High School

In high school baseball yesterday…

• Calumet v Green Bay East – no report.

In softball…

• Hancock defeated Houghton 7-3. Lucy Biekkola held the Gremlins to just three hits, struck out 10, and got the win in the circle for the Bulldogs. She and Alice Larson each had two hits and scored two runs. 
• Calumet v Notre Dame de la Baie and Green Bay Southwest – no report.
• Lake Linden-Hubbell took two from Menominee, 19-4 and 11-7. In the opener, Payton Goldsworthy struck out 17, had four hits, including a triple, drove in five runs, and scored three times. Taylor Goldsworthy also had a triple, drew five walks, and scored five times. Ashlyn Steves earned the win in the nightcap. She also had three hits and scored three runs. Payton Goldsworthy hit two home runs, including a grand slam, with six runs batted in. Taylor Goldsworthy had three hits, drove in two, and scored twice.

Today, weather and field conditions permitting:

In baseball…

• Calumet concludes its Green Bay weekend with games against Green Bay Southwest and Manistique.

In softball

• Calumet plays at Lena.

The Houghton girls soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision at Charlevoix yesterday, and plays at Gaylord today.

NHL

The NHL playoffs open today…

• The Hurricanes host the Senators.
• The Stars welcome the Wild.
• The Flyers visit the Penguins.

NBA

The NBA tournament field is set after last night’s final play-in games…

• The Magic routed the Hornets 121-90. Orlando gets the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and will face the Pistons tomorrow. Coverage will begin at 6:05 on 99.3 The Lift.
• The Suns dispatched the Warriors 111-96. Phoenix earns the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and will open the playoffs tomorrow afternoon at Oklahoma City.

MLB

The Tigers’ six-game winning streak ended with a 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Red Sox last night. Casey Mize pitched into the seventh, and allowed just three hits. Boston’s Ranger Suarez was even better, giving up just two hits over eight innings. Detroit had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, but Dillon Dingler struck out with runners on second and third. Masataka Yoshida’s single off Will Vest drove in the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th.

Those teams play in Boston again this afternoon. Tarik Skubal will start against Brayan Bello. Coverage will begin at 3:45 on 99.3 The Lift.

Detroit has put Zach McInstry on the injured list because of the hip injury he suffered in Wednesday’s game. Hao-Yu Lee was brought up from Toledo to fill in, and made his major league debut last night at third base. The Tigers added some infield depth by signing journeyman second baseman Luke Ritter to a minor league contract.

Comerica Park will remain Comerica Park for the rest of the season. The Tigers’ home has borne that name since it opened in 2000. Comerica Bank, which owned the naming rights, was purchased by Fifth Third Bank last fall. Fifth Third says there will be a name change at some point, but not until after this season concludes.

The Brewers outscored the Marlins 7-5 in 10 innings last evening. With the game tied 4-4, Milwaukee scored once in the top of the 10th on a fielder’s choice, then added two more on a Garrett Mitchell double. Trevor Megill gave one back in the bottom of the 10th on a wild pitch, but closed the game out to claim the save. Coleman Crow was brought up from Nashville to start the game, and gave up two runs on four hits as he pitched into the sixth in his major league debut.

The Brewers play at Miami again this afternoon. Brandon Woodruff will start against Sandy Alcantara.

Crow was promoted because Kyle Harrison is still dealing with a sore wrist. Team officials hope Harrison will be ready for his next start. To make room for Crow on the roster, Milwaukee sent Easton McGee down to the Sounds.

Email sports news and scores to mornings@up.net.

June Durocher, 95, of Lake Linden, passed away on April 15, 2026. She’d been in Canal View Houghton County, where she received excellent care, since January 31, 2020. She’d been in hospice care for the last year and a half, as her health had been declining after a second broken hip.

June was born in Lake Linden on June 10, 1930, to Peter and Irene (Massie) Normand. She graduated with honors from Lake Linden-Hubbell High School in 1948 and became the first person in her family to graduate. She moved to Detroit to work and live with her aunt for a while after high school. But she decided it wasn’t the place for her and she came back home. After she got back, she played softball for a few years on the Maple Leaf team. She played shortstop and said that those were some of the happiest times of her young life.

On March 31, 1951, she married Ben Durocher of Houghton. They met while she was playing softball, as they both had a great love for the sport. He was smitten immediately and she often said she didn’t know if it was her or the fact that she played softball that got his attention. When they were first married, they moved around a lot for his different jobs until finally settling in Lake Linden where they raised their two children. June was a very devout Catholic with deep faith who prayed the rosary every day.

June was a wonderful person who spent her life raising their 2 children and caring for their home. She was a fabulous cook and baker and their home always smelled like something delicious. She cooked 3 meals every day, which would be unheard of these days. But she always said she loved to cook and many Sundays were spent having somebody over for a meal. She loved working in her yard and especially with her flowers. She also loved playing cards, especially cribbage and pinochle and we could sit for hours playing. Next to softball, bowling was her favorite sport to play and she was on a team for many years, bowling at the Copper Bowl and Al’s Trophy Lanes. But her greatest love was her family. Once those grandchildren started coming, she was happiest spending time with them.

June is survived by her daughter, Deb (Ron) Simons of Lake Linden. She is also survived by 7 grandsons, Chris (Staci), Todd (Kristi), Michael (Erika), Ryan (Christy), Perry (Amber), Jesse, & Peter (Melissa). She is also survived by her 18 great-grandchildren and 4 1/2 great-great-grandchildren (whom she was so sad to never get a 5 generation picture with), and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ben after 57 years of marriage, son Tim, daughter-in-law Sue, parents, sister, 2 brothers, 2 infant brothers, all of her brothers and sisters in law, as well as many nieces and nephews.

We would like to thank everybody at Canal View who helped to care for her. They became like family to all of us and there are so many wonderfully caring people working there. We can never thank them enough for the care they gave her. We would also like to thank Aspirus Hospice, and especially Sonia, who gave her such good care and was there for us until the end. I would like to add a very special thank you to my cousin, Kathy, who has been there for June and me. Whenever I couldn’t be around, Kathy was always more than willing to go and sit with her when we were out of town or sick so June wouldn’t get too lonely. She held a very special place in June’s heart. Also, all of my cousins who visited her regularly, know she loved and appreciated your visits so much.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, April 24, 2026 at St Joseph Catholic Church in Lake Linden with Father Raju Jose to officiate. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. at the Pearce Funeral Home on Friday, April 24, 2026. Spring burial will be at the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Lake Linden.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at pearcefuneralhome.com