Loughborough Lightning 163 for 4 (Jones 74*) beat Southern Vipers 127 (Atapattu 3-18) by 36 runs

Amy Jones' superlative 74 not out helped to land Loughborough Lightning a significant mental advantage over Southern Vipers in their Kia Super League semi-final dress rehearsal.

England star Jones collected her second half-century in a row, while picking up her personal highest KSL score, in typically attractive style. Her innings, laden with a mixture of masterful drives, delicate flicks and pure power laid the platform for a 36-run victory at the Ageas Bowl, and a momentum-spinning sixth straight win.

Spinners Sarah Glenn, Kirstie Gordon and Chamari Atapattu then kept Vipers on a leash, with a combined analysis of 6 for 52 to complete the win.

The two sides will go again at Finals Day, which takes place on Sunday at Hove - with the winner of their re-match set to face Western Storm in the KSL final.

Lightning were given a rolling start, after being stuck in by Tammy Beaumont, with Tash Farrant and Issy Wong gifting seven wides in the first two overs. Openers Jones and Atapattu took the free runs and added explosive hitting of their own to put on 75 - Loughborough's highest opening partnership of the summer.

Wicketkeeper Jones pumped two sixes, over midwicket and straight down the ground, with her Sri Lankan partner larruping Danni Wyatt over square leg. But Atapattu was bowled by Suzie Bates, attempting to guide the ball down to third man, before Georgia Adams followed soon after when she skied a bouncer to Beaumont at midwicket to hand teenage fast bowler Wong her maiden KSL wicket.

Jones, who reached her fifty in 43 balls, had was joined by a free-scoring Georgia Elwiss, a powerful six over cow joined by three boundaries took her to 28 off 21 balls. She was well caught by Paige Scholfield while attempting a reverse sweep off Amanda-Jade Wellington before former Viper Mignon du Preez was lbw next ball.

But Jones, along with Jenny Gunn, added an unbroken 38 runs to take Loughborough to a commanding 163 for 4, as he ended with seven boundaries and three sixes in her 53-ball 74.

Wyatt had scored 267 in her last four KSL outings to lead the run rankings but hammered her first delivery straight at Gordon at point, after drizzle had slightly prolonged the innings break.

Bates was dropped on 10 at mid-off, but her luck ran out as Jones produced quick hands to stump her off a leg-side wide from Gunn. Vipers slipped to 42 for three at the end of the Powerplay, as Beaumont also fell when she dragged a pull to midwicket.

Lucy Higham spilt a difficult chance over her shoulder when Maia Bouchier was on 5 but redeemed herself was a brilliant pick-up and throw to run out the Hampshire batsman.

Wellington was moved up the order but after three boundaries she was castled by Gordon before Thea Brookes followed in an action replay - the left-armer picking up figures of 2 for 18. Scholfield was caught, Farrant was lbw and Morris and Wong were bowled and as Lightning cruised to victory with an over to spare.

Yorkshire Diamonds 104 for 4 (Rodrigues 60, Davies 3-7) beat Western Storm 99 for 3 (Wilson 45*) by five runs

Yorkshire Diamonds overseas star Jemimah Rodrigues hit a brilliant half-century as Kia Super League finalists Western Storm finally surrendered their unbeaten record, losing by five runs in a rain-affected contest at the Cooper Associates Ground.

Rodrigues struck 60 from 27 balls, accrued 10 fours and two sixes and dominated a match-winning third-wicket stand of 79 in 45 balls with Hollie Armitage as Diamonds posted 104 for 4 in 10 overs after being put into bat.

Victorious in their opening nine games and desperate to retain their 100% record, Storm refused to go down without a fight. Fran Wilson and Sophie Luff took the chase down to the final ball in a spirited unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 76, only for experienced seamer Beth Langston to hold her nerve in a thrilling finale.

Internationals Lauren Winfield and Alyssa Healy afforded Diamonds' innings crucial early momentum in a first over which yielded 19 runs, offspinner Claire Nicholas uncharacteristically conceding four boundaries.

But England seamer Freya Davies effected a turnaround in fortunes, removing both in the space of five balls in the second over to reduce Diamonds to 21 for 2. England's Winfield skied a top-edged pull to wicketkeeper Rachel Priest, who then demonstrated safe hands when Australia's Healy was hurried in the act of driving.

New batsmen Rodrigues and Armitage sought to redress the balance, staging a revitalising partnership for the third wicket. They particularly targeted off spinners Heather Knight, Deepti Sharma and Nicholas, advancing the total to a handy 55 for 2 at halfway.

Indian teen star Rodrigues timed the ball sweetly, smiting two sixes and eight fours in raising a 21-ball 50, bringing more or less constant pressure to bear on the Storm bowlers. Rodrigues was threatening to carry Diamonds to a truly imposing total when she finally fluffed her lines in the face of nagging line and length from Davies, mistiming a drive and holing out to mid-off in the final over.

The only Storm bowler to escape punishment, Davies finished with admirable figures of 3 for 7 off two overs, frustrating Yorkshire's attempts to accelerate at the death.

Prepared to play second fiddle, Armitage proved the perfect foil to the more forthright Rodrigues, contributing 19 from 21 deliveries before being run out off the final ball.

Storm's reply was halted in its tracks as key batters Priest, Smriti Mandhana and Knight all departed inside five overs, Diamonds reducing the hosts to 23 for 3. Priest never looked comfortable under the floodlights, hitting Linsey Smith to deep midwicket for 7 to spark the slide.

Mandhana chipped Leigh Kasperek to cover in the next over and Knight followed her back to the pavilion soon afterwards, dismissed in near-identical fashion to afford Diamonds all the encouragement they needed.

Charged with the unenviable task of rebuilding an innings that had stalled in it's infancy, Wilson and Luff made a decent fist of chasing. Throwing caution to the wind, the fourth-wicket pair combined feverish running between the wickets and clean hitting to sow seeds of doubt in Yorkshire minds.

Needing 14 runs off the final over, Storm hopes were revived when Langston no-balled twice. But the home side were unable to take advantage of the subsequent free hits and came up agonislingly short at the death. Wilson hit an unbeaten 45 from 20 balls, while Somerset-born Luff finished on 31 not out from 18 deliveries.

The New England Patriots made a pair of trades Wednesday to shore up their offensive line depth.

New England acquired offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor from Baltimore for an undisclosed draft pick, the Ravens announced. Cardinals offensive tackle Korey Cunningham announced in a now-deleted Instagram post that he was also traded to the Patriots.

Here's Korey Cunningham's Instagram post... pic.twitter.com/R84rxyPVrA

— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) August 28, 2019

Eluemunor, a fifth-round pick in 2017, was Baltimore's starting left guard all spring but fell out of favor after failing a conditioning test to open training camp and being unable to stay on field due to injuries. When he got on the field, he lacked discipline, getting flagged frequently for false starts. Eluemunor has the size and versatility to play guard or tackle, but he hasn't shown the toughness to be a consistent contributor.

Arizona took Cunningham in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, and he started six games at left tackle in place of D.J. Humphries. That was all the action Cunningham saw as a rookie. He went on injured reserve in Week 17 with a foot injury.

The 6-foot-6, 311-pound Cunningham, who played in college at Cincinnati, lined up at first-team left tackle during training when Humphries was given days off. He was expected to be the Cardinals' backup left tackle in 2019, with the potential to be their swing tackle

The Cardinals will receive a sixth-round pick in return for Cunningham, a source told ESPN's Field Yates.

The acquisitions of Cunningham and Eluemunor most directly affect former practice-squad players Dan Skipper and Cole Croston, who were vying for the swing tackle role. It also reflects how the club is adjusting without starting center David Andrews (blood clots in the lungs), with his absence having a trickle-down effect on the interior of the line.

The Patriots have a need for a swing tackle behind projected starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn (2018 first-round pick) and veteran starting right tackle Marcus Cannon.

Veteran Jared Veldheer, a former Cardinal, was a top candidate to fill that role before he retired in May. Yodny Cajuste, a 2019 third-round pick out of West Virginia, was another top candidate but he remains on the non-football injury list after reportedly undergoing quad surgery before the draft.

By trading Eluemunor, the Ravens are down to Bradley Bozeman, Ben Powers, Patrick Mekari and James Hurst for the left guard spot. One of the team's bigger disappointments this summer has been the lack of anyone stepping up to take that spot. Baltimore could also look to acquire an offensive lineman to fill the only open starting job along the line.

This is the Ravens' fourth trade in Eric DeCosta's first season as the team's general manager. The others were quarterback Joe Flacco (sent to the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round pick), offensive lineman Alex Lewis (to the New York Jets for conditional seventh-round pick) and kicker Kaare Vedvik (to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick).

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss, Jamison Hensley and Mike Reiss contributed to this report.

Former NBA All-Star and reigning Big3 MVP Joe Johnson is in Philadelphia preparing for a workout Thursday with the 76ers, a source told ESPN's The Undefeated.

Johnson, 38, also is receiving interest for potential workouts from the LA Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry and executive vice president David Griffin watched Johnson play in the Big3 league in New Orleans last week.

Johnson was a seven-time NBA All-Star who averaged 16 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game from 2001 to 2018, playing for seven teams.

He most recently played in the NBA during the 2017-18 season with the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets.

Johnson returning to the NBA through the Big3 would be huge for the three-year-old league, because it has not previously had a player sign with the NBA.

Johnson and the Triplets face the Killer 3s for the Big3 championship on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Johnson was named MVP of the 2019 Big3 season after leading the league in points (175), assists (31), 4-point shots made (four) and total field goals (63) and finishing second in 3-pointers made (16).

"Joe Johnson playing in the Big3 has been a dream come true for basketball fans around the world," league founder Ice Cube told The Undefeated.

All-Star outfielder Mike Trout is dealing with a minor foot issue and is not in the Los Angeles Angels' lineup Wednesday against the Texas Rangers.

Manager Brad Ausmus said the injury, at the base of Trout's foot, is not considered serious. He said the team is just being careful with a planned day off heading into Thursday's off day.

Trout hit his league-leading 43rd home run Tuesday night, a solo shot in a 5-2 win over the visiting Rangers. It gave him 100 RBIs on the season.

Trout has a 1.356 OPS and 11 home runs against Texas this season. Wednesday night, he would have faced Ariel Jurado, against whom he has gone 4-for-6 with three home runs and five RBIs.

Wednesday night is the last time the two teams play this season, so Trout will not have an opportunity to pad his stats. But he doesn't need much help in a season that could rank as his best ever offensively.

With 28 games left in the season, the two-time MVP has set a career high in homers, and he leads the league in WAR (8.1), on-base percentage (.436), walks (101), runs created (138), times on base (247), AB per homer (10.4) and several other statistical measures.

The Cleveland Indians plan to activate right-hander Carlos Carrasco on Sunday when rosters expand as long as his bullpen on Thursday goes well, manager Terry Francona told SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio on Wednesday.

Carrasco will be used out of the bullpen when he returns, Francona said.

Carrasco has made three minor league appearances during his rehabilitation assignment, most recently pitching for Triple-A Toledo last Sunday when he allowed two hits and a run in an inning pitching out of relief. Overall, he has allowed two hits and a run in 3 2/3 innings pitched.

He was diagnosed in June with chronic myeloid leukemia, a treatable form of cancer.

Carrasco, 32, was 4-6 with a 4.98 ERA in 12 starts before he made the announcement that he was being treated for leukemia.

DUQUOIN, Ill. – The driver with the most feature wins on the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Magic Mile is returning this weekend, doing double duty at the one-mile dirt oval.

Three-time ARCA Menards Series Southern Illinois 100 winner Ken Schrader is slated to pilot his own No. 52 Ford in Saturday night’s 100-mile event.

Schrader, a six-time winner of the Bill Oldani Memorial UMP Modified event, is also slated to contest the 20-mile affair for that class, with heat races Saturday and the finale Sunday.

Schrader’s mile track debut came in 1979 at DuQuoin in the 100-mile USAC Stock Car event. After terrorizing local short tracks in sprint cars and stock cars it was only a matter of time before the popular driver began moving up in the professional ranks.

It was fitting that his first appearance on one of the big dirt tracks came at a facility he and his father visited, the one closest to his Fenton, Mo., home.

Ken’s first USAC race for Henry Sieveking had mixed results. He qualified third and started directly behind A.J. Foyt. However, the Ford Granada soon developed mechanical issues and he was forced out after 28 miles.

He finished fifth in the 1980 stock car race, and 16th in 1981. He also made his first appearance in a dirt champ car on the Magic Mile in 1981 finishing 11th.

Finishes of 12th, third, 28th and 30th followed.

NASCAR called in 1985 and Schrader ended up as the premier series rookie of the year. From there, Schrader’s NASCAR obligations kept him from running at DuQuoin for 15 years, until he returned in 2001 to contest the ARCA race, where he finished fourth.

It wasn’t until 27 years after his first appearance at DuQuoin that Schrader was able to enter victory lane. He won the 2006 Southern Illinois 100 from the pole and repeated again in 2007 and 2013.

Add in six wins in the Oldani Memorial, plus a crate late model win in 2006, and his 10 main event victories put Schrader at the top of the DuQuoin Magic Mile victory list.

Schrader’s last ARCA appearance at DuQuoin came in 2016, when he started second and finished third. His last appearance in a dirt champ car was in 2017, when he finished 19th for owner Dennis McQuinn.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Matt Hunwick is expected to miss this season due to a neck condition that bothered the 12-year veteran for much of last season.

General manager Jason Botterill based Hunwick's prognosis on offseason medical evaluations in making the announcement Wednesday, about two weeks before the Sabres report to training camp.

Hunwick was initially hurt last summer and the injury forced him to miss the first two months of the season. He was limited to playing 14 games.

Buffalo acquired the 34-year-old with forward Conor Sheary in June 2018 as part of a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hunwick has 25 goals and 119 points in 535 career games. He is entering the final year of his contract and set to make $1.75 million.

Hunwick's chances of making Buffalo's season-opening roster were uncertain after the team acquired Colin Miller and Henri Jokiharju in separate trades this summer.

The Sabres are expected to place Hunwick on the long-term injured list, which will allow the team to free up space under the salary cap. Buffalo was projected to be about $1 million over the $81.5 million salary cap after re-signing defenseman Jake McCabe and goalie Linus Ullmark earlier this month.

The pots for the Champions League group-stage draw have been finalised after the conclusion of the final qualifying round ties on Wednesday.

Ajax, Club Brugge and Slavia Prague took the final three slots in the group stage, which begins on Sept. 17-18.

Three English clubs will be seeded in this year's competition, with Premier League champions Manchester City joined by the holders of the two European trophies -- Liverpool and Chelsea. Pot 1 also features the other champions of the top six European leagues.

- Champions League draw: All you need to know

Pots 2-4 are drawn up using UEFA's coefficient system, which ranks European performance over the past five seasons.

POT 1: Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit St Petersburg

POT 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Ajax, Benfica

POT 3: Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Salzburg, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Valencia, Inter Milan, Dinamo Zagreb

POT 4: Lokomotiv Moscow, Genk, Galatasaray, RB Leipzig, Slavia Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Atalanta, Lille

One team from each pot will be drawn into one of the eight groups, which can feature no more than one team from each country. The top two teams will advance to the round of 16.

The draw takes place on Thursday at 6 p.m. CET, midday ET.