Houghton Sweeps D-1 Track Regional – Friday Sports Wrap

High School

In high school baseball yesterday…
• Jeffers swept L’Anse, 15-0 and 11-1.
• Lake Linden-Hubbell dropped both of its games to the Gogebic Miners, 16-5 and 19-4.

On the baseball schedule today…
• Lake Linden-Hubbell welcomes Ontonagon.

In softball yesterday…
• Hancock and Houghton were rained out – no make-up date has been announced.
• Calumet swept L’Anse, 10-1 and 17-9. Elli Djerf was the winning pitcher in the first game, and Morgan Erkkila got the win in the nightcap.
• The Calumet JV team took two from the Lake Linden-Hubbell varsity, 13-10 and 16-6.

The WestPAC baseball tournament will be played tomorrow in Iron Mountain. Calumet will face the host Mountaineers at 11:00 Eastern time. Houghton will play Negaunee at 1:30 Eastern.

The WestPAC softball tournament will be played tomorrow at the Tilden Township Park. Calumet opens against the host Hematites at 9:00. Houghton takes on Hancock at 11:00. 

Also in softball tomorrow…
• Baraga plays at L’Anse.

Houghton swept the Division One regional track meet yesterday.
• On the girls side, the Gremlins easily outpointed second-place Negaunee. Westwood finished third, Calumet fourth, and Kingsford fifth. Houghton’s Ingrid Seagren won the 1600 and 3200-meter runs. Lily Williston won the shot put and the discus throw.
• On the boys side, Houghton cruised past Kingsford. Negaunee was third, Calumet fourth, and Westwood fifth. Eric Weiss led the Gremlins with wins in the 800, 1600 and 3200-meter runs. Calumet’s Dryden Nelson won the 100-meter dash and the long jump.
• See full results here.

Hancock, L’Anse and Jeffers will compete at the Division Two regional today at West Iron County.

In golf yesterday, the Houghton and Norway boys tied for the team title at the George Young Invitational in Iron River. Hancock finished third, and Calumet fifth. Houghton’s Brady Schmierer tied for third individually.

College Hockey

Lake Superior State University Hockey Head Coach Damon Whitten has agreed to a contract extension. The six-year deal will keep him on the Lakers’ bench through the 2027-2028 season. Whitten led Lake State to its first-ever WCHA championship this season, and its first Great Lakes Invitational title in 2018. He took over the Lakers’ program seven seasons ago, after serving as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech.

The revitalized Central Collegiate Hockey Association has released the schedule for its first season of play. Michigan Tech will open with non-conference matches against the University of Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Clarkson. They’ll play home-and-home series against Northern Michigan November 12th and 13th, and February 21st and 22nd. NMU’s non-conference opponents will include Boston University, Notre Dame and Colgate.

NBA

In the NBA tournament last night…
• The Wizards buried the Pacers 142-115, and earned the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Tonight…
• The Grizzlies visit the Warriors to determine the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

NHL

In the NHL playoffs yesterday…
• The Panthers edged the Lightning 6-5 in overtime. Tampa Bay still leads that series 2-1.
• The Penguins held off the Islanders 5-4. Pittsburgh is up 2-1 in that series.
• The Canadiens opened their series against the Maple Leafs with a 2-1 victory.
• The Golden Knights outscored the Wild 5-2, to take a 2-1 lead in that set.

Today…
• The Bruins host the Capitals. Boston leads that series 2-1.
• The Hurricanes visit the Predators. Carolina leads that set 2-0.
• The Oilers entertain the Jets. Winnipeg is up 1-0 in that series.
• The Blues welcome the Avalanche. Colorado has a 2-0 lead in that series.

With the NHL regular season finally complete, the field is now set for the league’s draft lottery. The Red Wings finished with the fifth-worst record in the league. With the expansion Seattle Kraken also in the mix, Detroit will have the sixth-best chance at claiming the top pick in the upcoming draft, at 7.6 percent.

MLB

The Detroit Tigers had yesterday off, and begin a series against the Royals in Kansas City tonight. José Ureña will start against Mike Minor. Coverage begins at 7:50 on 99.3 The Lift.

The Milwaukee Brewers also had yesterday off, and will begin a set against the Reds in Cincinnati this evening. Adrian Houser will pitch against Jeff Hoffman.

Catcher Jacob Nottingham’s ping pong-like ride continued yesterday. Nottingham opened the season in the Brewers organization. Milwaukee designated him for assignment, and he was claimed by the Seattle Mariners. Injuries forced the Brewers to bring him back from Seattle in a trade. After Milwaukee’s situation stabilized, they put Nottingham back on waivers, and he has again been claimed by the Mariners.

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