ATLANTA (AP) — Sean Murphy hit a three-run homer during Atlanta’s five-run eighth inning, and the Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 for their fourth consecutive victory. Austin Riley hit a two-run homer for Atlanta, and Michael Harris II added two hits and drove in a run. Daysbel Hernández got three outs for the win. St. Louis lost its fifth consecutive game. It dropped to 1-10 on the road. Willson Contreras connected for a two-run homer for the Cardinals.
BOSTON (AP) — Sharon Lokedi broke the Boston Marathon course record, and fellow Kenyan John Korir joined his brother as a race champion on Monday as the city celebrated the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. The runners followed in the hoofsteps of a Paul Revere reenactor who rode down Boylston Street and proclaimed “the runners are coming” as the race celebrated the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. Lokedi finished in an unofficial 2 hours, 17 minutes, 22 seconds. Korir won in 2:04:45.
ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — Flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country, with the sport’s inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump. The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. The championship tournament is this weekend. More than 100 higher-educational institutions are currently offering women’s flag football as a varsity or club sport.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has passed rules that would upend decades of precedent by allowing colleges to pay their athletes per terms of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer. The nine proposals passed by the NCAA board were largely expected but still mark a defining day in the history of college sports. An athlete’s ability to be paid directly by his or her university in on track to be enshrined in a rulebook that forbid that kind of relationship for decades.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Detroit Pistons snapped their NBA-record, 15-game postseason losing streak by beating the New York Knicks 100-94 in Game 2 of their playoff series. Cade Cunningham had 33 points and 12 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 55 seconds left for the Pistons. Detroit got its first playoff victory since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals against Boston. The Pistons hadn't even been to the postseason since 2019. Now they are back in the win column, all tied in the series and will host Game 3 on Thursday night. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 37 points.
Kawhi Leonard's 39 points lead Clippers to a 105-102 win over Nuggets to even series 1-1
DENVER (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting and the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver. Christian Braun was long on a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left, and Nikola Jokic, who recorded his 19th playoff triple-double, grabbed the rebound but also missed a 3, with 1 second remaining. Joker recorded his 19th career playoff triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists but committed seven of Denver's 20 turnovers and uncharacteristically missed four free throws.
UNDATED (AP) — Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday. That came after a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as The Associated Press national player of the year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to lead Duke in each category.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Pope Francis’ passion for soccer was evident throughout his pontificate. A lifelong supporter of Argentine club San Lorenzo, he agreed with those who describe soccer as the most beautiful game in the world. But Francis, who died Monday at 88, also turned to the sport for anecdotes about camaraderie, fellowship and teamwork in an increasingly individualistic society. Despite being a big soccer fan Francis didn’t watch any games on television. Members of the Swiss Guard, who took care of his security, informed him about San Lorenzo and Argentina match results. That’s how he found out that Argentina had won their third World Cup title in Qatar after a penalty shootout against France.
MONDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Detroit 6 San Diego 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Boston 4 Chicago White Sox 2
Final Cleveland 6 N.Y. Yankees 4
Final Houston 7 Toronto 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Miami 6 Cincinnati 3
Final Atlanta 7 St. Louis 6
Final N.Y. Mets 5 Philadelphia 4
Final San Francisco 5 Milwaukee 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Detroit 100 New York 94
Final L.A. Clippers 105 Denver 102
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Winnipeg 2 St. Louis 1
Final OT Washington 3 Montreal 2
Final OT Dallas 4 Colorado 3
Final Los Angeles 6 Edmonton 5