MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
MONDAY APRIL 3 9:30PM
UCONN VS. SAN DIEGO STATE
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
LSU 102 IOWA 85 (LSU WINS ITS FIRST NATIONAL TITLE)
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
NY YANKEES 6 SAN FRANCISCO 0
ST. LOUIS 9 TORONTO 4
TEXAS 2 PHILADELPHIA 1
TAMPA BAY 5 DETROIT 1
BOSTON 9 BALTIMORE 5
MINNESOTA 7 KANSAS CITY 4
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6 HOUSTON 3
LA ANGELS 6 OAKLAND 0
CLEVELAND 6 SEATTLE 5 (10)
WASHINGTON 4 ATLANTA 1
CINCINNATI 3 PITTSBURGH 1
NY METS 5 MIAMI 1
MILWAUKEE 9 CHICAGO CUBS 5
ARIZONA 2 LA DODGERS 1
SAN DIEGO 3 COLORADO 1
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
OMAHA 8 INDIANAPOLIS 3
NBA SCOREBOARD
CLEVELAND 115 INDIANA 105
TORONTO 128 CHARLOTTE 108
PORTLAND 107 MINNESOTA 105
BROOKLYN 111 UTAH 110
ATLANTA 132 DALLAS 130 OT
NEW YORK 118 WASHINGTON 109
ORLANDO 128 DETROIT 102
SAN ANTONIO 142 SACRAMENTO 134 OT
LA LAKERS 134 HOUSTON 109
PHOENIX 128 OKLAHOMA CITY 118
MILWAUKEE 117 PHILADELPHIA 104
DENVER 112 GOLDEN STATE 110
NHL SCOREBOARD
NY RANGERS 5 WASHINGTON 2
BOSTON 4 ST. LOUIS 3
CAROLINA 2 NY ISLANDERS 1
COLUMBUS 4 OTTAWA 3
PITTSBURGH 4 PHILADELPHIA 2
DETROIT 5 TORONTO 2
WINNIPEG 6 NEW JERSEY 1
CALGARY 5 ANAHEIM 4
LOS ANGELES 4 VANCOUVER 1
TOP INDIANA (RELEASES)
INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL
GAME REWIND: PACERS 105, CAVALIERS 115
The Pacers needed a win on Sunday night in Cleveland to avoid being eliminated from postseason contention, a tall task for a young squad playing on the road against a top-four team in the East.
Still, despite playing without stars Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, the Blue & Gold went blow-for-blow with the Cavaliers for much of the night and took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.
But Cleveland (49-30) held the Pacers to just 18 points in the final frame and forced Indiana into eight turnovers over the final 12 minutes to secure a 115-103 win.
With the loss, the Pacers (34-45) can finish no higher than 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, meaning Indiana will miss the playoffs for the third straight season and fail to reach the Play-In Tournament for the second straight year. The Blue & Gold have three games remaining, but now know their season will end next Sunday in New York.
Rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin led seven Pacers in double figures with 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the loss, while Jordan Nwora recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
“There’s some things to like about the effort by our team tonight,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “A lot of guys involved…First three quarters, I thought we really went toe-to-toe with them in a very difficult environment, really a playoff-type environment.”
But All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell dropped 40 points for the Cavs, his third straight game with 40 or more, going 14-for-25 from the field and 9-for-12 from the free throw line to lead Cleveland to victory.
Seven early points from Mathurin propelled Indiana to a 14-10 lead five minutes into Sunday’s contest. But Cleveland outscored the Blue & Gold 16-7 over the next five minutes, with Mitchell scoring the Cavs’ first eight points during that run.
The Pacers answered with seven straight points late in the frame. Mathurin converted a layup in transition with 1:11 remaining, Jalen Smith threw down a dunk the next trip down the floor, and then Buddy Hield knocked down a go-ahead three from the left wing with 19.9 seconds left in the quarter.
On the other end, Jarrett Allen tipped in a putback at the buzzer to tie the score at 28 after the first 12 minutes.
The Pacers opened the second quarter with a lineup featuring five bench players — T.J. McConnell, Hield, Oshae Brissett, Jordan Nwora, and Smith. Those reserves delivered, outscoring Cleveland 15-6 over the first 3:09 of the period.
Indiana led by as many as 11 points in the frame, but the hosts mounted a charge over the closing minutes of the half. Former Pacer Caris LeVert scored seven points during a 14-3 Cavaliers run that ultimately tied the game at 59 with 42.8 seconds remaining.
Smith scored on the other end off a dish from Andrew Nembhard to put Indiana back in front by two heading into the locker room.
Indiana quickly surged back ahead after the intermission. The Blue & Gold led 74-66 following back-to-back threes by Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith.
But Mitchell kept the Cavs close throughout the third quarter. The All-Star guard poured in 17 points in the period, briefly giving the hosts an 80-78 lead on a jumper with 4:37 remaining in the quarter.
The Pacers answered that with five straight points to surge back in front. Cleveland tied the game on two more occasions, but it was Indiana that took an 87-86 lead into the fourth quarter.
But the Cavs took the lead back with a 7-0 run early in the final frame. Darius Garland’s three 1:31 into the fourth quarter broke an 89-89 tie before LeVert added a jumper to give the hosts a five-point cushion.
Indiana drew back within one following Buddy Hield’s jumper with 8:10 remaining, but Cleveland responded with five straight to keep the Pacers at bay.
The Cavs broke the game open in the final minutes. LeVert drilled a three to make it 105-97 with 3:27 to play. Nembhard answered with a jumper on the other end, but Evan Mobley threw down a fastbreak dunk after Indiana missed on its next offensive possession.
Mitchell provided the dagger, knocking down a stepback three with 2:19 remaining that got him to 40 points on the night and stretched the margin to 11.
“In the fourth quarter we struggled a little bit to get good shots,” Carlisle said. “They amped things up, made some plays offensively. Mitchell made some spectacular plays. Caris hit a big three and made a great pass and things kind of got away and we ran out of timeouts.”
McConnell had 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and five assists off the bench for Indiana. Nesmith scored 14 and went 3-for-4 from 3-point range, while Nesmith tallied 13 points, eight assists, and three steals. Smith added 12 points, eight boards, and two blocks as Hield chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.
“Playing in an environment like this (is) a valuable learning experience for the young guys,” McConnell said. “(Cleveland is) fourth in the East and they have a great crowd. To kind of fight the way we did, we just didn’t have enough there at the end. But like I said, the experience the young guys are getting in a game like this, it’s great.”
Garland had 20 points and six assists for Cleveland, while Mobley recorded a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds while also registering four assists and four blocks. LeVert and Allen each added 15 for the Cavs.
The Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for their final homestand of the year, hosting the Knicks on Wednesday and the Pistons on Friday. Indiana will then wrap up the 2022-23 campaign next Sunday in New York.
Inside the Numbers
Mathurin led the team in scoring for the 19th time this season, went 8-for-8 from the free throw line, matched his career high (set on Wednesday against Milwaukee) with nine rebounds, and blocked two shots in a game for the first time. After scoring just six total points in a pair of games last weekend in Boston and Atlanta, the rookie has averaged 22.3 points over his last four contests.
Nwora recorded his first double-double as a Pacer and set a new season high with 10 rebounds.
Smith has scored in double figures in five straight games and eight of his last 10 contests.
Indiana’s bench outscored the Cavs’ reserves, 41-21.
Both teams shot exactly 9-for-24 from 3-point range (37.5 percent). The Cavs shot 48.9 percent from the field overall, while the Pacers converted just 43.4 percent of their attempts.
Mitchell has scored 40 or more points in 13 games this season, a franchise record. Only Portland’s Damian Lillard (15) and Dallas’ Luka Doncic (14) have accomplished the feat more this season.
You Can Quote Me On That
“Playing against guys like Mitchell and Garland and Caris LeVert’s a tremendous offensive player, too…That’s really good experience. We did a lot of switching tonight to try to simplify things. With a few minutes left in the game we had them at 102 (points) or something like that. That’s a positive. We’ve just got to keep building on the positives.” –Carlisle on his young guards taking on a difficult defensive assignment
“Just taking it one game at a time, controlling what I can control. When my number’s called, I’m ready. Just making sure that I’m going out there, executing, playing my game, not trying to force (anything) outside my box, do what I can do to help the team win. Like Coach Rick said, if you do all the little things, everything else comes to you. And that’s just something I keep in the back of my mind as I play.” -Smith on his strong play in recent games
“Just an unselfish mindset from top to bottom. It’s contagious. Everyone’s out there moving the ball, making the extra pass. And you see it, scoring’s kind of spread out because everyone’s sharing the ball and looking for the next guy.” -McConnell on Indiana’s balanced scoring
“We’re putting Benn in some different situations to create. And he’s learning about getting open in crunch time. You saw the one where he got the offensive foul and then he had two others where he scored. We’ll keep working on all this stuff.” -Carlisle on Mathurin’s opportunity in a starting role to close his rookie season
“It’s tough because obviously they play big with two seven-footers (Mobley and Allen) out there. On the offensive end, they deter a lot of shots in the paint, they clog up a lot of space. We’ve got to react to that, hit our open shots and find those driving lanes…It’s the NBA. You’ve got to find ways to score.” -Smith on the challenges of facing Cleveland’s stout defense
“Our approach is going to be the same. We’re competing. It does no good to step onto an NBA court and not compete. And this is where, the way we’re set up with our young guys, it really is a great opportunity for them…This period of the last two-and-a-half three weeks is very valuable. This creates momentum into next season…You cannot underestimate or undersell the importance of internal development, having your young guys learn. Learn what it’s like to have real professional responsibility. These games have helped simulate that and our guys have stepped up and done some great things.” -Carlisle on how the Pacers will handle the last three games with the team elimination from playoff contention
Stat of the Night
The Cavaliers dominated the interior on Sunday, outscoring Indiana 68-42 in points in the paint.
Noteworthy
The Cavaliers took three of four games against Indiana this season, winning the season series between the Central Division rivals for the second straight year.
Indiana has lost four straight games in Cleveland.
Haliburton missed his fourth straight game due to ankle and elbow injuries, while Turner sat out his fifth straight game with a sore ankle. Second-year guard Chris Duarte also was inactive due to a sore ankle and has played just once since March 13.
Up Next
The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks on Wednesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM ET.
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS BASEBALL
INDIANS DROP SERIES FINALE TO STORM CHASERS, 8-3
INDIANAPOLIS – Nick Gonzales hit his first career Triple-A home run to spark an early three-run lead, but a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning lifted the Omaha Storm Chasers to a win over the Indianapolis Indians in Sunday’s series finale at Victory Field, 8-3.
Down 3-1 in the top of the eighth, the Storm Chasers (3-0) rallied to take the lead with seven total runs scored in the inning. Samad Taylor led off the frame with a solo home run to make it 3-2. After a pair of singles, Nick Loftin smacked the go-ahead three-run home run off Daniel Zamora (L, 0-1), giving Omaha a 5-3 advantage. The Storm Chasers tacked on an additional three runs in the frame to extend their lead to 8-3.
The Indians (0-3) jumped out to an early lead thanks to a three-run outburst in the second inning. Gonzales led off the frame with a solo homer over the left-field wall. Following a pair of walks drawn by Cal Mitchell and Aaron Shackelford, Chavez Young ripped a two-run triple into the left-field gap for a 3-0 lead.
Indians starting pitcher Mike Burrows tossed 5.0 one-run innings with two hits, two walks and a strikeout. His only blemish came via a solo home run by Dairon Blanco in the fifth inning.
Jackson Kowar (W, 1-0) posted 3.0 scoreless frames to earn the win, entering in relief of Omaha starter Jonathan Heasley.
The Indians will travel to Louisville Slugger Field for a six-game series with the Louisville Bats on Tuesday at 6:35 PM ET. RHP Quinn Priester (0-0, -.–) will toe the rubber for Indy against RHP Ben Lively (0-0, -.–).
INDIANA BASEBALL: DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP IN HAPPY VALLEY
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After winning a 4-1 decision in the first game of the day, the Indiana baseball program exploded for a 22-11 victory at Penn State in the nightcap to win its second straight series to start Big Ten play. The Hoosiers left Medlar Field at Lubrano Park sitting tied atop the Big Ten standings.
Indiana (20-8, 5-1 B1G) opened the scoring in game one with one run in the first inning and three in the second, while Penn State (14-10, 1-5 B1G) got its only run in the fourth.
The second game of the day was a stark contrast, as the two teams combined to score 33 runs in the second highest scoring game in series history (40 runs; 1998). Indiana scored in seven of nine innings, including multiple runs in five of those frames. Penn State scored six in the third inning and five in the seventh to account for its scoring.
Indiana’s 22 runs are tied for No. 5 in a Big Ten game all-time at Indiana and are the most scored in a true road contest versus a Big Ten opponent. It also marked just the 13th time in 1,869 all-time Big Ten games that Indiana eclipsed the 20-run plateau and the first since the 2021 season against Minnesota (23).
In the first game, redshirt junior Bobby Whalen reached base twice with a single and a hit-by-pitch and scored a pair of runs, while freshman Devin Taylor was on base three times with a base hit and two walks. Sophomore Brock Tibbitts drove in a pair of RBIs as part of a 1-for-3 game at the plate.
Sophomore Ryan Kraft (2-1) earned his second win of the season with a career-high 5 1/3 innings of work in relief. He allowed one hit, walked two and struck out one. Junior Seti Manase made the start and worked 3 2/3 innings with one run allowed on three hits and one walk. Manase struck out four batters in the no decision.
After no multi-hit games in the first game of the day, seven Hoosiers posted at least two hits and five drove in multiple RBIs in the nightcap. Freshmen Tyler Cerny and Taylor each homered, scored three runs and drove in four RBIs in the game, and each reached base four times. Sophomore Josh Pyne had a career-high four hits to go along with three runs scored and three RBIs. Glasser homered in the game and scored twice, while senior Peter Serruto had two hits, scored two runs, and drove in two RBIs.
On the mound, redshirt senior Craig Yoho (4-0) picked up the win with three innings of scoreless work. He scattered two hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts. Graduate student Wes Burton (1) threw the final 2 1/3 innings scoreless with five strikeouts. He allowed just one hit and one walk.
Game One Scoring Recap
Top First
Indiana loaded the bases with a Bobby Whalen single, Devin Taylor walk, and Brock Tibbitts hit-by-pitch. Matthew Ellis drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly.
Indiana 1, at Penn State 0
Top Second
Josh Pyne and Hunter Jessee both walked and Peter Serruto moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Phillip Glasser pushed the first run of the inning across on a fielder’s choice. After Whalen was hit-by-pitch and Taylor walked, Tibbitts singled up the middle to score two more.
Indiana 4, at Penn State 0
Bottom Fourth
Johnny Piacentino tripled with one out and scored on a Grant Norris double to right field.
Indiana 4, at Penn State 1
Game Two Scoring Recap
Top First
Brock Tibbitts doubled to start the inning and came around to score on a Tyler Cerny base hit with two outs.
Indiana 1, at Penn State 0
Top Third
After three pitches and two outs, Indiana worked three straight walks to load the bases. Josh Pyne singled up the middle to score a pair of runs and Carter Mathison followed with an RBI single.
Indiana 4, at Penn State 0
Bottom Third
The inning started with a base hit and Kyle Hannon homered to right-center field against Luke Hayden. After a pitching change, Thomas Bramley homered to right-center field, which was followed by a pair of singles. Bobby Marsh doubled to right field for an RBI. Another pitching change was followed by a groundout and a walk before Josh Spiegel gave Penn State the lead with a two-RBI base hit.
at Penn State 6, Indiana 4
Top Fourth
Hunter Jessee walked to start the inning and moved up a base on a base hit from Peter Serruto. Bobby Whalen doubled to score one and Devin Taylor grounded out to tie the game.
Indiana 6, at Penn State 6
Top Fifth
The first two batters of the inning reached base and Cerny delivered his second career home run. The next two hitters were retired, before Phillip Glasser reached via error. Whalen followed with a single and Taylor doubled to drive in two more runs.
Indiana 11, at Penn State 6
Top Sixth
Pye singled to start the inning and Cerny was hit-by-pitch with one out. Jessee followed with a single that scored Cerny and an error by the right fielder allowed Pyne to come all the way around and score.
Indiana 13, at Penn State 6
Top Seventh
Taylor hit a solo home run to lead off the inning.
Indiana 14, at Penn State 6
Bottom Seventh
Three different Indiana pitchers were used as Penn State scored five runs with two outs. There were two runners on base with two outs before seven straight batters reached base. Spiegal started the scoring with a two-RBI double and Tayven Kelley followed with an RBI single. After a walk, Bramley drove in a run with a base hit. A wild pitch allowed the fifth run of the inning to score.
Indiana 14, at Penn State 11
Top Ninth
Glasser started the inning with a solo home run to right field and a walk and hit-by-pitch followed. Tibbitts, Pyne and Mathison all followed with RBI singles. Cerny was hit-by-pitch to load the bases before the first out was recorded. Serruto delivered a two-RBI base hit with a third run scored thanks to an error on the play. After the second out, Whalen reached on an error, which allowed Serruto to score the final run of the inning.
Indiana 22, at Penn State 11
Up Next
A road trip to Terre Haute for a matchup with Indiana State on Tuesday (April 4) for a 5 p.m. first pitch. The game can be seen on ESPN.com/watch and heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network.
INDIANA SOFTBALL: NO. 24 INDIANA SOFTBALL EXTENDS WIN STREAK TO 21 IN SERIES SWEEP OVER OHIO STATE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 24 Indiana (28-9, 8-0 B1G) swept Ohio State (21-11, 2-4 B1G) in a doubleheader on Sunday at Andy Mohr Field as they extended their win streak to 21.
INDIANA 6, OHIO STATE 5
KEY MOMENTS
• Ohio State struck came out swinging as they hit a bomb to right center to take an early lead.
• The teams held their own on defense in the second inning, before the Buckeyes added another run to start the third, 2-0.
• However, Indiana did not shy away as they scored four runs in the bottom of the inning.
• A passed ball would cost the Buckeyes one as senior Cora Bassett ran home.
• Sophomore Brianna Copeland hit a sac fly to center field for an RBI, scoring senior pinch runner Tatum Hayes.
• Freshman Cassidy Kettleman advanced home on a stolen base from sophomore Sarah Stone.
• Freshman Avery Parker closed out the inning with an RBI double to left center putting the Hoosiers up, 4-2.
• Indiana added two runs on an RBI single from freshman Taryn Kern to score Bassett. Stone followed that up with another RBI single through the left side to score Kern.
• The Buckeyes added three runs on five hits in the top of the fifth to cut the lead by one, 6-5.
• The defenses battled it out in the final innings before Indiana earned its 20th straight win.
INDIANA 10, OHIO STATE 7
KEY MOMENTS
• The Hoosier bats were hot as Kern and sophomore Taylor Minnick hit back-to-back home runs for three RBI in the bottom of the first.
• Ohio State added three runs in the top of the third to take the lead, 3-2.
• Senior Abby Meeks cleared the bases with a deep double to left center earning three RBI as the Hoosiers regained the lead, 5-3.
• In the fifth, the teams continued to exchange hits each totaling three as the Buckeyes tied the game with two runs.
• However, a leadoff home run from Parker and an RBI single from Benson would put Indiana back on top in the bottom of the inning, 7-5.
• It was barrel city here in Bloomington in the sixth inning. OSU hit one to center field to cut the lead to one before Minnick and Copeland hit two out of the park.
• The Buckeyes would score one in the top of the seventh, but the Hoosiers held a 10-7 lead to close it out.
NOTABLES
• Indiana continues their record-breaking win streak with a program high of 21 as they improve to 8-0 in conference play.
• The Hoosiers are the only undefeated team in the Big Ten as they have swept the first three Big Ten series against Maryland, Purdue and Ohio State.
• IU combined for 16 hits, two doubles, and 10 RBI in the doubleheader.
• The Hoosiers hit five home runs in the second game of the doubleheader, tying the most in a single game since they hit five against the Buckeyes on March 5, 2022.
• Copeland holds a 13-0 record inside the circle while teammate Heather Johnson picked up her ninth of the season.
UP NEXT
The Hoosiers travel to Bowling Green, Kent. on Tuesday as they face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 6 p.m. ET.
INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS: INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS DEFEATS NO. 57 IOWA, 4-2
IOWA CITY, IA. – Indiana women’s tennis (11-7, 2-4 B1G) defeated No. 57 Iowa Hawkeyes, 4-2, at the Hawkeye Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Huskers took the doubles point winning the No. 3 match, 6-2 and No. 1 match, 6-3.
Redshirt-junior Alexandra Staiculescu won the No. 4 match up with a dominating 6-2, 6-4, win for the Hoosiers to tie the match.
Freshman Nicole Teodosescu put the Hoosiers up, 2-1, winning the No. 5 singles in straight sets.
Redshirt-junior Rose Hu won the No. 6 singles, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 to extend the lead before teammate and Redshirt-sophomore Lara Schneider clinched the match for the Hoosiers with a dominating win in No. 1 singles, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9).
INDIANA 4, NEBRASKA 2
SINGLES
1. Lara Schneider (IND) def. Marisa Schmidt (UI) 6-2, 7-6 (11-9)
2. Samantha Mannix (UI) def. Saby Nihalani (IND) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
3. Daianne Hayashida (UI) vs. Mila Mejic (IND) 4-6, 6-4, 5-2, unfinished
4. Alexandra Staiculesc (IND) def. Vipasha Mehra (UI) 6-4, 6-3
5. Nicole Teodosescu (IND) def. Barbora Pokorna (UI) 6-4, 6-4
6. Xiaowei “Rose” Hu (IND) def. Pia Kranholdt (UI) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
DOUBLES
1. Mannix/Mehra (UI) def. Schneider/Nihalani (IND), 6-4
2. Schmidt/ Hayashida (UI) vs. Staiculesc/Teodosescu (IND) 5-5, unfinished
3. Pokorna/Kranholdt (UI) def. Mejic/Hu (IND), 6-0
ORDER OF FINISH
Doubles: 3, 1, unf.
Singles: 4, 5, 2, 6, 1
UP NEXT
Indiana will host Michigan State and Michigan on Saturday and Sunday in their last home stand this season.
PURDUE BASKETBALL: EDEY NABS ONE OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL’S HIGHEST HONORS WITH JERSEY MIKE’S NAISMITH TROPHY
HOUSTON, Texas – One of the most-statistically dominant seasons in college basketball history has resulted in winning one of the most-prestigious trophies in sport.
Purdue junior center Zach Edey was named the recipient of the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in a ceremony today at the Final Four in Houston, presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and Executive Director Eric Oberman.
Edey becomes the first Canadian to win the Award, named after Canadian native Dr. James Naismith.
“Winning the Naismith Trophy is one of the greatest individual honors that a collegiate basketball player can achieve. Dr. Naismith is a historic figure in Canada, so winning this award is very special to me and all Canadians, and I am proud to represent all of Canada in accepting this award,” Edey said. “It is incredibly humbling to be the first Chinese-heritage player to win this award, and I hope that it opens the door to millions of youth worldwide to learn, play and enjoy the game of basketball. Without my family, coaches, support system and teammates, this achievement would not be possible. I do not take this honor for granted and appreciate the opportunity to continue the excellence set by all previous winners of the Naismith Trophy.”
“Jersey Mike’s is delighted to celebrate Zach on his recognition as the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year, an honor of which he is more than deserving,” said Jeff Hemschoot, vice president of marketing at Jersey Mike’s. “His dominance and impact on each game he plays is undeniable, and it is an honor to recognize his exceptional achievements this season with this prestigious award.”
The most-dominant player in college basketball during the 2022-23 season has now five of the six major National Player of the Year awards, with the Wooden Award being announced this coming week. Edey has won the Naismith Trophy, The Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA), Associated Press (AP) National Player of the Year, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Player of the Year and The Sporting News National Player of the Year. In addition, he has won the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation’s top center.
He has been named a first-team All-American by every outlet.
Edey becomes the first Boilermaker since Glenn Robinson in 1994 to win National Player of the Year accolades. He is also the fifth Big Ten Player in the last 14 years to be named National Player of the Year joining Evan Turner (2010), Trey Burke (2013), Frank Kaminsky (2015) and Luka Garza (2021) as National Players of the Year.
Edey earned the Naismith Trophy after one of the most-dominating seasons in college basketball history. He was named a consensus first-team All-American, the second straight season that Purdue has had a consensus All-American (Jaden Ivey, 2022), after averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assists per game.
He became the first player in NCAA history (since blocks became an official NCAA stat) to record at least 750 points, 400 rebounds, 70 blocks and 50 assists in a season, ranking sixth nationally in scoring, second in rebounds, 19th in blocked shots and 21st in field goal percentage (.607), the only player in the NCAA database to rank in the top 25 of all four categories in the same season.
He finished the season ranking sixth on Purdue’s single-season chart for points (757), first in rebounds (438), fifth in field goals made (290), 14th in field goal percentage (.607), first in dunks (76) and second in double-doubles (27).
He has scored in double-figures in 51 straight games, the longest streak in the country, and fourth-longest streak in school history.
For his career in 99 games, he has 1,533 points, the most for a player through his junior season in school history, with 847 rebounds, 148 blocks and 106 assists.
He finished the year with eight games of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, the most for a major-college player in the last 20 years, and his 11 games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds are the most for a Big Ten player in the last 20 years by four games over Luka Garza (Iowa; 7). The 438 rebounds are the fourth most by a player in Big Ten history behind three seasons by Ohio State great Jerry Lucas (1960-62).
Edey became just the second player in Big Ten history to lead the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage and is one of just nine players (Blake Griffin, Ike Diogu, Antawn Jamison, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Walton, Lew Alcindor, Gary Bradds) to lead a major-college conference in all three categories in NCAA history. Griffin was the last to do so in 2009.
Edey also earned Big Ten Player of the Year accolades after helping Purdue to a Big Ten regular-season title, a No. 1 national ranking for seven weeks and the Big Ten Tournament title.
Earlier this season, Edey joined an exclusive list of Boilermakers to win the Big Ten Player of the Year honors, joining the late Caleb Swanigan (2017), JaJuan Johnson (2011), Glenn Robinson (1994) and Steve Scheffler (1990) as winners of the league’s top honor.
Edey is the third Boilermaker to receive the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award, joining JaJuan Johnson (2011) and the late Caleb Swanigan (2017) as Purdue recipients. Purdue and Duke are the only institutions to have three Pete Newell Big Man of the Year award winners.
Edey was also named a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award and earned a spot on the Big Ten’s All-Defensive team.
ZACH EDEY’S AWARDS WON THIS SEASON (Major awards in Bold)
Preseason All-America (every publication)
Preseason All-Big Ten
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list
Wooden Award watch list
Phil Knight Legacy MVP
Big Ten Player of the Week (11-28-22)
NCAA.com National Player of the Week (11-28-22)
Big Ten Player of the Week (12-5-22)
Big Ten Player of the Week (12-12-22)
Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 (1-4-23)
Big Ten Player of the Week (1-9-23)
The Sporting News Midseason All-America 1st Team (1-19-23)
Midseason watch list for Oscar Robertson Trophy (1-19-23)
Watch list for Naismith DPOY Award (1-26-23)
Wooden Award late-season watch list (1-30-23)
Big Ten Player of the Week (1-30-23)
Dick Vitale Star of the Week (1-30-23)
NCAA March Madness Player of the Week (1-30-23)
Naismith Award National Player of the Week (1-30-23)
Wooden Award late-season watch list (1-30-23)
Big Ten Player of the Week (2-6-23)
Naismith Trophy Player of Year Mids. Team (2-9-23)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award semifinalist (2-10-23)
Naismith Def. Player of the Year semifinalist (2-27-23)
Dick Vitale All-American Team (3-1-23)
Semifinalist for Big O Trophy (3-2-23)
College Hoops Today First-Team All-American (3-4-23)
College Hoops Today National Player of the Year (3-4-23)
ESPN College Gameday Player of the Year (3-4-23)
Sporting News First-Team All-American (3-7-23)
Big Ten Player of the Year; coaches, media, AP (3-7-23)
First-Team All-Big Ten; coaches, media, AP (3-7-23)
Big Ten All-Defensive Team (3-7-23)
Field of 68 First-Team All-American (3-7-23)
Sporting News National Player of the Year (3-8-23)
CollegeInsider.com National DPOY Finalist (3-9-23)
CollegeInsider.com National POY Finalist (3-9-23)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Finalist (3-10-23)
Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist (3-10-23)
Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player (3-12-23)
USBWA District V Player of the Year (3-14-23)
NABC First-Team All-District (3-14-23)
AP First-Team All-American (3-14-23)
NABC First-Team All-American (3-15-23)
USBWA First-Team All-American (3-15-23)
Consensus First-Team All-American (2023)
Naismith Player of the Year Finalist (3-21-23)
National Player of the Year (3-28-23)
NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award (3-28-23)
CBS Sports National Player of the Year (3-30-23)
Wooden Award All-American (3-30-23)
AP National Player of the Year (3-31-23)
USBWA National Player of the Year (4-1-23)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winner (4-1-23)
Naismith National Player of the Year (4-2-23)
PURDUE BASEBALL: COOK’S WALK-OFF HR PUNCTUATES SERIES WIN VS. WILDCATS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In their first career starts at Alexander Field, Kyle Iwinski faced the minimum over his first six innings and Lukas Cook punctuated a series win with a walk-off homer in the 10th as Purdue baseball split a Sunday doubleheader with Northwestern.
The Boilermakers (12-14, 3-3 B1G) won the nightcap 4-3 on Cook’s homer after NU scored twice in the ninth inning to extend the game. The Wildcats (3-19, 1-2 B1G) used a five-run eighth inning to blow open a 2-1 pitcher’s duel in game 1, winning 7-3 to set up the rubber-game stakes.
Cook hit Purdue’s first walk-off homer since Mason Gavre vs. Rutgers in March 2021. The Boilermakers won in walk-off fashion for the second time this season and 11th time under head coach Greg Goff (2020-present).
Purdue won its fourth straight series vs. Northwestern dating back to 2018, winning nine of the 12 games during that stretch. The Boilermakers won games 1 and 3 of the series each of the last three times the teams have squared off.
Jake Parr delivered a two-out, two-run double to put Purdue in front 3-0 in the fourth inning of game 2.
Iwinski worked five true 1-2-3 innings and erased a one-out single by inducing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the top of the third. He pitched into the seventh inning for the second time this season, needing just 67 pitches to get through 6 2/3 innings. The righthander struck out five and did not issue a walk.
The Boilermakers scored twice with two outs in the eighth inning of game 1 to bring the tying run to the plate. But they played from behind for much of the game after Michael Farinelli kept them off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, pitching a gem against Purdue for the second year in a row. Farinelli struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball.
The Boilermakers are back in action Tuesday when they host Evansville at 6 p.m. ET.
Game 2: Purdue 4, Northwestern 3 (10 Innings)
Cook hit a hanging slider over the left field bullpen on the second pitch of the bottom of the 10th. It was his first extra-base hit as a Boilermaker.
The Boilermakers took advantage of two dropped popups to load the bases with one out in the fourth inning. Sam Franco nearly hit a grand slam but the deep fly ball was caught on the warning track in left field for a sac fly. Parr followed with his two-run double down the left field line.
Iwinski induced 10 ground balls outs and struck out the side in order vs. the 1-2-3 portion of the lineup in the fourth inning. On his third time through the top of the lineup, Griffin Arnone and Alex Calarco barreled up for a leadoff home run and one-out double in the seventh inning. Arnone went deep off each of Purdue’s three starting pitchers in the series.
CJ Backer needed only one pitch to induce an-ending comebacker in the seventh inning, stranding an inherited runner at third base.
Northwestern tied the game in the top of the ninth on consecutive RBI singles from Calacro and Stephen Hrustich. The Boilermakers caught a break when Calarco misread Hrustich’s hit down the right field line. Purdue was able to cut down Hrustich at second base after he got hung up thinking Calarco would go first to third as the go-ahead run. Backer was able to keep the game tied with an inning-ending strikeout.
Cal Lambert struck out the only batter he faced, winning a lefty-lefty matchup after a two-out single in the top of the 10th.
Game 1: Northwestern 7, Purdue 3
Jonathan Blackwell also pitched well in his Alexander Field debut, giving the Boilermakers at least five innings for his seventh consecutive start. He rolled through three 1-2-3 innings and did not issue a walk.
The Boilermakers scored two of their runs when runners came around from second base on infield hits. Mike Bolton Jr. and Paul Toetz scampered home on base hits to the shortstop by Jake Jarvis and Connor Caskenette. Toetz was in motion on the full-count pitch with two outs in the eighth inning. Camden Melvin followed with an RBI single into right center.
Ben Grable retired all four batters he faced, escaping the bases-loaded jam he inherited in the eighth inning and retiring Purdue in order in the ninth.
Jackson Dannelley also retired the first four batters he faced for the Boilermakers. He replaced Blackwell with a runner at third and a 1-2 count on Hrustich as the cleanup hitter. He needed only one pitch to strike out Hrustich and then worked a 1-2-3 frame vs NU’s 5-6-7 hitters in the top of the seventh.
Evan Minarovic made his first start of the season Sunday and delivered run-scoring hits in both the sixth and eighth innings.
PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF: BOILERMAKERS SECURE TOP-3 FINISH AT THE BRUZZY
ARDMORE, Okla. – Despite a rough start Sunday morning, Purdue Women’s Golf finished strong to place third out of 15 teams at The Bruzzy. With Danielle du Toit’s 68 (-2) leading the way, the Boilermakers (+28) fired a final round 289 (+9) to edge out Texas Tech (+29) and No. 17 UCF (+31) for the last spot in the Top 3.
North Texas (+16) won the team title as the hosts finished just two strokes ahead of Tulsa (+18).
Du Toit carded her best round of the tournament, as well as her fourth round in the 60s this season. Her 68 matched medalist Lilly Thomas of Tulsa for the lowest round of the day. After a bogey to start her day, the South African got the stroke back with a birdie at the fifth. She played her final 13 holes bogey free, making a trio of birdies along the way. Du Toit moved from 25th into a tie for seventh on the individual leaderboard, securing her second Top-10 finish of the spring.
Momo Sugiyama ended The Bruzzy at 9-over following a final round 74 (+4). She birdied No. 1, her last hole of the day, to crack the Top 20 for the fifth time this year.
Kan Bunnabodee shot 72 (+2) for the second consecutive round, tying du Toit with a team-high four birdies Sunday. At 10-over for the tournament, the Purdue senior tied for 24th in the 84-player field.
Ashley Kozlowski placed 31st (+12), her tournament highlighted by a 68 (-2) in the second round. Jocelyn Bruch, who fired a team-best 71 (+1) in round one, contributed to Purdue’s final round tally with a 75 (+5).
Following three straight weekends of competition, the Boilermaker have a week off before returning to the links for the Lady Buckeye Invitational (April 15-16). That tournament in Columbus marks the final tune-up ahead of the Big Ten Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh (April 21-23).
BOILERMAKERS
T7. Danielle du Toit: 75-72-68—215 (+5)
T20. Momo Sugiyama: 72-73-74—219 (+9)
T24. Kan Bunnabodee: 76-72-72—220 (+10)
T31. Ashley Kozlowski: 76-68-78—222 (+12)
T51. Jocelyn Bruch: 71-80-75—226 (+16)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. North Texas: 286-277-293—856 (+16)
2. Tulsa: 291-280-287—858 (+18)
3. Purdue: 294-285-289—868 (+28)
4. Texas Tech: 295-288-286—869 (+29)
5. #17 UCF: 303-282-286—871 (+31)
6. Nebraska: 291-301-292—884 (+44)
7. Houston: 301-297-293—891 (+51)
8. Kansas State: 295-291-307—893 (+53)
9. TCU: 297-294-303—894 (+54)
10. Missouri: 304-297-294—895 (+55)
11. Wisconsin: 300-302-294—896 (+56)
12. Charlotte: 298-287-312—897 (+57)
13. Western Kentucky: 307-295-296—898 (+58)
14. Oklahoma: 307-293-303—903 (+63)
15. Miami (FL): 321-295-303—919 (+79)
BUTLER MEN’S TENNIS: BUTLER MTENNIS DROPS MATCH AT NOTRE DAME
The Butler men’s tennis team dropped their match at Notre Dame on Sunday, 4-3. The result concludes non-conference play for the Bulldogs and moves them to 11-9 on the season.
The Fighting Irish created an early lead after earning the doubles point. Courts two and three went Notre Dame’s way while the No. 1 went unfinished.
In singles, the six matches were split between the two with Butler taking the top half and Notre Dame taking the bottom.
Butler’s top singles player Thomas Brennan continued his recent success with a win in two sets. Brennan has now won his last four and is 13-5 overall from the No.1 position. Alvaro Huete Vadillo matched Brennan’s performance with a straight set win of his own at the No. 2. Borja Miralles was victorious in a comeback at the third court to round out the top half singles sweep.
Up next, Butler will look for their third conference win of the season when they meet up with Xavier on Saturday, April 8 at the Outdoor Tennis Courts.
Match Results – Butler vs. Notre Dame
Singles:
1. Thomas Brennan (BU) def. Addy Vashistha (ND) – 6-4, 6-1
2. Alvaro Huete Vadillo (BU) def. Connor Fu (ND) 6-4, 6-2
3. Borja Miralles (BU) def. Jean-Marc Malkowski (ND) – 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
4. Yu Zhang (ND) def. Rahulniket Konakanchi (BU) – 6-0, 6-1
5. Jameson Corsillo (ND) def. Patrick Joss (BU) – 6-2, 6-3
6. Brian Bilsey (ND) def. Nicolas Arts (BU) – 6-2, 7-6
Doubles:
1. Connor Fu/Matt Halpin (ND) vs. Thomas Brennan/Alvaro Huete Vadillo (BU) – 5-3 (unfinished)
2. Evan Lee/Yu Zhang (ND) def. Borja Miralles/Nicolas Arts (BU) – 6-2
3. Noah Becker/Brian Bilsey (ND) def. Rahulniket Konakanchi/Patrick Joss (BU) – 6-4
BUTLER SOFTBALL: CREIGHTON HANDS @BUTLER SOFTBALL FIRST CONFERENCE LOSS
OMAHA, Neb. – The Butler softball team suffered its first loss in BIG EAST play on Sunday, falling to Creighton, 9-1, in five innings in game three of the conference series. With wins in games one and two, the Bulldogs (14-20, 8-1 BIG EAST) won the series against the BlueJays (14-21, 1-8 BIG EAST) and remain atop the BIG EAST standings, just ahead of Seton Hall and UConn who are tied for second.
How It Happened
Creighton jumped on Butler early, scoring seven runs in the first inning off eight hits that included two home runs. The BlueJays added two more in the second, with their third home run of the day, and led 9-0 after two innings.
In the top of the third, the Bulldogs got on the board with three consecutive singles from Olivia Moxley, Kaylee Gross, and Sydney Carter. Butler stranded three, however, and Moxley would turn out to be the only Bulldog to tag home on the day.
Mackenzie Griman (7-8) started for Butler in the circle and took the loss. She allowed four runs on three hits and a walk, all in the first inning. Sydney Cammon (1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, BB, 2 K) came in with nobody out in the first inning and lasted through two outs in the second. Rylyn Dyer (2.1 IP, 2 H) entered with two outs in the second and finished the game without allowing a run.
Bulldog Bits
An 8-1 start in conference play represents the best start for Butler since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.
Kaylee Gross is 19-for-37 (.514) in the past 12 games, with three hits in three of them.
Up Next
Butler hosts Dayton in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Apr. 4 and then hosts Villanova for a three-game BIG EAST series from Thursday, Apr. 6 through Saturday, Apr. 8.
BUTLER BASEBALL: BULLDOGS TAKE TWO AT EASTERN ILLINOIS
CHARLESTON – The Butler baseball team recorded two wins on Sunday at Coaches Stadium against Eastern Illinois. Game one was a marathon that went into extra innings. The Bulldogs would come up with 17 hits and eventually push the game-winning run across home plate in the 14th inning to win 6-5. The nightcap was limited to just seven innings with Butler shutting EIU out 2-0.
The first game of Sunday’s doubleheader was a wild one. Butler erased an early 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the sixth, and the ‘Dawgs looked to be in the driver’s seat before a three-run bottom of the ninth inning from EIU.
The 5-5 tie would run all the way to the 14th inning before BU scored on a single through the left side of the infield. Evan Parks came up with the game-winner to score Garret Gray. Ryan O’Halloran and Xavier Carter were each in the box score with four hits for the Bulldogs. O’Halloran added an RBI along with Cade Vota. Kyle Van Liere led the team with two RBI’s in the contest.
Lukas Galdoni got the start and would strike out six Panthers over 4.2 innings. Aaron Barokas would match Galdoni with 4.2 innings of action. Barokas picked up his second win of the season on the mound and Dawson Taylor entered the game for the save.
Game two got started with a Xavier Carter home run in the top of the second inning. The solo shot put BU in front and Joey Urban would add an insurance run in the sixth by scoring off a wild pitch.
Nick Miketinac got the start, but the win would go to Cole Graverson. Miketinac handed the ball to Graverson in the third inning and he would go the rest of the way. Graverson struck out five batters over five frames. He only allowed one hit and didn’t issue a walk.
The Bulldogs will look to ride this momentum into the start of conference play. Butler will play at Xavier this weekend. The three-game series in Cincinnati will be played Thursday through Saturday due to Easter being on Sunday.
IUPUI MEN’S TENNIS: MEN’S TENNIS DROPS NAILBITTER TO NORSE, 4-3
INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI came back to tie it up at three points each but couldn’t capitalize, falling to Northern Kentucky on Saturday evening, 4-3. Tom Ciszewski, Kamil Kozerski and Colton Morehart all earn singles points in the loss.
The Jaguars dropped the doubles point giving the Norse the early 1-0 lead. Alex Jochim and Ciszewski fell at number one doubles, 7-6 while Blessing Benibo and Morehart dropped the number two doubles match, 6-4. Kozerski and Nick Moody were trailing 6-5 when their match went unfinished in the number three spot.
IUPUI quickly tied it up at 1-1 with a straight set victory from Kozerski in the number three singles spot, 6-2, 6-2. NKU then took back-to-back singles wins with freshman Eli Mercer falling in the number five spot, 6-4, 6-2 and Noah Viste losing in the number six spot, 6-4, 7-6.
The Jags answered with their own back-to-back wins with Ciszewski winning at number two singles, 6-1, 7-6 and Morehart taking the number number four singles in three sets, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. With the match tied at 3-3, Jochim fought for every point but ultimately fell in three sets, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
The men’s tennis team is now 5-17 overall and 1-3 in conference play. They will get their chance to take on Northern Kentucky again on Saturday, April 8 when they travel to Highland Heights for a 12:30 PM first serve.
IUPUI WOMEN’S TENNIS: WOMEN’S TENNIS FALLS TO NKU, 6-1
INDIANAPOLIS – Meghan Bernard earned the number two singles win as the IUPUI women’s tennis team fell to Northern Kentucky, 6-1.
The Norse took the doubles point to start the match with an early 1-0 lead. Bernard and Samantha Hayward fell at number one doubles, 6-4 and the partnership of Emma Dell and Grace Lampman fell in the number two spot, 6-3. Sarah Lounsbury and Makenzie Myers were tied at 5-5 when their number three doubles match went unfinished.
Down 1-0, IUPUI couldn’t come back in singles play. Bernard won in the number two spot in three sets, 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 to give the Jags the lone point. Myers fell at number one singles, 6-1, 6-0 while Hayward fell in three sets in the number three spot, 7-5, 1-6, 1-0. Dell lost at number four singles, 7-6, 6-0 while Lampman fell in the number five spot, 6-2, 6-0 and Lounsbury dropped the number six singles match, 6-1, 6-0.
The Jags are now 8-10 overall and 1-0 in conference play. They will next travel to Rochester, Michigan to face Oakland on April 8 for a 4:30 PM first serve.
BALL STATE BASEBALL: CARDINALS SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER TO WIN SERIES AGAINST ZIPS
AKRON, Ohio – The Ball State baseball team returned to action for a Mid-American Conference doubleheader at Akron. Logan Flood, Hunter Dobbins, and Decker Scheffler all hit a home run of the BSU, as the Cardinals win both games Sunday to secure the series victory over the Zips.
Ball State improved to 20-7 overall and 10-2 in MAC play, while the Akron fell to 12-15 overall and 5-7 in conference action.
“Our boys showed their grit after losing game one then coming back and earning a sweep today,” said Head Coach Rich Maloney. “Tanner Knapp and Sam Klein really gave us a lift. Andrew Wilhite and Decker Scheffler carried our offense.”
Game One – Ball State 11, Akron 6
The Zips got on the board first in the bottom of the first with one run on one hit.
Decker Scheffler led off the top of the second by being hit by a pitch. Flood put the Cardinals on top with a two-run homer over the left field wall. BSU took its first lead of the series, 2-1, into the top of the second.
Akron tied the game in the bottom of the second on a bases-loaded walk. After two innings in the books, the game was tied 2-2.
The Zips added three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Two of the three runs came on BSU walks. Akron took a 5-2 lead into the fourth.
Ryan Peltier led off the top of the fourth and was hit by a pitch. He then stole second and moved into scoring position. Flood was hit by a pitch to give BSU runners on first and second with one out. Andrew Wilhite doubled down the right field line and scored Peltier from second. Ball State cut the deficit to 5-3.
Hunter Dobbins led off the top of the fifth with a single to left field. Nick Gregory walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Adam Tellier singled up the middle to drive in Dobbins from second. Ryan Peltier singled up the middle to load the bases for the Cardinals. Decker Scheffler notched a sac fly to center as Gregory tagged up from third. Andrew Wilhite drove in two runs with a single to right field as Tellier and Peltier scored. Ball State retook the lead, 7-5.
The Zips cut the Cardinal lead to just one, 7-6, with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Flood led off the top of the eighth with an eight-pitch walk. Wilhite dropped down a perfect bunt for a single. Blake Bevis reached on a fielder’s choice as Flood was out at third. Justin Conant recorded an RBI single through the left side as Wilhite scored from second. BSU extended its lead to 8-6.
Peltier produced a one-out double to left field to get things started for Ball State in the top of the ninth. Scheffler singled to second and gave the Cards runners on the corners with one out. Flood drew a walk to load the bases. Wilhite grounded out to first, but Peltier was able to score from third. Bevis followed with a bunt single that scored Scheffler. Dobbins drove in Flood to extend the Ball State lead to 11-6. Sam Klein picked up the save as the Cardinals won the first game 11-6.
Wilhite led the Cardinals with a 3-for-5 game at the plate with four RBIs. Flood belted his second homer of the season and finished with a 1-for-1 game with three walks.
Ty Johnson got the start on the mound for Ball State and went 2 2/3 of an inning. He had three strikeouts and surrendered five earned runs. Logan Schulfer walked two batters. Brady Owens picked up his first win and improved to 1-0 on the year. He went 2 2/3 innings in relief. He notched three strikeouts and gave up one earned run. Klein picked up the save, his first of the season, in 3 2/3 innings with a season-high six strikeouts. He surrendered only one hit.
Spencer Atkins got the start and picked up the loss for Akron. He fell to 1-4 on the season. He went 4 1/3 innings. He gave up seven earned runs and added one strikeout. Anthony Fett went 4 2/3 innings in relief and surrendered four earned runs. He picked up two strikeouts.
Game Two – Ball State 9, Akron 1
Tellier produced a one-out single up the middle to get things start for Ball State in the top of the first. Peltier was hit by a pitch. Scheffler singled up the middle to score Tellier from second. Peltier stole third and Flood drew a walk to load the bases for the Cardinals. Wilhite produced a sac fly to center as Peltier tagged up and scored. BSU took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the first.
The Zips cut the deficit to one, 2-1, with one run on one hit in the bottom of the first.
Peltier led off the top of the third with a double to center field. Scheffler grounded out but moved Peltier to third. Flood reached on an error by the shortstop, which allowed Peltier to score from third. Bevis reached on an error by the shortstop and Flood was able to score from third. Dobbins blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall to put the Cardinals on top 6-1.
Peltier notched a two-out double down the left field line in the top of the fourth. Scheffler followed with a two-run home run to right field. Ball State took an 8-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth.
Matthew Rivera doubled to left field to lead off the top of the ninth. Tellier followed with a single that scored Rivera from second. The Cardinals took a 9-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Ryan struck out three batters to secure the 9-1 victory for the Cardinals.
Tanner Knapp got the ball in game two for the Cardinals. He went 5 1/3 innings and struck out four batters. He surrendered one earned run on three hits. He picked up the win and improved to 1-1 on the year. Ty Weatherly added two innings with two strikeouts and scattered two hits. Brown closed out the game for Ball State with 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.
Joe Roth got the start for the Zips in game two. He picked up the loss and fell to 0-3 on the season. He went four innings and gave up eight runs, five earned. Brett Dietrich went five innings in relief for Akron and struck out three batters. He gave up one earned run on three hits.
Ball State returns to the friendly confines of the Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark on Tuesday, April 4, for a midweek contest against Bellarmine. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S TENNIS: WOMEN’S TENNIS WINS ON THE ROAD AT EMU
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Ball State women’s tennis team continues to shine this season in Mid-American Conference action, as the Cardinals brought home a 5-2 win over Eastern Michigan Sunday afternoon at the Chippewa Club.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 15-3 overall and 4-1 in MAC play while the Eagles dropped to 5-4 for the year and 2-2 in league action.
Ball State continues to dominate in doubles play this season and today was no different, as the Cardinals took the early 1-0 edge over the Eagles after winning on courts No. 1 and No. 3.
The No. 1 doubles tandem of Amy Kaplan and Annika Planinsek tallied a 7-5 match over EMU’s duo of Prerna Vichare and Sabina Brichakova. Emily Desai then paired up with Jessica Braun for another 7-5 victory at the No. 3 spot.
In singles, Mariya Polishchuk, Kaplan, Planinsek, and Desai all took down their respective opponents in straight sets to help Ball State move past Eastern Michigan today.
With only five matches remaining in the MAC regular season, Ball State remains in second place in the league standings. The Cardinals will be the host of this year’s upcoming 2023 MAC Tournament championship (April 29-April 30).
The Ball State women’s tennis team continues its two-match road swing when it plays at Western Michigan Friday. First serve is at 1 pm ET at Sorensen Courts/West Hill Athletic Club.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL: SOFTBALL DROPS PAIR OF SUNDAY GAMES AT OHIO
ATHENS, Ohio – – The Ball State softball team battled until the end Sunday afternoon, but ultimately dropped both ends of a doubleheader to a red-hot Ohio squad by scores of 10-2 (6) and 4-2 at the Ohio Softball Field.
After falling behind 4-0 in the nightcap, the Cardinals (16-16; 6-5 Mid-American Conference) used a two-run home from senior third baseman Haley Wynn in the top of the fifth to cut the lead in half.
Ball State, still trailing 4-2, would bring the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, only to see a double play end the game.
In Sunday’s opener, the Bobcats (19-14; 10-2 MAC) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three innings. Ball State would get single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but a three-run fourth and two-run sixth helped in the game at 10-2 (6) in favor of Ohio.
Despite the setbacks, there were some spectacular defensive plays from the Cardinals, including a home run robbing catch from redshirt freshman McKenna Mulholland in the second inning of the nightcap.
HIGHLIGHTS
Wynn’s two-run home run in the nightcap was her sixth long ball of the season and raised her career total to 15.
Senior center fielder Remington Ross added to her defensive highlight reel with a diving catch in right center during Sunday’s opener.
SCORING SUMMARY GAME 1– Ball State 2 – Ohio 10 (6)
B1 | Ohio jumped out to an early lead with a RBI double to left center from Alexis Dawe, however the Ball State defensive relay of Ross, senior shortstop Amaia Daniel, and redshirt sophomore catcher McKayla Timmons threw out Annalia Paoli attempting to score from first. (1-0)
B2 | The Bobcats add to the lead following a Ball State miscue on an infield single by CiCi Keidel. (2-0)
B2 | Logan hits a sacrifice fly to left field to extend the Ohio lead. (3-0)
B3 | A sacrifice fly to center field by Ellie Grein brings in another run, while a throwing error on the play allows another run to cross the plate. (5-0)
T4 | Ball State gets on the board with a single to left by redshirt senior second baseman Jazmyne Armendariz, scoring Timmons from third. (5-1)
B4 | Hoffman hits a double down the left field line, scoring two more runs for the Bobcats (7-1).
B4 | A single up the middle by Westler extends the Ohio lead (8-1).
T5 | The Cardinals strike back with a Wynn RBI groundout to score Ross from third. (8-2)
B6 | Ohio capitalizes on another BSU throwing error to extend the lead back to seven runs. (9-2)
B6 | Westler singles up the middle to end the game. (10-2)
SCORING SUMMARY GAME 2– Ball State 2 – Ohio 4
B3 | Following a leadoff double, the Bobcats strike first with a single to left by Belle Humml. (1-0)
B3 | Ohio adds to their lead with a double off the center field wall by Logan. (2-0)
B3 | Paoli makes it three straight hits for Ohio with a double to left, scoring Logan. (3-0)
B3 | Dawe hits an RBI double off the top of the wall in right center to extend the Bobcats’ lead to four. (4-0)
T5 | Wynn launches a two-run home run over the left field wall to cut the lead in half. (4-2)
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will be back in action Tuesday (April 4) at Notre Dame with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. at Melissa Cook Softball Stadium.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL: IRISH TAKE GAME THREE AGAINST NO. 13 NORTH CAROLINA
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-11) dropped the three-game series at Frank Eck this weekend as they fell to No. 13 North Carolina (20-8) in games one and two of the series. Looking for redemption after a tough loss to the Tar Heels on Friday night, the Irish fell 5-2 in the first game of day, but were able to take home the final game in a 9-1 victory on the home turf.
GAME ONE
It was a slow start to game one as the Irish and Tar Heels were both held scoreless in the first four innings of the day. Left-handed starter Jack Findlay recorded his fifth and sixth strikeout of the day in the top of the fifth, but North Carolina would tack on two runs in the inning to take a 2–0 lead over the Irish. The Tar Heels recorded their third run of the day on a lead-off home run to start the sixth and extended their lead 3-0.
Caden Spivey relieved Findlay to start the sixth and as the Irish went three up, three down in the seventh, Spivey recorded his second and third strikeouts of the day.
In the bottom of the seventh, Brooks Coetzee singled to third base to get the offense rolling for the Irish. Vinny Martinez stepped up to the plate and launched it to deep left field to put the Irish on the board and close the gap to 3-2.
The Tar Heels would add on two more runs in the top of the ninth and after a scoreless frame for the Irish, North Carolina would take the series win in 5-2 victory in game one of the doubleheader.
GAME TWO
The Irish bats were hot in the final game of the weekend series, as the Irish recorded three home runs and scored five of their nine runs off of homers in the second game of the Sunday doubleheader.
The Irish offense struck early as they posted an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Penney recorded a base hit and was scored off of a home run to left center from Carter Putz, his fifth homer of the season.
Penney was back up to the plate in the top of the third where he recorded his fifth home run of the season as well, launching it deep over the left field fence. Brooks Coetzee recorded a base hit and RBI in the third to extend the Irish lead to 4-0 before Vinny Martinez sent his second home run of the day into deep left field. Martinez’s fourth home run of the year gave the Irish the 6-0 advantage heading into the fourth.
Jackson Dennies was relieved by Aidan Tyrell in the fourth after starting on the mound for the Irish and pitching 4.2 innings. Dennies recorded a career-high seven strikeouts, allowing only two hits and giving up no runs and walking no batters.
The Irish tacked on three more runs in the fifth as Putz led off the bottom of the inning with a double to left field. Coetzee would reach after being hit by a pitch and with Martinez up to the plate, both Putz and Coetzee would steal to put runners on second and third. Martinez reached on a fielding error and it was DM Jefferson up to bat with bases loaded. Jefferson doubled to left center and recorded two RBI as he scored Putz and Coetzee and extended the Irish lead to 8-0. A base hit from Moreno scored Martinez and Notre Dame led 9-0.
After scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh, the Tar Heels recorded their only run of the day on a solo home run to center field in the top of the eighth. The Irish held North Carolina scoreless in the top of the ninth to take home the 9-1 victory.
UP NEXT
The Irish are back in action on Tuesday against Northwestern at Frank Eck at 5:30 PM. Notre Dame hits the road to resume ACC play against Pitt for a three-game series starting on Thursday, April 6.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL: IRISH SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER WITH PITTSBURGH
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team split a doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Panthers Sunday afternoon at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Fighting Irish dropped a slugfest 13-11 in game one but rebounded for a 10-2 five inning win in the nightcap. The Irish are now 20-10-1 on the season, and 5-6-1 in ACC play.
Payton Tidd started in the circle in game one. She threw the first inning before giving way to Micaela Kastor. Kastor worked 1.2 innings, allowing four hits, eight runs, three earned and struck out two before Tidd re-entered. In total, Tidd threw 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs and struck out two.
At the plate, the Irish went for 12 hits, led by three-hit efforts from Carlli Kloss and Joley Mitchell. Mitchell added two RBI, scored twice and hit a home run. Kloss added a double and drove in a run. Karina Gaskins, Lexi Orozco and Leea Hanks each drove in two runs. Mickey Winchell added a 2-for-4 effort with two runs scored and an RBI and hit her first extra-base hits of the season.
Shannon Becker started the nightcap in the circle. The sophomore threw a complete game, tossing 5.0 innings, scattering four hits, two runs, one earned as she struck out five.
Gaskins landed herself in the record books with her performance in the nightcap, going 3-for-3 with three home runs and driving in seven. The three home runs in the same game ties her own program record, and the seven RBI in a game is good for second all-time in program history. Orozco also finished 3-for-3, hitting two home runs and a double. Kloss added a 2-for-3 performance with a double and scored twice.
How It Happened – Game One
The Panthers struck for two runs in the top of the first inning. A lead-off triple and followed with a single through the left side drove in the first run. A double to the wall in left brought in the second run to extend Pitt’s early lead to 2-0.
Notre Dame stormed back in the bottom of the first frame. Kloss started the inning with a double to left center and came win when Mitchell homered over the left field bleachers. Gaskins drew her ACC-leading 26th walk of the season and Orozco greeted a new Pitt pitcher by homering over the scoreboard in left center field to put the Irish up 4-2.
Pitt put together a rally in the third inning, scoring nine runs on six hits to go with a pair of Irish errors. The Panthers added a run with a solo home run in the fourth to extend the lead to 12-4.
The Irish rallied in the bottom of the fourth to score three. Johnson got it going with a single and scored when Winchell drove a single to center field. Kloss knocked a single up the middle for the second run and Gaskins singled to bring in Kloss and cut the lead to 12-7.
Three more runs came home for the Irish in the sixth. A single from Mitchell, a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases. Hanks hit it on the ground where it was misplayed, allowing two to score. Another hit batter loaded the bases again as a fielder’s choice on a ground ball brought in another Irish run to cut the lead to 13-10.
Pittsburgh went down in order in the top of the seventh, as the Irish continued their comeback attempt. Winchell led the inning off with a double and a single from Kloss put runners on the corners. A fielder’s choice brought in the run and the tying run was retired with a foul out that was caught by the second baseman.
How It Happened – Game Two
Notre Dame struck for a pair in the first, getting a lead-off double from Kloss before Gaskins left the yard with her eighth homer of the year.
Pittsburgh knotted the game with two of their own in the top of the second. Back-to-back singles started the inning, and a misplay allowed the runners to move into scoring position. A single to left brought in both to tie it at two each.
The Irish answered with five runs in the bottom of the second. With one out, Winchell chopped a ground ball at the shortstop who misplayed it. A single put two runners on and a double steal moved them into scoring position. Winchell scored on a wild pitch as Mitchell drew a walk. Gaskins brought everyone in with her second home run in as many innings, and Orozco followed with a solo shot of her own to put the Irish up 7-2.
Three more runs, courtesy of the long ball came in for Notre Dame in the fourth. A lead-off single from Mitchell set the stage as Gaskins launched her third home run of the game to center field. Orozco went back-to-back again, with a solo shot to left.
Up Next
The Irish will return to Melissa Cook Stadium Tuesday night for an 8 p.m. midweek matchup with the Ball State Cardinals on ACC Network.
ISU WOMEN’S GOLF: SYCAMORES SIT IN FOURTH AFTER FIRST ROUND OF ISU SPRING INVITE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State Sycamores opened the Annual ISU Spring Invitational Sunday afternoon with team score of 323 in the first round. The two-day event takes place at Country Club of Terre Haute with 18 holes being played each day. The second round begins Monday at 10 a.m. ET.
Senior Kristen Hobbs is leading the Sycamores after the first round while freshman Eliza Baker is tied for the top spot as an individual. ISU’s 323 team score has the Sycamores sitting in fourth place after the first day of action.
Hobbs is tied for 10th with a 78 while Briana LeMaire is right behind with a 79. Chelsea Morrow sits tied for 20th with an 82, and the Sycamore lineup is rounded out by Iyoun Chew and Molly Lee with an 84 and 86, respectively, through the first round.
A pair of Sycamore individuals are in the top 15 at the end of the first day as Baker is tied for fourth at three over par with a 75, the top score for an individual in the first round.
Yang Tai is tied for 14th with the second-best first-round individual score of 79. Grace Welty is also playing as an individual and scored a first-round 86.
ISU BASEBALL: SYCAMORES SWEEP SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER TO MOVE TO 5-1 IN MISSOURI VALLEY PLAY
CHICAGO, Ill. – Indiana State connected on six home runs in support of strong starts from Connor Fenlong and Lane Miller as the Sycamores swept UIC in the series finale doubleheader at Curtis Granderson Stadium on Sunday, 13-7 and 10-1.
Indiana State (14-12, 5-1 MVC) rebounded from Friday’s loss to the Flames to record their second MVC series win of the season. The Sunday sweep over UIC (10-13, 1-5 MVC) marked the third consecutive season ISU won their first two conference series dating back to 2021.
Head Coach Mitch Hannahs hit a coaching milestone on Sunday afternoon as the Sycamore skipper picked up his 100th career MVC coaching win following the sweep. Hannahs moved to 100-76-1 all-time in MVC play to become the fifth active conference coach to reach 100 career wins. He also became the fourth MVC coach in conference history to have at least 100 wins and an above .500 record in conference play after hitting the win milestone.
Mike Sears highlighted the Sycamores at the plate with his second two-homer game of the season in the opener. Randal Diaz added his second home run of the weekend, while Miguel Rivera, Adam Pottinger, and Keegan Watson also went deep on Sunday afternoon as the Sycamores exploded for 23 runs and 31 hits over the two games.
Fenlong recorded his team-leading third win of the year on the mound in Sunday’s opener. Miller added his second win of the week after going eight innings and surrendering just three hits in the series finale against the Flames.
Game One: Indiana State 13, UIC 7
Mike Sears homered in his first two at-bats and Connor Fenlong pitched into the seventh inning as Indiana State took the first game in Sunday’s doubleheader at Curtis Granderson Stadium, 13-7.
Sears recorded his second two-homer game of the 2023 season with a solo shot in the third and a two-run blast in the fourth to highlight a four-home run game for the ISU lineup. Miguel Rivera and Randal Diaz also went deep for the Sycamores as ISU evened the series with the win.
Fenlong (3-2) picked up his third win on the mound as the redshirt senior went 6.1 innings allowing nine hits and five runs. The Gouvernour, N.Y. native struck out four in his team-leading third win on the mound. Brennyn Cutts went the final 2.1 innings on the mound and added four strikeouts to close out the contest.
The Sycamores broke the game open with a six-run top of the sixth inning highlighted by Rivera’s three-run home run. Grant Magill and Josue Urdaneta both added RBI singles in the inning to give ISU a 10-5 lead.
Indiana State added three more runs in the ninth highlighted by a Seth Gergely RBI single to close out the scoring.
Diaz and Sears both posted three-hit games to leave six Sycamores with multi-hit games in the opener. ISU connected on a season-best 16 hits with all nine starters reaching base in the game.
Charlie Szykowny, Breck Nowik, and Rayth Petersen all homered for UIC in the loss.
Ryan Karst (0-2) took the loss on the mound after surrendering seven hits and three runs over the first four innings. Kendall Lyons, Matt Zahora, Mark McCabe, and Reece Lawler closed out the game on the mound.
How They Scored
UIC’s Rayth Petersen connected on a one-out solo home run to left field to put the Flames ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the second.
Mike Sears tied the game up at 1-1 in the top of the third inning with a leadoff solo home run to the left of the batter’s eye in centerfield for his eighth blast of the season.
Sears went deep for the second time in the top of fourth inning as his two-out, two-run home run cleared the left field wall and scored Miguel Rivera to put Indiana State ahead 3-1.
Randal Diaz connected on a one-out solo home run to left field in the top of the fifth inning to put ISU ahead 4-1 at the midway point of the game.
UIC cut the lead down to 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth as Cole Conn connected on an RBI fielder’s choice scoring Bobby Grimes.
Miguel Rivera connected on a three-run home run, while Grant Magill and Josue Urdaneta had RBI singles to give Indiana State a 10-2 lead following a six-run top of the sixth inning.
Brett Nowik made it a 10-3 game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pinch-hit one-out solo home run under the scoreboard in left center.
Charlie Szykowny sparked the Flames in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut the ISU lead down to 10-5.
Indiana State scored three runs to make it a 13-5 lead in the top of the ninth highlighted by a Seth Gergely RBI single.
UIC took two runs back in the bottom of the ninth on AJ Henkle’s two-run double to left center to provide the final 13-7 margin.
Game Two: Indiana State 10, UIC 1
Lane Miller went eight strong innings for the second time this week and Adam Pottinger and Keegan Watson both homered as Indiana State topped UIC in the series finale, 10-1.
After going 8.0 innings in Tuesday night’s 8-2 in over Purdue, Miller (2-0) got his second starting nod of the week in taking the mound against the Flames. The redshirt senior set the tone early with a pair of strikeouts in the first inning on his way to shutting down the UIC offense in the conference win.
Miller used 109 pitches and scattered three hits with Bobby Grimes’ sixth-inning solo home run the lone blemish to his stat line. The Boonville, Ind. native surrendered three walks and struck out four to close out one of the best pitching weeks in Indiana State history.
The Sycamore offense supported Miller early and often as ISU put together a five-run fifth inning highlighted by Adam Pottinger’s first home run of the weekend. Keegan Watson added a solo home run off the batter’s eye in centerfield in the seventh, while Luis Hernandez and Josue Urdaneta both had two RBI in the ISU win.
Seth Gergely had a career-high four hits as the Sycamores scattered 15 hits over the final game of the weekend. Urdaneta, Hernandez, Rivera, and Pottinger all had multi-hit games while Grant Magill added a double to close out the series with the Flames.
Cameron Holycross worked a scoreless ninth inning to close out the contest.
Jeff Zack (1-1) took the loss allowing five hits and four runs while striking out six over the first four innings. Tyler Ingram, Peter Newton, Rigel Verciglio, and Mark McCabe closed out the game in relief.
How They Scored
Adam Pottinger started the scoring with a leadoff solo home run in the top of the fifth to spark a five-run inning. Grant Magill, Josue Urdaneta, Miguel Rivera, and Keegan Watson all added RBI in the inning as the Sycamores sent 10 batters to the plate in the rally.
Luis Hernandez made sure the Sycamores capitalized on a pair of UIC errors in the top of the sixth as the sophomore designated hitter connected on a two-out, two-run single scoring Seth Gergely and Josue Urdaneta to make it a 7-0 ISU lead.
Bobby Grimes put the Flames on the board with a leadoff solo home run to left field in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 7-1.
Keegan Watson homered for ISU and Josue Urdaneta added an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning as the Sycamores stretched the lead back out to 9-1.
Rivera added his second RBI of the game with a double down the right field line scoring Randal Diaz to provide the final 10-1 margin.
News & Notes
Due to the weather conditions over the weekend, Indiana State lined up in its third weekend doubleheader in as many weeks and fourth overall in the 2023 season on Sunday against the Flames.
The Sycamores previously closed out series weekends with Kentucky (Mar. 4-5), Michigan State (Mar. 19), and Valparaiso (Mar. 25-26). ISU moved to 2-2 in weekend doubleheaders following Sunday’s sweep over UIC.
Head Coach Mitch Hannahs recorded his 100th career Missouri Valley Conference win on Sunday afternoon. The Sycamore skipper became the fifth active MVC coach to hit the mark and fourth MVC coach in conference history to have 100 wins and an above .500 mark in conference play.
Fifteen of Indiana State’s 33 home runs have come in Missouri Valley play following the nine home run weekend against the Flames at Curtis Granderson Stadium.
Mike Sears extended his career best on-base streak to 22 consecutive games after reaching safely in both games. The streak was extended in the first game following his third-inning solo home run. He was hit by a pitch in the top of the fifth inning in game two.
Sears’ pair of home runs in the opening game gave him a team-leading nine in the 2023 season. It marked the most home runs by a Sycamore since 2021 when Max Wright connected on 16 home runs to pace ISU.
Mike Sears’ two-homer game in Sunday’s opener made him the first ISU player since 2019 (Clay Dungan vs. Indiana (Mar. 19), vs. Valparaiso (Apr. 12) to post more than one multi-home run game in a season. Sears also homered twice against Valparaiso (March 26) in the first game of the doubleheader against the Beacons.
Luis Hernandez extended his on-base streak to 19 games in Sunday’s opener following his fifth inning walk in the first game and his single in the top of the fifth in game two.
Keegan Watson ran his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games after doubling in game one and homering in game two on Sunday.
Seth Gergely extended his hitting streak to 10 games after hitting safely in both contests on Sunday. He connected on a leadoff single in the first inning in game one and added a single in the top of the fifth in game two in recording his second double-digit hit streak of the season.
Keegan Watson extended his hitting streak to 10 games following a double off the wall in left centerfield in the second inning in the first game.
Seth Gergely connected on a career-high four hits in the final game of the weekend surpassing his previous mark of three hits set six different times throughout his career.
Lane Miller became the first ISU pitcher to start two games in the same week since Brennyn Cutts accomplished the feat last season. Cutts started the midweek game against Illinois (Apr. 19, 2022) and then added a start on the weekend against Evansville (Apr. 24, 2022).
Miller closed out the week following starts against Purdue and UIC with the following stat line: 16.0 IP, 11 hits, three runs, three walks, nine strikeouts on 209 pitches.
Up Next
Indiana State is back in Terre Haute on Tuesday afternoon as the Sycamores welcome Indiana University for the return trip of the home-and-home series in 2023. First pitch at Bob Warn Field between the Sycamores and Hoosiers is set for 5 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live via ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
ISU SOFTBALL: SYCAMORES SWEPT BY SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Indiana State softball fell in both games of a doubleheader on Sunday against Southern Illinois at Charlotte West Stadium to close out a three-game series.
The Sycamores (17-17, 6-3) dropped game one 1-0 and fell 2-0 in game two of the day to Southern Illinois (27-5, 9-2) who pick up a series sweep and move towards the top of the MVC standings.
Game One
The second game of the series was another pitcher’s duel, remaining scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when SIU got a two-out RBI single to left field to take a 1-0 lead after six frames.
Lauren Sackett went the distance for ISU, allowing just the one run while striking out seven Saluki hitters. She allowed five hits with Indiana State getting held to two, singles from Danielle and Isabella Henning. For SIU, Madi Eberle recorded her second-straight complete game, shutting out the Sycamores and walking just one batter.
Indiana State loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with just one out but Eberle was able to get a pair of pop ups to get out of the jam. The Sycamores went down in order in the seventh, giving SIU the 1-0 win and the series victory.
Sackett dropped to 3-5 on the year with the loss in game one.
Game Two
A repeat of the first two games, hits came at a premium in the series finale.
The Sycamores got a pair of baserunners in the top of the first via a walk and a hit by pitch but could not convert it into any runs.
In the top of the third with two away, Isabella Henning gave one a ride all the way to the wall in right field but the Salukis were able to track it down to end the inning.
SIU would break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third, plating two runs with a two-out, two-run double off the wall in right field to go up 2-0. Sycamore starter Lexi Benko had allowed just two hits until the double from Emma Carder.
Annie Tokarek singled to left field to begin the fourth inning, giving ISU their first hit of the contest. Neither team got on the board in the fourth as Lexi Benko worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half, picking up her second strikeout.
Benko would get replaced by Cassi Newbanks after 4.2 innings, finishing with a pair of strikeouts while allowing two runs on four hits.
After Tokarek’s second single of the game in the top of the sixth, Kennedy Shade drove a pitch deep to left center but would be robbed of a likely home run by the SIU left fielder to retire the side and keep the Sycamores off of the scoreboard.
Cassi Newbanks threw a scoreless bottom of the sixth, bringing the Sycamores up to the plate in the seventh for a chance to extend the game.
Saluki reliever Elliott Stinson set Indiana State down in order, giving SIU a 2-0 win and clinching a series sweep.
Lexi Benko took the loss for ISU, falling to 8-5 on the season.
Up Next
Indiana State will host Evansville on Tuesday, April 4 for an MVC contest beginning at 4 p.m. ET at Price Field.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK: ‘DONS TAKE SECOND AT ISU AND SET RECORDS AT WASHU
ST. LOUIS, Mo. & TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A school record and several impressive performances highlighted the Mastodon men’s track and field program’s performance this weekend at the WashU Distance Carnival and Indiana State’s Pacesetter Sports Invitational.
At WashU, Andrew Whitinger set a school record in the 10000 meters. He finished in ninth place with a time of 29:50.68. Nicholas Mills was 21st overall (30:25.31), Austin Hall took 25th (30:35.24), JT Hodges earned 28th (30:43.14) and Harrison Niswander was 60th (32:22.33). These are the top five times in school history in the event and the top five times in the Horizon League this season.
At Indiana State, Draven Thompson ran the 5000 meters in 15:37.27 for second place. Charles Thiam earned third in the 110 hurdles (14.87) and the 400 hurdles (55.80). Jarred Neff added a third place performance in the 3000 steeplechase (10:00.51). Cody Loshe earned third in the pole vault (4.17 meters).
The 800 meters saw Kobe Milledge take fourth (1:57.31). Brevin Miller had a fourth place performance in both the shot put (14.70 meters) and the javelin (45.62 meters). Joe Cartwright took fourth in the 400 (49.40) and sixth in the 200 (22.17)
John Jackman earned fifth in the 200 meters (21.94). He wasalso had a sixth place finish in the 100 meters (10.98). Isaac Shreve, Brent Donaldson, Jackman and Luke Beehler took fifth in the 4×100 relay (42.88).
The ‘Dons took second with 77 points, only behind host Indiana State. The ‘Dons edged third place and Horizon League foe Oakland.
The ‘Dons are at Tennessee and Indiana Tech this upcoming week.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WTRACK: WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD WRAPS MEETS AT WASHU AND ISU
ST. LOUIS, Mo. & TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s track and field team was in action at WashU’s Distance Carnival and Indiana State’s Pacesetter Sports Invitational this weekend.
At Washington University, Brooke Neal finished the 3000 meter steeplechase with a PR time of 11:03.48, good for ninth place and 10th in school history. It is the fastest time in the Horizon League this season. On Friday at WashU, Ava Genovese was ninth in the 5000 meters (18:47.71). Lydia Carrell earned 23rd (19:24.75).
The ‘Dons added the meet at Indiana State after the Redbird Challenge at Illinois State was canceled due to weather. At Indiana State, Marissa Van De Weg had a time of 1:06.51 for third in the 400 hurdles. Madeline McClerren earned fourth in the 400 meters (1:01.04). The ‘Dons went 2-3-4 in the 800 meters, led by Makaila Groves (2:20.12) and followed by Brayden Langdon (2:24.36) and Kathy Potter (2:24.96). Marissa Van De Weg had a time of 1:06.51 for third in the 400 hurdles. Jordan Yanders was fifth in the 200 meters (25.42) and the 100 hurdles (16.67).
In the field events, Miranda Haney took third (1.60 meters) in the high jump. Ali Sparks turned in a fourth place finish in the discus (37.01 meters). Nakia Harris-Campbell was fourth in the hammer (44.19 meters) and Rosiebella Fiabema followed in fifth (41.60 meters).
The ‘Dons took third as a team at the ISU meet with 83.5 points, only behind Indiana State and Notre Dame and ahead of Horizon League foe Oakland.
Purdue Fort Wayne is at meets hosted by Tennessee and Indiana Tech this upcoming week.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL: EIGHT-RUN EIGHTH LIFTS ‘DONS TO SERIES WIN AT YSU
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Purdue Fort Wayne scored eight runs in the eighth inning to defeat Youngstown State 9-3 on Sunday (April 2) afternoon.
The win gave the series win to the Mastodons, their second straight series win. Purdue Fort Wayne sits in second place in the Horizon League.
The ‘Dons entered the eighth trailing 3-0 and proceeded to score eight runs without the benefit of an extra base hit. Luke Miles had a pair of singles in the inning. Caileb Johnson put the ‘Dons up 4-3 with a two-RBI single. Purdue Fort Wayne benefited from three YSU walks, two hit by pitches and an error.
Bickel singled in a run in the top of the ninth to make the final 9-3. Bickel had three hits in the game. Miles had two hits and two runs scored. Six different ‘Dons knocked in a run. The Mastodons had eight walks on the day, with Grant Thoroman and Dylan Stewart each having two.
Freshman Owen Willard started for the ‘Dons and earned a no-decision. He allowed two runs and three hits in 4.0 innings. Freshman Brody Fine gave up just one run in 3.0 innings for the win. He is 1-3 for his first collegiate victory. Kevin Fee tossed the final two innings, recording three strikeouts in two shutout innings. They limited YSU to only five hits on the day.
The Mastodon defense turned three double plays.
Youngstown State falls to 6-20 (3-5 Horizon League). The ‘Dons improve to 8-20 (5-4 Horizon League). Purdue Fort Wayne hosts Toledo on Tuesday in non-league play.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SB: ‘DONS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT WITH SWEEP OF DETROIT MERCY
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne softball team concluded a series sweep of Detroit Mercy by taking a doubleheader from the Titans on Sunday (April 2) by scores of 10-0 and 8-1.
The Mastodons dominated the series, out-scoring Detroit Mercy by a combined score of 23-3. The Purdue Fort Wayne defense committed only one error in the series.
It is the first five-game win streak and three-game series sweep since 2014 for Purdue Fort Wayne. The ‘Dons did take three straight in a four-game series in 2021 vs. Green Bay.
Game One – Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Titans 0 (five innings)
The ‘Dons blanked the Titans in a run-rule shortened opener. Alyson Quinlan fanned seven Titans with only one walk and two hits in the complete-game 5.0 inning effort.
Sonia Solis was the offensive hero of game one. She smacked two no-doubter home runs. Her first long ball came in the second. It was a three-run variety well over the high wall in center field. Her second home run was a two-run shot in the fourth off the scoreboard. It put the ‘Dons up 10-0. Purdue Fort Wayne got the required three outs in the fifth to end the game.
The ‘Dons out-hit the Titans 11-2. Grace Hollopeter had three hits including a double with three runs scored. Epiphany Hang and Tori Countryman also had two hits, with Hang scoring twice.
Game Two – Purdue Fort Wayne 8, Titans 1
The pitching was just as good in game two. Gracie Brinkerhoff allowed just one unearned run with seven strikeouts in a complete-game 7.0 inning effort.
The ‘Dons scored four in the third and four more in the fifth. They nearly ended it in the fifth, leaving the potential ninth run at third to end the inning.
Taylor Warne had four hits and two runs scored. Hollopeter added two hits and two runs. Hang and Solis each knocked in two runs.
League play has been kind to the top of the Mastodon lineup with Warne (.529), Hollopeter (.500), Solis (.412) and Hang (.400) all batting .400 or better.
Detroit Mercy falls to 3-20 (2-6 Horizon). The ‘Dons improve to 10-18 (3-2 Horizon). The ‘Dons are at Western Michigan on Tuesday.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL: BELMONT SWEEPS SUNDAY BASEBALL DOUBLEHEADER FROM UE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The visiting Belmont Bruins launched four more home runs on Sunday, including a game-winning two-run shot in the top of the 13th inning of game two, to sweep a doubleheader from the University of Evansville baseball team at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville by scores of 9-2 and 7-5.
“This was a rare tough weekend at home for our ballclub,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “Credit Belmont, though, because they really played extremely well and earned the sweep.
“We just couldn’t put together the big inning offensively all weekend long. We can’t hang our heads though, as we have a quick turnaround with a game on the road Tuesday at Purdue.”
In the opener, the Bruins used five extra-base hits, including two home runs, to take control of the contest and cruise to a 9-2 win. Back-to-back two-out doubles in the first inning gave Belmont a 1-0 lead, and a grand slam by catcher Blake Barton in the third inning off UE starter Donovan Schultz (4-2) would break things open and give Belmont all of the offense it would need.
Belmont would build a 6-0 lead on a solo home run by outfielder Ethan Harden in the fourth inning, before UE would answer back with single tallies in the fourth and sixth innings on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI double by senior third baseman Brent Widder to cut the deficit to 6-2. Evansville would threaten in the eighth inning, putting two men on with two outs, but Harden would come on in relief to get out of the jam and then pitched a scoreless ninth inning buoyed by three insurance runs in the top half of the frame to record his fifth save of the year.
In the nightcap, UE would strike first on an opposite field home run by fifth-year outfielder Eric Roberts leading off the bottom of the first inning to grab a 1-0 lead. Belmont would respond with a two-run home run by first baseman Brodey Heaton in the fourth inning to grab a 2-1 lead, but UE would answer back to tie the game at 2-2 on an RBI double by junior catcher Brendan Hord in the home-half of the fourth inning.
The game would remain tied at 2-2 until the seventh, when Belmont centerfielder Jeff Clarke launched an RBI double to left-center field to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead. Clarke would add an insurance run on an RBI ground out in the ninth inning to push the lead to 4-2, but Evansville would not go quietly in the ninth inning.
UE junior shortstop Simon Scherry would lead off the ninth with a single, and Widder would follow with a double down the left-field line to put two men in scoring position. Fifth-year outfielder Danny Borgstrom then followed with a sacrifice fly and Hord delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra-innings.
The game would stay 4-4 until the 12th inning, when Belmont outfielder Drew Lowry came through with a two-out RBI single to grab a 5-4 lead. Evansville would answer right back, though, as Roberts would crush his second home run of the game and 12th home run of the season to dead center field with two outs to send the game tied at 5-5 to the 13th inning. In the 13th, Clarke would play the hero for the Bruins, as he launched a long home run to right-center field to provide Belmont the final margin of victory, 7-5.
Offensively, Barton had five hits and five RBI in the two games to help lead the Bruins. Scherry had four hits – all in game two of the doubleheader – to lead UE offensively, while Roberts went 2-for-6 with two home runs and Hord went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two doubles in the nightcap. Scherry also broke the UE single-game record for defensive assists in the nightcap with 11 helpers. It finished just one assist shy of the Missouri Valley Conference single-game record, and three assists shy of the NCAA single-game mark.
With the doubleheader sweep, Belmont improves to 17-12 overall and 5-1 in the MVC. Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 16-11 overall and 3-3 in the Valley. The Purple Aces will return to action on Tuesday evening with a 5 p.m. central contest at Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana. The game can be seen live on Big Ten Network Plus and can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WTRACK: CAVANAUGH, COMASTRI PACE USI ON TWO-MEET DAY
ST. LOUIS—Junior McKenna Cavanaugh (New Albany, Indiana) posted one of the top 5,000-meter performances in University of Southern Indiana Women’s Track & Field history Saturday night to finish second out of 27 competitors at the WashU Distance Carnival, one of two meets the Screaming Eagles competed in Saturday. Cavanaugh’s time is a personal-best and ranks fifth in school history.
Fellow classmate Lauren Griewe (West Harrison, Indiana) also posted an impressive effort in the 5,000 meters at the WashU Distance Carnival as she finish seventh with a time of 16:50.40, a mark the ranks seventh in program history, while senior Kara Martin (Herrin, Illinois) rounded out the record-setting day with a 10th-place finish in the event with a time of 16:53.58, which ranks eighth on USI’s all-time outdoor 5,000-meter list.
Junior Audrey Comastri (Indianapolis, Indiana) turned out a strong showing to lead the Eagles at the Joey Haines Invite in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, earlier in the day. Comastri was third in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:47.00, while also helping USI’s 4×400-meter relay team to a fifth-place showing.
USI, which was ninth with 23 points, got scoring performances from senior Emma Brown (Evansville, Indiana), who was fifth in the 800 meters as well as the 4×400-meter relay; freshman Emily Rempe (Owensboro, Kentucky), who was fifth in the 1,500 meters and 4×400-meter relay; and sophomore Katie Winkler, who was sixth in the 5,000 meters. Junior Katie Hoerig (Prospect, Kentucky) rounded out the Eagles’ scoring with a seventh-place effort in the 5,000 meters.
The Eagles return to action Friday and Saturday when they compete at the Bill Cornell Spring Classic in Carbondale, Illinois.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL: USI SOFTBALL GRABS OVC-SERIES WIN AGAINST UT MARTIN
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball captured a series win against the University of Tennessee at Martin on Sunday, following up Saturday’s series-opening victory with a split doubleheader Sunday afternoon. The Screaming Eagles won 8-2 in the doubleheader’s second game after the visiting Skyhawks took the first game by a final score of 5-0.
The series win against UT Martin marked Southern Indiana’s third series win in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Screaming Eagles improved to 12-15 overall and claimed fourth place in the OVC with a 6-5 conference record. The Skyhawks are 12-16 this season with a 5-6 mark in the OVC after Sunday’s action.
The first game of the doubleheader started out in a pitcher’s duel. USI sophomore pitcher Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) and UT Martin junior pitcher Brooklynn Linneman worked around a few baserunners and some hits to keep the game scoreless through three innings.
The Skyhawks grabbed the lead in the top of the fourth inning, tallying two runs off three hits and a couple of productive outs in the inning. Two innings later, the Skyhawks continued to be aggressive at the plate against Gotshall. After the first two batters reached and then two consecutive outs, UT Martin freshman Jordyn Hustey hit a three-run home run to give UTM a 5-0 advantage, which held the rest of the way.
Gotshall was dealt the loss, dropping to 2-4 this season. The right-hander went six innings, struck out two, and allowed five runs off nine hits. Freshman pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) tossed a scoreless seventh inning.
Offensively, Gotshall had a pair of hits along with sophomore outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana).
Linneman improved to 5-4 on the season with the win in the complete game, shutout effort. She struck out five and gave up six hits.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Southern Indiana found early momentum in the bottom of the first inning after getting the first two hitters on base. USI went on to score two runs, including one off an RBI single from senior infielder Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois).
The Screaming Eagles claimed a 3-0 lead in the second inning. With two outs and two on, senior Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) brought in a run with a hit to right field.
UT Martin got one run back in the top of the fourth inning on a solo home run by graduate senior Kaitlyn Kelley, but USI responded with two runs in the home half of the fourth and took a 5-1 lead to the fifth.
USI increased its advantage to 8-1 in the fifth inning. Junior Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) recorded an RBI knock, and Goodin shot a two-RBI double to the alley.
UT Martin tacked on one more run before the end of the game, but USI sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) earned her 10th complete game of the season. Newman was in a groove throughout the contest, striking out six and allowing one earned run off four hits. The right-hander also picked up her 10th win to move to 10-6 this season. Newman also surpassed 100 strikeouts for the season on Sunday.
UT Martin’s junior pitcher Katie Dreiling took the loss to move her record to 6-5. Dreiling was chased out of the game after 1.2 innings of work, giving up three runs – two earned – on four hits.
It was a team effort at the plate for the Screaming Eagles in Sunday’s series finale. Bedrick had two hits, an RBI, and three runs. Goodin went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Junior Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) registered two RBIs, and Nalley scored three times.
Goodin’s overall batting average climbed to .459, which is among the top-20 in the nation. Her team-leading RBI total also increased to 23 runs batted in. In OVC play, Goodin is hitting .550 with 17 RBIs. The senior sits among the top of the OVC in batting average and in RBIs. Bedrick’s overall batting average escalated to .329 while her team-best run total increased to 21.
The Screaming Eagles return to action at USI Softball Field Tuesday for a midweek doubleheader against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). First pitch Tuesday is at 3 p.m. Admission to all 2023 USI Softball home spring games is free, courtesy of The Women’s Hospital Deaconess. Both games can be heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links are on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL: EAGLES POST 1ST OVC WIN WITH THRILLING 12-9 VICTORY
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball recorded its first Ohio Valley Conference win and snapped an 11-game losing streak with a thrilling 12-9 win at Lindenwood University Sunday afternoon in St. Charles, Missouri. USI watched its record go to 8-20, 1-5 in the OVC, while Ball State goes to 5-23, 2-4 OVC.
The Screaming Eagles had command of the game for the first seven-and-a-half innings of action by building a 9-4 lead. USI scored three in the first for a 3-0 advantage; increase the lead to 6-3 after six frames with one in the fifth and two in the sixth; and appeared to have sealed the victory with three in the top of the eighth for a 9-4 lead.
Lindenwood, however, bounced back to tie the game, 9-9, with a five-run eighth inning and set the stage for USI’s three-run, game-winning rally in the ninth.
The Eagles regained the lead, 10-9, when junior rightfielder Steven Molinet (Elberfeld, Indiana) singled in junior first baseman Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana), who had doubled to lead off the inning. Molinet, who reached third on a single by junior second baseman Nolan Cook (Edwardsville, Indiana), crossed the plate on a wild pitch to re-extend the lead to 11-9.
Cook would score the final tally of the game and capped off the 12-9 final on ground out by junior leftfielder Gavin McLarty (Buckner, Kentucky).
For the game, USI was led at the plate by senior second baseman/catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana), who was four-for-five with two runs scored and three RBIs. McNew’s three RBIs moves him into a tie for eighth all-time with former USI All-American Kevin Brown (1992-94) with 145, while climbing to 10th all-time at USI in doubles with his fifth inning two-bagger.
On the mound, USI freshman left-hander Will Kiesel (Wadesville, Indiana) picked up the victory in relief. Kiesel (1-1) got the Eagles out of the eighth inning with the scored tied at 9-9 before throwing a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two in his 1.1 frames.
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI comes home to play next week to host a three-game series with Southeast Missouri State University. SEMO raised its record to 16-14 overall and 5-1 in the OVC after completing a series sweep of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a 17-6 win Sunday in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The Redhawks, who have the most wins in the OVC after the first weekend, have won four-straight and eight of their last 10 games.
USI leads the all-time series with SEMO, 26-23, and will be playing the Redhawks for the first time since 1994. SEMO swept the last doubleheader in 1994, but USI has won eight of the last 10 games between 1990 and 1994.
VALPO WOMEN’S GOLF: FAY, KEIL TURN IN STRONG ROUNDS ON DAY 1 IN TERRE HAUTE
The Valparaiso University women’s golf team received quality rounds from Anna Fay (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills) and Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland) to start out the two-day, 36-hole Indiana State Invitational on Sunday at the par-72, 6041-yard Country Club of Terre Haute. Both are in the mix for top-10 finishes with 18 holes to play.
How It Happened
Fay carded a 78 to lead the Beacons. She finished the first day of the event tied for 10th in a 41-player field.
Keil was just one stroke behind her teammate in Sunday’s opening round, finishing the day with a 79. She is part of a tie for 14th.
The next best score by a Beacon came from Roslyn Leitner (Dundee, Ill. / Harry Jacobs), who was golfing as an individual and turned in an 81. She enters Monday in 19th place. That marked Leitner’s best 18-hole score of the season.
Valpo’s team score of 330 (+42) helped the Beacons finish the day four strokes ahead of Eastern Illinois for fifth in a six-team field. Green Bay leads the way at 304, while Evansville’s Kate Petrova owns the top spot on the player leaderboard with a 71.
Up Next
The second and final round of the event will take place on Monday. A link to live scoring via GolfStat is available on ValpoAthletics.com.
VALPO WOMEN’S TENNIS: TENNIS FALLS TO DRAKE ON SUNDAY
The Valparaiso University tennis team closed out the road portion of the season with a 7-0 setback to Drake on Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa. All three remaining regular-season matches will take place at home.
How It Happened
Drake took the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. The No. 3 doubles match went unfinished.
The Bulldogs won on all six singles courts, but three of the six matches did require a third set. Even two of the sweeps were tightly contested as the first set at No. 1 singles went to a tiebreak, while the set scores at No. 4 were 6-4, 7-6(4) in favor of the Bulldogs.
Demi Jhaveri (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake), Eleanor Chapman (East Sussex, England / Eastbourne College [UT Martin / Lipscomb]) and Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) all won sets in their respective matches. Jhaveri won the opening set 6-4 at No. 3 before falling in the next two sets. At No. 5, Chapman dropped a thriller that saw a traditional third set extend to a tiebreak with Drake winning the match 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2).
Bertino won the first set at No. 6 by a 6-3 score, but dropped the remaining sets 6-4, 10-5.
Up Next
The Beacons (10-7, 0-5) will return home to host Bradley on Friday at noon.
VALPO BASEBALL: BASEBALL DROPS DOUBLEHEADER TO RACERS
The Valparaiso University baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field, falling to Murray State 14-3 in the opener and 14-5 in the nightcap. The Beacons did crank three home runs highlighted by a Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) grand slam.
How It Happened – Game 1
Murray State scored three times in the top of the second of the opening game to take a 3-0 lead. The inning included a home run by Taylor Howell.
Valpo starting pitcher Griffin McCluskey (Normal, Ill. / Normal Community) settled in and did not allow another run until the fifth, when an unearned tally helped the Racers expand the lead to 4-0.
Murray State broke it wide open against the Valpo bullpen in the top of the sixth, scoring six times including Howell’s second home run of the game, this time a three-run job.
Back-to-back jacks helped Valpo get on the board in the sixth as Matt Olive (Minneapolis, Minn. / Blake School) and Spencer Warfield (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) both went yard.
Murray State scored two in the top of the eighth to make it 12-2, but a run-scoring single by Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) in the bottom of the inning helped the Beacons dodge the 10-run rule and stay alive.
The guests got two more in the top of the ninth to account for the final margin.
Inside the Game – Game 1
Hannahs and Olive had two hits apiece to lead the team.
Olive connected on his second home run of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career.
Warfield’s big fly was the second of his career, both this season.
McCluskey’s final line featured 4 1/3 innings in which he struck out seven while walking three, permitting six hits and yielding four runs (three earned).
The Beacons committed a season-high three errors.
How It Happened – Game 2
Murray State jumped in front on a three-run homer by Brennan McCullough in the top of the first.
The Racers added two more in the third, before Valpo got on the board when a Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) bouncer drove in a run in the bottom of that inning to make it 5-1.
A bases-clearing triple by Dustin Mercer in the fourth expanded the Murray State lead to 8-1.
Valpo got back in the game on one swing of the bat from Maka in the bottom of that inning, as he made the Racers pay for two walks and a hit batter with a grand slam to dead center to cut the lead to three at 8-5.
Murray State got those four runs right back in the top of the sixth, when all four tallies were unearned.
Neither team scored again until the ninth, when a two-run double for Murray State accounted for the game’s final margin.
Inside the Game – Game 2
Pitcher Jonathan Hyman (Bellbrook, Ohio / Bellbrook [Paradise Valley / IMG]) tossed the ninth inning, making his Valpo debut.
Redshirt sophomore Josh Cottrill (Pewaukee, Wis. / Pewaukee) twirled two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Of the seven Valpo men who took the mound on Sunday, Cottrill was the only one who was not charged with a run.
The Beacons committed four errors, surpassing their season high from the first game and finishing the day with seven miscues. Prior to Sunday, Valpo had made multiple errors in a game just twice over the season’s first 18 contests and never more than two in a single game.
Tucker recorded three hits in Game 2, his fourth game with three hits or more this season.
Hannahs also had a multi-hit output, his sixth of the year.
Renfro reached base safely in both games on Sunday, extending his on-base streak to 20. This marks Valpo’s first 20-game on-base streak since Hannahs in 2021. If Renfro reaches on Monday, he will own Valpo’s longest on-base streak since Sam Shaikin’s 23 gamer in 2017.
Maka’s grand slam was the second by a Beacon this year, joining Renfro’s on March 10 at No. 22 Southern Miss. Renfro’s slam was the first by a Valpo player since March 3, 2019 (Sam Shaikin at UNCW).
The home run was the eighth of Maka’s career and his third this season.
Up Next
Valpo (8-12, 0-5 MVC) and Murray State will close the series on Monday at 11 a.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field. There will be no video streaming coverage of this game but a link to live stats can be found on ValpoAthletics.com.
VALPO SOFTBALL: SOFTBALL FALLS IN DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST MISSOURI STATE
The Valpo softball team closed out its three-game series against Missouri State on Sunday from the Valpo Softball Complex, dropping a pair of games to the Bears by final scores of 18-1 and 5-2. Sophomore Lauren Sena (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) connected on her first collegiate home run in the opener.
How It Happened – Game One
The Beacons retired the Bears in order in the top of the first, but Missouri State put eight runs on the board in the second.
Valpo tried to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the second, as a double from junior Regi Hecker (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Blue Springs South) was followed by a single and a stolen base by junior Emily Crompton (Salem, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Back-to-back strikeouts kept the Beacons off the board, though.
Missouri State pushed across three more runs in the third. Valpo again threatened in its turn at bat, loading the bases with one out on a pair of walks and a hit batter, but was unable to get anybody across the plate.
Missouri State scored three more runs in the fourth and four in the fifth to cap its scoring.
The Beacons cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth as Sena stepped to bat with two outs and lifted a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left-center for her first career home run.
How It Happened – Game Two
Starting pitcher Easton Seib (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) retired six of the seven Bears she faced in the first two innings, holding MSU off the scoreboard.
Missouri State broke through in the third with a two-out, two-run single to take the lead. The Bears extended their advantage to 4-0 in the fourth on a squeeze bunt which turned into two runs.
The Beacons put a run of their own on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Lauren Kehlenbrink (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway South) led off the inning with a single, and pinch-runner Lyna Vasquez (Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View) eventually scored on a two-out infield single from freshman Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central).
The Bears pushed their lead to 5-1 in the top of the fifth on a sun-aided RBI single.
Valpo looked for a rally in its final turn at the plate. Down to the final out, sophomore Kaiah Fenters (Speedway, Ind./Speedway) fouled off numerous two-strike pitches before drawing a walk. Fifth-year Taylor Herschbach (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) followed by drilling a pitch to the right-center gap for an RBI triple, cutting MSU’s lead to 5-2. But with the potential tying run on deck, a strikeout ended the game.
Inside the Games
Sena’s homer in the opener was not only her first career long ball, it was the first hit of her collegiate career.
Batting out of the leadoff spot for the first time since March 27, 2021, Herschbach had a pair of extra-base hits in the nightcap, pairing her RBI triple with a double. It was the first time in her career she has tallied multiple extra-base hits in the same game.
Kehlenbrink also had a multi-hit nightcap, going 2-for-3.
Crompton picked up hits in both games, going 2-for-5 on the day.
Seib went the distance in the circle in the series finale, her third complete game of the season.
Next Up
Valpo (3-25, 0-3 MVC) spends the next nine games on the road, starting with a single game Tuesday evening at UIC at 5 p.m. The matchup with the Flames is slated for broadcast on ESPN+.
U OF I SOFTBALL: GREYHOUNDS GROUND HAWKS AS WIN STREAK ROLLS ON
INDIANAPOLIS—The sixth-ranked UIndy softball team upped its winning streak to 17 with a Sunday sweep of visiting Quincy University. The Greyhounds are a perfect 8-0 in GLVC play after taking both ends of a doubleheader versus the Hawks, 9-2 and 4-1.
Emily O’Connor capped a stellar week with four hits and five RBIs on the day.
GAME 1 | UIndy 9, Quincy 2
The teams were locked in a scoreless tie heading into the bottom of the fourth. After the first nine Greyhounds were retired in order, Jocelyn Calvin got the Hounds in the hit column with a leadoff infield single.
Four more singles followed, as did two walks, as the Hounds put together a three-run rally and didn’t look back.
The top of the order led off the fifth as well, and once again they batted around. Four Hounds crossed the plate this time, two coming on Lexy Rees’ line shot to left.
The final blow came off the bat of O’Connor, how cleared the centerfield netting for a two-run blast – her third homer of the weekend.
Kenzee Smith got the win, holding the Hawks scoreless in her five innings of work. She struck out eight and walked zero to move to 18-3 on the year. Kaitlyn Brown and Alexa Huth combined to get the final six outs.
GAME 2 | UIndy 4, Quincy 1
O’Connor delivered again in game 2, staking the Hounds to an early lead with an RBI double in the first. Three more runs crossed in the fourth, with Tara Williams and Calvin notching RBI singles.
Meanwhile, Jayden Casebolt (8-0) had a solid game in the circle. She earned the complete-game win, scattering five hits, striking out three and walking just one. Only once did the Hawks advance a runner past second, as they managed an unearned tally in the sixth as their only run of the game.
UP NEXT
The 10-game homestand continues for UIndy when the McKendree Bearcats visit the Circle City on Friday, April 7 for a twin bill starting at 12 p.m. ET.
U OF I BASEBALL: HIGH SCORING GAME TWO CLOSES OUT BASEBALL’S SPLIT WITH UMSL
ST. LOUIS – The University of Indianapolis baseball team wrapped up their series with the UMSL Tritons with a day-two doubleheader split. The Tritons took the opening seven-inning game by a score of 3-2.
That loss was avenged and more in the second where the Hounds plated 18 runs in a 18-8 blowout. That run total marks the ninth time the UIndy baseball team has scored double-digit runs this season. In comparison, the Hounds only had ten such games all last season.
Drew Donaldson continued to rake, hitting his third dinger of the season in game one. Game two featured a three headed monster of RBIs with Caleb Vaughn launching his second dinger of the weekend and grabbing two walks. Jared Bujdos was a large focus of the Hounds seventh inning seven-run onslaught, crushing a no-doubt about it home run for three RBIs on the day. Finally, with only one at bat, Brayton Bowen, notched another double on the season, plating three.
GAME 1, UMSL 3, UINDY 2
The closest scoring game of the four, the Greyhound got on the board first with Bujdos roping a ball into centerfield. However, UMSL went blow for blow, hitting a solo shot over the left field wall to even the score. Donaldson, who is top ten in several different hitting metrics in the GLVC, made it a tie ballgame with a homer of his own.
A two run single by the Triton’s in the bottom of the third made it 3-2. Logan Peterson went onto to throw two more innings of scoreless ball followed up by a gem of a inning by Wyatt Phillips, but the Greyhound hitters couldn’t answer.
GAME 2, UINDY 18, UMSL 8
In the wise words of Greyhound skipper Al Ready, “we can hit,” and the Greyhounds showed that off in game two of the doubleheader. UIndy had a collective 1.198 OPS in the second game, sending two out of the park, with four doubles and four stolen bases.
Brady Ware got the party started with a two RBI double in the first. But, after UMSL runs in the second and the third it might have been another tight contest. That thought went out the window in the fourth when Easton Good crushed a double into left center. A Brandon DeWitt single and then a two RBI bomb from Caleb Vaughn capped off a three run inning for the Hounds.
Another Good double in the fifth and then a Nick Lukac single in the sixth added on two more to the amassing run total. The seventh, however, is where the damage was delt. Donaldson, Ware, Denton Shepler and Lukac each added one run, but Bujdos laid the hammer down with a towering shot to make it 15-6.
In a pinch hit spot, Bowen, made all of the opportunity, roping a ball down the right field line in the top of the ninth to give the Hounds three more runs.
UP NEXT
The Hounds do not have a long respite before more action, heading to Hammond, Ind. to face off against Purdue Northwest on Tuesday in a battle of the only remaining NCAA Division II schools in Indiana.
MARIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS: MARIAN BREEZES PAST #22 INDIANA TECH 6-1
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s tennis team picked off No. 22-ranked Indiana Tech Sunday afternoon with a 6-1 decision, improving their record to 16-8 overall on the season.
Betija Dusele and Katharina Bopst got Marian rolling with their 6-0 win over Abigail Simms and Thaina Carvalho at No. 1 doubles, before Indiana Tech tied things up with their 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot where Tea Vrkic and Isadora Muller fell to Roshne Arunkumar and Ana Gomez. At No. 3 doubles, Josie Yarbrough and Emma Chrome helped the Knights clinch the doubles point with their 7-6 (7-5) decision against Valentina Rodriguez and Criss Echavarria.
The Warriors grabbed the first singles point as Emma Chrome fell 6-2, 7-5 to Echavarria at No. 3 singles. Dusele won at No. 1 singles as she took down Simms 6-4, 6-3, while Bopst won 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-5) over Carvalho. Marian won the final three single matches with Muller winning 5-7, 6-0, 1-0 (10-6) over Arunkumar at the No. 4 spot, followed by Dana Savarino defeating Gomez 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) at the No. 5 spot, and Joelle Leihbacher picking up the 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 (10-4) at No. 6 singles.
Marian will travel to Olivet Nazarene on Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. match.
MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS: KNIGHTS EDGE INDIANA TECH 4-3
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s tennis team got back in the win column Sunday afternoon with their 4-3 defeat over (RV) Indiana Tech. The win moves their record to 15-8 on the year.
Indiana Tech struck first with their 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles with Shadi Al Tori and Jake Giles falling to Juan Avellaneda and Michel Zobel. Ashwin Bhat and Jones McNamar evened the score, picking up the 6-2 win against Tyler Sinclair and Phil Labbe at the No. 1 spot, before Mark Griffin and Jona Henze won 6-4 over Jorge Rodriguez and Sebastian
Carbajal at No. 3 doubles to clinch the first point of the match.
Bhat picked up the first win in singles, as he won 6-2, 6-2 against Sinclair at No. 3 singles, while Griffin won his match 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6) at the No. 1 spot, and Dmitrii Voshchenkov defeated Kayra Kargin 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5) at No. 2 singles to clinch the match for the Knights. The Warriors won the final three matches, as Henze fell 6-3, 6-3 to Avellaneda at No. 4 singles, followed by McNamar falling 3-6, 7-5, 0-1 (7-10) to Andres Pizzamigio, and Max Sternberg dropped 7-5, 6-0 to Rodriguez.
Marian will travel to Olivet Nazarene on Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. match.
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FAVORED HUSKIES WARY OF AZTECS IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
HOUSTON — The trap has been set for the fourth-seeded UConn Huskies.
Prior to the start of the Final Four, the Huskies were installed as prohibitive favorites to claim their fifth national title, a total that would match Duke and Indiana for the fourth most in NCAA Tournament history behind UCLA (11), Kentucky (eight) and North Carolina (six).
The Huskies earned that tag in part because the three other participants — San Diego State, Miami and Florida Atlantic — were all making their first Final Four appearances and because UConn rolled into NRG Stadium having won each of its Tournament games by double digits.
UConn did little to dispel the notion that it is a runaway train with its thorough, 72-59 dispatching of the Hurricanes in the second national semifinal on Saturday. And now, with the fifth-seeded Aztecs standing between UConn and history, the Huskies are leery of the hype.
“The heavy favorites haven’t fared very well in this one,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “So we’re just going to try to ignore that tag. I just think it helps us a lot just what we went through in January. We know that if we get away from our identity for a tick, we become very vulnerable.”
After opening the season 14-0, the Huskies (30-8) dropped six of eight games, a slump that both exposed their vulnerabilities and reinforced how UConn has to perform in order to maximize its ample talent. Maintaining its identity includes sourcing points from numerous options offensively, notably via junior forward Adama Sanogo and sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins, while also committing to a brand of defense that is effective if not overlooked by the masses.
What UConn did in stifling Gonzaga and Miami, top-six ranked offenses according to KenPom.com ratings, should not be discounted in any analysis of their title odds. The Huskies held the Bulldogs and Hurricanes to a combined 32.8 percent shooting, and their defensive preparation for the Aztecs is foremost in their minds. San Diego State is physical and determined, and UConn is well aware.
“I would say guarding the ball one-on-one and being able to guard the ball screens,” Huskies junior guard Andre Jackson Jr. said. “And the way they’re going to be ducking in our bigs, making sure we cut off those drives and not let them get points at the rim, also keeping them off the offensive glass and defense rebound the ball.”
The Huskies are third in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. With a multitude of shooters around Sanogo and guards capable of attacking the rim and forcing defenses to collapse, UConn could serve as a stern test for the Aztecs. San Diego State’s brute force and deep collection of grizzled seniors complement its exacting defensive prep.
“Obviously we have to control them in transition,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. “They’re as good a 3-point shooting team in transition that we’ve played all year.
“And the 3-point shot … it’s such a weapon. We have to take way transition threes. We have to do a good job in the low post on Sanogo. He’s strong and tough.”
No one would question the Aztecs’ mental fortitude. Lamont Butler sent them to Monday with his buzzer-beater against FAU, but San Diego State set the stage for his game-winner by doing the things that have come to represent its identity, namely defend and crash the offensive glass.
Their hometown has embraced everything the Aztecs are. One more win would set off a party.
“It’s an awesome feeling to see that the whole city has our back no matter what happens,” Butler said. “And we’re going to keep doing it for them. We love them. We need their support and we’re going to keep going.”
LSU WINS 1ST NCAA TITLE, MULKEY’S 4TH, BEATING CLARK, IOWA
DALLAS (AP) Kim Mulkey returned home to Louisiana wanting to bring LSU its first basketball championship. The Hall of Fame coach did just that in only her second year at the school.
Her Tigers used a record offensive performance to beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa 102-85 on Sunday and win the first basketball title, men’s or women’s, in school history.
“I turn around and look at the Final Four banners (in the home arena), nowhere did it say national champion,” Mulkey said. “That’s what I came home to do.”
The victory made Mulkey the first women’s coach to win national titles at two different schools. She won three at Baylor before leaving for LSU two years ago.
“Coaches coach a lifetime and this is the fourth time I’ve been blessed,” Mulkey said. “Never in the history of LSU basketball, men or women, has (anybody) ever played for a championship.”
The feisty and flamboyantly dressed Mulkey, who wore a sparkly, golden, tiger-striped outfit, now has the third-most national titles behind Geno Auriemma’s 11 and Pat Summitt’s eight. Mulkey has never lost in a championship game.
“My tears are tears of joy,” she said. “I’m so happy for everybody back home in Louisiana.”
Clark, The Associated Press national player of the year, couldn’t lead the Hawkeyes to their first national title despite one of the greatest individual performances in NCAA Tournament history. The junior finished with 30 points. She scored 40 in the semifinals to knock out unbeaten South Carolina one game after she had the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA history in the Elite Eight.
The dazzling guard set the NCAA record for points in a tournament, passing the 177 that Sheryl Swoopes scored in 1993 en route to leading Texas Tech to the title. Clark ended her tournament with 191.
The 102 points broke the previous high for a championship game, surpassing the 97 that Texas scored against Southern California in 1986.
“So much for preaching defense and rebounding,” Mulkey said, laughing.
Taking in the game was first lady Jill Biden, who sat in a suite above the court with tennis great Billie Jean King.
Mulkey said she hadn’t met the first lady yet but told the AP that if the team was invited to the White House, she’d go.
Jasmine Carson scored 22 points, Alexis Morris added 21 and Angel Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (34-2).
“It’s no one-man show around here. When I go down, the next man is up,” said Reese, who was honored as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. “Every single time, every time I go out or Alexis goes out, everybody always comes to step up.”
Trailing by 21 points early in the third quarter, Iowa started hitting from the outside to go on a 15-2 run, hitting four 3-pointers and converting a 3-point play to get within 65-57.
The Hawkeyes (31-7) trailed 73-64 with 1:03 left in the third quarter when Clark was called for a technical foul. She swatted the ball away on the floor after a foul call against a teammate. That counted as a personal foul for her, her fourth of the game.
“I thought they called it very, very tight,” Clark said. “Hit with a technical foul for throwing the ball under the basket – sometimes that’s how things go.”
Clark played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls but couldn’t get the Hawkeyes much closer.
“They really played well, they were ready to go. They did a great job. I’m just so proud of my team,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “This is brutal, it’s really tough to walk out of that locker room today and not be able to coach Monika (Czinano) and McKenna (Warnock) again. I’m very thankful for the season we had and don’t want to take anything away from that.”
After Katari Poole hit a 3-pointer in front of the LSU bench, Mulkey started weeping.
“With about 1:30 to go, I couldn’t hold it. I got very emotional,” Mulkey said. “That’s not like me, but I knew we would hold on and win this game. I don’t what it was, but I lost it. Very emotional and tears of joy. Don’t know if it’s the mere fact that we’re doing it in my second year back home or that I am back home.”
A few seconds later after another LSU basket, Reese taunted Clark by putting her hand in front of her face with a “you can’t see me” gesture and then pointed to her ring finger.
As the final seconds ticked off, Mulkey and Reese hugged, setting off a wild celebration by the Tigers.
The game was tight for the first 15 minutes before Carson got hot from the outside. She made all six of her shots in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers. After one of them, she threw her hands in the air, which Mulkey mimicked on the sidelines.
For good measure, the graduate student banked in a shot just before the halftime buzzer to give the Tigers a 59-42 lead at the break. It was the most points ever in the first half of a championship game, breaking the record held by Tennessee since 1998.
LSU shot 58% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including going nine for 12 from behind the arc. The Tigers finished the game shooting 54% from the field, including making 11 of 17 3-pointers.
Clark had 16 points and five assists before picking up her third foul with 3:56 to go in the half, which didn’t go over well with the sellout crowd of more than 19,000 fans.
Before Sunday, Carson had gone scoreless in five of her seven postseason games in her career. She had 11 points in this NCAA Tournament before the finale.
“I would definitely say this is the game of my life because I won a national championship on the biggest stage possible in college,” Carson said. “When I woke up I just wanted to win – do anything my team needed in this game, whether it was defense, rebounding, supporting them. I scored tonight and that’s what pushed us and got us momentum.”
NBA NEWS
RAPTORS BEAT HORNETS, CLINCH PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT SPOT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Pascal Siakam scored 36 points, Fred VanVleet added 20 points and a career-high 20 assists and the Toronto Raptors beat the undermanned Charlotte Hornets 128-108 on Sunday to secure a spot in the NBA play-in tournament.
O.G. Anunoby added 23 points for the Raptors, who clinched after the Brooklyn Nets beat the Utah Jazz later in the day.
The Raptors (39-39) are now focused on seeding with four games remaining.
They entered the day tied with the Atlanta Hawks for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and looking to move up in the standings to secure a better chance of advancing out of the play-in tournament. The team finishing eighth needs just one victory; the team finishing ninth would need two to reach the postseason as the No. 8 seed.
“It’s really important for us” to get to the 8 seed, VanVleet said. “For the last couple of weeks it has been really simple for us – we’re in a win-every-game mode. There’s not much to think about. You have to go out and perform and play your best and try to take care of business. We are just trying to play our best basketball at this time of the year.”
VanVleet, who now owns the franchise single-game records for points and assists, made sure the Raptors were on top of their game.
The Raptors outscored the Hornets 90-44 in the paint in the opener of a two-game series, which helped offset 8-of-28 shooting from 3-point range. The teams meet again Tuesday night in Charlotte.
LAVINE, DEROZAN LEAD SURGE AS BULLS RALLY TO BEAT GRIZZLIES
CHICAGO (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies looked as though they were well on their way to yet another win. The Chicago Bulls had other ideas.
Zach LaVine scored 36 points, DeMar DeRozan added 31 and the Bulls used a huge second half to beat the Grizzlies 128-107 and overcome Ja Morant’s triple-double Sunday.
The Bulls outscored the Western Conference’s second-place team 75-39 over the final two quarters after trailing by 23. They dominated the Grizzlies 40-16 in the third, ending it on a 17-0 run while taking the lead. And they responded with another big push in the fourth after Memphis pulled within three.
It wasn’t hard to see why LaVine called it “for sure” their best second half.
“For how much we were down, to be able to come back and get a lead like we did, I think it’s great,” he said. “You gotta definitely pat yourself on the back.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 31 points and made five 3-pointers for the Grizzlies, who had won eight of nine. Morant had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Desmond Bane scored 21, but the Grizzlies committed 18 turnovers, leading to 31 points for Chicago.
The Bulls, eyeing a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, tied a franchise low with three turnovers.
LaVine had nine assists. Coby White scored 19, and Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
SHARPE SCORES 27 POINTS, TRAIL BLAZERS EDGE TIMBERWOLVES
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Shaedon Sharpe scored 27 points, Kevin Knox II added 19 points and the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers beat the playoff-hopeful Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105 on Sunday.
Trendon Watford had 15 points and Skylar Mays finished with 13 points and nine assists in his second game with Portland, which had lost 11 of 12 and was without four regular starters.
The Trail Blazers trailed by 12 late in the third quarter before rallying to beat Minnesota, which started the day ninth in the Western Conference.
“Every single person that got out on that floor tonight, they gave it all they had and that’s all I want from our guys,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “To play as hard as you can, play unselfish and be a good teammate and see what happens.”
Anthony Edwards scored 37 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost three in a row and started the day a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers and a game ahead of Oklahoma City for the 10th and the final play-in spot in the West.
“We have too many guys not playing really well right now,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “This was kind of who we’ve been all season in these types of games and we do it again. You know, obviously, timing of it is extra painful, but we got to get guys playing better.”
While they’re in the running for the playoffs, the Timberwolves are 5-10 against the five teams with the worst records in the NBA.
NETS HOLD OFF JAZZ 111-110, MOVE CLOSER TO PLAYOFF BERTH
NEW YORK (AP) Mikal Bridges had 30 points and seven rebounds, helping the Brooklyn Nets move closer to clinching a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference by holding off the Utah Jazz 111-110 on Sunday.
Spencer Dinwiddie had 17 points and 12 assists, his eighth double-double in 23 games for Brooklyn. The Nets won their third straight, but only after blowing almost all of a 20-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
“There’s only one winner and one loser in every single game; we won,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “So we’re going to take the win and we’re going to keep this thing moving.”
Cam Johnson scored 18 points as the Nets won for the fourth time in their past five games, opening a two-game lead over Miami for the No. 6 seed and dipping their magic number to two to clinch the last guaranteed playoff spot in the East.
“It was a nasty win,” said Nets center Nic Claxton, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. “We know where we are. We know every game is extremely important.”
Talen Horton-Tucker scored 32 points and Lauri Markkanen had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz, who lost for the fifth time in six games and are 12th in the West, two spots behind the last play-in spot. Ochai Agbaji had 19 points.
“I love the competitiveness,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I thought the guys dug in, stuck with it when they very easily could’ve folded at different times in the game.”
Brooklyn led by 11 at halftime, then outscored Utah 28-15 over a span of 10 1/2 minutes between the third and fourth quarters to build a 23-point lead. Bridges had 17 of his 19 second-half points in the third quarter.
“We were really moving the basketball,” Vaughn said. “Mikal had a good stretch where he was able to convert for us, but (Claxton) was getting to the rim for us, (Dinwiddie) was getting downhill. It was kind of spread throughout the team, which was a good thing.”
Horton-Tucker scored 15 in the fourth and Utah outscored Brooklyn 42-26 in the quarter. The Jazz used a 26-8 run to cut Brooklyn’s lead to one and had a chance to win after Seth Curry missed two free throws, but Kelly Olynyk’s jumper at the buzzer went long.
TRAE YOUNG LIFTS HAWKS PAST MAVERICKS IN OT, 132-130
ATLANTA (AP) Trae Young made two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give Atlanta the lead and the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-130 on Sunday night to keep pace in the Eastern Conference play-in race.
Young was fouled by Kyrie Irving, who scored 41 points, with the game tied at 130 on what Young said was “kind of a lucky play for us and unlucky for them.”
Young said he accidently stepped on the foot of Mavericks guard Josh Green before crashing into Irving. “I just got in Kyrie’s way,” Young said.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said “it was a wild ending” and added “it was just unfortunate we got a foul there that could have gone either way.”
Following Young’s free throws, Luke Doncic, who scored 22 points, missed a last-second 3-pointer.
“I thought Luke got a great look there at the end,” Kidd said. “He’s the one who can make it.”
The Hawks (39-39) moved back into eighth place in the play-in race. Toronto and Chicago put pressure on the Hawks with wins before Atlanta’s game. The Hawks have the tiebreaker advantage over Toronto.
The Hawks are only one ahead of the 10th-place Bulls for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference and play at Chicago on Tuesday night.
Irving’s mid-range jumper with 37 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 121. Saddiq Bey’s layup gave the lead back to Atlanta.
KNICKS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH WITH 118-109 WIN OVER WIZARDS
NEW YORK (AP) Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes each scored 27 points, and the New York Knicks clinched a playoff berth with a 118-109 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.
Immanuel Quickley added 22 points and Obi Toppin had 21 for the Knicks, who won their fourth in a row and will be in the postseason for the second time in three years. They had missed the playoffs the previous seven seasons.
“Making the playoffs is a great accomplishment, but it’s one of several,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It’s the next step along the way. Just keep checking the boxes.”
Mitchell Robinson contributed eight points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who have won both games since losing All-Star forward Julius Randle to a sprained left ankle.
“Every time someone goes out it’s a chance for someone else to get in and get the job done,” Thibodeau added. “That gives your team a lot of confidence. It gives us quality depth and makes us a tough team.”
Corey Kispert led Washington with a career-high 29 points. Johnny Davis had 16 and Taj Gibson added 14.
The Knicks trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter and 61-53 at halftime. The Wizards extended their lead to 64-55 before the Knicks went on a 14-4 run to reclaim a lead they never gave back.
“We just had to wake up a little bit,” Brunson said. “We needed a little wake-up call at halftime and Coach gave it to us and we responded. Better to learn from wins than from losses.”
New York extended its advantage to 86-79 at the end of the third quarter. Toppin opened the final quarter with a 3-pointer, giving the Knicks their first double-digit lead.
“Down the stretch you want to be playing your best basketball. You want individuals to be playing great to help the team play great,” Quickley said. “It was good to see Obi get some great minutes today and play well. It was good to see QG play well. We need everybody coming down the stretch.”
The Wizards never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
MAGIC HAND PISTONS 20TH LOSS IN 21 GAMES WITH 128-102 WIN
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. had 14 points and nine rebounds each before sitting out the fourth quarter Sunday night in the Orlando Magic’s 128-102 rout of the Detroit Pistons.
Jalen Suggs led eight Orlando players in double figures with 18 points, and Cole Anthony added 17 points and six rebounds for the Magic, who shot 57.3% and won for the fifth time in six games.
Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists and a plus-minus of plus-33.
Killian Hayes scored 20 points and Eugene Omoruyi added 19 for the Pistons, who lost for the 20th time in 21 games. Jaden Ivey finished with 14 points and six assists.
Anthony and Suggs scored five points each on a 23-4 spurt that opened the second quarter and gave the Magic a 24-point lead. The Pistons, who had eight turnovers in the quarter, never threatened again and fell behind by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Suggs made 4 of 6 three pointers and finished the game with four steals and two technical fouls.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Ivey became the first rookie in franchise history to score in double figures in 65 games. … The Pistons’ only lead of the game was 4-3. … Two of Detroit’s 16 wins have come against the Magic.
Magic: C Goga Bitadze picked up a technical foul to go with his sixth personal with 6:50 remaining. … Anthony had his 11th straight double-figure scoring game and 11th straight game of a five or more rebounds. … The Magic are 29-24 since their 5-20 start.
MCDERMOTT SCORES 30 TO LEAD SPURS PAST KINGS 142-134
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Doug McDermott scored 22 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the San Antonio Spurs denied Sacramento a chance at clinching the Pacific Division with a 142-134 win over the Kings on Sunday.
After clinching their first playoff berth since 2006 on Wednesday night on the road, the Kings were hoping to wrap up their first division title in 20 years in front of their home fans but fell short against the struggling Spurs.
“This isn’t the ideal time to have a bad loss,” guard De’Aaron Fox said. “But bad losses happen. We should have been a lot better. I don’t know how many times this team has scored 140 points, even with overtime included. We have to be much better on that end. We can’t keep talking about that.”
McDermott hit three free throws in overtime after being fouled on a 3-pointer by Keegan Murray to give the Spurs a five-point lead, then made back-to-back baskets to keep San Antonio ahead and help snap a six-game losing streak.
“It was a great night for us. A lot of guys played really well, career games from three or four guys,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “Just happy for them. They have busted their butts all year. We don’t have that many wins but they play hard like this every night.”
Julian Champagnie added a career-high 26 points and Tre Jones had 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for San Antonio.
Fox scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis added 26 for the Kings, who remain two games behind Memphis in the race for second place in the Western Conference.
Fox hit a tying jumper with 36.3 seconds to play in regulation but Kevin Huerter missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer following a turnover by the Spurs.
The Kings fell to 23-17 at home, allowing a staggering 120.1 points per game.
DAVIS HAS 40, JAMES A TRIPLE-DOUBLE AS LAKERS BEAT ROCKETS
HOUSTON (AP) Anthony Davis scored 40 points, LeBron James had 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to tie Jason Kidd for fourth place with his 107th triple-double and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 134-109 on Sunday night.
The Lakers (40-38) moved two games over .500 and into a tie for seventh with the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference with four games to go. Los Angeles has won six of its last seven games and owns the tiebreaker over the Pelicans.
“We just want to put ourselves in the position to compete for a championship,” James said. “It’s a journey and obviously we don’t have as much chemistry as a lot of other teams that have aspirations to win a championship, but we’ve been building over the last month or so.
“These last four games are very important for our team, not only wins and losses but also the chemistry side as well. We need to continue to build what we’ve been building over the last month or so. We’ll see what happens.”
Davis scored 27 in the first half en route to his first 40-point performance since scoring 55 against the Washington Wizards on Dec. 4 and his third of the season.
“We always say we want to get stronger as the season gets longer and be playing our best basketball at the right time,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “Well, the time is definitely right and everybody’s in a good rhythm starting with (Davis) first and foremost. He understands wholeheartedly what we need him to do and he’s coming out and trying to do that.”
Davis has scored 38 points or more in three straight games and at least 37 in four of the last five.
“I’m in a great rhythm, feeling good,” Davis said. “Feel like I’m back to myself before the injury. We are all playing well. The guys are making it easy for me.”
Lakers starter D’Angelo Russell, who has started every game since being acquired in a three-team trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 9, did not return to play in the second half due to left foot soreness. Russell had six points, four assists and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
“It was definitely precautionary,” Ham said of sitting Russell for the second half. “He could have continued the game if we needed him to. The bodies we have available to us now, we just didn’t want to risk it.”
Ham said Russell will be reevaluated and see how he feels on Monday.
KEVIN DURANT SCORES 35 POINTS, SUNS ROLL PAST THUNDER
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 35 points and the Phoenix Suns held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-118 on Sunday night for their fifth straight victory.
Durant – once a hero in Oklahoma City after leading the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals, but roundly booed nearly every time he touched the ball Sunday – scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and blocked a shot at the rim by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That helped Phoenix hold the lead after Oklahoma City cut a 15-point deficit to three as the Suns improved to 6-0 with Durant in the lineup.
Devin Booker added 22 points and 10 assists for Phoenix, which shot 56.8% from the field to match its season high. Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Paul had 16 points and eight assists. Phoenix remained fourth in the Western Conference standings.
“There’s not a way that he can’t score,” Phoenix coach Monty Williams said about Durant. “Those kind of players – they want those (clutch) shots. They’re so used to having the ball in their hands. I wouldn’t call it a luxury, because I don’t want to disrespect those moments. Guys work their tails off to be ready for those shots and he and Booker are a case in point. That’s what Kevin does.”
Oklahoma City, which is battling for a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament, lost for the third time in its last four games despite 39 points from Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder remained in the final play-in spot – 10th – a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, who lost to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime.
The Thunder led Phoenix seven points in the first quarter and were tied 27-27 entering the second quarter, but Oklahoma City surrendered a 42-point second quarter, matching the highest total by any opponent this season.
A 3-pointer by Isaiah Joe with 5:19 left pulled Oklahoma City to 109-106, but Durant hit a 3-pointer and Ayton followed with a put-back to make it 114-106 with 4:33 left. The Thunder came no closer than five points after that.
“We’ve got a week left in the regular season, and if (we) bring the same level of focus, competitiveness, physicality, execution (and) game plan … we’ll be able to lay our head on the pillow at night,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “I just thought we played at a really high level today and they were just a better team on this day.”
MITCHELL SCORES 40, CAVALIERS POWER PAST PACERS 115-105
CLEVELAND (AP) All-Star Donovan Mitchell scored 40 points and Evan Mobley had 14 points and 16 rebounds as the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away late for a 115-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
Darius Garland added 20 points and six assists for Cleveland, which reduced its magic number to one for clinching home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Cavaliers won for the 31st time in 40 games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“It’s great to be in this position, but we have stuff to prove in the playoffs,” Mitchell said. “The big thing for me is we’re bringing that energy and that vibe to the city. We have expectations. We’re here to win.”
Rookie Bennedict Mathurin had 19 points, nine rebounds and three fourth-quarter offensive fouls for Indiana, which was eliminated from postseason contention for the third year in a row. T.J. McConnell had 16 points and five assists off the bench.
Mitchell became the first Cleveland player with three straight 40-point games and extended his franchise record for such games in a season to 12. He scored 17 points in the third quarter and 21 in the second half.
“Donovan has been great all season, but it’s crazy with those records he’s setting with the 40-point games,” Mobley said. “He comes to work every day with a great attitude, and we’re lucky to have him.”
The Cavaliers trailed by 11 points in the opening half and didn’t go in front for good until Garland drained a 3-pointer early in the fourth, making it 92-89. Jarrett Allen returned from a two-game absence with a groin strain and had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Cleveland leads New York by three games with four to play in the race for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks own the tiebreaker after beating the Cavaliers 130-116 on Friday.
“They’re a legit team, a top-four team in a tough conference and they have a great home-court environment,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “And they’ve got a real superstar in Mitchell. They’re pretty well set up for a long time.”
All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton missed his third straight game with a sprained right ankle and sore left elbow for Indiana. Center Myles Turner, who has been dealing with a sore left ankle all season, was out for the fifth consecutive game.
ANTETOKOUNMPO HELPS HOT-SHOOTING BUCKS BEAT 76ERS 117-104
MILWAUKEE (AP) Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer believes Giannis Antetokounmpo has done enough to merit a third MVP award.
Antetokounmpo says he’s more concerned about trying to win a championship.
“When you think about the MVP, it just puts pressure on yourself,” Antetokounmpo said after scoring 33 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the Bucks’ 117-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. “At the end of the day, I’m happy. I’m happy where I am in life. I’m happy I’m blessed with this talent. I’m happy I’m able to go out there every day and chase my dream that I had as a little kid, try to improve, go out there and play with an edge.”
Antetokounmpo outperformed fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid as the Bucks moved one step closer to clinching the Eastern Conference’s top seed. The other main MVP candidate is Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who won the last two seasons.
The Bucks (56-22) have a two-game lead over Boston (54-24) with four games left. Boston won the season series with Milwaukee and has the tiebreaker. Philadelphia (51-27) is third in the East.
“We certainly feel like Giannis is the MVP,” Budenholzer said. “I think what our team has been able to do – we’ve still got some more work to have the best record in the league – but best player, best record. What he does on both ends of the court – the rebounding the blocked shots, the defense, the guarding on the perimeter – he does everything. Playmakes, attacks, gets to the free-throw line. We feel like he’s in the conversation or he should be the guy.”
Antetokounmpo won the MVP in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He’s averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season.
“It’s a great compliment to be the Most Valuable Player in the league,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m happy that the last five years I’m able to be in that conversation. I’m happy I’m able to be consistent. I’m happy I’m able to help my team be great. But that’s the goal. That’s the only goal – try to keep putting myself in position to help my team be great.”
Antetokounmpo got plenty of help Sunday.
Brook Lopez scored 21 points, Khris Middleton had 19 and Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis each added 18 as the Bucks never trailed. Middleton also had nine assists.
Tyrese Maxey had 29 points to lead the 76ers. Embiid had 28.
MURRAY SCORES 26, NUGGETS HOLD OFF WARRIORS 112-110
DENVER (AP) Jamal Murray scored 26 points and blocked Klay Thompson’s 3-point attempt in the final seconds, and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 112-110 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds and Aaron Gordon added 13 points and 10 rebounds for short-handed Denver.
Denver (52-26) moved within a game of securing home-court advantage in the Western Conference. A victory in the final four games or one loss by Memphis will give the Nuggets the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.
“I love the fact we’ve been in first place since the middle of December, but this is all geared towards the postseason and how we perform,” coach Michael Malone said. “I know when the season is over, that’s how we’re going to be judged.”
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic missed his third straight game with calf tightness that first cropped up against Milwaukee on March 25 and lingered against Philadelphia on Monday, Malone said.
Thompson led Golden State with 25 points and Stephen Curry scored 21, but struggled from the field. Curry missed his first five shots from behind the arc and finished 2 of 14 from deep.
“He’s entitled to those,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s had such an incredible year and has played so well and has done so much for us. Just a tough night.”
The Warriors (41-38) are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the fifth seed and are just a half-game ahead of New Orleans and the surging Lakers, who have won three straight.
“We’ve got to come to a realization that if we’re going to win or do anything in a playoff kind of scenario, a game like tonight can’t happen,” Curry said.
Golden State led by 15 in the second quarter, but the Nuggets closed within three at halftime. They led by two after three and opened the fourth quarter on an 8-3 run to lead 97-90.
Peyton Watson had a thunderous dunk with 3:58 that put Denver ahead 109-98.
MLB NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: KODAI SENGA SHINES IN DEBUT AS METS DOWN MARLINS
Right-hander Kodai Senga struck out eight batters in his major league debut, leading the New York Mets to a 5-1 win over the host Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon.
Senga (1-0), who played 11 years of pro ball in Japan, is considered a rookie at age 30. He allowed three hits, three walks and one run in 5 1/3 innings. All eight of his strikeouts came on his best pitch, which has been called a “ghost forkball” because it disappears out of the zone.
Mets backup center fielder Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one walk as New York took three out of four games in this season-opening series. Pham finished a triple short of the cycle.
Marlins starter Trevor Rogers (0-1) lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and four runs, three earned. He struck out four. Miami cut its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the first as leadoff batter Luis Arraez singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Jorge Soler’s double. But that was all the offense the Marlins could muster.
Guardians 6, Mariners 5 (10 innings)
Mike Zunino went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run against his former team as Cleveland defeated host Seattle.
Enyel De Los Santos (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief and Trevor Stephan worked the 10th for his first save. The Guardians took three of the four games in the season-opening series. Cleveland scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th after starting the inning with a runner on second, per extra-inning rules.
After striking out Amed Rosario, reliever Penn Murfee (0-1) intentionally walked Jose Ramirez. Josh Bell then walked on four straight pitches to load the bases. After pinch hitter Josh Naylor was announced, the M’s countered with lefty Gabe Speier. Naylor hit a soft chopper in front of the plate that Speier fielded and tossed to catcher Cal Raleigh for a forceout. Raleigh tried to turn a double play but his throw to first was low and Ty France couldn’t pick it out of the dirt, allowing Ramirez to score the deciding run from second.
Twins 7, Royals 4
Joey Gallo hit two homers and drove in four runs, and right-hander Joe Ryan continued his mastery of Kansas City as visiting Minnesota swept the three-game series with a win.
Ryan (1-0) went six innings in improving to 5-0 with an ERA of 1.20 in 30 innings in his career against the Royals. He allowed one run on three hits while walking two and striking out six in his first start of the season. Gallo also doubled and scored three times, and Ryan Jeffers added a pair of two-out, RBI singles for the Twins.
The Royals, who lost the first two games of the series by identical 2-0 scores, finally got on the board when Edward Olivares hit a solo blast in the second inning. Matt Duffy hit a two-run bomb off reliever Jovani Moran in the seventh. Kansas City right-hander Brad Keller (0-1) took the loss in his season debut, surrendering two runs on five hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Cardinals 9, Blue Jays 4
Nolan Gorman hit a pair of two-run homers to lift St. Louis to a victory over visiting Toronto.
Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, two runs and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who took the series 2-1. Cardinals starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (1-0) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out three batters and walked one.
Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (0-1) lasted just 3 1/3 innings while allowing nine runs on 10 hits, including four homers. Whit Merrifield drove in two runs for Toronto and Matt Chapman went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. The Cardinals surged ahead 4-0 in the first inning thanks to three home runs.
Rangers 2, Phillies 1
Martin Perez allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings and Josh Jung hit a solo home run as Texas edged Philadelphia in Arlington, Texas, to complete a three-game series sweep.
After scoring 27 runs in the first two games of the three-game set, Texas leaned on its pitching staff to earn its first season-opening sweep since 2011. Perez (1-0) scattered eight hits and three walks while striking out seven. Relievers Brock Burke and Jonathan Hernandez then combined to allow just one hit over 2 1/3 innings before Will Smith worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
Philadelphia left-hander Bailey Falter (0-1) allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. The Phillies outhit Texas 9-8, with two coming from Trea Turner.
Rays 5, Tigers 1
Starter Jeffrey Springs was dominant over six no-hit innings, Randy Arozarena homered and scored twice and Tampa Bay swept its three-game series with Detroit thanks to a victory in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In the six frames, Springs (1-0) fanned a career-high 12 — six by changeup — and walked one in an 81-pitch outing. The left-hander faced just 19 batters. Wander Franco was 2-for-3 with a double, run, walk and a stolen base. Jose Siri singled, drove in two runs and swiped a bag.
In 5 1/3 innings, Detroit starter Joey Wentz (0-1) allowed three runs on four hits while striking out three with a walk. Riley Greene broke up the no-hitter in the seventh with an infield single. Jake Rogers spoiled the shutout with a ninth-inning homer.
Yankees 6, Giants 0
Jhony Brito tossed five scoreless innings in his major league debut to power New York over visiting San Francisco to win the first series of the year.
Brito allowed just two hits and one walk. He also fanned six batters, including striking out the side in the top of the third. Giancarlo Stanton hit a monstrous two-run homer, and Aaron Judge went 1-for-4 at the plate, but his one hit was a solo shot to give the Yankees the lead in the third.
J.D. Davis, Mike Yastrzemski and Thairo Estrada each tallied a single for San Francisco’s three hits.
Red Sox 9, Orioles 5
Adam Duvall and Masataka Yoshida combined for five hits, four RBIs and five runs as host Boston topped Baltimore.
Duvall went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs, while Yoshida had a pair of hits, two RBIs and three runs. Enrique Hernandez (2-for-4) hit his second home run of the season in the second inning. Rafael Devers also had two of Boston’s 14 hits.
Tanner Houck (1-0) worked five innings of three-run ball with five strikeouts in his first start for Boston. Two of Houck’s five hits allowed were home runs by Baltimore’s Adam Frazier (3-for-4, two RBIs, two runs) and Cedric Mullins (2-for-5, run, three RBIs).
Nationals 4, Braves 1
Washington jumped on rookie Jared Shuster, who was making his major league debut, for four runs in the first inning and held on for a victory over visiting Atlanta.
The Nationals salvaged a win after the Braves took the first two games of the season-opening series, in a game that took just 2 hours, 17 minutes to play. Dominic Smith had an RBI single, and Lane Thomas went 2-for-4 with a run for Washington.
The lefty Shuster (0-1) opened the first inning by giving up three singles and three walks, walking in a pair of runs, and was in a 3-0 hole before retiring Ildemaro Vargas on a popup to shortstop for the first out. Shuster’s counterpart, 24-year-old left-hander MacKenzie Gore (1-0), was in control from the outset of his Nationals debut, striking out Braves sluggers Matt Olson and Austin Riley twice and Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna once.
Reds 3, Pirates 1
Graham Ashcraft tossed seven strong innings and Jason Vosler and TJ Friedl each belted a solo homer as Cincinnati beat visiting Pittsburgh.
Ashcraft (1-0) needed just 95 pitches to strike out six with one walk while holding the Pirates to one run on four hits. After losing 100 games last year, the Reds are over .500 for the first time since winning the 2022 season opener in Atlanta.
Pirates starter Vince Velasquez (0-1) took the loss in his first start of the season, allowing three runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He was chased from the game after the Friedl home run.
White Sox 6, Astros 3
Mike Clevinger logged five scoreless innings and Yoan Moncada had three extra-base hits as Chicago doubled up host Houston to salvage a split of the four-game series.
Clevinger (1-0) surrendered three hits and three walks while striking out eight to pick up the victory in his White Sox debut. Moncada went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a two-run homer in the ninth.
Luis Robert Jr. also had a pair of hits, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the fifth inning off Houston starter Luis Garcia (0-1), who went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Brewers 9, Cubs 5
Jesse Winker had two hits with three RBIs, while Garrett Mitchell and Willy Adames drove in two runs apiece, as visiting Milwaukee beat Chicago.
Rookie Brice Turang went 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs and an RBI for the Brewers, who had 13 hits on Sunday, and took the final two games of this three-game set for their first opening-series victory since 2019. Eric Lauer (1-0) allowed two runs and five hits while walking two with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for Milwaukee.
Patrick Wisdom hit two solo homers while Dansby Swanson, Yan Gomes and Cody Bellinger each had an RBI for Chicago, which was outscored 12-6 following Thursday’s 4-0 victory. Meanwhile, Jameson Taillon (0-1) allowed three runs and seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts over four innings during his Cubs debut.
Angels 6, Athletics 0
Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani hit back-to-back home runs, left-hander Tyler Anderson threw six shutout innings and Los Angeles completed a series win over host Oakland.
Logan O’Hoppe completed a six-RBI series with a three-run homer for the Angels, who rebounded from a season-opening 2-1 defeat to swamp the rebuilding A’s 13-1 and 6-0 over the weekend.
After Ken Waldichuk (0-1) matched zeroes with Anderson (1-0) through three innings, the Angels took the lead for good in the fourth after a leadoff infield single by Hunter Renfroe and one-out walk by Luis Rengifo. With two outs, O’Hoppe — who caught every inning of the series — unleashed his rocket to left-center field for a 3-0 advantage.
Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scored on Jake McCarthy’s bunt single in the top of the ninth inning to lift Arizona over host Los Angeles.
Gurriel, Christian Walker and Geraldo Perdomo each had two hits for the Diamondbacks, who split the season-opening four-game series despite being outscored 20-7. Will Smith homered in the first for the Dodgers’ lone run.
Arizona starter Zach Davies allowed a run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in five innings before the Diamondbacks’ bullpen took care of the rest. Kyle Nelson, Miguel Castro, Andrew Chafin and Scott McGough combined for four scoreless innings in which they didn’t allow a hit to go along with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Padres 3, Rockies 1
Trent Grisham and Xander Bogaerts homered in the third inning and Seth Lugo took a shutout into the seventh of his San Diego debut as the Padres defeated Colorado to earn a split of their season-opening series.
Lugo, who joined the Padres as a free agent in December, allowed one run on four hits and no walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings. He threw only 93 pitches.
Colorado’s only run was a one-out home run in the seventh by Ryan McMahon.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: MATT BOLDY’S HAT TRICK LEADS WILD OVER KRAKEN
Matt Boldy scored his second hat trick in nine days as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-1 Monday night in St. Paul, Minn.
Jake Middleton and Ryan Hartman also scored and Marcus Johansson, Jared Spurgeon and Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists apiece for the Central Division-leading Wild, who improved to 15-1-4 in their past 20 games and pulled within three points of Western Conference-leading Vegas. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves.
Jaden Schwartz scored for the Kraken, who lead the West’s wild-card race. Goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped 9 of 13 shots before being pulled early in the third after Boldy scored to make it 4-0. Martin Jones stopped 6 of 7 shots the rest of the way as Seattle had an eight-game road point streak snapped (7-0-1).
Boldy completed the hat trick 50 seconds into the third. Eriksson Ek stole a clearance attempt and passed to Boldy for a one-timer from the slot. Boldy also had three goals in a 5-3 victory against Washington on March 19.
Canadiens 4, Sabres 3 (SO)
Brendan Gallagher’s 200th career goal tied things up just before the midway point of the third period, and Montreal eventually won in a shootout against host Buffalo.
With the Canadiens down 3-2, Gallagher leveled things when he rang the post via his milestone goal with 11:25 remaining in regulation. Jordan Harris and Alex Belzile also had goals, and Michael Pezzetta’s score in the sixth round of the shootout was the difference for the Canadiens.
Lukas Rousek scored on his first NHL shot and added an assist in his league debut for the Sabres. JJ Peterka and Riley Stillman also scored, while Eric Comrie made 38 saves for Buffalo, which played without star Tage Thompson (upper-body injury).
Senators 5, Panthers 2
Brady Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, Mads Sogaard made 32 saves and Ottawa scored three power-play goals to beat visiting Florida.
The win moved the Senators closer in their pursuit of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who were idle on Monday, are in the second wild-card slot with 82 points, while the Panthers are just behind them despite being on a season-high, four-game losing streak.
Ottawa’s Alex DeBrincat, Tim Stutzle and Erik Brannstrom all scored on the power play, with each score coming near the end of each period. After its 3-for-4 performance on Monday, the Senators’ streaking power-play unit is 10-for-28 over the past eight games. Gustav Forsling scored both of the Panthers’ goals.
Islanders 5, Devils 1
Kyle Palmieri scored twice against his former team for New York, which earned a pivotal victory by beating New Jersey in Elmont, N.Y.
Pierre Engvall scored in the first period and Bo Horvat and Zach Parise each scored empty-netters late in the third for the Islanders, who stopped a two-game losing streak and lengthened their lead in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves.
Erik Haula scored in the second period for the Devils, who lost for the sixth time in eight games (2-4-2) and missed a chance to move within one point of the idle first-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey goalie Vitek Vanecek recorded 31 saves.
Oilers 5, Coyotes 4
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a third-period tiebreaking goal, Leon Draisaitl netted the 300th of his career and Edmonton prevailed in Tempe, Ariz.
By scoring in his 630th game, Draisaitl used the fourth-fewest games to reach 300 goals among active players. Evan Bouchard had a goal and an assist, and Zach Hyman and Darnell Nurse scored for the Oilers. Jack Campbell made 29 saves for the win.
Arizona got two goals apiece from Matias Maccelli and Barrett Hayton. Lawson Crouse dealt three assists and Jack McBain and Nick Schmaltz each had two.
Avalanche 5, Ducks 1
Nathan MacKinnon and Bowen Byram each had a goal and an assist as visiting Colorado cruised past Anaheim for its third consecutive win.
Valeri Nichushkin, Jack Johnson and Samuel Girard also scored goals and Cale Makar added two assists for Colorado, which is one point behind first-place Minnesota in the Central Division ahead of a Wednesday game vs. the Wild in Denver. Jonas Johansson stopped 29 of 30 shots.
Derek Grant scored for Anaheim, which took its fifth straight loss. John Gibson made 39 saves for the Ducks, who finished an eight-game homestand with just a 1-6-1 record to fall to 12-22-3 at the Honda Center this season.
MEN’S GOLF NEWS
COREY CONNERS WINS VALERO TEXAS OPEN FOR 2ND TIME IN 5 YEARS
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Corey Conners won the Valero Texas Open for the second time in five years Sunday for his second PGA Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over rookie Sam Stevens.
Also the 2019 winner, Conners had a 15-under 273 total on TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course. The Canadian now heads to the Masters, where he tied sixth last year for his second straight top-10 finish at Augusta National.
“I had been feeling really good about my game, and looking forward to getting back here to San Antonio,” Conners said. “When I won in 2019, it was different, a real roller-coaster final round. I dug deep on the back nine, so I tried to channel that part of it today.”
A shot behind Patrick Rodgers starting play, Conners had a three-shot lead after he birdied No. 15. Stevens eagled the 17th, but missed a 9-foot birdie putt at 18 that would have tied it. Connors ended it with a 3-foot par putt on 18.
“I saw he had hit in the fairway, so I figured he could manage making a 5,” Stevens said. “He had it in the bag when I missed that putt on 18. I knew I had to do something cool on the last couple of holes, and I was pretty at calm, pretty at peace on 17. I couldn’t believe I got it as close as I did, and was able to make that one. That gave me a chance.”
Stevens shot a 66. He was third last week at the PGA Tour’s stop in the Dominican Republic.
Sam Ryder (66) and Matt Kuchar (68) followed at 13 under.
Rodgers saw a chance for his first tour victory and first Masters spot slip away. He shot a 73 to finish fifth at 11 under.
“Yeah, disappointing day,” said Rodgers, who had the 54-hole lead at an event for the fourth time in his career. “I feel like I made some good swings that kind of the wind got or they landed a few yards in the wrong spots and it ended up costing me bogeys. That was my day today.”
Conner’s best finish since hoisting the 2019 Texas Open trophy was a third-place effort at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year.
Conners led after the first round with a 64 when the weather-delayed opening 18 finished Friday. But his second-round 72 dropped him three behind Rodgers after 36 holes, which Conners cut to a stroke with his third-round 69.
LEADERBOARD: http://hosted.stats.com/golf/final.asp?tour=PGA
BROOKS KOEPKA HANGS ON TO WIN LIV EVENT AHEAD OF MASTERS
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Brooks Koepka became the first multiple winner in LIV Golf when he closed with a 3-under 68, making a 4-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory over Sebastian Munoz.
LIV Golf-Orlando came one week before Koepka and 17 other players in the Saudi-funded league go to Augusta National for the Masters.
“Going into next week, that’s what you want to see,” Koepka said, who finished at 15-under 198 at Orange County National.
Munoz was trying to stay with Koepka along the back nine and didn’t go away easily. He fell two shots behind when he sent a bunker shot flying over the green at the par-5 14th. And while he did well to scramble for par, Koepka made a short birdie.
Munoz bounced back by holing a chip for birdie on the 16th to cut the deficit to one. But on the par-5 17th, the easiest hole at Orange County, the Colombian again hit a bunker shot over the green. He made another par, and Koepka gave him hope by missing a 5-foot birdie.
The final hole shed some insight into the team component of LIV Golf.
Koepka and Munoz both were about 40 feet away for birdie. Koepka went first and left the putt just over 4 feet away. Munoz needed to make birdie to force a playoff. However, his Torque team had a one-shot lead over the Smash team led by Koepka.
If he were to hit the putt too hard and three-putt for bogey, Munoz might have cost Torque the team title. He left it just under 4 feet short, and made the par for Torque to win a team competition for the first time.
“It’s weird, because I knew we were one stroke ahead on the team, so I couldn’t go extra. I knew I couldn’t be too aggressive,” Munoz said.
“He got the individual, we got the team. I call it a tie.”
Patrick Reed (68) and Dean Burmester (64) tied for third.
It might not feel like a tie for Koepka’s bank account. He won $4 million for willing. Koepka’s previous LIV title was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last year.
He had been battling various injuries for nearly two years and feels as though he is healthy for the first time in years as he goes to Augusta.
“You look at everything I’ve been through, I’m finally healthy,” he said. “It’s good to play some good golf. I get chills thinking what I’m capable of.”
Koepka said Orange County National, formerly used for the PGA Tour’s qualifying tournament, was a good test for the Masters because the greens were fast and burned out, and the pins were some slopes.
“If I would have hit a few putts harder, it would have easier,” he said of the tight finish with Munoz. “I’m just happy to win.”
WOMEN’S GOLF NEWS
YIN TOPS LA OPEN TO BECOME LPGA’S SECOND CHINESE WINNER
PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. (AP) Ruoning Yin became the second Chinese winner in LPGA Tour history Sunday, holding off Georgia Hall in the DIO Implant LA Open.
“I dreamt about this for so many times and it finally came true today,” Yin said. “Wasn’t easy at all.”
The 20-year-old Yin closed with an eventful 1-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Hall, the English player whose 5-foot birdie try on the 18th to force a playoff slid by the right side. Recently retired Shanshan Feng is the other only other Chinese champion, winning 10 times on the LPGA Tour.
“That means a lot, not just for me, also for China,” Yin said. “Shanshan is always my goal here, and I think she got 10 tour win here, and, yeah, it’s just my first one. She’s definitely the person I look up to.”
Yin finished at 15-under 269 at Palos Verdes Golf Club, making six birdies and five bogeys in the final round in her 20th tour start.
She had a nine-hole stretch without a par, making a birdie on No. 2, three straight bogeys, four straight birdies and a bogey on No. 10. After dropping a stroke on 13, she birdied 14 and parred the final four.
“I fought so hard today,” Yin said. “I just made three bogey in a row on the front nine. I’m so happy that I fought back.”
Hall closed with a 67, making four birdies in a bogey-free round. She also was second last week in Arizona, losing a playoff to Celine Boutier.
“I was really happy just to be in this position on the weekend, especially my 9 under yesterday,” Hall said. “Just really proud of myself again. Just really gutted not to at least get to another playoff. But a bogey-free round on the final day in tough conditions out there, so just on to the next one.”
Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea tied for third at 12 under, with Tavatanakit shooting 65 and Kim 71.
Nelly Korda (67) and Carlota Ciganda (66) were 11 under.
NASCAR NEWS
LARSON KEEPS HENDRICK, CHEVROLET IN NASCAR DRIVER’S SEAT
(AP) — Kyle Larson spent the week watching videos of his 10-win, 2021 championship season, he said, “to remind myself that I used to be good.”
He still is. Larson pulled away on a restart with 14 laps to go and easily won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Sunday.
“I just really wanted to look at old tape of myself and see where my mindset was and to see my confidence,” Larson said after his 20th career victory in NASCAR’s top series.
Larson started the final green flag run with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Josh Berry to his outside and beat Berry into the first turn. Berry, who is filling in for the injured Chase Elliott, held on for second, followed by Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Kevin Harvick.
It’s the third victory of the season for the four-car Hendrick team and came less than a week after a 100-point penalty against each driver for using an illegal part was overturned by a NASCAR appeals panel. It also came with a fill-in crew chief in Kevin Meendering because the appeals panel upheld the four-race suspensions of all four team crew chiefs.
“I was just happy to fill a gap and help those guys out in a tough situation,” Meendering said. “This is a testament to all the hard work but those guys on that team and to Hendrick Motorsports,”
Chevrolet took the top three spots and has now won five of the seven races this season.
All the Hendrick cars except for Berry ran in contention all race, with William Byron, the only two-time winner this season, leading a race-high 117 laps and running fourth for a restart with 21 laps to go. The field bunched up heading into Turn 1, and Bell hit his left rear quarter panel, sending Byron spinning into the wall. He finished 24th.
“It looked like the 1 (Chastain) was inside the 20 (Bell) and the 20 overcooked the corner, had the fronts locked up and nailed us in the left rear,” Byron said. “It is what it is. I had a great race car.”
Bell said he was trying to keep Chastain at bay.
“I tried to protect from him going to the inside and he still made it three-wide there at the last minute and there wasn’t enough room,” he said.
The cars never got on the track on Saturday because of rain, leading NASCAR to give them an extra set of tires, and even then, teams pitted for lightly used scuffs for the final green flag run. That paid off big for Berry and Michael McDowell, who stayed on the track during the previous green flag stop, then got the caution that made it pay off.
“Everybody on the team made some great calls,” Berry said. “I’m so glad they tried something different there at the end to just get us up front.”
McDowell turned it into a sixth-place finish. Todd Gilliland, the third driver who stayed on the track, turned in a 15th-place finish.
“Our car was really good on the long run and I think we were gonna be 15th or 16th, so you might as well go for it and see if you can’t come up with something good and it worked out,” McDowell said.
THE PITS
Denny Hamlin won the second stage with a last-lap pass of Bell, then got a great pit stop to get him out first to start the final stage.
A poor next stop during that stage set him back, and he was working his way back into contention when, for the second time, he incurred a pit road penalty that took him out of contention. He finished 20th.
NUTS & BOLTS
Hendrick drivers led 229 of the 400 laps with Larson pacing 93, Berry 10 and pole-sitter Alex Bowman 9. … Former NFL tight end Vernon Davis, who finished his career with the Washington Commanders, was the honorary pace car driver.
UP NEXT
The second of three straight short track events comes next Sunday night on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway.
INDYCAR NEWS
LARSON KEEPS HENDRICK, CHEVROLET IN NASCAR DRIVER’S SEAT
(AP) — Kyle Larson spent the week watching videos of his 10-win, 2021 championship season, he said, “to remind myself that I used to be good.”
He still is. Larson pulled away on a restart with 14 laps to go and easily won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Sunday.
“I just really wanted to look at old tape of myself and see where my mindset was and to see my confidence,” Larson said after his 20th career victory in NASCAR’s top series.
Larson started the final green flag run with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Josh Berry to his outside and beat Berry into the first turn. Berry, who is filling in for the injured Chase Elliott, held on for second, followed by Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Kevin Harvick.
It’s the third victory of the season for the four-car Hendrick team and came less than a week after a 100-point penalty against each driver for using an illegal part was overturned by a NASCAR appeals panel. It also came with a fill-in crew chief in Kevin Meendering because the appeals panel upheld the four-race suspensions of all four team crew chiefs.
“I was just happy to fill a gap and help those guys out in a tough situation,” Meendering said. “This is a testament to all the hard work but those guys on that team and to Hendrick Motorsports,”
Chevrolet took the top three spots and has now won five of the seven races this season.
All the Hendrick cars except for Berry ran in contention all race, with William Byron, the only two-time winner this season, leading a race-high 117 laps and running fourth for a restart with 21 laps to go. The field bunched up heading into Turn 1, and Bell hit his left rear quarter panel, sending Byron spinning into the wall. He finished 24th.
“It looked like the 1 (Chastain) was inside the 20 (Bell) and the 20 overcooked the corner, had the fronts locked up and nailed us in the left rear,” Byron said. “It is what it is. I had a great race car.”
Bell said he was trying to keep Chastain at bay.
“I tried to protect from him going to the inside and he still made it three-wide there at the last minute and there wasn’t enough room,” he said.
The cars never got on the track on Saturday because of rain, leading NASCAR to give them an extra set of tires, and even then, teams pitted for lightly used scuffs for the final green flag run. That paid off big for Berry and Michael McDowell, who stayed on the track during the previous green flag stop, then got the caution that made it pay off.
“Everybody on the team made some great calls,” Berry said. “I’m so glad they tried something different there at the end to just get us up front.”
McDowell turned it into a sixth-place finish. Todd Gilliland, the third driver who stayed on the track, turned in a 15th-place finish.
“Our car was really good on the long run and I think we were gonna be 15th or 16th, so you might as well go for it and see if you can’t come up with something good and it worked out,” McDowell said.
THE PITS
Denny Hamlin won the second stage with a last-lap pass of Bell, then got a great pit stop to get him out first to start the final stage.
A poor next stop during that stage set him back, and he was working his way back into contention when, for the second time, he incurred a pit road penalty that took him out of contention. He finished 20th.
NUTS & BOLTS
Hendrick drivers led 229 of the 400 laps with Larson pacing 93, Berry 10 and pole-sitter Alex Bowman 9. … Former NFL tight end Vernon Davis, who finished his career with the Washington Commanders, was the honorary pace car driver.
UP NEXT
The second of three straight short track events comes next Sunday night on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway.
SPORTS EXTRA
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 3 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | W 3 |
| Boston | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | W 2 |
| NY Yankees | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | W 1 |
| Baltimore | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | L 2 |
| Toronto | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | L 2 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | W 3 |
| Cleveland | 3 | 1 | .750 | 0.5 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | 3 – 1 | W 3 |
| Chi White Sox | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1.5 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 2 – 2 | W 1 |
| Detroit | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 3 | L 3 |
| Kansas City | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 3 | L 3 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 3 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | W 3 |
| LA Angels | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 2 – 1 | W 2 |
| Houston | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | L 1 |
| Oakland | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 1 – 2 | L 2 |
| Seattle | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2.5 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | L 3 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| NY Mets | 3 | 1 | .750 | – | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | W 2 |
| Atlanta | 2 | 1 | .667 | 0.5 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | L 1 |
| Washington | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | W 1 |
| Miami | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | L 2 |
| Philadelphia | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2.5 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 3 | L 3 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Cincinnati | 2 | 1 | .667 | – | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | W 2 |
| Milwaukee | 2 | 1 | .667 | – | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | W 2 |
| St. Louis | 2 | 1 | .667 | – | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | W 2 |
| Chi Cubs | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | L 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | L 2 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Arizona | 2 | 2 | .500 | – | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 2 – 2 | W 1 |
| Colorado | 2 | 2 | .500 | – | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 2 – 2 | L 2 |
| LA Dodgers | 2 | 2 | .500 | – | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 2 – 2 | L 1 |
| San Diego | 2 | 2 | .500 | – | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 2 – 2 | W 2 |
| San Francisco | 1 | 2 | .333 | 0.5 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | L 1 |
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 xy-Milwaukee | 56 | 22 | .718 | — | 31-8 | 25-14 | 10-5 | 33-16 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 2 x-Boston | 54 | 24 | .692 | 2.0 | 29-9 | 25-15 | 9-4 | 31-17 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 3 x-Philadelphia | 51 | 27 | .654 | 5.0 | 28-11 | 23-16 | 8-6 | 31-17 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 4 x-Cleveland | 49 | 30 | .620 | 7.5 | 31-9 | 18-21 | 13-3 | 32-17 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 5 x-New York | 46 | 33 | .582 | 10.5 | 23-17 | 23-16 | 8-8 | 31-19 | 7-3 | 4 W | ||
| 6 Brooklyn | 43 | 35 | .551 | 13.0 | 22-16 | 21-19 | 7-8 | 28-21 | 4-6 | 3 W | ||
| 7 Miami | 41 | 37 | .526 | 15.0 | 26-14 | 15-23 | 9-5 | 21-27 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 39 | 39 | .500 | 17.0 | 23-16 | 16-23 | 7-8 | 24-24 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 9 xyz-Toronto | 39 | 39 | .500 | 17.0 | 26-14 | 13-25 | 4-10 | 24-24 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Chicago | 38 | 40 | .487 | 18.0 | 21-18 | 17-22 | 6-8 | 26-23 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 11 Washington | 34 | 44 | .436 | 22.0 | 18-20 | 16-24 | 7-7 | 20-29 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 12 Orlando | 34 | 44 | .436 | 22.0 | 20-19 | 14-25 | 7-8 | 20-28 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 13 Indiana | 34 | 45 | .430 | 22.5 | 20-19 | 14-26 | 7-8 | 23-26 | 3-7 | 1 L | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 26 | 53 | .329 | 30.5 | 13-26 | 13-27 | 7-9 | 14-36 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 15 Detroit | 16 | 62 | .205 | 40.0 | 9-30 | 7-32 | 1-13 | 7-41 | 1-9 | 9 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 xy-Denver | 52 | 26 | .667 | — | 33-7 | 19-19 | 10-5 | 33-15 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 2 xy-Memphis | 49 | 29 | .628 | 3.0 | 34-6 | 15-23 | 13-2 | 29-20 | 8-2 | 1 L | ||
| 3 x-Sacramento | 47 | 31 | .603 | 5.0 | 23-17 | 24-14 | 9-6 | 31-17 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 4 Phoenix | 43 | 35 | .551 | 9.0 | 26-12 | 17-23 | 9-5 | 28-20 | 6-4 | 5 W | ||
| 5 LA Clippers | 41 | 38 | .519 | 11.5 | 21-18 | 20-20 | 7-7 | 24-25 | 5-5 | 2 L | ||
| 6 Golden State | 41 | 38 | .519 | 11.5 | 32-8 | 9-30 | 6-9 | 27-22 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 7 LA Lakers | 40 | 38 | .513 | 12.0 | 21-18 | 19-20 | 5-9 | 24-24 | 7-3 | 3 W | ||
| 8 New Orleans | 40 | 38 | .513 | 12.0 | 25-13 | 15-25 | 10-5 | 28-21 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 9 Minnesota | 39 | 40 | .494 | 13.5 | 21-19 | 18-21 | 8-8 | 27-23 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 10 Oklahoma City | 38 | 41 | .481 | 14.5 | 23-17 | 15-24 | 8-7 | 23-26 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 11 Dallas | 37 | 42 | .468 | 15.5 | 22-16 | 15-26 | 9-6 | 27-23 | 3-7 | 3 L | ||
| 12 Utah | 36 | 42 | .462 | 16.0 | 22-16 | 14-26 | 5-9 | 23-25 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 13 Portland | 33 | 45 | .423 | 19.0 | 17-23 | 16-22 | 7-9 | 23-25 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 20 | 58 | .256 | 32.0 | 13-26 | 7-32 | 2-13 | 8-40 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 19 | 60 | .241 | 33.5 | 13-27 | 6-33 | 4-12 | 11-40 | 2-8 | 1 L | ||
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 xyz-Boston Bruins | 77 | 60 | 12 | 5 | 125 | 56 | 286 | 166 | 31-4-3 | 29-8-2 | 9-1-0 | |
| 2 x-Carolina Hurricanes | 76 | 49 | 18 | 9 | 107 | 45 | 248 | 196 | 26-10-3 | 23-8-6 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 x-New Jersey Devils | 77 | 48 | 21 | 8 | 104 | 46 | 266 | 216 | 21-13-4 | 27-8-4 | 4-4-2 | |
| 4 x-New York Rangers | 77 | 45 | 21 | 11 | 101 | 41 | 261 | 207 | 22-12-4 | 23-9-7 | 7-2-1 | |
| 5 x-Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 45 | 21 | 10 | 100 | 44 | 258 | 211 | 25-8-6 | 20-13-4 | 5-3-2 | |
| 6 x-Tampa Bay Lightning | 77 | 45 | 26 | 6 | 96 | 42 | 267 | 231 | 27-7-5 | 18-19-1 | 6-4-0 | |
| 7 New York Islanders | 78 | 39 | 30 | 9 | 87 | 38 | 227 | 214 | 22-13-3 | 17-17-6 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 Pittsburgh Penguins | 77 | 38 | 29 | 10 | 86 | 37 | 248 | 249 | 22-12-5 | 16-17-5 | 4-6-0 | |
| 9 Florida Panthers | 77 | 39 | 31 | 7 | 85 | 37 | 272 | 260 | 21-12-4 | 18-19-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 10 Buffalo Sabres | 75 | 37 | 31 | 7 | 81 | 36 | 270 | 276 | 15-20-4 | 22-11-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 11 Ottawa Senators | 77 | 37 | 34 | 6 | 80 | 35 | 244 | 251 | 22-14-3 | 15-20-3 | 4-4-2 | |
| 12 Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 34 | 33 | 9 | 77 | 31 | 226 | 252 | 19-15-4 | 15-18-5 | 4-6-0 | |
| 13 Washington Capitals | 77 | 34 | 34 | 9 | 77 | 32 | 240 | 243 | 17-15-6 | 17-19-3 | 2-6-2 | |
| 14 Philadelphia Flyers | 76 | 29 | 34 | 13 | 71 | 27 | 207 | 253 | 17-17-5 | 12-17-8 | 5-3-2 | |
| 15 Montreal Canadiens | 77 | 30 | 41 | 6 | 66 | 25 | 219 | 284 | 16-19-3 | 14-22-3 | 4-6-0 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 76 | 24 | 44 | 8 | 56 | 23 | 203 | 303 | 15-21-2 | 9-23-6 | 3-6-1 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 x-Vegas Golden Knights | 76 | 47 | 22 | 7 | 101 | 43 | 253 | 217 | 23-15-1 | 24-7-6 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 Minnesota Wild | 76 | 44 | 23 | 9 | 97 | 37 | 229 | 205 | 24-11-3 | 20-12-6 | 6-2-2 | |
| 3 x-Los Angeles Kings | 77 | 45 | 22 | 10 | 100 | 39 | 266 | 242 | 25-9-4 | 20-13-6 | 7-2-1 | |
| 4 x-Edmonton Oilers | 77 | 45 | 23 | 9 | 99 | 45 | 306 | 254 | 22-12-6 | 23-11-3 | 9-0-1 | |
| 5 Colorado Avalanche | 75 | 45 | 24 | 6 | 96 | 39 | 252 | 207 | 21-13-5 | 24-11-1 | 8-2-0 | |
| 6 Dallas Stars | 76 | 41 | 21 | 14 | 96 | 38 | 262 | 212 | 18-10-9 | 23-11-5 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 Seattle Kraken | 75 | 41 | 26 | 8 | 90 | 41 | 259 | 240 | 17-16-4 | 24-10-4 | 4-4-2 | |
| 8 Winnipeg Jets | 77 | 43 | 31 | 3 | 89 | 42 | 233 | 215 | 24-12-2 | 19-19-1 | 5-5-0 | |
| 9 Calgary Flames | 77 | 36 | 26 | 15 | 87 | 34 | 247 | 240 | 19-15-4 | 17-11-11 | 6-2-2 | |
| 10 Nashville Predators | 75 | 38 | 29 | 8 | 84 | 33 | 212 | 220 | 19-14-4 | 19-15-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 11 St. Louis Blues | 77 | 35 | 35 | 7 | 77 | 32 | 251 | 286 | 16-16-6 | 19-19-1 | 6-2-2 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 76 | 34 | 35 | 7 | 75 | 29 | 260 | 282 | 17-19-2 | 17-16-5 | 5-3-2 | |
| 13 Arizona Coyotes | 77 | 27 | 37 | 13 | 67 | 24 | 215 | 274 | 20-14-4 | 7-23-9 | 3-5-2 | |
| 14 San Jose Sharks | 76 | 22 | 39 | 15 | 59 | 21 | 223 | 291 | 8-20-10 | 14-19-5 | 3-4-3 | |
| 15 Anaheim Ducks | 77 | 23 | 44 | 10 | 56 | 20 | 195 | 317 | 12-22-3 | 11-22-7 | 1-9-0 | |
| 16 Chicago Blackhawks | 76 | 24 | 46 | 6 | 54 | 22 | 186 | 277 | 14-22-3 | 10-24-3 | 2-8-0 | |
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the divisional playoff format. The top three teams from each division make up the first six spots. The two remaining teams with the highest points, regardless of division, qualify for the final two wild card spots.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1901 Although Christy Mathewson tried to return the money, A’s owner Connie Mack accuses him of reneging on his contract to play the 1901 season with the fledgling American League team. After meeting with the A’s manager in January, ‘Big Six,’ commits his services to Philadephia when he received a signing bonus but used the offer to get a richer contract from the Giants.
1923 Happy Felsch and Swede Risberg file a suit against the White Sox for back salary and $400,000 in damages. Both expelled players, acquitted for allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series, were still banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, even though they were found not guilty of the wrongdoing in a much-publicized court case.
1950 Considered a well-guarded secret, Mel Parnell reveals he pitched all but three of his 39 games for Boston last season with a sore elbow. The 27-year-old ‘Dusty’ finished the season 25-7 with a 2.77 ERA for the second-place Red Sox.
1961 New York investors Jack P. Schleifer and Milton Schwartz take a title to Connie Mack Stadium, formerly known as Shibe Park, in hopes of developing the property as an industrial center with bowling alleys and a restaurant when the Phillies move to a proposed new ballpark in the northeastern part of the city. The 52-year-old ballpark, home for both the A’s (1909-1954) and Phillies (1938-1970), will eventually become the Deliverance Evangelistic Church’s site in 1991.
1966 In his first at-bat against Juan Marichal since the pitcher’s bat-yielding incident last season, Johnny Roseboro hits a three-run inside-the-park home run in the Dodgers’ 8-4 victory over the Giants. Before starting the spring training contest, San Francisco GM Chub Feeney attempted to arrange a handshake between the combatants, with the Los Angeles catcher, who has a $110,000 lawsuit pending against the right-hander and the hurler’s team, declining the offer.
1966 In a special lottery, Tom Seaver picks the Mets from names tossed in a hat that includes the Phillies and Indians, signing with New York for a reported $50,000 bonus. Tom’s dad threatened a lawsuit after his son’s contract with Atlanta was voided because the right-hander’s college team had played two exhibition games, but signing a pro contract also prevented the future Hall of Famer from playing on the collegiate level.
1967 Al Jackson, competing for a spot in the Cardinals’ rotation to replace an injured Steve Carlton, yields twenty hits over nine innings in an exhibition game. The southpaw’s poor outing comes against the Tulsa Oilers, the Redbirds’ Class AA minor league team in the Texas League.
1968 The Tigers trade left-hander Hank Aguirre to the Dodgers for minor leaguer Fred Moulder, the player to be named later. The All-Star southpaw, better known for being the worst hitter in major league history, will compile a .085 batting average during his 16-year major league career, striking out an astounding 236 times in his 388 at-bats (61%).
1969 The Phillies trade first baseman Bill White to the Cardinals for infielder Jerry Buchek and utility player Jim Hutto. White will retire after one season in St. Louis, eventually becoming the president of the National League after a 17-year stint as the Yankee broadcasting partner of the long-time legendary voice of the Bronx Bombers, Phil Rizzuto.
1974 The Indians trade Pedro Guerrero to the Dodgers for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen, who appears in only 16 games for Cleveland in his only year in the majors. The 17-year-old infielder/outfielder will compile a .309 batting average, becoming a five-team All-Star during his 11 seasons with the team.
1984 On Opening Day, Tiger rookie Barbaro Garbey becomes the first Cuban refugee to play in the majors when he grounds out in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter for Dave Bergman. The 27-year-old utility player will stay in the game, playing first base in Detroit’s 8-1 rout of Minnesota in the Metrodome.
1985 The owners’ proposal of expanding the League Championship Series to best-of-seven is agreed to by the Players’ Association. The LCS started as a best-of-five series in 1969 when the leagues divided into divisions, with both the Orioles and Mets sweeping their opponents in three games.
1987 The Cubs trade starter Dennis Eckersley and prospect Dan Rohn to the A’s for three minor leaguers who will never appear in a major league game. The future Hall of Famer known as ‘Eck’ becomes one of the game’s top relievers, saving 320 games during his nine-year tenure with Oakland.
1989 In his first major league at-bat, Mariners’ center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. doubles off Oakland’s Dave Stewart. The 19-year-old ‘Junior,’ the son of an active major leaguer outfielder playing with the Reds, will establish himself as one of the game’s superstars before retiring in 2010.
1989 The Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener, beating St. Louis at Shea Stadium, 8-4. The Amazins’ have now won on Opening Day in 18 of the last 20 seasons.
1990 Billy Hatcher, who is in the delivery room with his pregnant wife when the phone rings, is informed by Pirates manager Jim Leyland that he has been traded but doesn’t ask which team now has his services. After his daughter Chelsea is born, the former Buc outfielder gets a call at home from Cincinnati general manager Bob Quinn to welcome him to the Reds.
1994 The new season begins with the first Sunday night opener ever played in major league history, with a game not embraced by the local fans or Reds’ owner Marge Schott. On a frigid Easter Sunday evening at Riverfront Stadium, the Cardinals beat the Reds in the controversial contest, 6-4, in front of the smallest Opening Day crowd in the ballpark’s 24-year history.
2000
With their 8-0 and 21-1 victories over the Clafin Panthers, the Savannah State nine extends its consecutive-game winning streak to 42 games. The Tigers’ twin sweep sets an NCAA record, eclipsing the Marietta College of Ohio record of 40 straight wins established by the Division II school last year.
2000 After missing last season due to undergoing treatments for lymphatic cancer, Braves’ first baseman Andres Galarraga makes a dramatic return on Opening Day, homering in the seventh inning to break up a scoreless tie. The 38-year-old first baseman’s home run followed by Andruw Jones’ back-to-back shot gives Atlanta a 2-0 victory over the Rockies at Turner Field.
2002 Barry Bonds becomes the second player in baseball history to begin a season with consecutive two-homer games. Eddie Mathews also hit a pair of homers in each of the Braves’ first two games against the Pirates to start the 1958 season.
2005 Alex Sanchez becomes the first major leaguer publicly identified under baseball’s new steroid policy. The Tampa Bay outfielder receives a ten-day suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
2006 Seattle’s Kenji Johjima becomes the first Japanese catcher to start a major league game. The Mariners’ 30-year-old backstop homers in his debut in the team’s 5-3 loss to the Angels.
2006 Sportsnet NY, the Mets’ new team-owned network, broadcasts its first regular-season baseball game. During the third inning of New York’s 3-2 victory over the Nationals, SNY experiences technical difficulties, blacking out the telecast for nearly twenty minutes.
2007 Marcus and Brian Giles bat first and second in San Diego’s Opening Day lineup in the Padres’ 7-0 victory over the Giants. Skipper Bud Black’s batting order marks the first time brothers hit one and two in a game since Matty and Jesus Alou did it for San Francisco in 1965.
2008 A three-and-a-half pound red-tailed hawk, known to nest at the historic ballpark, attacks a Memorial Boulevard Middle School student during a Fenway Park tour. The 13-year-old from Bristol (CT), treated for a small scratch on her scalp at a local hospital, has a familiar name to Red Sox fans, Alexa Rodriguez, similar to the much detested third baseman of the Yankees, also is 13 (uniform number).
2008 Twenty minutes before their game, the Dodgers announce reliever Hong-Chih Kuo will start in place of Chad Billingsley, who, in turn, will be in the bullpen. The unusual move, made due to the threat of rain at the start of the contest, is also employed by the Giants, with Merkin Valdez beginning the game with the announced starter and eventual winner, Tim Lincecum entering the game in the fourth inning.
2008 At Comerica Park in Detroit, the Royals beat the Tigers, 4-1, completing a season-opening three-game sweep. The victories mark the first time Kansas City had started the year with a sweep on the road since 1977, when the team also won the first three away contests of the season in the Motor City.
2008 In a dazzling debut, Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto fans ten batters in an overpowering seven-inning performance when Cincinnati beats the visiting Diamondbacks, 3-2. Using a 96-mph fastball and devastating changeup, the 22-year-old rookie, who started last season pitching in the low minors, strikes out eight of the first 13 Arizona batters he faces.
2009 The Mets, obligated only to pay the major league minimum of $400,000, sign Gary Sheffield (.225, 19, 57) in hopes of adding a much-needed right-handed bat to the lineup. The 40-year-old offensively challenged outfielder, who has 499 career home runs, was unexpectedly released by the Tigers earlier in the week despite having $14 million left on his contract.
2009 On a damp and chilly New York night, both the Mets and Yankees open their new stadiums with exhibition games. The double debut in the Big Apple sees each team come away with a victory when the Amazin’s beat the Red Sox, 4-3, and the Bronx Bombers launch three homers to defeat the Cubs, 7-4.
2010 Adam Lind (.305, 35, 114) and the Blue Jays agree to an $18 million, four-year contract that includes three additional years with a club option. The 26-year-old outfielder, flanked by several teammates, announces the deal at a press conference held before an exhibition game in Houston.
2011 Ranger teammates Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz become the first pair of players to homer in each of the first three games in a season playing for the same team. The duo’s weekend of round-trippers enabled Texas to sweep their season-opening series against visiting Boston.
2016 For the first time, teams from the previous World Series play each other on Opening Day when the Mets drop a 4-3 decision to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. In pregame ceremonies, Kansas City, who defeated the Mets in the Fall Classic in five games, hoists the World Champion banner for the first time since the team beat the Cardinals in 1985.
2016 On Opening Day in Kansas City, with the team’s theme “We Are The Champions” playing in the background, over 2,000 fans participate in the Relay the Way event, establishing a new record when they line up to complete the longest first pitch in baseball history. The ball, which is tossed hand to glove for four hours, travels a distance of nine miles and raises over $100,000 for the Royals’ Urban Youth Academy charity.
BASEBALL’S BEST
GARY CARTER
Gary Carter earned the nickname “The Kid” at Spring Training with the Expos in 1973 at the age of 19.
“I tried to impress everybody that spring, you know, being the first in line for sprints,” Carter said. “Running hard to first base all the time.”
A few big leaguers began calling him “The Kid” – and the nickname as well as the style of play stuck with him throughout his 19-year career. The 11-time All-Star was an enthusiastic and resilient backstop for the Expos, Mets, Giants and Dodgers who helped his teams behind the plate and in the batter’s box.
“He’s a horse,” said Mets Manager Davey Johnson. “He’s in great shape. You try to rest him during the season, but he won’t stand for it.”
Born on April 8, 1954 in Culver City, Calif., Carter played baseball, basketball and football in high school, but rejected dozens of college scholarship offers to sign with the Montreal Expos. Used primarily as an outfielder during his 1975 rookie season, Carter came in second in Rookie of the Year voting before earning the full-time catching job in 1977.
“I was out of position. I was running into walls and hurting myself,” said Carter about his experience in the outfield.
A three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Carter set a record for fewest passed balls (one) in 1978 and paced all National League catchers in putouts eight times, assists five times, double plays five times and caught stealing percentage three times.
“He was a human backstop back there,” said former teammate Keith Hernandez. “Early, before his knees went bad, you couldn’t steal on him in Montreal. When he wasn’t able to throw because of his knees, that never affected his performance. He was running on and off the field after three outs. This guy played in some pain and it was hustle, hustle, hustle.”
Carter was traded to the Mets following the 1984 season. He led his team to the 1986 World Series Championship, hitting .276 with two home runs and nine RBI in the Fall Classic. His two-out, 10th-inning single ignited a three-run rally that resulted in a Mets’ win in Game 6 to even the series.
Slowed by injuries, Carter played for the Giants and Dodgers before returning to Montreal to end his career in 1992. He posted a career .262 batting average, belted 324 home runs and knocked in 1,225 runs en route to five Silver Slugger Awards. He was named to 11 All-Star Games and won the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award in 1981 and 1984.
“It is a grueling position (catching),” Carter said. “I can look back at it and say it’s worth it to be enshrined in Cooperstown. I don’t have any pain in my knees right now.”
Carter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. He passed away on Feb. 16, 2012.
ALEXANDER CARTWRIGHT
Often cited as a major contributor to the origins of modern American baseball, Alexander Cartwright was an influential member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York City. With the Knickerbockers, Cartwright was a respected voice who helped guide one of the more renowned clubs in New York’s burgeoning baseball scene in the mid-1800s.
Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr. was one of seven children born to a New York City sea merchant in 1820. At age 16, he began work as a bank clerk and played bat and ball games after hours with local volunteer firefighters. It is believed that Cartwright and his friends formed their baseball club in the early 1840s and named it after Manhattan’s volunteer Knickerbocker Engine Company.
In 1845, Cartwright’s Knickerbockers moved across the Hudson River via ferry to play on the spacious Elysian Fields in Hoboken, N.J. It was there that the club became a driving force in baseball’s rapid development. Cartwright served as the Knicks’ secretary in 1846 and then as their vice president from 1847-48. He was also a member of the club’s rules committee in 1848.
In 1849, Cartwright left New York to join the Gold Rush in the western territories. Later that year, he sailed to Hawaii where he would spend the rest of his life. He became a prominent citizen in Honolulu, serving as the city’s first fire chief and as a trusted advisor to Queen Emma of Hawaii. He also helped found the Honolulu Library and Reading Room, notably advocating for women to be included among the library’s patrons. He continued a life of civil service until his death on July 12, 1892, after which his grave became a popular visiting site for many baseball luminaries – including Babe Ruth in 1934.
Cartwright was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1938.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW
1930 AMERICAN LEAGUE
Off the field…
Economics dominated politics in the 1930’s and the decade began with the construction of shanty towns called “Hoovervilles” (named after a president who felt that relief should be left to the private sector) and ended with a series of federal programs funded by the national government and an assortment of commissions set up to regulate Wall Street, the banking industry, and other business enterprises.
The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Hoover who desired a limited upward revision of tariff rates with general increases on farm products and industrial rates. The controversial act brought retaliatory tariffs from many foreign countries causing U.S. foreign trade to suffer while intensifying America’s economic depression.
Many of America’s most distinguished writers produced works of fiction during the thirties. The list includes such names as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Thornton Wilder. Some of the novels of this period explored what was happening in America during the Great Depression. One standout, John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath”, chronicled the life of a displaced Oklahoma family who had lost its farm to the drought of the Dust Bowl.
In the American League…
During an April 27th, 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox first baseman Bud Clancy became the first player at his position since Al McCauley of Washington (American Association) in 1891 to have no chances in a nine-inning game.
The New York Yankees’ and Detroit Tigers’ outfields combined on May 9th for a meager two putouts setting an American League record that has never been equaled. The National League record for outfielder idleness was previously set at one putout when the Pittsburgh Pirates took on the “Brooklyn Superbas” back in August of 1910.
On May 11th, Cleveland Indians outfielder Bibb Falk accomplished true offensive symmetry after collecting five hits, five runs batted in and five runs (in the first five innings) during a 25-7 massacre over the Philadelphia Athletics.
In the National League…
New York Giants pitcher Larry Benton set an unwanted modern Major League record (since tied several times) by surrendering six separate home runs in a single game. Training the Chicago Cubs 14-4, Benton and his teammates managed to tack on five runs (on four home runs) in the bottom of the seventh to tie the Major League record for most runs in a side.
The rules governing homeruns was changed after Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Al Lopez bounced one over Cincinnati Reds’ left fielder Bob Meusel and into the bleachers on September 12th. The lucky round-tripper marked the last recorded “bouncer” and has since then been marked as a guaranteed double.
On the final day of the regular season, a young nineteen-year-old rookie named Dizzy Dean made his Major League debut with St. Louis Cardinals surrendering just 3-hits en route to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.
Around the League…
On March 8th, Babe Ruth signed a new two year contract for $160,000 with the New York Yankees. At $80,000 per year, “The Sultan of Swat” became the highest paid player of all time and earned more money than the President of the United States. In an effort to assure posterity, Yankees General Manager Ed Barrow was quoted as saying that “No one in baseball will ever be paid more than Ruth.”
By April 29th, suspicions that the 1930 ball was the “liveliest ever” increase as an astounding one-hundred twenty-three runs were scored in just seven Major League games.
With no Most Valuable Player Award for the second year in a row (due to financial strains), the Associated Press polled its members and named Joe Cronin as it’s unofficial American League MVP for 1930. The Baseball Writers Association named Hack Wilson the MVP of the Nationals and his team (the Chicago Cubs) presented him with the $1000 bonus. The Sporting News, also acting to fill the MVP void, announced its own selection of Bill Terry as the Most Valuable Player for the National League, and Joe Cronin for the American League.
On November 23rd, Red Badgro, a St. Louis Browns outfielder / New York Giants receiver caught his third touchdown pass of the season (against the Green Bay Packers) igniting a two-sport career that would eventually land him in the Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
THE BEST
LEM BARNEY
Although he was a three-time All-Southwestern Conference star who had intercepted 26 passes in three seasons at Jackson State, Lem Barney was a comparative unknown when he joined the National Football League as a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 1967.
It took only a few games, however, for the 6-foot, 188-pound speedster to become widely respected as one of the premier comerbacks in pro football. Barney originally was tested as a wide receiver, but his exceptional skills as a defender could not be ignored. After a sensational rookie season, he was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and selected to play in the Pro Bowl, something he would do six more times during his stellar career. Barney also tied for the NFL interception lead with 10. Three of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns, only one short of the all-time single-season record at that time.
Barney, a native of Gulfport, Mississippi, also won acclaim as a kick return specialist. Particularly early in his career, he saw duty on both the punt and kickoff return units, as well as playing full time at comerback. He was highly feared as a big-play threat for good reason. In his 11-year tenure that ended after the 1977 campaign, Barney had a 98-yard kickoff return, a 94-yard field goal return, a 74-yard punt return and a 71-yard interception runback.
His career record includes 56 interceptions for 1,077 yards, 143 punt returns for 1,312 yards and 50 kickoff returns for 1,274 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns on seven interceptions, two punt returns, one kickoff return and one missed field goal return. He also recovered 11 fumbles and doubled as the Lions’ punter in both 1967 and 1969. Barney was named All-NFL in 1968 and 1969 and All-NFC in 1972 and 1975.
APRIL 3 FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS
April 3, 1926 – Chattanooga, Tennessee – The fine guard from the University of Tennessee and Army that played from 1944 to 1947, Joe Steffy was born. According to his bio on the FootballFoundation.org website Steffy enrolled at Tennessee and played on the 1944 team, which went on to the Rose Bowl. He was then appointed to the United States Military Academy and played guard for the football team for three years. In 1947 he was captain of the team and winner of the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman. Joe Steffy was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.
April 3, 1934 – Macon, Georgia – Jim Parker the stud Ohio State guard from 1954 to 1956 celebrated his day of birth. The NFF describes that it was a common occurrence when Parker played that the Buckeyes would shift to a punt formation, kick the ball and then almost immediately after the returned would catch the ball he would be just about sawed in half by a vicious hit by a hustling guard named Jim. That was Big Jim’s signature play, the all out sprint, the lunge and the violent tackle. Parker was a huge man, at 248- pounds the largest guard to play for Ohio State up to that time. But despite his size, Parker was cat-quick, explosive and driven by unflinching determination. As a workhorse in the Buckeye line, he made coach Woody Hayes’ three-yards-and-a-cloud-of- dust-offense work. In 1956 he became the first Ohio State player to win the Outland Award. The National Football Foundation selected Jim Parker for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. The Baltimore Colts in 1967 used their first round pick to select Parker and he played 11 seasons with the team split in half between tackle and guard. The amazing thing is that he was versatile enough to make 8 All-NFL teams and on 8 pro Bowl teams. His bio on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s site says that Woody Hayes thought his best shot in the pros would be on defense, Colts’ coach Weeb Ewbank tabbed Jim as an offensive lineman. The Colts at the time were just starting to become a National Football League top tier team and the premier passer in the game, Johnny Unitas, was the guy who made the Baltimore attack click. Parker had little experience in pass blocking, but Ewbank was sure Parker could do the job. “It didn’t take me long to learn the one big rule,” Parker remembered. “’Just keep them away from John,’ Coach Ewbank told me at my first practice. ‘You can be the most unpopular man on the team if the quarterback gets hurt.’ I couldn’t forget that!” And Parker didn’t forget. Jim Parker was enshrined in 1973 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
41 – 10 – 11 – 66
April 3, 1966 – Future Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver signed with the New York Mets with the incentive of a $50,000 signing bonus to top off a lucrative salary offer. The brilliant right hander would wear Number 41 with the Mets.
Great Skaters Reach a Milestone on the 3rd day of April
April 3, 1977 – Boston Bruins star center Number 10, Jean Ratelle scored his 1,000th NHL career point.
April 3, 1982 – The outstanding center of the Buffalo Sabres Gilbert Perreault, wearing Number 11 scored his 1,000th point of his NHL career.
April 3, 1988 – Mario Lemieux, Number 66 won the NHL scoring title for the 1987-88 season, stopping Gretzky’s 7 year streak, Super Mario ended up with 70 goals and 168 points to the the League that season.
TV MONDAY
| COLLEGE BASKETBALL – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| NCAA National Championship: San Diego State vs UConn | 9:00pm | CBS |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| NY Mets at Milwaukee | 2:10pm | MLBN SNY Bally Sports |
| San Francisco at Chi. White Sox | 4:10pm | NBCS-BAY NBCS-CHI |
| Minnesota at Miami | 6:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Chi. Cubs at Cincinnati | 6:40pm | MARQ Bally Sports |
| Philadelphia at NY Yankees | 7:05pm | MLBN NBCS-PHI YES |
| Tampa Bay at Washington | 7:05pm | NBCS-WSH Bally Sports |
| Pittsburgh at Boston | 7:10pm | MLBN NESN ATTSN-PIT |
| Toronto at Kansas City | 7:40pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Atlanta at St. Louis | 7:45pm | Bally Sports |
| Baltimore at Texas | 8:05pm | MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| Detroit at Houston | 8:10pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-SW |
| LA Angels at Seattle | 9:40pm | Root Sports Bally Sports |
| Cleveland at Oakland | 9:40pm | Bally Sports NBCS-CA |
| Arizona at San Diego | 9:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Colorado at LA Dodgers | 10:10pm | ATTSN-RM Spectrum |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Vegas at Minnesota | 8:00pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-RM |
| Nashville at Dallas | 8:30pm | Bally Sports |
| Arizona at Seattle | 10:00pm | Bally Sports Root Sports |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Serie A: Empoli vs Lecce | 12:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Serie A: Sassuolo vs Torino | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| English Premier League: Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur | 3:00pm | USA |
| La Liga: Valencia vs Rayo Vallecano | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Belgrano vs Sarmiento | 7:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Central Córdoba SdE vs Arsenal | 8:30pm | Paramount+ |