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  • DOTA: Team Secret release offlaner Miroslav ‘BOOM’ Bican

    DOTA: Team Secret release offlaner Miroslav ‘BOOM’ Bican


    Team Secret released offlaner Miroslav “BOOM” Bican on Friday.

    “Hard times call for drastic measures,” the Dota 2 team posted on Twitter. “Today we say farewell to our offlaner BOOM. The past months haven’t been easy but we’re thankful for his commitment and wish him the best ahead.”

    The 23-year-old Czech player joined Team Secret in December after stints with Gaimin Gladiators, Team Tickles and Vikin.gg, among others.

    The remaining members of the active roster are Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, Remco “Crystallis” Arets, Armel “Armel” Paul Tabios and Daniyal “yamich” Lazebnyy.

    Team Secret did not immediately name a replacement for BOOM. They are scheduled to compete at DreamLeague Season 20, opening with a group-stage match against Talon on Sunday.

    –Field Level Media

  • CSGO: Vitality, Imperial sweep into semis at BLAST Premier Spring Final

    CSGO: Vitality, Imperial sweep into semis at BLAST Premier Spring Final


    Team Vitality and Imperial Esports both fought off early challenges in sweeping quarterfinal victories on Friday to advance at the BLAST Premier Spring Final in Washington.

    Vitality defeated FaZe Clan 2-0, with a two-point overtime win on the opening map. Imperial also earned a 2-0 sweep over Complexity, buoyed by a hard-fought win by two points on the first map.

    Each victorious squad moved on to Saturday’s semifinals. Vitality will oppose G2 Esports, who won Group A earlier this week. Imperial will take on Heroic, the Group B winner.

    The eight-team Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with a double-elimination group stage, with the field split into two groups of four teams.

    All matches were best-of-three as winners of each group advanced to the playoff semifinals. Runners-up of each group moved on to the quarterfinals of the playoffs as high seeds, while third-place finishers headed to the quarterfinals as low seeds. All playoff matches are also best-of-three in the single-elimination bracket.

    The grand final is scheduled for Sunday, with the winner taking home $200,000 of the $425,000 prize pool. A victory in the grand final also grants qualification to the $1 million BLAST Premier World Final, which will be held Dec. 12-17 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

    On Friday, Vitality survived a wild opening map, winning 19-17 on Anubis in a battle featuring four lead changes. Vitality cruised from there, winning 16-8 on Mirage to eliminate FaZe.

    Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut of France and Lotan “Spinx” Giladi of Israel each had 48 kills to lead Vitality, with ZywOo sporting a team-high plus-13 kills-to-deaths differential. Canada’s Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken topped all players with 56 kills and a plus-17 K/D ratio.

    Imperial blew an 11-4 lead before taking the decisive two points in a 16-14 win on Vertigo. Complexity proved no match on the second map, as Imperial triumphed 16-6 on Overpass to reach the semis.

    Jhonatan “JOTA” Willian led Imperial’s all-Brazilian unit with 40 kills and a plus-11 K/D differential, while American Ricky “floppy” Kemery led Complexity with 34 kills.

    BLAST Premier Spring Final prize pool and points distribution
    1. $200,000, 3,000 BLAST Premier points, berth in BLAST Premier World Final
    2. $85,000, 2,000 BLAST Premier points
    3-4. $40,000, 1,200 BLAST Premier points
    5-6. $20,000, 500 BLAST Premier points — FaZe Clan, Complexity
    7-8. $10,000, 300 BLAST Premier points — Cloud9, Astralis

    –Field Level Media

  • CSGO: G2, Heroic win groups at BLAST Premier Spring Final

    CSGO: G2, Heroic win groups at BLAST Premier Spring Final


    G2 Esports and Heroic won their groups while Team Vitality and Complexity clinched playoff berths on Thursday in the BLAST Premier Spring Final in Washington.

    G2 edged Imperial Esports 2-1 to claim the top spot in Group A, and Heroic swept FaZe Clan 2-0 to take first place in Group B. All four teams were already assured of playoff berths.

    In the day’s two elimination matches, Vitality downed Cloud9 2-0 to escape Group A, and Complexity defeated Astralis 2-1 to get out of Group B.

    The eight-team Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with a double-elimination group stage, where the field was split into two groups of four teams.

    All matches were best-of-three, with the winners of each group advancing to the playoff semifinals. Runners-up of each group move on to the quarterfinals of the playoffs as high seeds, while third-place finishers head to the quarterfinals as low seeds. All playoff matches are also best-of-three in the single-elimination bracket.

    The grand final is scheduled for Sunday, with the winner taking home $200,000 of the $425,000 prize pool. A victory in the grand final also grants qualification to the $1 million BLAST Premier World Final, which will be held Dec. 12-17 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

    On Thursday, G2 opened with a 16-7 victory on Ancient before Imperial pulled level by taking Inferno 16-13. On the decisive third map, Nuke, G2 prevailed 16-13.

    Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Nikola “NiKo” Kovac recorded 75 kills and a plus-28 kill-death differential for G2. Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo logged 55 kills and a minus-3 K-D differential for Imperial’s all-Brazilian squad.

    Heroic got past FaZe 19-16 in overtime on Nuke, then 16-10 on Inferno. Martin “stavn” Lund produced 46 kills for Heroic’s all-Danish roster, while teammate Casper “cadiaN” Moller had a squad-best plus-13 K-D differential.

    Vitality dumped Cloud9 16-13 on Overpass, then 19-16 in overtime on Anubis. France’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut amassed 54 kills and a plus-19 K-D differential for Vitality. Russia’s Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov led Cloud9 with 60 kills and a plus-25 K-D differential.

    Complexity and Astralis traded 16-14 wins to begin their match, with Complexity claiming Vertigo before Astralis captured Ancient. The third map, Overpass, went to Complexity, again by a 16-14 count.

    The United States’ Michael “Grim” Wince had 63 kills for Complexity, and teammate and countryman Ricky “floppy” Kemery recorded 62 kills and a team-high plus-10 K-D differential. Benjamin “blameF” Bremer amassed 77 kills and a plus-28 K-D differential for Astralis’ all-Danish team.

    The playoffs begin Friday. FaZe Clan will oppose Team Vitality, with the winner advancing to oppose G2 Esports in the semifinals. Imperial Esports will meet Complexity for the right to face Heroic in the semifinals.

    BLAST Premier Spring Final prize pool and points distribution
    1. $200,000, 3,000 BLAST Premier points, berth in BLAST Premier World Final
    2. $85,000, 2,000 BLAST Premier points
    3-4. $40,000, 1,200 BLAST Premier points
    5-6. $20,000, 500 BLAST Premier points
    7-8. $10,000, 300 BLAST Premier points — Cloud9, Astralis

    –Field Level Media

  • WNBA: Brittney Sykes’ 18 points lead Mystics past Storm

    WNBA: Brittney Sykes’ 18 points lead Mystics past Storm


    Brittney Sykes scored 18 points, Shakira Austin had a double-double and the visiting Washington Mystics defeated the Seattle Storm 73-66 on Friday night.

    Austin finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Elena Delle Donne scored 11, eight of which came in the first quarter, for the Mystics, who never trailed.

    Ezi Magbegor scored 24 and Jordan Horston added 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Storm, who played without Jewell Loyd, the NBA’s leading scorer who rested a sore foot.

    Horston scored five points, Megbegor added four and Seattle started the third quarter with a 13-4 run to get within 50-45.

    Washington followed with a 6-3 run to increase the lead to 56-48 at the end of the third quarter.

    Neither team made a field goal during the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Mystics scored the first three points to extend the lead to 11 points.

    Sami Whitcomb’s 3-pointer produced the Storm’s first points of the period and trimmed the lead to eight with 6:08 left.

    Washington rebuilt the lead to 11, but Magbegor’s three-point play and two free throws by Yvonne Turner pulled Seattle within 66-60 with 2:35 left.

    Tianna Hawkins answered with a layup with 1:35 remaining as Washington held on despite scoring just 27 points in the second half, which matched their second-quarter total.

    Delle Donne scored the first four points of the game and added another basket as the Mystics took a 12-4 lead.

    Magbegor had a basket and two assists as the Storm got within one point before Delle Donne’s basket helped give Washington a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

    Kristi Toliver and Sykes each made a 3-pointer as the Mystics opened an eight-point lead early in the second quarter.

    Seattle closed within three points before Washington scored 18 points in the final five minutes to open a 46-32 halftime lead.

    –Field Level Media

  • WNBA: Sparks’ late-game run finishes off Sky

    WNBA: Sparks’ late-game run finishes off Sky


    Nneka Ogwumike scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Dearica Hamby finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals, and the Los Angeles Sparks dispatched the visiting Chicago Sky 77-62 on Friday.

    Los Angeles (4-3) relied on its defense, which forced Chicago (5-4) into 17 turnovers, to overcome its own offensive woes. The Sparks endured a woeful shooting performance, finishing the night just 28-for-73 (38.4 percent) from the floor, including 3-for-20 (15 percent) from 3-point range.

    Los Angeles also endured the early exit of Layshia Clarendon, who left in the second quarter due to a right foot injury.

    Karlie Samuelson stepped into the void created by Clarendon’s departure, and the veteran player — initially signed to a hardship contract before she was extended for the season earlier this week — gave the Sparks seven points and three rebounds off the bench.

    Samuelson hit one of Los Angeles’ three 3-pointers, putting a bow on the Sparks’ 11-0 run to end the game.

    Los Angeles held Chicago scoreless for the final 3:08 and gave up just four points over the last 6:45.

    The Sparks’ stifling defense limited the Sky to just 27-of-67 shooting from (40.3 percent) the floor and 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Alanna Smith, who matched Ogwumike with a game-high 19 points, accounted for two of Chicago’s 3-pointers on seven attempts from deep.

    Smith also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, blocked five shots and had two steals. Elizabeth Williams finished with 14 points, and Kahleah Copper scored 10 points for Chicago. The Sky scored their fewest points of the season — one game after posting a season-high 108 points while beating the Indiana Fever in overtime on Tuesday.

    While limiting Chicago on one side of the floor, Los Angeles capitalized on the other with free-throw opportunities. The Sparks shot 18-for-22 from the line, including 6-for-6 by Jordin Canada, who finished with 16 points.

    Chicago was just 4-for-8 from the foul line.

    –Field Level Media

  • WNBA: Kelsey Mitchell puts up 22 as Fever edge Lynx

    WNBA: Kelsey Mitchell puts up 22 as Fever edge Lynx


    Kelsey Mitchell scored 22 points while NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston each recorded double-doubles Friday night as the Indiana Fever nipped the Minnesota Lynx 71-69 in Minneapolis.

    Mitchell’s three-point play with 1:54 left gave Indiana (2-5) a 67-66 lead. Smith converted a layup on the next possession for a three-point advantage, and Erica Wheeler sank two foul shots to make it 71-66 at the 1:03 mark.

    Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier drained a 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining to cut the deficit to two points. After the Fever turned the ball over, the Lynx (1-7) had two shots on their next possession. However, Kayla McBride couldn’t hit a 3-point attempt and Collier misfired on a pullup jumper.

    Wheeler was fouled and missed two foul shots with 4.8 seconds on the clock, but Minnesota couldn’t get off a shot before time expired.

    Smith finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Boston added 10 points and 11 boards. Wheeler also contributed 10 points.

    Collier pumped in a game-high 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while McBride scored 11 but made only 3 of 9 attempts from the field. The Lynx canned just 38.1 percent of their field-goal tries, while the Fever made 40.6 percent.

    As might befit a matchup of teams that entered with a combined 2-11 record, both started slowly. Neither team got to double figures until Mitchell canned a 3-pointer with 2:24 left in the first quarter. Indiana took a 16-14 edge after Boston converted a layup with 6.2 seconds remaining in the opening period.

    Neither team led by more than five in a tightly contested second quarter. Minnesota’s 30-25 cushion was quickly erased as the Fever went on an 11-4 surge over the last 3:44, getting a pullup jumper from Wheeler on their last possession to earn a 36-34 advantage at the break.

    The score was tied 46-46 late in the third quarter before the Lynx got back-to-back 3-pointers from McBride and Rachel Banham, and a layup from Collier that gave them a 55-51 edge going to the fourth period.

    –Field Level Media

  • WNBA: Arike Ogunbowale’s 35 points send Wings past Mercury

    WNBA: Arike Ogunbowale’s 35 points send Wings past Mercury


    Arike Ogunbowale scored a season-high 35 points and Satou Sabally produced 17 points and 16 rebounds as the Dallas Wings completed a two-game home sweep of the Phoenix Mercury with a 90-77 victory on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

    Natasha Howard finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots for Dallas (5-3).

    Ogunbowale fell four points shy of her career high set against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 6, 2020.

    Phoenix (1-5) has lost all three of its road games this season while the Wings improved to 4-0 at home.

    Brittney Griner, in her first week back in Texas since her release from a Russia prison six months ago, drew a sellout crowd on Friday.

    A crowd of 6,251 attended the game at the College Park Center on Texas-Arlington’s campus.

    Griner, a Houston native and an All-American at Baylor, finished with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds on Friday. She had 24 points and four rebounds in the Mercury’s 84-79 loss to Dallas on Wednesday.

    Phoenix’s Sug Sutton finished with 16 points and a game-high nine assists, and Diana Taurasi had 12 points and five assists (but also committed four turnovers).

    The Mercury, who ranked last in the WNBA in rebounding entering the game at 30.2 per game, were outrebounded 41-31.

    Dallas outscored Phoenix 19-8 in fastbreak points.

    The Wings went on a 12-0 run to take a 66-53 lead with 1:38 left in the third quarter. Sabally had eight points and Howard four in the rally.

    Phoenix committed three turnovers and missed seven shots from the field during that stretch.

    Moriah Jefferson snapped the dry spell for the Mercury by making a 3-pointer with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter.

    Phoenix did not come closer than eight points afterward and trailed by as many as 22 in the fourth quarter.

    Dallas led 45-42 at halftime after Griner was assessed a technical foul for elbowing Howard late in the second quarter.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: A’s set sights on series win at Brewers’ expense

    MLB: A’s set sights on series win at Brewers’ expense


    The Oakland Athletics look to earn just their fourth series win of the season as they take on the host Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon.

    The Athletics won their season-high third game in a row on Friday night, defeating Milwaukee 5-2 in the opener of a three-game set.

    “It’s been good, pretty smooth,” right fielder Ramon Laureano said after the game regarding the mood in the Athletics’ clubhouse. “Hopefully we can continue this and have a good month of June.”

    After taking two out of three in Pittsburgh, Oakland had an off day before beginning the series in Milwaukee. The Athletics’ manager was pleased with his team’s effort following the travel day.

    “You tend to worry about a lag or lower level of energy, but these guys came out tonight and showed the fight that we’ve been talking about all year,” Mark Kotsay said. “We’re continuing to grind. It’s a good sign that we’re fighting.”

    The Athletics were able to chase Adrian Houser in the fifth inning on Friday. The Milwaukee starter had allowed more than three earned runs in an outing just once this season before yielding five against Oakland.

    “Credit to them. They had a good game plan, didn’t chase much,” Houser said. “I think everyone forgets they’re still a major league baseball team, they’re still talented, they’re still competitors.”

    Friday saw a couple familiar faces return to Milwaukee for the first time in a while. Esteury Ruiz was a Brewer for a short time in 2022 after being part of the August trade that sent Josh Hader to San Diego. Then in the offseason, he was sent to Oakland as part of the three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves and William Contreras to the Brewers.

    Also, infielder Jace Peterson, who spent the past three seasons with Milwaukee, is now hitting .221 with Oakland.

    Additionally, A’s reliever Lucas Erceg was an infield prospect in the Brewers’ system from 2016-22. He transitioned to pitching full time after the 2021 season, and Oakland purchased his contract from Milwaukee last month. He is 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in nine appearances (12 innings) for the A’s.

    Paul Blackburn (0-0, 6.00 ERA) will take the mound for Oakland on Saturday. The 29-year-old right hander missed the first two months this season due to hand injuries. He has made two starts, totaling nine innings, since returning. In nine total innings, Blackburn has struck out nine while allowing six hits and four walks.

    Blackburn will be opposing the Brewers for the first time in his career.

    Milwaukee’s Julio Teheran (1-2, 1.56 ERA) will attempt to continue his hot start with his new team.

    After being signed as a free agent on May 25, Teheran has made three starts with Milwaukee. In 17 1/3 innings, he has allowed just three earned runs while striking out 10 and walking two.

    In three career starts vs. Oakland, Teheran is 1-0 with a 5.56 ERA.

    This is the first series between the teams since the 2019 season and the first time Oakland has been in Milwaukee since 2016.

    The Athletics are just 8-26 on the road this season, the worst away mark in the majors.

    –Field Level Media

  • WNBA: Sabrina Ionescu’s career-high 37 points leads Liberty past Dream

    WNBA: Sabrina Ionescu’s career-high 37 points leads Liberty past Dream


    Sabrina Ionescu shot 8 of 13 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 37 points, and visiting New York used a big third-quarter run to thwart an Atlanta Dream rally in the Liberty’s 106-83 win on Friday.

    Ionescu’s eight 3-pointers in one game tied for second in league history behind Kelsey Mitchell’s nine for Indiana on Sept. 8, 2019.

    New York (5-2) led Atlanta by as many as 24 points in the second quarter of Friday’s Commissioner’s Cup clash, going on a 28-6 run to close the first half.

    But the Dream (2-4) bounced back for the first 5:16 out of the locker room, outscoring the Liberty 21-6 to pull within seven points on Rhyne Howard’s 3-pointer midway through the third.

    The shot was part of a 3-of-7 night from beyond the 3-point arc for Howard, who became the fastest player in WNBA history to make 100 careers 3-pointers at 40 games. Howard finished with 15 points.

    New York responded to Atlanta’s comeback push immediately and decisively.

    The Liberty did not allow another Atlanta point for more than five minutes of game time, going on a 10-0 run that pushed the New York lead to double digits the rest of the way.

    The visitors grew their advantage to as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

    New York shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range in the final period, part of a 14-of-30 night for the Liberty overall. Along with Ionescu’s eight, Breanna Stewart knocked down four 3-pointers on her six attempts.

    Stewart finished with 25 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Stewart has scored at least 20 points in five of her last six outings.

    Jonquel Jones added another eight rebounds and 11 points. Courtney Vandersloot dished 11 assists for New York.

    Allisha Gray scored 17 points to lead Atlanta, which played its first game since learning Aari McDonald will miss the next 3-to-4 weeks due to a torn labrum.

    Cheyenne Parker added another 12 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Dream.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Orioles bring rare recent win streak into rematch with Royals

    MLB: Orioles bring rare recent win streak into rematch with Royals


    The Baltimore Orioles haven’t experienced sustained success over the past few weeks.

    Now they have a chance to get something going.

    The Orioles will pursue their third consecutive win when they face the visiting Kansas City Royals on Saturday in the middle game of a three-game series.

    Baltimore won 3-2 Friday in the series opener, giving the Orioles consecutive victories for the first time since May 24-25.

    “We had a tough stretch on the road there, the schedule and just not being able to put up enough runs,” Orioles left fielder Austin Hays said. “To bounce back and get a big Game 1 win was huge for us.”

    The Royals have lost four games in a row and seven of their past eight. In that eight-game stretch, they have scored more than two runs just twice — and lost both times.

    “Anytime you don’t hit, there’s a guy on the other side of the field trying to get you out,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said.

    Kansas City’s starting pitcher Saturday will be right-hander Brady Singer (4-4, 6.45 ERA), who has won his past two decisions and is coming off his best outing of the season. He blanked the Colorado Rockies for 5 2/3 innings and didn’t issue a walk while striking out seven on Sunday.

    Singer is set to make his 13th start of the season but only his fifth in a road game. He surrendered five or more runs in two of the previous road outings, though the Royals are 3-1 in the games he started outside of Kansas City.

    Even with 78 career appearances, with 75 of those starts, spread across parts of four seasons, Singer has faced the Orioles just once. He lost to Baltimore on July 17, 2021, after giving up seven runs in two-plus innings at Kansas City.

    The Orioles will bring left-hander Cole Irvin (0-2, 10.38) back from Triple-A Norfolk to pitch on Saturday.

    “We’re looking forward to watching him start,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said.

    Irvin struggled with the Orioles earlier this season. He made three starts in April, was sent back to Norfolk, then was recalled and used for just one-third of an inning out of the bullpen during his only major league appearance in May.

    Irvin appreciates getting another chance.

    “Part of my job is to be a pro and continue working no matter what level I’m at,” he said. “The expectation of us is, when your number is called is to be ready and take the ball.”

    Baltimore has questions about its lineup, as first baseman Ryan Mountcastle missed the Friday game because of an illness.

    “Just not feeling real good. (He) tried to play through it (Thursday),” Hyde said. “I could tell he wasn’t feeling well. He tried to battle through it and still was feeling sick.”

    Mountcastle is slumping at the plate, as he is 4-for-30 (.133) with no homers and two RBIs over his past eight games.

    Hays came through for the Orioles on Friday with a home run and double. He was in the leadoff spot for the 12th time this season.

    Kansas City might have questions regarding its first baseman for Saturday as well. Vinnie Pasquantino left Friday’s game with discomfort in his right shoulder.

    –Field Level Media