Sentnor and Biyendolo score 2 each and US women beat Jamaica 4-0

Sentnor and Biyendolo score 2 each and US women beat Jamaica 4-0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored two goals and the United States beat Jamaica 4-0 on Tuesday night after the team honored longtime defender Becky Sauerbrunn. Sentnor scored in the 19th minute, then formed a heart with her hands in celebration. She scored her second off a deflection 10 minutes later. The 21-year-old 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year, who now has four international goals, credited her teammates. "They're really easy to play with at moving the ball," Sentnor said. "I'm still trying to work to get better for them." Biyendolo scored in the 60th minute, three minutes after coming into the game as a substitute. She added a second in the 88th minute off a cross from Avery Patterson. Biyendolo has 24 career goals. "I do feel like, there is so much more to us than there was 12 months ago. And that's how you have to look at progress," coach Emma Hayes said. "With Ally Sentnor, unbelievable finisher. Lynn Biyendolo, to come into a game and close it out, (it's) really good for us to have both those options." Phallon Tullis-Joyce made her second consecutive in goal for the United States as Hayes looks for a successor to longtime goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who retired last year. It was her third straight clean sheet. While Tullis-Joyce didn't face any shots on goal, it has been important for her to build connections with her teammates, Hayes said. "When you play in goal for this team, your behaviors have to be that you wait for one moment, and you have to be alert to that. I can see the progress is being made in Phallon's game, and I'm quite happy that she had a really quiet evening," Hayes said. Jamaica, which has never beaten the U.S, started two sets of sisters — Allyson and Chantelle Swaby, and Kalyssa and Amelia Van Zanten. The U.S. was coming off a 3-0 victory over China on Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota. The national team was originally scheduled to play a pair of matches against China, but Chinese officials in Aprilpulled out of the second gameand Jamaica filled the spot. Before the game, the United States honored Sauerbrunn, whoretired from soccer late last year. The St. Louis native, whose international career spanned 16 years, is a two-time Women's World Cup winner and an Olympic gold medalist. Fans, who received a bobblehead in her image, gave her a standing ovation and chanted her name in a pregame ceremony. Sauerbrunn, who recently announced that she is expecting her first child with partner Zola Short, also served in her new role as a television commentator for the match. The United States next plays a pair of matches against Ireland, the first on June 26 in Commerce City, Colorado, and the second on June 29 in Cincinnati. The U.S. will also play Canada on July 6 in Washington D.C. ___ AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byMario Satorik

in

June 04, 2025

Sentnor and Biyendolo score 2 each and US women beat Jamaica 4-0

Sentnor and Biyendolo score 2 each and US women beat Jamaica 4-0 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored two goals and ...

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Astros' McCullers gets first win since 2022 after overcoming injuries, death threats

Astros' McCullers gets first win since 2022 after overcoming injuries, death threats

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lance McCullers Jr. finally got some peace of mind on Tuesday night. The Astros right-hander pitched six scoreless innings to get his first win since Sept. 21, 2022, as Houstonbeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0.McCullers missed the 2023 and2024 seasonsbecause of injuries and had not won in five starts this year since beingactivated from the injured liston May 4. McCullers (1-1) struck out seven and walked one while outdueling Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who gave up one run — on a solo homer by Christian Walker in the seventh — in eight innings. "It took a while, but we got there," McCullers said of getting the win. "I'm just happy that I'm kind of back in the mix with the guys, and I'm able to give them legitimate opportunities to win." McCullers was also happy to have a difficult off-field situation behind him. A drunken bettor who made online death threats aimed at McCullers' family lives overseas andtold Houston police he was sorryfor what he had done, a department spokesperson said Monday. McCullers received the threatson social media directed at his children after a poor start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10 in which he allowed seven runs while recording only one out. The Astros said Houston police and MLB security were notified. McCullers and his wife Kara have two young daughters. Astros owner Jim Cranehired 24-hour securityfor them. Police public information officer Erika Ramirez said the man who made the threats was identified during an investigation. Because no charges have been filed, police are not disclosing his identity or where he lives. "I don't want to keep on about it, but a lot of thanks go to the Astros, the Astros security, Jim Crane, MLB security, my teammates, the HPD," McCullers said. "Having resolution is nice. Not being close to Houston is nice. The fans are super supportive, too, and I appreciate that. It's good that it's behind us and our family feels safe again." The man told police that he would like to apologize to McCullers for the threats. McCullers said he would accept. "As a follower of Christ and called to love our neighbor and forgive, I would be open to that," he said. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byMario Satorik

in

June 04, 2025

Astros' McCullers gets first win since 2022 after overcoming injuries, death threats

Astros' McCullers gets first win since 2022 after overcoming injuries, death threats PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lance McCullers Jr. finally got s...

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How Trump’s DOGE cuts package could put GOP in a bind

How Trump's DOGE cuts package could put GOP in a bind

DOGE isn't dead, both President Donald Trump and Elon Musk assured last week as Musksaid goodbyeto the Trump administration. But the already dicey effort Musk led could soon become even more so. That's because the White House is now asking Congress to sign off on some of the cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency sought to make unilaterally. Andthe first set of cutsthe White House has sent over to Capitol Hill epitomizes the dilemmas that lay ahead for Republicans. The dollar amount – $9.4 billion – is a tiny fraction of the federal budget, and the administration appears to be targeting low-hanging political fruit. But polling suggests the votes could still be tough ones. The idea is to make the cuts more permanent by having Congress pass what's known as a "rescissions" package. This would codify the DOGE cuts into law, so that they can't be reversed by the next administration or overturned by the courts. Musk and fiscal conservatives havepushed for this, aiming to put a more lasting stamp of approval on cuts that havefailed to live up to Musk's billingand could ultimatelyprove to be even less than meets the eye. The effort is also important as many of the same Trump allies have balked at the price tag of the president's"Big Beautiful Bill"and want evidence that the administration is serious about spending cuts. Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday afternoon that the House had received the White House's request and vowed to put it on the floor for a vote "as quickly as possible." A lot will depend on how it's received and whether it passes. Such legislation needs only a majority of both chambers, meaning Republicans have the votes if they keep their side in line. "We are intending to be strategic, work with Congress, see what they're willing to do, and if they pass this, we'll send up many more," Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told Fox News on Tuesday. But doing that is no small task. Spending cuts are often popular in theory but much less so in practice, when you get into specific things that will be taken away. Musk's and DOGE's effortsquickly fell out of favorwith the American public, with polls showing both have become rather unpopular and Musk's efforts to impact a high-profile state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin falling flat. It's not difficult to see this legislative effort struggling and Trump – who has always talked much more about cutting spending than actually doing it – getting cold feet. Let's take a look at what's in the first rescissions package, and how it could test Republicans politically. The White House is aiming to make good on a long-standing conservative push toend federal funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. This accounts for $1.1 billion of the rescissions package, according to Johnson's office Tuesday. But just because conservatives have been pushing this for a long time doesn't mean it's popular. AMarch Pew Research Center pollshowed Americans supported continuing the funding rather than ending it, 43% to 24%. (About one-third of Americans offered no opinion.) Republicans and Republican-leaning voters were more in favor of the cuts, but even there it didn't seem to be a huge priority. While 44% wanted to end the funding, 19% – 1 in 5 – wanted to continue it. And past polling suggests this could be even more unpopular than those numbers suggest, depending on how the cut is sold. A2017 Quinnipiac University poll, for instance, asked about the prospect ofeliminatingthe Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Americans back then said it was a "bad idea," 70% to 25%. Getting 7 in 10 Americans to align on any given issue is difficult, but this one did the trick. This could also be a hurdle for some key Republican votes in the Senate and the closely divided House. Some Republicans from rural areas could worry this would decimate key news and educational programming in their areas. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, for instance, wrote an op-ed last month hailing public broadcasting and warning the administration against cuts. She called it an "invaluable resource that saves lives in Alaska." She noted some local stations in Alaska rely on the funding to operate – for as much as 30% to 70% of their budgets – at relatively low cost to taxpayers. Indeed, as CNN's Brian Stelter noted in April, the annual budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is about $535 million, or$1.60 per taxpayer. That makes it a tiny drop in the bucket when it comes to budget-cutting – but one the people who rely on the programming could quickly notice, particularly if it suddenly disappears. The Pew survey found about 1 in 5 American adults say they regularly get news from both NPR and PBS. It's a group that skews toward Democratic-leaning Americans, but still includes about 1 in 10 Republican-leaning ones. The lion's share of the money in the first rescissions package ($8.3 billion, according to Johnson's office) deals with what it calls "wasteful foreign aid spending." That gets to a key target of Musk and DOGE: the US Agency for International Development (USAID). And Republicans – includingformer USAID cheerleaders like Secretary of State Marco Rubio– have largely been in lockstep against this funding. This one is a little more complicated, politically. One the one hand, Americans generally think we send too much money overseas. AFebruary KFF pollshowed 58% of Americans said the United States spends "too much" on foreign aid. But people also vastly over-estimate the amount of money involved. The same poll showed the average person estimated foreign aid was 26% of the budget; the actual number is about 1%. When the pollster told respondents about the actual figure, the percentage who said the government spends "too much" dropped from 58% all the way down to 34%. Among Republicans – the group most critical of foreign aid – it dropped from 81% to 50%. We've also seen that Americans generally don't like the idea of ending most or all foreign aid. AMarch Pew pollshowed Americans opposed ending "most" USAID programs, 45% to 35%. The gap was similar in aMarch Reuters/Ipsos pollthat asked about shuttering USAID. And aFebruary CNN pollconducted by SSRS showed Americans said Trump shutting down entire government agencies like USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was a "bad thing," 53% to 28%. The rescissions package doesn't seem to go that far. Based on what OMB teased on social media Tuesday, it instead focuses on programs that might sound ridiculous to some. The administration has oftenmisstated what these programs actually do, but many of them are obscure-sounding. They involve things like cultural programs in foreign countries and often things like DEI, gender equity and LGBTQ issues. And there, the administration could be on more solid ground.A Pew survey, for instance, showed that just 34% of Americans support foreign aid for "art and cultural activities." But some of the measures could test public support. For instance, the administrationsaid it's requestinga rescission for $135 million in funding to the World Health Organization, which polls suggest isrelatively popular. According to OMB, that includes money for circumcision, vasectomies and condoms in the African country of Zambia – part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. PEPFAR is popular. And the Pew survey showed83% of Americanssupport using foreign aid for "providing medicine and medical supplies to developing countries." Ultimately, the GOP's ability to sell these cuts – and feel confident voting for them – will depend in large part on whether Americans just see them broadly as cuts to obscure foreign aid programs, or if they view them as relatively modest investments in important programs. The real drama could come if the White House asks for more significant USAID cuts on programs beyond the ones they've cited in their talking points – programs that account for a much larger chunk of that 1%. The administration has struggled, for instance, to account for its changes to PEPFAR, which reports indicate havejeopardized the waragainst AIDS in Africa. The administration seems to view these initial rescissions cuts as the most politically palatable. But even they could test lawmakers' tolerance for signing off on DOGE's work – and could determine whether Republicans in Washington will press forward in actually voting on cuts. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byMario Satorik

in

June 04, 2025

How Trump’s DOGE cuts package could put GOP in a bind

How Trump's DOGE cuts package could put GOP in a bind DOGE isn't dead, both President Donald Trump and Elon Musk assured last week a...

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Hawley spars with legal professor over injunctions blocking Trump

Hawley spars with legal professor over injunctions blocking Trump

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sparred with a legal professor during a Tuesday congressional hearing over nationwide injunctions issued by district court judges against President Trump's administration. Hawley, during the Senate Judiciary joint subcommittee hearing,presented a graphshowing that the number of injunctions issued against Trump is far higher than other recent U.S. presidents. "You don't think this is a little bit anomalous?" Hawley asked University of Pennsylvania Law School professor Kate Shaw. "A very plausible explanation, senator, you have to consider is that he [Trump] is engaged in much more lawless activity than other presidents, right," Shaw said. "You must concede that as a possibility." Hawley argued that nationwide injunctions, which judges have issued in recent months to temporarily halt or slow down the actions of the executive branch, had not been used before the 1960s and that "suddenly Democrat judges decide we love the nationwide injunction, and then when Biden comes into office, no, no." Shaw, a Supreme Court contributor for ABC News, noted that Republican-appointed justices have also imposed injunctions against the administration and added that the 1960s was "where some scholars begin — sort of locate the beginning of this." The professor, who worked in the Obama White House Counsel's Office, said that Mila Sohoni, "who's another scholar of universal injunction, suggests 1913 is actually the first and others in the '20s." "The federal government was doing a lot less until 100 years ago," Shaw said. "There's many things that have changed in the last 100 or the last 50 years." "So as long as it is a Democrat president in office, then we should have no nationwide injunctions," Hawley said during the exchange. "If it's a Republican president, then this is absolutely fine, warranted and called for." During Trump's second White House term, judges have ruled against the president's efforts regarding mass deportations, federal funding cuts, efforts to terminate federal workers and tariffs. Other GOP senators voiced their displeasure with the judges' rulings during the Tuesday hearing. Republicans in Congressintroduced measuresearlier this year that would curb nationwide injunctions, saying it would prevent jurists from overreaching, while Democrats have said that judges are just doing their jobs. The Missouri senator also asked, "How can our system of law survive on those principles, professor?" "I think a system in which there are no constraints on the president is a very dangerous system," Shaw responded. Hawley fired back at Shaw, saying that it was not the argument she used when former President Biden occupied the Oval Office. "You said it was a travesty for the principles of democracy, notions of judicial impartiality and the rule of law," Hawley said. "You also said when Joe Biden was president, you said the idea that anyone would foreign shop to get a judge who would issue a nationwide objection was just judges looking like politicians in robes, again, it threatened the underlying legal system. It was just trying to get the result they wanted. It was a travesty for the rule of law," the GOP lawmaker added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

byMario Satorik

in

June 04, 2025

Hawley spars with legal professor over injunctions blocking Trump

Hawley spars with legal professor over injunctions blocking Trump Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sparred with a legal professor during a Tuesday c...

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2026 NFL draft: 10 prospects who could be poised to rise this season

2026 NFL draft: 10 prospects who could be poised to rise this season

Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports calledProject: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps. The top of every NFL draft typically features at least a handful of players who have been well-known figures for some time. But plenty can change over the course of a year – and several prospects typically ensure there's somewhat of a shake-up. With teams often placing a premium on upside in their picks, a breakout season can go a long way toward shifting consensus about a player's draft stock. And with the proliferation of transfers and several late bloomers finding their stride deep in their collegiate careers – including the likes of 2025 first-rounders Tyler Warren and Matthew Golden, among others – several players could be poised this fall to enjoy an exponential surge to a higher position on draft day. With less than three months until the college football season begins, these 10 players – none of whom are quarterbacks, withthe potential risers at that position already covered last month– could be prime candidates to rise on draft boards in the coming months: A top-five overall recruit in 2023, Branch showed off his explosiveness right away as a freshman for USC, scoring four touchdowns in his first three games. The former track champion – he ran a 10.33-second 100-meter dash as a sophomore –earned USA TODAY Sports' first-team All-American slot as a returnerafter taking back 24 kicks for 442 yards and a touchdown along with 16 punts for 332 yards and one touchdown. As a sophomore, however, he hit an apparent wall playing for a Trojans squad in transition. Although he tied for second on the team with 47 receptions last season, he scored just one touchdown and averaged 10.4 yards per reception while also seeing his special teams contributions be severely limited. After transferring to Georgia along with older brother Zion, the 5-10, 180-pounder will be called on to provide some easy wins in the passing game for expected new starting quarterback Gunner Stockton as part of a remade receiving corps. If he can re-establish his credentials as an electric playmaker by turning quick hits into long gains against the Southeastern Conference's top competition, he'll be firmly on NFL teams' radar as a potential early pick. Since he took a kickoff back 100 yards in his first collegiate game, Brown has held a special place as one college football's most lethal speed merchants. While he delivered on his potential as a returner with an SEC-record five career kickoffs taken back for touchdowns, Kentucky's dysfunctional offense limited him to career lows of 29 catches and 361 receiving yards last season. Now slotted to complementfellow transfer Nic Anderson at LSU, Brown could thrive in the Garrett Nussmeier-helmed aerial passing attack that should be in a good spot to unlock the 5-11, 180-pounder's field-stretching ability. Drops have plagued him at times, however, and he'll need to be a more reliable presence – particularly in his route-running – to avoid being pigeonholed as a gadget player and specialist. When it comes to unrealized potential, Harbor might be the most compelling figure in college football not namedArch Manning. With an unprecedented blend of size (6-5, 235 pounds) and speed (10.11 seconds in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore), the former five-star recruit is a singular challenge for defensive backs. But after splitting time between football and track, Harbor now has placed his full focus on the former since the spring. The more detailed approach that has been lauded by Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer could yield a massive payoff in the fall, with rocket-armed star quarterback LaNorris Sellers poised to take advantage of all that Harbor can offer as a downfield target. If his production takes a significant leap from last year's totals of 26 catches and 376 yards, expect a proportionate surge in his draft stock. WhileJeremiah Smithwon't be eligible for the draft until 2027, Tate could give Ohio State its fifth consecutive year with at least one receiver landing in the first round. While the 6-3, 191-pounder isn't a pure burner like others on this list, he follows other recent Buckeyes standouts in creating consistent separation with advanced precision and tempo in his route-running. After notching 52 catches for 733 yards last season as the No. 3 receiver, Tate could flourish in becoming the secondary weapon who benefits from the attention devoted to Smith, with a sizable jump from last year's totals of 52 catches and 733 yards likely in store. Building a game on craft rather than flash helped former teammate Emeka Egbuka secure a slot on Day 1 this year, and the track could lead Tate to a similar destination. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, Fields sizes up as the kind of possession receiver who can make life a good deal easier for his signal-caller. But it might be the savvy that stems from his days as a high school quarterback that puts him over the top as a safety valve. His knack for coming down with contested catches and finding soft spots in zones helped him record more than 800 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, which was no easy feat given the extremely poor quarterback play he was saddled with at Virginia. After transferring to Notre Dame, he'll be afforded not only a greater stage but also much better overall support from a team that should once again be in the hunt for one of the College Football Playoff's top seeds. A change of scenery can go a long way in determining any player's NFL draft trajectory. In two years at Arkansas, Hasz often saw his impact limited by quarterback Taylen Green's erratic ball placement and decision-making. Now set to be a crucial part of the Rebels' high-octane passing attack under Kiffin, the 6-3, 245-pounder should be better positioned to showcase his surehandedness and penchant for boxing out defensive backs, which should make him a fast favorite of new starting quarterback Austin Simmons. Though Hasz looks set to share the workload with Dae'Quan Wright, Mississippi could utilize plenty of two tight-end looks to take advantage of the duo. With second-round tight end Terrence Ferguson and top receivers Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden off to the NFL, the Ducks are set for a reconfiguration in their receiving corps. Big things are expected of Evan Stewart as the former five-star recruit enters his second season in Eugene after transferring from Texas A&M, but Sadiq might be the true wild card for the offense. At 6-3 and 245 pounds, he's a more formidable run blocker than his size might suggest. His true value, however, lies in his ability to create mismatches as a supersized receiver with impressive long speed. Sadiq will have to show he can handle being a featured part of the Ducks' offense and develop into something more than a seam threat, but he's one of the most intriguing draft-eligible tight ends to keep an eye on. When he committed to Georgia in December 2022, Wilson looked in line to be the next standout pass rusher for a program that produced Travon Walker, Jalen Carter and a bevy of other hyperathletic defensive linemen. But the Bulldogs' rigid rotation up front can box in even the most talented players and leave them with limited opportunities to shine as individuals. While Wilson looked due for a larger role in 2025 for a defense that lost Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker from the front seven, the former five-star recruit instead opted to find a fresh opportunity. The 6-4, 245-pounder could be a cornerstone of a Missouri defense that lost its top edge threat in second team All-SEC pick Johnny Walker Jr., and more opportunities to flash his explosiveness could vault him up draft boards. Having sat out all of 2023 following his transfer from Miami (Fla.), Jackson eased his way back into action last season, recording 3 ½ sacks en route to honorable mention All-ACC honors. With that experience in hand, big things could be ahead for the 6-5, 337-pounder. Few defensive linemen at the collegiate level can measure up to Jackson when it comes to commanding the line of scrimmage, as his sheer size and strength make him a dominant force against the run when he maintains his leverage and intensity. Though he might never post prolific sack numbers, he can create havoc by pushing the pocket and slipping past blockers who underestimate his quickness. Jackson's conditioning and consistency will be heavily scrutinized, but after the similarly built Kenneth Grant went No. 13 overall to the Miami Dolphins this year, it's apparent that massive defensive tackles with abundant athleticism don't tend to hang around long in the draft. After helping Michigan win a national championship in 2023, Sabb took on a new challenge last year by going to Tuscaloosa to help the Crimson Tide navigate the post-Nick Saban era. He made a strong early impression, recording two interceptions in his first game for Alabama and notching 39 total tackles before being lost for the season to a lower-extremity injury. The 6-1, 205-pounder blends puts together impressive size and coverage skills to allow him to clamp down on tight ends and patrol underneath in zone coverage. With his strong tackling allowing him to also be a force in the box, he should be coveted for his ability to handle a few key tasks, even if he doesn't fit the mold of a typical single-high safety. If he's able to stay healthy, expect his buzz to build. All the NFL news on and off the field.Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.Check out the latest edition:Best fits for remaining free agents. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:2026 NFL draft: 10 prospects who could be set to rise this season

byMario Satorik

in

June 04, 2025

2026 NFL draft: 10 prospects who could be poised to rise this season

2026 NFL draft: 10 prospects who could be poised to rise this season Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports...

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Women's College World Series championship series: Texas, Texas Tech fight for WCWS title

Women's College World Series championship series: Texas, Texas Tech fight for WCWS title

Someone is missing from the Women's College World Series. For the first time since 2018, the finals won't include Oklahoma, the record-setting, four-time defending national champions. TheSooners were bounced from the tournament on Monday by Texas Techand star pitcher NiJaree Canady, ending one of the greatest runs by any team across any sport in NCAA history. But Texas will be there, and probably happy to see the Red Raiders, not the Sooners. Since 2022, the Longhorns have dominated the tournament against every opponent but Oklahoma. Texas is 10-5 overall in Women's College World Series play over this span but 1-5 against their rivals, getting swept in the finals in 2022 and again last season to highlight the immense gap that had separated the Sooners from the field. The one win came inSaturday's 4-2 victorythat left the Sooners on the brink of elimination. That Oklahoma is no longer in the Longhorns' path makes them the favorite to capture the first national championship in program history. But that will require getting past Canady, the Stanford transfer who has almost single-handedly carried a program without any significant history of success to the summit of the sport. The best-of-three series will begin on Wednesday night and continue through Friday, if necessary. Here are the key factors on the mound and at the plate that will decide the first finals matchup of two programs from the same state since UCLA met California in 2004: The national player of the year at Stanford last season and one of three finalists for the award this season, Canady, who also is regular in the team's batting order, is the most impactful player in college softball. She's also been a transformative figure for a program that had made only six previous tournament appearances in program history and had never advanced past regional play. Monday's win to knock Oklahoma out of the tournament moved Canady to 33-5 on the year with a Division I-best ERA of 0.90 and 304 strikeouts. She is one of two players with at least 30 wins and one of three with at least 300 punchouts. And the junior has been near her best against the elite competition in World Series play, allowing just four runs on 16 hits in her last 28 innings of work. Clearly, Canady has the arm to carry Tech all the way to the national championship. She has thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders in Oklahoma City and can go all three games of the finals. In three complete games in a five-day span over this past weekend and would've started both ends of Monday's doubleheader had the Sooners won the first elimination game. The Red Raiders rank 34th nationally in batting average, 75th in home runs per game, 35th in scoring at 6.1 runs per game and 47th in on-base percentage. While far from a pushover at the plate, Tech's pathway to the finals has clearly been blazed by Canady's right arm. In comparison, Texas is an offensive powerhouse with few rivals in the country. The Longhorns are second in the batting average, rank 13th in scoring at 7.3 runs per game and rank in the top 16 nationally in slugging percentage, home runs and on-base percentage. They have three players in the top 20 in the country in hits. Senior Mia Scott's .438 batting average ranks 19th nationally. Junior Reese Atwood ranks 14th with 21 home runs and is tied for first with 86 RBI. Sophomore Katie Stewart ranks seventh with 78 RBI and homered to give the Longhorns the lead in Monday's 2-0 win against Tennessee in book a spot in the finals. Texas has historically owned this series and was particularly dominant across the program's final few seasons in the Big 12 before last summer's departure for the SEC. The Longhorns have won 14 in a row against Tech dating to 2021 and have dropped just two games against the Red Raiders since the start of the 2017 season. Overall, the Longhorns own an 56-11 edge in the head-to-head series. This includes a pair of wins during a two-game set in Austin in February. Texas took the first game 2-1 in extra innings, winning a pitching battle between Canady and Texas sophomore Teagan Kavan. Canady went eight innings and struck out 11, while Kavan had a career-best 18 strikeouts and allowed just four hits on 147 pitches. Kavan went the distance in wins against Florida and Oklahoma before pitching the final three innings and allowing just one walk against the Volunteers. On the year, Kagan is 26-5 with an ERA of 2.33 and 16 complete games in 31 starts. That first game shows how this World Series is likely to unfold: with both teams scratching out runs where they can against some of the best pitching and pitchers in the country. But in the second game of that February set, Texas scored four runs in the first, another six runs in the third and run-ruled the Red Raiders in an 11-0 win. Freshman Samantha Lincoln gave up two runs without recording an out and took the loss, while junior Chloe Riassetto was tagged for nine runs, seven earned, over three innings of work. And that shows the second way the finals could play out, with the Longhorns' bats stepping up on softball's biggest stage to bring the national championship to Austin for the first time. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Women's College World Series championship: Texas, Texas Tech meet

byMario Satorik

in

June 04, 2025

Women's College World Series championship series: Texas, Texas Tech fight for WCWS title

Women's College World Series championship series: Texas, Texas Tech fight for WCWS title Someone is missing from the Women's College...

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Russia's Ukraine war troop casualties near 1 million, study says

Russia's Ukraine war troop casualties near 1 million, study says

Russia will likely surpass 1 million casualties in itswar on Ukrainethis summer, according to one of the world's leading think tanks, reflecting the staggering human toll ofPresident Vladimir Putin'sassault on his neighbor. Around 250,000 of these Russian soldiers have died, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said ina reportTuesday. Ukraine has also suffered heavy losses, with 400,000 casualties including between 60,000 and 100,000 killed, it said. Surpassing 1 million people killed and wounded would be "a stunning and grizzly milestone" for Russia and showed "Putin's blatant disregard for his soldiers," according to CSIS. To put this figure in historical perspective, it is five times as many deaths as all Russian and Soviet wars sinceWorld War II. The figure is stark but roughly tallies with previous estimates given by Western intelligence agencies, which have said that around 1,000 Russian troops are killed or injured every day. Putin annexedUkraine's Crimea peninsulaand began supporting pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country in 2014. But the CSIS figures relate to the period starting with the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022. The Russian leader's justification for this blitzkrieg on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv saw him mix ahistorical fallacy — asserting Ukraine has never been a real independent country — with complaints that NATO enlargement had risked his country's border security. However his tank columns were pushed quickly back in a stunning defense by Ukraine. Since then, his forces have reverted to attritional trench warfare, attempting to wear down Ukraine by throwing forward waves of troops in what analysts call "meat grinder" tactics. As both side dug in progress has been achingly slow, with CSIS putting the rate of Russian advance at around 165 feet a day, and capturing only 1,930 square miles — 1% of Ukrainian territory — since Jan. 2024. That's less than the famously pyrrhic Somme offensive in World War I, in which British and French troops advanced 263 feet per day. From the skies, Russian bombers and drones have launched almost nightly attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure such as power grids. This continued overnight into Wednesday, with Russia launching 95 attack drones and killing at least 10 people in the past 24 hours, Ukraine's air force said. Ukraine has responded by targeting military sites inside Russia, including Sunday's remarkableoperation dubbed "Spiderweb"which saw them fire more than 100 drones at multiple air bases — one of them 4,000 miles from Ukraine — after smuggling them in the back of trucks. Kyiv's intelligence agencies followed this up Tuesday by detonating underwater explosives on one of the supports for the Crimean Bridge, a road and rail link built in 2018 and used to transport military supplies to the annexed peninsula. Even so, Putin — as well as Russian and American lawmakers — have stated that they believe the Kremlin has the battlefield advantage. Russia may be losing more troops and materiel, but it also has a larger population from which to draw, and greater military manufacturing capacity. On the flipside, some experts believe that these Russian losses are unsustainable if the United States and other Western allies continue to support Ukraine's defensive effort. For Putin, "the war is such a disaster, and the Russian military has reached a point where from sometime this summer, its capability is all downhill: less armor, less ammunition, less resources, less motivation," Richard Dearlove, the former head of Britain's MI6 intelligence agency,told NBC News in an April interview. "But Putin doesn't have a reverse gear on his policy." Meanwhile, two rounds of American-brokered peace talks in Istanbul show no signs of progress on ending the war. Russia is demanding nothing less than Ukraine's full surrender and future subservience; Kyiv says it wants a ceasefire but that such an existential capitulation would be a non-starter. PresidentDonald Trumphas shifted from the avowedly pro-Ukraine stance of his predecessor, President Joe Biden. He has offered a string of concessions to Moscow while demanding Kyiv make sacrifices. At the same time he has called Putin "crazy" for continuing to bomb Ukrainian civilians, and threatening to walk away from the process.

byMario Satorik

in

June 04, 2025

Russia's Ukraine war troop casualties near 1 million, study says

Russia's Ukraine war troop casualties near 1 million, study says Russia will likely surpass 1 million casualties in itswar on Ukrainethi...

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