KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino and MJ Melendez homered to help the Kansas City Royals beat Baltimore 9-4 and stop the Orioles’ four-game winning streak. Adley Rutschman hit his first career grand slam for the Orioles, a seventh-inning homer off Will Smith. Dean Kremer retired his first 11 batters before Pasquantino drove a 1-1 splitter into the right-field bullpen for his fourth homer. MJ Melendez sparked a five-run sixth with an RBI single that ended an 0-for-23 slide. Michael Massey and Hunter Renfroe each had two-run hits for a 6-0 lead.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — William Contreras drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and finished with two RBIs as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Friday night. Contreras hit a two-out single off Ryan Helsley (1-2) in the 10th inning that scored automatic runner Blake Perkins, breaking a 1-all tie. Hoby Milner shut down the middle of the Cardinals’ order in the bottom of the 10th to earn his first save. Milwaukee won its second straight game. St. Louis lost for the fourth time in six games and has failed to score more than three runs in a game during that span.
MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 24 points and was an assist shy of a triple-double, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 21 points and the Miami Heat grabbed the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, running away from the Chicago Bulls 112-91 in a play-in tournament elimination game. Kevin Love scored 16 and Bam Adebayo added 13 for Miami. The Heat head to Boston for a rematch of the last two East finals against the Celtics. It’s Round 1 this time, with the Heat set to be huge underdogs against the runaway favorite to win the NBA title. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points for the Bulls.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans booked a spot in the NBA playoffs with a 105-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings in a play-in tournament elimination game. The Pelicans won without leading-scorer Zion Williamson, who strained his left hamstring in a play-in loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. New Orleans used a balanced approach to improved to 8-5 this season without Williamson in the lineup. Six players scored 10 or more points. New Orleans now opens the playoffs at top-seeded Oklahoma City on Sunday. De’Aaron Fox scored 35 points for the Kings and Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 14 rebounds.
UNDATED (AP) — There’s a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league’s best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender. And, once again, there’s LeBron James, too. The NBA playoffs are about to begin with the Celtics and Nuggets the heavy favorites to collide in the Finals, and no shortage of teams have realistic belief that they can win the whole thing as well.
UNDATED (AP) — Hockey fans across Canada are preparing themselves for the annual thrill and torment that arrives with the NHL playoffs. Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto are in the 16-team field. Canada’s Cup drought dates to Montreal’s triumph in 1993, an agonizingly long time for fans in the nation that loves hockey more than any other. The Canucks, Flames, Oilers, Canadiens and Ottawa have all made it to the final since then only to fall short. The four Canadian clubs in this year’s bracket are the most to make the cut in a normal season since 2017.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Following a sign-stealing scandal that rocked college football and hung over Michigan’s championship run in 2023, the NCAA’s oversight committee approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season. The football rules committee last month made a recommendation to allow — but not require — teams at the highest tier of Division I to use radio technology similar to what NFL teams use to call in plays. Only one player for each team will be permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers figured his football career had always been in such a rush that it was time to slow down. So he opted to return for the 2024 season instead of entering the draft. The Longhorns wrap spring practice this week looking forward to Ewers leading them into the season and their move into the Southeastern Conference. The NFL remains Ewers' dream but that can wait a year. Ewers says he wants to "enjoy being here and just being present and not looking too far forward.” The decision to stay also keeps Arch Manning waiting for his turn to take over the Texas offense.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State and four former members of its football coaching staff have reached an agreement with the NCAA on penalties for impermissible in-person contact with recruits during the COVID-10 dead period. Two others are contesting portions of their respective cases via a written record hearing, according to a release by the NCAA. Under the penalties, Arizona State was hit with four years probation, a fine, an already-served self-imposed ban for the 2023 postseason and vacation of records for games in which ineligible student-athletes competed. The Sun Devils also will have a reduction in scholarships and recruiting restrictions.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Nelly Korda is one shot off the lead through 36 holes at the Chevron Championship as she seeks to tie an LPGA Tour record with her fifth straight win. Korda shot a 3-under 69 on Friday at the year's first major. She's at 7-under 137, trailing Atthaya Thitikul and Jin Hee Im by a shot. Korda made a double bogey on the first hole but followed that with six birdies and one bogey. The 25-year-old, top-ranked Korda is seeking her second major title after winning the Women's PGA Championship in 2021.
FRIDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Seattle at Colorado 8:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Cincinnati 7 L.A. Angels 1
Final Philadelphia 7 Chicago White Sox 0
Final Boston 8 Pittsburgh 1
Final Houston 5 Washington 3
Final Atlanta 8 Texas 3
Final Toronto 5 San Diego 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 10 Oakland 2
Final N.Y. Yankees 5 Tampa Bay 3
Final Kansas City 9 Baltimore 4
Final Detroit 5 Minnesota 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 8 Miami 3
Final Milwaukee 2 St. Louis 1
Final N.Y. Mets 9 L.A. Dodgers 4
Final Arizona 17 San Francisco 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Miami 112 Chicago 91
Final New Orleans 105 Sacramento 98