Minnesota
Big day from Royce Lewis, six-run eighth power Twins past White Sox
Royce Lewis hit a two-run homer and a two-run double and the Twins plated six runs in the eighth inning to power their way to a 10-2 victory over the struggling Chicago White Sox Friday night in front of an announced crowd of 30,801 at Target Field in downtown Minneapolis.
Lewis hit the two-run homer in the first inning for the first two runs of the day and put the Twins back in the lead with a two-run double in the third, going 2 for 4 overall with a walk and the four RBIs.
Lewis’ third-inning double gave the Twins a 4-2 lead that held until the eighth inning when Christian Vazquez hit a two-run double and Willi Castro hit a two-run homer the next at-bat. After Trevor Larnach was walked, Byron Buxton hit another two-run shot that gave the Twins a 10-2 advantage.
Twins starter Joe Ryan, meanwhile, did a nice job keeping the White Sox (27-85) relatively quiet through 6 1/3 innings. His lone blemish was surrendering a two-run homer to Miguel Vargas during the third inning, but he allowed just three hits and two runs overall while fanning seven.
The loss was the White Sox’s 18th straight.
Vargas’ third-inning homer knotted the game at 2-2 after Lewis put the Twins (60-48) ahead with his 409-foot, two-run blast right away in the first inning. But Lewis wasted no time putting the Twins back ahead, either, hitting the two-run double in the bottom of the third inning for a 4-2 Twins lead.
White Sox starter Davis Martin, who recently returned from Tommy John surgery and slid into the rotation for the first time since Chicago traded starter Erick Fedde, allowed the four runs off five hits while fanning five across 3 2/3 innings of work. The White Sox bullpen held the Twins in check for the next 3 1/3 innings, but the Twins beat up on Steven Wilson and Prelander Berroa in the eighth.
Jorge Alcala relieved Ryan with one out and one on during the sixth inning and sent the next two batters down in order. Griffin Jax pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and recently-acquired reliever Trevor Richards sent the White Sox down in order in the ninth to close out a convincing victory.
The Twins and White Sox meet for the second of their three-game series at 6:10 p.m. Saturday.
Minnesota
Minnesota staff drops in on 2026 ATH Roman Voss
The Minnesota coaching staff was on the road on Monday dropping in on top in-state prospects. Among those that the Gophers spent time with is elite in-state prospect Roman Voss.
The four-star prospect is ranked as the top prospect within Minnesota and a top-15 athlete nationally. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Voss does a little bit of everything for Jackson County Central, playing quarterback, tight end, linebacker, and safety.
At the next level, many programs are looking at Voss as a likely tight end or linebacker where his 4.6 speed would be best utizilzed. The Gophers are among those teams and currently view him as a tight end.
Voss is among the Gophers’ top targets in the 2026 recruiting cycle and has already amassed a strong offer sheet with offers from Cal, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Wisconsin, and of course the Gophers.
Minnesota
Minnesota high school sports: Scores and results for Monday, Jan. 6
• Orono 218.5, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 189, Bloomington 147.5. Medalist: Bennett Erickson, Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 49.71.
• Benilde-St. Margaret’s 190, St. Louis Park 170, Bloomington 169. Medalist: Ava Krueger, St. Louis Park, 50.28.
EASTERN MINNESOTA ATHLETIC
• Avail Acad. 68, Twin Cities Acad. 55
Minnesota
Minnesota task force recommends decriminalization of magic mushrooms
MINNEAPOLIS — A task force is recommending the decriminalization of magic mushrooms.
A nearly 200-page report from the Minnesota Psychedelic Medicine Task Force said psilocybin mushrooms show evidence they may improve mental health.
Logan Fleischman co-owns Wonderland Mushroom Dispensary in St. Paul, a shop specializing in mushroom-infused gummies and drinks that tout supposed real-life health benefits.
“We’re not saying that this certainly will give you energy or will give you focus, but for some people, it does help,” Fleischman said.
Fleischman does not sell “magic mushrooms,” also known as psilocybin mushrooms, that cause hallucinations and are still illegal.
However, news of a state task force report that lays out potential health benefits, gives Fleischman hope.
“Really helping combat things like depression, anxiety, PTSD,” Fleischman said.
By a two-thirds supermajority, members of the Psychedelic Medicine Task Force are recommending the Minnesota Legislature create a state-regulated clinical program for the therapeutic administration of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, while removing criminal penalties for their use, and allocating for more funding for research on psychedelics, like psilocybin mushrooms.
The task force also looked at a clinical program for synthetic drugs like MDMA and LSD, but that didn’t garner enough support. There also was not enough support for a recreational market for magic mushrooms.
“The report itself is meant to be a long-term resource for the state,” said Jessica Nielson, chair of the task force. “We do need someone in the legislature to actually introduce the bill and move it through the system.”
Minnesota Sen. Mark Koran, R-North Branch, a member of the task force, is optimistic.
“If we can get a true environment to have some research done and find an effective way to administer it, and we have the resources to do it here, then I would be all for moving it forward,” Koran said.
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