Sports Digest: Matthew Lugo lifts Sea Dogs to 9-3 win over Fightin Phils

BASEBALL

Matthew Lugo was 3 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored to lift the Portland Sea Dogs to a 9-3 win over the Reading Fightin Phils on Friday night at Hadlock Field in Portland.

Lugo hit his sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth to give Portland a 5-1 lead. He added an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, when Portland scored four times.

Blaze Jordan and Nick Yorke each added two hits and two RBI, while Alex Binelas hit a triple. Roman Anthony had two hits and Marcelo Mayer scored twice and drove in a run.

Sea Dogs starter Hunter Dobbin pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits, while striking out eight.

TENNIS

ITALIAN OPEN: Third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Italian Open because of the right forearm injury that already prompted him to pull out of tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

The announcement comes two days after Alcaraz’s bid to win a third straight Madrid Open title ended with a three-set loss to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.

“I felt some pain after playing in Madrid, some discomfort in my arm. Today I did some tests and I have a muscle edema in my pronator teres, a consequence of my recent injury,” Alcaraz wrote on his social media channels. “Unfortunately I will not be able to play in Rome. I need to rest so I can recover and play 100% pain free.”

Alcaraz – the reigning Wimbledon champion and the 2022 U.S. Open champion – is now due to play next at the French Open, which starts May 26. He was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals last year at Roland Garros.

MADRID OPEN: Andrey Rublev beat Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 to reach the final in Madrid where he will meet Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime advanced after Jiri Lehecka had to retire at 3-3 in the first set of their semifinal and joined the list of players injured at the event.

The men’s final for the clay-court event is on Sunday.

COLLEGE

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Clemson all-Atlantic Coast Conference center PJ Hall is entering the NBA draft.

Hall announced his decision on social media. The 6-foot-10 Hall led the Tigers with 18.3 points a game this season and in blocks with 51. He helped them reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Alabama for a spot in the Final Four.

SOCCER

PREMIER LEAGUE: Luton got a valuable point in its fight to avoid relegation after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with visiting Everton.

Luton remained third to last, below 17th-placed Nottingham Forest only on goal difference. Luton has two games left. Everton has already guaranteed its survival.

AWARDS: Manchester City forward Phil Foden has been voted Footballer of the Year in England.

Foden’s award comes after an outstanding season with 16 Premier League goals so far for the defending champion. He has also provided 10 assists in all competitions for City.

And City made it a double for individual prizes with Khadija “Bunny” Shaw taking the women’s award.

AUTO RACING

INDYCAR: Chevrolet denied any knowledge of the IndyCar cheating scandal within Team Penske and said it hired an independent law firm to investigate whether General Motors employees were involved.

General Motors President Mark Reuss said the manufacturer respects the “decision and actions” of IndyCar following last week’s disqualifications of winner Josef Newgarden and Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin from the March 10 season-opening race.

IndyCar nearly two months later discovered that the push-to-pass software system on all three Penske cars had been manipulated to override series rules and allow the drivers to utilize the boost of horsepower during restarts.

IndyCar has not released the data, but reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Newgarden said he used the button improperly three times and assumed because it worked, there had been a change to the rules. McLaughlin, who was stripped of his third-place finish, said he pressed the button once out of habit but gained no on-track advantage.

HORSE RACING

KENTUCKY OAKS: Filly Thorpedo Anna went wire to wire to dominate the 150th Kentucky Oaks in Louisville, Kentucky, pulling away from a charging Just F Y I to win by 4 3/4 lengths in the slop at Churchill Downs.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous