SATURDAY SPORTS PAGE: SURGE, SHOOTING STARS TO MEET FOR CEBL TITLE

CEBL

The Calgary Surge held off the Vancouver Bandits with a 77-75 win in the Western Conference Finals on Friday night at the Langley Events Centre. 
 
Trailing by a point in target score time, and two points away from victory, Stef Smith sent the Calgary Surge to the CEBL championship with a game-winning three from the top of the arch. 
 
With the win, Calgary moves on to face the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the CEBL championship game on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on TSN.

The Shooting Stars advanced to their second straight CEBL title match with a 74-71 victory over the Niagara River Lions in the other semifinal Friday night in Langley.

MLB

Cody Bellinger and Nico Hoerner hit home runs off of starter Jose Berrios, Javier Assad pitched a career-high seven innings and the visiting Chicago Cubs beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 on Friday. The Cubs have won 17 of their last 23 games. Brandon Belt replied with a solo home run for the Blue Jays, going deep off Michael Fulmer in the eighth. The teams play again Saturday.

*The Seattle Mariners have moved to within a half game of the Toronto Blue Jays for the third and final American League wild-card berth. The Mariners crushed the visiting Baltimore Orioles 9-2 on Friday for their eighth consecutive win. The Boston Red Sox beat Detroit Tigers 5-2 and the New York Yankees beat the Miami Marlins 9-4.

LEAGUES CUP

Lionel Messi’s goalscoring streak lives on, as does Inter Miami’s winning streak.

Messi scored in the 86th minute, his eighth goal in five matches with his new club, and Inter Miami rolled past Charlotte 4-0 in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal game on Friday night.

Messi has scored in all five of his appearances with Miami. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner who led Argentina to the World Cup crown last year has yet to lose a match with Miami, walking off winners in all five matchups so far in the Leagues Cup, a 47-team event composed of clubs from MLS and Mexico’s top league that now is whittled down to the final four.

Next up for Messi and his new club: A semifinal game on Tuesday against either Mexican club Queretaro or Philadelphia Union.

CFL

The Montreal Alouettes, playing without starting quarterback Cody Fajardo and starting running back William Stanback, still crushed the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders 41-12 on Friday. It was the third straight CFL win for the Als, who improved to 4-and-4. Backup quarterback Caleb Evans directed the surging squad to the easy win via the ground and air. The Riders slipped to 4-and-5.

TENNIS

Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and second-seeded Daniil Medvedev are both out of the men’s singles event at the National Bank Open in Toronto. Alcaraz lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul on Friday, while Medvedev lost his quarterfinal 6-7, 5-7 to unseeded Alex de Minaur of Australia.

Jessica Pegula is back in familiar territory at the women’s National Bank Open. The fourth-seeded American beat doubles partner Coco Gauff in three sets Friday in Montreal to advance to the tournament semifinals for the third straight year. And top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland held off American qualifier Danielle Collins 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the semifinals.

(CEBL PR, CDN Press)