The Tar Heel League state tournament in softball starts Thursday in Benson. Western Harnett will be represented by teams in the 10-and-under, 12-U and 16-U age groups. … Western Harnett’s 15-U baseball all-stars have earned a berth in the THL state tournament, which gets underway in Hickory on July 25. … Grant Knipp of Campbell was taken in the sixth round of the MLB draft on Monday by Seattle. Knipp hit .402 for the Camels in 2024 with 18 home runs and 46 RBIs in just 29 games. He also made four appearances on the mound with a 1.59 earned run average and two saves. … Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the Home Run Derby on Monday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the site of the All-Star game tonight (FOX, 8 p.m.). Starting pitchers will be rookie Paul Skenes of Pittsburgh for the National League and Corbin Burnes of Baltimore for the AL. … The USA men’s basketball team topped Australia, 98-92, in an exhibition game in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Australia rallied after trailing by 24 points in the second half.