KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs had two distinct holes on their roster as they headed into the offseason.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champions filled them with their first two picks in the NFL draft.

While every general manager talks about taking “the best player available,” and some make a surprising pick that goes against the grain, Brett Veach did exactly what was expected. The Chiefs' GM moved up modestly in the first round to take Texas burner Xavier Worthy, instantly upgrading what was one of the league's worst wide receiving corps last year, then made another minor trade-up in Round 2 to take BYU's Kingsley Suamataia, potentially filling a glaring hole at left tackle.

“We just let the board play out and saw the value there,” Veach said.

Indeed, the Chiefs' draft board played out perfectly.

Worthy set the NFL combine record by running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds, giving Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes a legitimate deep threat for the first time since they traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. Worthy is also an underrated route-runner with sure hands, something the Chiefs lacked while leading the league in dropped passes.

The Chiefs hope Worthy can pair well with Marquise Brown, whom they signed in free agency, and Rashee Rice, whose future is up in the air while dealing with legal trouble stemming from a street racing crash in Texas.

“It doesn’t hurt to have down-the-field speed,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We’ve functioned without the great speed down the field and done well, (but) if you have an opportunity to get somebody that you think is a good player — just not a speed guy but a good football player — I think you probably need to take advantage of that.”

The issue then becomes giving Mahomes time to get the ball to those guys, and that's where Suamataia comes into the picture.

Many scouts gave him a first-round grade, yet the 6-foot-5, 328-pound offensive tackle fell to Kansas City late in the second round, and he could start from Day 1. The Chiefs allowed Donovan Smith to reach free agency, so Suamataia will likely compete with Wanya Morris and Lucas Niang for the opportunity to protect Mahomes' blind side.

“If I do get the opportunity to be his blindside, shoot, that would mean the world to me,” Suamataia said. “I’m just ready to come in wherever I best fit on the team and just get it rolling from there.”

The Chiefs did not have a third-round selection, so they used their two fourth-rounders on less pressing holes at tight end and safety. Jared Wiley of TCU can be groomed for the day when Travis Kelce decides to hang up the cleats, while Jaden Hicks — ranked by some draft pundits as the No. 1 safety in the class — can provide immediate help in the secondary.

The Chiefs spent a fifth-rounder on Penn State's Hunter Nourzad, who played right tackle at Cornell before starting at center the past two seasons at Penn State. Creed Humphrey, a two-time Pro Bowl pick at center for Kansas City, had some problems with his snaps last season. Nourzad could push him or perhaps slide to guard, where Joe Thuney is coming off pectoral surgery.

The Chiefs chose Tennessee cornerback Kamal Hadden in the sixth round and hope he can follow a string of successful late-round picks at the position. Two years ago, they took regular contributors Josh Williams in the fourth round and Jaylen Watson in the seventh. Last year, fourth-rounder Chamarri Conner played a big role in their success.

Kansas City built one of the league's best defenses through the draft, using several high picks in recent years. But it used its first three selections this year to prop up the offense, then hit the defense in the later rounds.

The Chiefs could still use some depth at defensive tackle, where they brought back Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton and Derrick Nnadi this offseason, and running back, where they brought back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to play behind Isiah Pacheco.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs had two distinct holes on their roster as they headed into the offseason.The two-time defending Super Bowl champions filled them with their first two picks in the NFL draft.While every general manager talks about taking “the best player available,” and some make a surprising pick that goes against the grain, Brett Veach did exactly what was expected. The Chiefs' GM moved up modestly in the first round to take Texas burner Xavier Worthy, instantly upgrading what was one of the league's worst wide receiving corps last year, then made another minor trade-up in Round 2 to take BYU's Kingsley Suamataia, potentially filling a glaring hole at left tackle.“We just let the board play out and saw the value there,” Veach said.Indeed, the Chiefs' draft board played out perfectly.Worthy set the NFL combine record by running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds, giving Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes a legitimate deep threat for the first time since they traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. Worthy is also an underrated route-runner with sure hands, something the Chiefs lacked while leading the league in dropped passes.The Chiefs hope Worthy can pair well with Marquise Brown, whom they signed in free agency, and Rashee Rice, whose future is up in the air while dealing with legal trouble stemming from a street racing crash in Texas.“It doesn’t hurt to have down-the-field speed,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We’ve functioned without the great speed down the field and done well, (but) if you have an opportunity to get somebody that you think is a good player — just not a speed guy but a good football player — I think you probably need to take advantage of that.”The issue then becomes giving Mahomes time to get the ball to those guys, and that's where Suamataia comes into the picture.Many scouts gave him a first-round grade, yet the 6-foot-5, 328-pound offensive tackle fell to Kansas City late in the second round, and he could start from Day 1. The Chiefs allowed Donovan Smith to reach free agency, so Suamataia will likely compete with Wanya Morris and Lucas Niang for the opportunity to protect Mahomes' blind side.“If I do get the opportunity to be his blindside, shoot, that would mean the world to me,” Suamataia said. “I’m just ready to come in wherever I best fit on the team and just get it rolling from there.”FOURTH-ROUND FINDSThe Chiefs did not have a third-round selection, so they used their two fourth-rounders on less pressing holes at tight end and safety. Jared Wiley of TCU can be groomed for the day when Travis Kelce decides to hang up the cleats, while Jaden Hicks — ranked by some draft pundits as the No. 1 safety in the class — can provide immediate help in the secondary.THE CENTER OF IT ALLThe Chiefs spent a fifth-rounder on Penn State's Hunter Nourzad, who played right tackle at Cornell before starting at center the past two seasons at Penn State. Creed Humphrey, a two-time Pro Bowl pick at center for Kansas City, had some problems with his snaps last season. Nourzad could push him or perhaps slide to guard, where Joe Thuney is coming off pectoral surgery.LATE-ROUND CORNERSThe Chiefs chose Tennessee cornerback Kamal Hadden in the sixth round and hope he can follow a string of successful late-round picks at the position. Two years ago, they took regular contributors Josh Williams in the fourth round and Jaylen Watson in the seventh. Last year, fourth-rounder Chamarri Conner played a big role in their success.GETTING DEFENSIVEKansas City built one of the league's best defenses through the draft, using several high picks in recent years. But it used its first three selections this year to prop up the offense, then hit the defense in the later rounds.WORK TO DOThe Chiefs could still use some depth at defensive tackle, where they brought back Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton and Derrick Nnadi this offseason, and running back, where they brought back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to play behind Isiah Pacheco.

Chiefs address biggest concerns with selections of wide receiver and offensive tackle

DETROIT (AP) — Matt Vierling hit a three-run homer to highlight Detroit’s five-run seventh inning and the Tigers beat Kansas City 6-5 Saturday night, ending the Royals’ four-game winning streak. Trailing 3-1, Detroit rallied against Chris Stratton (2-2) in the seventh. The Tigers won despite four infield errors, two by Javier Báez. Alex Faedo (2-1) got the win with two innings of relief of starter Casey Mize, who allowed three runs, two earned, in five innings.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sonny Gray extended his terrific start with St. Louis, Paul Goldschmidt hit an early two-run double and the Cardinals beat the New York Mets 7-4 for their first three-game win streak this season. With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Ryan Helsley retired Francisco Lindor on a popup for the final out. Nolan Arenado and rookie Masyn Winn each had an RBI single during a four-run first against Mets newcomer Adrian Houser. Pete Alonso hit his 200th home run for the Mets, becoming the fourth-fastest player in major league history to reach the milestone behind Ryan Howard, Aaron Judge and Ralph Kiner.

ATLANTA (AP) — Josh Naylor and Ramon Laureano had RBIs in the 11th inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in a game featuring the teams with the two best records in the majors. Scott Barlow (1-2) escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam in the 10th inning, retiring Chadwick Tromp and Jarred Kelenic, to earn the win. Nick Sandlin pitched a perfect 11th to record his first save of the season.Naylor was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Steven Kwan was 3-for-5.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs addressed their biggest concerns in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions traded up in the first round to grab speedy Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Then they made a modest move up in the second round to draft BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia. The Chiefs also added depth at their biggest remaining positions of need in the later rounds. They used one fourth-round pick on Jared Wiley of TCU and another on Jaden Hicks, a safety from Washington State.

UNDATED (AP) — Some teams see an immediate impact from a draft class. Others have to wait on a return. The Houston Texans went from worst to first in their division last season after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge Will Anderson Jr. back to back with the second and third overall picks. The Carolina Panthers ended up with the worst record despite taking Bryce Young No. 1 overall so they have to be patient. The Chicago Bears are the leading contender to have a Texans-like turnaround after getting QB Caleb Williams with the first pick and wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9. The Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders also had excellent drafts.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs plan to explore options that include leaving Arrowhead Stadium after voters in Jackson County, Missouri, soundly rejected a sales tax initiative that would have helped to pay for renovations to the 52-year-old building. The Chiefs and Royals have relied on a three-eighths cent sales tax for upkeep of their facilities. The franchises wanted to extend that tax with the Royals using their share of the money for a new downtown ballpark and the Chiefs envisioning an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead. More than 58% of voters rejected the initiative. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said Saturday that with 6 1/2 years left on the lease with Arrowhead Stadium, the team has been forced to aggressively consider all options.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers avoided playoff elimination with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their first-round series. LeBron James scored 30 points and Anthony Davis added 25 points and 23 rebounds. The seventh-seeded Lakers snapped their 11-game losing streak against the defending NBA champions with their first win over the Nuggets since December 2022. Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in the two-time MVP’s 18th career triple-double and second in this series. Denver swept Los Angeles out of the Western Conference finals last season, but the current Lakers responded better to this 0-3 deficit.

MIAMI (AP) — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 22 points, and the Boston Celtics soundly beat the Miami Heat 104-84 to a take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night. Tatum added 10 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who led Game 3 wire-to-wire and reclaimed the home-court edge that they lost when Miami won Game 2 in Boston. Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 and Derrick White scored 16 for the Celtics. Bam Adebayo scored 20 points for eighth-seeded Miami, which remains without starters Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier because of injuries.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 106-85 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey each scored 21 for the Thunder. Top-seeded Oklahoma City hit 17 of 36 shots from 3-point range and led by as many as 24 in the fourth quarter. Brandon Ingram scored 19 points and CJ McCollum had 16 for New Orleans. The Pelicans made just 9 of 32 3-point shots and committed 21 turnovers, leading to 23 Thunder points. The eighth-seeded Pelicans will try to avoid elimination at home in Game 4 on Monday night.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner had 34 points and 13 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held the Cleveland Cavaliers scoreless for a second-half stretch of almost seven minutes Saturday in a 112-89 victory that tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2. Jarrett Allen had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell had 18 points, all in the first half, and six assists. Game 4 of the series will be Tuesday night in Cleveland, where the No. 4-seeded Cavaliers won the first two before getting blown out twice in Florida.

AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Former BYU teammates Patrick Fishburn and Zach Blair shot a 12-under 60 in better-ball play Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour’s only team event. At 23-under 193, Fishburn and Blair had a one-stroke lead over Luke List and Henrik Norlander, with the Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry — tied for the lead after each of the first two rounds — two strokes back. Fishburn and Blair, both winless on the PGA Tour, have been playing golf together since their junior high school days in Ogden, Utah. List and Norlander had a 62. McIlroy and Lowry shot 64 to join Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard at 21 under.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707734642080.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Matt Vierling hit a three-run homer to highlight Detroit’s five-run seventh inning and the Tigers beat Kansas City 6-5 Saturday night, ending the Royals’ four-game winning streak. Trailing 3-1, Detroit rallied against Chris Stratton (2-2) in the seventh. The Tigers won despite four infield errors, two by Javier Báez. Alex Faedo (2-1) got the win with two innings of relief of starter Casey Mize, who allowed three runs, two earned, in five innings.NEW YORK (AP) — Sonny Gray extended his terrific start with St. Louis, Paul Goldschmidt hit an early two-run double and the Cardinals beat the New York Mets 7-4 for their first three-game win streak this season. With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Ryan Helsley retired Francisco Lindor on a popup for the final out. Nolan Arenado and rookie Masyn Winn each had an RBI single during a four-run first against Mets newcomer Adrian Houser. Pete Alonso hit his 200th home run for the Mets, becoming the fourth-fastest player in major league history to reach the milestone behind Ryan Howard, Aaron Judge and Ralph Kiner.ATLANTA (AP) — Josh Naylor and Ramon Laureano had RBIs in the 11th inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in a game featuring the teams with the two best records in the majors. Scott Barlow (1-2) escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam in the 10th inning, retiring Chadwick Tromp and Jarred Kelenic, to earn the win. Nick Sandlin pitched a perfect 11th to record his first save of the season.Naylor was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Steven Kwan was 3-for-5.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs addressed their biggest concerns in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions traded up in the first round to grab speedy Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Then they made a modest move up in the second round to draft BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia. The Chiefs also added depth at their biggest remaining positions of need in the later rounds. They used one fourth-round pick on Jared Wiley of TCU and another on Jaden Hicks, a safety from Washington State.UNDATED (AP) — Some teams see an immediate impact from a draft class. Others have to wait on a return. The Houston Texans went from worst to first in their division last season after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge Will Anderson Jr. back to back with the second and third overall picks. The Carolina Panthers ended up with the worst record despite taking Bryce Young No. 1 overall so they have to be patient. The Chicago Bears are the leading contender to have a Texans-like turnaround after getting QB Caleb Williams with the first pick and wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9. The Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders also had excellent drafts.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs plan to explore options that include leaving Arrowhead Stadium after voters in Jackson County, Missouri, soundly rejected a sales tax initiative that would have helped to pay for renovations to the 52-year-old building. The Chiefs and Royals have relied on a three-eighths cent sales tax for upkeep of their facilities. The franchises wanted to extend that tax with the Royals using their share of the money for a new downtown ballpark and the Chiefs envisioning an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead. More than 58% of voters rejected the initiative. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said Saturday that with 6 1/2 years left on the lease with Arrowhead Stadium, the team has been forced to aggressively consider all options.LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers avoided playoff elimination with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their first-round series. LeBron James scored 30 points and Anthony Davis added 25 points and 23 rebounds. The seventh-seeded Lakers snapped their 11-game losing streak against the defending NBA champions with their first win over the Nuggets since December 2022. Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in the two-time MVP’s 18th career triple-double and second in this series. Denver swept Los Angeles out of the Western Conference finals last season, but the current Lakers responded better to this 0-3 deficit.MIAMI (AP) — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 22 points, and the Boston Celtics soundly beat the Miami Heat 104-84 to a take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night. Tatum added 10 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who led Game 3 wire-to-wire and reclaimed the home-court edge that they lost when Miami won Game 2 in Boston. Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 and Derrick White scored 16 for the Celtics. Bam Adebayo scored 20 points for eighth-seeded Miami, which remains without starters Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier because of injuries.NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 106-85 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey each scored 21 for the Thunder. Top-seeded Oklahoma City hit 17 of 36 shots from 3-point range and led by as many as 24 in the fourth quarter. Brandon Ingram scored 19 points and CJ McCollum had 16 for New Orleans. The Pelicans made just 9 of 32 3-point shots and committed 21 turnovers, leading to 23 Thunder points. The eighth-seeded Pelicans will try to avoid elimination at home in Game 4 on Monday night.ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner had 34 points and 13 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held the Cleveland Cavaliers scoreless for a second-half stretch of almost seven minutes Saturday in a 112-89 victory that tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2. Jarrett Allen had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell had 18 points, all in the first half, and six assists. Game 4 of the series will be Tuesday night in Cleveland, where the No. 4-seeded Cavaliers won the first two before getting blown out twice in Florida.AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Former BYU teammates Patrick Fishburn and Zach Blair shot a 12-under 60 in better-ball play Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour’s only team event. At 23-under 193, Fishburn and Blair had a one-stroke lead over Luke List and Henrik Norlander, with the Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry — tied for the lead after each of the first two rounds — two strokes back. Fishburn and Blair, both winless on the PGA Tour, have been playing golf together since their junior high school days in Ogden, Utah. List and Norlander had a 62. McIlroy and Lowry shot 64 to join Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard at 21 under.SATURDAY SCORESMAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	L.A. Dodgers	4	Toronto	2	Final	Cincinnati	8	Texas	4	Final	Boston	17	Chicago Cubs	0	Final	Houston	12	Colorado	4	Final	N.Y. Yankees	15	Milwaukee	3	Final	Cleveland	4	Atlanta	2	Final	Seattle	3	Arizona	1	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Baltimore	7	Oakland	0	Final	Detroit	6	Kansas City	5	Final	Chicago White Sox	8	Tampa Bay	7	Final	Minnesota	16	L.A. Angels	5	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Washington	11	Miami	4	Final	St. Louis	7	N.Y. Mets	4	Final	Philadelphia	5	San Diego	1	Final	Pittsburgh	4	San Francisco	3	NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	Orlando	112	Cleveland	89	Final	Oklahoma City	106	New Orleans	85	Final	Boston	104	Miami	84	Final	L.A. Lakers	119	Denver	108	NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal 2OT	N-Y Islanders	3	Carolina	2	Final	Tampa Bay	6	Florida	3	Final	Boston	3	Toronto	1	Final OT	Dallas	3	Vegas	2

Sunday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

DETROIT (AP) — Matt Vierling hit a three-run homer to highlight Detroit's five-run seventh inning and the Tigers beat Kansas City 6-5 Saturday night, ending the Royals' four-game winning streak.

“When I hit it, I didn't think it was going out,” said Vierling, whose 111-mph line drive had a 14-degree launch angle. “That's a big comeback win, so I was fired up.”

Trailing 3-1, Detroit rallied against Chris Stratton (2-2) in the seventh. After Jake Rogers walked, Riley Greene and Mark Canha singled, driving in Rogers.

Wenceel Perez flew out to the wall in right, allowing Greene to take third, and Kerry Carpenter tied the game with a base hit. After Spencer Torkelson popped out, Vierling lined Stratton's 1-2 sinker over the left-field fence to put the Tigers up 6-3.

“I left pitches over the middle,” Stratton said. “They are big league hitters and they did exactly what they are supposed to do.”

The Royals bullpen came into the game with a 2.12 ERA in its last 21 innings.

“Stratton's going to pitch big innings for us,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Sometimes during those high-leverage situations, it doesn't go your way, but he's done this before and he'll bounce back.”

The Royals scored twice in the ninth off Tigers closer Jason Foley, but Vinnie Pasquatino flew out to deep center to end the game.

“I threw a four-seamer up and got him,” Foley said. “He's a really good hitter, so it felt great to get him out.”

The Tigers won despite four infield errors, two by Javier Báez.

“We can't keep winning games like that,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “The fight in this team is really good, but this is unsustainable. You give them extra outs, and then Foley is looking at (Bobby) Witt Jr. and Pasquatino in the ninth inning.”

Alex Faedo (2-1) got the win with two innings of relief of starter Casey Mize, who allowed three runs, two earned, in five innings.

Royals starter Brady Singer allowed one run in five innings.

The Royals only needed four batters to take a two-run lead. Maikel Garcia and Witt Jr. started the game with singles, with Garcia moving to third. After Witt stole second, Pasquatino made it 1-0 with a RBI groundout, and Salvador Perez followed with an RBI single. The base hit extended Perez's on-base streak to 17 games, matching his career high.

Kansas City made it 3-0 in the second with a pair of errors setting up Garcia's RBI single.

The Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the inning, and could have had more. Colt Keith walked and scored on Zach McKinstry's triple, but Singer got Báez and Rogers to ground out before striking out Greene to strand the runner.

The teams finish the weekend series on Sunday with Tigers' ace LHP Tarik Skubal (3-0, 1.82 ERA) facing RHP Michael Wacha (1-2, 3.81).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714311543764.jpeg" alt="Detroit Tigers' Matt Vierling, right, is congratulated by Kerry Carpenter (30) after hitting a three-run home run, next to Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)" />
 <figcaption>Detroit Tigers' Matt Vierling, right, is congratulated by Kerry Carpenter (30) after hitting a three-run home run, next to Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Matt Vierling hit a three-run homer to highlight Detroit's five-run seventh inning and the Tigers beat Kansas City 6-5 Saturday night, ending the Royals' four-game winning streak.“When I hit it, I didn't think it was going out,” said Vierling, whose 111-mph line drive had a 14-degree launch angle. “That's a big comeback win, so I was fired up.”Trailing 3-1, Detroit rallied against Chris Stratton (2-2) in the seventh. After Jake Rogers walked, Riley Greene and Mark Canha singled, driving in Rogers.Wenceel Perez flew out to the wall in right, allowing Greene to take third, and Kerry Carpenter tied the game with a base hit. After Spencer Torkelson popped out, Vierling lined Stratton's 1-2 sinker over the left-field fence to put the Tigers up 6-3.“I left pitches over the middle,” Stratton said. “They are big league hitters and they did exactly what they are supposed to do.”The Royals bullpen came into the game with a 2.12 ERA in its last 21 innings.“Stratton's going to pitch big innings for us,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Sometimes during those high-leverage situations, it doesn't go your way, but he's done this before and he'll bounce back.”The Royals scored twice in the ninth off Tigers closer Jason Foley, but Vinnie Pasquatino flew out to deep center to end the game.“I threw a four-seamer up and got him,” Foley said. “He's a really good hitter, so it felt great to get him out.”The Tigers won despite four infield errors, two by Javier Báez.“We can't keep winning games like that,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “The fight in this team is really good, but this is unsustainable. You give them extra outs, and then Foley is looking at (Bobby) Witt Jr. and Pasquatino in the ninth inning.”Alex Faedo (2-1) got the win with two innings of relief of starter Casey Mize, who allowed three runs, two earned, in five innings.Royals starter Brady Singer allowed one run in five innings.The Royals only needed four batters to take a two-run lead. Maikel Garcia and Witt Jr. started the game with singles, with Garcia moving to third. After Witt stole second, Pasquatino made it 1-0 with a RBI groundout, and Salvador Perez followed with an RBI single. The base hit extended Perez's on-base streak to 17 games, matching his career high.Kansas City made it 3-0 in the second with a pair of errors setting up Garcia's RBI single.The Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the inning, and could have had more. Colt Keith walked and scored on Zach McKinstry's triple, but Singer got Báez and Rogers to ground out before striking out Greene to strand the runner.UP NEXTThe teams finish the weekend series on Sunday with Tigers' ace LHP Tarik Skubal (3-0, 1.82 ERA) facing RHP Michael Wacha (1-2, 3.81).

Tigers rally to beat Royals 6-5

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott and offensive lineman Cooper Beebe saw their NFL dreams come true on Friday night as they were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Sinnott was selected with the 21st pick of the second round – No. 53 overall – by the Washington Commanders, while Beebe was taken with the ninth pick of the third round – No. 73 overall – by the Dallas Cowboys. K-State has now had four players selected in the top three rounds over the last two years, its most in a two-year stretch since 2002 and 2003.

A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Sinnott became the highest-selected tight end in school history, bettering the No. 58 pick in of Cedric Price by the Dallas Texans in the 1961 AFL Draft. He is the first Wildcat tight end to be selected since Shad Meier was taken by Tennessee in 2001, while he is the fifth Wildcat ever selected by Washington and the first since defensive end Rob Jackson in 2008.

Beebe, who hails from Kansas City, Kansas, is just the fourth Wildcat ever drafted by the Dallas Cowboys but the second in as many years as running back Deuce Vaughn was selected in the sixth round last season.

More K-State football players will hear their names called during the 2024 NFL Draft, which concludes on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. (CT) with rounds four through seven. Coverage is available on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott and offensive lineman Cooper Beebe saw their NFL dreams come true on Friday night as they were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.Sinnott was selected with the 21st pick of the second round – No. 53 overall – by the Washington Commanders, while Beebe was taken with the ninth pick of the third round – No. 73 overall – by the Dallas Cowboys. K-State has now had four players selected in the top three rounds over the last two years, its most in a two-year stretch since 2002 and 2003.A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Sinnott became the highest-selected tight end in school history, bettering the No. 58 pick in of Cedric Price by the Dallas Texans in the 1961 AFL Draft. He is the first Wildcat tight end to be selected since Shad Meier was taken by Tennessee in 2001, while he is the fifth Wildcat ever selected by Washington and the first since defensive end Rob Jackson in 2008.Beebe, who hails from Kansas City, Kansas, is just the fourth Wildcat ever drafted by the Dallas Cowboys but the second in as many years as running back Deuce Vaughn was selected in the sixth round last season.More K-State football players will hear their names called during the 2024 NFL Draft, which concludes on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. (CT) with rounds four through seven. Coverage is available on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

Sinnott, Beebe Selected on Second Day of NFL Draft

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Football standout offensive lineman Dominick Puni was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday evening, going to the San Francisco 49ers at pick No. 86.

Puni becomes KU’s highest-drafted player since 2008, when Aqib Talib was selected in the first round (pick 20) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s the first Jayhawk offensive lineman selected since Hakeem Adeniji was a sixth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 and the highest drafted Kansas offensive lineman since Mike Wellman was picked in the third round (pick 81) by the Los Angeles Rams in 1979.

Puni was a two-year starter for the Jayhawks, playing at left guard for all 13 games during the 2022 season before moving to left tackle for his senior season. In 2023, he ranked third among FBS tackles with a pass blocking grade of 90.5 from PFF, while not allowing a quarterback sack in 745 snaps. He helped pave the way for KU’s rushing attack, which ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 211.3 yards per game.

A native of St. Charles, Missouri, Puni is a two-time All-Big 12 selection, receiving All-Big 12 First Team accolades from the AP and Coaches during the 2023 season after earning honorable mention in 2022. He was also a finalist for the Polynesian Player of the Year award and was selected to participate in the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Football standout offensive lineman Dominick Puni was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday evening, going to the San Francisco 49ers at pick No. 86.Puni becomes KU’s highest-drafted player since 2008, when Aqib Talib was selected in the first round (pick 20) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s the first Jayhawk offensive lineman selected since Hakeem Adeniji was a sixth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 and the highest drafted Kansas offensive lineman since Mike Wellman was picked in the third round (pick 81) by the Los Angeles Rams in 1979.Puni was a two-year starter for the Jayhawks, playing at left guard for all 13 games during the 2022 season before moving to left tackle for his senior season. In 2023, he ranked third among FBS tackles with a pass blocking grade of 90.5 from PFF, while not allowing a quarterback sack in 745 snaps. He helped pave the way for KU’s rushing attack, which ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 211.3 yards per game.A native of St. Charles, Missouri, Puni is a two-time All-Big 12 selection, receiving All-Big 12 First Team accolades from the AP and Coaches during the 2023 season after earning honorable mention in 2022. He was also a finalist for the Polynesian Player of the Year award and was selected to participate in the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Dominick Puni Chosen by 49ers in Third Round of 2024 NFL Draft

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

Looking to follow up a Wednesday split and continue momentum into the final week of the regular season, the Barton Community College baseball team fell short in the final two games of the four-game series Friday afternoon against 20th ranked Hutchinson Community College by scores of 12-10 and 17-3 at Hobart-Detter Field in Hutchinson.

Six home runs in the opener weren't enough to hold off the Blue Dragons as Hutchinson pieced together six straight singles in plating four runs in the decisive fourth inning to win 12-10. Drawling within 4-3 in the fourth inning of the nightcap, 13 unanswered Hutchinson runs in the final two at-bats secured the Blue Dragons series clinching 17-3 seventh inning run rule victory over the Cougars.

Falling to sixth in the conference standings at 15-13 and 33-19 overall, Barton drops its second straight conference series for the first time since the 2019 season while the Blue Dragons wrap up conference play with a league best 27-5 mark and move to 42-11 overall.

Heading into the final conference series of the season, Barton will continue the road trip with a Thursday trip out to Garden City Community College for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Williams Stadium before concluding the regular season with the final two games on Saturday at Lawson-Biggs Field.

Hutchinson outhit the Cougars by eight in the twin bill, but 10 hits were for extra bases including a trio of home runs in each of the two games including a pair of three-run home runs in the sixth inning of the nightcap.

Barton's 24 hits on the afternoon were led by the duo of Jaron Cotton and Grant Nottlemann's four each. Cotton opened the day with a 3-4 performance, with three RBIs, furnishing two of Barton's six game 1 home runs with the first on the front end of back-to-back round trippers teaming up with Owen Bailey gifting the Cougars their lone lead of 3-0. Nottlemann was 2-3 at the plate in the opener while distributing his first collegiate home run.

Joining Cotton with multiple RBIs on the day was the trio of Cesar Gomez, Hank Orr and Barrett Donaldson. Gomez supplied his pair between the two games, with Orr's knotting things up at 6-apiece in the opener behind his second fence clearer of the season and Donaldson's first collegiate home run drawing Barton within 4-3 in the fourth of the nightcap.

Game 1 starter Nathan Bowman earned a no-decision going three innings. Anthony Treto (4-2) dropped the loss in the opener working two innings in relief.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714232476122.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoLooking to follow up a Wednesday split and continue momentum into the final week of the regular season, the Barton Community College baseball team fell short in the final two games of the four-game series Friday afternoon against 20th ranked Hutchinson Community College by scores of 12-10 and 17-3 at Hobart-Detter Field in Hutchinson.Six home runs in the opener weren't enough to hold off the Blue Dragons as Hutchinson pieced together six straight singles in plating four runs in the decisive fourth inning to win 12-10. Drawling within 4-3 in the fourth inning of the nightcap, 13 unanswered Hutchinson runs in the final two at-bats secured the Blue Dragons series clinching 17-3 seventh inning run rule victory over the Cougars.Falling to sixth in the conference standings at 15-13 and 33-19 overall, Barton drops its second straight conference series for the first time since the 2019 season while the Blue Dragons wrap up conference play with a league best 27-5 mark and move to 42-11 overall.Heading into the final conference series of the season, Barton will continue the road trip with a Thursday trip out to Garden City Community College for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Williams Stadium before concluding the regular season with the final two games on Saturday at Lawson-Biggs Field.Hutchinson outhit the Cougars by eight in the twin bill, but 10 hits were for extra bases including a trio of home runs in each of the two games including a pair of three-run home runs in the sixth inning of the nightcap.Barton's 24 hits on the afternoon were led by the duo of Jaron Cotton and Grant Nottlemann's four each. Cotton opened the day with a 3-4 performance, with three RBIs, furnishing two of Barton's six game 1 home runs with the first on the front end of back-to-back round trippers teaming up with Owen Bailey gifting the Cougars their lone lead of 3-0. Nottlemann was 2-3 at the plate in the opener while distributing his first collegiate home run.Joining Cotton with multiple RBIs on the day was the trio of Cesar Gomez, Hank Orr and Barrett Donaldson. Gomez supplied his pair between the two games, with Orr's knotting things up at 6-apiece in the opener behind his second fence clearer of the season and Donaldson's first collegiate home run drawing Barton within 4-3 in the fourth of the nightcap.Game 1 starter Nathan Bowman earned a no-decision going three innings. Anthony Treto (4-2) dropped the loss in the opener working two innings in relief.

Barton Baseball drops series at 20th ranked Hutchinson

Kansas star center Hunter Dickinson announced Friday he would return for a final season with the Jayhawks.

Coach Bill Self also said he has signed a fourth player from the transfer portal in Rylan Griffen, a starter on the Alabama team that reached the NCAA Final Four.

Dickinson was a first-team All-Big 12 pick and conference newcomer of the year after averaging 17.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the Jayhawks after transferring from Michigan.

“Yeah you're right coach. I guess it's time to tell everyone I'm coming back! Rock Chalk!” Dickinson wrote on social media.

Griffen started 33 of 37 games and averaged 11.2 points per game for Alabama. He should help a KU offense that ranked 11th in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting.

“Rylan’s won everywhere he’s been,” Self said. “He’s a solid shooter, making 39% from 3-point range on last season’s Final Four team at Alabama. He’s also a solid defender, often guarding the best perimeter player on the opposing team. Rylan fits our system well.”

Griffen scored a career-high 21 points twice last season, against Missouri and at Kentucky. He had 19 games of 10 or more points and had 10 games where he made at least three 3s.

The Jayhawks also have signed AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Riley Kugel (Florida) and Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State).

“We’ve had a lot of good things happen since the end of the season and Hunter coming back has definitely added to that," Self said. "Hunter made a huge impact on our team last year. He played and fought through injuries and was still one of the most consistent players in the Big 12 and nationally. Not only is Hunter a terrific player, he’s a great leader and teammate. We expect him to contend for first-team All-American next season.”

By The Associated PressKansas star center Hunter Dickinson announced Friday he would return for a final season with the Jayhawks.Coach Bill Self also said he has signed a fourth player from the transfer portal in Rylan Griffen, a starter on the Alabama team that reached the NCAA Final Four.Dickinson was a first-team All-Big 12 pick and conference newcomer of the year after averaging 17.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the Jayhawks after transferring from Michigan.“Yeah you're right coach. I guess it's time to tell everyone I'm coming back! Rock Chalk!” Dickinson wrote on social media.Griffen started 33 of 37 games and averaged 11.2 points per game for Alabama. He should help a KU offense that ranked 11th in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting.“Rylan’s won everywhere he’s been,” Self said. “He’s a solid shooter, making 39% from 3-point range on last season’s Final Four team at Alabama. He’s also a solid defender, often guarding the best perimeter player on the opposing team. Rylan fits our system well.”Griffen scored a career-high 21 points twice last season, against Missouri and at Kentucky. He had 19 games of 10 or more points and had 10 games where he made at least three 3s.The Jayhawks also have signed AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Riley Kugel (Florida) and Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State).“We’ve had a lot of good things happen since the end of the season and Hunter coming back has definitely added to that," Self said. "Hunter made a huge impact on our team last year. He played and fought through injuries and was still one of the most consistent players in the Big 12 and nationally. Not only is Hunter a terrific player, he’s a great leader and teammate. We expect him to contend for first-team All-American next season.”

Hunter Dickinson announces his return to KU

DETROIT (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings and the Kansas City Royals won their fourth straight game, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-0. Lugo allowed three singles and matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a game played at 1:10 pm due to the NFL draft festivities in downtown Detroit on Friday evening. Tigers starter Reese Olson allowed one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out eight. Kansas City led 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the ninth inning. The teams play the second game of the series on Saturday evening.

UNDATED (AP) — Kansas star center Hunter Dickinson has announced he will return for a final season with the Jayhawks. Coach Bill Self also announced he has signed a fourth player from the transfer portal in Rylan Griffen, a starter on the Alabama team that reached the NCAA Final Four. Meanwhile, UCLA picked up its fourth player from the portal, adding forward Tyler Bilodeau from Oregon State. He averaged 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in his first two seasons with the Beavers. Bilodeau joins Skyy Clark from Louisville, Eric Dailey Jr. from Oklahoma State and Kobe Johnson from USC in Westwood.

UNDATED (AP) —  The Kansas City Chiefs pulled off their second trade the 2024 NFL Draft — this time with their Super Bowl LVIII opponents: the San Francisco 49ers. Kansas City moved up from the 64th to 63rd pick to select BYU left tackle Kingsley Suamataia. After trading up in the first round to select wide receiver Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs stayed aggressive, going up to get the player they wanted. During this draft cycle, Suamataia has been a favorite of the Chiefs due to his top-end potential — and the fact that he profiles as an eventual long-term solution at left tackle. He will immediately compete with Wanya Morris at left tackle and be in a similar stage of development: both players have strong physical traits, have college experience at both tackle spots and need to refine their skills as pass protectors on the blind side.

UNDATED (AP) — Defense became the focus of the NFL draft on Friday night after a record-setting 23 offensive players were selected in the first round. The Atlanta Falcons, who shocked everyone by taking quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, kicked off the shift by moving up to take Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro with the third pick of the second round. The Commanders then took Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton and a total of 20 defensive players went in a round that had seven trades as teams were wheeling and dealing to get their guy. The Titans took a chance on Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat with the 38th pick after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

DETROIT (AP) — The NFL draft tour has not had a stop quite like the one in Detroit. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told fans that flooded downtown Detroit for a second straight day that an attendance record was set with 275,000 people on Thursday during the first round. Goodell says another 230,000 fans attended during Friday's second round. He challenged the crowd to show up 100,000 strong on Saturday to break Nashville's three-day record of 600,000 set in 2019. The NFL draft left its traditional home in New York a decade ago and took the show on the road, starting in Chicago.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton completed a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left, capping his first postseason triple-double in his first home playoff game to give the Indiana Pacers a 121-118 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. Indiana leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 on Sunday in Indianapolis. Giannis Antetokounmpo again sat out for Milwaukee because of a strained left calf. Haliburton had 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Myles Turner added 29 points and nine rebounds, both playoff career highs. Milwaukee's Khris Middleton banked in a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds to force overtime and had a chance to force a second overtime, but his 3 bounced off the side of the rim. Middleton finished with a playoff-career high 42 points.

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the suddenly defensive-minded Dallas Mavericks took a chippy 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. The Mavs rode the same defense that gave them home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in LA. The Mavs won in Dallas three years after losing all three first-round games on their floor in a seven-game series loss to the Clippers. Rookie Dereck Lively II scored all 13 of his points in the first half. James Harden scored 21 points for the Clippers, but fellow stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard had little impact.

AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry held onto a share of the lead Friday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, with the Irish duo shooting a 2-under 70 in alternate play in the PGA Tour’s only team event. The teams of Davis Thompson-Andrew Novak, Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard and Aaron Rai-David Lipsky matched McIlroy and Lowry at 13-under 131 at TPC Louisiana. They will play best ball Saturday and close with alternate shot Sunday. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the 2022 winners, were a stroke back with Callum Tarren-David Skinns, Nick Taylor-Adam Hadwin, Zach Johnson-Ryan Palmer, Luke List-Henrik Norlander and Corey Connors-Taylor Pendrith. McIlroy and Lowry, who opened Thursday with a best-ball 61, overcame Lowry’s mid-round putting woes to close with consecutive birdies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712497619824.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings and the Kansas City Royals won their fourth straight game, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-0. Lugo allowed three singles and matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a game played at 1:10 pm due to the NFL draft festivities in downtown Detroit on Friday evening. Tigers starter Reese Olson allowed one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out eight. Kansas City led 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the ninth inning. The teams play the second game of the series on Saturday evening.UNDATED (AP) — Kansas star center Hunter Dickinson has announced he will return for a final season with the Jayhawks. Coach Bill Self also announced he has signed a fourth player from the transfer portal in Rylan Griffen, a starter on the Alabama team that reached the NCAA Final Four. Meanwhile, UCLA picked up its fourth player from the portal, adding forward Tyler Bilodeau from Oregon State. He averaged 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in his first two seasons with the Beavers. Bilodeau joins Skyy Clark from Louisville, Eric Dailey Jr. from Oklahoma State and Kobe Johnson from USC in Westwood.UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs pulled off their second trade the 2024 NFL Draft — this time with their Super Bowl LVIII opponents: the San Francisco 49ers. Kansas City moved up from the 64th to 63rd pick to select BYU left tackle Kingsley Suamataia. After trading up in the first round to select wide receiver Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs stayed aggressive, going up to get the player they wanted. During this draft cycle, Suamataia has been a favorite of the Chiefs due to his top-end potential — and the fact that he profiles as an eventual long-term solution at left tackle. He will immediately compete with Wanya Morris at left tackle and be in a similar stage of development: both players have strong physical traits, have college experience at both tackle spots and need to refine their skills as pass protectors on the blind side.UNDATED (AP) — Defense became the focus of the NFL draft on Friday night after a record-setting 23 offensive players were selected in the first round. The Atlanta Falcons, who shocked everyone by taking quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, kicked off the shift by moving up to take Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro with the third pick of the second round. The Commanders then took Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton and a total of 20 defensive players went in a round that had seven trades as teams were wheeling and dealing to get their guy. The Titans took a chance on Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat with the 38th pick after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.DETROIT (AP) — The NFL draft tour has not had a stop quite like the one in Detroit. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told fans that flooded downtown Detroit for a second straight day that an attendance record was set with 275,000 people on Thursday during the first round. Goodell says another 230,000 fans attended during Friday's second round. He challenged the crowd to show up 100,000 strong on Saturday to break Nashville's three-day record of 600,000 set in 2019. The NFL draft left its traditional home in New York a decade ago and took the show on the road, starting in Chicago.INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton completed a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left, capping his first postseason triple-double in his first home playoff game to give the Indiana Pacers a 121-118 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. Indiana leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 on Sunday in Indianapolis. Giannis Antetokounmpo again sat out for Milwaukee because of a strained left calf. Haliburton had 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Myles Turner added 29 points and nine rebounds, both playoff career highs. Milwaukee's Khris Middleton banked in a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds to force overtime and had a chance to force a second overtime, but his 3 bounced off the side of the rim. Middleton finished with a playoff-career high 42 points.DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the suddenly defensive-minded Dallas Mavericks took a chippy 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. The Mavs rode the same defense that gave them home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in LA. The Mavs won in Dallas three years after losing all three first-round games on their floor in a seven-game series loss to the Clippers. Rookie Dereck Lively II scored all 13 of his points in the first half. James Harden scored 21 points for the Clippers, but fellow stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard had little impact.AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry held onto a share of the lead Friday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, with the Irish duo shooting a 2-under 70 in alternate play in the PGA Tour’s only team event. The teams of Davis Thompson-Andrew Novak, Ryan Brehm-Mark Hubbard and Aaron Rai-David Lipsky matched McIlroy and Lowry at 13-under 131 at TPC Louisiana. They will play best ball Saturday and close with alternate shot Sunday. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the 2022 winners, were a stroke back with Callum Tarren-David Skinns, Nick Taylor-Adam Hadwin, Zach Johnson-Ryan Palmer, Luke List-Henrik Norlander and Corey Connors-Taylor Pendrith. McIlroy and Lowry, who opened Thursday with a best-ball 61, overcame Lowry’s mid-round putting woes to close with consecutive birdies.FRIDAY SCORESMAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	Chicago Cubs	7	Boston	1	Final	L.A. Dodgers	12	Toronto	2	Final	Atlanta	6	Cleveland	2	Final	Texas	2	Cincinnati	1	Final	Milwaukee	7	N.Y. Yankees	6	Final	Seattle	6	Arizona	1	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Kansas City	8	Detroit	0	Final	Oakland	3	Baltimore	2	Final	Chicago White Sox	9	Tampa Bay	4	Final	Minnesota	5	L.A. Angels	3	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Washington	3	Miami	1	Final	St. Louis	4	N.Y. Mets	2	Final	Philadelphia	9	San Diego	3	Final	San Francisco	3	Pittsburgh	0	NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal OT	Indiana	121	Milwaukee	118	Final	Dallas	101	L.A. Clippers	90	Final	Minnesota	126	Phoenix	109	NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal	N-Y Rangers	3	Washington	1	Final	Vancouver	2	Nashville	1	Final	Colorado	6	Winnipeg	2	Final	Edmonton	6	Los Angeles	1

Saturday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

DETROIT (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings and the Kansas City Royals won their fourth straight game, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-0 on Friday.

Lugo (4-1) allowed three singles and matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a game played at 1:10 pm due to the NFL draft festivities in downtown Detroit on Friday evening.

“Being aggressive is always part of my plan, but I just had really good fastball command,” he said. “They took some early swings that gave me an idea of what their approach was going to be throughout the game.”

Tigers starter Reese Olson (0-4) allowed one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out eight.

Kansas City led 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the ninth inning.

“Lugo is a throwback to the guys who pitched, moved the ball around and changed speeds,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

With one out in the third, Adam Frazier and Kyle Isbel singled before Maikel Garcia walked to load the bases for the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to center.

The Tigers thought they had the lead in the bottom of the third, but Frazier reached over the right-field fence to rob Parker Meadows of a home run before doubling Javier Báez off first.

“I just tried to get back there with some space to jump,” Frazier said. “I wasn't sure if I would have a chance at it with the wind, but fortunately I was able to do it.”

Detroit got a hit and an error against former teammate John Schreiber in the eighth, but he struck out Spencer Torkelson to end the inning.

The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, thanks to two singles and a walk off Tyler Holton. Holton, usually one of Detroit's best control pitchers, then hit Frazier and Isbel with consecutive pitches to make it 3-0.

“He really didn't have command,” Hinch said. “That's really unusual for him — he rarely misfires at all. He was in a perfect spot facing two lefties, and he sailed the ball into their elbows, so I had to get him out of there.”

Garcia greeted Will Vest with a two-run single to put the Royals up by five, and Witt tripled before Vinnie Pasquantino's sacrifice fly made it 8-0.

“We did a good job of creating traffic against Holton and then we took advantage of a little wildness,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. Then we were able to tack on with Mikael and Bobby both coming up big."

Tigers C Carson Kelly (ribs) wasn't available for the game. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team might make a roster move to avoid playing with one healthy catcher. ... Tigers utilityman Andy Ibáñez (hamstring) started a rehab assignment on Thursday, going 2-3 with a double for Triple-A Toledo.

The teams play the second game of the series on Saturday evening. RHP Casey Mize (1-0, 2.95) is scheduled to start for Detroit against RHP Brady Singer (3-0, 1.82).

DETROIT (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings and the Kansas City Royals won their fourth straight game, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-0 on Friday.Lugo (4-1) allowed three singles and matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a game played at 1:10 pm due to the NFL draft festivities in downtown Detroit on Friday evening.“Being aggressive is always part of my plan, but I just had really good fastball command,” he said. “They took some early swings that gave me an idea of what their approach was going to be throughout the game.”Tigers starter Reese Olson (0-4) allowed one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out eight.Kansas City led 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the ninth inning.“Lugo is a throwback to the guys who pitched, moved the ball around and changed speeds,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.With one out in the third, Adam Frazier and Kyle Isbel singled before Maikel Garcia walked to load the bases for the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to center.The Tigers thought they had the lead in the bottom of the third, but Frazier reached over the right-field fence to rob Parker Meadows of a home run before doubling Javier Báez off first.“I just tried to get back there with some space to jump,” Frazier said. “I wasn't sure if I would have a chance at it with the wind, but fortunately I was able to do it.”Detroit got a hit and an error against former teammate John Schreiber in the eighth, but he struck out Spencer Torkelson to end the inning.The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, thanks to two singles and a walk off Tyler Holton. Holton, usually one of Detroit's best control pitchers, then hit Frazier and Isbel with consecutive pitches to make it 3-0.“He really didn't have command,” Hinch said. “That's really unusual for him — he rarely misfires at all. He was in a perfect spot facing two lefties, and he sailed the ball into their elbows, so I had to get him out of there.”Garcia greeted Will Vest with a two-run single to put the Royals up by five, and Witt tripled before Vinnie Pasquantino's sacrifice fly made it 8-0.“We did a good job of creating traffic against Holton and then we took advantage of a little wildness,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. Then we were able to tack on with Mikael and Bobby both coming up big."TRAINER'S ROOMTigers C Carson Kelly (ribs) wasn't available for the game. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team might make a roster move to avoid playing with one healthy catcher. ... Tigers utilityman Andy Ibáñez (hamstring) started a rehab assignment on Thursday, going 2-3 with a double for Triple-A Toledo.UP NEXTThe teams play the second game of the series on Saturday evening. RHP Casey Mize (1-0, 2.95) is scheduled to start for Detroit against RHP Brady Singer (3-0, 1.82).

Seth Lugo throws 7 scoreless innings, leads Royals past Tigers 8-0

Baseball -Game 1- Great Bend 1 Dodge City 0 -Game 2- Great Bend 5 Dodge City 4

1. Great Bend Sports on 104 3 the Point sponsored by Venture Corporation, Advanced Truck &amp; Diesel, Mpire Reality, Nex-Tech, The 10th Street Eye Care Center, Damm Pipe Testing, Delgado's Mexican Restaurant, Comfort Pro, Haz Mat Response, American Plains Co-op, Marmie Auto Group, Sutherlands, Stone Sand Company &amp; Stone Waste Management, S&amp;J Trucking, Schroeder Homes &amp; Remodeling, Unruh Brothers Trash Service, Great Bend Pizza Hut, Advanced Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, Keller Real Estate &amp; Insurance, Innovative Livestock Services, Beugelsdijk Chiropractic, Magna Dry Cleaning Services, People's Bank &amp; Trust, The Fieldhouse, Great Bend Rec, Insurance Planning, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust, USD 428, Scott's Welding, University of Kansas Health Systems, Edward Jones Financial Services.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886602159.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Baseball -Game 1- Great Bend 1 Dodge City 0 -Game 2- Great Bend 5 Dodge City 4<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/0ljvu5o0/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>1. Great Bend Sports on 104 3 the Point sponsored by Venture Corporation, Advanced Truck &amp; Diesel, Mpire Reality, Nex-Tech, The 10th Street Eye Care Center, Damm Pipe Testing, Delgado's Mexican Restaurant, Comfort Pro, Haz Mat Response, American Plains Co-op, Marmie Auto Group, Sutherlands, Stone Sand Company &amp; Stone Waste Management, S&amp;J Trucking, Schroeder Homes &amp; Remodeling, Unruh Brothers Trash Service, Great Bend Pizza Hut, Advanced Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, Keller Real Estate &amp; Insurance, Innovative Livestock Services, Beugelsdijk Chiropractic, Magna Dry Cleaning Services, People's Bank &amp; Trust, The Fieldhouse, Great Bend Rec, Insurance Planning, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust, USD 428, Scott's Welding, University of Kansas Health Systems, Edward Jones Financial Services.

Big 12 Conference newcomers struggled in their league debuts, even after all brought winning programs into the league.

BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF all had losing records and were in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings last season. They won only eight conference games combined, and half of those came in games they played against each other.

Now after a second spring for the Big 12, that quartet is getting ready for another significant transition in the league, while all have changes of their own. There will be four more new teams this fall and the departure of two championship-winning programs.

There will be new starting quarterbacks at BYU, Cincinnati and UCF. Houston returns QB Donovan Smith, but is the only of the league's returning schools with a new coach after Willie Fritz replaced the fired Dana Holgorsen.

Smith, a former Texas Tech starter, had surgery in the offseason to repair a labrum tear in his throwing shoulder after completing 64.5% of his passes for 2,801 yards and 22 touchdowns in his Cougars debut. While limited on the field during spring drills, he spent a lot of time learning Fritz's offense and is expected to be ready for fall camp.

“I feel like he got a lot better," Fritz said. “He did a good job of paying attention, asking questions and coaching guys.”

Fritz came from Tulane after that American Athletic Conference team two years ago had an FBS-record 10-win turnaround capped by a stunning comeback win over Southern California in the Cotton Bowl. Houston was 4-8 last year.

Cincinnati was in the AAC three years ago when it was the first team from outside the Power Five to make the four-team College Football Playoff.

The Bearcats were 3-9 in coach Scott Satterfield's debut, and their only Big 12 win was over Houston. Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby, who had multiple TD passes in five of his 10 games as a redshirt freshman last year, appears set to succeed quarterback Emory Jones after his only year at Cincinnati to end a three-school, six-season college career.

BYU has to replace Kedon Slovis after his only season at his third school ended at 4-8. The Cougars' QB competition will go into fall camp between South Florida transfer Gerry Bohanon, who before that was Baylor's starter for its Big 12 championship game win in 2021, and Jake Retzlaff, their backup last season.

“They’re both athletic. They both can make the throws that we need them to make in this offense and they’re both really smart," BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “It's been a really good battle."

UCF was 6-7, ending a streak of six consecutive winning seasons. The Knights were 3-6 in the Big 12, with a surprising 45-3 win over league runner-up Oklahoma State to go with wins over Houston and Cincinnati. They have added quarterback KJ Jefferson, who threw for 7,911 yards and 67 touchdowns in 44 games the past five seasons at Arkansas, and also ran for 1,876 yards and 21 more TDs.

“I'm really excited about KJ. I recruited him out of high school, but Bo Nix was the same age," said fourth-year UCF coach Gus Malzahn, who was previously at Auburn. “Obviously, we weren’t gonna take two quarterbacks. So I had my eye on him and, being from Arkansas, a lot of my friends are huge Arkansas fans. So when he went in the portal, he was our No. 1 guy.”

Mike Gundy is going into his 20th season as head coach of the Cowboys, with the only longer-tenured FBS coach being Kirk Ferentz going into his 25th season at Iowa this fall. Gundy was a quarterback from Oklahoma State from 1986-89, then an assistant coach for 10 seasons over two different stints before taking over as head coach.

The Cowboys return 10 starters on both sides of the ball. They have been to their only two Big 12 championship games the past three seasons.

BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF will no longer be the newcomers when the Big 12 expands from 14 to 16 teams.

Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are moving from the Pac-12 into the Big 12 this summer. That is when reigning league champion Texas and Oklahoma make their move to the Southeastern Conference. The Longhorns and Sooners were the only remaining Big 12 members to win national championships in football.

The Big 12 will have a new champion next season with Texas departing after bookend titles (the Longhorns also won the league’s inaugural title in 1996).

Backup QB Arch Manning created the biggest buzz of the the Longhorns' spring game with his 355 yards passing and three touchdowns. But coach Steve Sarkisian has said Quinn Ewers will remain the starter after bypassing the NFL draft.

Manning is headed to the SEC where both of his Super Bowl-winning uncles were standout quarterbacks — Peyton Manning at Tennessee and Eli Manning at Ole Miss.

Big 12 Conference newcomers struggled in their league debuts, even after all brought winning programs into the league.BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF all had losing records and were in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings last season. They won only eight conference games combined, and half of those came in games they played against each other.Now after a second spring for the Big 12, that quartet is getting ready for another significant transition in the league, while all have changes of their own. There will be four more new teams this fall and the departure of two championship-winning programs.There will be new starting quarterbacks at BYU, Cincinnati and UCF. Houston returns QB Donovan Smith, but is the only of the league's returning schools with a new coach after Willie Fritz replaced the fired Dana Holgorsen.Smith, a former Texas Tech starter, had surgery in the offseason to repair a labrum tear in his throwing shoulder after completing 64.5% of his passes for 2,801 yards and 22 touchdowns in his Cougars debut. While limited on the field during spring drills, he spent a lot of time learning Fritz's offense and is expected to be ready for fall camp.“I feel like he got a lot better," Fritz said. “He did a good job of paying attention, asking questions and coaching guys.”Fritz came from Tulane after that American Athletic Conference team two years ago had an FBS-record 10-win turnaround capped by a stunning comeback win over Southern California in the Cotton Bowl. Houston was 4-8 last year.Cincinnati was in the AAC three years ago when it was the first team from outside the Power Five to make the four-team College Football Playoff.The Bearcats were 3-9 in coach Scott Satterfield's debut, and their only Big 12 win was over Houston. Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby, who had multiple TD passes in five of his 10 games as a redshirt freshman last year, appears set to succeed quarterback Emory Jones after his only year at Cincinnati to end a three-school, six-season college career.BYU has to replace Kedon Slovis after his only season at his third school ended at 4-8. The Cougars' QB competition will go into fall camp between South Florida transfer Gerry Bohanon, who before that was Baylor's starter for its Big 12 championship game win in 2021, and Jake Retzlaff, their backup last season.“They’re both athletic. They both can make the throws that we need them to make in this offense and they’re both really smart," BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “It's been a really good battle."UCF was 6-7, ending a streak of six consecutive winning seasons. The Knights were 3-6 in the Big 12, with a surprising 45-3 win over league runner-up Oklahoma State to go with wins over Houston and Cincinnati. They have added quarterback KJ Jefferson, who threw for 7,911 yards and 67 touchdowns in 44 games the past five seasons at Arkansas, and also ran for 1,876 yards and 21 more TDs.“I'm really excited about KJ. I recruited him out of high school, but Bo Nix was the same age," said fourth-year UCF coach Gus Malzahn, who was previously at Auburn. “Obviously, we weren’t gonna take two quarterbacks. So I had my eye on him and, being from Arkansas, a lot of my friends are huge Arkansas fans. So when he went in the portal, he was our No. 1 guy.”LONG-TIME COWBOYMike Gundy is going into his 20th season as head coach of the Cowboys, with the only longer-tenured FBS coach being Kirk Ferentz going into his 25th season at Iowa this fall. Gundy was a quarterback from Oklahoma State from 1986-89, then an assistant coach for 10 seasons over two different stints before taking over as head coach.The Cowboys return 10 starters on both sides of the ball. They have been to their only two Big 12 championship games the past three seasons.BIG 12 CHANGESBYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF will no longer be the newcomers when the Big 12 expands from 14 to 16 teams.Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are moving from the Pac-12 into the Big 12 this summer. That is when reigning league champion Texas and Oklahoma make their move to the Southeastern Conference. The Longhorns and Sooners were the only remaining Big 12 members to win national championships in football.NEW CHAMPION, NO MANNINGThe Big 12 will have a new champion next season with Texas departing after bookend titles (the Longhorns also won the league’s inaugural title in 1996).Backup QB Arch Manning created the biggest buzz of the the Longhorns' spring game with his 355 yards passing and three touchdowns. But coach Steve Sarkisian has said Quinn Ewers will remain the starter after bypassing the NFL draft.Manning is headed to the SEC where both of his Super Bowl-winning uncles were standout quarterbacks — Peyton Manning at Tennessee and Eli Manning at Ole Miss.

Big 12 newcomers struggled in debuts. Now they get ready for league to change again

A look at football players in the Big 12 Conference this spring who could have breakout seasons in the fall, when Oklahoma and Texas will be in the Southeastern Conference. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will come in from the Pac-12 to make the Big 12 a 16-team league.

BAYLOR: WR Hal Presley got sidelined by a lower-body injury after 17 catches while starting six games last season. The 6-foot-2 senior is a speedy receiver who can make tough and acrobatic catches, and showed that throughout the spring while working with a new offensive coordinator.

BYU: RB LJ Martin ran for a team-high 518 yards as a freshman last season, and with a bigger role could be the key to reviving what was one of the worst FBS rushing offenses last season when the Cougars went 4-8 in their Big 12 debut.

CINCINNATI: QB Brendan Sorsby is expected to take over as the starter with the departure of Emory Jones, who played for three schools over six seasons. Sorsby got in 10 games as a redshirt freshman last year at Indiana, where he threw for 1,587 yards and 15 touchdowns.

HOUSTON: RB Parker Jenkins returns after a solid freshman season where he led the team with 464 yards rushing on 99 carries. He wowed in the spring game when he had a 60-yard touchdown run, and should be another weapon for first-year coach Willie Fritz to pair with veteran QB Donovan Smith.

IOWA STATE: Coaches and teammates called freshman RB Dylan Lee the star of the spring. His impressive change of direction and acceleration were on display as he ran 17 times for 80 yards in the spring game. Abu Sama III is the projected starter, but this offense likes to regularly use two or three backs.

KANSAS: DL Dylan Wudke transferred from Youngstown State and gives the Jayhawks some immediate experience at a position of need. Wudke had 20 tackles for loss and nine sacks over the past two seasons.

KANSAS STATE: QB Avery Johnson takes over for Will Howard, who transferred to Ohio State. The reality is that Johnson probably would have beaten out Howard for the starting job even if he returned to Manhattan. Johnson showcased a dynamic set of dual-purpose skills when he played last season, including a Pop-Tarts Bowl win over North Carolina State.

OKLAHOMA: Jackson Arnold became the starting quarterback for the Alamo Bowl after Dillon Gabriel left for Oregon. In his first career start, Arnold passed for 361 yards, with two TDs and three interceptions in the loss to Arizona. Now heading into his sophomore year, he passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game for the SEC-bound Sooners.

OKLAHOMA STATE: The entire offensive line that helped Ollie Gordon II win the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top running back is back. Joe Michalski, Dalton Cooper, Preston Wilson, Jake Springfield and Cole Birmingham all started at least 10 games last season. Jason Brooks Jr. started seven. Behind them, Gordon ran for 1,732 yards and 21 TDs.

TCU: LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr transferred from California after ranking third in the Pac-12 with 8.4 tackles per game (92 overall). The junior could be an important piece on the unit for new defensive coordinator Andy Avalos.

TEXAS: Backup QB Arch Manning created the biggest buzz with his 355 yards passing and three TDs in the spring game. Coach Steve Sarkisian said Quinn Ewers remains QB1 after staying in school instead of entering the NFL draft. The spring scrimmage was Manning's first chance to deliver on his much-hyped promise and he did, assuring the Longhorns that the offense is in great hands if Ewers gets hurt again, he missed part or all of six games the last two seasons.

TEXAS TECH: Edge rusher Amier Washington played only two games for the Red Raiders last season. That included their Independence Bowl victory over California when he had four tackles for losses, including two sacks, and forced a fumble, after being moved from defensive tackle. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Washington was in that outside role for the bowl only after an opt-out and an injury, but now could be the starter as a redshirt freshman.

UCF: Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson takes over at quarterback for the Knights after throwing for 7,923 yards and 67 touchdowns while also running for 1,876 yards and 21 TDs in 44 games the past five seasons in the SEC. He replaces John Rhys Plumlee, who helped UCF make the transition from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 last season.

WEST VIRGINIA: QB Garrett Greene emerged as a solid dual threat in his first full season as a starter. He threw for a career-high 391 yards against Houston and had three 100-yard rushing efforts as the Mountaineers, picked to finish last in the Big 12, went 9-4. The senior needs to work on his throwing accuracy after a 53.1 completion percentage that was among the lowest in FBS.

By The Associated PressA look at football players in the Big 12 Conference this spring who could have breakout seasons in the fall, when Oklahoma and Texas will be in the Southeastern Conference. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will come in from the Pac-12 to make the Big 12 a 16-team league.BAYLOR: WR Hal Presley got sidelined by a lower-body injury after 17 catches while starting six games last season. The 6-foot-2 senior is a speedy receiver who can make tough and acrobatic catches, and showed that throughout the spring while working with a new offensive coordinator.BYU: RB LJ Martin ran for a team-high 518 yards as a freshman last season, and with a bigger role could be the key to reviving what was one of the worst FBS rushing offenses last season when the Cougars went 4-8 in their Big 12 debut.CINCINNATI: QB Brendan Sorsby is expected to take over as the starter with the departure of Emory Jones, who played for three schools over six seasons. Sorsby got in 10 games as a redshirt freshman last year at Indiana, where he threw for 1,587 yards and 15 touchdowns.HOUSTON: RB Parker Jenkins returns after a solid freshman season where he led the team with 464 yards rushing on 99 carries. He wowed in the spring game when he had a 60-yard touchdown run, and should be another weapon for first-year coach Willie Fritz to pair with veteran QB Donovan Smith.IOWA STATE: Coaches and teammates called freshman RB Dylan Lee the star of the spring. His impressive change of direction and acceleration were on display as he ran 17 times for 80 yards in the spring game. Abu Sama III is the projected starter, but this offense likes to regularly use two or three backs.KANSAS: DL Dylan Wudke transferred from Youngstown State and gives the Jayhawks some immediate experience at a position of need. Wudke had 20 tackles for loss and nine sacks over the past two seasons.KANSAS STATE: QB Avery Johnson takes over for Will Howard, who transferred to Ohio State. The reality is that Johnson probably would have beaten out Howard for the starting job even if he returned to Manhattan. Johnson showcased a dynamic set of dual-purpose skills when he played last season, including a Pop-Tarts Bowl win over North Carolina State.OKLAHOMA: Jackson Arnold became the starting quarterback for the Alamo Bowl after Dillon Gabriel left for Oregon. In his first career start, Arnold passed for 361 yards, with two TDs and three interceptions in the loss to Arizona. Now heading into his sophomore year, he passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game for the SEC-bound Sooners.OKLAHOMA STATE: The entire offensive line that helped Ollie Gordon II win the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top running back is back. Joe Michalski, Dalton Cooper, Preston Wilson, Jake Springfield and Cole Birmingham all started at least 10 games last season. Jason Brooks Jr. started seven. Behind them, Gordon ran for 1,732 yards and 21 TDs.TCU: LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr transferred from California after ranking third in the Pac-12 with 8.4 tackles per game (92 overall). The junior could be an important piece on the unit for new defensive coordinator Andy Avalos.TEXAS: Backup QB Arch Manning created the biggest buzz with his 355 yards passing and three TDs in the spring game. Coach Steve Sarkisian said Quinn Ewers remains QB1 after staying in school instead of entering the NFL draft. The spring scrimmage was Manning's first chance to deliver on his much-hyped promise and he did, assuring the Longhorns that the offense is in great hands if Ewers gets hurt again, he missed part or all of six games the last two seasons.TEXAS TECH: Edge rusher Amier Washington played only two games for the Red Raiders last season. That included their Independence Bowl victory over California when he had four tackles for losses, including two sacks, and forced a fumble, after being moved from defensive tackle. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Washington was in that outside role for the bowl only after an opt-out and an injury, but now could be the starter as a redshirt freshman.UCF: Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson takes over at quarterback for the Knights after throwing for 7,923 yards and 67 touchdowns while also running for 1,876 yards and 21 TDs in 44 games the past five seasons in the SEC. He replaces John Rhys Plumlee, who helped UCF make the transition from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 last season.WEST VIRGINIA: QB Garrett Greene emerged as a solid dual threat in his first full season as a starter. He threw for a career-high 391 yards against Houston and had three 100-yard rushing efforts as the Mountaineers, picked to finish last in the Big 12, went 9-4. The senior needs to work on his throwing accuracy after a 53.1 completion percentage that was among the lowest in FBS.

14 football players to watch next season from current Big 12 Conference schools

Iowa State and Kansas State will play their 2025 season opener in Ireland at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

The Cyclones and Wildcats will close the 2024 regular season in Ames, Iowa, on Nov. 24, and meet again on Aug. 23, 2025, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The fourth annual game in Ireland, announced Wednesday, marks the first time ISU and K-State have met in a season opener and third time they've squared off at a neutral site. They played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2009 and 2010.

“The opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and fans to visit one of the world’s top travel destinations and to showcase our football program and brand on a global stage was one we could not pass up,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said.

Iowa State will be playing outside the United States for the first time. Kansas State played Nebraska in Tokyo in 1992.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the Big 12 Conference to play one of its classic rivalries on a global stage while showcasing our university and its football program,” ISU coach Matt Campbell said. “We are honored that Aer Lingus selected the Cyclones to participate in this prestigious game, which will afford a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our student-athletes to experience international travel while also helping to grow the game of college football outside of the United States.”

By The Associated PressIowa State and Kansas State will play their 2025 season opener in Ireland at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.The Cyclones and Wildcats will close the 2024 regular season in Ames, Iowa, on Nov. 24, and meet again on Aug. 23, 2025, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.The fourth annual game in Ireland, announced Wednesday, marks the first time ISU and K-State have met in a season opener and third time they've squared off at a neutral site. They played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2009 and 2010.“The opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and fans to visit one of the world’s top travel destinations and to showcase our football program and brand on a global stage was one we could not pass up,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said.Iowa State will be playing outside the United States for the first time. Kansas State played Nebraska in Tokyo in 1992.“This is a tremendous opportunity for the Big 12 Conference to play one of its classic rivalries on a global stage while showcasing our university and its football program,” ISU coach Matt Campbell said. “We are honored that Aer Lingus selected the Cyclones to participate in this prestigious game, which will afford a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our student-athletes to experience international travel while also helping to grow the game of college football outside of the United States.”

Cyclones and Wildcats will open 2025 season in the annual college football game in Ireland

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, giving Patrick Mahomes the kind of speedy deep threat they have not enjoyed since Tyreek Hill was on the roster.

The Chiefs were supposed to pick last in the first round after winning their second consecutive Super Bowl and third in five years, but they managed to trade up with one of their biggest AFC rivals in Buffalo. The Chiefs sent the 32nd pick along with a fourth-rounder and seventh-rounder to the Bills for No. 28, a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder.

“Listen, I like the wide receivers we've got,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “but to go add somebody of this quality is important, or a good move to strengthen it. I don't want to slight the guys we have but he's a nice addition.”

So nice that Mahomes, who was attending a gala in New York, instantly took to social media to approve of it.

“We told Patrick," Reid said with a smile. “Patrick is curious. He loves this stuff. It doesn't matter if it's offense or defense. He just loves the draft. He's texting away at us and we get back to him. He's great with it.”

Worthy broke the NFL combine record when he ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, exhibiting the kind of raw speed that Kansas City last enjoyed when Hill was on the team. But Worthy is more than just a deep threat, showing promise as a route runner and cutting down on the number of drops last season, when he caught 75 passes for 1,014 yards and five TDs.

“It doesn’t hurt to have down-the-field speed,” Reid said. “We’ve functioned without the great speed down the field and done well, but if you have an opportunity to get somebody you think is a good player, you probably need to take advantage of that.”

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year with a patchwork wide receiver corps, and they were in the market for help even before second-year pro Rashee Rice — their biggest breakout star of last season — got embroiled in legal trouble in Texas.

Dallas police allege that Rice was driving a Lamborghini well over 100 mph when he and a friend, who was driving a Corvette, lost control and began a chain-reaction crash that resulted in injuries to several people. Rice left the scene without seeing if anyone was injured, but turned himself in when police issued warrants for his arrest.

Rice has been released on bond, and Reid has said he would continue to participate in the Chiefs' offseason program as the legal situation plays out. But the Chiefs must prepare for the possibility they will be without him for at least the first part of the season — if not the entire season — as they try to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

“It's a quarterback league and a speed game,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said, “and the more speed you have on the field, the harder it is for defenses to take away different elements of the game. We have a couple of guys now that can keep a defense guessing, and we're excited about what this will do.”

The Chiefs signed Hollywood Brown in free agency, and tight end Travis Kelce has been every bit as productive as any wide receiver. But otherwise, the Chiefs were faced with heading into the summer with Justin Watson, drop-prone Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore, and journeymen such as Montrell Washington filling out the receiver corps.

So the trade to get Worthy wasn't a surprise. But the fact that the Bills picked up the phone raised some eyebrows.

Along with the fact that Kansas City has frequently ended their season in the playoffs, the Chiefs also swung a memorable first-round trade with them in 2017: They sent Buffalo their first- and third-round picks that year and a first-round pick the next year to move up to No. 10 and select Mahomes, which ultimately altered the trajectory of the entire franchise.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, giving Patrick Mahomes the kind of speedy deep threat they have not enjoyed since Tyreek Hill was on the roster.The Chiefs were supposed to pick last in the first round after winning their second consecutive Super Bowl and third in five years, but they managed to trade up with one of their biggest AFC rivals in Buffalo. The Chiefs sent the 32nd pick along with a fourth-rounder and seventh-rounder to the Bills for No. 28, a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder.“Listen, I like the wide receivers we've got,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “but to go add somebody of this quality is important, or a good move to strengthen it. I don't want to slight the guys we have but he's a nice addition.”So nice that Mahomes, who was attending a gala in New York, instantly took to social media to approve of it.“We told Patrick," Reid said with a smile. “Patrick is curious. He loves this stuff. It doesn't matter if it's offense or defense. He just loves the draft. He's texting away at us and we get back to him. He's great with it.”Worthy broke the NFL combine record when he ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, exhibiting the kind of raw speed that Kansas City last enjoyed when Hill was on the team. But Worthy is more than just a deep threat, showing promise as a route runner and cutting down on the number of drops last season, when he caught 75 passes for 1,014 yards and five TDs.“It doesn’t hurt to have down-the-field speed,” Reid said. “We’ve functioned without the great speed down the field and done well, but if you have an opportunity to get somebody you think is a good player, you probably need to take advantage of that.”The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year with a patchwork wide receiver corps, and they were in the market for help even before second-year pro Rashee Rice — their biggest breakout star of last season — got embroiled in legal trouble in Texas.Dallas police allege that Rice was driving a Lamborghini well over 100 mph when he and a friend, who was driving a Corvette, lost control and began a chain-reaction crash that resulted in injuries to several people. Rice left the scene without seeing if anyone was injured, but turned himself in when police issued warrants for his arrest.Rice has been released on bond, and Reid has said he would continue to participate in the Chiefs' offseason program as the legal situation plays out. But the Chiefs must prepare for the possibility they will be without him for at least the first part of the season — if not the entire season — as they try to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.“It's a quarterback league and a speed game,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said, “and the more speed you have on the field, the harder it is for defenses to take away different elements of the game. We have a couple of guys now that can keep a defense guessing, and we're excited about what this will do.”The Chiefs signed Hollywood Brown in free agency, and tight end Travis Kelce has been every bit as productive as any wide receiver. But otherwise, the Chiefs were faced with heading into the summer with Justin Watson, drop-prone Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore, and journeymen such as Montrell Washington filling out the receiver corps.So the trade to get Worthy wasn't a surprise. But the fact that the Bills picked up the phone raised some eyebrows.Along with the fact that Kansas City has frequently ended their season in the playoffs, the Chiefs also swung a memorable first-round trade with them in 2017: They sent Buffalo their first- and third-round picks that year and a first-round pick the next year to move up to No. 10 and select Mahomes, which ultimately altered the trajectory of the entire franchise.

Chiefs trade up with Bills to select WR Xavier Worthy at No. 28 in NFL draft

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals manager Matt Quatraro was frustrated that his team was left hanging in limbo. Blue Jays counterpart John Schneider was equally perturbed that his team wasn't being given a chance to finish out a game it was losing.

At least Quatraro felt a bit better in the end.

After playing five innings, then waiting out a bizarre rain delay that stretched to 3 hours, 38 minutes, the Royals finally were declared a 2-1 winner Thursday — their third straight one-run victory to wrap up their four-game set with Toronto.

Salvador Perez provided both of their runs with a two-out, two-run homer off José Berrios (4-1) in the first, and Cole Ragans (1-2) earned the win by allowing the lone Blue Jays run on three hits and three walks in five rain-soaked innings.

“What was getting frustrating to me,” Quatraro said, "was just like, ‘All right. Let’s make the decision, one way or the other. Tell us to get out there and play or tell us to go home.”

The strange sequence of events began when the fifth inning ended, and an early drizzle had turned into a steady rain.

Umpire chief Chris Guccione called for the tarp to cover the infield, but Schneider came out and objected, arguing that his club deserved another opportunity to tie or take the lead. Guccione told the grounds crew to roll the tarp back and attempt to get the field in playing shape, but about 10 minutes later, the umpire summoned the tarp again.

The field was covered for about 2 hours. When the rain stopped, the grounds crew went to work, pouring dozens of bags of dry dirt on it. But after another hour-plus spent working on the field, Guccione made the decision to call the game complete.

“They tried to work their magic to try to scrape all that old dirt off, get new dirt on there, rake it as much as they could,” he said. “It was just like, the whole shortstop area, the whole third base area, was so spongy and soft that I couldn’t imagine Bo Bichette or Bobby Witt Jr. trying to field the ball to their left or right and planting and trying to make a successful throw. That’s not good for the game, and for sure, the safety of the players is the No. 1 priority.”

The decision still didn't sit well with Schneider.

“I think the entire day was handled kind of poorly, just from the start of the game,” he said. “What was said out there was the fact that the field was unplayable and they didn’t want to continue the game. In my opinion, the field was significantly better than it was in the third, fourth and fifth inning.”

Long forgotten was what had transpired in the game: Berrios had a streak of 22 1/3 scoreless innings end when Perez, following Vinnie Pasquantino's two-out walk, deposited the first pitch he saw into the left-field bullpen in the first inning.

In the fourth, the Blue Jays bookended Davis Schneider's walk with hits by Justin Turner and Ernie Clement to cut the Royals' lead in half, but Ragans bounced back to retire Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk and maintain a 2-1 lead.

The Blue Jays had another chance in the fifth, when center fielder Kyle Isbel made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch of Isiah Kiner-Falefa's drive to the warning track. Isbel also raced down George Springer's blooper. Then, after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a walk, Bichette popped foul to end what turned out to be the Blue Jays' final at-bat.

“It’s kind of an awkward state," Isbel said. "You obviously want to play, but it’s out of our control. The field was pretty messed up. I didn’t really go back down there after the rain stopped. It was just kind of a waiting game.”

Royals: RHP Alec Marsh (bruised right elbow) went on the injured list Thursday after taking a 91 mph line drive off his elbow the previous night. RHP Will Klein was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his spot on the roster.

Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (right forearm tendinitis) was placed on the IL after pitching two scoreless innings Wednesday night. LHP Brendon Little was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to take his spot in the bullpen.

Blue Jays: Start a six-game homestand that includes a visit by Kansas City next week. Up first are the Los Angeles Dodgers with RHP Chris Bassitt (2-3, 3.90 ERA) getting the nod against them in Friday night's series opener.

Royals: Begin a six-day trip against the Tigers on Friday with a rare 12:10 p.m. CDT start so that it any minimizes interference with the NFL draft in Detroit. RHP Seth Lugo (3-1, 2.03) is on the mound for the series opener.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals manager Matt Quatraro was frustrated that his team was left hanging in limbo. Blue Jays counterpart John Schneider was equally perturbed that his team wasn't being given a chance to finish out a game it was losing.At least Quatraro felt a bit better in the end.After playing five innings, then waiting out a bizarre rain delay that stretched to 3 hours, 38 minutes, the Royals finally were declared a 2-1 winner Thursday — their third straight one-run victory to wrap up their four-game set with Toronto.Salvador Perez provided both of their runs with a two-out, two-run homer off José Berrios (4-1) in the first, and Cole Ragans (1-2) earned the win by allowing the lone Blue Jays run on three hits and three walks in five rain-soaked innings.“What was getting frustrating to me,” Quatraro said, "was just like, ‘All right. Let’s make the decision, one way or the other. Tell us to get out there and play or tell us to go home.”The strange sequence of events began when the fifth inning ended, and an early drizzle had turned into a steady rain.Umpire chief Chris Guccione called for the tarp to cover the infield, but Schneider came out and objected, arguing that his club deserved another opportunity to tie or take the lead. Guccione told the grounds crew to roll the tarp back and attempt to get the field in playing shape, but about 10 minutes later, the umpire summoned the tarp again.The field was covered for about 2 hours. When the rain stopped, the grounds crew went to work, pouring dozens of bags of dry dirt on it. But after another hour-plus spent working on the field, Guccione made the decision to call the game complete.“They tried to work their magic to try to scrape all that old dirt off, get new dirt on there, rake it as much as they could,” he said. “It was just like, the whole shortstop area, the whole third base area, was so spongy and soft that I couldn’t imagine Bo Bichette or Bobby Witt Jr. trying to field the ball to their left or right and planting and trying to make a successful throw. That’s not good for the game, and for sure, the safety of the players is the No. 1 priority.”The decision still didn't sit well with Schneider.“I think the entire day was handled kind of poorly, just from the start of the game,” he said. “What was said out there was the fact that the field was unplayable and they didn’t want to continue the game. In my opinion, the field was significantly better than it was in the third, fourth and fifth inning.”Long forgotten was what had transpired in the game: Berrios had a streak of 22 1/3 scoreless innings end when Perez, following Vinnie Pasquantino's two-out walk, deposited the first pitch he saw into the left-field bullpen in the first inning.In the fourth, the Blue Jays bookended Davis Schneider's walk with hits by Justin Turner and Ernie Clement to cut the Royals' lead in half, but Ragans bounced back to retire Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk and maintain a 2-1 lead.The Blue Jays had another chance in the fifth, when center fielder Kyle Isbel made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch of Isiah Kiner-Falefa's drive to the warning track. Isbel also raced down George Springer's blooper. Then, after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a walk, Bichette popped foul to end what turned out to be the Blue Jays' final at-bat.“It’s kind of an awkward state," Isbel said. "You obviously want to play, but it’s out of our control. The field was pretty messed up. I didn’t really go back down there after the rain stopped. It was just kind of a waiting game.”TRAINER'S ROOMRoyals: RHP Alec Marsh (bruised right elbow) went on the injured list Thursday after taking a 91 mph line drive off his elbow the previous night. RHP Will Klein was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his spot on the roster.Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (right forearm tendinitis) was placed on the IL after pitching two scoreless innings Wednesday night. LHP Brendon Little was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to take his spot in the bullpen.UP NEXTBlue Jays: Start a six-game homestand that includes a visit by Kansas City next week. Up first are the Los Angeles Dodgers with RHP Chris Bassitt (2-3, 3.90 ERA) getting the nod against them in Friday night's series opener.Royals: Begin a six-day trip against the Tigers on Friday with a rare 12:10 p.m. CDT start so that it any minimizes interference with the NFL draft in Detroit. RHP Seth Lugo (3-1, 2.03) is on the mound for the series opener.