Sports Digest: Sea Dogs will open season at Reading

BASEBALL

The Portland Sea Dogs announced their 2025 schedule, which starts Friday, April 4, with a three-game series in Pennsylvania against the Reading Fightin Phils.

Portland’s home opener will be Tuesday, April 8, against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The 138-game schedule concludes at Binghamton on Sunday, Sept. 14, and the final home game is Sunday, Sept. 7, against the Erie SeaWolves.

Single-game tickets go on sale Saturday, Nov. 2.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and her wife, Marta Xargay, received threatening homophobic anonymous emails after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. The emails went to Xargay’s account, Stewart said at practice Tuesday.

Stewart had a chance to win Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, but missed 1 of 2 free throws with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, then a potential tying layup at the overtime buzzer. Minnesota ended up winning, and the series is tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Wednesday night in Minnesota.

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George did not appear to suffer any long-term damage to a hyperextended left knee suffered in a preseason game.

COLLEGE WOMEN: South Carolina will start the season where it finished last year – ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Gamecocks received 27 of the 30 first-place votes in the preseason rankings from a national media panel. UConn is No. 2, USC is No. 3, and Texas and UCLA round out the top five.

SOCCER

WOMEN’S LEAGUE: The new National Women’s Soccer League team in Boston set to start play in 2026 has a name: BOS Nation FC.

The name is an anagram of Bostonian. The team’s primary color will be green.

ENGLAND: Thomas Tuchel is expected to be the next England head coach after widespread reports in the country’s media said the German was set to be confirmed as Gareth Southgate’s successor.

MBAPPE REPORTS: French star Kylian Mbappé’s representatives rejected as “false and irresponsible” reports in Swedish media saying he is the subject of a rape investigation in that country.

OLYMPICS

RUSSIAN RESIGNS: The president of the suspended Russian Olympic Committee said he plans to step down after six years in charge.

Stanislav Pozdnyakov’s statement came just over two months after a delegation of 15 Russians competed at the Paris Olympics as “Individual Neutral Athletes” without the national flag or anthem as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

CRICKET

COACH FIRED: The Bangladesh Cricket Board fired national team coach Chandika Hathurusinghe for allegedly assaulting one of his players during last year’s 50-over World Cup in India.

The board did not give details of the alleged assault, with some media reports saying Hathurusinghe had hit a player.

HOCKEY

WOMEN’S LEAGUE: The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s second season is opening a month earlier – on Nov. 30 – than last year and features an expanded schedule.

Each of the league’s six teams will play 30 games, up from 24 in the inaugural season. The season will begin with the Boston Fleet playing at the Toronto Sceptres, followed by the Ottawa Charge traveling to play the Montreal Victoire. The New York Sirens will be at the Minnesota Frost to open their schedules the following day.

FOOTBALL

COLLEGE: Colorado is expected to have banged-up receivers Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. available this weekend at Arizona.

Coach Deion Sanders said Hunter (shoulder) and Horn (knee) “should play for certain,” but receivers Omarion Miller (broken lower left leg) and Terrell Timmons Jr. (unspecified) are out indefinitely. Miller underwent surgery Monday and may be done for the season.