Sports Digest: Rob Sanicola steps down as Southern Maine men’s basketball coach

Rob Sanicola has stepped down as the men’s basketball at the University of Southern Maine after three seasons, the school announced in a press release on Friday.

Sanicola is leaving for an opportunity in the NBA G League, according to the release.

Southern Maine reached the Little East Conference playoffs each of Sanicola’s three seasons. The Huskies went 14-7 overall and 9-7 in the conference last season. Overall, Sanicola went 40-34 overall and 23-25 in the conference.

He previously coached for 18 seasons at St. Joseph’s College, his alma mater, where he won 275 games.

BASEBALL

NECBL: Game 2 of the New England Collegiate Baseball League championship series between the Sanford Mainers and Newport Gulls was suspended on Thursday night because of rain and will be picked up on Saturday in Newport, Rhode Island.

Sanford won Game 1 of the best-of-three series on Wednesday night, 7-1, in Newport, Rhode Island. Game 2 will be completed starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Newport. Game 3, if necessary, will follow at 6:35 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 2.

Newport is leading 7-0 with Sanford batting in the bottom of the fifth inning. Runners are on first and second with one out.

FOOTBALL

NFL:  The Minnesota Vikings traded Andrew Booth Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys for Nahshon Wright in a low-level swap of cornerbacks who might be at risk of getting cut by the end of training camp.

• Dak Prescott was held out of a light workout as a precaution with the Dallas Cowboys quarterback experiencing mild soreness in his surgically repaired right ankle.

The decision came a day after Dallas held its only joint workout of training camp in a visit from the Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys and Rams open the preseason against each other Saturday night in LA.

Prescott, who likely won’t play in the preseason, is going into the final season of his $160 million, four-year contract but hasn’t missed any time in camp.

•  Carolina Panthers players, coaches and staff members were unharmed after their Delta Airlines flight veered off the taxiway and got stuck in the mud while making its way to the gate at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Friday morning.

The team was returning from a 17-3 preseason loss at New England on Thursday night and arrived safely around 2:35 a.m. on the runway.

SOCCER

NWSL: The National Women’s Soccer League and its players’ union have agreed to a collective bargaining agreement that will run through 2030, according to two published reports.

Sportico and The Athletic, citing anonymous sources, reported some provisions of the new agreement will go into effect before the current CBA expires after the 2026 season.

The current agreement was negotiated in 2022 and increased minimum salaries, introduced free agency, provided housing and transportation for players and addressed health and safety.

No details for the new CBA were available, but they generally concern player movement, free agency and trades.

ENGLAND COACH: England has delayed hiring a permanent coach to replace Gareth Southgate and will be led on an interim basis by Lee Carsley, who is currently in charge of the country’s under-21 team.

Carsley’s first games as coach of the senior team will be against Ireland and Finland in the Nations League in September, the English Football Association said Friday in announcing the appointment.

TENNIS

NATIONAL BANK OPEN: Top-seeded Coco Gauff tumbled out of the National Bank Open in Toronto, falling 6-4, 6-1 to 14th-seeded Diana Shnaider in windy conditions at Sobeys Stadium.

Preparing for her U.S. Open title defense, Gauff was broken trailing 5-4 in the first set. The 20-year-old American double-faulted down 2-1 in the second and Shnaider held serve to go up 4-1.

Shnaider, also 20, sealed the victory with another break to set up a quarterfinal match against No. 6 Liudmila Samsonova, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Elise Mertens.

Defending champion Jessica Pegula advanced to the quarterfinals, beating qualifier Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-4 in windy conditions.

The third-seeded Pegula, from nearby Buffalo, New York, took advantage of Krueger’s nine double faults. Last year in Montreal, Pegula beat Liudmila Samsonova in the final.

In early matches, Taylor Townsend topped fourth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-1 and No. 8 Emma Navarro beat No. 11 Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 7-5.

Amanda Anisimova advanced after No. 10 Anna Kalinskaya of Russia retired because of dizziness. Anisimova took the first set 6-2.

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