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Wintrust Arena was awash in a sea of red, green, brown and purple academic regalia Sunday afternoon as City Colleges of Chicago celebrated in-person commencements for…

GASTONIA, N.C. — Kelsie Whitmore played left field and batted ninth for the Staten Island FerryHawks on Sunday, becoming the first woman to start a game in the Atlantic League and one of the first to do so in a league connected to Major League Baseball.The 23-year-old Whitmore cracked manager Edgardo Alfonzo’s lineup for the FerryHawks’ game at the Gastonia Honey Hunters.AdvertisementWhitmore, a right-handed hitter, struck out in her first at-bat. She was hit by a pitch in the second — she hustled toward first base after being struck in the arm by a breaking pitch — and flied out to right in her third time up.Whitmore had previously come off the bench for Staten Island, making her debut on April 21 at Charleston as a pinch-runner with two outs in the ninth inning.AdvertisementWhitmore is a two-way player and has been working with pitching coach and former big leaguer Nelson Figueroa, but she’s yet to pitch in a game for Staten Island.A former college softball player at Cal State Fullerton, Whitmore signed with Staten Island this month, one of several notable moments for women in baseball this season.Last month, San Francisco Giants coach Alyssa Nakken filled in as first base coach, becoming the first woman to coach on the field for a big-league game. A few days before that, Rachel Balkovec won her debut managing the Low-A Tampa Tarpons in the New York Yankees’ system, becoming the first woman to skipper a team affiliated with a major league club.Whitmore pitched and played in the outfield for the U.S. women’s baseball team from 2014-19 and spent parts of two seasons with the Sonoma Stompers of the independent Pacific Association.Atlantic League teams are not big-league affiliates, but the circuit is an MLB partner league. It’s a step up in quality from the Pacific Association.“I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given,” Whitmore said prior to the season. “This one, by far, I’m really looking forward to, because it’s next level for me.”At least two other women have played in a league with a connection to MLB: Lee Anne Ketcham and Julie Croteau were on the Maui Stingrays in the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League in 1994.“Playing baseball at the highest level is my goal,” Whitmore said. “You know, if you ask any other guy that’s going to be in the league what his goal is, it’s the same thing, to get to the next level and play at the highest level I could possibly play at.Advertisement“Eventually, I want to play in affiliated ball. I want to make this game my career, my living, and just, be a part of it as much as I can.”

The Chicago White Sox couldn’t get much going offensively for eight innings Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels.The ninth was a different story.AdvertisementThe Sox sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five runs. It still wasn’t enough as they fell 6-5 in front of 27,664 at Guaranteed Rate Field.“I was pleased with them not only just in the ninth, we had a bunch of hits against a guy (Angels starter Michael Lorenzen) who really pitched well,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Give him a lot of credit. It’s just what we did in the ninth inning was very special. Could have been real special. We took our shot.”AdvertisementDown a run, the Sox loaded the bases with two outs. Ryan Tepera, the third Angels pitcher of the inning, got Gavin Sheets to groundout to first to end the game and hand the Sox their 11th loss in the last 13 games. “We fought in the ninth,” Sox center fielder Luis Robert said through an interpreter. “That’s a positive. We were able to come back in that ninth inning. It was good for us. Even though we didn’t win the game, it was a good battle. We know that we’re not passing a very good moment, but a game like today, the battle that we had in the ninth inning was good.”The Sox found themselves in a hole two batters into the game when Mike Trout homered off Dallas Keuchel. Trout also doubled and scored during a two-run third.Keuchel allowed four runs on six hits with five walks (one intentional) and one strikeout in five innings.“Without those early walks, it’s a totally different ballgame,” Keuchel said. “That’s a very, very disappointing start to things. I’m still kind of forcing things early instead of just letting the game flow. If I can clean that up as well, I’d be a lot better off moving forward. I like the way the ball is moving right now. I like the ball on the ground.“Outside of the backup cutter to Trout in the first, I really felt like I commanded well. It was just a matter of taking advantage of early takes. I really was just trying to establish what (Vince Velasquez) had started (Saturday). Outside of a few walks I’d like to have back, I really felt like I was getting some really weak contact.”Keuchel (1-3) has surrendered 10 walks in his last two outings.“It’s a lot easier to develop bad habits than it is to continue good ones,” he said. “The second half of last year, I was developing more bad habits than I was doing well. It’s just a matter of being comfortable and doing what I’m doing between starts, feeling great and commanding the ball, just taking that into the game consistently because it’s there and if it’s not there, you kind of see it with the walks.Advertisement“It’s usually a 2-2, 3-2 count. I’m not making that one pitch as easy as it should be. I should be able to command the zone early and get early contact. That’s a lot of what it is.”Lorenzen (3-1) got a lot of outs early in counts, aiding the right-hander in going a career-high 8⅓ innings. He allowed three runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks.“He had excellent command of three pitches,” La Russa said. “He stayed strong the whole game. I think our hitters took a lot of at-bats where we had somebody who made some good contact, got some hits. But he made a lot of quality pitches.”Lorenzen went to the bottom of the ninth with a 6-0 lead. First baseman José Abreu and Sheets singled and second baseman Leury García drove them home with a one-out double.Third baseman Josh Harrison knocked in García with a two-out double against closer Raisel Iglesias and scored on a Tim Anderson single, making it 6-4.After initially being ruled out, Robert reached on an infield hit when the call was reversed following a review. Yasmani Grandal walked to load the bases and Iglesias hit Abreu, bringing home Anderson to get the Sox within a run.AdvertisementTepera retired Sheets with the grounder to end the comeback bid, but the Sox — perhaps — have something to build on heading into Monday’s series finale.“Nothing surprises me with what we do as a team,” Keuchel said of the rally. “As well as we have not played together, that was standard right there. We’re battling. And it doesn’t mean if it’s on offense or defense or pitching, we’re in these ballgames.“It’s nice to see smiles and hits, instead of sadness and slumber waiting for the next day.”Third baseman Yoán Moncada (right oblique strain) went 2-for-4 with a home run Sunday during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte against Jacksonville.Reliever Joe Kelly (right biceps nerve injury) struck out one and hit a batter in a scoreless inning for the Knights.

MILWAUKEE — Patrick Wisdom’s fifth-inning solo home run off Corbin Burnes gave Marcus Stroman all the support he needed Sunday on his 31st birthday, and the Chicago Cubs starter dominated over seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers before 35,137 at American Family Field.Stroman allowed two hits over seven innings, retiring the last 14 batters he faced as the Cubs avoided a sweep and won for only the third time in their last 12 games.AdvertisementBurnes, who retired the first 13 batters he faced before Wisdom’s homer, struck out 10 in seven innings, allowing four hits and a walk.Marcus Stroman pitches against the Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field on May 1, 2022. (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)The Cubs barely made contact off Burnes until Wisdom came to the plate with one out in the fifth. They had 15 swing-and-misses and looked at 10 called strikes while putting only six balls in plays. But Wisdom hit an arching home run on a 96 mph sinker, and suddenly the momentum shifted with one pitch.AdvertisementThe Cubs added another run in the sixth on a two-out infield hit against the shift by Alfonso Rivas and an RBI double on an 0-2 curve by Seiya Suzuki.Reliever David Roberston replaced Rowan Wick with the tying runs on and two out in the eighth and struck out Jace Peterson on a knuckle-curve to get out of the inning. Robertson returned to throw a scoreless ninth for his fifth save in five opportunities.After an off day Monday, the Cubs meet the White Sox for a two-game series at Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Blackhawks brought in assistant coach Rob Cookson in mid-November to bring a “fresh perspective.”They promoted Marc Crawford to associate coach at the same time to be a no-nonsense right hand to interim coach Derek King.AdvertisementNeither will be part of the team’s ongoing makeover.Both “were informed that they will not be returning to the organization next season after the team finished with a 28-42-12 record. They have made significant contributions to our club and we appreciate their dedication,” the team said in a statement Sunday.Advertisement“We wish them the best in their future endeavors.”Cookson, who helped King coach the forwards, had an expiring contract that wasn’t renewed. Cookson had coached Hawks forward Philipp Kurashev with HC Lugano in Switzerland.Crawford, who coached the Colorado Avalanche to the 1996 Stanley Cup, first joined the Hawks as Jeremy Colliton’s assistant in June 2019. Under King, Crawford coached the defensemen but was often the one barking expletives at players during practice — the iron fist to King’s velvet glove.“He’s old-school. He’s intense,” rookie defenseman Alec Regula said of Crawford in February.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 21Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz and CEO Danny Wirtz introduce Kyle Davidson as their new general manager with Jaime Faulkner, president of business operations, on March 1, 2022, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)The Hawks suspended Crawford in December 2019 while investigating abuse allegations, but kept him on staff because he had “proactively sought professional counseling,” which began in 2010.During his leave, some players defended Crawford, saying he spoke openly about hockey’s changing culture and that Crawford hadn’t had any reported incidents since then.King, still fresh from coaching minor-league affiliate Rockford IceHogs, leaned heavily on Crawford as a co-coach, having him help early on with setting lineups and managing games.“Me and Crow are different, different styles. We’re kind of opposites,” King told the Tribune in April, but added he appreciated that Crawford wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions.AdvertisementChicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Had “Crow and Cookie” been retained, King said he “would definitely sit with them and pick their brain” about changing some of the Hawks’ schemes.It’s becoming more and more apparent the Hawks are interested in making drastic changes, from the bench to the front office.On March 4, the team dismissed vice president of amateur scouting Mark Kelley and assistant general manager of pro evaluation Ryan Stewart.Mike Doneghey oversaw amateur scouting before Davidson hired associate general manager Norm Maciver, bringing pro and amateur scouting under his authority.On Thursday, Davidson named former Cubs executive Jeff Greenberg as his other associate general manager, putting Greenberg in charge of modernizing hockey operations, including improving the quality and flow of information about players from the minors to the top level. Davidson liked that Greenberg could bring some methods from baseball that aren’t being used in hockey.Advertisement

MADRID — Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic criticized Wimbledon’s decision to exclude Russian and Belarus players from this year’s tournament following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The two tennis greats said Sunday that Wimbledon had acted unfairly.Advertisement“I think it’s very unfair of (on) my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues … it’s not their fault what’s happening in this moment with the war,” Nadal, a 21-time Grand Slam winner, said in Spain where both he and Djokovic are preparing to play in the Madrid Open.“I’m sorry for them,” Nadal said. “Wimbledon just took their decision … the government didn’t force them to do it.”AdvertisementNadal added: “Let’s see what happens in the next weeks, if the players will take some kind of decision in that regard.”The ATP and WTA tennis tours have both publicly criticized the All England Club’s decision which was announced April 20.Wimbledon starts on June 27.The prominent players affected by the ban include reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who are all from Russia. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, which has aided Russian forces, would also be unable to play.Djokovic compared the situation of the excluded players to what he went through in January when he was unable to play the Australian Open. He was deported from Australia for not being vaccinated against COVID-19.“It’s not the same thing, but going through something similar earlier this year for myself, it’s frustrating knowing that you’re not able to play,” Djokovic said. “I still stand by my position that I don’t support the (Wimbledon) decision. I think it’s just not fair, it’s not right, but it is what it is.”The All England Club had justified its action in a statement first posted on Twitter.“In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships,” the statement said.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Sunday he has introduced legislation that would give congressional authorization for President Joe Biden to use U.S. military force in Ukraine…

MLB’s broadcasts aren’t just play by play and commentary of the action on the field.We get all the things you missed during those benches-clearing moments. We get live animals at the ballpark. We get fans’ hilarious attempts at catching foul balls. We get weird mic’d up conversations between the players.AdvertisementSo every week this season, we’re rounding up some of our favorite hilarious, botched, and/or outlandish calls and moments over baseball’s broadcasts.The real star of the Cardinals/Mets brawl was Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos who hopped the bullpen fence instead of using the stairs 😂 pic.twitter.com/7eRfnWy3Qf— Breaking Bats Podcast (@BreakingBatsPod) April 27, 2022

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Saturday’s severe weather spurred at least three verified tornadoes in northern Illinois that have been confirmed by meteorologists at the National Weather Service’s Chicago office, agency…

One man was shot and another fled from the scene early Saturday morning following an armed robbery at Ryan’s Pub, 7928 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort…