HOCKEY

The Worcester Railers scored four goals in the second period and three in the third as they tightened the playoff race in the ECHL’s North Division with an 8-2 win Saturday over the Maine Mariners in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Christian Sarlo and Ethan Ritchie scored for Maine, which remains in third place in the North. Worcester currently holds the final playoff spot, one point behind Maine, while Trois-Rivières is three points behind the Mariners. Worcester and Trois-Rivières end the regular season with three games against each other. The Mariners have five games left, at Worcester on Sunday, and four games against first-place Adirondack.

BASKETBALL

HALL OF FAME: Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups are headed to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as part of a 13-member class announced Saturday.

The 2024 class includes former Lakers, Grizzlies and Warriors executive Jerry West, who had already been inducted as a player and as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team. Also in the class: players Seimone Augustus, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Dick Barnett and Michele Timms, coaches Charles Smith, Harley Redin and Bo Ryan, broadcaster/coach Doug Collins, and owner Herb Simon.

GOLF

PGA: Akshay Bhatia birdied his last two holes for a 4-under 68 in the third round of the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, giving him a four-shot lead over Denny McCarthy as he tries to earn a spot in the Masters.

Bhatia, 22, was at 15-under 201. After McCarthy, the next closest player to the lead was Brendon Todd, who shot 70 and was seven shots back.

LPGA: Top-ranked Nelly Korda advanced to the final of the T-Mobile Match Play in North Las Vegas, Nevada, by defeating Narin An of South Korea, 4 and 3, setting up a championship match against Ireland’s Leona Maguire as she tries to win her fourth tournament in a row.

Maguire reached the final by defeating Sei Young Kim in the semifinals, 3 and 2. Earlier in the day, Korda ousted fellow American and Solheim Cup teammate Angel Yin, 3 and 2, while Maguire beat Moriya Jutanugarn, 4 and 3.

Korda is attempting to become the first LPGA player to win four straight events since Lorena Ochoa in 2008.

LIV: Sergio Garcia birdied his final hole for a 4-under 68, giving him a two-shot lead in LIV Golf Miami as he goes after his first title on the Saudi-funded circuit.

Talor Gooch (70), Matthew Wolff (69), Dean Burmester (69) and Tyrrell Hatton (67) were tied for second at 7 under.

AUTO RACING

NASCAR: Kyle Larson won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, turning a fast lap at 96.034 miles per hour to edge Bubba Wallace for the top spot by one one-thousandth of a second.

Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, will start third, followed by series points leader Martin Truex Jr.

FORMULA ONE: Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the fourth time in four races this season, leading qualifying for the Japan Grand Prix.

Verstappen clocked a lap in 1 minute, 28.197 seconds, just 0.066 ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

TENNIS

CHARLESTON OPEN: Danielle Collins won her 12th straight match and will play for a second straight title, defeating Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals in Charleston, South Carolina.

Collins will play Daria Kasatkina, who beat top-seeded Jessica Pegula in a third-set tiebreaker, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5).

U.S. CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS: Defending champion Frances Tiafoe and top-seeded Ben Shelton will play for the title in Houston after winning semifinal matches.

Tiafoe defeated Luciano Darderi, 6-2, 7-6 (2). Shelton reached the second ATP final of his career by rallying to beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4.

SOCCER

SHEBELIEVES CUP: Lindsey Horan converted a penalty kick in the 77th minute, and the United States came from behind to defeat Japan 2-1 before a record crowd in Atlanta.

Jaedyn Shaw also scored for the United States in a match played before 50,644 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a record for a friendly match for the United States women on home soil. It was also the largest crowd for a women’s game in the United States since the 1999 World Cup final.

ENGLAND: Arsenal regained first place in the Premier League, at least for one night, after goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard secured a 3-0 win at Brighton.

The visitors are a point ahead of both Liverpool and Manchester City. Liverpool is at Manchester United on Sunday.

• A stunning strike by Kevin De Bruyne launched Manchester City’s comeback in a 4-2 win at Crystal Palace.

De Bruyne scored twice and set up a goal by Erling Haaland.

• Aston Villa’s top-four hopes in the Premier League were damaged after it threw away a two-goal lead and drew 3-3 at home against Brentford.

Tottenham, which is three points behind Aston Villa, hosts relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Sunday and also has a game in hand.

GERMANY: Bayer Leverkusen can clinch the Bundesliga next weekend after a Florian Wirtz penalty was enough for a 1-0 win over Union Berlin, pushing Leverkusen 16 points clear of 11-time defending champion Bayern Munich with six rounds remaining.

ITALY: United States standout Christian Pulisic reached double figures in goals for the first time in a league season after his sublime strike began AC Milan’s 3-0 win over 10-man Lecce.

Pulisic surpassed his previous best of nine goals in the 2019-20 English Premier League for Chelsea.

COLLEGES

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Sarah Strong, the top-ranked recruit for the class of 2024, committed to play at UConn next season.

Strong, a 6-foot-2 forward, was deciding between the Huskies, Duke and North Carolina.

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