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UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Emma Meesseman scored 20 of her 26 points in the first half, Candace Parker added 18 points and the Chicago Sky beat the Connecticut Sun 83-79 on Friday night in a rematch of the WNBA Finals.Parker made two free throws with 28.4 seconds left for an 80-79 lead. After a timeout, Courtney Williams missed a shot in the lane and Parker was fouled again before making two free throws for a three-point lead with 12.9 left. Rebekah Gardner, a 31-year-old rookie, stole a pass under the basket and added another free throw to seal it.AdvertisementGardner finished with 14 points for the Sky (8-4). Courtney Vandersloot had eight points and eight assists, and Allie Quigley moved into 17th place in WNBA history for made 3-pointers.Meesseman, averaging 10.9 points, scored 20 in the first half on 9-of-10 shooting. Her three-point play capped the first-half scoring to give the Sky a 45-44 lead.AdvertisementBrionna Jones scored 20 points and DeWanna Bonner added 18 for the Sun (10-4), which had their four-game winning streak snapped. Alyssa Thomas had 11 points and eight assists.Bonner made her first 3-pointer of the game to pull the Sun within 78-77 and she made a jumper on the next possession for a one-point lead.

NEW YORK — Clint Frazier fit the mold of what the Chicago Cubs roster could have used this year.For a big-league roster that needs an overhaul to become a contender again, Frazier represented upside. When the Cubs signed the outfielder to a one-year deal in December, Frazier figured to be in the mix for playing time, a chance for the organization to unlock his full potential and consistency that had evaded the 2013 first-round pick (fifth overall). Aside from Frazier’s age (27), he would be under team control through 2024 because of his remaining arbitration years.AdvertisementIf the Cubs found something in Frazier, he would provide low-cost offense and allow them to address other lineup needs. Frazier’s time Chicago didn’t play out that way, however. The Cubs designated Frazier for assignment before Friday’s series opener against his former team, the New York Yankees. It was a corresponding 40-man roster move for right-hander Chris Martin to come off the restricted list.Frazier hit .216 with three doubles, no home runs, one RBI, a .356 on-base percentage and 87 OPS+ in 19 games with the Cubs. An appendectomy sidelined Frazier for more than a month.AdvertisementManager David Ross said Frazier was upset and emotional when he received the news.Cubs pinch hitter Clint Frazier doubles against the Brewers in the seventh inning on April 7, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)“It’s a spot where we haven’t been able to give him real opportunities to watch him succeed right now,” Ross said. “I think he believes in his baseball skills, which we do too. It’s just one of those really tough decisions we have to make sometimes which stink and nobody wants to make those. It’s part of this business.”Rookie Christopher Morel’s emergence over the last three weeks and his ability to play center field lessens the need for a fifth outfielder. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki (strained left ring finger) appears on track to come off the injured list this weekend, but as of Friday, he was not ready to return. Ross said it feels like a day-to-day situation, but “it’s a slow process right now.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Suzuki took batting practice Friday, and the Cubs will see how he feels Saturday. The issue remains how Suzuki’s finger feels when hitting.“Like, how much pain we can tolerate and how much we want to push it and is there any real damage that we can do long term with pushing it,” Ross said. “Right now I think we’re testing all boundaries.”Frazier’s time might have been running out anyway as the Cubs will need a roster move once Suzuki is ready.“His ability to show what he’s capable of, that hasn’t really panned out,” Ross said. “With how our roster is constructed it just was really tough to find him a spot. We all believe that Clint Frazier has got a lot of really good baseball still. … Him getting the opportunity to go out there and prove it is the hard part right now.“Sometimes it’s the big picture from the front-office standpoint and day to day from my standpoint.”AdvertisementThere is, of course, the Jason Heyward question: How does he fit on this roster over a young, less proven outfielder with potential upside when the Cubs are looking to the future? Clearly the Cubs are not inclined to part ways with Heyward at this time.Asked about Heyward on Friday, Ross said the veteran will get at-bats against right-handers. He started in right field Friday with Yankees right-hander Luis Severino on the mound. Heyward hit his first home run of the season on a 1-2 pitch from Severino in the fifth inning to tie the game. It marked his second extra-base hit of the game.

One of Tony La Russa’s managerial philosophies is “trust your gut, you don’t cover your butt.”“If you make moves to cover your butt, and they usually don’t work, and you get fired, you’ll never know if you’re good enough,” the Chicago White Sox manager said before Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Field.AdvertisementThose were lessons passed along to him from player/manager/executive Paul Richards. And it’s advice La Russa offers young managers.“If you make the decision and it doesn’t work, somebody is going to say it’s a bad decision,” La Russa said. “Don’t worry about covering your butt. Don’t worry about it. Because you can’t. It actually frees you to do what you think is right.”AdvertisementA key decision during Thursday’s 11-9 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers became a topic of national debate. A day later, La Russa said he was “even more surprised” by the conversations.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Tony La Russa’s intentional walk call generates disdain and makes the Chicago White Sox the talk of baseball ]The Sox trailed 7-5 in the sixth when Freddie Freeman to took second base on Bennett Sousa’s wild pitch. The ball made the count 1-2 as the left-hander Sousa faced right-handed-hitting Trea Turner.La Russa elected to intentionally walk Turner, bringing up the left-handed-hitting Max Muncy. He hit a three-run homer to left.“Since then, somebody sent me some stats about what Turner hits with 1-2 counts,” La Russa said Friday. “He’s like the third- or fourth-best hitter in baseball over the past three years (fourth with a .265 average since 2021, according to MLB Network). I mean, we all know that. And Muncy’s a very tough hitter, but you know, he didn’t have it so far in the first half (slashing .150/.327/.263 in 41 games entering Thursday). He’s not having that type of year. If you pitch to himー and I know the answerー pitch to him and Turner hits a homer, is anyone going to say to me, ‘Face Muncy?’ And the answer was yes.“I just chock that one up to, that’s taking the outcome too far. Because the reasoning was, there’s no way. I didn’t even hesitate. Saw the ball was going back (to Sousa after the wild pitch), ‘Hey, four (calling for the intentional walk).’ And if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I don’t think so on that one.”La Russa said the call had more to do with Turner, who entered Thursday slashing .303/.357/.482 in 56 games.“(Sousa has) been good against left-handed hitters,” La Russa said. “He’s been good against right-handed hitters. But mostly, it’s Turner. Turner is a tough hitter with no strikes, one strike, two strikes, he shorts up and he’s got all kinds of ways to put the ball in play and hurt you. It’s mostly about Turner. Now, if it had been a right-handed pitcher, yeah, I probably would have tried to make a pitch.”[ [Don’t miss] Lance Lynn is in line to make his 1st start of the season Tuesday for the Chicago White Sox: ‘He’s good to go’ ]La Russa said there is a process to slowing the game down from the dugout.Advertisement“If you play the ‘what if’ game, it’s amazing how much you can slow the game of baseball down,” he said. “You can really, you have two, three, four minutes because you are ‘if this, if that, if this, if that.’ Nothing usually happens so fast that you haven’t. You can win 10-0 or lose 10-0 and be worn out at the end of the day because you’ve been ‘what-iffing.’ It really slows the game down.“Muncy hadn’t been doing anything. He already had a big hit against (starter Dylan) Cease (with a two-run double in the fifth) so he’s feeling better. I’m always fascinated, and that’s part of the reason I’m still here. I really embrace the excitement of making those decisions. If it don’t go right, I have enough scabs. I can take it.”

Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn is in line to make his first start of the season Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.“My understanding is he’s good to go Tuesday, and I’m excited about it,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said before Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Field. “We’re excited about it.”AdvertisementLynn has been out since he hobbled off the mound in an April 2 Cactus League game after throwing a pitch to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll. He underwent right knee surgery to repair a torn tendon three days later.White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn delivers against the Red Sox on Sept. 12, 2021, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Lynn made three starts during a rehab assignment for Triple-A Charlotte, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA and eight strikeouts. He allowed 10 runs on 15 hits in 10 innings.AdvertisementThe right-hander went 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 28 starts last season, his first with the Sox, and placed third in Cy Young Award voting.That roster move is likely in the coming days.Prior to tonight’s series opener vs. Texas, the #WhiteSox optioned infielder/outfielder Gavin Sheets to Class AAA Charlotte and recalled right-handed pitcher Jimmy Lambert from Charlotte.— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 10, 2022

The Sox made a pair of moves before Friday’s game, optioning first baseman/outfielder Gavin Sheets to Charlotte and recalling pitcher Jimmy Lambert from the Knights.Sheets has a .204/.268/.328 slash line with five doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs in 44 games.“You can see on the field or his at-bats, he wasn’t himself and you watch the work that he’s doing and you see his frustration,” La Russa said. “He just kept pressing. He’s got all the quality you look for. He’s got the makings of a real hitter, a productive hitter.“We just think the timing was right. We can use the extra arm and it works well for Gavin and I think he’ll get it fixed because we need that balance that he brings us.”La Russa said Sheets will be “just tweaking what he’s doing” with Charlotte.“He’s not far off,” La Russa said. “This is the worst place to try to — even if you’re a pitcher — working on something. Big-league pitchers, big-league hitters. No mercy.”AdvertisementLambert entered Friday 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA and seven strikeouts in three games (two starts) this season with the Sox. He was 0-3 with a 9.24 ERA and 12 strikeouts in five starts with Charlotte.

Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been fined $100,000 by the team for his comments comparing the protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Coach Ron Rivera announced the fine in a statement Friday after meeting with Del Rio earlier in the day. He said Del Rio’s statements were hurtful to members of the local community and did not reflect the views of the organization.AdvertisementAsked Wednesday about a social media post he made earlier in the week, Del Rio downplayed the deadly insurrection and questioned why the protests in the summer of 2020 after Floyd’s death were not receiving the same scrutiny. Del Rio called the Jan. 6, 2021, riot “a dust-up at the Capitol,” which he later apologized for.“He understands the distinction between the events of that dark day and peaceful protests, which are a hallmark of our democracy,” Rivera said in the statement, adding that Del Rio had a constitutional right to voice his opinion. “Words have consequences and his words hurt a lot of people in our community. I want to make it clear that our organization will not tolerate any equivalency between those who demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the actions of those on Jan. 6 who sought to topple our government.”AdvertisementRivera said he feels strongly after their conversation that Del Rio “will have a greater understanding for the impact of his language and the values that our team stands for.” He said the money will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.Del Rio, 59, is going into his third season running the defense on Rivera’s staff and in that time has shared his conservative political views on social media numerous times. A Twitter post Monday night prompted questions to Del Rio after an offseason workout, including whether he was concerned about how his thoughts might go over with players, the majority of whom are Black.“If they are and they want to talk about it, I’d talk about it with anybody,” Del Rio said. “No problem. At any time. But they’re not. I’m just expressing myself and I think we all as Americans have a right to express ourselves, especially if you’re being respectful. I’m being respectful.”Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera, left, speaks with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio during a practice on Aug. 17, 2021, in Ashburn, Va. (Patrick Semansky/AP)While the Commanders players asked about Del Rio’s remarks declined comment or brushed off their significance in the locker room, multiple Virginia lawmakers expressed concern about the team’s latest in a long line of offseason issues. On Thursday, Virginia’s legislature abandoned a bill that would have given the NFL club tax incentives to build a stadium in the state.Del Rio’s comments were prompted by preparations for this week’s hearings by a House committee on the Jan. 6 riot. Lawmakers have presented evidence that former president Donald Trump knew he had lost the 2020 election but clung to his claims of election fraud and summoned the violent mob.

Former Cleveland Guardians President Gabe Paul once quipped that “a manager really gets paid for how much he suffers.”If that’s still the case, Tony La Russa deserves a raise.AdvertisementNo one has suffered quite like the Chicago White Sox manager, who still was the talk of baseball Friday one day after “the walk.”Not since Kevin Cash lifted starter Blake Snell in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series has a strategic move generated so much disdain.AdvertisementBy ordering left-hander Bennett Sousa to issue an intentional walk to Los Angeles Dodgers hitter Trea Turner with a 1-2 count and first base open in the sixth inning Thursday, La Russa inadvertently opened the door to a world of pain.When Max Muncy followed with a three-run home run, the second-winningest manager in history knew the decision would be questioned. Yet La Russa maintained a postgame posture of being completely surprised by the questioning, which made the moment exponentially worse.It was the intentional walk heard around the baseball world, in which a 77-year-old manager made an indefensible move, then got defensive trying to defend it. If this was just the usual Sox Twitter mob on his back, La Russa possibly could’ve shrugged it off as another bump in the road on his much-publicized comeback after leaving the dugout in 2011.From the Yermín Mercedes incident last season to Thursday’s intentional walk on a 1-2 count, he has been in a few crazy episodes but survived them all. Teflon Tony was real.But virtually no one agreed with La Russa, leaving him on an island. Even Fox News called it “perplexing” and mentioned a Sox fan yelling “He’s got two strikes, Tony!”NBC Sports Chicago analyst Ozzie Guillén told WSCR-AM 670′s “The Mully and Haugh Show” he was “shocked” by the move. MLB Network showed that 42.8% of hitters with a 1-2 count strike out, and former major leaguer Cameron Maybin brought up La Russa’s other head-scratching decisions.No one was under the delusion La Russa wouldn’t survive this. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is a loyal friend. Case closed. But it gave La Russa’s already sizable legion of doubters one more reason to call for a change.The move already has zoomed to the top of the charts on the “La Russa Top 40,″ surpassing “YermínGate,” the controversy over homering on a 3-0 pitch in a rout. Tumbling down the chart was La Russa leaving in closer Liam Hendriks as a ghost runner last season, not knowing the rule, and bringing in left-hander Tanner Banks to face right-handed New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton last month.AdvertisementUnless another manager calls for an intentional walk on a 1-2 pitch, La Russa will have the category to himself the rest of time. Imagine that.One decision in one game isn’t the end of the world. The Sox went into Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers knowing starter Lance Lynn would soon return, with shortstop Tim Anderson not too far behind. And La Russa is not the first manager to make some crazy moves.Former Cubs manager Don Zimmer, who was beloved in Chicago for ignoring conventional wisdom in the summer of 1989, said that season he never worried about fan or media backlash as long as he had a good explanation for every decision he made.La Russa had an explanation as well: A lefty on lefty matchup — Sousa vs. Muncy — had a better chance of succeeding than Sousa facing Turner, even with two strikes. La Russa challenged an MLB.com writer, asking if he knew Turner’s and Muncy’s numbers.As an MLB Network graphic showed, Turner had a .254 career average with a 1-2 count, and a .378 average this season, with a 31.4% strikeout rate. Muncy is hitting .146 versus left-handers this season (and was at .125 before the at-bat, one of the worst in the majors in that category). Over his career, MLB Network pointed out Muncy has a much more respectable .252 average against lefties.One stat both MLB Network and La Russa ignored belonged to the 27-year-old Sousa. Left-handed batters are hitting .364 off Sousa, who now has an 8.20 ERA. Just because he’s left-handed doesn’t mean he has been successful against left-handed hitters.AdvertisementNo matter. The deed is done. Now it’s time to watch the fallout.General manager Rick Hahn did not fire La Russa Thursday night while everyone was sleeping, in spite of the pleas by Sox fans on Twitter. Hahn, who didn’t personally choose La Russa, coincidentally discussed this week how he reacts when bad stuff happens to the Sox.“I throw (stuff),” he said. “I’ve been walking a lot. I leave the house when I’m not with the team. Actually here (at Guaranteed Rate Field), I walk in the tunnels a lot. My wife accuses me of acting like Jerry West in ‘Winning Time,’ which I think is (expletive). I don’t act like that. I think it’s slander, apparently West and me.”Hahn is not the first Sox GM to wander around collecting his thoughts when things go bad. When executive vice-president Ken Williams was GM in 2002, he went for a long walk around Edison Field during a 19-0 loss to the Anaheim Angels, the most lopsided defeat in team history.At the very least, Sox GMs traditionally get their steps in during times of stress.So what’s next for the Sox? Time to audible?AdvertisementCubs President Jed Hoyer talked about adding on last June before an 11-game losing streak led to the biggest sell-off in team history. Hahn said he doesn’t expect to be in “sell mode” at the trade deadline.“I really don’t hope I have to sit here in six weeks and eat these words,” he said.The Sox invented the “White Flag Trade” in 1997. Don’t expect likewise on the 25th anniversary this July.But at the very least it should be an interesting six weeks for the Sox, and for La Russa, who seems to live by the words of Gene Mauch.“I’m not the manager because I’m always right,” Mauch once said. “But I’m always right because I’m the manager.”

After accepting an invitation to the Big 12 Conference last September, UCF will officially start competing in the Power Five league for the 2023 football season, the school announced Friday.The Knights, who are joined by Cincinnati and Houston, will be departing the American Athletic Conference following this season.AdvertisementThe move becomes effective July 1, 2023, according to the conferences.The three university presidents — UCF’s Alexander Cartwright, Cincinnati’s Neville Pinto and Houston’s Renu Khator — issued a joint statement:Advertisement“It has been a privilege for our universities to compete at the highest level in the American Athletic Conference where our programs have grown and flourished, both athletically and academically.“To be part of The American’s climb to national prominence in recent years is something we’ll always look back on with great pride. We are especially grateful to Commissioner [Mike] Aresco and his staff for their efforts during this process and look forward to an outstanding year of competition in 2022-23.”When UCF first made the move to join the Big 12, the initial word from conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby — who is retiring later this summer — was that the three AAC schools would become members no later than the 2024-25 athletic year.Meanwhile, BYU, which is independent, could join in 2023.UCF, Houston and Cincinnati will pay $18 million over 14 years to exit the American Athletic Conference in 2023, according to sources. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)AAC bylaws made the arrival time uncertain. UCF, Houston and Cincinnati were required to give a 27-month notice to their league and pay a $10 million exit penalty.By that timeline, the three schools would just miss the 2023 football season. If they wanted to leave earlier, their payout would have to be larger.Each of the three schools will pay an $18 million buyout over 14 years to the AAC, a source confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel. The Athletic was the first to report the figures.When the University of Connecticut departed the AAC in 2019, the Huskies paid $17 million to join the Big East in 2020, the Hartford Courant reported.AdvertisementUCF athletics director Terry Mohajir told the Orlando Sentinel last month that the schools were still working through the negotiations, but he had hoped to have something finished by May.Despite the delay, the details are finalized and UCF will play its last season in the AAC this year.“It’s a fair deal and it’s sensible,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco told the Sentinel on Friday. “We’re satisfied and we think it’s a fair amount. Ultimately, in these situations, when somebody wants to leave early, you try to work it out if you can because it’s always better to figure it out.“The best thing is that we ended up amicably. This isn’t personal. We said it a million times, but it isn’t. You may take it personally but it isn’t, and they’re doing what they think they need to do in their best interest.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Aresco said he’s enjoyed his relationship with the three departing schools, including UCF.“I’ll have fond memories of those championship games and the basketball run when they had with Tacko [Fall] and Aubrey [Dawkins],” he said. “We had a great relationship going right back with [former school president] John Hitt and to former athletic directors Todd Stansbury and Danny White and even Terry Mohajir, who I’ve gotten to know lately.Advertisement“I tip my hat, they’ve done a great job and I wish them well.”The move opens the door for the AAC to add future members UAB, FAU, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA to its membership next season.FAU, UTSA and Charlotte announced they would officially be leaving Conference USA and joining the AAC on July 1, 2023.In anticipation of the turnover, the AAC reportedly reworked its media rights deal with ESPN. This comes after the league signed a 12-year deal in 2020 that was reportedly worth $1 billion.Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.

If moving parts on the offensive line during the offseason program are a sign of things to come, you’re going to need a scorecard to track things when Chicago Bears training camp opens and honest-to-goodness competition and evaluation begins in the trenches.The most eye-opening development Wednesday was Teven Jenkins, the tackle the Bears traded up to draft in Round 2 (39th overall) a year ago, running with the second team at right tackle.AdvertisementIn practice sessions previously open to media, Jenkins had been with the starters on the right side with Larry Borom, a fifth-round pick in 2021, at left tackle. With Jenkins lining up with the second team, rookie fifth-round pick Braxton Jones was at left tackle and Borom at right tackle.[ [Don’t miss] 4 things we learned at Chicago Bears OTAs, including Braxton Jones taking 1st-team reps and Kyler Gordon’s absence ]This is far from finalized — it’s spring football with no contact (at least with full pads on) — and this will be hashed out in camp and the preseason when jobs will be on the line.Advertisement“Early on in the OTAs, you guys asked a question about the tackles, and we said, ‘Hey, we’re going to move guys around and shift guys around,’ ” coach Matt Eberflus said. “So it (was) the halfway point for us. We had six practices and then we (had) six to seven to go at that point when we made the switch and we wanted to change combinations.Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins practices on May 24, 2022, during OTAs at Halas Hall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)“That’s not the only (position) we’ve changed from tackle to tackle. We’ve moved some receivers around. Some guys are playing X. Some guys are playing Z. We’ve adjusted some guys on the defensive line just to really find out, have a true evaluation of what’s the best fit for us going into training camp. We might like the other combination. We might like this combination. We might not like either one of them. Now let’s go to the one in training camp. We’ll figure out what the best thing is and that’s really just more information for the coaches to find out what’s best for the Bears.”One of the other moves was switching from Sam Mustipher at right guard to Dakota Dozier, a 31-year-old who primarily has been a backup in his career. Right guard figures to be up for grabs when training camp opens, and it makes sense not to simply hand a job to Jenkins, who underwent back surgery during his rookie season and was limited to six games, two starts and only 161 snaps.While the coaching staff is mixing and matching, there is no way to spin this early development as a positive for Jenkins. It’s worth wondering if he’s considered a good fit for a team that is going to run a lot of outside zone and play-action. The Bears could have questions about his movement and ability to climb to the second level and play in space.[ [Don’t miss] Chicago Bears chalk up penalty for too much contact in OTAs to younger players eager to prove themselves: ‘They’re flying around’ ]It will be particularly interesting if Jones, a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection last year, gets left tackle reps with the starters in training camp. The Bears obviously saw traits in him they liked — he was one of four linemen general manager Ryan Poles selected on Day 3 of the draft. But if he had high-end traits, he wouldn’t have lasted until Round 5.Bears tackle Braxton Jones stretches at rookie minicamp at Halas Hall on May 6, 2022. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)Since 2010, 12 rookie offensive tackles have been drafted in the fifth round or later to start a minimum of eight games. Three did so for the Bears — Borom last season, Jordan Mills in 2013 and J’Marcus Webb in 2010. It’s not a star-studded list, and the best — Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata — is an outlier as a former Australian rugby standout.Jones has no ceiling, and it would be a tremendous development if he proves to be a legitimate challenger for playing time sooner rather than later.Jenkins no doubt will have a chance to run with the starters in training camp, which is when the coaching staff and front office can begin to make more nuanced decisions regarding where everyone fits and what the depth chart, which will be fluid through August, should look like.AdvertisementBut this should not be viewed as a motivating tactic. A second-year player who missed most of his rookie season doesn’t need that. It is evidence the Bears perhaps have more questions about the offensive line than some envisioned. It remains to be seen how many answers are on the current roster.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kinzie Hansen and Grace Lyons hit three-run homers, Jayda Coleman made two spectacular defensive plays and No. 1 seed Oklahoma defeated unseeded Texas 10-5 on Thursday night to win its second straight Women’s College World Series title.The Sooners (59-3) claimed the best-of-three series 2-0 after winning Game 1 16-1 on Wednesday. It was Oklahoma’s sixth championship and fifth in the last nine World Series.AdvertisementJocelyn Alo, the two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, was named Most Outstanding Player. She hit .666 for the tournament, tied Tiare Jennings for a World Series-record five home runs and set a Series mark with 12 runs scored.Alo hit a hard single in her final at-bat in the sixth inning and later scored. In the seventh, she stepped in to play left field and caught two fly balls for outs before leaving the game to a standing ovation. She ended her career with a Division I-record 122 home runs.AdvertisementJennings set a World Series record with 15 RBIs. Oklahoma scored 41 runs in its final three World Series games.Oklahoma players celebrate with the trophy after defeating Texas in the Women’s College World Series softball championship Thursday in Oklahoma City. The Sooners won 10-5. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)Oklahoma’s Alyssa Brito (33) celebrates as she runs in from the outfield after the fifth inning of Game 2 of the Women’s College World Series softball championship against Texas on Thursday in Oklahoma City. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl (22-1), the NFCA Freshman of the Year, settled down after a rough start. She allowed two runs and four hits in four innings.Texas pitcher Estelle Czech (13-2) began the game with three shutout innings but ran into trouble in the fourth and fifth and was replaced.Mia Scott hit a three-run homer and JJ Smith had two hits for the Longhorns (47-22-1), who had survived six elimination games in NCAA Tournament play before Thursday.The Longhorns loaded the bases with no outs in the first and scored two runs. Coleman jumped above the fence for a spectacular grab that robbed Courtney Day of a two-run homer and ended the inning.Oklahoma finally got on the board in the fourth. After the Sooners got their first run following a throwing error, Taylon Snow’s RBI single tied the game at 2-all.In the fourth, Coleman had another defensive gem, throwing out a Texas runner at second from the warning track.Alyssa Brito’s RBI double in the fifth gave Oklahoma the lead for the first time, and Hansen’s blast later in the inning put the Sooners up 6-2.AdvertisementThe crowd stood for Alo’s at-bat in the sixth, hoping for one more blast. Instead, her single loaded the bases. Two batters later, Lyons’ homer made it 10-2.Scott’s 3-run homer came in the seventh.

Chicago White Sox reliever Bennett Sousa threw a wild pitch, allowing Freddie Freeman to take second base during the sixth inning Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.With two outs and the Sox trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by two runs, the ball made the count 1-2 as the left-hander Sousa faced right-handed-hitting Trea Turner.AdvertisementSox manager Tony La Russa elected to intentionally walk Turner, bringing up the left-handed-hitting Max Muncy. The cleanup hitter made the Sox pay, hitting a three-run homer to left.Some decisions work. That one didn’t for the Sox, who lost 11-9 in front of 25,482.AdvertisementDodgers second baseman Max Muncy (13) celebrates his three-run home run off White Sox relief pitcher Bennett Sousa in the sixth inning Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Charles Rex Arbogast / AP)The move became an instant topic of discussion locally and nationally.“So let me ask you a question: Is there some question on whether that was a good move or not?” La Russa asked afterward. “Do you know what (Turner) hits against left-handed pitching with one (strike), 0-1, or two strikes, do you know what he hits? Do you know what Muncy hits with two strikes, against a left-handed pitcher. Is that really a question?“Because it was 1-2? Turner with a strike left against a left-hander is something you avoid if you can, and we had an open base and Muncy being the guy behind him, and that’s a better matchup. If somebody disagrees, that’s the beauty of this game. Welcomed to it. But that wasn’t a tough call.”A fan on the television broadcast was heard saying after the decision: “He has two strikes, Tony!”Muncy, who returned from the injured list after missing 11 games with left elbow inflammation, had five RBIs and told reporters covering the Dodgers: “The baseball mind in me gets it. Obviously my year has sucked up to this point (slashing .150/.327/.263 in 41 games). Trea’s been really good (slashing .303/.357/.482 in 56 games). At the moment (after the homer), I was animated and I’ll just leave it at that. …“But at the same time, I don’t know if walking someone with two strikes is ever the right move. I understood it now, but at the time you get little animated.”It was a tough loss for the Sox, who had a chance for a series win against one of the best teams in baseball. Instead, they saw a four-run lead evaporate and lost two of three to the Dodgers.AdvertisementIt started to unravel for the Sox in the fifth inning, when the Dodgers scored six unearned runs.Leading 4-0, Sox starter Dylan Cease allowed a single and a walk with one out. Third baseman Jake Burger committed a fielding error on an Austin Barnes grounder, loading the bases for Mookie Betts.White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease heads to the dugout after being pulled in the fifth inning against the Dodgers on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Charles Rex Arbogast / AP)Cease struck out Betts, but Freeman drove in two with a double. Turner hit a slow grounder to third and beat Burger’s throw to first, extending the inning and bringing in another run.Muncy followed with a two-run double, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. The sixth run scored on a wild pitch by reliever Matt Foster.“Lost a game today, I take full responsibility for that,” Burger said. “I need to be better in the field.”Burger had two hits, including a home run, and scored three times before leaving in the ninth with cramping.Advertisement“I feel comfortable at the plate and slowing the game down, and now I have to translate that into the field,” Burger said. “That’s part of the game, and you’ve got to be good on both sides of the ball.”Cease exited after 4⅔ innings, allowing the six unearned runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and three walks.“I battled and that’s sometimes the way it goes,” Cease said.The sixth inning got off to a sluggish start for the Sox when Gavin Lux hit a grounder to first but beat Sousa to the bag for an infield hit. With one out, Betts hit a grounder to third. Burger bobbled it momentarily, recovered and got an out at first.Freeman drove in Lux with a single. Then came the wild pitch, intentional walk and three-run homer, stretching the Dodgers’ lead to 10-5.“Turner with no strikes, one strike or two strikes is very dangerous against right and especially left,” La Russa said. “Now if maybe (right-handed-hitting Will) Smith was hitting behind him it would have been a different thing. Muncy is there so it’s an easy call for me. I mean, if (Sousa) gives up a hit there (to Turner), I would be walking into the lake or something because that would have been stupid. And he did get a hit, Muncy, got behind him and threw a slider he didn’t break. To his credit, instead of trying to hook it, he played it (to left field).Advertisement“I don’t get surprised too often, but that one, does anybody in this room really think, even with the count, should have gone after Turner? I would say that’s no chance. Muncy is the guy to get out of the inning. We just missed him.”The Sox scored twice in the eighth and brought the tying run at the plate with no outs. But Adam Engel and Josh Harrison struck out, and Danny Mendick flied out to right.The Dodgers scored once in the top of the ninth and the Sox answered with two to get within 11-9. They brought the potential winning run to the plate with one out, but Yasmani Grandal popped out to third in foul territory and Gavin Sheets struck out.“We’re disappointed but we’re not putting our heads down,” Cease said. “We have a lot of work to do. There is still a lot of season left. We’ll let this one go and come back tomorrow.”