Debinha and Michelle Cooper scored goals and the Kansas City Current snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 come-from-behind win over visiting Gotham FC on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the National Women's Soccer League, the North Carolina Courage and the Portland Thorns settled for a 2-2- draw; and the Seattle Reign played to a scoreless draw with the Denver Summit.
Gotham's Jaedyn Shaw started after a three-match absence due to injury. Her return paid immediate dividends in the 29th minute, when she scored to give Gotham (1-2-2) a 1-0 lead.
Two-time league MVP Temwa Chawinga started and played 41 minutes for her first appearance in 168 days and assisted on Debinha's goal in the 39th minute to make it 1-1.
The Current (2-3-0) completed the comeback in the 60th minute when Ally Sentnor collected an attempted clearance from defender Lilly Reale and played it wide to Cooper, who finished.
The Courage and Thorns each scored two first half goals at WakeMed Park in Cary, North Carolina.
The Thorns (3-1-1) struck first when Reilyn Turner scored on a header in the 12th minute off a long-range pass from Jayden Perry. Turner went down immediately after scoring and was later subbed off in the 25th minute.
Manaka Matsukubo equalized for the Courage (1-2-1) in the 28th minute
Portland retook the lead in the 33rd, with Olivia Moultrie putting away the rebound to make it 2-1.
Ashley Sanchez’s well-placed shot in the 37th minute tied the match again.
Seattle goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and Denver counterpart Abby Smith each recorded three saves in a scoreless draw at One Spokane Stadium.
The sides combined for 31 shots and six on target. The closest call came in the 29th minute when Melissa Kössler’s shot for the Summit hit the post.
Denver (1-3-1) is unbeaten in its last four matches.
The Reign (3-1-1) remain tied for second in the standings and completed their three-game homestand at 2-0-1.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga (6) gets set on defense during an NWSL soccer match against the Portland Thorns FC in Kansas City, Mo., on March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Aiken, File)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rhett Lowder allowed three hits over six innings as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Saturday night, giving the right-hander his first win since 2024 after missing all of last season because of injuries.
Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán each worked a scoreless inning to wrap up the Reds’ second shutout this season. Pagán matched the early MLB lead with his third save, his second in as many days, benefitting from a double play while walking two and giving up a two-out single.
Cincinnati got their runs on back-to-back RBI singles by Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart in the first off Kumar Rocker (0-1) before Lowder (1-0) had even thrown the first of his 82 pitches in his second start this season.
Lowder struck out four and gave up two leadoff walks. After allowing back-to-back singles with two outs in the first, the Rangers didn't get another runner to second base against him. He retired 12 of his last 13 batters he faced while lowering his career ERA to 1.30, the lowest for any Reds pitcher in his first eight career starts.
Texas, which has lost its first two home games and three games in a row overall, was held scoreless for the first time.
The seventh overall pick out of Wake Forest in the 2023 draft, Lowder made his big league debut in the final month of the 2024 season when he was 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA in six starts. He missed all of last season with because of a right forearm strain and then a left oblique strain.
Rocker struck out three in his five innings.
Matt McLain had a one-out single in the Reds first before a wild pitch. De La Cruz drove him home with a broken-bat single, then scored from first when Stewart lined a single into right-center on a hit-ad-run play.
Chase Burns (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who got his first big league win Monday, pitches for the Reds in the series finale Sunday. Jack Leiter (1-0, 3.00) goes for Texas.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) and center fielder Dane Myers (17) react after their team defeated the Texas Rangers 5-3 during the Rangers' home-opener baseball game Friday, April 3, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cincinnati Reds' Elly de la Cruz breaks his bat while hitting a single, scoring teammate Matt McLain, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
