While other Division 1 teams are contending for titles, the only sounds on the UMass athletic fields since early May have been lawnmowers cutting grass. On April 28, the women’s lacrosse team lost the A-10 championship at Richmond, 19-18. The Spiders scored the last five goals including the tying goal with four seconds left in regulation and the winner in overtime. Less than a week later in Amherst, the men’s team fell behind Drexel, 9-2, before 600 fans at Garber Field and lost the CAA semifinal, 15-12.

On May 10 at rainy Sortino Field, the softball team was beaten by Fordham, 8-2, in the A-10 tournament. It was the fourth straight year the Rams have sent UMass packing into summer.

Meanwhile the BC women’s lax team was 21-1 going into last night’s NCAA semifinal against North Carolina. The Eagles beat UMass in February, 25-14.

Tim McCarver and Bob Gibson had their way against Captain Carl and Gentleman Jim in the 1967 World Series, but ever since then, it’s been Boston teams beating their St. Louis counterparts in championship matchups.

In 1970, the Bruins beat St. Louis in an anticlimatic and entirely expected four-game sweep of the expansion Blues. Bobby Orr’s goal has been characterized as the play of the century but the Blues were out-scored 20-7 and didn’t have a chance against a B’s team that had already swept Chicago and beaten the Rangers in six games.

In 2002, the Patriots shocked the St. Louis Rams, 20-17, in Super Bowl XXXVI, and the Red Sox have twice beaten the Cardinals this century — sweeping them in 2004 and beating them in six games in 2013.

The Bruins will make quick work of the Blues starting Monday at TD Garden. Bruins in five.

For a Stanley Cup primer, tune to the NHL Network this morning for Russia versus Finland at 9:15 a.m. followed by Canada against the Czech Republic at 1:15 p.m.. The winners will face off in the IHF World Hockey championship game on Sunday at 2:15 p.m.

Team USA, which was eliminated by Russia on Thursday, 4-3, simply couldn’t tweak the twine. Black Hawks forward Alex Debrincat had seven goals in eight games, but big guns Jack Eichel and Patrick Kane scored just two goals apiece.

MLB NOTES: Jason Heyward broke a perfectly good baseball bat over his knee at Wrigley Field on Thursday after he struck out swinging against Phils closer Hector Neris. Heyward, who is hitting .239, is guaranteed $94 million through 2023. … Riding high in April, shot down in May, Tampa Bay infielder Brandon Lowe went from player of the month in April to tying a Rays record for consecutive strikeouts (eight) in May. … “I’m kind of getting Ron Guidry flashbacks here,” said Yanks analyst Ken Singleton after the Rays’ Blake Snell fanned seven Yankees in three innings. … Jon Lester lost his 101st game on Thursday, but the one-time Red Sox ace has 180 wins and is 64-34 since signing with the Cubs in 2015. … Four-time All Star Ian Kinsler is batting .184 (25-for-136) for the Padres, and his teammate Manny Machado is hitting .267, albeit with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. According to baseball-reference.com, Machado is making $12 million in 2019 after which he’ll be paid $32 million every year through 2028. … In Philadelphia, Bryce Harper, is batting .235 and leads the league in strikeouts, but with nine home runs and has 32 RBIs. … Austin Meadows’ home run to beat the Yankees at the Stadium last Saturday was the first extra-inning run the Rays had scored all season. The Pirates traded Meadows (.336) and pitcher Tyler Glasnow (6-1) for Chris Archer (1-4; 5.55 ERA). … Orioles pitchers have given up at least one home run in 42 of the team’s first 50 games. The Red Sox were 16-3 against them last year, the Bombers are 10-2 against them this season. … The White Sox turned the first triple play of the MLB season this week, 5-4-3 if you’re keeping score. … Baseball’s version of Game of Thrones resumes on Thursday when the Yankees and Red Sox collide for four games at Fenway Park.