifinals.  Finland handed Canada a stunning setback in group play with a 4-3 win, but couldn’t come close to another upset. The Canadians were in control from start to finish in the rematch. It didn’t show up on the scoreboard, though, until late in the first period when Sarah Potomak lifted a shot over Noora Raty’s blocker. Emily Clark added an empty-net goal with 4:29 left. Canada’s Shannon Szabados wasn’t tested much during a 23-save shutout.

MJCAA – Junior College Baseball
Today
Lake Michigan College at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 2:00 p.m.        (Doubleheader)

ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Tonight
Toledo Walleye at Indy Fuel, 7:35 p.m.
Kalamazoo Wings at Wheeling Nailers, 7:35 p.m.