SUNDAY SPORTS PAGE: UPSET OF THE YEAR?

CFL

VANCOUVER – The Hamilton Tiger-Cats avenged their loss to Edmonton last week with a 30-13 win over the B.C. Lions on Saturday in Vancouver.

Third-string quarterback Taylor Powell went 18 of 23, throwing for 222 yards and one touchdown, while Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 311 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Former B.C. Lions running back James Butler shredded through his former team’s defence, consistently finding space through the defensive line.

He opened the scoring for Hamilton (4-6) at the start of the second quarter, vaulting his way into the end zone. Butler followed that up in the third quarter by scoring the first passing touchdown the Lions (7-4) have conceded at home during the 2023 regular season.

Lions receiver Keon Hatcher got the only touchdown of the game for B.C. in the fourth quarter, with the subsequent onside kick attempt recovered by Hamilton’s Tim White and returned for a touchdown.

The Lions had previously only lost back-to-back games once in the last 29 contests.

OUA

The Western Mustangs scored early and often on route to a 83-0 win over the York Lions in the opening game of the 2023 OUA Football season on Saturday afternoon.

“I thought we were a little rusty initially out of the gates but overall I thought we were really good,” said Greg Marshall, Mustangs Head Coach “Evan (Hillock) got settled in and got in a groove, I thought we did a good job on special teams and defensively we played outstanding.”

This was the first meeting between Western & York since the 2018 season.

Western would open up a 52-0 lead at halftime.

QB Evan Hillock would only play the first half of the game but was all over the score sheet. Hillock threw for 305 yards and 5 TD connections including a pair to Savaughn Magnaye-Jones & Seth Robertson.

(Source: WesternMustangs.ca)

MLB

Red-hot rookie infielder Davis Schneider belted three hits, including a two-run homer, and knocked in three runs as the Toronto Blue Jays tripped the visiting Cleveland Guardians 8-3 today to snap a three-game slide. Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu was lifted after 70 pitches, and charged with three runs on four hits. He had five strikeouts. The teams will play Sunday in their three-game series finale.

Teoscar Hernandez homered twice and drove in six runs as the Seattle Mariners matched a franchise record with seven home runs in a 15-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. Hernandez hit a grand slam to highlight a seven-run third inning and added a 446-foot shot off position player Matt Duffy in the eighth for his 21st of the season. The Mariners won for the 10th time in 11 games.

LPGA

VANCOUVER – Struggling through her round, Brooke Henderson found some solace looking at the leaderboard, as most of the field at the CPKC Women’s Open was having a tough time with Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., grinded out a 3-over round to sit in a tie for 34th at 2 over on Saturday at the Canadian women’s golf championship. A double bogey on the par-4 14th hole was the ugliest blemish on her scorecard, but she took heart a couple of holes later.

Although most of the field struggled on Saturday, the two players atop the leaderboard did not.

Megan Khang of the United States had birdies on four of her final five holes to hold on to her second-round lead. She finished at 4-under 68 to move to 11-under overall.

NFL NOTEBOOK

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Miami Dolphins wide receiver Daewood Davis was carted off the field in an immobilized position after a collision in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.

After Davis was carted off, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and Jaguars coach Doug Pederson spoke on the field and agreed to stop the game with 8:32 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Jaguars leading 31-18.

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) – Josh Jacobs took to social media Saturday to say, “I’m back,” after agreeing to a one-year deal to play for the Las Vegas Raiders this season. The contract is worth up to $12 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

Jacobs, who last season led the NFL in rushing with 1,653 yards, had been expected to sign with the Raiders rather than sit out the season and forfeit his salary, but his prolonged absence began to raise questions that finally were answered Saturday.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Trey Lance gives the Dallas Cowboys the developmental quarterback they’ve sought for years, and owner/general manager Jerry Jones didn’t feel the need for Dak Prescott’s approval to make the move.

The Cowboys acquired Lance for a fourth-round draft pick in a trade with San Francisco on Friday, a day before the preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. Lance wasn’t expected to join the club before the Raiders game.

“He gives us an opportunity to do what we would always like to be doing,” Jones said. “It would be ideal with Dak to have a young, prospective, developing quarterback that could just be in the room.”

The 49ers fielded offers for Lance after announcing that the 2021 No. 3 overall pick had lost the competition with Sam Darnold to be Brock Purdy’s backup. Jones said the Cowboys pounced.

“We felt good about him with the evaluation we had for him at the draft,” Jones said. “We felt good about what we’ve seen, tape that he’s had since he’s been in the NFL. And it’s one that we made the decision almost the minute we heard the name. Let’s get him.”

Jones said he didn’t seek Prescott’s input before the Cowboys made the move, and still hadn’t talked to his star QB more than 24 hours after the deal was announced.

MLS

HARRISON, N.J. (AP) – Lionel Messi needed just a few seconds for his unparalleled skills to shine, a flash of brilliance that capped a memorable Major League Soccer debut.

Messi’s dazzling goal in the 89th minute helped a transformed Inter Miami beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 on Saturday night and end an 11-match league winless streak.

Messi entered in the 60th minute along with former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquests. Miami had gone ahead on a 37th-minute goal by Diego Gomez in a buildup started by Jordi Alba, another Barcelona alum on a night Miami gave six players MLS debuts.

Chants of “We Want Messi!” began in the sixth minute and a loud “Mes-si!” “Mes-si!” reverberated throughout in the 35th.

(Canadian Press)