Six weeks into the MLB season, we are beginning to see pitching rotations take shape and bullpens get called into action. However, some pitchers are underperforming. Here we will further examine five pitchers whose advanced metrics suggest better performance for the rest of the season.

MORE: Brewers star pitcher makes MLB history Friday night against Yankees

Lance McCullers Jr., Houston Astros

Through his first 7 starts of the season, Lance McCullers Jr. has posted a 7.41 ERA through 34.0 innings pitched. His xERA is only at a 4.53, a 2.88 difference, suggesting that there is a luck-driven ERA inflation rather than a genuine skill loss. His above-average BABIP against of .310 indicates that there are some balls that are falling for hits at an unsustainable rate, meaning there is some sequence misfortune and defensive positioning harming his output.

Also, his 50.0% LOB% is historically low, meaning that runners who reach base are scoring at a frequency that is unheard of, ultimately overinflating his ERA and causing his underperformance.

Miles Mikolas, Washington Nationals

In his 11th MLB season, Miles Mikolas appears to be headed towards a free fall. However, his advanced metrics tell a different story. While posting a 7.44 ERA through his first 32.2 innings pitched for the Nationals, his xERA of 4.82 and home-run adjusted xFIP of 6.14 agree that his ERA is being overinflated. Mikolas also falls under the historically low strand rate at around 56.1%, which is 16 points below the league average of 72.2%.

Baserunners are scoring off Mikolas at a historically unsustainable number. Also, his 15.1% strikeout rate and 44.2% hard hit rate aren’t bad enough for his current ERA, suggesting that it is primarily a strand-rate disaster, and his positive regression is nearly guaranteed.

Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox

While being under a 3.00 ERA and in the top 10% in strikeout rate in all of MLB for the last two seasons, Garrett Crochet has started the 2026 MLB season poorly. Currently sitting at a 6.30 ERA and a decreased 26.8% K rate, these numbers show an underperformance from his career stats as well as his advanced metrics.

His xERA of 4.85 and xFIP of 5.23 both trail his actual ERA by more than a run, and his high BABIP against of .350 and 61% strand rate show that more runs come in than his actual numbers suggest. Crochet is one of the clearest positive-regression candidates in all of baseball, and his ERA should start to converge to the mid-fours over the season.

David Peterson, New York Mets

New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson currently sits at a 6.29 ERA, with a +1.54 difference from his xERA, primarily due to bad-luck inflation. Peterson is another pitcher that falls victim to a low strand rate of 59%, and his other main issues lie in his .371 BABIP against and 48.1% hard hit rate, which are currently above league averages.

However, his 3.0% HR/FB rate, 22.0% strikeout rate, and 8.8% walk rate confirm that his stuff is functional and should not warrant as high an ERA. As his BABIP against and LOB% stabilize, he will improve towards his 4.75 expected ERA.

Emmet Sheehan

Emmet Sheehan is one of the most promising arms coming out of the LA Dodgers organization. Since recovering from his Tommy John surgery, however, he has underperformed. With chase rates, whiff rates, strikeout rates, and walk rates all in the 80th+ percentiles in all of the MLB, he currently sits at around a 5.23 ERA through 35.2 innings pitched.

Looking at his advanced metrics, he boasts a 4.32 xERA and 4.64 xFIP, meaning he should be performing better than he is. His only issue lies in his .325 BABIP against. However, as it normalizes toward league average, his high strikeout-to-walk profile suggests an ERA correction in the near future.

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GIRARD — The Titusville softball team beat Girard 7-2 in a non-region game on Saturday.

Mary Herman recorded two home runs, three RBIs and added five strikeouts on the mound. Nora Lesko, Kylie Crocker, Marissa Warner, Jordan Wynn and Josie Peden added runs for the Rockets.

Titusville (9-6) hosts Fort LeBoeuf today at 4 p.m. for a Region 6 game.

Conneaut falls to Girard

LINESVILLE — The Conneaut baseball team fell 14-2 in five innings to Girard in a Region 5 game on Saturday.

Owen Grafton and Alex Perrine recorded runs.

Conneaut (4-7 overall, 3-4 region) travels to Fairview today at 4 p.m. for a Region 5 game.

Pitching plays in the playoffs. It played during the regular season, too — the Tahoma Bears posted a 19-1 record with one of the South Sound’s best rotations. The crown jewel of the group: ace Neal Burtis, a 6-foot-1 lefty Oregon State commit and one of the state’s top prospects.

Burtis has thrown 35 1/3 innings this spring, compiling a 0.40 earned run average with 59 strikeouts and 16 walks. He’s not the only big arm on the staff, though. Including Burtis, three Bears pitchers with at least 20 innings have an ERA under 2.00: Talon Coker (0.42), Brayden Fenton (0.69), while senior Sean Evans (2.21) is close behind.

It’s hard not to like Tahoma’s chances in the 4A District 3/4 tournament, but there are a number of other teams with a shot to win the title heading into this month’s state tournament, also. Here are a few South Sound teams we think could challenge the top-seeded Bears.

The first round of the tournament begins on Tuesday, May 12, with the semifinals and championship game being played on Saturday, May 16 at Tahoma High School.

No. 3 Sumner (16-4)

The Spartans have just one puzzling loss to South Kitsap, but otherwise, losses came to contenders Curtis, Emerald Ridge and Olympia. P/OF Wyatt Plyler is one of the state’s top two-way players. UW commit Jake Miller has the clutch gene. When the bats are going, it’s contagious.

No. 4 Emerald Ridge (19-4)

Jags have been one of the 4A SPSL’s top programs this spring and feature a good rotation, with Jackson Dion and Zack Morris. CF Pretson Bolam has torn the cover off the ball all spring. A matchup against Olympia looms in the first round. The teams split the regular season series.

No. 5 Olympia (18-5)

Speaking of the Bears, maybe Derek Weldon’s group is peaking at the right time. Olympia closed out the regular season with a 3-1 win over Emerald Ridge and 1-0 win over Sumner in the 4A SPSL championship game, in which RHP Landyn Keister threw a complete-game shutout against the Spartans.

No. 7 Curtis (15-7)

The Vikings will have their work cut out for them, having to travel south to face second-seeded Battle Ground in the opening round. If Bryan Robinson’s group can clear that hurdle, though, I think they have a shot at reaching the championship game. A matchup against the winner of Sumner and Kennedy Catholic would await in the semifinals, and Curtis already has as a win over Sumner on its resume.

THE TOUGHEST PATH TO STATE

Because of the way the district bracket is structured, only the top eight seeds have a chance to advance to the district tournament semifinals. That leaves No. 9 Puyallup with a challenging path to the state tournament, needing to win three straight elimination games.

Can the Vikings do it? Absolutely. Since first-year coach Sean Taunt stepped aside, Puyallup has been one of the area’s hottest teams, winning 10 of its final 12 games. It’s worth noting that the second half of the schedule was more favorable than the first half, but Puyallup’s run included wins over 4A contender Kennedy Catholic and 3A contender Gig Harbor. Don’t count the Vikings out.

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

No. 3 Sumner over No. 1 Tahoma

The 3A District 3 baseball tournament is here. Here are four teams I think can win it, plus a dark horse candidate.

The first round of the tournament begins on Tuesday, May 12. The quarterfinals are Wednesday, May 13. The semifinals and championship game will be held on Saturday, May 16 at Auburn High School.

Decatur (18-2)

The Gators are the favorite, with their only two losses this season coming to 4A Kentridge and 4A Tahoma, which is the No. 1 seed in the 4A District 3/4 tournament next week. Otherwise, Decatur has been flawless, tearing through its schedule. Nate Gilmore (.476, two home runs, nine doubles) and Ethan Flavel (.442, five home runs, triple, three doubles) have been mashing baseballs all spring.

Gig Harbor (15-8)

I think Gig Harbor should’ve been the No. 2 seed on the top of the bracket after beating Peninsula in the 3A PSL championship game last week at Lincoln. It feels like the Tides are peaking at the right time. Consistent hitting remains the question mark, but pitchers Quentin Bockhorn, Jake Cuda and emerging sophomore arm Max Bergford will have the Tides in every game.

Kentlake (16-4)

The Falcons haven’t lost since early April and have maybe the best brother duo in the state: senior Christopher Moore (.638 batting average, four home runs, three triples, 10 doubles, 36 RBI; 0.66 ERA, 59 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched) and Lincoln Moore (.377, three triples, nine doubles, 19 RBI).

Peninsula (16-5)

The Seahawks will be eager to reverse a short skid (losses to Kelso, Gig Harbor) when the district tournament begins. Peninsula is a well-rounded group with a good lineup. Junior catcher, leadoff hitter Pete Browand, a Fresno State commit, is as tough an out as they come. He’s hitting a team-high .443 with three home runs, three triples, five doubles and 25 RBI.

DARK HORSE

Don’t count out North Thurston (16-5). The Rams are one of the area’s hottest teams, winners of 12 straight after a shaky start.

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

Decatur over Peninsula

Blue Mountain and Williams Valley shined under the lights when they won Schuylkill League quarterfinal matchups at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium on Sunday evening.

The Eagles (17-4) scored five of their nine runs after the fourth inning for a 9-5 win over Schuylkill Haven (12-9). The Vikings shut down Pottsville’s (13-8) bats much of the night for a 6-3 win.

“It’s a big backyard rivalry so I was pleased with the way we hung in there and did a good job,” Blue Mountain coach Jarrod Kramer said. “As the game progressed we got better as a team and it’s high school baseball so anything can happen on any given day.”

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Schuylkill Haven’s Alan Evans (28) pitches during the quarterfinal round game against Blue Mountain of the Schuylkill League Baseball Playoffs at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sunday May 10, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Schuylkill Haven’s Alan Evans (28) rounds second heading for third during the quarterfinal round game against Blue Mountain of the Schuylkill League Baseball Playoffs at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sunday May 10, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Blue Mountain’s Evan Setlock (6) pitches during the quarterfinal round game against Schuylkill Haven, of the Schuylkill League Baseball Playoffs at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sunday May 10, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Blue Mountain’s Riley Sebastian (1) runs to third base during the quarterfinal round game against Schuylkill Haven, of the Schuylkill League Baseball Playoffs at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sunday May 10, 2026. Submitted Photo

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At first base Blue Mountain’s Brady Strause (9) beats the tag by Schuylkill Haven’s Landon Trostle (8) during the Schuylkill League quarterfinal round game at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sunday May 10, 2026. Submitted Photo

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Schuylkill Haven’s Alan Evans (28) pitches during the quarterfinal round game against Blue Mountain of the Schuylkill League Baseball Playoffs at Pine Grove’s Walter Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sunday May 10, 2026. Submitted Photo

Blue Mountain will take on Marian Catholic (16-3) in the league semifinals on Monday while Williams Valley goes up against Tri-Valley (16-4) in the other semifinal matchup.

Blue Mountain 9, Schuylkill Haven 5

Blue Mountain came out with the bats when they scored four runs in the fifth inning on the way to a four-run win to advance to the semifinals.

Evan Setlock threw six innings on the mound for the Eagles, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out six. Setlock got through the first two innings in just 17 pitches and sat down Schuylkill Haven 1-2-3- in the top of the second on just seven pitches.

“The conditions aren’t great so I was first worrying about the mound and then I got to throwing strikes,” Setlock said. “It was an intense game and they’re a good team so we have to stick to what we’ve been practicing and play our game.”

Aiden Finn led the Eagles lineup with four hits while Josh Hoover had three hits and Cohen Kirby, Brady Strause, Sonny Amato and Setlock each had two hits. Kirby and Strause each had two RBI’s.

Riley Sebastian and Kirby each walked to start the bottom of the first for the Eagles before Strause came through with a two-run single to center field for the 2-0 lead.

“The bottom of our order came through and a lot of guys had good at bats,” Kramer said. “It was situational hitting that came through in the clutch and that was a big difference.”

Setlock sat down the Hurricanes 1-2-3 in the top of the second before Blue Mountain scored another run in the bottom of the second. Aiden Finn singled on a line drive to left field to score Josh Hoover for the 3-0 lead.

Chase Yoder cut into the Schuylkill Haven deficit in the top of the third inning with a two-run single into right center field for the 3-2 deficit.

Setlock shot an RBI groundball single to center field to score Amato for the 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third.

“In order to beat a good team you need guys to step up at the right times and the defense was good too,” Setlock said. “We’re putting the ball in play as much as possible and it’s transitioning to runs.”

Evans stroked a three-run triple to right center field to score Chase Maley, Landon Houck and Landon Trostle for the 5-4 lead in the top of the fourth.

After the Hurricanes took a one run lead to start the fourth, Blue Mountain scored four runs in the fourth and fifth innings to run away for the win.

Amato began the scoring rampage for the Eagles as he singled to right center field to score Strause to knot the score at 5-5.

Setlock sat down Schuylkill Haven 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth before the Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with a Hoover RBI double to right field to score Setlock for the 6-5 lead.

“It’s fun to play when we’re hitting this well and we tried to get Alan (Evans) off the mound once his pitch count got up and we got to the bullpen,” Setlock said.

Andrew Blehm flew out to center field to score Hoover for the 7-5 lead before Kirby stepped up with a two-run double to left field to score Finn for the 9-5 final score.

Schuylkill Haven 5 — Evans P 4 1 3 3 , Trostle 1 1 0 0, Gerber CF 3 1 0 0, Yoder SS 4 0 2 2, Hanniskitz 3B 4 0 0 0, Maley 2B 2 1 0 0, Terefencko RF 3 0 0 0, Houck DH 2 1 0 0, Diehl C 3 0 0 0. 26 5 5 5.

Blue Mountain 9 — Sebastian C 2 2 0 0, Finn LF 4 2 4 1, Kirby 3 0 2 2, Strause 2B 4 1 2 2, Amato RF 4 1 2 1, Clemas P 0 0 0 0, Russo 3B 4 0 0 0, Setlock P 3 1 2 1, Hoover CF 4 2 3 1, Blehm DH 3 0 0 0. 31 9 15 9.

SH (12-9);0;0;2;3;0;0;0;—5

BM (17-4);2;1;1;1;4;0;X;—9

LOB — Schuylkill Haven 5, Blue Mountain 8; 2B — Evans, Yoder 2, Hoover, Amato, Kirby, Setlock; SB — Finn, Strause, Amato, Setlock

Schuylkill Haven

IP H R ER BB K

Evans 4.2 13 8 8 3 1

Yoder 1.1 2 1 1 1 0

Blue Mountain

Setlock 6 5 5 5 5 6

Clemas 1 0 0 0 0 1

Pottsville 6, Williams Valley 3

Williams Valley scored six runs across the first three innings and Cadyn Witmer struck out seven and allowed just three runs to Pottsville’s lineup in 5.1 innings on the mound.

Fletcher Thompson drove in two of the Vikings first three runs in the first two innings before Camden Berger unloaded for a three-run double into right center field for the 6-1 lead in the third.

“In any game it’s important to get on top quick, especially tonight,” Williams Valley coach Steve Barner said. “Cadyn’s been our go-to guy all year long and it showed tonight because he’s one of the best.”

Berger drove in a team-high three runs for Williams Valley while Thompson brought home another two runs. John Rautzahn, Berger and Witmer each doubled for the Vikings extra-base hits.

Thompson came through early in the bottom of the first when he reached on a groundball error to shortstop to score Cole Hubler for the 1-0 lead. Witmer then doubled into center field to score Thompson for the 2-0 lead.

“This group is full of gamers so they’ll go out and compete with anyone for seven innings,” Barner said. “Hopefully we can come out tomorrow and compete with Tri-Valley.”

Witmer sat down Pottsville 1-2-3 in the top of the second on two strikeouts and a groundout and then the Vikings got more run support from Thompson in the bottom of the second.

Thompson singled on a groundball into right field to score Hubler for the 3-0 lead.

Pottsville opened their scoring in the top of the third when Dominic Rynard flew out to center field to score Christian Alvarez for the 3-1 lead.

Rynard walked three straight Williams Valley batters in the bottom of the third before Berger doubled on a fly ball to center field to score three runs for the 6-1 lead.

Mason Bowser shut down Pottsville through the final 1.2 frames, allowing just one hit and striking out two in the fifth inning. a

Pottsville 3 — Trout RF 4 0 2 0, Eroh CF 2 0 0 0, Rynard P 2 0 0 0 1, Clews 3B 4 1 1 0, Hess 2B 1 1 0 0, Ciavarella LF 3 0 0 0, Allen SS 3 0 1 2, Rynard DH 3 0 0 0, Alvarez 1B 3 1 1 0. 25 3 5 3.

Williams Valley 6 — Hubler CF 1 2 0 0, Thompson C 4 1 1 2, Witmer P 2 0 1 1, Rautzahn 2B 4 0 1 0, Deiter LF 3 0 0 0, Trawitz 1B 2 1 0 0, Green 3B 2 1 1 0, Bowser RF 1 1 0 0, Schaeffer RF 1 0 0 0, Berger SS 3 0 1 3. 23 6 5 6.

P (13-8);0;0;1;0;0;2;0;—3

WV (14-7);2;1;3;0;0;0;X;—6

LOB — Pottsville 7, Williams Valley 8; 2B — Trout, Allen, Berger, Rautzahn, Witmer; SB — Deiter, Thompson 2, Hubler 2, Schaeffer

Pottsville

IP H R ER BB K

Rynard 2.1 2 6 5 7 3

Hess 3.2 3 0 0 2 4

Williams Valley

Witmer 5.1 4 3 2 4 7

Bowser 1.2 1 0 0 2 2

Texas baseball made history with its 13-6 win Sunday.

The Longhorns not only prevented a sweep at the hands of Tennessee, but they won the 1,500th game in program history. Texas is the first college baseball team to reach that milestone, according to UT athletics.

Casey Borba was the star in the series finale, driving in six runs as part of a two-home run performance. The junior infielder now has 31 career homers, tied for the ninth-most in school history (Drew Stubbs, Eric Kennedy). Texas (37-12, 16-10 SEC) hit four home runs in total, including two in the first inning. 

Next up for UT is the final SEC series of the regular season, against Missouri.

Mason McCoy hit a game-ending single in the bottom of the the 10^th inning Sunday afternoon to give the El Paso Chihuahuas a 7-6 win over the Tacoma Rainiers. It was El Paso’s second walk-off win of the series and their fourth of the season. 

El Paso’s Jase Bowen went 1-for-5 with a triple in the first inning. It was his fourth triple this year, which is tied for the most in the Pacific Coast League. Infielder Pablo Reyes went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk and has reached base in 27 consecutive games. Left fielder Samad Taylor went 2-for-4 with a walk and has reached base seven times in the past two games. Designated hitter Nick Solak had four hits, including the game-tying single in the bottom of the 10th.

Chihuahuas reliever Logan Gillaspie didn’t allow any baserunners in 2.1 innings. El Paso’s Marcos Castañon overturned a strike to a ball in the bottom of the second inning on El Paso’s first check-swing challenge appeal of the season. El Paso is now 4-4 in extra inning games. The Chihuahuas took four of the six games against the Rainiers and have won each of their last two home series.

Box Score: Gameday: Rainiers 6, Chihuahuas 7 Final Score (05/10/2026)

Team Records: Tacoma (18-21), El Paso (19-20)

Next Game: Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. Mountain Time at The Ballpark at America First Square. El Paso TBA vs. Salt Lake TBA. The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. –NM State pushed Missouri State to the final out Sunday morning at Meador Park, but a late rally came up just short as the Aggies fell 7-6 in the finale of their final Conference USA road series of the season. With the loss, NM State drops to 19-31 overall and 8-19 in league play.

The Bears struck first with two runs in the second, but NM State answered with a three‑run fifth inning to grab a brief lead. In the fifth, Tommy Meluskey drove in a run with a groundout, Camden Kaufman followed with an RBI double, and Steve Solorzano added an RBI groundout to put the Aggies in front 3-2

Missouri State responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead. NM State showed late fight and pulled even in the eighth. Jonatan Clough was hit by a pitch and later came in to score before Solorzano crossed home on an RBI single up the middle from Easton Rulli.

However, the Bears immediately produced two runs in the bottom of the eighth to move in front 7-6. The Aggies brought the tying run to the plate in the final frame but could not push across the equalizer.

Taclas finished with three hits and two RBIs, while Kaufman and Solorzano each drove in a run as NM State totaled 10 hits.

NOTABLES

• Steve Solorzano pushed his hit streak to 12 games, marking the longest active streak by any Aggie.
• Aidan Taclas logged his 14th multi-hit game and fourth outing with at least three hits. Currently, only Steve Solorzano has more multi-hit games this season.
• Easton Rulli produced his eighth multi-hit performance, while Camden Kaufman has now tallied multiple hits in 11 contests.
• With two doubles, Taclas joined Steve Solorzano and Jonatan Clough as the only Aggies to record multiple doubles in a single game this season.
• As a team, the Aggies recorded 10 hits to mark their 23rd game with double-digit hits this season.
• With a hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning, Boston Vest has now been hit 21 times this season. This matches a program record set by Tristan Carranza in both 2018 and 2019.
• JT Price logged the longest outing of his freshman campaign, tossing 5.0 innings, while allowing no earned runs.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Season Pass episode 34 is underway with a huge playoff episode coming at you. High school softball and baseball are down to the final five teams. While Angelo State officially sees all teams enter post-season play for their spring sports. And we wrap todays local sports as well with four college signings totaling over a half dozen players.

This week’s episode includes:
– High school softball and baseball playoff action for 3A-2A
– Other local sports stories | gymnastics, Wall softball news, four high schools with college signings
– Angelo State Athletics spring sports update, including our ASU weekly recap | ASU Baseball | ASU Softball | ASU Tennis | ASU track & field | Post-season play
– National sports story including a bat dog named Omaha

Week 34 | Local Softball & Baseball | Class 3A:

Week 34 | Local Softball & Baseball | Class 2A | More local stories:

Week 34 | More local stories:

Week 34 | Angelo State Athletics w/ Griff McClellan:

Week 34 | National sports stories: Omaha the bat dog | Five Star Sports Podcast:

Season Pass airs every Sunday night following the 10pm news. Next Sunday is the final Season Pass until August.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.

The Hawaii baseball team lost a game and a three-game series but not any ground in its quest for a berth in the Big West Tournament.

UC Davis shortstop Elijah McNeal doubled home a run to break a 1-all tie in the sixth inning and catcher Ryan Lee added an RBI single for insurance in the Aggies’ 3-1 victory at the Dobbins Stadium on the UCD campus.

The Aggies won the final two games of the series to remain alive in the chase for a berth in the five-team league tournament. It also was the Aggies’ final home baseball game as a Big West member. The UCD and UH baseball programs move to the Mountain West on July 1.

UH and Cal State Fullerton entered Sunday tied for fourth in the Big West. After the Titans fell to Cal Poly on Sunday, both teams held that spot at 14-13. Both teams are two games ahead of 12-15 UC Irvine, which lost to UC Riverside on Sunday. The Rainbow Warriors need to win one of three games against Cal State Northridge in this week’s final series of the regular season to clinch a tournament berth. The ’Bows hold the tiebreaker over Fullerton and Irvine.

Tate Shimao singled home Noah Rodriguez to stake the ’Bows to a 1-0 lead in the third inning. But they could not take advantage of several scoring opportunities. They hit into double plays in the sixth and seventh innings. In the fifth, a pitch bounced off Lee’s catcher’s mitt. Lee retrieved the ball, and fired to pitcher Braydon Wooldridge, who tagged out Rodriguez at the plate.

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — KLST Season Pass returns for Week 34 and as always, Griff McClellan provides coverage of everything Angelo State Athletics.

The second-to-last episode of the 2025-26 academic year includes the following headlines:

-No. 12 Rams baseball wraps up competition at the Lone Star Conference Tournament in Tyler, Texas and now shifts its focus to NCAA South Central Regionals.

-No. 18 Rambelles softball wins its first LSC title in eight seasons and eighth in program history.

-Rambelles tennis’ historic season comes to an end at NCAA South Central Regionals.

-Rambelles golf concludes play at the NCAA West Regionals in Pueblo, Colorado.

KLST Season Pass airs Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. Central Standard Time. The show recaps the week of Concho Valley athletics, ranging from the high school level to Angelo State and more.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.

May 10—With temperatures in the mid-70s for Mother's Day on Sunday and absolutely no breeze for most of the game, Avista Stadium lived up to its reputation as something of a home run haven.

And it was the home team that benefited the most.

Kevin Fitzer hit home runs in his first two plate appearances — including a grand slam — and the Spokane Indians beat the Tri-City Dust Devils 8-3 in the finale of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at Avista Stadium on Sunday.

The Indians (13-20) took four of six from the Dust Devils (18-15) — the team's first series win since the season-opening three-game set against Everett. The teams hit three home runs each — all in the first 31/2 innings.

"It was definitely a good series win for us and good momentum heading into next week at Hillsboro," Fitzer said. The Indians start a six-game road series against the Hops on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.

Fitzer, who finished 2-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs, entered play with just seven hits in his previous 52 at-bats (.134) over his last 14 games. A two-homer day — his first as a professional — was just what the doctor ordered.

"It's been getting a lot of work in in the cages, stuff like that, making some adjustments, and it felt good today to have it actually show up on the field," Fitzer said.

He had a chance in the eighth inning to make it a three-homer game, but right fielder Randy De Jesus tracked down the long fly ball on the warning track.

"It was close," Fitzer said. "But the wind picked up a little bit and I didn't hit it as well. But yeah, I thought it had a chance at first."

Lost in all the offensive fireworks was the Indians' solid pitching . Starter Yuma Herrera allowed three runs — all solo homers — over four innings, while reliever Fisher Jameson (3-1) turned in his finest performance of the season, tossing four shutout innings on five hits and no walks.

Fitzer got things started for the Indians in the bottom of the first with a solo homer to dead center, his fifth of the season.

Tri-City's Matt Coutney and Anthony Scull launched solo shots in the second to put the Dust Devils up 2-1.

The Indians loaded the bases with one down in the bottom half on two walks and an error. Tevin Tucker struck out but Fitzer delivered again, going the opposite way to right for a line drive grand slam, his second homer of the game and sixth of the season.

"I've had a lot of situations like that this week, and I'm just trying to help the team score runs," Fitzer said. "I just got a good pitch to hit and I put a good swing on it."

The home run parade continued in the third. Indians infielder Kelvin Hidalgo singled with two down and Jacob Hinderleider followed with a long hone run to right field, his third of the season.

Scull hit his second of the game with two down in the fourth to get Tri-City within 7-3.

Spokane got that run back in the fifth. Jacob Humphrey led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a wild pitch that barely left the dirt cut-out around home plate.

Humphrey finished 3-for-5, raising his league-leading batting average to .342.

Mount Carmel and Lemont move up a spot, while Homewood-Flossmoor enters the rankings.

Top 10

With records through Sunday and previous rankings in parentheses.

1. St. Laurence 28-1 (1): Behind the hot hitting of Kentucky recruit Tristan Steger, the Vikings sweep St. Rita and Providence and extend their winning streak to 25 games.

2. Lincoln-Way East 24-3 (2):Nathan Kaminski gets his moment to shine, ripping a pinch-hit grand slam to highlight the Griffins’ 12-2 win over Stagg.

3. Lockport 20-7 (3):Austin Winge strikes out 12 in complete-game effort as the Porters stay perfect in SouthWest Suburban Conference play with a 4-2 win over Lincoln-Way West.

4. Brother Rice 21-8 (4): Texas A&M recruit Brady Cunningham helps the Crusaders sweep Providence before a Catholic League Blue-deciding series this week with St. Laurence.

5. Mount Carmel 20-10 (6): Miami commit Ian Tosi continues strong comeback from 2025’s season-ending injury, allowing just one run over five innings in 10-1 win over DePaul Prep.

6. Lemont 22-3 (7):Cannon Madej shuts down Lincoln-Way West, with all runs unearned in 10-3 victory, extending Lemont’s winning streak to 13 games.

7. Lincoln-Way West 18-6 (5):Michael Petit and the Warriors look to bounce back and stay in the SouthWest Suburban Conference race with Lockport, Lincoln-Way Central up next.

8. Sandburg 16-8 (8): Senior right-hander Noah Highfill throws four strong innings, striking out six and allowing just one hit in the Eagles’ 7-1 win over Plainfield East.

9. St. Rita 19-8 (9): Plenty of ups and downs for the Mustangs, who go 3-3 in a busy week, highlighted by complete-game shutout from Danny Corona in 8-0 win over Rich Township.

10. Homewood-Flossmoor 15-10 (NR): Senior catcher Kamari Dawkins delivers walk-off double in 8-7 victory over Lincoln-Way Central, the first of four wins in four days for the Vikings.

Player of the Week

Freshman catcher/infielder Terrell Hampton-Hall goes 9-for-12 with five runs, four doubles, a triple, a home run and 10 RBIs for De La Salle over four games, all wins.

Josyah Napoleon-Umeda and his Honokaa teammates came for the Monarchs, and they didn’t miss.

Napoleon-Umeda struck out nine batters and didn’t allow a run to beat Damien 3-0 for the Wally Yonamine Foundation Division II state baseball championship on Saturday at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Dragons were undefeated in 17 contests this season but still went into the game overlooked because the team in the other dugout is state royalty in Division II baseball. Honokaa had won only one game on the biggest stage, and that came way back in 2009. The Monarchs, on the other hand, had ruled for two years and sported an 18-2 record in the state tournament, with their only losses coming in championship games. Their state winning percentage of 86% remains the highest in state tournament history, ahead of Maryknoll (83%) and Punahou (82%).

That made the victory all that much sweeter for the scrappy lads from the Big Island and their little lefty.

“We wanted to play the best and beat the best,” Honokaa coach Waylon Salazar said. “It’s just a blessing, good stuff for the kids. We are just super blessed with a super blessed team.”

Napoleon-Umeda allowed only three hits and three walks and never let a Monarch pass second base. His 104th pitch was a weak ground ball to first baseman Rory Crabbe, who ended the Damien dynasty by himself before the Dragons converged on him for the celebration.

“All I had to do is throw strikes and these boys made the plays for me and I am grateful for them,” Napoleon-Umeda said. “I knew that we had it from the very beginning, I just wanted my boys to know that we had it.”

Damien starter Max Detrinis struck out the first batter he faced, but the Dragons punched back immediately. Jayden Salazar laced a single to center and Crabbe bounced a ball over the first baseman for another single. A fielder’s choice ground ball to short scored Salazar and Chrys Coelho placed a long fly ball between the left and center fielders for a double to send Isaac DeRego home with a two-run lead.

The Dragons loaded the bases with one out in the fifth but came away empty on a ground ball back to Detrinis followed by an emphatic strikeout of Hauoli McGurn on a 3-2 pitch. The Dragons, who left 11 runners on base in the game, delivered in the following inning when Napoleon-Umeda walked, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch before Salazar knocked him in with a clean single to left. They threatened but didn’t score again, with Kekona Begonia taking over for beleaguered Detrinis after his 109th pitch and shutting the Dragons down 1-2-3 in the seventh.

Damien had been blanked before, but Napoleon-Umeda befuddled them as much as any pitcher has even though the Monarchs play in the rugged ILH. Napoleon-Umeda’s gem was the first championship game shutout since Bryce Ueno and Damien blanked Radford over five innings in 2018.

“They are a great team, Josyah kept us off balance all day,” Damien coach Skylar Tengan said. “Our hitters had a hard time, and if you can’t hit the ball you can’t win. That was pretty much the bottom line for us. (Detrinis) battled and kept us in the game and that’s all we ask but you can’t win with zero runs.”

Hawaii Prep World

For high school sports record books, visit .

The author of the greatest moment in Mililani baseball history will have to wait for the television replay to fully appreciate it.

Koa Marzo bounced Colten Amai-Nakagawa’s 103rd pitch over the third baseman’s head and into left field for a walkoff single in a 1-0 win over Pac-Five in the Division I championship of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium on Saturday for Mililani’s first title.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know I walked it off until I saw all of my boys rushing toward me,” Marzo said. “I was just trying to get there. It felt great, I mean that’s what we came here for and worked so hard for.”

Mililani and Pac-Five were locked in a scoreless duel until the Wolfpack’s defense finally cracked. Ian Murasaki started the telling inning by pulling a grounder to third but was safe when the first baseman came off the bag to receive the throw. A perfect bunt by Taye Marxen put him on first when the Wolfpack didn’t come up with the ball and Kameron Pongasi loaded the bases with no outs when Pac-Five’s first baseman tried to nab the runner at third but was late. That set up Marzo’s heroics.

“Sometimes you need a little bit of luck to win this tournament,” Mililani coach Mark Hirayama said. “You just have to keep coming out and battling. These guys love each other and like playing for each other. They are close, they are tight. That is the big difference with this group.”

Both pitchers, Mililani’s Ezra Ugale and Amai-Nakagawa of Pac-Five, were superb. Ugale struck out four and allowed only four hits on his 93 pitches and Amai-Nakagawa scattered seven hits on 104 pitches three days after throwing 85 in a first-round win over Kaiser.

“All of our pitchers are dogs,” Marzo said. “Nobody should ever doubt them. They are all good every day. (Pac-Five) did great on their side, too. They have a good pitcher on the mound and we just tried to attack him as soon as possible and do some damage.”

The tension didn’t begin building until the top of the second, when the Wolfpack loaded the bases on a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch. Ugale snuffed the rally, though, getting Titan Dixon to pop to right and Alika Ahu to ground out to second.

Pac-Five’s Amai-Nakagawa kept the momentum, striking the Trojans out in order in the bottom of the frame.

Mililani had the next scoring chance, even if it didn’t come until the fifth inning. Ugale walked and stole second and third bases and took off in a sprint for home on a 3-2 pitch with two outs, but Marzo took a healthy cut at the ball and drove it to deep center field. Jaxon Cadiz got turned around on his way to the warning track and somehow made a stumbling catch, displaying the ball in his glove from flat on his back.

The zero on the scoreboard was Pac-Five’s 19th straight in this state tournament, passing a slew of teams — 2008 Saint Louis, 1963 Farrington and 1960 Baldwin — for third longest scoreless streak in state history. Only ‘Iolani in 1979 (25 scoreless) and 1972 Saint Louis (22) can claim longer streaks than Pac-Five’s.

The streak reached 20 when Amai-Nakagawa, a Hawaii commit, struck out Xavier Sawa looking to strand two runners in the sixth, but ended in the most painful way in the bottom of the seventh inning to lose the game.

“(Amai-Nakagawa) is great on the mound, good command, change of speeds and a little bit of velocity there,” Hirayama said. “UH has got a good one.”

Hawaii Prep World

For high school sports record books, visit .

The Hawaii baseball team had too much unfinished business in Saturday’s 4-2 road loss to UC Davis at Dobbins Stadium on the UCD campus.

A crowd of 547 saw the Rainbow Warriors strand five runners in scoring position, hit into two momentum-deflating double plays and yield a two-run homer that proved to be the margin.

“Two-out hits are golden,” said Hill, whose ’Bows were 1-for-7 with two outs. “We got one with Benny (Zeigler-Namoa) at the end, which was great. I think we left a lot of guys on base. It was tough to score runs. The team that deserved to win the game won the game, in my opinion.”

The outcome evened this three-game series at a win apiece, and dropped the Rainbow Warriors to 25-20 overall and 14-12 in the Big West. The ’Bows remain in a fourth-place tie with Cal State Fullerton, two games ahead of sixth-place UC Irvine, with four games remaining in the regular season. The top five teams qualify for the Big West Tournament.

The Aggies took a 1-0 lead in part because of two debatable calls in the third inning. Joey Wright was ruled to have been struck by a pitch with one out in the third. Wright scooted to third on Zach Story’s double to left. There were no “official” replays, but ESPN+ appeared to show that Wright avoided being hit by the pitch, and UH left fielder Draven Nushida threw out Story at second on the double. Tyler Howard’s RBI grounder produced the game’s first run.

After retiring 10 in a row, Hekili Robello surrendered a one-out triple to Ethan Felix in the seventh inning. Jaxon Murphy followed with an opposite-field single to left to bring home Felix for a 2-0 lead.

One out later, two-way player Braydon Wooldridge showed his rare power with a two-run homer to right for a 4-0 lead.

Hill and pitching coach Keith Zuniga debated intentionally walking the left-swinging Wooldridge or bringing in left-handed reliever Grant Garman. A walk would have brought up the right-handed Wright with runners at first and second.

“Wright scares me,” Hill said.

Hill also noted Wooldridge entered hitting .326 against lefties, .260 against righties. Hill decided to stick with the right-handed Robello, whose pitch count was only at 82.

“I thought (Robello) was in great shape,” Hill said. “His velocity was holding. He was still at 90 mph. He didn’t walk anybody. They had to earn it, and they did.”

Hill added: “We thought we could jam (Wooldridge). He just got the head (of the bat) out a little bit. Got to give him credit.”

The ’Bows cut their deficit in half on Zeigler-Namoa’s two-run double in the eighth. But the ’Bows would get no closer against closer Rowen Barnes, who earned the four-out save, his 11th of the season. Barnes lowered his ERA to 0.85.

UH squandered scoring chances after the leadoff batter reached base in the fourth through seventh innings. In the fourth, Kamana Nahaku was picked off and Zeigler-Namoa was caught stealing. The ’Bows also hit into double plays in the fifth and seventh innings. The ’Bows could not cash in with runners on second and third with one out in the sixth.

Brody Martin-Grudzielanek starts for UH in today’s series finale. UCD might bring back Grayson Bonanno, who pitched a one-inning start on Friday.

Aside from Las Cruces’ pitching dominance, there wasn’t much about the opening weekend of the Class 5A baseball playoffs that moved the needle.

The 12th-seeded Bulldawgs shut out No. 5 Centennial for the second consecutive day, and a 2-0 victory Saturday propelled Las Cruces into next week’s quarterfinals in Albuquerque.

The other seven top seeds join the Bulldawgs in the quarters.

The Thursday quarterfinals look like this: No. 1 Rio Rancho versus No. 8 Mayfield at 4 p.m., and No. 2 Cleveland against No. 7 Eldorado at 7 p.m., both at Santa Ana Star Field.

The other two quarters Thursday are at the Riordan Complex on the West Side, with No. 3 La Cueva facing No. 6 Carlsbad at 4 p.m., followed by the Bulldawgs and No. 6 Piedra Vista at 7 p.m.

Armando Gonzalez twirled a three-hitter for Las Cruces in its win over the Hawks. The Bulldawgs scored both their runs in the fifth.

The top-seeded Rams (23-5) spotted Atrisco Heritage the first two runs but won comfortably, 12-2 in five innings. Wyatt Tinker homered and drove in three runs for Rio Rancho.

Down the road at Cleveland, the Storm (25-3) ousted Sandia with an 8-1 victory. Cleveland put up four runs in the top of the first, which was more than enough run support for Treven Polanco who tossed five solid innings. Peyton Noel doubled twice and drove in a pair of runs for the Storm.

No. 3 La Cueva outscored Hobbs 30-2 in two games; the Bears (25-3) romped 13-1 in Game 2 of this series on Saturday morning.

Dylan Blomker drove in four runs for La Cueva, including a bases-clearing, three-RBI double in the first inning, and Everett Burdett struck out 11 in five innings of work. Mikey McMullan had three RBIs for the Bears.

Piedra Vista (24-4) had 20 hits in an 18-8 rout of Clovis. Kyle Murphy went 4-for-4 with five runs to lead the Panther offense, which put the Wildcats away with seven runs in the first.

No. 6 Carlsbad (18-10) is into Week 2 after a tight, come-from-behind 4-3 win over Organ Mountain. In the fourth inning, EZ Lopez and Ricardo Herrera each drove in a run in the fourth to put the Cavemen ahead for good.

Eldorado (24-4) pounded Rio Grande 16-2 to get to Week 2. Sully Wilson belted a pair of home runs for the Eagles, who finished with 20 hits and jumped on Rio Grande early with a six-run first inning.

Eldorado belted four home runs. Sebastian Mestes went deep and had four RBIs, and Maddox Gonzales hit a homer and drove in three.

In Las Cruces, Mayfield (20-7-1) shut out Los Lunas 10-0 as Brad Springer surrendered just one hit and struck out seven in a complete game. Aden Garcia doubled and had four RBIs for the Trojans.

From Class 4A, ninth-seeded St. Pius (15-12) authored another fantastic finish and ousted No. 8 Grants on Saturday, winning Game 2 of their series 7-3. Diego Trujillo’s two-RBI triple was the key blow in the seventh for the Sartans who next play No. 1 Artesia.

No. 5 Albuquerque Academy and No. 6 Hope Christian both won Game 2’s on Saturday and are into the 4A quarterfinals.

The Chargers (20-7) overcame an early 3-0 deficit, and put up four spots in both the second and third innings for a commanding 9-3 lead. Academy eventually eliminated Los Alamos with a 13-6 win.

Joseph Rounds went 4-for-4 for Academy, and Langston Leigh drove in four runs on three hits.

At Santa Ana Star Field, the Huskies (22-6) looked strong in an 11-6 victory over Belen.

Caleb Pena and Hunter Solwick each recorded three RBIs for Hope, which turned a close game (a 4-2 Huskies lead in the fifth) into something larger with seven runs in that inning.

As with 5A, not a single best-of-3 series required a third game. Artesia, Deming and No. 10 Bloomfield joined the other five in the quarterfinals.

Valley, the 14 seed, lost a pair of one-run decisions to No. 3 Santa Teresa. The Desert Warriors won 2-1 on Friday and 7-6 on Saturday. Bernalillo was swept by No. 2-seeded Goddard.

Thursday’s quarterfinals at the Riordan Complex are as follows: Bloomfield-Goddard at 10 a.m., Santa Teresa-Hope at 1 p.m., Academy-Deming at 3:30 p.m. and Artesia-St. Pius at 6:30 p.m.

In 3A, Sandia Prep advanced, blanking Hot Springs 7-0. The Sundevils (18-8) won by shutout in Game on 1 on Friday, as well.

Logan Lemons was magnificent on the bump for Sandia Prep, firing a 1-hitter while striking out 17 batters. He also had three hits.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.

MINFORD — With the top four teams in the SOC III separated by just three games in all, one can guarantee that every game in the league is, indeed, a gauntlet.

That was no different on Friday evening.

Ultimately, the team who proved to limit their mistakes more than any other in the league was able to claim its official stake at the top of the SOC III in 2026.

The Minford Falcons' baseball program ripped off four runs between two RBI-producing doubles by Ty Borland and Carter Frazie to begin the game, then staved off a rally from South Webster by working out of a pivotal bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the sixth inning en route to claiming a 6-4 triumph at the Red Monster in Minford.

Friday's win clinched no worse of a share of the SOC III Championship for the Falcons, who improved to 17-2 overall and 8-2 in the league.

And from the getgo, Minford head coach Eli Daniels could see how much the game meant to his team.

"The SOC III is just a gauntlet," Daniels said. "Credit to the boys here — they pulled out a gutsy one (on Friday). They came in locked in from the getgo, and they showed it on the field. Great win. Great day."

South Webster, who rallied back from the 4-0 deficit to close within 6-4 behind a strong relief outing from Jeep senior Benaiah Andrews and good situational hitting at different points, never relented but weren't able to string enough timely hits together in key situations in the setback.

"They're a great team," McClintic said. "Hat's off to Minford. We faced their No. 1 and No. 2, and those guys are tough. They're going to be a tough out in the tournament. You just can't make the mistakes that we made in the field and also not capitalize offensively with runners in scoring position and less than two outs and expect to beat a team like this. We battled back and made it interesting, but you've got to be able to do those little things early. We gave them momentum and that made it hard. They just don't beat themselves."

Getting a big effort on the mound from Borland, who worked out of an early jam after allowing Hunter Barnard and Brycin McClintic to reach scoring position via a single, a sacrifice bunt, a walk and a wild pitch but not allowing either to come across by collecting a strikeout and inducing a pop up to end the inning, Minford wasted no time capitalizing to begin the game.

In fact, each of the first four batters reached for Minford, and after a hit batter and a walk, Borland's RBI double to the left center field gap from the three-hole was followed by a two-RBI double on the very next pitch to cleanup hitter Carter Frazie who banged his hit off of the right field wall, resulting in three runs right off the rip without an out recorded in the bottom half.

The Falcons added in a fourth run on a one-out error, ultimately sending 10 batters to the plate in taking its early lead.

"They were great ABs," Daniels said of Borland's and Frazie's at-bats. "They got their pitch and they made it count. They put the ball in play hard. They were both gap shots to the wall, and it started from there. The boys just kept on rolling from that point forward and we did enough damage early."

Unfazed, South Webster's Benaiah Andrews came in for South Webster starting pitcher Jacob McGraw and worked the second through sixth innings as if the four-run first-inning eruption never happened.

Andrews, a multi-year starter and All-Ohio honoree, allowed just three hits and two earned runs the rest of the way, with both earned runs coming off of Max Lauder's RBI double over the South Webster defense in the bottom of the third inning of work.

No. 15 seemed to get stronger as the game wore on as well, as Andrews retired the last nine Minford batters in order, finishing his five innings of relief with three straight strikeouts in the sixth.

"Jacob's been great for us all year," McClintic said. "Guys are just not going to have their best stuff every night, and some unfortunate events led to Jacob coming out of the game there early. It was good to have Benaiah available (on Friday). He's still working himself back into form, and he looked like the All-Ohio pitcher of last year as of late — he's dealt with some injuries. Benaiah comes in, and we know that in any situation, we can trust Benaiah. He's a senior that's been in a lot of games, and whether that's starting or as a reliever, he's done it all. He did a great job to put up a lot of quick innings and zeros for us on the scoreboard, and gave us the confidence to really keep battling back. That was a tough spot for him to come into, and he did an awesome job."

After adding in a run to initially cut Minford's lead to a 4-1 tally in the bottom of the third inning on an Easton Large sac fly RBI, South Webster — trailing 6-1 after the two-RBI double by Lauder — did additional damage in the fourth.

Following a leadoff single to right field by catcher Sam Murphy, Brayden Barnard walked to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Then, with two gone, McClintic came through with a two-RBI single to center field, scoring Brayden Barnard and courtesy runner Jaheim Froe to cut the Minford lead to 6-3 after four complete.

Keeping the pressure on, the Jeeps attempted to turn up the dial further in the top of the sixth. Murphy again got things going after being hit by a pitch, while Brayden Barnard singled back up the middle of the diamond and Hunter Barnard was also hit by a ball, loading the bases with nobody out.

But as they have done throughout the vast majority of the 2026 season, Minford made the plays it needed to.

On a 1-1 count, a groundball to third led to a 5-2 forceout at home plate. This was then followed by the biggest play of the game, where a hard hit baseball by McClintic was fielded on one hop by Lauder at shortstop.

Recognizing the situation and understanding McClintic's speed down the line, Lauder, instead of making the slower flip to second baseman Colt Donahoe, took it upon himself to sprint to the second base bag, then fired to Frazie at first base for the inning-ending double play.

"Max making the double play with the bases loaded was huge," Daniels said. "That was really a big confidence-booster for us. Big credit to Ty Borland and (Minford reliever) Mason Bradley for coming in and shutting them down. They made the pitches when they needed to make them, and we had the fielding behind them that made the plays when they needed to make them as well."

"This is the best lineup we've had one-through-nine," McClintic said. "It never gets to a spot in the order where we feel like we can't get something going, even with two outs and nobody on. We just got productive at-bats all up and down the lineup. We just didn't capitalize on a couple of things early in the game. We had guys on second and third with one out in the inning and couldn't get anybody in. We had bases loaded one time and favorable counts where we had one out. We did a great job working their pitchers. We just weren't able to cash in on those opportunities that we had. We're going to play South Webster baseball, and we're going to do the little things, and if we do the little things, then we're going to win most of the time. We just left a couple of those on the field (on Friday) early on."

Still trailing 6-3 and down to its final out, South Webster attempted to get a two-out rally going as a two-out walk by Jacob McGraw and a passed ball allowed Pierce Kreischer to drive in McGraw with his RBI single to left, cutting the Minford lead to a 6-4 margin. But the offensive production was simply too late as Bradley was able to induce an innocent three-unassisted groundout to end the game following Kreischer's base knock.

"It seems like it's a dogfight every year with South Webster," Daniels said. "You've got to play seven innings against those guys. They're a well-coached team. (Ryan) McClintic's got them playing good baseball year-in and year-out, so it's always a good win when you can beat Webster."

With the victory and at least a share of the SOC III Championship in hand, Minford now turns its focus onto preparing for postseason play. The Falcons will take on Chillicothe Southeastern Monday in Minford, the first of a four-game nonconference stretch with three of those affairs being played at the Red Monster.

"It's great to grab at least a share of the conference title," Daniels said. "That's something we don't take lightly. However, we're out to win every game. The bigger picture is going into the postseason and making a deep tournament run."

As for South Webster (11-7, 4-5 SOC III), its five-game winning streak may have come to an end, but its progression and the high-level situations the Jeeps faced on Friday most certainly did not. South Webster has a chance to get a new streak started Monday when the Jeeps play Logan Elm.

"We've been doing the little things as of late," McClintic said. "This conference is terrific and we enjoy the competition we get from it. I would much rather play a competitive game every night of the week than not play a strong schedule. We look at playing in this league as a blessing. There's a lot of good teams. Pretty much everybody has a chance at making a long tournament run. I love playing games like these. Like I've said before, I wish we could play three or four games against every team in the league, because it's just good baseball."

May 9—ROCHESTER — The Lourdes baseball team started a new tradition this year, going out to eat breakfast together at the Canadian Honker on Saturday mornings before games.

It was senior outfielder/pitcher Easton Gasner's idea and his teammates were on board immediately.

"It was really nice the first time we did it," said senior centerfielder Nolan Rolih, who will play Division I college baseball at the University of Minnesota in 2027. "We had a really cold game later that day, but the game just didn't feel as cold after having an hour or two with your boys at breakfast. It just felt nice. So we kept doing."

Gasner, one of Lourdes' captains, has been an asset to the Eagles on and off the field for a few years. He continues to reach higher after making the 2025 Post Bulletin All-Area Baseball Team as a junior for what Lourdes head coach Dave Jenson described as his "breakout" season.

He is batting .333 through 14 games with two doubles, 10 RBIs, seven runs scored and is 3-for-3 on stolen-base attempts. On the mound, Gasner holds a 3-2 record and a 2.26 ERA across 31 innings pitched. He has limited opponents to 16 runs — 10 earned — and just three walks, with 28 strikeouts.

Gasner's journey on the diamond began with T-ball when he was 4 years old. He eventually transitioned to the Rochester Youth Baseball Association, competing there until his freshman year, when he earned a spot on the varsity roster.

He's grown a lot since that first varsity season at age 14.

"I think I've learned to hit the ball a little better," Gasner said. "Credit to the coaching staff for that one."

Gasner won't play baseball in college, but plans to attend Creighton University to study neuroscience on a pre-med track. It's a career path he's been interested in for a while, growing up with a nurse for a mom. Even though he won't be continuing his playing career at the next level, Gasner said if a spot opens up to be a manager for the baseball team, he would be interested.

He keeps in touch with 2025 Lourdes graduate and PB Baseball All-Area Player of the Year Nick Bowron, who is a freshman catcher for the Bluejays. Gasner said Bowron is among some of his biggest baseball influences.

"I think past seniors, especially Nick and then Isaac Wenszell, who graduated two years ago," Gasner said. "I really look up to those guys to keep working hard and being my best every day."

It's safe to say baseball has been a true passion for Gasner for nearly 15 years. As he finishes up his senior season, he reflected on his favorite part of the sport.

"Being around the guys, for sure," Gasner said. "I won't remember all the wins and losses, but everything we do together will stick with me."

Rolih grew up playing with some of his teammates, including Gasner.

"We've been playing the guy since we were eight," Rolih said. "So it's pretty special to watch these guys grow up and continue to excel in the sport. And it's sad (to be graduating), but it's also a happy ending. We all get to play the game we love together for one last time. And it's a little bit sad at the same time, knowing that I'll never get to play with some of these guys again."

Jenson said this year's group of seniors is the team's strength as the Eagles hold an 8-6 overall record (5-3 Hiawatha Valley League), sitting just behind Cannon Falls and Kasson-Mantorville in HVL standings.

"They work hard together, they have fun being together, they have fun at practice," Jenson said. "We call ourselves brothers because we want to make sure that we hold each other accountable and that we're enjoying each other's successes and then also helping each other if there's something that we need to learn from.

"Or in those situations where things get hard, whether it's in baseball or in life somewhere else. I want to help them know that there's someone there pulling for them, and so I'm really proud of the culture that these seniors have helped develop and promulgate as we move forward."

With Section 1, Class 2A playoffs set to begin Wednesday, May 20, the Eagles are powering through the home stretch of the regular season, which has included playing five games in six days from May 4-9.

"Last year ... we only had four seniors, and so a lot of games, there were three seniors in the lineup last year, so there were a lot of opportunities for guys this year to grow and improve," Jenson said. "All of our six seniors this year had starting roles last year as well. So they've contributed a lot to the success of the program, winning multiple playoff games sophomore year, junior year and we'll see senior year how it goes."

Dripping Springs baseball beat Brandeis 7-2 on Friday night, bringing the Class 6A Division II area playoff series to a draw and forcing a game three. The Tigers will meet the Broncos in Seguin on Saturday afternoon as both teams look to advance to the next round.

ARLINGTON, Texas — It was an ordinary day in an extraordinary run for the Chicago Cubs.

Another 10-game winning streak was in the books Friday after a 7-1 win over the Texas Rangers before 32,394 at Globe Life Field, the second such run of the season for a Cubs team that continues to defy baseball norms.

Ben Brown threw four hitless innings in his first start for the injured Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad notched the win with 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit. Pete Crow-Armstrong made the Rangers’ “Elvis Cam” after catching a sinking liner in center and waved to Ian Happ as he lay on the grass.

3 numbers that stand out in the Chicago Cubs’ 9-game winning streak: ‘It’s pretty special’

And Nico Hoerner did another “Nico thing,” winding up on second when the Rangers middle infielders collided on a grounder up the middle and failed to notice he hadn’t stopped running.

Don’t try to understand it. Just let the wave wash over you and enjoy.

It’s crazy to think this was the first Cubs team since 1935 with a pair of 10-game winning streaks, right?

“Not necessarily,” said Seiya Suzuki, whose two-run home run in the fourth inning sparked the offense early. “We’re just playing our brand of baseball and just weighting the wins. Hopefully we just keep stacking them up.”

The Cubs are celebrating their 150th birthday this season, and according to MLB stats czar Sarah Langs, they’ve had six other seasons with multiple 10-plus-game winning streaks: 1880, 1885, 1886, 1906, 1901 and, as mentioned, 1935. In 1906, they had four double-digit winning streaks in a 116-win season but wound up losing to the White Sox team known as the “Hitless Wonders” in the only all-Chicago World Series.

“Obviously incredible,” Hoerner said of the streak. “It’s crazy. Baseball is a game full of a ridiculous amount of stats and things to look up. Any time you have to go that far back, it’s obviously a good sign, especially on a positive like that.

“Just going to keep it rolling.”

The Cubs already were the first major-league team with multiple nine-plus-game winning streaks since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, who were on their way to their first World Series title.

Oh, and there are still three more weeks in May.

“It gives you goosebumps,” Brown said. “It’s special to be part of. It’s special to witness, special to watch.”

The Cubs have won 20 of their last 23 games, improving to an MLB-best 27-12.

They led 4-1 in the seventh Friday when Hoerner led off with a grounder that shortstop Corey Seager botched while running into Justin Foscue, who was charged with the error. The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.

“That’s Nico,” manager Craig Counsell said. “If there is a play maybe that they show about Nico’s career, they should show that play, because that’s just who he is. That was a great play.”

Hoerner said it was mostly a matter of instinct and something the Cubs are always looking to do at any moment.

“There was not really any thinking or communication on things like that (while) baserunning,” he said. “Always looking to take extra bases and capitalize on opportunities. Our team plays the game pretty hard and always looks for extra bases. … There are always opportunities to seize.”

Seizing the opportunity has been a recurring theme of this year’s Cubs. The pitching staff has been folded, spindled and mutilated but keeps on trucking. Brown started Friday on a bullpen day, knowing he wouldn’t last long but treasuring the opportunity.

Brown said he was able to go out and “play free” and with “nothing to lose.” He lowered his ERA to 1.82 with his first scoreless start since a six-inning stint on May 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. His value as a late-inning leverage guy had to be sacrificed due to the Cubs’ need for a starter after Boyd underwent left meniscus surgery that will sideline him for about six weeks.

“We couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Counsell said of Brown.

Counsell wouldn’t guarantee Brown a start in Atlanta next week but said he’d “be involved in it somehow.” Hard to believe he wouldn’t give him another shot.

Last year the Cubs went into September without losing more than three straight games until a five-game skid from Sept. 19-24. This year they won 10 straight, suffered a three-game losing streak on April 25-27 in Los Angeles and San Diego and now have whipped off 10 straight wins again.

“Look, I think this is a group that’s collectively playing at a high level,” Counsell said. “From a position-player standpoint I think we’re very well-rounded, and that leads to consistency. It doesn’t lead to winning streaks, but it leads to (the fact) you don’t go in long ruts because we have the ability to beat you in a number of different ways offensively, so it’s not just the home run, it’s not just the speed or something like that.

“And we’ve pitched well. If you go back to the starters, we’re not well everywhere pitching, but the starters getting us outs at the start of the game has been a really big part of this thing. All the bullpen chaos and the name-switching and injuries and only one off day really in this whole stretch … the starters getting deep into games is what really sets that up to be possible to happen, in my eyes. And the defense helps the starters so much in that regard too.”

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The Cubs on Friday activated Ethan Roberts, who suffered a freak injury to his right middle finger while working out in mid-April, and sent Gavin Hollowell down to Triple-A Iowa. Roberts pitched a scoreless ninth.

Lefty Caleb Thielbar threw a bullpen Friday and is closer to returning from his left hamstring strain, though he’ll probably go on a minor-league rehab stint in a week. Hunter Harvey had a setback while rehabbing a right triceps injury and will be shut down for another month.

The bullpen chaos has only added to the wild ride, with many different players playing a role.

“People stepping up in roles they maybe weren’t expected to,” Hoerner said, adding, “you’d think there would be two or three stars” carrying the group in two streaks like this.

“We’re fortunate to have a group that has star talent,” he said. “But every part of the roster has been huge for us in big moments in parts of these streaks. And that’s what it takes for a whole season and beyond.”

Photos from the Chicago White Sox’s 12-8 loss to the Seattle Mariners on May 8, 2026, at Rate Field.

May 8—A year ago, Valley baseball went 7-11 and missed the WPIAL playoffs.

That was last year.

This year, the Vikings (14-5) bounced back to have one of the most accomplished regular seasons in Class 4A.

Now, the Section 3 co-champion with Indiana (8-2) is ready to begin what it hopes is a deep postseason run.

Valley will have to wait until May 18 to begin that journey. The WPIAL baseball playoff committee Friday awarded the Vikings the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye. They await the winner of Monday's matchup between No. 7 West Mifflin and No. 10 Ambridge

"I don't think you can measure the excitement level of the guys right now," said coach Jaron Minford, who saw his Vikings hand Class 3A No. 4 Freeport its first loss of the season by a 4-2 score Thursday afternoon.

"They are through the roof with so much energy to get the playoffs started. After last year when they didn't make it, they had something to prove. They set out to prove they belonged, and it is basically the same team as last year, so you can see the hard work they put in to get better paid off. They had goals in mind, and the playoffs were one of them. They are excited to be there, but now the work begins to achieve more of their goals. It won't be easy, as there are so many great teams wanting the same thing as we do. But the guys will be ready."

Indiana (15-4) and Elizabeth Forward (14-5) are the top two seeds in the Class 4A bracket.

Knoch (12-8) is the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 Blackhawk (11-7) at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Pullman Park in Butler. The Knights, the third-place place team in Section 3 behind Indiana and Valley, will attempt to get back in the win column after a challenging slate of games against Pine-Richland, Montour and Ellwood City to close out the regular season.

There again is depth in the Class 5A field with several teams hoping to make a run.

Plum is squarely in the mix after a 17-3 regular season and a tie for second in Section 1 with Latrobe at 9-3.

The Mustangs are the No. 5 seed and will play close to home at 4 p.m. Tuesday. They will face No. 12 Upper St. Clair (9-8) at Gateway.

"To be honest, seeding doesn't really matter," Plum coach Carl Vollmer said. "We learned that last year. We were the No. 2 seed and lost (1-0) to (No. 15) Mars. It really comes down to who has good starting pitching. It's a matter of who is good that day, who executes and who makes the fewest mistakes.

"I feel we had another really good season. (Class) 5A is extremely difficult. There are many teams who could win this. It is tough to say if any one team is a heavy favorite."

Despite a sweep at the hands of Section 3 runner-up West Allegheny earlier this week, Fox Chapel (12-8) locked up fourth in the standings and will enter the Class 5A playoffs as the No. 15 seed. It takes on Section 1 champ Penn-Trafford (15-5) at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Plum.

In Class 3A, the four section champions are the top four seeds. Avonworth, Seton-LaSalle and Ellwood City are seeded No. 1 through No. 3.

Freeport, the Section 3 champion, is the No. 4 seed and will open the playoffs at 4 p.m. Tuesday close to home against No. 13 Quaker Valley (9-10) at Deer Lakes.

"We set a goal to be in the top four for the playoffs, and we are able to check off that box," Yellowjackets coach Ed Carr said. "Our previous goals were a section title and a spot in the playoffs. Every team, when you get into the playoffs, is good. Whether you have the perfect path is irrelevant. You have to win the games at hand and beat the best if you want to win it all."

Freeport and QV have some familiarity having scrimmaged each other in March.

The Yellowjackets averaged nine runs a game in the regular season and were undefeated through 17 games before their loss to Valley.

"I felt it was a necessary game for us to play. We saw their No. 1," Carr said. "It was just a really good baseball game. It was a coin-flip game right to the very end, and we had some good chances."

Burrell, third in Section 3 behind Freeport and Mt. Pleasant, is the 11th seed and will face No. 6 Mohawk (13-5) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pullman Park in Butler.

Some of the Bucs' players know all about making a run as a double-digit seed. Burrell, the No. 14 seed in 2024, advanced to the semifinals and earned a spot in the PIAA playoffs.

Riverview came from the No. 6 seed last year to claim a spot in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs.

The Raiders hope for a similar run over the next few weeks to get past the semifinals and into the title game. They will get that chance starting as the No. 4 seed with a first-round matchup against No. 13 Frazier (9-9) at 6:30 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin.

The Raiders tied OLSH for second in Section 3 at 9-3 behind South Side. The teams split their section-finale series earlier this week.

Apollo-Ridge (11-8), fourth in Section 3, two games behind Riverview and OLSH, owns the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 Shenango (11-8) at 7 p.m. Monday at Seneca Valley. The Vikings split a series with South Side in late March.

Leechburg (9-7) was yet another A-K Valley team to play winning baseball in the regular season, and the Blue Devils, runners-up to Western Beaver in Section 2-A, will enter the Class A playoffs as the No. 5 seed.

Leechburg, which lost a pair of close games to Burrell and Apollo-Ridge to cap the regular season, will face No. 12 Bishop Canevin (6-10) in the first round at 4 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

With the regular season officially in the books, local baseball teams will turn their attention to the Schuylkill League Playoffs, which begin Sunday afternoon at Pine Grove’s Stump Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field.

Tri-Valley went 10-2 in league play to claim the Schuylkill League Division I regular season crown, and Marian Catholic posted a 12-2 league record to finish atop the Division II standings.

Sunday’s quarterfinal matchups are now set after some shuffling in the standings over the final days of the regular season.

Blue Mountain (16-4, 9-3) and Schuylkill Haven (12-8, 10-4) will go head-to-head at 4:30 p.m., followed by Williams Valley (13-7, 11-3) against Pottsville (13-6, 8-4) at 7 p.m.

Stump Stadium will host both the semifinals on Monday and the championship game on Wednesday.

Ticket prices for all playoff games are $6 for adults and senior citizens, and $3 for students.

Blue Mountain vs. Schuylkill Haven – Sunday, 4:30 p.m.

The Eagles won four of their final five games to secure second place in the Division I standings.

Schuylkill Haven won four of its last six games for a third-place finish in Division II.

Blue Mountain was led by a solid core of pitchers, which allowed just 42 runs all season and posted six shutout wins.

Evan Setlock is at the front of that pitching staff, while Riley Sebastian and Ryan Clemas have also eaten solid innings.

Schuylkill Haven, on the other hand, showed off its prowess at the plate this season, scoring nine or more runs in eight games. Alan Evans, Lane Yoder and Landon Trostle have all beefed up the middle of the Hurricanes lineup.

The Eagles defeated Pine Grove 4-3 to close out the regular season. Aiden Finn led the offense with two hits, while Brady Strause, Sonny Amato, Evan Setlock and Josh Hoover all had one hit. Sebastian got the win, working 4.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight.

Schuylkill Haven fell to Shenandoah Valley 3-2 in the regular season finale. The Blue Devils scored two runs in the fifth inning for the comeback win.

Williams Valley vs. Pottsville – Sunday, 7 p.m.

Williams Valley finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak to place second in the Division II standings. Pottsville won three of its final four games to place third in Division I.

Pottsville is locked in on bringing out the bats this postseason as four Crimson Tide batters are batting over .300 with over 45 at bats.

Dominic Rynard leads the lineup with a .391 batting average and 27 hits, Landon Trout has a .324 batting average and has scored a team-high 18 runs, while Max Clews is hitting .321 and Brody Hess is currently batting .311

Williams Valley also trots out a lethal lineup, led by sophomore Fletcher Thompson who is currently batting .433 with 26 hits. He is joined by Cadyn Witmer, who is hitting .353 and John Rautzahn who is batting .290 with 18 hits.

Pottsville fell to Tri-Valley, 1-0, in extra innings in the regular season finale. Clews shut down the Bulldogs for 4.2 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out three.

The Vikings defeated Nativity 4-3 in the regular season finale. Thompson led the way with three hits.

Tri-Valley and Marian Catholic – No. 1 seeds, first round byes

Tri-Valley is on an eight-game winning streak heading into the postseason, locking up the top seed with the win over Pottsville.

Marian Catholic ended the regular season winning 10 consecutive games, including an 8-7 win against Minersville in the regular season finale.

The top-seeded teams received a bye to the semifinals on Monday.

Tri-Valley will take on the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Williams Valley and Pottsville, and Marian Catholic will face Blue Mountain or Schuylkill Haven.

Henry Kusiak was the best hitter on his team for five games with the Long Island Ducks to start his 2026 campaign. But when he got a call at 10 p.m. from his manager, Lew Ford, his first thought wasn’t necessarily optimistic.

“I thought he was going to tell me he traded me,” Kusiak said.

When asked about Kusiak’s thought, Ford laughed and said: “They’re not expecting a call from their manager, usually, on their off day and at night. But I had good news for him, and I knew he was going to be excited.”

That thought had entered the former MSSU star’s mind because the Ducks were loaded with middle infielders. In fact, Kusiak had played outfield to start the season. His position for his career with the Lions at Missouri Southern State University was shortstop.

He was thinking maybe Ford had to make a trade to go get a pitcher or something and clear out some of the second basemen/shortstops on the team.

“He didn’t know how else to tell me other than ‘you’ve been picked up by the (Minnesota) Twins,’” Kusiak said. “I think he was involved in some way, so, I’m thankful to him.”

Ford spoke about having a connection with the Minnesota Twins.

“The Twins have signed a couple of our guys. I do know their contact there, and they ask about guys here, including Henry,” he said. “It’s nice to have familiarity, but he’s the one who did what it took to get signed. I think our team and this league is good exposure for our guys.”

The Ducks are a part of the Atlantic League.

The 25-year-old now has joined the Twins’ Single-A ballclub in Fort Myers, Florida. That team is the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. He played in his first game with them on Wednesday. The Mussels lost 4-3 and Kusiak went 0 for 5 at the plate. He played shortstop in the field.

The first day on the new job is not indicative of what Ford saw in a week’s time.

“He hit well. His bat is a big reason that the Twins had signed him. ... He did make some good defensive plays here for us in the short time. Ultimately, he was ripping the cover off the ball,” Ford said.

Kusiak mentioned he’d piqued the interest of some teams the season prior when he played for the Chicago Dogs. He was optimistic he might get a phone call this season if he got off to a good start. But when asked if he expected it after five games, he said, “Not at all.”

His first call after getting the news was to his girlfriend, Maggie Finnegan, and then his mom and dad, Kathy and Kevin Kusiak.

He said he thought his parents would be OK with coming in second to Finnegan, saying, “They know we’re close.”

“It was emotional,” Kusiak said of calling each of them. “I couldn’t hold it back. I put in a lot of hard work. I haven’t done anything yet, but it’s nice to hit a goal and it’s nice to share that with them.”

He is “grateful” for sacrifices made by his parents and for things such as them letting him live at home with them at the beginning of his pro career and the travel.

“It’s huge. Not making much money and living at home. Having them support me through the grind and having people that believe in you when maybe you don’t,” Kusiak said.

That support is a key factor, he says. He played a year of ball with the Windy City Thunderbolts right after graduating from MSSU in 2024 and then went to the Chicago Dogs.

Continuing his pro journey, he decided he wanted to keep moving around from league to league to try to get his name out there and to be known in various leagues.

But he says that journey isn’t easy.

“It’s hard to take the route through indy (independent league) ball. You wonder if you’re good enough or if you belong here. It’s tough. But I was able to learn from big leaguers,” Kusiak said.

He also gave a call to his former head coach at Southern, Bryce Darnell, and he said Darnell felt the same as his family — proud of him.

As Kusiak continues, he is putting an emphasis on being who he is. He doesn’t want to change anything or strive to be something different. He even wants to take the focus off of “proving” himself.

He says he understands he’ll have to prove himself in order to keep climbing the pro ranks, but he just wants to continue to be himself and just learn.

“It’s a foot in the door. It’s just one more of those. I want to continue to learn and get better,” Kusiak said.

He says he dreamed of playing playoff baseball in the MLB and experiencing that atmosphere. But looking forward, he doesn’t want to worry about chasing a dream because he may never know how far or close that dream is.

CHICAGO — Injuries? No excuses.

Memorable comeback victories? Plenty.

The Chicago Cubs’ torrid stretch has them tied for the best record (26-12) in Major League Baseball coming off a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. They’ve won 19 of 22 games — a 10-game winning streak followed by a brief three-game skid on the West Coast and now nine consecutive wins heading into a road stretch against the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox.

“We’ve played really well,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said at the beginning of the homestand. “Now, the reality is that we’ve had a ton of bullpen injuries and pitching injuries and we have to overcome those. But, yes, all things considered, you look at where our record is and how we’ve gotten there, I think we’ve played well.

“But we have five more months to go and we’ve got to keep doing it.”

As the Cubs put together their latest impressive run, three numbers stand out.

1. 15 consecutive wins at Wrigley Field

The Cubs are loving the home environment, regardless of the sometimes finicky elements.

Who says a home-field advantage can’t provide a tangible boost? The Cubs certainly have been playing like it can. The 15 consecutive wins at Wrigley Field is their longest home winning streak since tallying 18 straight from Sept. 4-22, 1935. It also represents the longest such streak in the majors since 2023, when the New York Yankees won 15 consecutive at home.

“I’m not the type of person to believe something you can’t physically see,” pitcher Shota Imanaga told reporters through interpreter Edwin Stanberry after Thursday’s win. “But I feel like at Wrigley, there’s this power that you can’t see, but you can kind of feel where it’s like with the fans and the cheering, where the other team feels the pressure if you’re on the mound or if you’re up to bat.

“And then on the other side, when we’re up to bat or if we’re pitching, you feel that extra push and support of this power you can’t see. I think there is something there.”

The Cubs just completed their second 7-0 homestand this year — the first time they’ve accomplished that feat in a single season since 1880, according to team historian Ed Hartig.

A pair of four-game sweeps against the Philadelphia Phillies and Reds, both coming at Wrigley, marks the first time the Cubs have recorded multiple four-game sweeps in a season since 2018, when they did it three times against the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets and Reds. The last time the Cubs had at least two four-game sweeps within their first 38 games was 1920.

“It’s pretty special,” left fielder Ian Happ said Thursday. “Four-game sweeps in the big leagues is really hard. Any sweep’s tough, but four games is pretty impressive. Our ability to do it in a bunch of different ways (has) been the most impressive part and (with) contributions from all over the place.”

2. 2.83 rotation ERA

The injury blows haven’t stopped for the Cubs.

The rotation already had been tested with Cade Horton out for the season after elbow surgery and Justin Steele’s return from April 2025 elbow surgery, initial targeted for late May/early June, getting delayed until potentially after the All-Star break because of a flexor strain. Then Matthew Boyd needed surgery on the meniscus in his left knee this week, sustaining the injury while playing at home with his kids.

The Cubs rotation keeps stepping up, though. Its collective 2.83 ERA during the nine-game winning streak is second-best in the majors in that span. Left-hander Imanaga has been everything the Cubs have needed to set the tone. He has allowed just one run, on a homer, in 13 innings over his last two starts while striking out 15 and walking four. Imanaga has lowered his season ERA to 2.28 in eight starts, giving up one run or fewer in six of those games.

It hasn’t fallen solely on Imanaga’s shoulders to keep the staff rolling. Cubs starters’ 54 innings pitched over the last 10 days are the second-most by a big-league rotation. They’ve been able to put together strong innings in part by shutting down opponents’ chances when they do get on base — an MLB-leading 92.2% left-on-base percentage during this stretch — aided by an elite defense.

The Cubs will need continued consistency from Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea to get through this stretch without Boyd and Steele.

3. 52 runs scored

As one of the best offenses in baseball, the Cubs can beat teams in a variety of ways.

The offensive versatility has been on display, especially their ability to win close games. Five of the wins during the nine-game streak were decided by one run, including three straight walk-offs Monday through Wednesday.

The three walk-off wins against the Reds was just the fourth time in franchise history the Cubs recorded three walk-off victories versus the same opponent, according to Elias Sports Bureau. It previously occurred in 1943 and 1932 against the New York Giants and 1932 against the Boston Braves.

Led by hot stretches from Happ (193 weighted runs created plus), first baseman Michael Busch (202 wRC+), center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (171 wRC+) and right fielder Seiya Suzuki (120 wRC+), the Cubs’ 52 runs scored over their last nine games trail only the Yankees (59), and they own the third-highest on-base percentage (.358) and wRC+ (124).

Crow-Armstrong has slugged more home runs (three) during this nine-game winning streak than he hit in his first 29 games (one).

“I just expect he and Michael to get hot here at some point soon,” Hoyer said at the start of the homestand of Crow-Armstrong and Busch. “That’s the thing I like about our offense the most is Nico (Hoerner has) carried us early. He’s not going to keep up that pace, but you know that when he comes down a little bit, we have other guys who sort of haven’t hit their stride yet.

“I look at Pete and Michael in that vein. It’s a matter of time until those guys break out, and when they do, both those guys have a chance to get hot and carry us for a while with their talent.”

NEED TO KNOW

• Ronald McDonald delivered an unusual national anthem before a recent minor league baseball game
• The mascot had fans on their toes before he began to sing
• McDonald then nailed the rendition, leading to widespread praise on social media

Ronald McDonald sang the national anthem at a recent minor league baseball game — and fans were loving it.

The McDonald’s mascot, who appeared in support of the Charlotte Knights’ “Sport a Shirt” charity event with the Ronald McDonald House for their game against the Gwinnett Stripers on Friday, May 1, took to the mound to deliver the song as fans at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. looked on seemingly perplexed.

Knights players exchanged smiles and knowing looks as if a meme was in the making — and then the red-haired fellow hit a home run with his smooth and assured rendition, as seen in video from the game.

“You never know what you’ll see in the ballpark,” the Knights captioned an Instagram post of McDonald’s performance.

His rendition hardly dropped the ball — unlike other memorable national anthem performances — and the mascot drew widespread appreciation online.

“i always knew Ronald had the range,” McDonald’s official X account posted in reply to the clip.

“This might be the most American thing ever,” another user wrote.

“When they ask you to book Michael McDonald but you hear what you wanna hear,” a third commenter joked.

Even a rival gave kudos — kind of — to the clown.

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“Wild that he’s actually better at singing than making burgers,” Wendy’s could not resist commenting.

The unconventional anthem clearly inspired the Knights, the triple-A affiliate for the Chicago White Sox, who went on to destroy the Stripers, 21-1.

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