Blue Jackets get franchise’s first playoff win
Matt Calvert banged home a rebound 1:10 into the second overtime and the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets earned the first playoff victory in franchise history with a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.
Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury stuffed the initial shot by Cam Atkinson but Calvert stood all alone at the left post and wristed a shot into the open net to even the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at one game each.
Jack Johnson tied the game with 6:01 left in regulation for the Blue Jackets. Ryan Johansen also scored the first playoff goal of his career for Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky overcame a shaky start to finish with 39 saves.
In another game: Defenseman Barret Jackman scored on a drive through traffic, giving the host St. Louis Blues their second straight 4-3 overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2-0 series lead against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Vladimir Tarasenko forced overtime with his second goal of the series, beating Corey Crawford with a wrist shot that banged off the right post and in with 6.4 seconds to go. Kevin Shattenkirk had a goal and two assists for the Blues.
AUTOS
Lewis Hamilton maintained Mercedes’ perfect record in qualifying this season, holding off the two Red Bull’s to capture his third pole position of the campaign at the rainy Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton broke the record for most poles by a British driver in Formula One and put himself in position for a third consecutive victory Sunday. Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo was about 0.6 seconds off the pace in second, with teammate Sebastian Vettel qualifying third.
COLLEGES
The No. 2 seed University of Memphis women’s tennis team fell to host and No. 3 seed USF, 4-2, Saturday afternoon in the American Athletic Conference semifinals. The No. 39 Lady Tigers dropped to 14-9 on the season and will have to wait until April 29 to see if they will make their second-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. No. 41 USF improved to 17-3 on the season. ... The U of M softball team overcame a seventh inning rally to defeat host Rutgers University 4-3 to end a three-game series on Saturday. Freshman Calli Irvin went 3-for-3 in the game with two RBI and a run scored for the U of M (20-26, 4-10 AAC). Her solo home run in the seventh inning ended up being the game-winning run and gives her a team best four homers on the season. Sophomore Georganna Goodwin and senior Kelly Braman also had multiple hits for the Tigers. ... The Rhodes softball team took a doubleheader from host Hendrix College (15-20, 8-13 Southern Athletic Association) on Saturday in Conway, Ark. In Game 1, Forrest Skelton, allowed just one hit while striking out three over five innings to earn the victory for the Lynx (26-12, 11-9 SAA). Emily Cerrito (Houston High) threw the final two innings, earning the save and striking out one batter. In Game 2, Courtney Williams had four of the Lynx 18 hits, including a home run and a double, as Rhodes pushed six runs across the plate in the ninth inning. Erin Parker and Rachel Pewitt each had three hits and Makenzie Martin added a triple.
Daniel Morris allowed one hit over eight innings to lead the Rhodes baseball team to a 7-1 victory over host No. 19 Birmingham-Southern College. The Lynx improved to 26-12 and 13-9 SAA, while the Panthers fall to 30-10 and 17-4. ... Visiting West Georgia (18-24, 12-14 Gulf South) spoiled Senior Day for the Christian Brothers University (11-31, 3-24), claiming a 9-1 win in the Bucs’ final home game of the season. Justin Neal (Southaven) and Caleb Goodwin collected two hits each for CBU. ... Forward Jordan Tolbert is transferring from Texas Tech to SMU, with the Mustangs seeking a waiver that would make him eligible next season. Tolbert averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three seasons as a starter.
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