The San Jose Barracuda took a significant step forward this season. The team reached the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in six years and saw several young players gain valuable professional experience in the AHL and NHL.

That was of little consolation on Wednesday night, though, as the Barracuda’s season came to a bitter and sudden end with a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Eagles in Game 4 of their best-of-5 AHL Pacific Division semifinal in Loveland, Colorado.

Forward Igor Chernyshov, in his first Calder Cup playoff game, gave the Barracuda a 1-0 goal lead at the 4:09 mark of the third period. But Colorado, the Pacific Division’s top team, stormed back as Tye Felhaber’s power-play goal with 6:28 left in regulation time proved to be the game-winner as the Eagles captured the series three games to one.

“I don’t think anyone’s at all satisfied with where we ended up,” Barracuda captain Jimmy Schuldt said. “We can step back, and we can take some positives from it. We battled every game we played.”

Chase Bradley scored 1:17 after Chernyshov’s goal to tie the game. Felhaber’s goal came just 23 seconds after Patrick Giles took a needless interference penalty with a late hit on an Eagles player well away from the puck.

“I’m proud of the group, we gave ourselves a chance and we were in the game,” Barracuda coach John McCarthy said. “Unfortunately, the difference was a late penalty and a penalty kill goal against. But overall, I liked the way we played. I actually thought this game might have been our best of the series.”

The Barracuda, the Sharks’ top minor league affiliate, were without leading scorer and AHL MVP Andrew Poturalski for the playoffs as he sustained a lower-body injury in late March.

— Curtis Pashelka

GOLF

Keith Mitchell led a birdie spree Thursday at the Truist Championship, shooting a career-best 9-under 61 to shatter the course record at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

The previous Wissahickon Course record of 65 was shared by Colin St Maxen, Zac Blair and Angus Flanagan. The 7,100-yard A.W. Tillinghast design with modest par 4s and gettable pin placements fell victim to the long hitters and aggressive shots with short irons and wedges.

Mitchell had a one-shot lead over Denny McCarthy. Former Cal star Colin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Sepp Straka and Akshay Bhatia shot 63.

Rory McIlroy, making his first individual start since completing the career grand slam at the Masters, had a 66 and was one of 64 players who beat par in the sixth signature event of the PGA Tour season.

Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand feels so much better when she sees putts going in, like in the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open in Jersey City, N.J. She took only 26 putts, eight of them for birdie, in a clean start of 8-under 64 to lead by two shots.

Celine Boutier of France ran off five straight birdies in the middle of her round and was at at 66 with Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea and Lindy Duncan.

Mackenzie Hughes of Canada birdied his last four holes for an 8-under 63, giving him a one-shot lead over Seamus Power and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark after the first round of the Myrtle Beach Classic.

NFL

The Carolina Panthers released veteran Jadeveon Clowney after selecting two edge rushers in the NFL draft.

Clowney, the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, had 5 1/2 sacks last season for the Panthers.

He had one year left on his two-year, $20 million contract.

The Panthers drafted Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton in the second round and Mississippi’s Princely Umanmielen in the third round in last month’s NFL draft.

The Panthers also placed running Jonathon Brooks, the team’s second-round pick in 2024, on the physically unable to perform list — meaning he will not play in 2025. Brooks re-tore the ACL in his knee as a rookie in Week 14 after suffering a similar injury to the same knee during his final season at the University of Texas.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Sue Bird is giving another assist to USA Basketball, becoming the managing director of the women’s national team.

The five-time Olympic champion was named to the newly created position and it marks a major change in the way the organization creates its roster and coaching staff.

Before the change, a committee made those decisions, but now in a move similar to what the USA men’s national team does, Bird will be the one responsible for putting things together. Grant Hill has the same role on the men’s side.

TENNIS

Iga Swiatek bounced back from one of the worst losses of her career with a comfortable 6-1, 6-0 rout of home player Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round of the Italian Open.

Swiatek said she was dealing with “personal stuff” when she was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open semifinals last week.

SOCCER

FIFA President Gianni Infantino will go to Saudi Arabia next week during U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit while the soccer body’s 211 member federations gather at their annual Congress being held in Paraguay.

It is unprecedented in modern times for a FIFA president to skip any part of the days-long congress program, where FIFA voters in soccer’s six continental bodies caucus ahead of the main meeting often called the sport’s parliament.

“The FIFA president has accepted invitations to attend a series of important events with world leaders, where FIFA World Cups will also be discussed,” soccer’s governing body said in a statement.