Weekday Morning Sports – Thursday 4/16/15

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Thursday, April 16, 2015

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 1, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Chicago White Sox 4, Cleveland Indians 1
Chicago Cubs 5, Cincinnati Reds 0

Tigers 1, Pirates 0 – Tigers shut down Pirates again in 1-0 victory
Alfredo Simon gave up two hits over eight dominant innings, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 on Wednesday night. Rajai Davis hit a leadoff homer in the sixth against Francisco Liriano (0-1) as Detroit shut out Pittsburgh for the second straight day. Joakim Soria worked a perfect ninth for his fourth save while filling in for injured Joe Nathan. Detroit won two of three in the interleague series despite scoring just seven runs. Simon (2-0) struck out only two but took advantage of solid defense behind him as the Tigers handed Pittsburgh consecutive home losses for the first time since last August. Detroit had just five hits off four Pittsburgh pitchers but received all the offense it would need when Davis hit his first home run of the season.

Indians 4, White Sox 2 – Bauer leads Indians over White Sox 4-2, stopping 4-game skid
Trevor Bauer won consecutive starts for the first time in his three-plus seasons in the major leagues, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 Wednesday to stop a four-game losing streak, Bauer (2-0), who pitched six hitless innings against Houston in his first start this season, held the White Sox without a hit until Jose Abreu singled leading off the fourth. Chicago loaded the bases with one out, but J.B. Shuck fouled out and Geovany Soto struck out. Making his 36th big league start, Bauer gave up two runs, four hits and four walks in six innings with eight strikeouts. Cody Allen walked pinch-hitter Emilio Bonifacio leading off the ninth and hit Micah Johnson with a pitch. Adam Eaton struck out trying to sacrifice, Melky Cabrera hit into a forceout and Allen struck out Abreu for his second save.

Cubs 5, Reds 0 – Wood, Rizzo power Cubs past Reds, 5-0
Travis Wood pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning and Anthony Rizzo hit his first home run of the season, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 5-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. The Cubs (5-3) won two of three games in the series and moved back into first place in the National League Central. Wood (1-1) walked two and struck out seven. It was a nice bounce-back from his first start of the season in Colorado where he yielded three runs on seven hits in 4 innings. Cincinnati starter Jason Marquis (0-1) was in trouble from the outset, allowing five runs _ four earned _ on seven hits in four innings.

Today
Tigers, Cubs and White Sox are off

NFL – Lions trade DE Johnson to Bucs for draft pick
The Detroit Lions traded defensive end George Johnson and a seventh-round draft pick to Tampa Bay on Wednesday in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the draft later this month. The Lions upgraded their pick from 231st overall from Baltimore to 168th overall from New England. Johnson played in all 16 games for the Lions last season. He finished with 26 tackles (21 solo) and six sacks.

NFL – Hernandez guilty on all charges
Guilty on all counts. Former New England tight end Aaron Hernandez has been sentenced to life in prison without parole in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd in 2013. Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder and weapons charges in connection with the death. Jurors deliberated for 36 hours over seven days before rendering their decision. Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee. He was shot six times in an industrial park near Hernandez’s home. Hernandez’s lawyer acknowledged during closing arguments that he was there when Lloyd was killed. But he pinned the shooting on Hernandez’s two friends. Prosecutors said Hernandez planned the killing and then helped cover it up.

NHL – 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 1 (Best of 7)
Last Night
Chicago Blackhawks 4, Nashville Predators 3 – 2 OT (CHI Leads 1-0)
Montreal Canadiens 4, Ottawa Senators 3 (MTL Leads 1-0)
New York Islanders 4, Washington Capitals 1 (NYI Leads 1-0)
Calgary Flames 2, Vancouver Canucks 1 (CGY Leads 1-0)

Blackhawks 4, Predators 3 – 2 OT – Keith scores as Blackhawks beat Predators 4-3 in double OT
Duncan Keith scored at 7:49 of double overtime, and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied from a three-goal deficit after the first period in beating the Nashville Predators 4-3 Wednesday night. The Blackhawks finished only two points back of Nashville in the Central Division, and they grabbed home-ice advantage back despite benching Corey Crawford after the first period. Scott Darling stopped every subsequent shot, making 42 saves in his postseason debut as Nashville took a franchise-record 54 shots. Jonathan Toews had a goal and an assist, and Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews each scored for Chicago. Patrick Kane also had two assists in his return after missing 21 games with a broken collarbone. Colin Wilson scored twice and Viktor Stalberg had a goal, all in the first period for the Predators. Game 2 is Friday night in Nashville.

Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. (Game 1)
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 7:00 p.m. (Game 1)
Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues, 9:30 p.m. (Game 1)
Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks, 10:30 p.m. (Game 1)

NBA – National Basketball Association – Regular Season Finale
Last Night
Detroit Pistons 112, New York Knicks 90
Chicago Bulls 91, Atlanta Hawks 85

Pistons 112, Knicks 90 – Jackson has 24, Pistons beat Knicks 112-90 to close season
Reggie Jackson had 24 points and 11 assists and the Detroit Pistons closed out the season with a 112-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each had 17 points for Detroit. Caron Butler had 14, and Greg Monroe, Anthony Tolliver and Jodie Meeks each had 10. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks with 25 points, and Cole Aldrich added a career-high 24. The Pistons (32-50) finished with their most wins since going 39-43 in 2008-09, the last season that they made the playoffs. The Knicks (17-65) set a franchise record for fewest wins and finished with the second-worst record in the NBA. They have a 19.9 percent chance of getting the first pick in the lottery and can’t pick lower than fifth.

Bulls 91, Hawks 85 – Brooks leads rally, Bulls beat Hawks 91-85
Aaron Brooks scored 23 points and the Chicago Bulls rallied from 18 down to beat the Atlanta Hawks 91-85 on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale. The Bulls locked up the third seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks with their fourth straight win. The Hawks, who won a franchise-record 60 games and earned the top seed, matched a season high with their third straight loss. Brooks carried the Bulls in the second half with Rose watching from the sideline. He scored nine in the third quarter and pulled Chicago back into it after Atlanta went up by 18. Jimmy Butler scored 21. Pau Gasol added 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 54th double-double, and the Bulls hit the 50-win mark even though Rose scored just two points in 10 minutes.

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

#1 Atlanta vs. #8 Brooklyn
#2 Cleveland vs. #7 Boston
#3 Chicago vs. #6 Milwaukee
#4 Toronto vs. #5 Washington

#1 Golden State vs. #8 New Orleans
#2 Houston vs. #7 Dallas
#3 LA Clippers vs. #6 San Antonio
#4 Portland vs. #5 Memphis

Game 1 – Sat. April 18, Milwaukee at Chicago, 7:00 PM, ESPN
Game 2 – Mon. April 20, Milwaukee at Chicago, 8:00 PM, TNT
Game 3 – Thu. April 23, Chicago at Milwaukee, 8:00 PM, NBA TV
Game 4 – Sat . April 25, Chicago at Milwaukee, 5:30 PM, TNT
Game 5 *- Mon. April 27, Milwaukee at Chicago, TBD
Game 6 * – Thu. April 30, Chicago at Milwaukee, TBD
Game 7 * – Sat. May 2, Milwaukee at Chicago, TNT

NBA – Bulls relocating Michael Jordan statue during construction
The Chicago Bulls are temporarily relocating the Michael Jordan statue outside the United Center. The Bulls say the statue will be moved from the east side of the arena to the southeast corner Thursday, weather permitting, to prepare for construction of an office building. The pedestal that lists Jordan’s accolades will remain and be protected during construction. The body will be placed on a temporary base in the new spot and will be moved back to its original spot once construction is complete. The Jordan statute is a popular tourist attraction.

WNBA – Loyd and Zahui B. shake up WNBA draft
Holding the first and third pick in the WNBA draft, the Seattle Storm have been preparing their draft boards for the past few months. All that preparation got scrapped last week when Notre Dame junior Jewell Loyd and Minnesota redshirt sophomore Amanda Zahui B. decided to turn pro. The two AP All-Americans made the rare choice to leave school early to enter the draft. Both turn 22 this calendar year making them eligible. “The draft certainly got more interesting over the last couple of days,” Seattle Storm President Alisha Valavanis said. “We’ll continue to analyze the best possible way to maximize our picks.” Seattle coach Jenny Boucek said there is a “100 percent chance” that Seattle will take Loyd, Zahui B., or UConn forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis with the top pick.

NCAA – One and done for Duke’s Jones…Qualls leaving Arkansas for NBA
For the second straight day the Duke Blue Devils and Arkansas Razorbacks lost a player to the NBA draft. Duke guard Tyus Jones is following fellow freshman teammates Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow to the pros. Jones was the most outstanding player at the Final Four after averaging 13 points and 4.5 assists in the NCAA tournament. He scored a game-high 23 points in the Blue Devils title-game win over Wisconsin. Forward Michael Qualls is leaving the Razorbacks after three seasons of rim-rattling dunks. He averaged 15.9 points in helping Arkansas win 27 games and reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. Qualls’ announcement comes after Bobby Portis said he was leaving Arkansas after just two seasons.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
Lansing Lugnuts 2, Great Lakes Loons 1
West Michigan Whitecaps 2, Lake County Captains 1
Fort Wayne Tin Caps 10, South Bend Cubs 7

Today
Lansing at Great Lakes, 6:05 p.m.
West Michigan at Lake County, 6:30 p.m.
South Bend at Fort Wayne, 7:05 p.m.

MCCAA – Junior College Baseball
Today
Henry Ford Community College at Lake Michigan College, 2:00 p.m. (doubleheader)

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Soccer
Lakeshore 3, Vicksburg 1
Lindsay Ebeling scored twice and added an assist while Carley Dubbert scored a goal and had an assist as Lakeshore beat Vicksburg 3-1. Syndey Cason also registered an assist for the Lancers.

Sturgis 5, Berrien Springs 0
Paw Paw 2, Otsego 1
Edwardsburg 2, Three Rivers 1
Allegan 4, Coloma 0
Plainwell 8, Dowagiac 0
Hartford 1, Comstock 1 – TIE
Gull Lake 4, Portage Central 2
GR Forest Hills Northern 2, Portage Northern 0
Kalamazoo Central 3, Parma Western 0

Baseball
Berrien Springs 4, Schoolcraft 3 – Game 1
Berrien Springs 2, Schoolcraft 2 – Suspended, darkness
Paw Paw 11, Constantine 4

Softball
Lakeshore 2, LaPorte (IN) 1
Schoolcraft 12, Berrien Springs 2 – Game 1
Schoolcraft 15, Berrien Springs 5 – Game 2
Paw Paw 4, Constantine 3 – 8 innings

Track and Field
Niles 89, St. Joseph 74 – Boys
St. Joseph 99, Niles 60 – Girls
Mendon 69, Cassopolis 64 – Boys
Cassopolis 75, Mendon 53 – Girls
White Pigeon 92, Buchanan 23 – Boys
White Pigeon 97, Buchanan 26 – Girls

Today
Baseball
Benton Harbor at Niles, 4:00 p.m.
Lakeshore at Portage Central, 4:00 p.m.
Portage Northern at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.
Dowagiac at South Haven, 4:00 p.m.
Sturgis at Allegan, 4:00 p.m.
Plainwell at Schoolcraft, 4:00 p.m.
Mich. Lutheran at Lake Mich. Catholic, 4:15 p.m.
Paw Paw at Constantine, 4:30 p.m.
Bangor at Decatur, 4:30 p.m.
Bloomingdale at Hartford, 4:30 p.m.
Fennville at Lawrence, 4:30 p.m.
Saugatuck at Lawton, 4:30 p.m.
Martin at Marcellus, 4:30 p.m.
Gobles at Watervliet, 4:30 p.m.

Softball
Benton Harbor at Niles, 4:00 p.m.
Lakeshore at Portage Central, 4:00 p.m.
Portage Northern at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.
Dowagiac at South Haven, 4:00 p.m.
Sturgis at Allegan, 4:00 p.m.
Edwardsburg at Paw Paw, 4:00 p.m.
Plainwell at Schoolcraft, 4:00 p.m.
Mich .Lutheran at Lake Mich. Catholic, 4:30 p.m.
Bangor at Decatur, 4:30 p.m.
Bloomingdale at Hartford, 4:30 p.m.
Fennville at Lawrence, 4:30 p.m.
Saugatuck at Lawton, 4:30 p.m.
Martin at Marcellus, 4:30 p.m.
Gobles at Watervliet, 4:30 p.m.

Girls Soccer
Cassopolis at Michigan Lutheran, 5:00 p.m.
Brandywine at Coloma, 5:00 p.m.
Granger Christian at New Buffalo, 5:00 p.m.
South Haven at Buchanan, 6:00 p.m.
Hartford at Lake Michigan Catholic, 6:00 p.m.