08/30/2026
REGIONAL SPORTS ROUNDUP
August 30, 2026
COLLEGE
EMU DOWNS RACERS
Murray State volleyball was swept 3-0 (23-25, 25-21, 25-21) by Eastern Michigan on Saturday in its final match of the USI Invitational in Evansville. The Racers led 18-17 in the first set behind four kills from Lily Burnett before Eastern Michigan closed on an 8-of-12 run. Maezi Snyder had four kills in the second set as Murray State mounted a late rally but still fell. Paige Brock’s ace helped the Racers jump ahead 4-0 in the third; she finished with three aces. Eastern Michigan answered with six straight points and closed it out.
Murray State next plays on Friday at the NIU Invitational in DeKalb vs host Northern Illinois, before facing Lindenwood and Portland State on Saturday.
MSU HOSTS GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Murray State soccer will look to earn its first win of the season today when the Racers host Georgia Southern at Cutchin Field at 1 pm this afternoon. Murray State enters at 0-3-1 after a 2-2 draw with UT Martin on Thursday. Breece Bass leads the Racers with one goal and remains a key offensive threat.
Georgia Southern arrives unbeaten through five matches at 3-0-2, including wins over North Florida and FGCU. The Eagles have allowed just three goals this season and have outshot opponents 78-64. Sunday’s match will be the first meeting between Murray State and Georgia Southern and will stream on ESPN+.
GROUND BROKEN ON TFP
Murray State has broken ground on Phase 3 of the Johnny Reagan Field at the Taylor Family Park renovation, adding premium seating and fan amenities for Racer Baseball. The project includes two new buildings with premium suites, a club space, new concessions, and on-site restrooms. New entrances with signature archways and enhanced Racer branding will also update the arrival experience. The upgrades come after the program set attendance records last year and are meant to improve the game-day experience for players, fans, donors, and corporate partners.
PROS
CARDINALS REPORT
Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis 6-2 yesterday to force a rubber game at 1:15 today in the three-game series. Brandon Lowe led off the scoring with a solo homer in the first before Joshua Báez tied it with a solo shot in the third. The Pirates then pulled ahead on Jacob Gonzalez’s RBI single in the fourth and Rafael Flores three-run homer in the fifth. St. Louis got one back in the sixth on a pair of Pittsburgh errors and then Nick Gonzales added an RBI double in the ninth.
Carmen Mlodzinski earned the win in relief (3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER) and Rookie Brycen Mautz took the loss in his MLB debut after allowing four runs in three innings despite eight strikeouts. The Pirates collected 11 hits to the Cardinals’ three. Today the Pirates send RHP Braxton Ashcraft (13-5, 3.59 ERA) against Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (5-12, 5.44 ERA). Airtime is set for 12:30 this afternoon on WNBS.
TITANS REPORT
The Chicago Bears closed the preseason with a 24-15 victory over the Tennessee Titans last night at Nissan Stadium. Chicago jumped out quickly on a 97-yard touchdown pass from Tyson Bagent to rookie Zavion Thomas on the opening play and never trailed. Bagent was nearly perfect, completing 16 of 17 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.
Thomas finished with five catches for 140 yards and a touchdown, while the Bears' defense held Tennessee scoreless in the third quarter. Will Levis started for the Titans and completed 14 of 22 passes for 143 yards, while D'Ernest Johnson scored Tennessee's lone touchdown late. The Titans and Bears each finished the preseason 2-1.
NASCAR RECAP
Ryan Preece delivered a dramatic upset last night at Daytona International Speedway, winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in overtime for his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory. Preece stretched his fuel mileage through the closing laps and took the lead just before a late caution ended the race, finishing ahead of Daniel Suárez, Tyler Reddick, Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse.
The victory moved Preece past Shane van Gisbergen for the 16th and final spot in the Chase. Van Gisbergen, who entered the night with a 31-point advantage, finished 28th after making a late pit stop and was eliminated from postseason contention. The race ran six laps beyond its scheduled 160-lap distance and featured a chaotic final-lap crash. The Chase begins next Sunday at Darlington Raceway
SATURDAY'S SCOREBOARD
COLLEGE
FOOTBALL
MFVC
#12 South Dakota 59, Central Connecticut 20
SEMO 23, Indiana State 21
#3 South Dakota State 70, Stetson 7
#4 Illinois State 76, St. Francis (IL) 0
AREA GAMES
Western Carolina 45, EKU 21
#14 Tennessee Tech 38. #22 Monmouth 14
Jackson State 26, Tennessee State 24
Campbell 49, ETSU 37
Memphis 27, UNLV 21
VOLLEYBALL
Eastern Michigan 3, Murray State 0
Jackson State 3, UT Martin 1
Kentucky 3, South Florida 0
Tennessee 3, Morehead State 0
SIU 3, East Texas A&M 1
Oregon 3, SEMO 1
WKU 3, SEMO 0
HIGH SCHOOL
BOYS SOCCER
South Warren 1, Murray 1
Warren Central 2, Murray 2
Warren Central 6, Marshall County 2
South Warren 1, Marshall County 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Murray 1, Henderson County 1
Assumption 3, McCracken County 1
VOLLEYBALL
Henry Clay 2, Carlisle County 1
University Heights 2, Carlisle County 1
Carlisle County 2, Allen County-Scottsville 1
Christian County 2, Carlisle County 0
Ballard Memorial 2, Lyon County 0
Ballard Memorial 2, Adair County 0
Ballard Memorial 2, Owensboro 1
Ballard Memorial 2, Ohio County 0
Graves County 2, McLean County 0
Graves County 2, Hancock County 0
Graves County 2, Todd Central 0
Graves County 2, Thomas Nelson 0
Bowling Green at McCracken County
Livingston Central 2, St. Mary 0
St. Mary 2, Trigg County 1
Tilghman 2, Livingston Central 1
Tilghman 2, Trigg County 1
Edmonson County 2, Lyon County 0
Madisonville-NH 2, Lyon County 1
University Heights 2, Lyon County 0
AREA PROS
MLB
Pirates 6, Cardinals 2
Cubs 17, Reds 5
Braves 2. Rockies 1
White Sox 3, Twins 2
Royals 8, Guardians 3
NFL PRESEASON
Bears 24, Titans 15
Lions 25, Colts 16
SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE
COLLEGE
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Georgia Southern at Murray State
Alabama A&M at SIU
Indiana State at Austin Peay
SEMO at North Alabama
NKU at Morehead State
Marshall at UT Martin
Wright State at Kentucky
Akron at Louisville
VOLLEYBALL
SIU vs Texas Southern
Morehead State vs Colgate
AREA PROS
MLB
Pirates at Cardinals
Reds at Cubs
Rockies at Braves
White Sox at Twins
Royals at Guardians