06/05/2026
REGIONAL SPORTS ROUNDUP
June 5, 2026
HIGH SCHOOL
MUSTANGS ROLL IN OPENER
McCracken County breezed to a 6-0 win over Bowling Green yesterday in the opening round of the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament at Legends Field in Lexington. Caden Kern pitched the complete game shutout and helped his cause with a triple and 2 RBIs. The Mustangs improved to 32-8 and will play Sayre at 9 am tomorrow after the Spartans rolled Johnson Central 13-4.
In other games yesterday, Boyd County defeated South Oldham 5-1, and 2nd Region champion University Heights smashed Wolfe County 9-1. In today's games, Campbell County battles LaRue County at 9, Apollo faces Whitley County at 12:30, Trinity takes on Bullitt East at 4, West Jessamine takes on Beechwood in the 7:30 nightcap. All times are CDT.
BOMBERS BEGIN STATE JOURNEY
The KHSAA State Softball Tournament continues today at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington. Region 1 champion Ballard Memorial will play at noon against Hazard. The Bombers are 24-14 after winning 14 of their last 16 games while the Lady Bulldogs bring a 23-12 record into the tournament. Region 2 champion Henderson County plays Pulaski County at 4 pm today. In other games today, Bullitt East faces Assumption at 9 am and Ashland Blazer battles George Rogers Clark at 7 pm.
In yesterday's opening round games, Highlands blanked South Laurel 3-0, North Hardin edged Apollo 4-3, Madison Central bested Lawrence County 7-1, and South Warren crushed Oldham County 12-0. All times are CDT.
ADAMS NAMED VOLLEYBALL COACH
Calloway County High School has named former Lady Lakers standout Gracie Adams as its new head volleyball coach after coaching the middle school program last year. She succeeds Gracee Murphy. Adams told the Murray Ledger and Times that Murphy encouraged her to consider the position, and she hopes to build on the program’s recent success while serving as a positive role model for players.
COLLEGE
ANOTHER GIFT FOR MSU ATHLETICS
Murray State Athletics has received a $125,000 gift from Drs. Bob and Joyce Hughes to support the Vision for Excellence Fund through the Leading the Pack capital campaign. The donation will help fund strategic initiatives, facility improvements, and revenue-sharing efforts within the athletics department. The gift adds to Murray State's recent fundraising success, as the university has raised a record $43 million over the past two years for facilities, programs, and championship resources.
TEXAS CLAIMS WCWC TITLE
Texas beat Texas Tech 4-1 to win its second straight Women's College World Series softball title. Kayden Henry went two-for-four with a home run to lead the Longhorns. Citlaly Gutierrez allowed a run in four-and-a-third innings to earn the win before Teagan Kavan struck out five of the six batters she faced to lock down the save. Kavan was named the Most Outstanding Player of the WCWS, becoming the first person to win the award twice.
SUPER REGIONALS BEGIN
College baseball Super Regionals begin today, and OVC Champion Little Rock will play against fellow Trojans in the Troy Super Regional. Departing Little Rock is the first OVC team to advance to a Super Regional since Tennessee Tech in 2018. Game one of the Trojans vs Trojans matchup airs at 4 pm today on ESPNU with tomorrow's 2 pm game airing on ESPN2. A third game will be played Sunday at a time to be determined. Seven SEC teams are playing in Super Regionals with Auburn, Georgia, Texas, and Alabama hosting.
OL COMMITS TO VANDY
The Vanderbilt football team landed a commitment on Thursday. Four-star offensive lineman Jasper Ngokwere announced his pledge to the Commodores. The Richardson, Texas native chose Vandy over offers from Texas and Texas Tech, among others.
VOLS FIRE REYNOLDS
The Tennessee baseball team parted ways with one of its coaches. The Vols fired pitching coach Josh Reynolds after just one season on the job. Reynolds was promoted from Director of Pitching Performance, a role in which he spent one season with UT.
PROS
CARDINALS REPORT
The St. Louis Cardinals continue their homestand when they begin a series against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium tonight. The Cardinals just dropped two of three against the Texas Rangers earlier in the week and enter the weekend in third place in the NL Central at 32-28. The Cardinals send Kyle Leahy to the mound for the 7:15 game with a 6:20 pregame show airtime on WNBS.
JUDGE INJURED
The Yankees announced yesterday that outfielder Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side. Judge will undergo imaging in about four to six weeks to determine his level of healing, but the expectation is for him to return this season. The 34-year-old also sustained a stress fracture in one of his right ribs prior to the 2020 season.
NBA PLAYOFFS
The NBA Finals are back tonight as the Knicks and Spurs square off in San Antonio for Game Two in the best-of-seven series. New York took an early lead after clawing back from a 14-point deficit to stun the Western Conference champions with a comeback win. The Knicks have won a dozen playoff games in-a-row while the Spurs hope Victor Wembanyama can bounce back from a poor performance in Game One.
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
The Stanley Cup Final is even following the first two games of the series. The Carolina Hurricanes put together a thrilling comeback to erase a late two-goal deficit and Seth Jarvis lit the lamp early in overtime to help them take down the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game Two. Mark Jankowski, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven also scored for Carolina. The best-of-seven series is now tied 1-1 heading to Sin City. Brett Howden scored twice and Mark Stone also found the back of the net for Vegas. The Golden Knights host the Hurricanes for Game Three on Saturday.
AREA HOCKEY REPORT
The St. Louis Blues are bringing back a pair of players. The team signed forwards Zach Dean and Dylan Peterson to one-year, two-way extensions yesterday. Dean has not played at the NHL level since 2023-24, while Peterson has yet to play a game past the AHL.
SELECT DERBY TICKETS ON SALE
Some tickets for the next Run for the Roses are now on sale. As of yesterday, two-day general admission infield tickets can be purchased, as well as two-day, all-inclusive tickets for the Homestretch Club, Starting Gate Courtyard and Ford First Turn. The 153rd Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will be held next May at Churchill Downs in Louisville. You can contact the Sales Department at Churchill Downs for more information.
SOCCER TEAMS BEGIN ARRIVING
Soccer fans in Chattanooga are on high alert. The Spanish national team arrives today ahead of its training camp for the upcoming World Cup. Fans are being told to line up outside the Embassy Suites and give the team a warm welcome. The Spanish team has several training events lined up where the public will be able to see the squad prepare for the World Cup, which is being held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico later this month.
AREA MINOR LEAGUE REPORT
The Memphis Redbirds shut out the Louisville Bats 1-0 at home. The Nashville Sounds scored six runs in the third inning to beat the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 8-3 on the road. The Springfield Cardinals earned a 6-4 win over the Frisco RoughRiders at Riders Field yesterday. Dakota Harris paced the offense by going three-for-four with a home run and three RBIs.
THURSDAY'S SCOREBOARD
AREA PROS
MLB
Blue Jays 7, Braves 2
Royals 8, Twins 6
Cubs 7, Athletics 6
KHSAA STATE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
(LEGENDS FIELD-LEXINGTON)
McCracken County 6, Bowling Green 0
Boyd County 5, South Oldham 1
Sayre 13, Johnson Central 4
University Heights 9, Wolfe County 1
KHSAA STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
(CROPP STADIUM-LEXINGTON)
North Hardin 4, Apollo 3
Highlands 3, South Laurel 0
Madison Central 7, Lawrence County 1
South Warren 12. Oldham County 0
FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE
HIGH SCHOOL
KHSAA STATE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
(LEGENDS FIELD-LEXINGTON)
West Jessamine vs Beechwood
Trinity vs Bullitt East
Campbell County vs Larue County
Apollo vs Whitley County
KHSAA STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
(CROPP STADIUM-LEXINGTON)
Ballard Memorial vs Hazard
Bullitt East vs Assumption
Ashland Blazer vs George Rogers Clark
Henderson County vs Pulaski County
AREA PROS
Reds at Cardinals
Giants at Cubs
Pirates at Braves
White Sox at Phillies
Royals at Twins