Yankees Continue the Streak

The New York Yankees had their first home game of the season last Monday as they took down the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8-1 on Michael Pinedas nearly perfect game.

Michael Pineda had a perfect game going for 7 2/3 innings, until Evan Longoria ended Pinedas hopes of a truly perfect game with a line drive to left field. Pineda received a standing ovation from a sold out Yankees stadium upon exiting the field. 

The Yankees continued their winning ways by blowing out the Devil Rays in the next two games of the three games series. Momentum hit the Yankees hard as they haven't lost since their fifth game of the season against the Baltimore Orioles. 

The Yankees are currently on an eight game wining streak and look to extend that streak to nine tonight in the second game of the series against the White Sox. This streak brought the Yankees to second in the AL East as they trail the Baltimore Orioles by just one game. The Yankees’ Luis Servino faces Miguel Gonzalez on the mound tonight at Yankees stadium at 7 P.M.

David Garbo Jr. 

Bruins Comeback Falls Short in OT

     The Boston Bruins hosted their first Stanley Cup Playoff game in three years and one would think they would come out with the fire and passion we have seen in recent years. Yet the Bruins went back to their locker room after the first period with their heads down in quite despair. They had only tallied three shots on goal through twenty minutes of play. And it hurt a little bit more as they trailed the Ottawa Senators 2-0.

     The Senators came ready to play as they netted two early goals from Hoffman and Brassard just 25 seconds apart. Already dominating the game, Ottawa continued their strong play as they scored their third goal just four minutes into the 2nd period as Hoffman had his second of the game.

     Leading by three goals, the Senators was unable to sustain their lead as the injury depleted Bruins showed the heart and passion that the historical franchise was built on. Within 7 minutes of play in the second period, the Bruins were able to tie the game up with goals by Noel Accairi, David Backes, and David Pastrnak. Acciari and Backes’ goals sparked the incredible comeback as they both found the back of the net just 42 seconds apart.

     As the game continued on the Bruins still showed some struggles. After three periods they were trailing in shots 19-28. Uncharacteristically, Boston also trailed in the face-off circle 34-28 for the game. Just six minutes into the first overtime, Bobby Ryan found the back of the net to stun and break the heart of the Bruins and the 17,565 fans in attendance.

     Controversially arose right before Ryan's goal as he and Bruins forward Riley Nash got in a scuffle along the boards. Most of the B's faithful showed displeasure as they rained boo's down on the refs, as Nash was the lone player that got called for a roughing penalty. Fifty-five seconds later Ryan, who many thought should have got a matching penalty with Nash, scored the game winning goal to give the Senators a massive game 3 win to take a 2-1 series lead.

     Boston and Ottawa face off again on Wednesday, April 19th at the TD Garden in Boston. The Bruins look to bounce back and make it a best out of three series with a game 4 win. Puck drop is at 7:30 P.M.

Sergio Garcia wins first major

The Masters was played this last week and it brought a champion that no one saw coming.  Sergio Garcia, after 18 long years in the PGA, has finally won his first major.  Heartbreak after heartbreak, collapse after collapse, it almost seemed like Sergio would never win a major championship, but that ended when he battled Ryder Cup teammate, Justin Rose, in the final round of the 2017 Masters.  Both Garcia and Rose were tied to begin the final at -6 when Sergio stormed out the gate early to take a 2 shot lead within the first five holes.  Then, it seemed like the old Sergio was back when he surrendered that 2 shot lead and was tied with Justin Rose after nine.  The back nine was when it got crazy.  Sergio and Justin were going back and forth, being tied and then taking the lead from each other until it came to the 18th hole.  On the 18th, both tied again at -9.  Garcia and Rose both had decent drives that set them up for a good second shot to get to the green, which both of them did.  Rose, who was furthest from the hole was up first.  He had the chance to sink the birdie and put the pressure on Sergio, who has previously cracked under the pressure, but he missed.  That gave Sergio a look at his first major championship and with about 10 feet left from it, he missed too!  Both Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia missed their birdie putts that could have potentially won them a Masters (it would have won it for Sergio).  So now its sudden death, each player went back to 18th tee to take their drive.  This is when things started to brighten up for Sergio.  On Justin Rose's drive to start the playoff hole, he drove it into the trees and landed in the rough, while Sergio Garcia's drive was dead straight and sitting pretty on the fairway.  It was all lining up for Sergio to finally win his first major, he just needed to play smart and play safe and it was all his.  Rose was able to kick out under a tree but did not make it on the green.  Garcia on the other hand, played yet another beautiful second shot and was on the green in two and ready to win.  Rose eventually reached the green but it was all Sergio.  He knocked in his final shot for a birdie and he won his first major championship.  After the jacket ceremony Sergio was so excited that he even said that he was considering wearing the jacket at his upcoming wedding.

By: Kyle Langdon

Ace's Collide in Sox vs. Tigers Game

The Red Sox newly acquired starting pitch Chris Sale had a tough test on Monday afternoon as he faced off against the Detroit Tigers. Although they were not on the field at the same time, Sale was going up against the Tigers number one starter in Justin Verlander. Over the past few seasons both pitchers have been dominate as they have a combined 78 wins since the start of the 2014 season.  

The Red Sox scored the first run of the game which came in the 2nd inning off a Brock Holt fielder's choice. Sale, although dominate all game was unable to finish off the 8th inning strong. The 6'6 lefty struck out 10, however he gave up an RBI single with two outs in the 8th inning. Nicholas Castellanos drove in the game winning run on an RBI single. The Tiger's were able to prevail and defeat the Red Sox 2-1. 

The Boston Red Sox begin a six game homestand starting on Tuesday night as they take on the Baltimore Orioles. The Tigers will host Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon as they begin a three game series. 

High Point University Equestrian Team Makes It to Zone Finals

Today, Saturday, April 8th, High Point University's Equestrian Team was able to send two riders to compete at St. Andrews Equestrian Program in East Laurinburg, North Carolina. The two riders Morgan Moog and Abby Hastings were able to qualify in the 50th Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. After making the trip all the way back from Germany,  Junior Morgan Moog was fifth in open over fences at zone finals. Sophomore Abby Hastings received ninth today at zone finals. That is it for High Points Equestrian team this year. We are so proud of the girls and can not wait to see what they accomplish next year.

Carolina Curse Reversed

By Zach Tucker

The year 2016 will go down in history with lots of different headlines and stories. People will remember the death of Carrie Fisher, Prince and Arnold Palmer (to name a few). Others will remember Brexit, the Olympics in Brazil, the Zika virus and the United States Presidential election. For sports fans in the Carolinas, 2016 will be remembered as disappointing year that was filled with heartbreak.
On January 11, 2016 Clemson played in the College Football Playoff National Championship game against Alabama. The game was high scoring with a final score of 45-41, but in the end O.J. Howard helped the Tide roll all over the Tigers. Less than a month later on February 7, the Carolina Panthers played in the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos. The Panthers had only lost one game in the regular season and were favorites to win the title, then the game happened. Not only did the Broncos win, but they won in dominating fashion. The Broncos unleashed Super Bowl MVP Von Miller on Cam Newton and the Panthers' offensive line. The Broncos won the game 24-10. On April 4, UNC played Villanova for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. The game ended up coming down to the last shot. Villanova forward Kris Jenkins made a three-point shot with less than a second left in the game to cap off a thrilling championship win. Not even North Carolina native Stephen Curry could help the Golden State Warriors win another NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It seemed like all hope was lost for Carolina sport fans. Some fans thought that their teams did not win because of a "carolina curse." So far three Carolina sports teams had made it their respective championship games and lost. Until Coastal Carolina made a spectacular postseason run. Not only did they make to the College World Series, but they won the championship game in dramatic fashion (bottom of the ninth inning, two outs and runners on second and third base). Finally a team from the Carolinas had won a championship game.
In 2017, Carolina sports fans have experienced a turnaround. Clemson beat Alabama in the College Football Championship, South Carolina won the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament (and their men's basketball team made an improbable run to the Final Four) and UNC won the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Fans seem to agree that the "carolina curse" has been lifted. Yes James Taylor, they can finally see the sunshine and feel the moonshine. It's a great time to be a sports fan in the Carolinas once again!

Williams Not So Sure About White House Visit

By: Jarray Davis

With President Trump's first sports championship hosting gig at the White House soon approaching, all eyes are on Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. We see the excitement that they have, but I'm not sure every championship team feels the same way about the visit, or if there will even be a visit.

Before the start of last nights game, Head Coach of UNC was asked by a reporter if we would be attending the White House for a visit with the President. Out of superstition, Williams kindly disregarded the question.

Little did Coach know that after they secured the victory last night over Gonzaga, that the question would be brought up again at his press conference.

This time Williams responded with "Let me think on it," and that he needed some time to decide. Again, that's "if" they get invited.

In the past Williams has spoken about how he feels about President, as he once said, "you know, our President tweets out more bulls--- than anybody I've ever seen."

But this isn't just about the Heels making a trip to DC, but how other championship teams will decide whether to visit the president or if the president will even invite other teams.

The last 8 years, President Obama made it a right for himself to bring in every major championship team to the White House as he supplied many jokes and laughs. Sports fans would love to see this continue, but will it??

NCAA rules North Carolina can host title games after HB2 repeal

Less than 24 hours after the North Carolina Tar Heels cut down the nets in Phoenix for the program's sixth National Championship, the NCAA announced that it will allow the state of North Carolina to return to hosting championship events after the state settled on a compromised repeal of the infamous HB2 Law, commonly known as "the bathroom bill".

The notorious HB2 was signed into law by former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on April 12, 2017. The original law mandated individuals to use the bathrooms that corresponds to their biological sex on their birth certificate in public buildings. The revised bill, HB142, was passed and signed by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on March 30, 2017. The new piece of legislation is viewed as a middle ground and the termination of a stalemate, but is not fully accepted by LGBT community.

The NCAA men's basketball first and second round tournament games will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina in March 2018. The NCAA moved this year's tournament games from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Greenville, South Carolina, in the response to HB2.

The ACC has already stated that it would return to the state of North Carolina after relocating its football championship game from Charlotte to Orlando, Florida. The ACC men's basketball tournament will be played in Brooklyn in 2018, but seemingly will return to Greensboro and Charlotte the ensuing two seasons.

The NCAA is still currently considering sites to host its championship event through the year of 2022. The NCAA stated that while assessing new sites, it must be assured that no discrimination of any kind will take place and any championship to be held in the state of North Carolina must submit proper documentation that will indicate protection from discrimination for student-athletes as well as fans.

STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series traveled to the infamous Martinsville Speedway this weekend for 500 laps of traditional short track racing. The half mile track ties Bristol Motor Speedway for the smallest track on the circuit, and the reduced real-estate once again proved to be an exciting platform. 

Segment 1

The first segment of the race was won by Martin Truex Jr. as the racers fought tooth and nail for each spot with the championship in mind. With contact by someone in just about every corner, drivers were forced to perform at an extremely high level for the entirety of the race, as the smallest mistake could cause disaster. Denny Hamlin finished second in stage one, earning him nine points towards his championship efforts, one less than the stage winner.

Segment 2

Kyle Busch was nipping at the heels of Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports driver, who won the second stage of the STP 500. Kyle Busch passed Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with one lap to go in the second stage which put Stenhouse a lap down. On the final corner of stage two, Stenhouse moved Kyle Busch up the track to regain his lead lap position. This in turn allowed Chase Elliott to sneak by Busch and take the stage two victory. 

The Finish

The third and final stage came down to the wire with Team Penske and driver Brad Keselowski crossing the line first in his number 2 Miller Lite Ford. Ironically, Kyle Busch finished second to Brad Keselowski, a couple of racers that aren't exactly fond of one-another. After his first win at Martinsville, Keselowski moves up to fourth in the championship points standings.

Up Next

The next stop for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series is next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, where Kyle Larson looks to extend his championship points lead. 

David Garbo Jr.

High Point University's Mens Lacrosse Team Travels to Mercer

High Point University's men's lacrosse team traveled to Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia to play Mercer University. Both High Point Univerity and Mercer needed to win this game in order to stay in the league to get a spot in the Southern Conference Tournament. High Point (3-6, 1-1) Mercer (3-5,0-2). High Point lost in overtime and the score was 12-3. The next game will be next Saturday when they go to Louisville, Kentucky to take o Baltimore. 

NCAAM AP All-America Team Announced

Post By Nick Spino

On Tuesday, the AP All-America team was announced. The team is headlined by senior Frank Mason III of the Kansas Jayhawks. Mason was the only unanimous selection to the team, receiving all first-team votes from the same media panel that is responsible for selecting the weekly AP Top 25. Mason had a stellar season, averaging 20.8 points per game along with 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 48.7 perfect from behind the three-point line.

The rest of the All-America team includes senior Josh Hart of Villanova, freshman Lonzo Ball of UCLA, sophomore Caleb Swanigan of Purdue, and junior Justin Jackson of North Carolina.

Hart, who was a key member of Villanova's championship team from a year ago, averaged 18.9 points per game along with 6.5 rebounds per contest. Hart received a total of 62 first-team votes.

Swanigan led the nation with a total of 26 double-doubles, averaging 18.5 points per game in addition to 12.6 rebounds. He shot over 50 percent (53.4) overall and 43.1 percent from three-point range. Swanigan was the only player in Division I to average at least 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Ball, who decided to declare for the NBA Draft immediately following UCLA's loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, ended up averaging 14.6 points per contest with a whopping 7.9 assists and 6.1 rebounds. Ball received a total of 54 first-team votes.

Jackson, who averaged 18.1 points per game and 4.6 rebounds, was a key contributor alongside junior Joel Berry II with helping UNC reach the Final Four for the second consecutive season. Jackson received a total of 24 first-team votes.

Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss leads the second AP All-America team and is joined by juniors Dillon Brooks of Oregon and Johnathan Motley of Baylor, along with sophomore Luke Kennard of Duke and freshman Malik Monk of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Freshman sensation Josh Jackson highlights the third AP All-America team. He is joined by fellow freshmen Markelle Fultz of Washington and Lauri Markkanen of Arizona, along with junior Bonzie Colson of Notre Dame and sophomore Ethan Happ out of the University of Wisconsin.

The High Point University Equestrian Team had a good year. With an extremely large and talented freshmen class, as well as the addition of a new male competitior, the roster now stands at a comfrotable and diverse 33 riders. It has been a great practice with our new and returning team mates. A selection of freshmen have really gotten involved by volunteering their time to fundrasie as a class for the team as well as competining in the Sedgfield Collegaite Cup this September with great success.

     We ended the season of practice with an HPUET style tailgate on the eve of our first show. It was a wonderful evening at the barn filled with team pictures, pizza and all around team fun. The next day all 33 members of the team headed out at 5:30 am to Avarett University for the first official competition of the year. It was a great day overall, although we were only allowed 12 rides every one of our riders had a great deal of motivation and support from their fellow team mates. Sophomore, Bella Cramer started off the day in the open over fences division with a 3rd place to get us going and we are proud to say that the entire team maintained no lower than a 4th place throughout the entire day. With some stiff competition, including two new teams in the region, we ended tied for 5th place out of 10 teams. Also Lilly Chalfant, Lindsey Anuzis and  Brittany Matters all pointed out of their divisons and qualified for regionals! 

        In three weeks we will have our regionals team 

NASCAR Weekend Recap

NASCAR's premiere series continued its west coast "swing" this weekend with California native Kyle Larson sweeping both Saturday's Xfinity Series race and Sunday's Monster Energy Cup series race at Fontana Speedway in California.

The 400 mile race proved to be exciting as the finish came down to the final laps and a decision to hit pit road for four tires and a splash of fuel. Martin Truex Jr. was running second to Larson when the caution flag flew with just 10 laps to go in Sundays event. As Larson drove his number 42 Target Chevrolet to pit road, Truex Jr. stayed out to advance himself to the top spot. A notoriously rough track proved to be harsh on tires, as Truex Jr.'s worn Goodyears were no match for Larson's fresh rubber. Larson took the lead on the first lap of the green-white-checkered finish, and crossed the line first, finally breaking his runner up streak of three. Larson is the second driver in Fontana history to win from the pole.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series travels back east to Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA this weekend for an "old school" short track showdown at the infamous half-mile track.

- David Garbo Jr.

AUDL's Nashville Nightwatch Sign Jesse Shofner - League's First Women To Make Opening Day Roster

It was announced yesterday (March 27) that former Oregon Ultimate superstar, Jesse Shofner, had made the official opening day roster for the AUDL's Nashville Nightwatch. This is the first woman to achieve this in the history of the league. The former Callahan Award runner-up and All-Star Ultimate Tour team member is expected to play Week One against the Cannons in Jacksonville, FL on April 1st. After numerous rounds of tryouts, Shofner had proven that she was capable of playing with the rest of the players on the field and the coaches and staff are confident in their decision to add her to the roster. 

“The body of work over the course of three months that she showed left every single one of the coaches with full confidence in her to make the right decision on the field with the disc in her hands,” said Nashville Head Coach Ryan Balch. “That made it an obvious decision.”

“I’m excited to play for my hometown,” Shofner told Ultiworld. “I grew up in Nashville.”

The only other time a woman has been seen in the league was Jessi Jones, who signed a one-game contract with the Raleigh Flyers in 2015. She played 14 points in their 33-22 win over Nashville. While this was a monumental moment in the league, the signing of Shofner has definitely broken the glass ceiling.

While it's no doubt she will be extremely popular with anticipated jersey sales going through the roof, the real question is how will she do? At only 5' 1" she is definitely at a disadvantage athletically, however if the Nightwatch can strategically run defensive sets that can keep Shofner in the handler space and not downfield, her IQ will definitely be more than enough to generate some turnovers and make some big plays. 

This is a very groundbreaking moment in professional sports, and we can hope to expect more great opportunities like this for women to keep happening in the future.

-Cam Bellando

With Cavaliers Loss, Celtics Now Lead the East

By Thomas McNeeley            

             The Cleveland Cavaliers have now dropped four out of their last six games on their current road trip. The latest coming last night as the Cavaliers lost to the Popovich led San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs absolutely dominated the defending champs as they won 103-71. One of the key moments of the night came after the game. Kyrie Irving, who had a minus-28 plus minus rating for the game, was seen on the court after the game to take part in some shooting drills. Clearly Irving understands that the teams recent play is unacceptable.

            With nine games remaining in the season, there are questions to be asked about this years Cavaliers team. They have a record of 7-10 in their past 17 games and their inconsistent play continues to linger on their season.

            Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are 11-6 in that span while also winning 14 out of their past 15 games at home. The Celtics now lead the Eastern Conference by a half a game over Cleveland as the season is coming to a close.

            Boston has a relatively easy schedule in its eight games remaining in the 2017 season. Cleveland has nine games remaining in their respective season. However, they have some tough games left as they matchup against playoff teams such as Indiana, Atlanta, Miami, and Toronto. The Celtics and Cavaliers also have a huge game on Wednesday, April 5^th, as the two teams face each other at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.