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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Oklahoma City bound.

UCLA softball is heading to its 33rd Women’s College World Series after rallying from a game down to win the Columbia Super Regional, defeating South Carolina 5-0 in the series decider at Beckham Field on Sunday.

After Jordan Woolery kept UCLA’s (54-11) season alive with a walk-off home run in Game 2, she picked up right where she left off with a first-inning RBI single off South Carolina (44-17) starting pitcher Sam Gress. The Bruins failed to tack on runs with the bases loaded, but Kaitlyn Terry made sure the early tally was enough.

Terry threw 5 ⅔ innings of two-hit shutout ball with four strikeouts before giving way to Saturday’s starting pitcher, Taylor Tinsley.

Woolery delivered a critical insurance run in the fifth inning when she poked an infield single through the right side of South Carolina’s infield shift to bring Jessica Clements around after her one-out double.

After Tinsley pitched out of a jam with the tying runs on base in the sixth, UCLA added three runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach thanks to back-to-back RBIs from Rylee Slimp and Alexis Ramirez.

UCLA will play fellow Big Ten school Oregon on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

A chaotic blue alien and the high-flying escapades of Tom Cruise propelled the Memorial Day weekend box office to record heights, giving relief to theater owners still struggling from a post-pandemic malaise among moviegoers.

Walt Disney Co.’s live-action film “Lilo & Stitch” hauled in $183 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates, placing it in first place. It’s the biggest Memorial Day weekend opener ever, not adjusting for inflation, topping “Top Gun: Maverick,” which debuted with $160.5 million in 2022.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” brought in $77 million domestically for second place. “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “Thunderbolts*” and “Sinners” rounded out the top five this weekend.

The two new studio blockbusters were big overseas, too. Globally, “Lilo & Stitch” collected $341.7 million including domestic ticket sales. The worldwide tally for “Mission: Impossible,” the eighth in the series, was $190 million.

Aria Clark fills up her Lilo and Stitch cup with slushy before going into the movie with her mom, Lexi, and brother Leo at AMC Century City.

Historically, the holiday has been one of the biggest moviegoing weekends of the year, serving as a springboard for the busy summer months. But since the 2020 pandemic and the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023, it has become a less reliable indicator of the theatrical business.

“The calendar thinned out a little bit, particularly post-pandemic,” said Eric Handler, media and entertainment analyst at Roth Capital. “You just didn’t have the depth that you used to have. But it’s good to see that there’s two big event movies this year.”

“Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible” also largely catered to different audiences, lowering the risk that audiences would pick and choose between similar films. Box office grosses have typically done better with more genres in theaters.

The reported budget for “Lilo & Stitch” was $100 million, while “Mission: Impossible” reportedly cost $300 million to $400 million to produce, placing it among the most expensive movies ever.

Movie goers attend showings of “Lilo & Stitch” at AMC Century City.

The strong showing on Memorial Day weekend adds to a solid spring at the box office. Powered by films including Warner Bros. Pictures’ “A Minecraft Movie” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” domestic theatrical revenue for April totaled $875 million, close to the pre-pandemic average of $886 million for the same month from 2015-19, Handler said.

Then in May came Disney and Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Final Destination Bloodlines,” which have kept up steady business at theaters.

“This spring has been so good for the box office, it usually means the summer is going to be strong,” said Kimberly Owczarski, associate professor in the department of film, television and digital media at Texas Christian University. “Last year, we didn’t have those big tentpoles in April and early May that usually start the season. Because we’ve had that, people are in the moviegoing mood.”

Last year, the holiday weekend grossed just $132 million, making it the worst Memorial Day weekend box office in nearly 30 years. Films like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie” brought in about $30 million each that weekend, a distinct difference from the mega-hauls that blockbusters traditionally gross during Memorial Day weekend.

KK McDermott attends a showing of “Mission: Impossible” at AMC Century City.

The slow start last year to the all-important summer movie season made distributors and exhibitors anxious. It wasn’t until Disney-Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” debuted in mid-June that the box office started to turn around.

This year, however, a seemingly strong lineup of familiar blockbusters for most of the summer has given industry insiders optimism.

Sony Pictures’ “Karate Kid: Legends” comes out at the end of the month, followed by Lionsgate’s “John Wick” spin-off “Ballerina” in early June. Other anticipated releases include Universal Pictures’ live action “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Jurassic World Rebirth,” Disney-Pixar’s original animated film “Elio,” Warner Bros.’ “Superman” and Disney and Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

That’s boosted hopes for a stronger overall theatrical business this year.

Analysts say the 2025 domestic box office could gross an estimated $9.2 billion to $9.5 billion, which would be an improvement on last year’s $8.7 billion. More importantly, it’s higher than the 2023 box office total of $9 billion, which would indicate continued growth and a “true recovery,” Handler said.

However, those numbers still pale in comparison with pre-pandemic box office totals, including $11.4 billion in 2019 and $11.9 billion in 2018.

Moviegoers head to showings of “Lilo & Stitch,” one of this Memorial Day weekend’s biggest films at AMC Century City.

Even before the pandemic, theaters were starting to see declines in attendance, a trend that accelerated during COVID-19 when people got used to staying at home and watching movies on streaming platforms. As the pandemic and the strikes decreased the number of movies in theaters, and the length of time between a movie’s theatrical debut and its availability for home viewing shortened, theaters lost more of the crucial business of the casual moviegoer.

“When the content is good, people show up,” Handler said. “The content cycle is favorable right now, and hopefully we’ll see that continue through the next two years.”

World number one Aryna Sabalenka dropped only one game as she beat Kamilla Rakhimova to get her French Open campaign under way in emphatic style.

Sabalenka needed just one hour to beat Russian opponent Rakhimova 6-1 6-0 in Paris.

The Belarusian ramped up her performance as the match went on, winning nine games in a row to close out the match.

Opening up the first day’s play on Court Philippe Chatrier, Sabalenka served up five aces, hit 30 winners and broke her opponent’s serve five times on her way to a comfortable victory under the roof.

A three-time Grand Slam singles champion, Sabalenka has never reached the final of the French Open before – her best performance a semi-final run in 2023.

But on this evidence, the 27-year-old is justifying her tag as one of the tournament favourites.

She could face Chinese eighth seed Zheng Qinwen – who she beat in the 2024 Australian Open final – in the quarters and three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semis.

Before that, Sabalenka will play Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann or Italian qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini for a spot in the last 32.

Novak Djokovic moved one win away from his 100th ATP Tour-level singles title with a hard-fought victory against Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the semi-finals at the Geneva Open.

Djokovic, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Thursday, is bidding to become just the third man in the Open era – after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer – to win 100 ATP titles.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion took a step closer to that milestone with a resilient 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 win over Norrie.

Djokovic, who has not won a title since claiming Olympic gold in Paris last summer, will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in Saturday’s final.

“It was the toughest match of tournament for me so far, for sure,” the world number six said in his on-court interview.

Playing in his first semi-final of the season, Norrie won just two points on Djokovic’s serve in the first set as the Serb raced through the opener.

It was the Briton, however, who took control in the second set, challenging Djokovic’s serve for the first time to move 4-1 in front.

A double fault by Djokovic at 5-2 brought up a set point for Norrie, but he missed his chance and allowed Djokovic to break back and level the set at 5-5.

The world number 90 redeemed himself in a cagey tie-break, saving a match point before an unforced error from Djokovic took the last-four tie to a deciding set.

Djokovic reasserted his dominance by grabbing the first three games of the third set – a gap that Norrie was unable to close as he was broken again to allow Djokovic to serve out the victory after two hours and 15 minutes.

“I’m really glad how I regrouped in the third and played the best set of the tournament,” added Djokovic, who is playing in his first event since splitting from coach Andy Murray.

“It means a lot [to reach the final]. So let’s go for a title.”

It has been a disappointing clay-court season for Djokovic, who suffered immediate exits in Madrid and Monte Carlo.

However, an ATP 250 title in Geneva could be the perfect confidence booster before the French Open, where he will be chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round at Roland Garros, which starts on Sunday.

A BARGAIN banger has beaten big-name brands in a blind taste test, just in time for BBQ season.

Consumer champion Which? put a variety of supermarket and branded sausages to the test, including premium labels Heck and The Jolly Hog.

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The panel was made up of 65 people, and multiple factors were taken into consideration, including the texture, taste, and price.

Of the 12 tested, three superior sausages stood out and were made Which? Best Buys.

The testers crowned Lidl’s Deluxe Pork Sausages the winner with a score of 77 percent after they ticked all the boxes.

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The juicy texture got people’s taste buds tingling, and the flavour of the sausages was marked as “perfect” by an impressive 80 per cent.

Lidl’s sausages were also the cheapest of the 12 tested – so it’s good news all round.

The herb and spice seasoning also hit the spot with two-thirds of our tasters.

Around three-quarters liked the salt levels and two thirds said the texture was good – neither too coarse nor too fine.

The Which? team did point out that Lidl’s sausages are pretty high in saturated fat.

Two sausages contain 11.5g, which is more than half the recommended daily maximum for women and more than a third for men.  

Lidl Deluxe Pork Sausages are £2.49 for 400g, which works out as 62p per 100g.

Coming in second place was M&S Collection British Outdoor Bred Pork Sausages with a strong score of 75 percent.

Almost double the price of Lidl’s at £4.50 for 400g, the sausages are £1.13 per 100g.

The flavour, juiciness and salt levels won three-quarters of the voters over.

Two-thirds enjoyed the all-important texture, but while 58 Pper cent said seasoning was well-balanced, the remainder were divided on whether it was too much or too little.

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These succulent sausages from M&S are a Best Buy, but note that they are also joint priciest on test.

They are available in store only and at Ocado.

In third place is Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference British Pork Sausages, scooping 75 percent.

These are £3 for 400g, which works out 75p per 100 – so they are an excellent all-rounder.

The pork flavour was highly rated, while more than 70% said the juiciness, saltiness, and herb and spice seasoning were perfect. The texture was also enjoyed by two thirds.

They lost a few marks on plate-appeal compared with the other Best Buys, and around a third said these sausages looked too pale.

They are available in store and online.

In fourth place is the first brand, The Black Farmer Premium Pork Sausages.

Costing £3.50 for 400g (88p per 100g) they were well liked across the board.

More than three-quarters liked their juiciness, while around two-thirds said the pork flavour and salt levels were good.

A few points were lost on seasoning, as a third of our tasters wanted this to be punchier.

These UK-based artisanal sausages are available on Amazon, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Last but not least, in fifth place was Asda with its Exceptional Classic Pork Sausages.

These are pretty good sausages at a pretty good price, third cheapest after Aldi and Lidl.

More than 70 per cent enjoyed the pork flavour and pleasing texture. A similar proportion thought they looked the part and that the salt levels were right.

Herb and spice seasoning didn’t always hit the spot, though: nearly half felt this was lacking. So if you prefer a spicy sausage you might find these ones a bit bland.

They cost £2.98 for 400g (75p per 100g) and are available in store and online at Asda.

Here is how the rest of the supermarkets did:

• Morrisons The Best Thick Pork Sausages – 70 percent. Mostly well-liked sausages that scored well on flavour and aroma, though barely a half were fans of their somewhat coarse texture. £3.25 for 400g (81p per 100g). 
• Aldi Specially Selected Pork Sausages – 69 percent. Worth considering with a satisfying texture, but somewhat bland compared with the higher-scoring sausages. £2.49 for 400g (62p per 100g).
• Co-op Irresistible Pork Sausages – 69 percent. These juicy bangers were reasonable all-rounders, though a bit on the pale side. £3.60 for 400g (90p per 100g). 
• The Jolly Hog Proper Porker Sausages – 69 percent. Pretty good all-rounders, though no particular highlights. Around a third of our tasters wanted a stronger meaty flavour. £4 for 400g (£1 per 100g). 
• Iceland Luxury The Ultimate Pork Sausages – 65 percent. Fairly juicy, but rather pale and bland compared to the higher scoring sausages. They come in eight-packs, rather than the standard six. £4 for 400g (£1 per 100g). 
• Waitrose No.1 Free Range Pork Sausages – 62 percent. Juicy sausages, but they lost marks for looks and aroma. Less than half of our tasters found the texture and the seasoning worked for them.  £4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g). 
• Heck 97 percent Pork Sausages – 54 percent. Low in saturated fat, but also low in enjoyment factor for our tasters. More than 60 percent said the pork flavour of these pale sausages was too weak while over half wanted more seasoning. Note that the casings of these sausages are made from beef collagen. £3.25 for 400g (81p per 100g). 

Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: “Sausages are a summer barbecue staple for many, so it’s important to pick the right ones that will have your guests queuing up for more.

“Lidl came out on top for our taste tests, impressing with their juicy texture and meaty flavour. While pricier than Lidl’s, M&S and Sainsbury’s also dished up impressively succulent sausages.”

The sausages were tested in April 2025 at Which?’s specialist test lab.

The sausages were cooked according to pack instructions.

The taste test was blind, so the testers didn’t know which brand they were trying.

They tasted the sausages in a fully rotated order to avoid any bias.

Each tester had a private tasting booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The tasters rated the flavour, aroma, appearance, and texture of each sausage, and told Which? what they liked and disliked. 

The overall score was based on: 50 percent flavour, 20 percent appearance, 15 percent aroma and 15 percent texture.

How to save money on your food shop

Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:

Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.

Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.

Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.

Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.

Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.

Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.

Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.

Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.

But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.

Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.

“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.

The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen wins for the fourth straight time at Imola, defeating McLaren’s Lando Norris and F1 drivers’ standings leader Oscar Piastri.

Max Verstappen has given his Formula 1 title defence a big boost with victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after a daring overtake on standings leader Oscar Piastri at the start.

The Dutch driver built a commanding lead on Sunday that was wiped out when the safety car bundled the field back up. He still held on to win ahead of Lando Norris, who overtook his McLaren teammate Piastri for second with five laps remaining.

Verstappen took his second win of the season and first since last month’s Japanese Grand Prix and denied Piastri – who finished third – what would have been his fourth victory in a row.

Verstappen praised his Red Bull team’s “fantastic execution all round” as the team marked its 400th F1 race with a win.

“The start itself wasn’t particularly great, but I was still on the outside line, or basically the normal [racing] line, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m just going to try and send it round the outside,’ and it worked really well,” Verstappen said of his crucial overtake. “That, of course, unleashed our pace because once we were in the lead, the car was good.”

Norris’s late-race move on Piastri was almost a copy of Verstappen’s although Norris had the advantage of being on fresher tyres than his teammate.

“We had a good little battle at the end between Oscar and myself, which is always tense but always good fun,” Norris said, admitting that Verstappen and Red Bull were “too good for us today”.

Piastri’s lead over Norris in the standings was cut to 13 points. Verstappen rounds out the top three at nine points behind Norris.

Hamilton bounces back

Lewis Hamilton recovered from 12th on the grid to finish fourth in his first race for Ferrari in Italy.

Hamilton profited from a late-race fight between his teammate Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon of Williams.

Albon complained Leclerc had pushed him off the track as they battled for fourth, and Hamilton passed both drivers before Ferrari eventually asked Leclerc to yield fifth to Albon.

George Russell was seventh for Mercedes, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr in the second Williams.

Isack Hadjar was ninth for Racing Bulls, and Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda was 10th after starting last following a crash in qualifying.

An action-packed ‘farewell’ to Imola

Overtaking was expected to be rare in what could be F1’s last race for the foreseeable future at Imola. Instead, the Italian fans were treated to Verstappen’s spectacular move at the start and plenty of other overtakes.

The narrow, bumpy Imola track has been a favourite among drivers, who have relished its old-school challenge since it returned to the F1 schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, its status as Italy’s second race – only the United States also hosts more than one – makes its position vulnerable.

“If we don’t come back here, it is going to be a shame,” Piastri said on Saturday.

Sunday’s race was the last under Imola’s current contract, and while it isn’t officially goodbye yet, there has been no word about next year.

Italy’s Jasmine Paolini recovered from a slow start to reach the Italian Open final with a 7-5 6-1 victory against Peyton Stearns.

World number five Paolini struggled in the early stages and faced a set point when trailing 5-3 in the opener, but American Stearns was unable to hold serve.

The home favourite overturned the deficit to take the opening set before growing in confidence in the second.

Paolini’s win makes her the first Italian woman to reach the singles final in Rome since 2014 when her current doubles partner, Sara Errani, was beaten by Serena Williams.

She is attempting to become Italy’s first home women’s singles champion for 40 years.

Her final opponent will be either American world number three Coco Gauff or China’s Zheng Qinwen, who knocked out world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.

“At the beginning, I was feeling so slow,” Paolini, 29, told Sky Sports.

“I told myself I had to hit the ball harder because she was playing amazing, but I managed to stay in there somehow and I won the match and I’m really happy about it.

“In the first round I was nervous and in the second also, and maybe again today, but the crowd was unbelievable and they helped me a lot. It’s beautiful to play here in Italy and they support us no matter what, so that is the most important thing.”

Asked about the final, Paolini said of her prospective opponents: “They are both very strong players with good forehands and can play with speed on the clay court. For sure, my coach will watch their match and we will prepare our tactics.”

Raffaella Reggi was the last Italian woman to win the title, in 1985.