The Sumter Item

By CHARLES ODUM Associated Press HAMPTON, Ga. - His thick moustache wasn't the only feature that made Ryan Blaney look like Richard Petty in a dominant performance at EchoPark Speedway. Blaney drove like NASCAR's King while ruling the Cup Series race from qualifying through every stage in a weather-delayed victory which left the Team Penske Ford driver in contention for the points championship. Blaney won every stage after starting on the pole and led 171 laps in his win.

By ANDREW DAMPF Associated Press LONDON - A perfectly-placed topspin lob winner that sailed beyond reach of his 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) opponent and landed on the outside of the baseline in the second game. A delicate drop shot which made Alexander Zverev change direction so suddenly that the German player over-extended his right knee at a crucial point of the third set.

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - Paul Skenes, Juan Soto and Bryce Harper are among baseball's All-Stars who say players will never agree to a salary cap but maintain there's plenty of time to avoid a conflict that could shorten the 2027 season. "Both sides kind of have their line that they're not going to cross," Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace who is also a member of the union's eight-man negotiating committee, said Monday.

By DOUG FEINBERG Associated Press Beginning with next year's NCAA women's basketball tournament, the top 16 teams will be placed in the bracket in their true ranking regardless of conference affiliation. In the past, the top four teams in a conference would be placed in different regions to protect them from playing each other until the Final Four. For example, the tournament this past season had four SEC teams in the top eight overall seeds.

By DAN GELSTON Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - Jordan Walker wore his Cardinals hat backward, chewed a big wad of bubble gum and wore the top of his jersey splayed open as he dug in for his final Home Run Derby swing. The picture of Cardinals cool, Walker chased down Kyle Schwarber, shut up a rambunctious Philly crowd and introduced himself to a much wider baseball world.

Posted Wednesday, July 15, 2026 6:00 am By ANDREW DAMPF Associated Press LONDON - Linda Noskova placed fingers in both of her ears to drown out the noise from the Centre Court crowd. She draped one of Wimbledon's strawberry-red towels over her head. And eventually - after she had wasted five match points and a 5-2 lead and conceded the second set of a drama-filled final - she left the court completely for a bathroom break.

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press NEW YORK - Chad Tracy notices how much baseball has changed in the 13 years since he took his last big league at-bat. "You watch a Triple-A game, most everybody that's coming out of the bullpen left-handed or right-handed is throwing 95-plus," the Boston Red Sox manager said.

The South Carolina American Legion playoffs begin on Wednesday as the top 16 teams in the state duke it out in a best-of-three series for the chance to play in the state tournament next week. The bracket fell perfectly into place to pit two classic …

Sumter PD says driver struck brick wall in single-vehicle crash; investigation ongoing. Read for free ⬇️ (Read more) Sumter Today is presented by University of South Carolina Sumter The Declaration of Independence, first read publicly on July 8,… (Read more) COMMUNITY: Local creatives help Sumter's Troop 2243 highlight the impact of Girl Scouts through the decades. Read below ⬇ (Read more) PUBLIC SAFETY: Sumter, Clarendon, Lee counties deemed 'severe' as drought continues statewide.

Sumter PD says driver struck brick wall in single-vehicle crash; investigation ongoing. Read for free ⬇️ (Read more) Sumter Today is presented by University of South Carolina Sumter The Declaration of Independence, first read publicly on July 8,… (Read more) COMMUNITY: Local creatives help Sumter's Troop 2243 highlight the impact of Girl Scouts through the decades. Read below ⬇ (Read more) PUBLIC SAFETY: Sumter, Clarendon, Lee counties deemed 'severe' as drought continues statewide.