Venom Open Playoffs with Rival Gladiators

The Amarillo Venom and the Duke City Gladiators will meet again this weekend for the fifth time this season in the first round of the Champions Indoor Football playoffs.

The Venom have won three of the four meetings between the teams, but Duke City won the last game 69-46 in Albuquerque a couple of weeks ago.  The Venom are 9-3 on the season while the Gladiators are 7-5. The first-round playoff game kicks off t night at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the Civic Center.

- Lance McCullers flirted with a no-hitter and the Houston Astros' offense took control in the ninth inning. McCullers took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer in a five-run ninth as the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1.

- The Houston Astros have placed ace Dallas Keuchel on the 10-day disabled list because of neck discomfort. Keuchel is a big-league best 9-0 with a 1.67 ERA for a team with the best record in the major leagues. He was scratched from Wednesday night's start because of illness.

- Super Regionals are the next stop on the Road to Omaha. The eight best-of-three series starting Friday and Saturday will determine the field for the College World Series. Louisville is making its fifth straight appearance in super regionals and TCU is in the round of 16 for the fourth year in a row.

Here are the Super Regional Pairings:

Vanderbilt at No. 1 Oregon State

Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State

Sam Houston State at Florida State

Mississippi State at No. 4 LSU

Davidson at Texas A&M

Kentucky at No. 7 Louisville

Missouri State at No. 6 TCU

Wake Forest at No. 3 Florida

- The Golden State Warriors hold a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers and can finish the sweep for their second title in three seasons with a win in Game 4 Friday in Cleveland.

The Warriors aren't just looking for another championship. They've won 15 straight playoff games, and can become the first team in NBA history to navigate the playoffs without a loss.

Cleveland managed to rally last year from a 3-1 deficit against the Warriors but no team has ever won after trailing 3-0 in the final.

- The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins dominated the Nashville Predators 6-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final last night to take a 3-2 lead. Pittsburgh will have a chance to become the first franchise to win back-to-back championships since Detroit in 1998 when the series shifts back to Nashville for Game 6 on Sunday night.