BASEBALL

The Vermont Mountaineers took the lead with two unearned runs in the fourth inning, and Tom Ruscitti hit a grand slam in the eighth as the Sanford Mainers were eliminated from the New England Collegiate Baseball League playoffs with an 8-4 loss Thursday night in Game 3 of the best-of-three semifinals at Montpelier, Vermont.

Sanford had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth when Adam Dapkewicz singled home Devan Bade. Cal Hewett led the Mainers with three hits.

TENNIS

NATIONAL BANK OPEN: Novak Djokovic withdrew from an upcoming hard-court tournament in Montreal because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and is therefore not allowed to enter Canada.

By the same reason, as things stand now, he also will not be able to compete in the U.S. Open later this month.

Djokovic, a 35-year-old from Serbia, has said he won’t get vaccinated, even if that means he can’t go to certain tournaments. He missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country and was unable to play in two events in the United States earlier this year.

He did play in the French Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Rafael Nadal, and at Wimbledon, which Djokovic won last month for his 21st Grand Slam title – one behind the men’s record held by Nadal.

Unvaccinated foreign citizens can’t go to Canada or the U.S, so Djokovic pulled out of Montreal a day before the draw is scheduled to take place for the tournament. He also will likely have to sit out the U.S. Open, which starts in New York on Aug. 29.

CITI OPEN:  Reigning U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu reached her second quarterfinal of the season, edging Camila Osorio 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) in a match that lasted nearly three hours on a hot and humid afternoon in Washington.

Third-seeded Taylor Fritz – the highest American man in the rankings – retired in the third set against Dan Evans because he did not feel well.

AUTO RACING

INDYCAR: One piece of IndyCar’s silly season fell into place Thursday when Rinus VeeKay announced a multi-year extension with Ed Carpenter Racing.

The 21-year-old Dutchman said on Twitter he was staying in the No. 21 Chevrolet, and unlike recent contract dealings in both IndyCar and Formula One, this one was backed minutes later when ECR confirmed the news.

VeeKay, who was permitted to talk to other teams as of Monday of this week, entered into free agency with a new agent this season. Rather than wait to see how the situation is resolved at Chip Ganassi Racing with reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, VeeKay decided to stay where he is and not gamble on the No. 10 at Ganassi possibly opening.

IndyCar rookie Callum Illot did the same last week when he honored a handshake deal with Juncos Hollinger Racing to return next year – even though the No. 10 could open if Palou finds a way out of his hotly contested contract. Ganassi is suing the Spaniard over a deal Palou signed to join McLaren Racing – although it’s not clear if that’s for an IndyCar or an F1 seat.

BASKETBALL

NBA: Former NBA player Iman Shumpert was arrested at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport last weekend for allegedly trying to bring six ounces of cannabis through security.

The police report from the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety shows police were called to a TSA checkpoint at about 3:40 p.m. on July 30 and told there was a “sizeable amount of marijuana” found.

The police report says Shumpert told officers that the bag contained marijuana and “asked if there was any way he could make his flight” to Los Angeles, where he was supposed to pick up his daughter. He has two daughters with entertainer Teyana Taylor.

Shumpert was told no, arrested for felony possession of marijuana and taken to the airport jail. The Tarrant County Criminal Courts system didn’t have information about a court case.

The report says Shumpert also had a magazine with 14 rounds in his backpack but no gun was found. A contact for Shumpert, his agent or a lawyer was not immediately available.

Shumpert won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He also played for the New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets. He was waived by the Nets in 2021.