Cougars season ends:

The Kane County Cougars were swept out of the Midwest League playoffs on Thursday night. The Cedar Rapids Kernels won 7-3, thus ending the Cougars’ season.

Predators’ Ellis out 6 months:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis will need a full six months to recover from off-season knee surgery, and general manager David Poile says they don’t expect him back until possibly 2018.

Irma cancels more games:

Florida State and Florida canceled their Saturday home football games Thursday because of Hurricane Irma. No. 10 Florida State was set to play Louisiana-Monroe, and No. 22 Florida was scheduled to face Northern Colorado. Also, South Florida and UConn called off their game in Connecticut because of travel concerns.

Thompson out front:

INDIANAPOLIS — Lexi Thompson shot a 9-under 63 on Thursday to take a 1-shot lead over Sandra Gal and Kris Tamulis in the LPGA Tour’s inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship. Thompson had 11 birdies and 2 bogeys to fall a stroke short of the Brickyard Crossing record set by Mike McCullough in the PGA Tour Champions’ 1999 Comfort Classic.

Notre Dame sued:

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A former linebacker has filed a lawsuit against Notre Dame, claiming the university concealed the results of a spinal scan from him and that he has potentially permanent nerve damage to his neck. The Indianapolis Star reports that Douglas Randolph filed the complaint this month in St. Joseph Circuit Court, naming coach Brian Kelly among the defendants. Randolph says he shouldn’t have been allowed to continue playing during the 2015 season. Paul Brown, a spokesman for Notre Dame, said in a statement Thursday that the university was “completely confident” that its athletics doctors and trainers provided proper medical care to the plaintiff in this case.

Racist letter to coach probed:

HOUSTON — Texas A&M and law enforcement officials are investigating after football coach Kevin Sumlin received a racist and threatening letter at his home Thursday. His wife, Charlene Sumlin, posted a picture of the letter, which had a return address in Houston, on Twitter on Thursday night. The handwritten letter read: “You (stink) as a coach! You’re a (racial epithet) and can’t win! Please get lost! Or else.”