Detroit, MI
Detroit Lakes suffers crushing loss to Willmar shutting door on 2024 campaign
DETROIT LAKES
— The final chapter of the Detroit Lakes softball team’s 2024 season closed in their elimination bracket loss to No. 7 Willmar at Snappy Park.
The Thursday contest ended with the Cardinals (2-20) trouncing the Lakers 17-4 in five innings and living to see another day. Willmar put up 11 runs in the opening frame and Detroit Lakes was forced to play from behind right from the jump.
“A couple of errors in the first inning really killed us,” head coach Emma Mejia said. “We gave up too many runs. Pitching, we did as well as we could today but just gave up a few too many hits today.”
Madi Norsten launched a grand slam in the top of the first after the first five Willmar batters reached base. The Lakers managed to get their first out seven batters but the Cardinals were ahead 7-0. After the second out of the opening frame, Hannah Magnuson hit a two-out, three-run bomb and Willmar led 9-0.
Detroit Lakes’ Sidney Borgmann was called off the mound after nine runs, two walks and seven hits in two-thirds innings pitched. Amelia May came in for relief and got the final out but the Lakers trailed 11-0 after a half-inning of play.
The Cardinals tacked on one run in the second and five more runs in the top of the third. Willmar ended the afternoon with 17 hits and 16 RBIs.
“You got to give some credit to Willmar,” Borgmann said. “I mean, they really hit the crap out of the ball. I think we really needed to cut down on errors but we just couldn’t pull it out today for some reason.”
Detroit Lakes made a comeback attempt with two runs in the second and third innings but it was too little too late. The Lakers managed to secure five hits but had zero RBIs. Detroit Lakes sent three pitchers to the mound with hopes of slowing down the Cardinals.
Shea Thomas pitched the final two and one third innings allowing one hit, one walk and punching out four.
The Lakers were bested 17-2 against No. 3 Hutchinson in the opening round of the Section 8AA tournament. The last couple of days for the Lakers have been tough but that doesn’t take away from the growth the team saw since the first pitch.
“To be honest, it was disappointing because neither one of them should have been as bad as they were,” senior Ella Okeson said about the last two games. “But from our first game against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton to here, there was lots of improvements, so you can’t be mad about that.”
After the game following the Lakers’ final gathering, Mejia and the other coaches gathered to talk with their three seniors – Isabelle Hansen, Borgmann, and Okeson.
“We’re going to miss them, of course, but we’re going to miss their positive leadership and the way they embodied our culture,” Mejia said. “Coming in as juniors with new coaches and having different coaches every year, they really truly embodied and bought into our family dynamic and the team that we’re trying to build. They embodied everything we needed, and we appreciate that on a daily.”
The Lakers added two more wins from last season and finished with a 5-16 overall record. Mejia concluded her second season as head coach and the ex-Laker softball player is excited about the direction the team is headed.
“Our main goal coming in this year was bring fun back into it, get better every practice, every game,” Mejia said. “We’re going to continue to do that every time. So that’s all I can ask for.”
And Borgmann sees that the program is in good hands with Mejia.
“I think it starts young, and I think we’ve definitely started to build up from there,” Borgmann said. “I think we have a lot of young talent, and I believe that they can go far, far places. They just need a little bit more time to develop.”
WILLMAR 17 DETROIT LAKES 4
WIL – 11 1 5 0 0 X X – 17
DTL – 0 2 2 0 0 X X – 4
DETROIT LAKES BATTING – Okeson: 1-3, R; Johnson: 1-2, R; Borgmann: 1-2; Chilton: 1-2, R, BB; Peterson: 0-1; Thomas: 0-1; Hansen: 1-2; May: 0-2; Larson: 0-2; Lyman 0-2
WP: Etterman (WIL); LP: May (DTL)
Detroit, MI
2024 NFL Playoff Picture, Week 12: Chiefs, Lions Hold Top Seeds
The Kansas CIty Chiefs and Detroit Lions are very different, and yet they’re the same.
Kansas City has continuously had to hold onto leads at the end of games, while Detroit has rolled one team after the next. And, yet, both are 10–1 and the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences.
Meanwhile, there was a change in the NFC playoff picture, with the Seattle Seahawks jumping into the No. 3 seed after beating the Arizona Cardinals, who went from that spot all the way out of the playoff picture with a single loss.
Here’s how everything looks in both conferences, updated up to the second.
Additionally, all playoff probabilities are courtesy of The Athletic’s model.
AFC: WHO’S IN
Record: 10–1, first place, AFC West
Remaining opponents over .500: 4
Playoff probability: 99%
Kansas City was able to ward off the pesky Carolina Panthers on Sunday, giving it an AFC-best 10 wins. A short week is ahead for the Chiefs, who host the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.
Record: 9–2, first place, AFC East
Remaining opponents over .500: 1
Playoff probability: 99%
The Bills had the week off. A big three-game stretch looms with the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions coming up in Orchard Park.
Record: 8–3, first place, AFC North
Remaining opponents over .500: 3
Playoff probability: 88%
After getting into the first-seed conversation, the Steelers lost in the snow to the Cleveland Browns. Next up, the Cincinnati Bengals, who are clinging to life at 4–7.
Record: 7–5, first place, AFC South
Remaining opponents over .500: 2
Playoff probability: 94%
After winning convincingly in Dallas on Monday night, Houston was upset by the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. C.J. Stroud & Co. hold a two-game lead in the AFC South, but appear to be headed for the fourth seed.
Record: 7–3, second place, AFC West
Remaining opponents over .500: 4
Playoff probability: 91%
Los Angeles will try to stay in this spot with a victory Monday night over the Baltimore Ravens, while also opening a two-game lead in the loss column with a tiebreaker in hand.
Record: 7–4, second place, AFC North
Remaining opponents over .500: 4
Playoff probability: 95%
The Ravens have a chance to close the gap in the AFC North while also jumping the Chargers with a win at SoFi Stadium on Monday night.
Record: 7–5, third place, AFC West
Remaining opponents over .500: 2
Playoff probability: 60%
Denver took care of the Raiders in Las Vegas, giving it a second straight win before coming home to host the Browns on Monday night. The Broncos still have the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals on their schedule, easily their biggest games remaining.
IN THE HUNT
Miami Dolphins (5–6): The Dolphins pummeled the New England Patriots on Sunday behind Tua Tagovailoa’s four touchdown passes. Miami will face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving Day.
Indianapolis Colts (5–7): Anthony Richardson struggled in a loss to the Detroit Lions. Despite being two games under .500, Indianapolis has a real shot at the playoffs with a soft schedule the rest of the way.
Cincinnati Bengals (4–7): Cincinnati likely needs to win out. That won’t be easy with two games remaining against the Steelers, starting with this weekend.
NFC: WHO’S IN
Record: 10–1, first place, NFC North
Remaining opponents over .500: 3
Playoff probability: 99%
The Lions appear to be the best team in football. Detroit took on a plucky Colts team and handled them with ease, allowing only six points. Still, there’s no breathing room with Detroit only a game up in the NFC North.
Remaining opponents over .500: 3
Playoff probability: 99%
The Eagles visit the Rams on Sunday night. We will update this space after the game.
Record: 6–5, first place, NFC West
Remaining opponents over .500: 3
Playoff probability: 21%
Seattle lost five of six before earning two huge divisional victories over the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals the past two weeks. With those wins, the Seahawks moved to the third seed, holding a tiebreaker over the Atlanta Falcons for the spot.
Remaining opponents over .500: 3
Playoff probability: 83%
Atlanta had its bye week, and comes out of the break facing the Chargers and Minnesota Vikings the next two weeks.
Record: 9–2, second place, NFC North
Remaining opponents over .500: 5
Playoff probability: 98%
The Vikings continue to be only one game back of the Lions in the NFC North, while remaining the top team in the NFC wild-card picture after a 30–27 overtime win over the Chicago Bears.
Record: 8–3, third place, NFC North
Remaining opponents over .500: 3
Playoff probability: 93%
Green Bay handled the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers with ease, continuing to make a playoff push. The Packers now have a short week with Miami coming to Green Bay on Thursday.
Record: 7–5, second place, NFC East
Remaining opponents over .500: 2
Playoff probability: 72%
Freefall in Washington? The Commanders have now lost three consecutive games, with a defeat to the listless Dallas Cowboys being the worst of them all.
IN THE HUNT
Arizona Cardinals (6–5): Arizona went to Seattle and managed only six points. The Cardinals will try to rebound this upcoming weekend against the Vikings in Minnesota.
Los Angeles Rams (5–5): The Rams play host to the Eagles on Sunday night. We will update this space after the game.
San Francisco 49ers (5–6): This might be the end for San Francisco. The Niners are ravaged by injuries to Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa, Brock Purdy and Trent Williams. Next up, Buffalo.
Detroit, MI
Financial Constraints Could Prevent Detroit Tigers From Landing Dream Player
The Detroit Tigers are coming into the offseason looking to improve after a shockingly great 2024 campaign.
Nobody saw the Tigers coming in 2024, as they went on to have one of the best second halves of a season in a long time. They were able to ride that momentum right into the playoffs, and they defeated the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Round.
When looking at the Detroit roster, it was pretty clear that manager A.J. Hinch did a magnificent job finding ways to win games. While he had the luxury of Tarik Skubal pitching every five days, there wasn’t much else in the starting rotation after trading away Jack Flaherty.
This winter, the Tigers will have the opportunity to add to a young roster that achieved a lot in 2024.
While they had a lot of success last year, there are some areas that the team can improve upon. One of which is at third base.
Hitting was an issue at times for Detroit in 2024, as they need to become more consistent if they want to take the next step forward in 2025.
Recently, Jason Beck of MLB.com spoke about Alex Bregman being a great fit for the Tigers. However, he highlighted that financial constraints could hold the franchise back from their dream target.
“While the on-field fit with Bregman is obvious, the financial fit is another matter. The Tigers have not been a team for bidding wars; even under the late owner Mike Ilitch, they were more active finding undervalued or overlooked free agents (Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, Kenny Rogers) than outbidding teams for highly-sought talent. There’s a ton of payroll space in Detroit, but the Tigers just got past one long-term deal that didn’t age well (Miguel Cabrera), and still have Javier Báez for three more years. President of baseball operations Scott Harris has been more attracted to shorter-term deals and long-term flexibility, both in Detroit and in his previous job as Giants general manager. He might have to weigh how much he wants to stretch a deal to get Bregman”
Adding the gold glove third baseman would be a really good move for the Tigers for multiple reasons. As a good hitter and fielder, Bregman was able to total an impressive WAR once again last year. With three straight seasons of a WAR over 4.0, the slugger is extremely consistent.
In addition to what he can do on the field, Bregman has a ton of experience in the league and in the playoffs. This can only help a young Tigers team that entered uncharted waters last season.
While he certainly makes sense for Detroit, he is going to be one of the highest paid free agents this offseason wherever he goes. It is very possible that the financial side of things could be the reason why they don’t get their dream target.
Detroit, MI
How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts – NFL: Week 12 | Channel, stream, preview
INDIANAPOLIS — The Detroit Lions will look to keep up their winning ways on Sunday as they face a hungry Indianapolis Colts team looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
- Watch the NFL on FuboTV (7-day free trial)
Detroit Lions (9-1) vs. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
- When: Sunday, November 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Where: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis. Ind.)
- Channel: FOX
- Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), DirecTV Stream, Sling
The Lions put together a historic effort last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In a 52-6 drubbing, Detroit recorded a franchise-record 645 yards of total offense and 38 first downs. Jared Goff had a much-needed bounce-back game, throwing four touchdowns, while David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs had standout performances on the ground. It marked the second time this year the team has hit the half-century mark in points, as they scored 52 against the Tennessee Titans last month.
The Lions continue to roll through the regular season, coming close to already securing a spot in the playoffs. They are currently first in the NFC North, one game up on the Minnesota Vikings.
While things have not been perfect in America’s Heartland, the Colts still have a shot at sneaking into a Wild Card spot. After a series of lackluster efforts during the team’s three-game losing streak, Indianapolis and quarterback Anthony Richardson stepped up last Sunday against the New York Jets. Timely stops on defense and a solid outing by their sophomore QB helped them outlast Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
The Colts still have some work to do. Despite being second in the AFC South, Indy is two games back of the first-place Houston Texans and one back of the last Wild Card spot in the AFC.
The Colts are 22-20-2 against the Lions, winning four of the last five meetings.
- Watch the NFL on FuboTV (7-day free trial)
Check out the NFL schedule
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