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Sports briefs

3 min read

In softball

Rylie West hit a three-run homer and No. 4 seed Tennessee defeated No. 5 seed Alabama 10-5 on Thursday in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series.

Jamison Brockenbrough and Katie Taylor had two hits and Kiki Milloy scored twice for the Lady Vols (50-8). Tennessee will play No. 1 seed Oklahoma on Saturday, with the winner of that game advancing to the semifinals in the double-elimination bracket.

  • Jordy Bahl threw a five-hitter with 11 strikeouts to help two-time defending national champion Oklahoma defeat Stanford 2-0 in its Women’s College World Series opener.

In the NHL

Patrick Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery Thursday and is expected to miss four to six months.

The extended absence appears to rule out Kane for an NHL training camp but means he may be able to return early in the regular season.

Kane, 34, has been dealing with a nagging hip injury that hampered him over the past year with the Chicago Blackhawks and then down the stretch and in the playoffs with the New York Rangers.

In golf

Two-time NCAA champion Rose Zhang made her professional debut Thursday on the LPGA Tour, a solid opening round in the Mizuho Americas Open.

The 20-year-old from Stanford who dominated the women’s amateur rankings for more than two years shot a 2-under 70 at Liberty National in the shadow of New York. The Californian was five shots off the lead held by Lauren Hartlage, who shot a career-best 65.

In the NFL

Wisconsin lawmakers voted Thursday to approve spending $2 million to help stage the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay.

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines to include the funding in the two-year state budget it is drafting.

The three-day 2025 NFL draft will take place in and around Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Chamber of Commerce estimates that the event could attract 240,000 people to the state, generating an estimated $20 million for Green Bay and $94 million for the state.

In the NBA

Nick Nurse inherits a Philadelphia 76ers team in which Joel Embiid blossomed into an MVP, Tyrese Maxey developed into a rising star and James Harden flashed his old All-Star form in the playoffs.

Nurse, officially named Philadelphia’s coach Thursday weeks after he was fired by the Toronto Raptors, has lofty expectations for a franchise that suffered through a third straight second-round playoff exit.

“This team could be playing tonight,” Nurse said.

But they’re not, of course. The Denver Nuggets host the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Finals. Meanwhile, the Sixers introduced yet another new coach touting yet another new vision after yet another season without a championship.

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