MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(NCAA)
PURDUE 77 TENNESSEE 66
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 76 DUKE 64
FINAL FOUR-APRIL 6
3:09 P.M.
SEMIFINAL GAME 1
(11) NC STATE VS. (1) PURDUE
STATE FARM STADIUM
5:39 P.M.
SEMIFINAL GAME 2
(4) ALABAMA VS. (1) UCONN
STATE FARM STADIUM
DAILY SCHEDULE: https://www.ncaa.com/mens-final-four/schedule
(NIT)
TUESDAY, APRIL 2
UTAH VS. INDIANA STATE 7 PM
GEORGIA VS. SETON HALL 9:30 PM
WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT
SOUTH CAROLINA 70 OREGON STATE 58
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 76 TEXAS 66
MONDAY
LSU VS. IOWA
CONNECTICUT VS. USC
NBA SCOREBOARD
DENVER 130 CLEVELAND 101
PHILADELPHIA 135 TORONTO 120
MIAMI 119 WASHINGTON 107
LA CLIPPERS 130 CHARLOTTE 118
LA LAKERS 116 BROOKLYN 104
GOLDEN STATE 117 SAN ANTONIO 113
DALLAS 125 HOUSTON 107
CHICAGO 109 MINNESOTA 101
OKLAHOMA CITY 113 NEW YORK 112
SACRAMENTO 127 UTAH 106
NHL SCOREBOARD
VANCOUVER 3 ANAHEIM 2
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
LA ANGELS 4 BALTIMORE 1
PHILADELPHIA 5 ATLANTA 4
TORONTO 9 TAMPA BAY 2
PITTSBURGH 9 MIAMI 7 (10)
MILWAUKEE 4 NY METS 1
CINCINNATI 6 WASHINGTON 5
KANSAS CITY 11 MINNESOTA 0
NY YANKEES 4 HOUSTON 3
DETROIT 3 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 2
CHICAGO CUBS 9 TEXAS 5
OAKLAND 4 CLEVELAND 3
ARIZONA 5 COLORADO 1
SAN DIEGO 13 SAN FRANCISCO 4
BOSTON 5 SEATTLE 1
LA DODGERS 5 ST. LOUIS 4
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
ATLANTA 3 CHICAGO 0
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
MICHIGAN 9 MARYLAND 4
PURDUE 7 OHIO STATE 1
MICHIGAN STATE 3 RUTGERS 2
NEBRASKA 8 NORTHWESTERN 7 (10)
IOWA 10 MINNESOTA 4
INDIANA STATE 4 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 1
VALPARAISO 13 BRADLEY 2
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
OHIO STATE 6 NORTHWESTERN 0
MICHIGAN 10 INDIANA 1
PENN STATE 1 MARYLAND 0 (12)
NEBRASKA 5 WISCONSIN 4
NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
ZACH EDEY GOES BIG AND SENDS PURDUE TO FIRST FINAL FOUR SINCE 1980 WITH A 72-66 WIN OVER TENNESSEE
DETROIT (AP) — Purdue big man Zach Edey went for a career-high 40 points along with 16 rebounds and one big block Sunday to muscle the Boilermakers into the program’s first Final Four since 1980 with a 72-66 victory over Tennessee.
The 7-foot-4 center willed his way to a win in a back-and-forth thriller between the country’s top two players, edging out Tennessee’s All-American, Dalton Knecht, who finished with 37 points.
Fittingly for this showdown, Edey swatted away Knecht’s layup as the Northern Colorado transfer drove to the basket while trailing by five with 33 seconds left, putting an end to the Vols’ desperate comeback hopes.
Top-seeded Purdue (33-4) set aside last year’s grand disappointment — a first-round loss as a No. 1 seed — to book the trip to Glendale, Arizona. On Saturday, the Boilermakers will play either Duke or North Carolina State in the national semifinals.
This was a scrapfest of a game played in front of an ear-splitting crowd packed with Purdue fans who made their way up from Indiana.
They were looking for history, and they got it — along with the game ball that Fletcher Loyer chucked about 20 rows into the stands when the buzzer went off.
With the school’s 87-year-old former coach, Gene Keady, sitting in the stands, this game at times looked like a dusty ol’ throwback.
Purdue fed the ball into Edey in the post, and though the grabby, swatty UT defense made some inroads — even blocking two of his shots — foul trouble piled up and Edey wore them down, but just barely. He finished 13 of 21 from the floor and lived at the foul line, where he went 14 for 22.
Tennessee (27-9) was seeking its first Final Four, and Vols coach Rick Barnes was denied the second trip there of his 38-year career.
DJ BURNS JR. LIFTS NC STATE OVER DUKE, INTO FINAL FOUR
DJ Burns Jr. scored 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting and streaking North Carolina State secured an unlikely Final Four berth with a 76-64 victory over Duke on Sunday at Dallas.
DJ Horne added 20 points for the 11th-seeded Wolfpack (26-14), who won their ninth consecutive game by dominating the second half of the South Region final. North Carolina State shot 73.1 percent (19 of 26) from the field over the final 20 minutes of action to reach the Final Four for the first time since winning the national title in 1983.
Burns was named Most Outstanding Player of the South Region.
North Carolina State will face No. 1 seed Purdue in the national semifinals on Saturday in Phoenix.
Jared McCain scored 32 points for No. 4 seed Duke (27-9), which shot just 32.2 percent from the field, including 5 of 20 from 3-point range.
Jeremy Roach added 13 points and Kyle Filipowski had 11 points and nine rebounds before fouling out for the Blue Devils.
Overall, North Carolina State made 46.7 percent of its shots, including 3 of 13 from behind the arc. Michael O’Connell contributed 11 rebounds and six assists.
This was the third meeting this month between the two Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. North Carolina State won two of them.
The Wolfpack trailed by six at halftime before outscoring Duke 37-17 over the first 15:40 of the second half.
North Carolina State moved ahead at 36-35 on Horne’s two free throws with 12:59 left in the game.
Filipowski converted a three-point play to push Duke back into the lead before the Wolfpack scored eight straight points and 12 of the next 14.
Burns had two baskets during the 8-0 run, and the Wolfpack held a 44-38 advantage with 9:49 remaining. After Roach drove for a layup, Burns and Horne hit jumpers to boost the North Carolina State lead to 48-40 with 8:27 to play.
McCain hit two free throws for Duke with 8:03 left. O’Connell drained a 3-pointer and Burns scored inside to give the Wolfpack a 53-42 lead with 6:55 remaining.
Filipowski fouled out with 4:52 remaining, and Burns added a short jumper 32 seconds later to give the Wolfpack a 58-44 lead.
Duke was unable to make a late charge as the stunning North Carolina State run continued.
The defenses were in control in a first half in which Duke ended with a 27-21 edge.
The Blue Devils shot 30.8 percent from the field and McCain scored 13 points despite being 2-for-8 shooting. Burns had eight points for North Carolina State, which made just 26.5 percent of its shots.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA OUTCLASSES NO. 3 OREGON STATE TO REACH FINAL FOUR
ALBANY, N.Y. — South Carolina’s undefeated dream season continued Sunday as the Gamecocks survived a challenge from underdog Oregon State to win 70-58 and earn their way to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
But it wasn’t a vintage performance from the top-seeded Gamecocks, whose average margin of victory was 30.1 points per game on the season. They shot only 33.3 percent from the field compared to their season average of 49.8 percent and 20 percent (4 of 20) from 3-point range, half their season average.
“(Oregon State is) a really tough basketball team. They’re young. They’re going to be back in this position,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “We were lucky to get out of this region and to the Final Four again.”
Freshman Tessa Johnson led top-seeded South Carolina (36-0) with 15 points. Kamilla Cardoso, the team’s leading scorer on the season, added 12 points and nine rebounds while Bree Hall had 10 in the final of the Albany 1 Region. Ashlyn Watkins pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
“I was the little girl dreaming of being up there and now I am,” Johnson said.
This will be the fourth consecutive and sixth overall trip to the Final Four for the Dawn Staley-led Gamecocks, who won the national championship in 2017 and 2022.
Third-seeded Oregon State (27-8) beat second seed Notre Dame 70-65 Friday to advance to the Elite Eight and was seeking its second trip to the Final Four. The Beavers also were seeking their first-ever win over an Associated Press No. 1 team.
Despite the loss, coach Scott Rueck can label the season a success as the Beavers turned around from last season’s 13-18 finish.
The Beavers were led by All-Pac-12 forward Raegan Beers with 16 points. Lily Hansford scored 12 points, Timea Gardiner added 10 and 12 rebounds, while Donovyn Hunter also scored 10.
Oregon State gave South Carolina all it could handle until midway through the third quarter, when the inability of the Beavers to put the ball in the basket on one sequence shifted momentum.
Oregon State whittled the deficit to 43-41 after a Beers layup with 6:08 left, and a Raven Johnson 3-pointer extended the Gamecocks’ lead to 46-41.
On the Beavers’ next trip down the court, Dominika Paurova missed a long-range jumper and Talia von Oelhoffen couldn’t convert a putback shot or a layup after gaining possession on a loose ball.
South Carolina ended the third on a 12-5 run to take a 12-point lead.
Both teams scored 12 points in the fourth, when Beers was hampered by four fouls for much of the quarter.
Oregon State cut the deficit to four following two straight Hunter baskets with 3:55 left but couldn’t get any closer. South Carolina closed on an 8-0 run.
“I thought we got about every shot we wanted during that stretch. They just didn’t fall,” Rueck said. “(We) had to be near flawless to win. We just weren’t flawless enough.”
The Gamecocks set the tone early with stifling defense. After a Beers jumper put the Beavers up 2-0 – their only lead of the game – South Carolina double-teamed in the backcourt, then pressured Oregon State into turnovers or tough shots to beat the clock for much of the first quarter.
South Carolina outrebounded Oregon State 51-37 and had 28 second-chance points compared to four for the Beavers.
AZIAHA JAMES, NC STATE TOP TEXAS TO REACH FINAL FOUR
PORTLAND, Ore. — Aziaha James poured in 27 points and North Carolina State led most of the way in a 76-66 victory over Texas on Sunday in the Portland 4 Region final.
River Baldwin added 16 points — all in the second half — as the third-seeded Wolfpack (31-6) wrote themselves a ticket to next week’s Final Four in Cleveland. Saniya Rivers tallied 11 points, five rebounds and five assists and Mimi Collins and Zoe Brooks each scored 10 points.
North Carolina State won the game at the 3-point line, sinking 9 of 18 shots from beyond the arc while the Longhorns went 1-for-6. The Wolfpack also had a decided edge in free throws, making 19 of 25 attempts to 7 of 11 for Texas.
James was honored as the Portland 4 Region’s Most Outstanding Player. In Sunday’s Elite Eight contest, James connected on 9 of 17 shots from the field, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range. She scored 29 points in North Carolina State’s 77-67 win over Stanford in Friday’s regional semifinal.
“Aziaha stepped up big-time in both of these games,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. “She worked so hard last summer. She used to hang her head when her shots didn’t go in. Now she’s a woman. She handles adversity and keeps coming back.”
James was 5-for-5 from 3-point range and 7-for-10 from the field in the first half.
“My confidence was going up as the shots were going in,” she said. “They (were) just hitting for me, so I kept shooting.”
Madison Booker’s 17 points led top-seeded Texas, which finished the season at 33-5.
Texas took 20 more shots from the field than North Carolina State but shot only 39.7 percent (29-for-73). The Wolfpack made 24 of 53 attempts (45.3 percent). Booker, the Big 12 Conference Co-Player of the Year, struggled to an 8-for-21 showing from the floor.
James went for 21 points prior to the break, and North Carolina State built an 18-point first-half lead before settling for a 43-31 advantage heading into intermission. Texas made only 14 of 41 shots overall (34.1 percent) in the period. Booker was 4-for-13.
“NC State was good today,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said Sunday. “James played well that first half and was ready to go. Their whole crew played well.
“It wasn’t our day. We struggled guarding them in the first half. We take great pride in being tough. Today we weren’t as tough as we’ve been in the past. It happens sometimes in athletics. It’s probably the worst we’ve played the past two months.”
The Longhorns closed within 45-35 early in the third quarter. North Carolina State’s lead was 51-37 when Texas used a 7-0 run to make it 51-44. A trey by James — her first points of the second half — sent the Wolfpack into the final period with a 57-48 edge.
Booker converted a three-point play to draw Texas within 63-55 with 5:50 remaining. Taylor Jones got the Longhorns closer with another three-point play to make it 65-58 with 4:41 to play. James sank a 3 to push North Carolina State to a 68-58 lead, but Jones’ jumper cut it to 68-60 with 3:24 to go.
Baldwin hit two free throws to make it 70-60. Jones did the same at the other end, and it was 70-62 with 2:09 left. Baldwin’s jump shot gave the Wolfpack a 72-62 advantage, but Booker’s putback trimmed the difference to 72-64 with 1:32 remaining. When Baldwin knocked down a pair of shots at the free-throw line for a 74-64 lead with 1:01 on the clock, it was all over.
Texas guard Shaylee Gonzales went scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting before fouling out late in the game.
With James scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, North Carolina State took a 19-14 lead after one quarter. Texas made only 7 of 22 shots in the frame.
James buried two 3-pointers and Collins a third to jack the Wolfpack’s lead to 34-20 midway through the second quarter. Moments later, James converted from beyond the arc once again. Brooks followed with a layup and James added a free throw to complete a 17-2 run and make it 40-22 late in the quarter.
3-POINT LINES NOT THE SAME DISTANCE AT PORTLAND REGIONAL
In a well-known scene in the movie “Hoosiers,” Gene Hackman’s character gets out a tape measure to show his players that the dimensions of the court where they are about to play are the same as usual as a means of encouraging his team not to be intimidated by a larger playing venue.
Perhaps the officials at the Portland Regional in the 2024 Women’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Arena could have used recalled Norman Dale, as it was revealed Sunday — after multiple games had already been played — that the dimensions of each 3-point line didn’t match.
The discrepancy apparently wasn’t discovered until Texas coach Vic Schaefer and North Carolina State coach Wes Moore met with officials during pregame warmups to speak about the issue, with the tape measure being broke out to verify the problem.
Per the ESPN broadcast, the two teams agreed to continue their game with the quirky 3-point lines in place, a game that the No. 3 seed Wolfpack won over top-seeded Texas 76-66 to advance to the Final Four. But what made the situation truly bizarre was that it took this long for the problem to be discovered, or at least acknowledged.
Sweet 16 games between NC State and Stanford, Texas and Gonzaga, UConn and Duke and Baylor and Southern California had all been played prior to anyone acknowledging the different distances, despite the discrepancy being notable to the naked eye.
The NCAA responded to the unusual circumstance Sunday afternoon, issuing a statement that read in part, “The NCAA was notified today that the three-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance. The two head coaches were made aware of the discrepancy and elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game. The court will be corrected before tomorrow’s game in Portland.”
The final game schedule to be played in Portland, with a spot in the Final Four on the line, will be contested between No. 1 seed Southern Cal and No. 3 seed UConn.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: THUNDER EDGE KNICKS, CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a go-ahead fallaway jumper with 2.6 seconds left and then helped produce a defensive stop just before the buzzer on Sunday night for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who clinched a playoff spot with a 113-112 victory over the host New York Knicks.
It marks Oklahoma City’s first playoff berth since 2020, when the Thunder fell to the Houston Rockets in the first round.
After a Thunder timeout, Josh Giddey sent an inbounds pass to Gilgeous-Alexander, who dribbled once to shake Miles McBride before turning and sinking a shot from deep in the left corner.
After a Knicks timeout, Donte DiVincenzo got the ball to Jalen Brunson, who was covered by Gilgeous-Alexander. Brunson’s turnaround jumper bounced off the top of the rim as time expired.
Giddey (16 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) had a triple-double while Jalen Williams scored a game-high 33 points for Oklahoma City, which won for the sixth time in eight games. Brunson scored 30 points to pace New York.
Mavericks 125, Rockets 107
Luka Doncic matched his career high with nine 3-pointers and finished with 47 points as visiting Dallas extended its winning streak to seven games, beating Houston.
Doncic added 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Mavericks, who led by as many as 29 and snapped the Rockets’ 11-game winning streak. Kyrie Irving scored 24 points, Dante Exum added 13 and P.J. Washington had 12 for Dallas.
Jabari Smith Jr. matched his career high with five 3-pointers and led Houston with 28 points. The loss was just the second in 15 games in March for the Rockets.
Nuggets 130, Cavaliers 101
Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a season-high 22 points, and host Denver beat Cleveland.
Reggie Jackson and Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points each and Christian Braun had 10 for the Nuggets, who snapped a two-game home losing streak.
Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 23 points, Jarrett Allen had 19, Caris LeVert finished with 15 points and Donovan Mitchell added 13 in his second game back after missing six in a row with a broken nose.
Warriors 117, Spurs 113
Stephen Curry tallied 33 points and eight assists and Draymond Green added 21 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and six steals as visiting Golden State defeated short-handed San Antonio in a late-season Western Conference clash.
Klay Thompson hit for 13 points while Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody had 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Warriors played without Jonathan Kuminga (knee tendinitis) for the third straight game.
Victor Wembanyama racked up 32 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs. Cedi Osman hit for 18 points, Zach Collins had 13, Malaki Branham and Tre Jones scored 12 points apiece and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
76ers 135, Raptors 120
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 32 points as visiting Philadelphia hit a team-record 24 3-pointers and defeated Toronto.
Former Raptors stalwart Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 10 assists for the 76ers, who had lost their three previous games and five of six. Cameron Payne added 24 points, Tobias Harris had 21, Nicolas Batum scored 19 and Buddy Hield chipped in 13.
The Raptors have lost 13 in a row and were swept in the four-game season series. Gary Trent Jr. scored 23 points for the Raptors. Jordan Nwora added 19 points, Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk each scored 18, Gradey Dick added 12 and Javon Freeman-Liberty had 11.
Clippers 130, Hornets 118
Paul George heated up from the perimeter for eight 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 41 points and Los Angeles won another road game, beating Charlotte.
Ivica Zubac racked up 24 points and 12 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard had 23 points to boost the Clippers, who have their first three-game winning streak since winning four in a row from Jan. 31-Feb. 5.
Miles Bridges poured in 33 points and Brandon Miller tallied 22 points for the Hornets. Charlotte shot 50 percent from the floor, but the offensive execution from the Clippers, who led by as many as 19 points, didn’t allow the Hornets to catch up for long stretches.
Lakers 116, Nets 104
LeBron James tied a season high with 40 points and matched a career high by hitting nine 3-pointers as Los Angeles raced out to a big lead and never trailed in a victory over Brooklyn in New York.
James notched his third 40-point game of the season by shooting 13-for-17 from the floor. He went 9-for-10 from 3-point range.
Cam Thomas tried to keep pace with James by scoring 30 points, but the Nets saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Trendon Watford added 15 points and Dennis Schroder finished with 14 as the Nets shot 42.4 percent overall and 33.3 percent (12-for-36) from beyond the arc after sinking 25 threes on Friday against the Chicago Bulls.
Heat 119, Wizards 107
Terry Rozier scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the first half, Bam Adebayo added 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and visiting Miami handed Washington its third straight loss.
Jimmy Butler added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Heat, who trail Indiana by a half-game for sixth place and the last guaranteed playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Nikola Jovic added 12 points and eight rebounds for Miami, and Haywood Highsmith scored 10 points off the bench.
Jordan Poole led six Wizards scorers in double figures with 22 points. Anthony Gill scored 18 points off the bench, and Deni Avdija went for 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Bulls 109, Wolves 101
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and dished out eight assists and Chicago held off Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Alex Caruso added 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting from 3-point range for the Bulls. Nikola Vucevic finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Anthony Edwards scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert also registered a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards.
Kings 127, Jazz 106
Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray combined for 49 points, DeAaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis registered double-doubles and Sacramento broke a third-quarter tie with a 15-0 flurry to beat visiting Utah.
Murray finished with a game-high 25 points and Barnes had 24 points for the Kings, who were playing for the first time since learning that Malik Monk would be lost for the rest of the regular season with a sprained right MCL.
Brice Sensabaugh had a season-high 22 points and Collin Sexton also totaled 22 for the Jazz, who lost their ninth straight.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: BACK-TO-BACK HRS IN 9TH SEND REDS PAST NATS
Will Benson tied the score with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth and Christian Encarnacion-Strand lined a solo homer to left to complete the rally as Cincinnati Reds edged the visiting Washington Nationals 6-5 on Sunday.
Just one strike from defeat, Jonathan India won a 10-pitch encounter with Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan (0-1) by driving a double down the left-field line. Benson followed with a homer to left-center before Encarnacion-Strand ended an 0-for-12 slump with his solo shot.
Lucas Sims (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth for Cincinnati, which captured the rubber game of the series.
Jake Fraley and Benson each had three hits for the Reds, while Spencer Steer went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Benson drove in three runs.
Rookie Trey Lipscomb broke a 3-3 tie with his first big league homer in the seventh inning after CJ Abrams hit a solo shot for the Nationals in the third.
Angels 4, Orioles 1
Taylor Ward hit his second home run in two days, Reid Detmers pitched five strong innings and visiting Los Angeles beat Baltimore to avert being swept in the three-game opening series.
Detmers (1-0) allowed a run on two hits. He struck out seven and walked three. Jose Soriano followed with three scoreless innings of relief and Carlos Estevez worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.
Tyler Wells (0-1) tossed six innings for the Orioles, allowing four runs — three earned — on five hits. He struck out seven without a walk. After struggling early, Wells retired the final 13 batters he faced.
Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 1
Brandon Pfaadt threw five effective innings in his first outing of the season, helping Arizona to a victory over Colorado in Phoenix.
The Diamondbacks offense collected just five hits, two coming from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Pfaadt (1-0) allowed five hits, one run, and no walks while striking out six. He also hit two batters.
Rockies starter Ryan Feltner (0-1) went five innings, charged with five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He also hit a batter.
Phillies 5, Braves 4
Alec Bohm had two hits and two RBIs, Kyle Schwarber homered and singled and host Philadelphia salvaged a three-game series with a victory over Atlanta.
Trea Turner hit an RBI single for the Phillies, who were outscored 21-7 in the first two games of the set. Matt Strahm (1-0) earned the win in relief, and Jose Alvarado threw a scoreless ninth inning for his first save of the season.
Ozzie Albies hit a home run, singled and had three RBIs, and Austin Riley added two hits for the Braves. Atlanta starter Chris Sale gave up five hits and two runs to go along with seven strikeouts and two walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Brewers 4, Mets 1
Colin Rea combined with two relievers to scatter seven hits for visiting Milwaukee, which completed a season-opening three-game sweep of New York.
Rea (1-0) allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings for the Brewers. Bryan Hudson struck out four over three innings of two-hit ball before Joel Payamps struck out one in a perfect ninth for his first save. Willy Adames had two hits, including the first-inning RBI single that gave the Brewers a lead they’d never relinquish.
Tyrone Taylor, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Brewers, had an RBI single in the second for the Mets. Tylor Megill (0-1) took the loss after allowing two runs (one earned) over four innings while walking three and striking out four.
Pirates 9, Marlins 7 (10 innings)
Pittsburgh, which scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning without hitting the ball out of the infield, defeated host Miami to complete a four-game sweep.
Pittsburgh’s Rowdy Tellez slugged a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning. But the Marlins tied in the bottom of the ninth on Nick Gordon’s pinch-hit homer. Hunter Stratton pitched a scoreless 10th inning to earn the save. In fact, the Pirates bullpen allowed just one run in six innings.
Miami blew a 5-0 lead and opened the season 0-4 for the first time since 2001. The Marlins got a Jazz Chisholm Jr. grand slam in the first and Avisail Garcia’s solo homer in the fourth. Miami was the last team in the majors to hit a homer this season.
Blue Jays 9, Rays 2
Justin Turner went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs in his biggest day with Toronto as it clobbered Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The third baseman singled, doubled and homered in the first five innings. He also scored twice and walked. Davis Schneider homered and had two RBIs, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run as Toronto won the opener and finale in the four-game series.
Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena hit an opposite-field home run for the second consecutive game, and Isaac Paredes went deep as the club managed just three hits.
Yankees 4, Astros 3
Juan Soto produced his third consecutive multi-hit game, snapping a ninth-inning deadlock with an opposite-field RBI single that pushed New York to a victory and a four-game series sweep of host Houston.
Soto (3-for-5) lined a two-out, 3-2 slider from Astros closer Josh Hader (0-1) into left field, driving home Gleyber Torres with the go-ahead run. Torres reached one batter earlier with a bloop single to shallow right field and swiped second base to set the table for Soto to deliver in the clutch. Yankees reliever Nick Burdi (1-0) earned the win after two-thirds of an inning.
Jose Altuve went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs. Altuve and Kyle Tucker had doubles to power a two-run Astros rally in the sixth.
Tigers 3, White Sox 2
Pinch hitter Andy Ibanez ripped a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth as Detroit edged host Chicago to complete a three-game series sweep.
Kerry Carpenter and Jake Rogers went deep for Detroit, with Carpenter adding a single as part of a 2-for-4 day. Making his Tigers debut, Jack Flaherty recorded a quality start, allowing one run on four hits in six innings. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out seven.
Paul DeJong and Korey Lee homered for the White Sox, who hadn’t been swept in a season-opening series since coming up empty in a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.
Royals 11, Twins 0
Salvador Perez homered and drove in four runs and Brady Singer struck out 10 over seven shutout innings as Kansas City blasted visiting Minnesota.
The Royals launched five home runs to salvage the final game of their season-opening series, outhitting the Twins 14-4.
Bailey Ober (0-1) surrendered eight runs on nine hits while recording four outs for Minnesota.
Cubs 9, Rangers 5
Ian Happ had four hits and drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk as visiting Chicago salvaged the finale of its three-game opening series with Texas Rangers with a victory in Arlington, Texas.
Seiya Suzuki hit a two-run single to highlight a four-run ninth, Christopher Morel hit a three-run homer, Miguel Amaya joined Suzuki with two hits and a run and Happ finished with two RBIs for Chicago.
Marcus Semien doubled and had two hits and three RBIs, rookie Wyatt Langford had a two-run triple and Josh Jung also tripled for Texas. Ezequiel Duran also had two hits and a stolen base for the Rangers.
Padres 13, Giants 4
Luis Campusano and Ha-Seong Kim each belted three-run homers and San Diego scored 12 runs in the first three innings en route to a drubbing of visiting San Francisco.
In earning a split of the four-game series, the Padres outhit San Francisco 16-5. Campusano finished with three hits and four RBIs, while Kim delivered three hits and three runs. Manny Machado doubled twice and drove in three.
The Giants got on the board in the fourth via Thairo Estrada’s first homer of the season, a two-run homer to left-center, against Padres starter Michael King.
Athletics 4, Guardians 3
Pinch hitter Abraham Toro drew a four-pitch, walk-off walk from reliever Eli Morgan with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, allowing Oakland to avoid a four-game sweep versus visiting Cleveland.
JJ Bleday and Esteury Ruiz had two hits apiece for the A’s, who outhit the visitors 9-7.
Josh Naylor and Ramon Laureano had two hits for the Guardians in a game that featured no home runs.
Red Sox 5, Mariners 1
Enmanuel Valdez and Tyler O’Neill hit home runs as Boston defeated host Seattle, earning a split of their season-opening, four-game series.
Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock (1-0) went five innings and allowed one run on three hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight.
Seattle starter Bryce Miller (0-1) also pitched five innings but gave up four runs on six hits. The righty walked two and fanned six.
Dodgers 5, Cardinals 4
Max Muncy hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning and Los Angeles rallied from a four-run deficit over the final four innings to earn a victory over visiting St. Louis.
Teoscar Hernandez also hit a home run in the eighth inning and had two RBIs as the Dodgers’ offense finally came to life late against the Cardinals’ bullpen. The top three of the Dodgers’ order in Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman went just 1-for-11, but the lone hit proved key when Ohtani doubled and scored a run in the sixth inning. Nabil Crismatt (1-0) picked up the victory with two scoreless innings in his Dodgers debut and Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth for his first save.
Brendan Donovan and Paul Goldschmidt each drove in two runs and Steven Matz pitched into the sixth inning for the Cardinals, who nearly split their four-game opening series of the season after losing the first two games. Matz gave up two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings with two walks and three strikeouts in his first start of the season. Left-hander John King (0-1) gave up Muncy’s home run and was tagged with the loss.
FOOTBALL NEWS
BRAHMAS OPEN NEW LEAGUE SLATE WITH WIN OVER DEFENDERS
Chase Garbers threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another, and punter Brad Wing passed for a score as the host San Antonio Brahmas downed the D.C. Defenders 27-12 in their United Football League debuts on Sunday.
Garbers completed 19 of 25 passes for 158 yards, including TDs of 28 yards to Anthony McFarland Jr. and 4 yards to Jontre Kirklin in the first half. Garbers also completed the scoring with his 5-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. That drive was set up by cornerback Darius Phillips’ 88-yard interception return.
Wing found center Alex Mollette on a trick play on fourth down for a 40-yard TD pass with 3 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Defenders (0-1) responded with Matthew McCrane’s four field goals of 50, 34, 48 and 28 yards.
D.C. had its lone touchdown — Jordan Ta’amu’s 8-yard pass to Keke Coutee — negated by a false-start penalty in the fourth quarter after the Brahmas challenged the play. Ta’amu finished 25 of 45 for 235 yards and the interception to Phillips on the series involving the erased TD.
ROUNDUP: STALLIONS GET PAST RENEGADES 27-14 IN UFL DEBUT
In the first-ever United Football League game Saturday, the USFL champion Birmingham Stallions posted a 27-14 victory over the XFL champion Arlington Renegades at Arlington, Texas.
Matt Corral was 12-of-21 passing with 201 yards and a touchdown for the Stallions (1-0), while C.J. Marable had 67 yards rushing and a TD and Ricky Person Jr. added 31 yards on the ground with a score.
Luis Perez was 19-of-28 passing with 214 yards and a TD for the Renegades (0-1), connecting on a 51-yard scoring pass with Isaiah Winstead in the second quarter.
Corral hit Deon Cain on a 39-yard TD pass with three seconds remaining in the first half to tie the score at 11. Birmingham outscored Arlington 16-3 in the second half on Person and Marable rushing TDs to put away the victory.
The UFL launched this season as a merger between the USFL and the XFL with eight teams in the spring league.
The Stallions and Renegades are joined by the D.C. Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks.
Panthers 18, Battlehawks 16
Jake Bates kicked a 64-yard field goal with three seconds left, lifting host Michigan over St. Louis in Detroit in the season opener for both teams.
Bates’ game-winning kick came after St. Louis took a 16-15 lead with 49 seconds left on AJ McCarron’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Marcell Ateman.
For the Panthers, E.J. Perry was 12-of-24 passing for 176 yards and two interceptions but scored two rushing touchdowns. Wes Hills rushed for 85 yards on 11 carries.
McCarron completed 24 of 37 pass attempts for 216 yards and two touchdowns while Ateman caught six passes for 60 yards.
REPORT: POLICE SEEKING CHIEFS WR RASHEE RICE OVER ACCIDENT
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is being sought by police in Dallas in their investigation of a major accident on Saturday, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The newspaper reported that a vehicle “believed to be registered or leased to Rice” was involved in a crash on North Central Expressway in Dallas at approximately 6:20 p.m. local time. Police have not disclosed details of the accident or if there were any injuries.
Rice, who turns 24 on April 22, grew up in North Richland Hills, Texas, and attended college at SMU.
He recorded 79 catches and 938 yards with a team-leading seven touchdown receptions in 16 games (eight starts) after being selected by Kansas City in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He also had 26 catches for 262 yards and a score in four playoff games to help the Chiefs secure their second straight Super Bowl title.
REPORT: COWBOYS, RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT OPEN TO REUNION
Free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys have mutual interest in working together, ESPN reported.
It’s understandable on both fronts. The Cowboys, after all, are in need of help in the backfield after letting running back Tony Pollard leave in free agency, while Elliott needs employment.
Dallas’ current running back room consists of Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, Snoop Conner and Hunter Luepke with Rico Dowdle an unrestricted free agent.
Elliott, who turns 29 on July 22, stepped up last season after New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson was sidelined with a high-ankle sprain. Elliott finished with a team-best 642 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 51 catches for 313 yards and two scores in 17 games (five starts) last season.
Elliott led the NFL in rushing in 2016 and 2018 and posted four 1,000-yard seasons with Dallas. The 2016 first-round pick (fourth overall) ranks third in Cowboys history in rushing yards (8,262) and rushing touchdowns (68) behind Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.
REPORT: RAMS BRINGING BACK WR TYLER JOHNSON
The Los Angeles Rams are re-signing wide receiver Tyler Johnson for the 2024 season, his agency Team IFA announced on social media Sunday.
Contract terms were not disclosed.
Johnson, 25, spent nearly all of last season on the Rams’ practice squad but played in the Week 18 game against the San Francisco 49ers. He caught two passes for eight yards and one touchdown.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had selected Johnson in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Minnesota. He played two seasons with the Bucs, starting six of 31 games played, and also appeared in two games with the Houston Texans in 2022.
Johnson has a total of 50 receptions for 537 yards and three touchdowns in 34 games (six starts) in his career.
NHL NEWS
CANUCKS REACH 100 POINTS WITH WIN OVER SLUMPING DUCKS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Dakota Joshua scored twice and the Vancouver Canucks held on for a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, a day after clinching a playoff berth.
Brock Boeser added a first-period power-play goal for the Canucks and J.T. Miller contributed a pair of assists.
The Ducks got third-period tallies from Olen Zellweger and Mason McTavish.
Vancouver goaltender Arturs Silovs made 20 saves in his first NHL action since March 6, 2023.
Lukas Dostal stopped 27 of 30 for the Ducks, who were coming off a 6-1 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton and lost their fifth straight game.
“I thought overall we put some pressure on them. I thought the whole game was pretty competitive from us,” said Zellweger, who had his parents in the stands. “Not where we wanted at the end, but I’m sure we’ll continue to build on our effort and competitiveness here.”
The Canucks remain atop the Pacific Division standings, six points up on the Oilers. Vancouver was idle Saturday when it clinched its first playoff spot since 2020.
Earning a spot in the post-season is only part of the team’s plan, Miller said.
“We need to focus on the next game more importantly right now and not look ahead because, if we play like we did tonight we’re going to lose most games,” he said. “So we need to make sure that we’re focused on the present, not worried about (playoffs.)”
After giving up a pair of third-period goals, the Canucks smothered the Ducks through the second half of the final period.
Conor Garland set up the game-winning strike with 2:13 left on the clock, sending a blind backhanded pass to Joshua from the end boards. The big winger fired it in past Dostal for his second goal of the afternoon to put Vancouver up 3-2.
Ducks coach Greg Cronin called the result “a shame.”
“We get a power play with five minutes to go in the game and we don’t get a shot on net. You get some good fortune there and we don’t capitalize on that, and then it’s a cardinal sin — you don’t leave the front of the net when the puck is behind your net,” he said.
“You just can’t give those goals up and it just cost us the game.”
Anaheim got a prime opportunity to score the game winner when Noah Juulsen was called for tripping 14:09 into the third period. The Canucks killed off the penalty without the Ducks registering a single shot on goal.
Vancouver was 2 for 4 on the power play Sunday while Anaheim went 0 for 4 with the man advantage.
Zellweger beat Silovs 3:37 into the final period, sending a shot over the netminder’s glove from the bottom of the faceoff circle for his first NHL goal.
Just over a minute later, Gustav Lindstrom tried to wrap a shot around the Vancouver net and an unmarked McTavish was there to pick up the puck. The Ducks center slammed a wrist shot in behind Silovs to knot the score at 2.
Sunday wrapped a nine-game homestand that saw the Canucks go 5-3-1. Vancouver boasts a 25-9-4 record at Rogers Arena.
UP NEXT
Ducks: Take on the Flames in Calgary on Tuesday.
Canucks: Visit the Golden Knights in Vegas on Tuesday to kick off a three-game road trip.
RACING NEWS
DENNY HAMLIN WINS AT RICHMOND IN WILD FINISH
Virginia native Denny Hamlin ran away in a green-white-checker shootout to win the NASCAR Cup Series’ Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway on Sunday night.
After Bubba Wallace brought out a caution by spinning Kyle Larson with two laps to go and Martin Truex Jr. seemingly headed to victory, the 16 lead-lap cars pitted with Hamlin emerging as the leader, followed by Joey Logano and Larson.
The Chesterfield, Va., native managed to pull away from Logano and Larson to win by 0.269 seconds.
It was Hamlin’s 53rd win and fifth at Richmond.
Truex and Chase Elliott completed the top five.
In his 300th career Cup start, Chris Buescher brought his No. 17 Ford home ninth.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers Larson and Elliott occupied the front row, but the 400-lap event was hindered and delayed briefly by rain.
After track-drying efforts made the three-quarter-mile track raceable but still damp, NASCAR threw a curveball at the field and opted to run wet weather tires, which were used last season at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
Larson dominated that race in neighboring North Carolina, and his No. 5 Chevrolet held the point again on a damp short track by leading Wallace as the field came down to a non-competitive pit stop.
After Josh Berry spun Daniel Suarez, the field ran the remaining laps under the third caution to finish Stage 1 at Lap 70. Larson finished first to get the maximum bonus points.
However, the 36-car field’s biggest mover was Berry in the No. 4 Ford formerly driven by Kevin Harvick.
The 33-year-old Berry, a short-track veteran for years driving for JR Motorsports and part-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., started 30th and moved all the way to third by Lap 102.
After short-pitting, Truex’s No. 19 Toyota inherited the point and had it for good as a caution flew on Lap 170 after Kyle Busch banged the wall.
Truex raced on to claim the second segment by 0.723 seconds over Berry and Logano. It was his first stage win this season and sixth career at Richmond.
GOLF NEWS
NELLY KORDA COMES IN CLUTCH, EARNS LATEST WIN AT FORD CHAMPIONSHIP
Nelly Korda won for the second straight week, posting a 7-under 65 in her final round Sunday to capture the Ford Championship title in Gilbert, Ariz.
Korda had a bogey-free day with seven birdies, including two birdies over her final three holes that helped her outlast Australia’s Hira Naveed by two shots. Korda finished at 20-under 268 at Seville Golf and Country Club.
It marked not only two wins in two weeks for Korda, but also three wins in three LPGA Tour starts. The 25-year-old won the LPGA Drive On Championship in January and did not partake in the tour’s Asian swing.
“Yeah, just honestly feels like a blur,” said Korda, the World No. 1. “Taking it day by day, really trying to stay very present and just played really good golf, solid golf in tough conditions today, which I’m very happy about.”
The last player to win three consecutive LPGA starts with Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016. No American player had pulled off the feat since Nancy Lopez rattled off five straight wins in 1978.
“It’s very hard mentally to be 100 percent, especially after a win, especially playing in tough conditions,” Korda said. “So as boring as it sounds, I was just taking it shot by shot and seeing where I was going to end up.”
The crucial moment came at the par-4 16th hole. Korda was tied for the lead at 18 under at the time, and her approach shot into the green backspun just over the cup and left her a short birdie putt that put her alone on top.
“I laid up. That’s one hole that we kind of switched the game plan on,” Korda said. “Other than that, I just tried to stay really aggressive and I knew that a low one — I had to shoot a low one to be in contention, and just played really smart golf out there today.”
Naveed is a rookie who made just her second start on tour. She followed Saturday’s round of 65 with a 66 on Sunday, featuring seven birdies and just one bogey.
Naveed birdied Nos. 16 and 17 but settled for par at the par-5 18th hole.
“Yeah, she’s an amazing player,” Naveed said. “To share the stage with her is really an honor. Yeah, it was a great day. Just fell short, but, again, it’s an experience so we move on.”
Tied for third at 17 under were Lexi Thompson (68), South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee (68), Swedes Frida Kinhult (68) and Maja Stark (69) and Spaniard Carlota Ciganda (70).
Thompson was at 18 under after five birdies over her first 14 holes, but she stumbled with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17.
“Yeah, it was crazy conditions, but it was almost just like it gets to where it’s mental when it comes to this kind of conditions,” Thompson said. “You just have to stay positive with it and know that pars are a good score.”
RETIEF GOOSEN WINS GALLERI CLASSIC TO GRAB FIRST TITLE IN TWO YEARS
A championship dry spell came to an end Sunday as South Africa’s Retief Goosen shot a final-round, 3-under 69 to win the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Goosen, a World Golf Hall of Famer, has just two victories to his name on the PGA Tour Champions and none since March 2022 at the Hoag Classic. Before that, Goosen won at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship in 2019.
Beyond that, it had been five runner-up finishes and 21 top-five honors, but no other hardware.
Goosen, who finished the tournament at 13-under 203 amid rough, rainy conditions, said he “was just hanging in.”
His drought was in danger of continuing as Goosen went into the final hole tied atop the leaderboard with New Zealand’s Steven Alker, and on his second shot he sent it into the water.
But Alker proceeded to do the same, and Goosen rallied for par while Alker carded a bogey, giving Goosen the win.
Goosen’s day included three birdies and no bogeys, including his par save on No. 18.
“I’m glad it flipped my way,” Goosen said. “Yeah, it was a really bad second shot, the ball a little bit above my feet and the ball was sitting up so nicely. I was in between a 5 (iron) and a 4 and I thought I’ll just hit a smooth 4. I thought Steve was going to lay up and just go from there. When he hit in the water, it was a bit of a shock.”
Alker’s troubles actually began a hole earlier, as after playing nearly flawless golf through 16 holes with four birdies and no stumbles, he three-putted for bogey on No. 17, opening the door for Goosen in the first place.
“Yeah, obviously some disappointment to finish,” Alker said. “I didn’t do too much in terms of ball-striking, didn’t do too much wrong. I kind of hit the shots I wanted and went with them. Just didn’t make some putts I should have, the three-putt on 17 there. So felt fine, my long game felt good, just didn’t get it done.”
On Friday, Goosen had gotten off to a hot start, birdieing his first three holes, and then adding four more to grab a share of the lead after the first round.
Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina grabbed the headlines on Saturday with a course-record, 9-under 63 to take a one-stroke lead, but his final-round 1-under 71 left him a stroke shy of a tiebreaker. He finished in a tie for second with Alker and Germany’s Alex Cejka (4-under 68).
David Toms, last year’s winner, was the top American finisher in fifth place after his 3-under 69 landed him at 11-under 205 for the tournament, two strokes behind Goosen.
STEPHAN JAEGER EMERGES FROM PACK TO WIN HOUSTON OPEN
Stephan Jaeger made nine consecutive pars on the back nine and held off a crowded field of contenders to win the Texas Children’s Houston Open for his first career PGA Tour victory on Sunday at Memorial Park Golf Course.
The 34-year-old from Germany had won on the Korn Ferry Tour six times, but he earned his breakthrough PGA victory by shooting a final-round, 3-under 69 to card a 12-under 268 for the week.
Jaeger had four birdies and one bogey on his front nine before his steady finish. He missed a birdie try at the par-4 18th and tapped in for par to put the pressure on World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was vying for his third victory in as many starts.
Scheffler had stuck his approach shot to 5 1/2 feet and would have forced a playoff with Jaeger with a birdie. But his putt trickled just to the left of the cup.
Scheffler posted a 68 and finished in a five-way tie for second with last year’s champion Tony Finau (66 Sunday), Taylor Moore (67), Belgium’s Thomas Detry (68) and rookie Alejandro Tosti of Argentina (68). Tosti was in a tie for the lead after birdieing the par-5 16th, but a bad drive and a long chip on the 18th left him a tough 19-footer for par that he could not make to stay at 12 under.
INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS
INDIANA PACERS
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS NETS
Just seven games remain on the Indiana Pacers’ regular season schedule, but the next couple of contests will pit them against the same opponent twice in three days.
The Pacers (42-33) will host the Brooklyn Nets (29-45) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday before heading to the Empire State on Wednesday to complete their regular season series.
Brooklyn will play on the second leg of a back-to-back on Monday as they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in New York. The Nets have a record of 4-8 in games with no rest this season, including 1-5 on the road.
Indiana enters its next game coming off a 109-90 win on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the victory, the Pacers gave up their fewest points in a game this season, limiting the Lakers to 40.7 percent shooting (16.7 percent from 3-point range).
The Pacers have won two of their last three games and own a record of 7-3 when coming off two days rest. Gainbridge Fieldhouse has been a tough place to play for visitors this season, as the Pacers own a 22-15 home record.
After going 8-7 in March, the Pacers hope to create extra padding going into the postseason by earning some wins in early April.
As of Saturday night, the Pacers were in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Nets were 11th — one spot out of the final Play-In Tournament spot. The Pacers were a game ahead of the Miami Heat and two and a half games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the final automatic playoff berth, while the Nets trailed the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks by a handful of games.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Track the Latest Standings, Potential Matchups, and More >>
Indiana has relied on its league-leading scoring and a much-improved defense to grind out wins in the latter third of the season. Over their last 10 games, the Pacers have the 13th-best defensive rating of all NBA teams – after ranking at or near the bottom in defense for months – and are giving up 114.6 points per game during that stretch.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle consistently credits forward Aaron Nesmith, center Myles Turner, and guard Andrew Nembhard with drawing challenging defensive assignments throughout the season.
Against the Lakers, Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton logged 21 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Nesmith drew the assignment of LeBron James, limiting the future Hall-of-Famer to 16 points on 50 percent shooting.
The Pacers are still first in the league in scoring and assists, averaging 122.7 points (46.2 bench points) on a nightly basis and 30.6 dimes.
T.J. McConnell has been solid for the Pacers all season leading the second unit, but his efforts have made a significant difference over the last few weeks. McConnell has scored at least 10 points in nine straight games, the longest streak of double-digit scoring performances in his career.
Brooklyn has struggled to score points this season, averaging 111.2 points per game — 24th in the NBA — but it makes the eighth-most 3-pointers per game (13.6).
Rebounding could prove pivotal, as the Nets are eighth and the Pacers rank 28th on the boards. Indiana has a record of 19-25 when outrebounded by an opponent this season.
Cam Thomas leads the Nets this season with 21.9 points per game, while Mikal Bridges puts up 20.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Nets: G – Dennis Schroder, G – Cam Thomas, F – Mikal Bridges, F – Dorian Finney-Smith, C – Nic Claxton
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Nets: Dennis Smith Jr. – probable (right hip synovitis), Cameron Johnson – questionable (left big toe sprain), Keita Bates-Diop – out (right tibia stress fracture), Ben Simmons – out (left lower back nerve impingement), Dariq Whitehead – out (left shin stress reaction)
Last Meeting
March 16, 2024: The Pacers used a second-half surge to post a convincing 121-100 win over the Nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
After a tight first half, with the Pacers leading 58-57, the Blue & Gold limited the Nets to 5-for-18 shooting in the third quarter to take an 86-78 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Pacers blew open the game by scoring 35 points in the final frame.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 28 points and 11 rebounds, Aaron Nemsith recorded 16 points, and Tyrese Haliburton posted 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Cam Thomas topped the Nets with 22 points and eight rebounds, and Cameron Johnson collected 15 points and four boards off the bench.
The Pacers shot 47.6 percent from the field to the Nets’ 42.9 percent but were outgained in free throws as the visitors made 24-of-31 attempts to the Blue & Gold’s 15-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Brooklyn won the rebounding margin 50-45 but had 21 turnovers, which resulted in 30 Pacers points.
Noteworthy
Tyrese Haliburton has 682 assists on the season and needs three to pass Don Buse (685 assists in 1976-77) for second place in the franchise’s single-season record book. Mark Jackson holds the franchise record with 713 assists in 1997-98.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle currently has 938 career wins, tying him with legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time wins list.
Indiana would win its season series with Brooklyn by beating the Nets on Monday. The Pacers split games last year, and haven’t won a series against hte Nets since the 2019-20 season.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA DROPS SUNDAY GAME TO MICHIGAN
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Indiana fell flat in the series finale to Michigan on Sunday afternoon at Andy Mohr Field.
With the loss, Indiana’s record now stands at 23-12 overall and 0-6 in the Big Ten.
MICHIGAN 10, INDIANA 1 (F/5)
KEY MOMENTS
• Michigan took the early lead in the second inning when Indiana Langford singled to third base to score Ava Costales and go up 1-0.
• In the bottom of the second, Indiana would tie the game as junior Brianna Copeland hit a double to left field and then senior Aaliyah Andrews hit an RBI single up the middle to even the score.
• Michigan would tack on three more runs in the third inning off of two RBI singles.
• In both the fourth and fifth innings Michigan had a home run, as Jenissa Conway hit a two-run shot in the fourth and Lily Vallimont had a three-run home run in the fifth in addition to Maddie Erickson’s RBI single in the fifth to make it a 10-1 game.
NOTABLES
• Copeland went 2-for-2 at the plate today.
• Freshman Alex Cooper made her first collegiate start as a pitcher.
• Junior Sarah Stone plated at least one hit in each game of the Michigan series.
• Andrews made her second start of the season and recorded her second RBI of the year.
UP NEXT
Indiana will stay at home for their next games as it hosts Purdue on Wednesday for a doubleheader at 5 p.m. and approximately 7:30 p.m.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
NO. 1 SEED PURDUE TOPS TENNESSEE FOR FIRST FINAL FOUR IN 44 YEARS
[3] Purdue 72, [6] Tennessee 66 (Postgame Notes)
The No. 3-ranked and top-seeded Purdue men’s basketball team topped No. 6-ranked and second-seeded Tennessee 72-66 in the Midwest Regional Finals on Sunday in Detroit.
The win moves Purdue to the Final Four for the third time ever and the first time since 1980.
Purdue’s 33 wins are the most in school history by three games (30 in 2017-18).
Purdue has won its four games in the NCAA Tournament by a combined 85 points.
Purdue improved to 10-0 this season against nationally-ranked teams, including 7-0 against teams ranked in the AP Top 12 at the time of the game. The 10 wins without a loss against the AP top 25 are tied for the most in NCAA history with Kentucky (10-0 in 2011-12).
Purdue has won 21 straight non-conference and postseason games against power-conference or nationally-ranked teams, the second-longest streak in NCAA history behind UCLA (1971 to 1974).
Purdue is now 19-5 against nationally-ranked teams since the start of the 2021-22 season.
Zach Edey scored a career-high 40 points with 16 rebounds en route to earning Midwest Region MOP honors.
Zach Edey becomes the first player since Indiana State’s Larry Bird to have at least 900 points and 450 rebounds in a season (now with 926 points, 452 rebounds). He joins Bird, Houston’s Elvin Hayes, Miami’s Rick Barry and Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson as the only players to do so.
Edey’s 40 points are the eighth-most in NCAA Tournament history in a Regional Final game, but aren’t even a school record. Carsen Edwards had 42 points in 2019 vs. Virginia.
Edey is the first player in NCAA history to have at least 40 points and 15 rebounds in a Regional Final.
In the NCAA Tournament, Edey is averaging 30.0 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. Edey’s 22 free throw attempts are tied for the fifth most in a game in school history and are tied for the most in a Regional Final in NCAA Tournament history.
Edey is now averaging 25.0 points per game and is the first player since Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson in 1960 to lead the country in scoring and advance to the Final Four.
Edey recorded his 28th double-double of the season, tying a school and Big Ten record for double-doubles in a season (Caleb Swanigan – 28; 2016-17).
Edey’s 16 rebounds gave him 452 for the season – a new Purdue school record and the third most in Big Ten history.
Edey’s 424 free throw attempts are the fifth most in a season in NCAA history. The NCAA record is 440 set by Furman’s Frank Selvy in 1953-54.
The 30-10 game was his 17th of his career and the 40-10 game was the first in an NCAA Regional Final since Loyola Marymount’s Bo Kimble in 1990 (42 points, 11 rebounds).
The 40-15 game is the first 40-15 game for a Boilermaker since Dave Schellhase vs. Notre Dame on Jan. 21, 1964.
Braden Smith joined Edey on the Midwest Region All-Tournament team after having nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the win over Tennessee.
Smith now has 278 assists on the season, the second most in a season in Big Ten history (Cassius Winston – 291; 2018-19).
DETROIT — By the time all the scrapping and scratching and diving on the floor was over, it felt like a shame that both those teams, and both those players, weren’t moving onto the Final Four.
Just don’t expect Purdue to feel bad about it.
Boilermakers big man Zach Edey went for a career high 40 points Sunday to muscle Purdue within two wins of the title for the first time since 1980 with a 72-66 victory over Dalton Knecht and his never-say-quit Tennessee teammates.
The 7-foot-4 Edey, a unanimous AP All-American, didn’t even need a ladder to cut down the net after edging out Knecht, another All-American, who finished with 37 points.
The game’s top two players, and their teams, went back and forth all day. How close was it? There were six ties and eight lead changes. With 5 minutes left and the score knotted at 58, both players had scored 31 points on 12 field goals. According to OptaSTATS, this was the first time opposing players scored more than half their squads’ points in an NCAA Tournament game.
“You’re not trying to take away 100 percent, you’re trying to take away maybe 80 percent of what he’s trying to get accomplished,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Knecht. “But we don’t take Zach for granted. He could’ve scored 50 tonight if he’d made his free throws.”
Edey missed eight of his 22 attempts from the foul line. One of those misses sparked the play of the game. After Tennessee grabbed the rebound and worked the ball downcourt, Edey swatted away Knecht’s layup as he drove to the basket while trailing by five with 33 seconds left.
It was Edey’s only block of the day, and it put an end to the Vols’ desperate comeback hopes.
“I was just trying to get back, and make my presence felt on the defensive end of the court, and make up for it,” Edey said.
Top-seeded Purdue (33-4) set aside last year’s grand disappointment — a first-round loss as a No. 1 seed — to book the trip to Glendale, Arizona. On Saturday, Edey and the Boilermakers will face big man DJ Burns Jr. and 11th-seeded North Carolina State in the national semifinals.
“We had to take it,” Painter said of the abuse that came last year. “Sometimes when you sit in it and you’re honest with yourself and you take it, some great things can happen.”
Tennessee (27-9), a No. 2 seed, was seeking its first Final Four, and Vols coach Rick Barnes was denied the second trip of his 38-year career to college basketball’s promised land.
This was a slugfest of a game, a welcome break from the action over the first two weeks of a March Madness that has been more sleepy than mad. It was played in front of an ear-splitting crowd packed with Purdue fans who made their way up from Indiana.
They were looking for history, and they got it — along with the game ball that Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer chucked about 20 rows into the crowd when the buzzer went off.
The school’s 87-year-old former coach, Gene Keady, watched from the stands — then, afterward, came onto the floor to receive a piece of the freshly cut net from Edey.
“It shows people if you do things the right way, it will pay off,” the ex-coach told The Associated Press.
At times, the game looked like the sort Keady might have coached back in the ’80s and ’90s.
Purdue pounded the ball to Edey in the post, and though the grabby, swatty UT defense made some inroads — even blocking two of his shots — foul trouble piled up for Tennessee and Edey wore them down. He finished 13 of 21 from the floor.
Barnes refused to make an issue out of Edey’s 22 free throws or the final foul tally: Tennessee 25, Purdue 12.
“He’s a difficult guy to guard against, but he’s a difficult guy for referees to officiate, too,” Barnes said. “He’s a hard guy to do that with because he’s a unique guy in terms of how he plays.”
Meanwhile, the 3-point arc that was six years from coming into existence at Purdue’s last trip to the Final Four was barely a factor for the Boilermakers. They went 3 for 15 from long range.
And yet, it was a trio of 3-point attempts that turned this game. Knecht missed a pair of open looks, first with his team trailing by three at the 3:09 mark, then again on the next possession when down by six.
In between, Lance Jones spotted up from the corner for a 3 that gave Purdue a 66-60 lead.
The coup de grace came with Tennessee trying to carve into a 69-64 deficit. Knecht drove down the lane and went up, but Edey, who played just a few seconds short of the full 40 minutes, scooted over and cleanly swatted the shot.
“A great play, you’ve got to give him credit,” Barnes said.
Knecht finished 14 of 31 from the floor. After making his first four 3-pointers, he went 2 for 8.
“I don’t think I put the team on my back,” Knecht said. “I think all of us carried each other. I think every single one of us did what we needed to do. At the end of the day, they were just the better team.”
MORE RARE COMPANY
Edey is the first player with 40-plus points and at least 16 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Bo Kimble of Loyola Marymount had 45 points and 18 rebounds in a 1990 contest against New Mexico State.
ALL-MIDWEST REGION
Edey was named the Midwest’s most outstanding player. Joining him on the all-region team were Knecht, Braden Smith (Purdue), Baylor Scheierman (Creighton) and Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee).
PURDUE BASEBALL
PURDUE SCORES 5 IN THE 3RD, DOORN SHINES IN RELIEF IN WIN AT OSU
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Luke Gaffney’s three-run homer powered a five-run third inning for Purdue Baseball and Carter Doorn retired the first 13 batters he faced over 5 1/3 innings of shutout relief, leading the Boilermakers to a 7-1 victory at Ohio State on Sunday.
Jonathan Blackwell and Doorn both struck out five while teaming up with Avery Cook on a three-hitter. They held down a Buckeye lineup that had scored 20 runs on 29 hits over the first two games of the series.
Purdue (17-12, 2-4 Big Ten) scored 11 of its 19 runs in the series in the third inning. As the fourth batter of the frame, Gaffney kept his towering blast fair inside the right field foul pole. It was his second three-run homer of the week and sixth long ball of the season. He leads the Big Ten with 36 RBI.
In his finest outing as a Boilermaker, Doorn (1-0) became Purdue’s first relief pitcher this season to enter the game with the bases loaded and strand all three inherited runners. He did it while taking the mound with the bases juiced and no outs in bottom of the fourth. The junior struck out the first two batters he faced, igniting his stretch of 13 consecutive batters retired as he worked true 1-2-3 innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh. By the time OSU had a base runner again with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Purdue had extended its lead to 7-1.
Blackwell also pitched well over three-plus innings, striking out the side in order to begin the game and retiring nine of the first 10 batters he faced.
Connor Caskenette became the first Boilermaker since May 2022 to draw four walks in a game. Purdue’s cleanup hitter also singled in his final at-bat and scored on Jo Stevens’ subsequent triple into the right field corner.
Keenan Taylor was productive again as the Boilermakers’ designated hitter, singling twice and drawing a walk. He scored on Mike Bolton Jr.’s opposite-field double in top of the sixth. Taylor reached base safely in 7 of his 11 plate appearances in the series and was the only Boilermaker that did not strike out.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Jo Stevens – 15-game on-base streak; 9-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 5/18/23)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 12-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 4/29/23); 8-game on-base streak in all games
• Luke Gaffney – 7-game on-base streak; 6-game on-base streak in Big Ten play
Purdue drew eight walks over the first three innings on a day in which Ohio State (12-12, 2-1 Big Ten) used eight pitchers. Thomas Green drew a pair of walks in the five-run third inning, igniting the rally with a leadoff base on balls and drawing a bases-loaded walk his second time up.
The Boilermakers are back in action Wednesday when they host Valparaiso at 6 p.m. for a $3 midweek matchup at Alexander Field.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORES DROP SERIES FINALE TO BELMONT
TERRE HAUTE, Ind.- The Sycamores came up short in game three of the Belmont series with a score of 10-3. The Bruins won the series 3-0 over Indiana State.
The Bruins took the lead 2-0 over the Sycamores in the second inning with bases loaded, and two runs were walked in.
Belmont advanced their lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning when Hughes doubled to right center to drive in runs from Varner and Cockrill.
Indiana State cut the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Abby Robakowski led off with a single, Kennedy Shade was walked, and Danielle Henning reached on a fielder’s choice, which scored Isabelle Saylor who pinch ran for Robakowski, to put the Sycamores on the board.
The Bruins connected on six hits and added six runs in the seventh inning to build on their lead and advance the score to 10-1 over the Sycamores.
Indiana State rallied in the final frame when Bri Marx led off with a walk, and Abi Chipps connected on her first triple of the season to drive in a run from Marx to cut the Bruins lead to 10-2. Robakowski kept the momentum going when she connected on an RBI single to drive in the third and final run of the game, but the Bruins got the final out to end the game.
Lauren Sackett (6-8) took the loss in the circle for the Sycamores, throwing the first 3.1 innings in the circle, where she allowed two hits, four runs scored, while striking out three. Megan Asher took over the ball in the fourth inning with two runners on and despite walking one to load the bases, Asher and the Sycamore defense held the Bruins from advancing their lead in inning four. Asher allowed seven hits and and six runs scored in the loss, while striking out four batters.
Up Next:
Indiana State will travel to the University of Illinois on April 3 to compete in a doubleheader. The first game will begin at 5 p.m ET and the second at 7:30 p.m ET.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SEARS, KRUPINSKI, HAYDEN POWER INDIANA STATE TO SERIES SWEEP OVER UIC
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Mike Sears homered twice and Dominic Krupinski also went deep in support of Luke Hayden’s strong start on the mound as Indiana State closed out the weekend series sweep with a 4-1 win over UIC on Sunday afternoon.
Sears connected on the go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the second inning and followed Parker Stinson’s leadoff triple with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to cap his fifth collegiate multi-homer effort. Krupinski added a solo home run over the right center wall to provide Hayden (3-1) all the offensive support he’d need as Indiana State (21-5, 5-1) secured its first MVC sweep of the 2024 season.
Hayden went a season-best 6.2 innings allowing two hits and a run while striking out eight in his seventh start of the 2024 season. The junior right-hander retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until Kendall Ewell’s RBI single in the top of the fourth inning in shutting down the high-powered UIC (16-10, 2-4) offense. Hayden finished the day retiring eight of the final 10 batters he faced before turning the ball over to Zach Davidson in the seventh inning.
Davidson allowed one hit over 1.1 innings and recorded three strikeouts in the relief stint, before Cam Edmonson (S, 1) entered and shut down the UIC rally in the top of the ninth getting Zane Zielinski to fly out to Adam Pottinger in center field for the final out.
Dominic Listi and Sears both had two hits apiece on Sunday afternoon as the Sycamores connected on eight overall on the day. Stinson added his second triple of the 2024 season, while Grant Magill and Josue Urdaneta also posted singles on the day.
AJ Henkle, Ewell, and Pambos Nicoloudes collected UIC’s three singles on the afternoon as the Sycamores’ pitching staff limited the UIC offense to hitting just .209 from the plate over the three-game weekend series.
Kendall Lyons (2-2) took the loss on the mound for the Flames allowing eight hits and four runs while striking out five over 6.0 innings. Ryan Smith went the final two frames in relief striking out three.
How They Scored
Mike Sears connected on a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to put Indiana State ahead 1-0.
Dom Krupinski led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo home run over the wall in right center to put Indiana State ahead 2-0.
UIC took one back in the top of the fourth inning with Kendall Ewell connecting on an RBI single through the left side scoring AJ Henkle to cut the Indiana State lead down to 2-1.
Mike Sears did it again in the bottom of the sixth inning as the third baseman connected on an 0-2 offering and lifted it over the left field wall scoring Parker Stinson for his second home run of the game and putting the Sycamores ahead 4-1.
News & Notes
Dominic Listi extended his on-base streak to 26 games on Sunday afternoon after one-out single in the bottom of the first inning. He finished the game -for- from the plate …
Mike Sears connected on home run No. 11 on Sunday afternoon giving him a home run in all three games in the series against UIC. It marks his second three-game home run streak with the previous spanning March 10 (Florida A&M), March 12 (Illinois), and March 15 (Xavier).
Sears made it his fifth collegiate two-homer game after connecting on a two-run shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the sixth inning for home run No. 12. It marked the second time he had gone deep twice in 2024 after hitting a pair on March 8 at Florida A&M.
Sears and Luis Hernandez (March 15 at Xavier) are the lone Sycamores this season to hit a pair of home runs in the same game.
Dom Krupinski connected on his second collegiate home run on Sunday afternoon as the redshirt freshman drilled a leadoff home run in the bottom of the third inning. His first home run came back on March 21, 2023, in Bloomington, Ind. in a midweek game against Indiana.
Josue Urdaneta extended his on-base streak to 15 consecutive games on Sunday afternoon following his single in the bottom of the sixth inning. He finished the game -for- with …
Indiana State continued its 2024 hit-by-pitch streak on Sunday afternoon after Dom Listi was plunked in the bottom of the seventh inning. ISU has been hit by at least one pitch in each of the 26 games in 2024 and 30 consecutive games dating back to June 3, 2023, against Iowa.
Luis Hernandez extended his on-base streak to 25 consecutive games following his walk in the bottom of the seventh inning. His hitting streak ended at 24 games after going 0-for-3 from the plate to end the longest hitting streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era.
The Sycamores have gone 31-4-1 in MVC action since the end of the 2022 regular season including an 11-0-1 mark in the final game of the series following Sunday’s win.
The ISU pitching staff continues to put on a clinic in Missouri Valley play this season posting a 3.86 ERA while allowing opponents to hit just .198 from the plate over six games against Missouri State and UIC.
The Sycamores posted a 36:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the three-game series against the Flames.
Up Next
Indiana State is back on the road this week as the Sycamores make the return trip to Bloomington, Ind. for a Tuesday night clash against Indiana. First pitch at Bart Kaufman Field is set for 6 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on BTN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
ACES WALK IT OFF IN SERIES FINALE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Trailing by a score of 2-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, the University of Evansville softball team rallied for two runs to take a 3-2 win over UIC in Sunday’s series finale at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.
Zoe Frossard scored the tying run in the 7th, coming home when Jess Willsey reached on an error. Alexa Davis scored the winning run, coming home on a wild pitch. As a team, the Purple Aces accumulated six hits in the game while holding the Flames to four. Brooke Voss had two hits while scoring a run.
UE had its first scoring opportunity in the first as Willsey reached on an error and Marah Wood followed with a bunt single to put runners on second and third before a flyout kept things scoreless. The Flames plated the first run of the day in the top of the second and were poised to add more in the third.
UIC loaded the bases with no outs as they looked to extend the lead. Brooke Voss threw a runner out at home for the first out. While the Flames scored their second run on a base hit, Voss limited the damage once again, turning a double play to end the top of the frame.
Evansville’s defense made numerous impressive plays to keep the Flames within striking distance and their persistence paid off as the Purple Aces got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Brooke Voss doubled to left center and advanced to third on the throw. She scored on a sacrifice fly from Abby Bode.
In the bottom of the seventh, UE completed the comeback. Frossard and Taylor Howe both reached on 1-out walks. That brought Willsey to the plate, who forced an error that allowed Frossard to score and tie the game. Alexa Davis reentered the game for Howe and advanced to third on the play before scoring the winning run on a wild pitch.
Sydney Weatherford picked up her third win of the season. She allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits in the 7-inning performance. Miranda Gomez took the loss, allowing three runs, just one earned, in 6 1/3 frames.
UE is back home Wednesday to face USI.
VALPO BASEBALL
BEACONS BLITZ BRAVES ON EASTER SUNDAY AT THE YARD
It was a Happy Easter indeed for the Valparaiso University baseball team as the Beacons downed visiting Bradley 13-2 in seven innings in a game that lasted under two hours on Sunday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field. Valpo put up four runs in the third and broke it wide open with a “touchdown” in the fourth on a day where Carson Husmann (Hanna, Ind. / South Central [Bradley]) delivered a bases-clearing double against his former team and Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) spanked yet another home run to help Valpo to its most lopsided Missouri Valley Conference victory since joining the league.
How It Happened
Bradley struck first by scoring twice in the second on a sac fly and RBI single. That was the lone damage in three innings against Valpo starter Kaleb Krier (Altoona, Iowa / Southeast Polk [DMACC]), who yielded two runs on just one hit and picked up the win.
Valpo responded to those two early tallies with the aforementioned four spot in the third. After Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) worked a bases-loaded walk, Husmann cleared the bags with a double down the left-field line that served as one of the game’s big blows and extended the lead to 4-2.
Valpo poured it on in the fourth, scoring seven times. Liam Patton (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw [Wabash]) and Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) had RBI singles before Schmack belted a home run to left center to up the cushion to seven at 9-2. The inning was still not over as Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran) got in on the act with a two-run double down the left-field line.
Hannahs helped Valpo move into run-rule territory as he had RBI singles in both the fifth and sixth innings to make it 13-2.
Lefty Lucas Foley (Deer Park, Ill. / Lake Zurich) had his second straight strong outing out of the bullpen, working three scoreless frames of two-hit ball while striking out four and walking none. Bryce Konitzer (Mukwonago, Wis. / Mukwonago [Oakland]) came on to finish things off by putting an Easter egg on the board in the seventh.
Inside the Game
Schmack’s home run was his 10th of the season, marking the second straight year a Beacon has reached double figures in that area. Prior to Jake Skrine’s 12 home runs last season, no Valpo player had boasted a single-season double-figure total since Josh Wallace (11) in 2008.
The home run was the 28th of Schmack’s career, the third most in program history. He increased his career RBI total to 116, moving into a tie for ninth in program history, joining Todd Poepard (1996-1999) and Nate Palace (2014-2017).
Hannahs, who has now reached safely in all 26 games this season, had three hits and drove in three. Schmack also enjoyed a three-hit, three-RBI game.
Patton and Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) had two hits apiece and each crossed the dish on three occasions.
Valpo racked up 14 hits for the second straight day. Two of the team’s three highest hit totals this season have come in each of the last two contests.
The 13 runs marked a season high, outdoing the team’s previous best of 10 on March 8 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at The Citadel. This marked the team’s highest run total since Feb. 26, 2023 at UT Martin (17).
Valpo pitching yielded a season-low four hits. This was the fewest hits allowed by Valpo pitching since three on May 14 of last season at Belmont.
The 11-run margin of victory was Valpo’s largest since beating UT Martin 17-4 on Feb. 26, 2023. This was Valpo’s most lopsided Missouri Valley Conference victory since joining the league and the team’s second time invoking the 10-run rule, both against Bradley after winning last year’s series finale 10-0 in Peoria.
Up Next
Valpo (10-16, 2-4 MVC) will host Milwaukee on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MNCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
1 – 7 – 9 – 17 – 4 – 99
April 1, 1920 – Jack Darragh, scored a hat-trick as Ottawa Senators of the NHL defeated the challenging Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association 6-1. This victory gave the Senators a 3-2 series win and the Stanley Cup Final. The fianl was played at the Mutual Street Arena, Toronto, Ontario.
April 1, 1926 – Clint Benedict, Number 1 who tended the goal for the Montreal Maroons became the first NHL goalie to record 3 straight playoff shutouts, in a 3-0 win against the visiting Victoria Cougars in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Championship series. If you remember, Benedict is famous for being the first man to wear a protective mask at the goalie position in ice hockey,
April 1, 1930 – A sideshow feat in baseball was accomplished in a stunt where Catcher Leo Hartnett, Number 7, also known as Gabby, of the Chicago Cubs, grandstanded by catching a baseball dropped from an airplane.
April 1, 1954 – The legend Gordie Howe, Number 9 of the Detroit Red Wings scored the fastest goal in NHL Stanley Cup playoff history as he sunk the puck into the opposition’s net a mere 9 seconds into the contest.
April 1 1958 – Maurice Richard, Number 9, led the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-0 sweep of the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup playoff semi final series. In the final game, Richard scored an impressive hat trick, marking the seventh and final playoff hat trick of his career. His outstanding performance helped secure the Canadiens’ victory and cemented his place in hockey history.
April 1, 1973 – In a stunning performance during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Boston Celtics player John Havlicek, Number 17 tied an NBA playoff record by making 24 field goals. This impressive feat, which he shares with basketball legends Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, helped lead the Celtics to a decisive 134-109 victory over Atlanta. Havlicek’s incredible performance earned him a total of 54 points by the end of the game.
April 1, 1981 – Number 99, the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, made history during a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Rockies. He surpassed Bobby Orr’s single season assist record of 102 by picking up his 103rd and 104th assists of the season. This was just the beginning of Gretzky’s incredible career, as he went on to finish the season with a total of 109 assists and set numerous other records throughout his career.
April 1, 1999 – Joe Dumars, Number 4 for the Detroit Pistons, achieved a significant milestone in his career by becoming one of only ten players in NBA history to play 1,000 games with the same team. Even more impressively, he is one of only eight players to have played 1,000 games with his only team, demonstrating his loyalty and dedication to the Pistons throughout his career.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football History Headlines
As football fans we really appreciate having the broadcasts of our favorite games in color to enjoy the vivid colors and pageantry of the gridiron. With this being April Fool’s Day and all I want to share with you a great prank completed back in 1962 from hoaxes.org, from Sweden’s only television network Sweden’s SVT (Sveriges Television) brought their technical expert, Kjell Stensson, on to the news to inform the public that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. At the time, there was only TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white, so this was big news. Stensson explained that all viewers had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen, and the mesh would cause the light to bend in such a way that it would appear as if the image was in color. He proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Many Swedes today still report remembering their fathers rushing through the house trying to find stockings to place over the TV set. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
The Undefeated Plainfield Teacher’s College Football Team from the Bleacher Report:
In a prank pulled off fooling a nationally recognized newspaper, the New York Times captured the story of the undefeated football team from Plainfield Teacher’s College. Sounds like a good story to tell. The only problem was that Plainfield Teacher’s College didn’t exist. The calculated ruse held up for six weeks as Morris Newburger, the author of the piece under the alias of Jerry Croyden, created a fictional legendary QB without any weaknesses and paid close attention to each meticulous detail about the team, including detailing the “W” formation that helped the team preserve a perfect record. The beauty to this prank was not only did it fool the New York Times, which published the stories every week, but it also fooled college football fans across the country as the prank went so far as to report that the Plainfield Comets would be challenging to compete in a bowl game as their winning streak continued.
April 1 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
April 1, 1889 – Plattsmouth, Nebraska – The great Naval Academy halfback from 1908 to 1911 John Dalton arrived into this life.
April 1, 1897 – Silver Creek, New York – Joe “Doc” Alexander the Syracuse University guard from 1916 to the 1920 season was born. The NFF’s bio on Doc shares that Alexander was a three-time All-America selection, making it as a guard in 1918-19 and center in 1920. Doc in 1918 against Rutgers picked up a loose ball and ran 75 yards for a touchdown. He starred in a 1919 win over Pittsburgh handing the Panthers their first loss in four seasons! The Nationa Football Foundation voters sent the gridiron history of Doc Alexander into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Joe was in fact a medical doctor later earning his nickname of Doc as he specialized in lung diseases and helped found one of the first tuberculosis centers in New York. Joe made it into the pros and for seven seasons he played in the National Football League on weekends while practicing medicine. He was playing coach of the New York Giants in 1926 posting an 8-4-1 record.
April 1,1950 – Havana, Cuba – The outstanding University Florida wide receiver from 1969 to 1971, Carlos Alvarez was born per the NFF. Alvarez at the age of ten with his family fled Fidel Castro’s communist regime in Cuba and settled in Miami. Carlos began his first varsity season for the Gators by showing his hall of fame potential. In his first collegiate catch against Houston went for a 70 yard touchdown. Florida beat the Cougars, 59-34 thanks to 182 receiving yards from Alvarez. In the regular season finale against the rival Miami Hurricanes Carlos helped the Gators taste victory in a 35-16 triumph by grabbing 15 receptions for 237 yards, a school record that still stands today. It was in his sophomore season that he displayed his best as he set single season records for receptions (88), receiving yards (1,329), and touchdowns (12) en route to becoming the youngest player to ever make the AFCA All-America team. He also made more All-America teams as a sophomore than any player since Doak Walker in 1947. Although Alvarez was slowed by knee injuries later in his career, he still holds Florida’s all-time mark with 2,563 receiving yards and places among the top ten with 19 touchdown catches. Alvarez also holds another Florida record with 25 consecutive contests with a reception. On top of that Alvarez was an outstanding student as Carlos was honored as both a first-team Academic All-America in 1969 and second-team Academic All-America from 1970 to 1971. The gifted wideout was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1914 Rube Waddell, a southpaw who once struck out a record 349 batters in one season, dies of tuberculosis at 37. The eccentric Hall of Famer compiled a 193-143 (.574) record and a 2.16 ERA during his 13 seasons with the Colonels, A’s, Pirates, and Browns.
1937 The Reds sell Babe Herman to the Tigers. The 34-year-old outfielder, batting .300 for his new team, will appear in only 17 contests with Detroit before retiring from the game, although he will return to play briefly for the war-time Dodgers in 1945.
1938 Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who is not a fan of Branch Rickey’s farm system, grants free agency to nine Cardinal minor leaguers, including a talented prospect named Pete Reiser. A reported gentlemen’s agreement has Brooklyn signing and hiding the 19-year-old outfielder in the minors for a trade back to St. Louis fails when Leo Durocher disobeys orders, allowing the phenom to display his incredible ability in spring training exhibition games.
1950 At Gilmore Field, the Pacific Coast League Hollywood Stars unveil their new look, wearing shorts and rayon shirts on Opening Day. The team plans to wear the new track-suit-styled uniforms during day games and warm night contests. In 1976, the White Sox will also don shorts in the first game of a doubleheader against Kansas City.
1962 The 21-year-old Dave DeBusschere, a hoop star at the University of Detroit, signs with the White Sox as a pitcher. The 6-6, 225lb right-hander will compile a 3-4 record in 36 appearances with Chicago before moving to the National Basketball Association, becoming one of the fifty greatest players named in the league’s history.
1963 Former Brooklyn Dodger Duke Snider returns to New York when the Mets purchase him from LA for $40,000. At the end of the season, Buzzi Bavasi will tell the 36-year-old outfielder, who will represent New York in the All-Star Game, that the Yankees had asked for him to back up Mickey Mantle before being dealt to the team across the river.
1964 During spring training in Tucson (AZ), Cleveland’s manager Birdie Tebbetts suffers a heart attack. George Strickland will fill in for three months until the 51-year-old skipper returns to the Indians dugout with limited duties, resigning from the team two seasons later on August 19, again replaced by his third base coach.
1968 The Braves purchase Orioles right-handed reliever Stu Miller, best remembered for committing a balk in the 1961 All-Star Game when a gust of wind pushed him off the mound at Candlestick Park. The 40-year-old Northampton (MA) native will throw only 1.2 innings in two appearances for Atlanta before retiring from baseball, having compiled a 105-103 record and 153 saves during his 16-year major league tenure with five teams, including the Cardinals, Giants, and Phillies.
1969 After acquiring Lou Piniella from the Indians in the expansion draft, the Seattle Pilots trade him to the Royals in exchange for Steve Whitaker and John Gelnar. The 25-year-old outfielder will have a stellar season in Kansas City, copping the league’s Rookie of the Year Award.
1970 Federal Bankruptcy Referee Sidney Volinn, after ruling the team is insolvent, orders the Seattle Pilots to sell the club to a group headed by mid-western businessman Bud Selig. The American League expansion team’s tenure in the Northwest is over after just one season when the club is hastily moved to Milwaukee to start the new season as the Brewers.
1976 After being released by the Padres, Bobby Tolan (.255, 5, 48) signs as a free agent with the Phillies. In June, the outfielder-first baseman, who plays only 15 games for Philadelphia, will ink a deal with the Pirates.
1982 The Mets send fan-favorite Lee Mazzilli to Texas for rookie starters Ron Darling and Walt Terrell. The deal, not well-received at the time, turns out to be a steal for New York when the two right-handers combine for 118 victories during their tenure with the team, with their departed outfielder playing a total of 58 games with Texas before being traded to the Yankees for Bucky Dent.
1987 The Pirates trade Tony Pena, a three-time Gold Glove catcher, to the Cardinals in exchange for three youngsters, Mike LaValliere, Mike Dunne, and Andy Van Slyke, who thinks the deal is an April Fool’s Day joke. The former Pittsburgh backstop cries at a news conference with Bucs’ skipper Jim Leyland present when the team announces the swap with the Redbirds.
1987 Mets phenom pitcher Dwight Gooden avoids suspension for substance abuse by agreeing to enter a drug rehab facility. The talented 22-year-old right-hander will make his first start on June 5, winning 15 games for the team despite missing the season’s first two months.
1989 Former Yale University and National League president Bart Giamatti becomes the seventh commissioner of Major League Baseball. Baseball’s new leader, a lifelong Red Sox fan, is the author of The Green Fields of the Mind, an essay that laments the end of a season in Boston.
1996 Nationalpastime.com appears for the first time on the internet. The popular website is the first to feature baseball history on a daily basis.
1996 The postponement of Cincinnati’s Opening Day game becomes necessary after home plate ump John McSherry, working his 26th season in the major leagues, suffers a fatal heart attack after calling the first seven pitches of the contest. The respected but noticeably overweight veteran arbitrator’s death prompts Major League Baseball to compel its umpires to be more physically fit.
1996 The Mets rally overcome a 6-0 deficit, beating the Cardinals at Shea Stadium, 7-6, in the century’s biggest Opening Day comeback. The decisive run scores due to an unusual 9-3-6-3-6 double play when Bernard Gilkey, the baserunner on first, is doubled up on Rico Brogna’s short sac fly to right field (RF-1B-SS-1B-SS), allowing Lance Johnson to cross home plate on the play.
1996 Only 7,296 fans show up at Cashman Field to watch the A’s lose their season opener to the Blue Jays, 9-6. Due to the renovations at the Oakland Coliseum, the first six home games take place in Las Vegas, marking the first time since the White Sox participated in 11 home contests in Milwaukee’s County Stadium in 1969, a major league game takes place in a neutral site.
1997 Setting a record for the most runs scored in one inning of an Opening Day contest this century, the Padres score 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 12-5 rout of the Mets. Chris Gomez, Rickey Henderson, and Quilvio Veras lead the attack with back-to-back-to-back home runs.
1998 At Camden Yards, the Orioles rock the Royals, 10-1, as Scott Erickson records his 100th major league victory. O’s skipper Ray Miller, who hadn’t won a game since managing the Twins in 1986, enjoys his first win with Baltimore.
2001 In the first major league game ever played in Puerto Rico, the Blue Jays defeat the Rangers, 8-1, in the major league season opener. In his debut with Texas, $252 million shortstop Alex Rodriguez collects the season’s first hit and first run, but he makes a throwing error on his first chance in the field.
2002 Cinci Freedom, who evaded capture for ten days after jumping a six-foot fence to avoid slaughter, is excused from her scheduled appearance in the Reds’ traditional Opening Day parade. Before the Reds’ 5-4 walk-off victory over the Cubs at Cinergy Field, the Charolais cow is deemed too jumpy to participate in the Findlay Market activities after receiving a key to the city.
2002 With a 6-2 victory over the Bucs at Shea Stadium, the Mets improve their mark for Opening Day victories to 26-15 (.634), a major league record. The New York expansion team didn’t win on Opening Day until the ninth year of the franchise’s existence.
2005 Appearing in the 21 games, Cardinal slugger Albert Pujols does not strike out during spring training. In his 68 plate appearances, the St. Louis first baseman finishes the exhibition season with a .458 batting average, six homers, and 20 RBI.
2006 A day before the start of the season, the White Sox ink Jose Contreras (15-7, 3.61) to a $29 million, three-year contract extension. The 34-year-old Cuban native was the World Champs’ most effective pitcher during the team’s stretch run to the AL pennant, posting an 11-2 mark following the All-Star Game.
2008 Robert Andino’s first career round-tripper is memorable as his two-out, tenth-inning walk-off homer to deep left off Matt Wise gives the Marlins a 5-4 victory over the Mets at Dolphin Stadium. The post-game celebration is short-lived when the Miami native takes off for home to meet the police after getting a text message from his wife informing him their house may have an intruder.
2008 On Opening Day in Los Angeles, Juan Pierre’s 434 consecutive game streak, the longest current in the major leagues, ends when the Dodger outfielder does not play in the 3-2 victory over the Giants. New skipper Joe Torre plays Andre Ethier in left field instead of the highly paid but light-hitting fly chaser.
2009 After tallying a run in the top of the first, Kentucky State finds itself on the short end of a 22-1 score. The Eastern Kentucky University Colonels score 27 more times in the next three frames, prompting the decision to halt the contest in the middle of the fifth, giving EKU a 49-1 triumph over the Thorobreds.
2011 Doug Glanville becomes a baseball color analyst for the ESPN network, where he contributed to the Baseball Tonight show, ESPN.com, and ESPN – The Magazine. The former major league outfielder, best known for playing with the Phillies, is also a guest columnist for the New York Times, where he writes about sports culture.
2013 On Opening Day, Jackie Bradley Jr. makes a memorable major league debut, walking three times, scoring twice, and robbing Robinson Cano of an extra-base hit with an outstanding defensive play in the Red Sox’ 8-2 victory over New York at Yankee Stadium. The 22-year-old Boston rookie outfielder, called JBJ by his teammates, also makes uniform history, becoming the first major leaguer to wear “Jr.” on the back of his jersey.
2013 Bryce Harper, providing all of the offense the Nationals will need, becomes the youngest player to homer twice on Opening Day. The 20-year-old outfielder, playing in his first Opening Day as a major leaguer, hits solo shots in the first and fourth frames in Washington’s 2-0 victory over Miami.
2013 Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino, who will end the day with an 0-1 record when he gives up a walk-off sac fly in an Opening Day loss to Milwaukee, becomes the first big league pitcher to wear the number 0, joining position players Oddibe McDowell (1985-88), Junior Ortiz (1989-2004), and Al Oliver (1978-85). Several players, including hurlers, including Bobo Newsome (1943), Curtis Leskanic (2000-01), Rick White (2005-06), and Brian Wilson (2003-14), have donned a double-zero.
2013 Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ Opening Day pitcher, hits a leadoff home run off San Francisco’s George Kontos in the bottom of the eighth inning to break up a scoreless tie in the team’s eventual 4-0 victory. LA’s 25-year-old southpaw retires the side in the next frame, completing a 4-0 complete-game shutout against the Giants at Chavez Ravine.
2015 Auction items featured in Sotheby’s “New York Sale” include the 1967 Mets’ bullpen cart shaped like a baseball wearing a cap. The electric-powered vehicle, valued between $20,000 and $30,000, fetches a surprisingly high bid of $125,000.
2018 In his much-anticipated pitching debut, Shohei Ohtani, striking out six batters in six innings while allowing three runs, picks up his first big league win when the Angels beat the A’s at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 7-4. The 23-year-old Japanese sensation, also touted for his prowess as a hitter, does not have a plate appearance in the American League contest.
2021 In the longest nine-inning game in franchise history, the Royals set a club record for runs scored on Opening Day, beating the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium, 14-10. The number of Kansas City players crossing the plate in the four-hour and 26-minute contest surpasses the team’s 11 tallies against Toronto in 1979.
2021 Nationalpastime.com celebrates the 25th Anniversary of its debut on the internet. The popular almanac-styled baseball history website, the first to display facts for every day of the year, features 12,000 easily-searchable entries, many enhanced with videos, photos, text, and quotations.
2021 The Diamondbacks score six times in the fifth inning when Ketel Marte, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Tim Locastro, and Stephen Vogt all go deep, marking the first time a team hits four home runs in one inning on Opening Day. Arizona’s historic offensive output falls short when the team drops an 8-7 decision to the Padres at Petco Park.
APRIL 2-APRIL 4
April 2
1931 — Virne Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell, the first woman in professional baseball, pitched against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game in Chattanooga. Babe Ruth waved wildly at the first two pitches and took a third strike. Lou Gehrig timed his swing to miss three straight pitches. Tony Lazzeri, after trying to bunt, walked and Mitchell left the game.
1952 — Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin of the New York Giants broke his ankle in an exhibition game. Irvin played just 46 games that season.
1976 — The Oakland Athletics trade two key members from their recent World Series championship teams, sending OF Reggie Jackson and P Ken Holtzman to the Baltimore Orioles.
1984 — The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 for their first opening-day defeat in 10 years.
1995 — The longest strike in major league history comes to an end. Having the first 23 days of this major league season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players’ March 31st unconditional offer to return to work. The players’ decision to return to work is made after a US District Court issued an injunction restoring terms and conditions of the expired agreement. Teams will play 144-game schedules. The strike had begun on August 12, 1994.
1996 — St. Francis of Illinois pummeled Robert Morris 71-1, with Robert Morris coach Gerald McNamara ending the after four innings.
1997 — For the first time, the salary of one player — Albert Belle — exceeded the payroll of an entire team — the Pittsburgh Pirates. Belle, the game’s highest-paid player for 1997 at $10 million, made $928,333 more than the whole Pirates payroll of $9,071,667.
1998 — By hitting a home run at Bank One Ballpark, Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums.
2001 — For the first time in major league history, a Japanese position player participates in a regular season game. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, hitless in his first three at-bats, singles in the 7th inning to ignite a two-run rally, and bunts for another single in the 8th in his debut at Safeco Field. He will go on the be both the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP this year.
2001 — Roger Clemens became the AL strikeout king, getting five to pass Walter Johnson as the Yankees beat Kansas City 7-3 in their season opener. Clemens fanned Joe Randa for his 3,509th career strikeout.
2003 — Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 300 home runs, connecting for a three-run drive in the Texas Rangers’ 11-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels. Rodriguez at 27 years, 249 days old, surpassed Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (27 years, 328 days).
2003 — The Detroit Tigers became the first team to have four pitchers make their major league debuts in the same game — Jeremy Bonderman, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling and Matt Roney. The Tigers lost 8-1 to the Minnesota Twins.
2007 — Tampa Bay’s Elijah Dukes homered in his first big league at-bat in a 9-5 loss to the New York Yankees.
2008 — Kevin Youkilis plays his 194th consecutive error-free game at first base, breaking Steve Garvey’s 23-year-old major league record.
2010 — The Minnesota Twins open their new ballpark, Target Field, with an 8 – 4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game.
2011 — Ichiro Suzuki breaks the franchise hit record for the Seattle Mariners in the Mariners’ 6 – 2 win over Oakland. Ten years to the day after his first major league hit, Ichiro collects safety number 2,248, passing Edgar Martinez, with an infield single that drives in the winning run in the 9th.
2011 — Ian Kinsler of Texas became the first major leaguer with leadoff homers in each of his team’s first two games. Kinsler hit the first of four homers by the Rangers in a 12-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
2012 — Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a $127.5 million, six-year contract, the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history.
2017 — Madison Bumgarner hit two homers but the Arizona Diamondbacks scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off new San Francisco closer Mark Melancon to beat the Giants 6-5 in a wild season opener. Bumgarner retired his first 16 batters and became the first pitcher to hit two home runs on opening day. He struck out 11 with no walks in seven innings.
2019 — Returning to Washington, D.C. for the first time since signing a record free agent contract with the Phillies in the spring, Bryce Harper is back. He collects 3 hits, including a 458-foot two-run homer to lead the Phillies to an 8 – 2 win over the Nationals.
2021 — Commissioner Rob Manfred announces that the 2021 All-Star Game will not be staged in Atlanta, GA, as planned, but will be moved to another location to be determined, in response to the state of Georgia’s adoption of rules aimed at restricting the voting rights of African-Americans. This follows only two days after President Joe Biden stated he supported such a move, given the discriminatory nature of Georgia’s law.
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April 3
1923 — In Chicago, Ill., two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 in damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to their reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.
1966 — The New York Mets sign University of Southern California star P Tom Seaver to his first contract.
1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But commissioner Bowie Kuhn would not allow it and ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.
1985 — A major league owners’ proposal is agreed to by the Players Association. The American and National leagues playoff formats are changed to best-of-sevens.
1987 — The Chicago Cubs trade starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers. Eckersley will emerge as the game’s dominant closer, saving 291 games over the next eight seasons.
1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.
1989 — Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners makes his major league debut.
1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.
1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.
1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener away from the United States and Canada.
2000 — A new major league record for Opening Day is set with five players having multiple home run games.
2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major-league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.
2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.
2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major-leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Royals 11-2.
2005 — In his first outing for the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as New York open the major league season with a 9 – 2 win.
2006 — Seattle Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, the first catcher from Japan to start a major league game, hits a home run for his first hit.
2015 — MLB suspends P Ervin Santana, who signed the largest free agent contract in Twins history this off-season, for 80 games for testing positive to the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
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April 4
1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.
1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.
1993 — At Camden Yards, Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch of the season from the pitcher’s mound.
1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.
1994 — The Cleveland Indians open new stadium, Jacobs Field, with a 4 – 3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.
1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener outside the United States and Canada.
2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.
2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.
2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 11-2.
2011 — Nelson Cruz of Texas became the third player in major league history to homer in the first four games of a season and the Rangers beat Seattle 6-4. Cruz joined Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998) as the only players to go deep in each of their first four games of a season.
2012 — The Miami Marlins open a new name and a new ballpark, Marlins Park, but lose to the St. Louis Cardinals.
2016 — Colorado Rockies SS Trevor Story becomes the first player to hit two homers in his debut on Opening Day.
2018 — MLB experiments with a new medium as today’s game between the Phillies and Mets is broadcast live exclusively on “Facebook Watch”.
2021 — For the first time since his debut in Major League Baseball in 2018, Shohei Ohtani is in the batting order in a game in which he is also the starting pitcher.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1960 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
Off the field…
The fifty-star Flag of the United States was officially dedicated on July 4. The newly expanded banner had been modified following the admission of the 50th state, Hawaii, on August 21, 1959 with an Executive Order filed by President Eisenhower providing the arrangement of nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows staggered vertically.
President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 enabling federal judges to appoint referees to hear persons claiming that state election officials had denied minorities the right to register and vote. Though well intended, the statute proved ineffective, making it necessary for President Lyndon B. Johnson to persuade Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
John F. Kennedy, a first-ballot nominee, defeated Richard Nixon to become the youngest President ever elected in the United States. Winning by a narrow margin in the popular vote, Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic President and immediately set out to redeem his campaign pledge to get America moving again. His economic programs launched the country on its longest sustained expansion since World War II.
In the American League…
On Opening Day, “Teddy Baseball” (Ted Williams) tied the “Iron Horse” (Lou Gehrig) with the 493rd home run of his career. The 500′ blast in his first at-bat remained the only bright moment for Boston as the Washington Senators’ Camilo Pascual struck out 11 Red Sox batters on the way to a 10-1 victory. Williams hit number 500 later that season with a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on June 17.
American League Most Valuable Player Roger Maris debuted as a New York Yankee against the Boston Red Sox with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs en route to an 8-4 win at Fenway Park.
Baltimore Orioles catcher Clint Courtney became the first at his position to complete 2 career unassisted double plays during a 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees.
In the National League…
George Crowe of the St. Louis Cardinals hit four-pinch homers for a Major League career record of fourteen.
Baseball’s greatest defensive player became baseball’s greatest offensive player with a single at-bat during the Pittsburgh Pirates versus New York Yankees World Series. After being statistically dominated by their American League rivals for six outings, the National League champions found themselves with their backs against the wall at Forbes Field for Game 7. Stats mattered little in the end though as second baseman Bill Mazeroski stepped up to the plate (in the bottom of the ninth) and delivered a desperate, bases-empty home run for the 10-9 victory and the first Pirates World Championship in thirty-five years.
The Los Angeles Dodgers set an all-time National League record for attendance with 2,253,887 coming out to the Coliseum.
Around the League…
Bill Veeck became the first to break uniform tradition after putting the names of his players on the backs of their Chicago White Sox jerseys. In reaction, the rest of the league’s teams sent formal protests to the commissioner’s office demanding that the names be removed. After hearing both sides, it was determined that each team would have the option to add their names or stay with the traditional number only.
Television icon Gene Autry attended the annual American League owners meeting while investigating possible broadcasting opportunities. After realizing Autry’s true respect for the game of baseball as well as his political connections in California, American League President Joe Cronin nominated him for ownership. The result was the birth of the California Angels expansion franchise.
The Sporting News named Boston Red Sox icon Ted Williams as their “Player of the Decade” for the 1950s.
The last remaining chapter in the Negro Leagues disbanded after a steady decline in talent due to the inclusion and rapid growth of African-American players in the Major Leagues.
BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS
TOM GLAVINE
The Atlanta Braves were on the cusp of nirvana. The World Series trophy was glistening in the late October sun, waiting to be grasped by the winner of the 1995 fall classic. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was rocking on its foundation as the Braves fans serenaded their team with chants of “Whoa, Whoa, Whoooooaaa,” while flexing their Tomahawk Chop before and during Game Six. The anticipation of celebrating the team’s first World Series championship since relocating from Milwaukee in 1966 was almost unbearable.
In the center of the diamond, the Braves pinned their hopes on left-handed pitcher Tom Glavine. The pitcher with the boyish looks was as lethal a southpaw as any who toed a pitching rubber in history. He made his major-league debut in 1987, and Braves fans had watched him grow into the dominant pitcher they hoped would make their dreams come true.
READ MORE: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/tom-glavine/
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
April 1, 1973
Boston’s John Havlicek connected on 24 field goals, an NBA playoff record he shares with Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, as the Celtics defeated Atlanta in Boston 134-109 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Havlicek finished the game with 54 points.
April 1, 1999
Detroit’s Joe Dumars becomes the 10th player in league history to play 1,000 games with the same team and one of eight to play 1,000 games with his only team.
April 1, 1999
Philadelphia head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th professional game with a 88-84 win over the Miami Heat. At the time, Brown compiled a 671-547 NBA record to go along with a 229-107 ABA ledger for a combined record of 900-654.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1930 — American golfer Bobby Jones starts his Grand Slam season by winning the Southeastern Open.
1938 — Joe Louis knocks out Harry Thomas in the fifth round in Chicago to retain his world heavyweight title.
1940 — Governor Herbert Lehman of New York signs the Dunnigal bill, which legalizes pari-mutuel wagering and outlaws bookmakers at the state’s racetracks.
1954 — Detroit Red Wings right wing Gordie Howe scores 2 goals and an assist, and sets a Stanley Cup playoff record for fastest goal from the start of a game (:09).
1972 — The first collective player’s strike in major league history begins at 12:01 a.m. The strike lasts 12 days and cancels 86 games.
1973 — Boston’s John Havlicek connects on 24 field goals and finishes with 54 points the Celtics defeat Atlanta, 134-109, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
1978 — NY Islanders RW Mike Bossy becomes first NHL rookie to score 50 goals in a season.
1981 — Edmonton C Wayne Gretzky has an assist (his 103rd) to break Bobby Orr’s 10-year mark for most assists in a single NHL season.
1984 — Southern Cal beats Tennessee 72-61 for the NCAA women’s basketball title.
1985 — Villanova shocks Georgetown with a 66-64 victory to win the NCAA basketball title. The Wildcats, led by Dwayne McClain’s 17 points, shot 79 percent from the field, making 22 of 28 shots, and added 22 of 27 free throws.
1989 — Jim McAllister of Glassboro State hits four home runs and drives in nine runs in four at-bats in a 21-5 five-inning rout of Delaware State.
1990 — Betsy King holds on for a two-stroke victory over Kathy Postlewait to win the LPGA Dinah Shore tournament.
1991 — Duke ends years of frustration with a 72-65 victory over Kansas for its first national title in five championship game appearances and nine trips to the Final Four.
1992 — A week before the Stanley Cup playoffs are set to begin, the NHL players strike for the first time in the league’s 75-year history. The strike lasts 10 days.
1996 — Kentucky wins its first national title in 18 years with a 76-67 victory over Syracuse.
1999 — Detroit Pistons G Joe Dumars becomes 10th player in NBA history to play 1,000 games with the same team.
1999 — Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th pro game.
2000 — Michelle Kwan wins her third World Figure Skating title by pushing through all seven triple jumps. The triple toe-triple toe lifts Kwan above Russians Irina Slutskaya and last year’s champion, Maria Butyrskaya.
2001 — 20th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Notre Dame beats Purdue, 68-66.
2002 — With Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter leading the way, Maryland wins its first national championship with a 64-52 victory over Indiana.
2007 — Morgan Pressel becomes the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history with a game well beyond her 18 years, closing with a 3-under 69 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Pressel plays her final 25 holes over Mission Hills without a bogey as Suzann Pettersen blew a four-shot lead with four holes to play.
2007 — American super swimmer Michael Phelps smashes his own world record in the 400m individual medley (4:06.22) to win his record 7th gold medal at the World Championships.
2011 — Jarome Iginla scores his second goal of the game with 5:03 left to reach 1,000 points and help Calgary rally to beat St. Louis 3-2.
2016 — Golden State Warriors consecutive home winning streak ends at 54 games.
2018 — Arike Ogunbowale hits a 3-pointer with a tenth of a second left to give Notre Dame a 61-58 win over Mississippi State and its first women’s national championship since 2001. Notre Dame, trailing 30-17 at halftime, pulls off the biggest comeback in title game history, rallying from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and a five-point deficit in the final 1:58.
2020 — All England Lawn Tennis Club cancels Wimbledon for the first time since World War II because of the COVID-19 pandemic; entire grass-court season abandoned.
TV SPORTS MONDAY
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)
2:30 p.m.
ESPNU — WBIT Tournament: TBD, Semifinal
5 p.m.
ESPNU — WBIT Tournament: TBD, Semifinal
7:15 p.m.
ESPN — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Elite Eight
8 p.m.
ESPNU — NJCAA Tournament: TBD, Championship
9:15 p.m.
ESPN — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Elite Eight
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — High-School Basketball Skills Competition
MLB BASEBALL
6:30 p.m.
FS1 — Texas at Tampa Bay
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Tuesday, Apr. 2
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
7 p.m.
ESPN — NIT Tournament: TBD, Semifinal, Indianapolis
9:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — NIT Tournament: TBD, Semifinal, Indianapolis
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
6:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — High-School Basketball All-Star Game
9 p.m.
ESPN — High-School Basketball All-Star Game
MLB BASEBALL
6:30 p.m.
TBS — Cincinnati at Philadelphia
10 p.m.
TBS — San Francisco at LA Dodgers
NBA BASKETBALL
7:30 p.m.
TNT — Oklahoma City at Philadelphia
TRUTV — Oklahoma City at Philadelphia (BetCast)
10 p.m.
TNT — Dallas at Golden State
NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL
9 p.m.
ESPNU — Playoff: TBD
11 p.m.
ESPNU — Playoff: TBD
SOCCER (MEN’S)
2:30 p.m.
USA — Premier League: Everton at Newcastle United
7 p.m.
FS1 — CONCACAF Champions Cup: Tigres UANL at Columbus Crew, Quarterfinal – Leg 1
9 p.m.
FS1 — CONCACAF Champions Cup: Club América at New England Revolution, Quarterfinal – Leg 1