Sports

Venezuela beats US 3-2 on Suárez’s 9th-inning double to win first World Baseball Classic title

MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela has won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2 on Eugenio Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the ninth. Maikel Garcia’s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu’s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring pro-Latin America crowd in Miami. Eduardo Rodríguez and lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits before Bryce Harper’s two-out, two-run homer in the eighth tied it. Daniel Palencia retired the side in order in the ninth, finishing a three-hitter.

MLB teams pressure WBC managers to be careful with pitchers. Venezuela pushed back

MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela manager Omar López went beyond the limit to help his nation win its first World Baseball Classic. Major league clubs routinely place restrictions on how national team managers can use pitchers at the WBC. One key for López and Venezuela in Tuesday night’s championship game was that he talked some MLB team executives into dropping their initial limitations. U.S. manager Mark DeRosa accepted such restraints. That allowed López to pitch Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia for the second straight night and third time in four days. Palencia retired three straight batters to seal a 3-2 win.

WNBA and players union have reached an agreement in principle on a transformational new CBA

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA will have its first million dollar players after the league and its players’ union reached a deal in principle on a transformational new collective bargaining agreement early Wednesday morning. Specifics still need to be finalized over the next few weeks as lawyers on both sides work on the new CBA. A term sheet should be done in the next day or two. It will then need to be ratified by the players and then approved by the league’s Board of Governors.

UConn teammates Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd headline AP All-America first team

Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd helped UConn to an undefeated season heading into March Madness. The pair became the first teammates in six years to make The Associated Press All-America team. It’s the 10th time that teammates have made the first team, seven of those involving UConn players. The last pair to achieve the feat was Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard in 2020. Strong and Fudd were joined by Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Texas’ Madison Booker. Strong was a unanimous choice from the 31-member national media panel that chooses the AP Top 25 each week.

Champions League: Barcelona, Liverpool have work to do as Bayern looks to set up Madrid quarterfinal

LONDON (AP) — Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will look to complete a trio of Spanish successes over English rivals in the Champions League’s round of 16. After Real Madrid ousted Manchester City on Tuesday, Barcelona takes on Newcastle at Camp Nou with the score at 1-1 from last week’s first leg after Lamine Yamal’s stoppage-time penalty. Atletico is in a better position leading Tottenham 5-2 though faces an away match in the second leg. English hopes may rest with Liverpool, which hosts Galatasaray at Anfield needing to overturn a 1-0 loss from the first match in Istanbul. Bayern Munich leads Atalanta 6-1.

African soccer confederation strips Senegal of Africa Cup title and declares Morocco the champion

GENEVA (AP) — Morocco was stunningly awarded the Africa Cup of Nations title by appeals judges who overturned Senegal’s victory in a chaotic final in January. The Confederation of African Football says its appeals board ruled Senegal is “declared to have forfeited the Final” and its 1-0 win in extra time becomes a 3-0 default win for host nation Morocco. In the Jan. 18 final in Rabat, Senegal left the field in protest during stoppage time for 15 minutes, and fans tried to storm the field when Morocco was awarded a penalty. Senegal said it would appeal Tuesday’s decision.

‘Mother Bruin’ brings support as the UCLA women open March Madness

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the one-loss UCLA women open March Madness this weekend, their biggest fan will be sitting in her usual spot near the bench. Patti Close is the 80-year-old mother of Bruins coach Cori Close. She knits blankets for the players, helps at recruiting dinners and often travels with the team. Spending time around them helps Patti Close fill a void left by the death of her husband a few years ago. Cori Close calls her mother the mayor of Pauley Pavilion. Patti Close draws a steady stream of visitors to her seat at halftime and she likes to drop into the post-game interview room to “get the straight scoop.”

Gerrit Cole pitches scoreless inning in first spring training appearance since Tommy John surgery

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Gerrit Cole has returned to a mound to pitch in a game after a 377-day absence and threw a scoreless first inning for the New York Yankees in an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox. Cole threw 10 pitches, seven for strikes, including six four-seam fastballs that averaged 97.1 mph. He threw two sliders and a pair of knuckle-curves. A 35-year-old right-hander, Cole had Tommy John surgery on March 11 last year with Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. His last official outing was in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series that Oct. 30. The six-time All-Star pitched in two spring training games in 2025, the last on March 6.

No. 1 seed South Carolina resets for March Madness run after SEC title game stumble

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is treating a 17-point loss to Texas as a useful reset before the NCAA Tournament. Her fourth-ranked Gamecocks lost the SEC title game 78-61 to Texas after a 14-0 first-quarter hole. A similar loss in the SEC titgle game 2022 ended with a national championship. South Carolina will be the No. 1 seed again and will face the winner of Southern and Samford on Saturday. The Gamecocks have made the Final Four as a No. 1 seed the last five seasons.

North Carolina’s Wilson, Texas Tech’s Toppin among the missing stars in the NCAA Tournament

Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but could be missing two key players due to foot injuries. Point guard Caleb Foster is not likely to play until the Final Four, if the Blue Devils get there, but big man Patrick Ngongba II may be close to returning. The Blue Devils aren’t the only team missing key players in March Madness. No. 20 Texas Tech will be without All-American big man J.T. Toppin due to a torn ACL. BYU sharpshooter Richie Saunders also is out with a torn ACL. North Carolina will be without stellar freshman Caleb Wilson due to a broke thumb suffered in practice. Michigan is also missing a key player in backup point guard L.J. Cason due to a torn ACL.