BASEBALL
The Reading Fightin Phils scored three times in the first inning and held on to beat the Portland Sea Dogs 7-4 on Sunday at Hadlock Field and earn a split of their six-game series.
Portland won the first three games of the series, including a doubleheader sweep on Thursday, before Reading won the final three.
The Fightin Phils started fast taking the lead on RBI doubles in the first inning by Aldrem Corredor, Logan O’Hoppe and Chris Sharpe. Simon Muzziotti hit a two-run single in the fourth to make it 5-0, and Sharpe hit a two-run single in the seventh to give Reading a 7-1 lead.
Christian Koss hit a three-run home run in the seventh for Portland.
Sea Dogs starting pitcher Victor Santos fell to 2-3, allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings. Reading’s James McArthur earned his first win of the season, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out five and walking none in six innings.
AUTO RACING
FORMULA ONE: Max Verstappen used an aggressive early pass on Formula One championship leader Charles Leclerc then controlled the inaugural Miami Grand Prix for his third victory of the season.
The reigning world champion started third Sunday, but Red Bull quickly got the best of Ferrari for a second consecutive race. Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. had locked out the front row in qualifying for Ferrari, but Verstappen pounced at the start to get ahead of Sainz.
He then set his sights on Leclerc and used a strong outside pass on the ninth lap to claim the lead. Verstappen went unchallenged until a late crash between Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly brought out the safety car and setup a 10-lap sprint to the finish on the 19-turn, 3.36-mile circuit (5.41 kilometers) built around Hard Rock Stadium.
Leclerc got a few looks inside but Verstappen didn’t relent and the Dutchman won by 3.7 seconds. He also won two weeks ago at Imola as Red Bull capitalized on a poor Ferrari weekend on Italian home soil with a 1-2 finish for Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
In Miami, Ferrari settled for second and third for Leclerc and Sainz.
TENNIS
MADRID OPEN: Carlos Alcaraz capped another impressive week with a straight-set victory over Alexander Zverev to win the Madrid Open and become the second-youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles.
After victories over his idol Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, the Spanish teenage sensation comfortably defeated No. 3 Zverev 6-3, 6-1.
Alcaraz became the youngest winner in Madrid, and the second youngest to win two Masters 1000 trophies after Nadal won in Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005. Alcaraz had already become the youngest to enter the top 10 since Nadal did it in 2005.
GOLF
PGA TOUR: Max Homa played solid, steady golf during a week of cold, wet conditions and a back-and-forth Sunday duel with Keegan Bradley, closing with a 2-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Wells Fargo Championship in Potomac, Maryland.
An emerging star on the PGA Tour whose only missing achievement is contention in a major, the 31-year-old Homa finished at 8-under 272 at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. He won for the fourth time overall, third in 15 months and second since he gave up his popular podcast.
Bradley started the day with a two-shot lead, gave it away on the par-5 second hole and took it back on the par-4 eighth before Homa finally took command for good on the back nine. A bogey on the closing hole gave Bradley a 2-over 72 and a tie for second with Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Thorbjorn Olesen finished eagle-birdie for the second straight day to win the British Masters by one shot in a dramatic fashion in Sutton Coldfield, England, earning his first European tour title in nearly four years and igniting his career after a damaging court case.
Olesen shot 1-over 73 to finish a stroke ahead of Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg (68) at the Belfry.
Soderberg ended 9-under 279 overall which had looked enough for the win.
South Africa’s Justin Walters (71) and Scottish pair Connor Syme (70) and Richie Ramsay (71) shared a three-way tie for third.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Steve Flesch rallied from four shots behind Sunday with a 7-under 65 for a one-shot victory in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, his second title at the TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia.
David Toms finished one shot behind along with Padraig Harrington (64) and Fred Couples, who birdied the last hole for a 66. Harrington had a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole that missed.
Flesch finished at 11-under 205.
CYCLING
GIRO d’ITALIA: Mark Cavendish marked his return to the Giro d’Italia by winning a bunch sprint at the end of the third stage while Mathieu van der Poel kept hold of the pink jersey.
Cavendish, who rides for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, raised his arms over his head and beamed broadly after crossing the line just ahead of Arnaud Demare and Fernando Gaviria.
It was a 16th stage win in the Giro for the 36-year-old Cavendish, who hasn’t ridden the Italian race in nine years.
SOCCER
WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE: Sam Kerr’s two goals helped Chelsea clinch a third successive Women’s Super League title on the final day of the season by beating Manchester United 4-2.
A comeback against United after trailing twice ensured Arsenal did not overtake Chelsea with a 2-0 victory over West Ham at the same time.
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