AP Arizona

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Mike Trout was asked to be a part of this U.S. team for the World Baseball Classic. He didn’t have to be. The 31-year-old slugger knew he wanted to join this group ever since he watched the U.S. win the 2017 WBC title, beating Puerto Rico

TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani doubled and singled for his second straight two-hit game, and Japan overcame a three-run deficit to beat South Korea 13-4 Friday night for its second straight win at the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani was intentionally walked as Japan scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-3 lead,

TOKYO (AP) — Martin Muzik hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning and the Czech Republic beat China 8-5 on Friday in the World Baseball Classic. The Czech Republic overcame a 5-4 deficit in the ninth, with Filip Smola adding an RBI single in the team’s first game in Group A.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Desmond Cambridge Jr. hit six of Arizona State’s 14 3-pointers and scored 27 points as the sixth-seeded Sun Devils upset USC, the No. 3 seed, 77-72 in a Pac-12 Conference tournament quarterfinal on Thursday night. The Sun Devils (22-11) will face Arizona in the second of Friday’s semifinal. Arizona State stunned

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Ivan Prosvetov had some time on his hands before the Tucson Roadrunners were leaving for Milwaukee, so he started working on his bike. The phone rang and at first he thought it was a joke: Get to Tempe, you’re starting in goal for the Arizona

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Stanford had already beaten No. 8 Arizona in the season’s lone meeting, and Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd was not at all surprised the Cardinal were a tough out Thursday night. Behind a balanced scoring attack and a late run, the Wildcats finally put away Stanford,

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Gabe McGlothan finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds to power Grand Canyon to an 84-79 victory over Seattle University on Thursday night in the quarterfinal round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. No. 3 seed Grand Canyon advances to play second-seeded Southern Utah in the semifinals on Friday. Rayshon Harrison

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns say Kevin Durant has a sprained left ankle after slipping on the floor during pregame warmups Wednesday night and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. The hope was the 34-year-old star wouldn’t miss much time because of the unlucky mishap, but now it

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Michael Wacha was one of the last pitchers on the free-agent market this offseason, but the contract was well worth the wait for the veteran pitcher. Wacha signed last month with the San Diego Padres for a guaranteed $26 million over four years. Depending on bonuses and player or team options,

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The San Francisco 49ers added a league-high seven compensatory picks in next month’s NFL draft, giving them 11 total selections. The NFL awarded 37 compensatory picks to 16 teams on Thursday for the upcoming draft on April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri. Picks are awarded to teams in

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer Albert Pujols is open to transitioning into coaching. Eventually. Just not yet. The retired slugger popped into the St. Louis Cardinals spring training camp on Thursday to visit with former teammates and while he believes coaching or some other role within Major League Baseball will happen, he’s not eager

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings have traded defenseman Steven Kampfer to the Arizona Coyotes for future considerations. The 34-year-old Kampfer will report to Tucson of the American Hockey League after the trade announced on Thursday. Kampfer has not played in the NHL since appearing in 20 games for the Boston Bruins in

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer When Joc Pederson takes the field for Israel in the World Baseball Classic, he’ll be wearing bright silver cleats with blue Stars of David inside each Nike swoosh. Edwin Díaz commissioned two different designs to wear for Puerto Rico: blue with a bronze trumpet across the Adidas stripes, and

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Analytics say that Corey Seager was one of the hitters most hurt by infield shifts last season. Now that the defensive tactic has been restricted, the Texas Rangers slugger is having a huge spring training. The 28-year-old had eight hits in his first 18 spring training

HUACHUCA CITY, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities have yet to release the name of a man suspected in a carjacking that ended in a crash involving multiple vehicles at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint outside Huachuca City. The Arizona Department of Public Safety said the suspect was seriously injured and others had minor injuries, Tucson TV

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer The Premier Hockey Federation is taking its Isobel Cup championship game to the desert to close its eighth season. The women’s pro league announced Thursday it is partnering with the Arizona Coyotes to host the final at the NHL team’s home rink, Mullett Arena, on March 26. The arena