MON SIX

The Diamondbacks won their home opener after getting swept at Dodger Stadium in their first series of the season.

The 28-year-old Soroka (1-0) gave up four hits over five scoreless innings — and the fifth was a gem. The right-hander struck out Javier Báez, Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres on nine straight pitches, blowing a 95 mph fastball past Torres on the ninth one to tie a career high with 10 strikeouts.

The 43-year-old Verlander gave up five runs on six hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings. The big blow came in the second when Carroll connected for his first homer of the season.

Verlander (0-1) began his 21st big league season after returning to the Tigers in Februaryon a $13 million, one-year deal. The nine-time All-Star spent the first 12 1/2 seasons of his career in Detroit before being traded to the Astros in 2017.

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The Diamondbacks built an 8-0 lead after five innings but the Tigers used a six-run seventh to make a big dent in the deficit. Joe Ross gave up six runs while getting just two outs. Ryan Thompson entered and allowed all three batters he faced to reach base — while also being called for two balks — before Juan Morillo got Parker Meadows to ground out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Ildemaro Vargas hit a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to push the D-backs ahead 9-6. Paul Sewald earned his first save.

Detroit's Colt Keith had two doubles, including one that scored two runs.

Up next

The Diamondbacks send RHP Brandon Pfaadt to the mound Tuesday while the Tigers counter with RHP Casey Mize. Both pitchers are making their first start of the season.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/mlb

Well, then you are going to love what the2026 Women's Final Fourhas in store. Same teams, different semifinal matchups.

All four No. 1 seeds advanced to Phoenix where the semifinals will take place April 3 and championship April 5 at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

UConn will face South Carolina (7 p.m. ET) in the first semifinal and UCLA will take on Texas (9 p.m.) in the second on Friday. The two winners will play in the championship Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET). All games will be telecast on the ESPN family on networks.

The Huskies are the defending national champions and riding a 54-game win streak heading into the tournament. But the Bruins, Longhorns and Gamecocks have seven loses between them and have all proved they have a chance at a national title.

How did the four advance? Let's take a look at the winners and losers in the Elite Eight.

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness Second Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

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See women's March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the2026 NCAA Women's March MadnessSecond Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

Winners

Texas point guard Rori Harmon

Few players stuffed the stat sheet more in the second weekend of the Women's NCAA Tournament than theTexas Longhorns' veteran point guard. Harmon averaged nine points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and 3.5 steals in lopsided wins over Kentucky and Michigan. After suffering a season-ending knee injury as a junior, Harmon came back to Texas and guided the Longhorns to back-to-back Final Four appearances. She's also the only player in the history of Division I NCAA women's basketball to tally at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 600 assists and 350 steals in a career. She'll have the chance to cement her legacy as one of the best players in program history this weekend in Phoenix.

South Carolina guard Agot Makeer

The 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament marks the first for Agot Makeer, but she's not playing like your typical freshman. Makeer averaged 6.6 points per game during the regular season, but has stepped up her offensive production in March Madness. She's averaging 14.7 points through four tournament games and has provided a punch off the bench for South Carolina. She scored a career-high 18 points in South Carolina's 78-52 Elite Eight rout of No. 3 TCU. Makeer, who shot 8-of-14 from the field including 1-of-2 from the 3-point line, received a big hug from head coach Dawn Staley following her performance.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame didn't win its Elite Eight matchup with UConn, but the Fighting Irish defied expectations. With three players on the roster from the previous season and numerous transfer players, Notre Dame was one game away from the Final Four. Head coach Niele Ivey said she was happy and grateful to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in her tenure and "get over the hump" after making the Sweet Sixteen for five straight seasons.

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"I'm so grateful and blessed that I get a chance to do what I love and in coaching this group," Ivey said. "Obviously, we wanted to win this game, but for them to cement their legacy with me getting us back to the Elite Eight is something special, and I'll never forget it. This is one of my most special groups I've ever been around ... I love them so much."

For star player Hannah Hidalgo, this year's roster changed her as a leader. The junior guard said she was a lot more intentional this season with understanding each of her teammates, and that made a huge difference.

"You know, they've helped me grow my patience and just my understanding, just the way I think," Hidalgo said. "I'm so grateful for each and every single one of them. I wouldn't want to go to war with anybody else in this world."

Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in the NCAA women's basketball tournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.

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March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament

Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in theNCAA women's basketballtournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.

Losers

Duke

The Blue Devils blew a double-digit lead and went cold in the second half against UCLA, losing in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. To make matters worse for Blue Devils' fans, their men's and women's team both lost in the Elite Eight on Sunday — the men falling to UConn in heartbreaking, buzzer-beater fashion. For the women's team, the Blue Devils simply didn't get what they needed from two of their top scorers, Ashlon Jackson and Toby Fournier. In her final game for Duke, Jackson shot 0-of-8 from the floor, going scoreless in 37 minutes of action. Fournier encountered some foul trouble and found difficulty scoring against Lauren Betts in the post, putting up 10 points in 27 minutes. UCLA hammered Duke in the paint and stifled them at the 3-point line. Before she turns her attention to coaching Team USA in the World Cup this summer, Kara Lawson has to retool the roster to replace the backcourt of Jackson and Taina Mair, who guided Duke to two straight ACC titles.

Michigan

The Wolverines made it back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022, but their journey ended painfully. Michigan only had 29 points through three quarters against Texas, finishing with 41 points. The Longhorns lead ballooned as high as forty points during the fourth quarter, but the damage was done during the third quarter. Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico sat silently as Texas players like Madison Booker, Breya Cunningham, Justice Carlton and X- factor Kyla Oldacre went to work."It was tough. We've been a team that has fought through everything this year, and we've challenged ourselves against the best teams in the country to be in a position that we were tonight, Barnes Arico said.

"We've always been able to find that second gear. Tonight we couldn't against Texas."

"And I think we were letting the emotion -- you know, (Brooke Quarles Danies) knew it was her last game. The emotion of the game was really getting to us. So it was hard to be in those moments down the stretch."

The Wolverines finished Monday's showdown with Texas shooting just 23%. Michigan also got outrebounded, 49-32, an area they usually own despite being undersized. Barnes Arico's team also struggled to move the ball effectively against Texas and never truly found a sustained offensive rhythm. The Wolverines had five assists in the contest.

TCU's duo of Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez

After scoring or assisting on all of TCU's points in the Horned Frogs' 79-69 Sweet 16 win over No. 10 Virginia, Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez struggled to replicate that performance. TCU's dynamic duo shot 10-of-37 from the field and 4-of-14 from the 3-point line in a 78-52 Elite Eight loss to South Carolina. Miles finished with a team-high 18 points and Suarez had nine points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Women's Elite Eight winners and losers include Notre Dame and Duke

Guardians Dodgers Baseball

The right-hander allowed one run and four hits over four innings of a4-2 lossto the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night. Sasaki struck out four and walked two in his first major league start since May 9.

He walked 15 batters duringspring training, raising concerns about his ability to perform as a starter.

"I actually didn't have the confidence at all when this game started," Sasaki said through a translator, "but I was just focusing on doing what I can control."

José Ramírez, Cleveland's best hitter, singled in the first inning before Sasaki got him on a swinging strikeout in the third with runners on first and second and the Dodgers trailing 1-0.

"It should be a big boost to his confidence," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He's a confident player, but when you don't have success, it's hard to have real confidence. But when you perform, you start to build true confidence, so hopefully he can build on this one."

Roberts detected Sasaki's self-doubt in the first inning, when the 24-year-old pitcher got two quick outs before Ramírez singled and stole second.

"It was a wait-and-see kind of demeanor in the sense of you know what you're supposed to do, know what you want to do, and until you actually do it, holding your breath a little bit," the manager said. "Once he got out of that inning he was like, 'OK, I can do this,' and then wanted to go out there and keep doing it."

Dalton Rushing, the 25-year-old backup to catcher Will Smith, called the game behind the plate while Smith got the night off.

Rushing used the time walking in from the bullpen with Sasaki to pump him up.

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"I told him it was just me and him, just kind of tunnel vision to an extent and trust what you do," Rushing said. "You were a really good pitcher for a long time in Japan for a reason. You've been a great pitcher for us last year down the stretch."

Sasaki was supposed to be the next big thing coming out of Nippon Professional Baseball. He signed with the Dodgers in January 2025, but by mid-May he was on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement.

After a long rehab assignment in the minors, he rejoined the Dodgers in late September as a reliever. He made eight starts and two relief appearances overall, going 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA, 28 strikeouts and 22 walks.

His best moments as a rookie came out of the bullpen. He earned his first professional save closing out the first game of the National League Division Series against Philadelphia. He pitched in three games in the series, earning two saves and then working three perfect innings in relief in the clinching fourth game.

In the World Seriesagainst Toronto, Sasaki pitched 2 2/3 innings over two games, and Los Angeles went on to win in seven games.

Sasaki remains intent on making it as a starter, and the Dodgers are giving him the chance to find himself again.

"The goal is to keep going deeper in games," Roberts said. "I know he was a little bit nervous going into this start about what to expect. He responded well."

Rushing called it "a very big step forward" for Sasaki.

"We're going to build off this," the catcher said. "We're going to sit down and talk, see what we could have done better, refine some things and look forward to having him out there next time."

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/mlb

The internet was hooked after the 18-year-old contestant,Darathorn Yoothong, skipped subtlety altogether during the preliminary rounds of theMiss Grand Thailand competition.

"Honestly…she deserves to win just for the audacity of being herself when everyone's so standard," one netizen commented.

A Miss Grand Thailand contestant danced onstage as if the crown were already hers

Image credits:GrandTV

When Darathorn Yoothong competed in Miss Grand Thailand this month, playing it safe didn't seem to be on her cards.

The 18-year-old wentviral for her unmatched energyand busted some unexpected hip-hop moves in five-inch heels.

Yoothong took the stage as Miss Grand Kalasin, representing one of the country's 77 provinces.

Image credits:dadakerema

In a sea of contestants acting poised and polished, Darathorn stood out and kept all eyes on her when she was in the frame.

"She's definitely a festival  girlie," one said, while another quipped, "She might've lost in this competition, but she's won in the world."

"In a world of folks trying to be elegant, be Miss Thailand," read another comment.

"She did that in heels by the way, what a legend," one commenter wrote online

Image credits:GrandTV

One said, "She needs to be in theOlympic break dance categorywith that b girl step."

"She is so real. Inelegant is code for she doesn't comply with the stepford wife standards," another said. "Stop telling us how to act.  She's awesome!!!!"

"Winner energy right there," one wrote.

Image credits:GrandTV

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"Just give her the crown," said another.

The crown ultimately went to Pattama Jitsawat, who represented the Chonburi province.

She will go on to represent Thailand at the Miss Grand International competition hosted by India later this year.

18-year-old Darathorn said she was "fighting" by herself to be in the competition

Image credits:senpaiquadry

Ahead of the competition, Darathorn announced to her fans that she wasjoining the Miss Grand International competitionand asked them for their love and support.

"It means a lot to me," she said in a November post on Instagram. "I've been fighting to be here all by myself, and now it's time!"

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Image credits:GrandTV

Despite not winning, she was grateful for all the love she received online and shared a message to her fans about being truly herself.

"I just truly be myself but this is honestly unbelievable than i ever imagined," she wrote online after the competition concluded. "

"Thankyou so much for the love from everyone all around the world,' she added. "I promise I'll be back stronger and even more fun."

Another contestant from the Thai national pageant went viral after her teeth fell out

Image credits:ToxicKisToxic

For anyone who thought beauty pageants were predictable, the Miss Grand Thailand competition made them think again.

The national pageant had another viral moment this month aftercontestant Kamolwan Chanago's teeth fell outonstage on March 25.

Kamolwan, who competed as Miss Pathum Thani, was giving her opening remarks when her dental veneers came loose mid-sentence.

Image credits:GrandTV

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Viewers were surprised to see Kamolwan quickly turn around, adjust her veneers, and immediately continue.

"If I was her dentist… I'd be freaking out and heading to Bermuda!" one viewer commented on the viral moment.

"Omg I feel bad for her tho," another said.

Kamolwan Chanago playfully teased the viral moment on the final day

Image credits:jasminefulldev

The incident sparked discussions about the contestant using fake teeth, with one critic claiming nothing "fake" should make its way onstage at a beauty pageant.

"Why is there even beauty pageants nowadays where its all just plastic surgeries," one claimed. "Maybedo a plastic surgeon pageantwhere doctors from around the world send their best works to compete. Even fake teeth!!!"

Image credits:GrandTV

Image credits:GlamaWayne

"Abeauty pageant with all natural womenshould have the highest honor.. no plastic surgery no veneers, all natural," said another.

After viewers demanded she show her "real" beauty, Kamolwan seemingly addressed the chatter during the show's finale on March 28.

Image credits:GrandTV

The 18-year-old walked onstage in a bright red dress, flashed her wide natural smile, and then slid her veneers on in front of the cheering crowd.

She then confidently addressed the audience after playfully teasing the viral moment.

"She's a winner for that personality," one fan commented online.

"What in the world kind of pageant is this????" one commenter wrote online