Sports
USC blown out by Oregon State, setting up regional final rematch on Monday
CORVALLIS, Ore. — USC baseball wanted to be aggressive knowing it was entering a hostile environment, playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,347 at Goss Stadium.
The Trojans tried to set the tone early.
Instead, it backfired, costing them early opportunities, early momentum and ultimately Sunday night’s matchup in a 14-1 loss to Oregon State in the Corvallis Regional final.
USC opened with two hard hits. Brayden Dowd singled and Ethan Hedges followed with a rocket to right-center field that came off the bat at 104 mph. It one-hopped the wall for an easy double that could have set the Trojans up with two runners in scoring position and no outs. But USC third base coach Travis Jewett was spinning his arm almost immediately, sending Dowd home.
Oregon State pitcher Kellan Oakes celebrates after striking out a batter to leave the bases loaded Sunday.
(Shotgun Spratling / For The Times)
Shortstop Aiva Arquette, an expected top 10 pick in next month’s MLB draft, fired a throw home that brought catcher Wilson Weber into the baseline where he applied the tag to Dowd while his knee collided with the head of the Trojans’ outfielder.
The play invigorated the home crowd and set the tone for the beatdown to follow that saw the No. 8 national seed Beavers thoroughly outplay the Trojans despite playing its second game of the day facing elimination. Oregon State pummeled Saint Mary’s, 20-3, Sunday afternoon to reach the final.
The next half inning, Oregon State attacked USC with four bunts that helped generate four runs. The Trojans’ aggressiveness again bit them.
Oregon State’s Wilson Weber, left, scores a run as USC third baseman Ethan Hedges misplays a bunt Sunday.
(Shotgun Spratling / For The Times)
After they took the out at first on an initial sacrifice attempt, the Trojans twice tried to cut down runners at home with ill-fated results. Third baseman Hedges muffed a barehand attempt when the ball bounced with funky spin on a hard bunt that one-hopped. The Beavers bunted again on the next pitch. First baseman Adrian Lopez tried to come home and was too late.
A base hit through the middle scored the next run before Oregon State went back to the bunt to score the fourth run, prompting the crowd to start chanting “Small Ball! Small Ball! Small Ball!”
Oregon State added two runs in the third inning to take a 6-1 lead. USC had a huge opportunity to get back in the game in the fifth inning, loading the bases with no outs and the heart of the lineup due up.
But the Beavers’ pitching staff had USC’s 3-4-5 hitters in a blender all night. Starter Wyatt Queen struck out Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek for the third time before turning the ball over to reliever Kellan Oakes, who struck out Lopez and Abbrie Covarrubias to escape the jam unscathed.
USC coach Andy Stankiewicz walks back to the dugout during a 14-1 loss to Oregon State on Sunday.
(Shotgun Spratling / For The Times)
Oregon State then piled on runs against the lesser-used arms in USC’s bullpen, scoring three runs in the sixth on Trent Caraway’s fourth home run in as many games.
USC has a chance for redemption Monday as Oregon State’s win forces a winner-take-all regional final at 3 p.m. PDT (ESPNU).
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Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig was found guilty by a jury in a federal gambling case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
The verdict followed a weekslong trial that included testimony from MLB officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii baseball coach tied to Puig and the illegal gambling operation.
Puig played for three major league teams, spending the bulk of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has not appeared in an MLB game since 2019. Puig, 35, now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 26.
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig reacts after the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game 3 of the 2017 NLDS playoff baseball series at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., Oct. 9, 2017. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports)
Puig’s attorney, Keri Curtis Axel, argued the government failed to prove key elements of its case and that she plans to raise post-trial motions.
“We look forward to clearing Yasiel’s name,” Axel said.
Puig initially pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling operation.
He acknowledged in an August 2022 plea agreement that he wracked up more than $280,000 in losses over a few months in 2019 while wagering on tennis, football and basketball games through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player.
GUARDIANS’ EMMANUEL CLASE ARRESTED BY FBI AT JFK AIRPORT FOR ALLEGED ROLE IN GAMBLING SCHEME
Nix pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and subscribing to a false tax return. Authorities said Puig placed at least 900 bets through Nix-controlled betting websites and through a man who worked for Nix.
Prosecutors said that, during a January 2022 interview with federal investigators, Puig denied knowing about the nature of his bets, who he was betting with and the circumstances of paying his gambling debts.
But he changed his tune months later, announcing that he was switching his plea to not guilty because of “significant new evidence,” according to a statement from his attorneys in Los Angeles.
“I want to clear my name,” Puig said in the statement. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”
Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de La Guaira of Venezuela reacts after leaving a game due to injury in the fourth inning during a game against the Dominican Republic at loanDepot park as part of Series del Caribe 2024 Feb. 9, 2024, in Miami, Fla. (Luis Gutierrez/by Norte Photo/Getty Images)
The government argued he intentionally misled federal investigators. They played in court audio clips of Puig speaking English and brought expert witnesses to testify on Puig’s cognitive abilities, The New York Times reported.
His attorneys said Puig, who has a third-grade education, had untreated mental health issues and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him during the interview with federal investigators when he allegedly lied.
Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de la Guaira of Venezuela reacts in the fifth inning of a game against the Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park as part of the Serie del Caribe 2024 Feb. 1, 2024, in Miami, Fla. (Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images)
Puig made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2013 and finished his major league career with 132 home runs and 415 RBIs. He was selected to the MLB All-Star team in 2014. Last year, he played for the Kiwoom Heroes, a professional baseball team based in Seoul.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
BOYS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 59, Valor Academy 41
Angelou 63, Manual Arts 25
Animo Robinson 61, Jefferson 48
Bernstein 79, Hollywood 59
Bert Corona 45, Community Charter 43
Birmingham 73, El Camino Real 40
Canoga Park 64, Granada Hills Kennedy 60
Carson 50, Gardena 49
East College Prep 45, CALS Early College 40
East Valley 51, VAAS 35
Fairfax 60, LACES 43
Foshay 74, New West Charter 54
Garfield 53, LA Roosevelt 51
Granada Hills 58, Chatsworth 48
Hawkins 72, Dymally 42
Huntington Park 44, Bell 42
Lake Balboa College Prep 43, MSAR 42
Lakeview Charter 40, Valley Oaks CES 32
LA Jordan vs. Fremont, canceled
LA Marshall 53, Lincoln 34
LA Wilson 78, Bravo 57
Locke 53, Port of LA 32
Los Angeles 58, Santee 34
Marquez 75, Maywood CES 31
Mendez 87, Belmont 53
Middle College 72, Larchmont Charter 47
MSCP 103, Horace Mann UCLA 33
Northridge Academy 80, Fulton 54
Palisades 81, LA University 35
Rancho Dominguez 74, Wilmington Banning 44
San Fernando 93, Reseda 57
San Pedro 39, Narbonne 32
Simon Tech 59, Esperanza College Prep 41
SOCES 67, Vaughn 61
Sun Valley Magnet 73, Discovery 42
Sylmar 106, Panorama 34
Triumph Charter 69, CHAMPS 41
University Prep Value 69, Stern 43
Verdugo Hills 67, Chavez 26
View Park 65, Port of Los Angeles 32
Washington Prep 99, King/Drew 65
West Adams 46, Diego Rivera 35
Westchester 62, Hamilton 41
Westbrook 56, Alliance Ouchi 52
GIRLS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 43, Valor Academy 13
Angelou 36, Manual Arts 10
Bell 43, Huntington Park 15
Bernstein 41, Hollywood 27
Birmingham 81, El Camino Real 42
Bravo 40, LA Wilson 37
Brio College Prep 41, Legacy College Prep 31
Cleveland 66, Taft 43
Eagle Rock 28, Franklin 9
Esperanza College Prep d. Simon Tech, forfeit
Gardena 30, Carson 28
Granada Hills 63, Chatsworth 26
Granada Hills Kennedy 81, Canoga Park 9
Grant 48, Arleta 34
Harbor Teacher d. Locke, forfeit
Hawkins 63, Dymally 20
King/Drew 78, Washington Prep 29
LACES 51, Fairfax 20
Lakeview Charter 39, Valley Oaks CES 11
Larchmont Charter 49, Middle College 10
LA Marshall 59, Lincoln 12
Mendez 41, Belmont 10
MSAR 48, Lake Balboa College Prep 26
MSCP 52, Horace Mann UCLA 19
New West Charter 58, Foshay 13
North Hollywood 75, Monroe 10
Palisades 53, LA University 22
Panorama 45, Sylmar 29
RFK Community 64, Roybal 23
San Fernando 69, Reseda 17
San Pedro 45, Narbonne 35
Santee 77, Los Angeles 12
South East 56, South Gate 30
Stern 44, University Prep Value 13
Sun Valley Magnet 61, Discovery 11
Verdugo Hills 70, Chavez 16
West Adams 41, Diego Rivera 33
Westchester 62, LA Hamilton 40
Wilmington Banning 59, Rancho Dominguez 22
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SAN FRANCISCO – There might be nobody on the planet happier for Matthew Stafford than Puka Nacua.
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback, in his 17th NFL season, won his first MVP Award on Thursday night to all but cement what will likely be a Hall of Fame resume.
“I almost did a backflip,” Stafford’s star wide receiver Puka Nacua said to Fox News Digital on radio row.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua greets quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
The extra celebration, though, came when Stafford officially committed to playing next season.
“I knew he was coming back. I knew it. I was waiting for him to say it at some point. And when he said it, I still wanted to do a backflip. It was the best,” he said.
“Nobody deserves it more than him playing at such a high level in this late stage of his career. And the photo of him and his family, that’s football heaven right there.”
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford reacts after throwing a touchdown pass during an NFL football game against the New York Jets Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY REFLECTS ON 2025 SUCCESS AFTER INJURY-PLAGUED 2024 SEASON: ‘JUST THANK GOD’
Nacua would be a stud no matter who is throwing to him, but he definitely has Stafford to thank for his absurd numbers.
“I know I wouldn’t be standing in the place that I am with the opportunities I’ve had to chase records, to break records, to be at a high level and to be up there with the best of them. He’s been right there every step of the way, and I’m glad I get him for one more year.”
One more year? We’ll see.
Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams talk in the first quarter of a game against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025, in Inglewood, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
“I won’t put a timeline on his career, but if I can win another Super Bowl, hopefully he won’t hang it up after that.”
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