No sleep, bus, club, another club
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Missed you!
The sports world really said no sleep, bus, club, another club — the weekend lineup is booked and busy in the best way. Let’s get right into it.
Women's College World Series
🎓🥎 Do you get déjà vu?
The GIST: The first-ever Women’s College World Series championship series rematch ended in familiar fashion, with reigning champs No. 2 Texas defending their crown by defeating last year’s runners-up, No. 11 Texas Tech 4–1 last night.
- The confetti falls on another historic tourney, but it’s just the beginning of more softball to come. Batter up.
🏆 Longhorns join gilded group of repeat champs: With their second program ’ship, Texas is now the fifth NCAA softball program to ever defend their title, joining perennial powerhouses Oklahoma, UCLA, Arizona, and Florida.
- While college softball programs have historically relied on one pitcher, both Texas and Texas Tech leaned on gamesmanship in the champ series, substituting arms and playing to the matchup.
- But the Longhorns emerged victorious from this tale of two squads, one that returned much of last year’s championship core and another that relied heavily on NIL and the transfer portal to assemble their roster. The dichotomy of college sports was on full display.
👀 Big names heading to the pros: It’s the end of the collegiate road for superstars like Red Raiders pitcher NiJaree Canady, but it’s not the last time we’ll see her in the circle. Canady, along with other top NCAA talent, is headed to Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), which starts its third, but first city-based season next week and is still adding major investors. Can’t wait.
🏒 Carolina Hurricanes (tied 1-1) score three third-period goals in 4–3 overtime (OT) win
Well, that was chaotic. Down 2–0 halfway through the third period, the Canes lit the lamp twice in under three minutes to even the score, before exchanging goals with the Vegas Golden Knights in the game’s closing minutes to send Game 2 to OT. That’s where Carolina forward Seth Jarvis scored the game winner. Now, the series shifts to Vegas for tomorrow’s 8 p.m. ET Game 3.
🏀 NY Knicks steal NBA Finals Game 1
Death, taxes, and Jalen Brunson taking over in the fourth quarter. Brunson netted five of his game-high 30 points in the last two minutes on Wednesday, part of an 11–0 NY run that sealed their 105–95 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks’ 12th straight playoff win also marks San Antonio’s first-ever loss in the opening game of the Finals.
- There’s no reason for Spurs fans to panic though: The youth-powered squad has seen this film before, facing series deficits three times already in the 2026 playoffs. See if Victor Wembanyama and Co. can bounce back and defend home court tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
🇺🇸⚽ No. 16 USMNT takes on No. 10 Germany in final World Cup (WC) warmup
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino isn’t taking any friendlies off, scheduling the Americans against the impressive Germans for their final tune-up before the WC, tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. ET in Chicago.
- Poch rotated 22 of his 26 players into the squad’s recent friendly win over No. 14 Senegal — doing the same tomorrow would allow him to maintain roster fitness while also scouting his starting 11 for next Friday’s WC opener. Time to impress.
- But wait, there’s more soccer. The No. 2 USWNT has a friendly of their own, taking on 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup host, No. 6 Brazil, tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. ET in São Paulo. Triple espresso shot, please.
🏆🎾 French Open final pits world No. 8 Mirra Andreeva against No. 114 Maja Chwalińska
A tournament full of upsets has given way to this unexpected title match — but that doesn’t dull its sparkle. Three years after her breakout run, 19-year-old Andreeva has reached her first Grand Slam final, facing Chwalińska, the lowest-ranked finalist in Roland-Garros history. Chwalińska’s notably reaching new heights four years after taking a break for her mental health. Game, set, love that.
- The upset trend also applied to the men’s bracket, which means three-time Grand Slam finalist and the controversial No. 3 Alexander Zverev is the favorite to advance to Sunday’s final, so long as he defeats No. 27 Jakub Menšík in today’s semi.
TOGETHER WITH UNICEF USA
🤸 To us, sports may look like just a game. But for children in crisis, play provides so much more. A game of soccer or basketball is how they regain a sense of safety, connect with others, and start to feel like a kid again.
For millions of kids affected by disaster or displacement, play is how they:
- 🧠 Develop the ability to imagine, despite the unimaginable.
- 💪 Rebuild confidence and discover what they’re capable of.
- 🤝 Find belonging when they’ve lost their home, families, and everything familiar.
- ❤️🩹 Start to heal and process trauma.
That’s why UNICEF delivers play like soccer balls, jump ropes, and recreation kits with the same urgency as safe water and nutrition. Because for children in crisis, play is essential aid.
⛳ LPGA: U.S. Women's Open — Ongoing — USA/Peacock
- World No. 1 Nelly Korda’s shoe issues may have gotten the better of her yesterday as she finished the opening round of the second major of the season tied for 57th. Meanwhile, No. 26 Jennifer Kupcho looks unflappable, boasting a one-stroke lead with a record-breaking $12.5M purse on the line.
🏎️ Formula 1: Monaco Grand Prix qualifying — Tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET — ESPN
- Sunday’s race is usually the main event, but not at Formula 1’s most luxurious parade. It’s notoriously difficult to pass on the famed narrow street circuit, meaning tomorrow’s qualifying — where drivers compete to record the fastest lap and earn pole position — is paramount.
🏀 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup: Indiana Fever vs. NY Liberty — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — CBS
- Everyone’s favorite in-season tournament is well underway, and this spicy matchup features two former champs: The Fever currently own the tourney crown, while the seafoam superstars won it all in 2023.
😡 Carter Hart is 3 wins from the Stanley Cup. The Golden Knights still don’t want to talk about his past (The Athletic)
📺 Red, White & Clueless: The untold story of the 1994 U.S. World Cup team (ESPN)
🏀 Meet the Spurs nuns: Inside the basketball-loving world of the Salesian Sisters (The Athletic)
🎧 Tom Holland (Good Hang with Amy Poehler)
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Charlotte Mackenzie, and Caroline Price. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.