Warriors best Alliance

BELOIT — West Branch’s boys tennis team opened Eastern Buckeye Conference play with a 5-0 sweep of Alliance on Tuesday.

West Branch improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the EBC.

FIRST SINGLES: Austin Hawk (WB) def. Sander Kern 6-4, 6-3

SECOND SINGLES: Jeremy Augustine (WB) def. Ty Nagle 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)

THIRD SINGLES: Connor Loper (WB) def. Jordi Gonzalez-Summers 6-4, 6-4

FIRST DOUBLES: Damon Edwards-Blake Robbins (WB) def. Josiah Fogarascher-Jackson Braisted 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

SECOND DOUBLES: Cameron McCartney-Mason Cosma (WB) def. Grady Duchon-Zach Jurna 3-6, 6-3, 6-1

Marin and Oh share lead at 65

EVANS, Ga. (AP) — Arkansas junior Maria Jose Marin birdied her final two holes Wednesday for a 7-under 65 to share the lead with 17-year-old Soomin Oh of South Korea in an opening round of great weather and low scoring at Champions Retreat in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Asterisk Talley, the 17-year-old Californian who was runner-up in the ANWA a year ago, holed a greenside bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 18th hole as she made the turn and shot 66.

The conditions were ideal, and most of the 72-player field seized on the opportunity. Eight players were at 67 or lower, and 31 players broke par.

Marin, the 19-year-old Colombian who won the NCAA title last year, finished on the back and poured in an 8-foot birdie putt to get off to a much better start than a year ago, when she failed to make the 36-hole cut.

The second round Thursday is at Champions Retreat, and the top 30 and ties advance to the final round Saturday at Augusta National. All 72 players get to play at the home of the Masters on Friday.

“I feel like last year … it was a lot of learning,” Marin said. “There was a lot of tears, and of course this tournament means a lot to me. Not making the cut, it hurt a lot. But I learned that I’ve got to stay with my two feet on the ground, that I have to be really patient with my game, that if things are not going my way, I don’t have to push it, that I just have to wait for golf to do its thing.”

Former Wisconsin player from Columbus dies

Jack Pugh, a former tight end on Wisconsin’s football team who stepped away from the sport three years ago citing mental health concerns, has died, the university announced. He was 24.

Wisconsin issued a post Tuesday night on its football program’s X account saying that Pugh had died. Details including cause of death were not given.

“The Wisconsin Athletics family is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Jack Pugh,” the post said. “Jack was a positive light and brought a genuine spirit to our football program. More than that, he cared about people and was loved by his teammates and staff. Jack proudly earned his degree from UW-Madison in 2025 and will forever be remembered and loved.”

Pugh, who was a star at Hilliard Bradley in Columbus, Ohio, redshirted in 2021 before appearing in one game and earning academic All-Big Ten honors in 2022. He announced in an Instagram post in December 2023 that he had decided before that season to medically retire.

“My physical health was not near perfect, but my mental health was the reason I decided to hang it up,” Pugh said in that Instagram post. “Over years of prolonged depression and substance abuse, I decided I deserved a better life and to finally find happiness. In no way was football the root of these problems, but everything in my life had distracted me for so long to the point I never had prioritized my mental health all along, digging a deeper darker hole.”

“I want to thank the amazing Coaches, Teammates, Friends and Family @badgerfootball has provided me with over the years for helping me find a life I’m happy and proud of, and to finally create a relationship with God. I’ll never forget the memories. Love y’all.”

Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau gets medical attention

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau received medical attention for a possible allergic reaction while his teammates were flying to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

Detroit radio station WWJ 950 posted a video on X on Wednesday showing a covered individual being wheeled out of Michigan’s player development center on a gurney and loaded into an ambulance.

Michigan later confirmed it was Cadeau, who complained of a possible allergic reaction.

“Elliot alerted the medical staff that he may have had an allergic reaction to something that he ate,” the team said in a statement. “The doctors evaluated Elliot and he is fine. Out of an abundance of caution, he is receiving medical supervision and will be traveling to Indianapolis later today.”

The school said Cadeau will meet the team in Indianapolis, where Michigan is set to take on Arizona on Saturday night in a Final Four clash between No. 1 seeds.

The Wolverines are chasing their first national title since 1989 and second in program history.

Williams masters Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gavin Williams struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings, outpitching World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and José Ramírez hit his first home run of the season to lead the Cleveland Guardians past the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 on Wednesday.

Gabriel Arias also went deep for the Guardians, who took two of three games in the series from the two-time defending champions.

Williams (1-1) walked three and allowed only two hits, both singles by Andy Pages. Freddie Freeman homered off Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth, spoiling Cleveland’s shutout bid.

NFLPA’s JC Tretter warns league

The NFL Players Association is urging the league to reach an agreement with the officials’ union to avoid a work stoppage and use of replacement officials. JC Tretter, the new executive director of the NFLPA, met with Scott Green, the executive director of the NFL Referees Association, and issued a joint statement after meeting on Tuesday. NFL owners on Tuesday approved a one-year rule for the upcoming season that would allow the replay center in New York to correct “clear and obvious mistakes made by on-field officials that impact the game” in case of a work stoppage involving the NFLRA.