INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL
STATE FINALS-SATURDAY
FINAL | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY 48, BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 41
FINAL | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 55, WAPAHANI 36
FINAL | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
SCOTTSBURG 67, SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH 57
FINAL | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
FISHERS 65, BEN DAVIS 56
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES-REPORTED
NORTH KNOX 13 PRINCETON 1
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 10 COLUMBUS EAST 1
SOUTHWESTERN 3 NORTH DECATUR 2
MOUNT VERNON 10 PERRY CENTRAL 1
PERRY CENTRAL 11 N. HARRISON 1
TRINITY LUTHERAN 10 JAC-CEN-DEL 0
SOUTH DEARBORN 7 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 1
EAST CENTRAL 17 MADISON 2
CLAY CITY 6 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 1
ROSSVILLE 5 FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 0
BORDEN 5 MITCHELL 4
SHELBYVILLE 7 JENNINGS COUNTY 2
BISHOP CHATARD 14 SCECINA 4
BROWN COUNTY 17 SWITZERLAND COUNTY 2
LIVING WATER HOMESCHOOL 15 GUERIN CATHOLIC 5
JASPER 5 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 4
COLUMBUS EAST 7 BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 4
CHARLESTOWN 12 CRAWFORD COUNTY 0
COLUMBUS NORTH 10 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 9
BEECH GROVE 9 JEFFERSONVILLE 1
CLAY CITY 11 LOOGOOTEE 6
MILAN 5 RYLE 4
MOUNT VERNON 5 N. HARRISON 2
ROSSVILLE 8 FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 3
CHARLESTOWN 2 PROVIDENCE 0
NORTH DAVIESS 5 PRINCETON 4
CATHEDRAL 16 PORTAGE 4
BORDEN 7 MITCHELL 2
AVON 11 LOOGOOTEE 1
MILAN 17 RYLE 15
AVON 13 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 0
CATHEDRAL 4 SILVER CREEK 1
CORYDON CENTRAL 2 MOUNT VERNON 1
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES-REPORTED
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 11 WESTMORELAND 3
SCOTTSBURG 15 WASHINGTON 0
ROCHESTER 18 MADISON 15
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 7 PLATTEVILLE 6
RICHLAND 7 EASTERN HANCOCK 6
WEST VIGO 7 DEKALB 5
ATTICA 6 PURDUE BROAD RIPPLE 3
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 10 MASON 2
GREENFIELD CENTRAL 28 BEECH GROVE 2
FISHERS 2 BARTLETT 1
ZIONSVILLE 1 WAUCONDA 0
SOUTH RIPLEY 5 TRINITY LUTHERAN 4
NEW PRAIRIE 4 GREENWOOD 3
NORTH POSEY 14 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 1
LICKING VALLEY 13 CRAWFORDSVILLE 3
LAPORTE 9 LOGANSPORT 3
NORTH POSEY 9 PAOLI 3
BORDEN 18 CRAWFORD COUNTY 4
SHENANDOAH 9 UNION COUNTY 4
OLDENBURG ACADEMY 3 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 2
HERITAGE HILLS 6 BAR REEVE 5
NORTHEAST DUBOIS 13 CLARKSVILLE 0
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 7 FRANKLIN 2
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 3 NORTHVIEW 0
FAIRFIELD 7 SOUTH BEND ADAMS 6
DECATUR CENTRAL 13 COLUMBUS EAST 7
NORTH HARRISON 11 CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1
HAMMOND MORTON 14 CALUMET NEW TECH 0
CARROLL 4 NEW ALBANY 0
FLOYD CENTRAL 10 S. DEARBORN 0
SEYMOUR 12 LANESVILLE 3
OAK RIDGE 13 WESTVIEW 9
INDY GENESIS 18 WALDRON 3
TRITON CENTRAL 10 S. DECATUR 1
LOOGOOTEE 6 EASTERN GREENE 3
FRANKFORT 13 W. LAFAYETTE 7
MORRISTOWN 13 JAC-CEN-DEL 2
RIVERTON PARKE 24 DUGGER UNION 2
CLAY CITY 9 N. DAVIES 7
CENTER GROVE 6 LAWRENCE NORTH 2
SWITZERLAND COUNTY 12 SOUTHWESTERN 1
SOUTH NEWTON 9 FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 8
YORKTOWN 10 DELTA 2
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL 8 ARGOS 7
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY 19 CANNELTON 6
MITCHELL 15 SHOALS 2
WARREN CENTRAL 10 SCECINA 2
PROVIDENCE 15 WEST DE PERE 5
ATTICA 19 PURDUE BROAD RIPPLE 9
TRINITY LUTHERAN 2 AUSTIN 1
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 8 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 7
BLACKMAN 5 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 3
PERRY CENTRAL 11 CORYDON CENTRAL 7
CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN 17 FISHERS 7
EDGEWOOD 10 NORWELL 2
LAPORTE 12 LOGANSPORT 1
PENDLETON HEIGHTS 13 LAKOTA 1
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 14 GREENWOOD 2
MCCUTCHEON 4 CATHEDRAL 3
BISHOP CHATARD 7 HAUSER 6
GIBSON SOUTHERN 9 RONCALLI 2
FRANKFORT 8 W. LAFAYETTE 7
PERRY MERIDIAN 18 LAWRENCE CENTRAL 8
SHENANDOAH 17 UNION COUNTY 16
GUERIN CATHOLIC 23 ANDERSON 13
NOBLESVILLE 15 BEACH 3
PRINCETON 14 EVANSVILLE REITZ 5
SOUTHWESTERN 9 GIBSON SOUTHERN 3
NEW ALBANY 10 S. DEARBORN 0
WESTERN BOONE 7 COMMUNITY 1
NORTH DECATUR 6 BROWN COUNTY 4
NEW PRAIRIE 5 EDGEWOOD 4
DELTA 11 YORKTOWN 1
BLACKFORD 8 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 3
DAVIDSON ACADEMY 9 WESTERN BOONE 2
TRITON CENTRAL 16 S. DECATUR 2
LAWRENCE NORTH 11 HOMESTEAD 1
AUSTIN 8 S. RIPLEY 4
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 10 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 9
EVANSVILLE NORTH 10 JENNINGS COUNTY 0
BLACKFORD 7 CANNON COUNTY 1
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 8 SHAKAMAK 5
LAWRENCEBURG 9 LLOYD MEMORIAL 0
CENTER GROVE 6 HOMESTEAD 5
EVANSVILLE NORTH 15 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 6
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(NCAA TOURNAMENT)
CONNECTICUT 77 ILLINOIS 52
ALABAMA 89 CLEMSON 82
(NIT)
TUESDAY, APRIL 2
UTAH VS. INDIANA STATE 7 PM
GEORGIA VS. SETON HALL 9:30 PM
WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT
LSU 78 UCLA 69
IOWA 89 COLORADO 68
USC 74 BAYLOR 70
CONNECTICUT 53 DUKE 45
NBA SCOREBOARD
BOSTON 104 NEW ORLEANS 92
ORLANDO 118 MEMPHIS 88
MILWAUKEE 122 ATLANTA 113
NHL SCOREBOARD
FLORIDA 3 DETROIT 2
VEGAS 2 MINNESOTA 1 OT
EDMONTON 6 ANAHEIM 1
COLORADO 7 NASHVILLE 4
NY RANGERS 8 ARIZONA 5
CAROLINA 3 MONTRÉAL 0
OTTAWA 3 WINNIPEG 2
CHICAGO 5 PHILADELPHIA 1
COLUMBUS 4 PITTSBURGH 3
TAMPA BAY 4 NY ISLANDERS 1
BOSTON 3 WASHINGTON 2
TORONTO 3 BUFFALO 0
SAN JOSE 4 ST. LOUIS 0
DALLAS 3 SEATTLE 0
CALGARY 3 LOS ANGELES 2
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MILWAUKEE 7 NY METS 6
DETROIT 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6 (10)
ATLANTA 12 PHILADELPHIA 4
BALTIMORE 13 LA ANGELS 4
CLEVELAND 12 OAKLAND 3
PITTSBURGH 9 MIAMI 3
WASHINGTON 7 CINCINNATI 6
MINNESOTA 5 KANSAS CITY 1
TAMPA BAY 5 TORONTO 1
TEXAS 11 CHICAGO CUBS 2
SAN FRANCISCO 9 SAN DIEGO 6
NY YANKEES 5 HOUSTON 3
COLORADO 9 ARIZONA 4
ST. LOUIS 6 LA DODGERS 5 (10)
SEATTLE 4 BOSTON 3 (10)
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
PHILADELPHIA 2 MINNESOTA 0
COLORADO 3 LOS ANGELES 2
DC 1 MONTRÉAL 0
CHARLOTTE 1 CINCINNATI 1
KANSAS CITY 3 TORONTO 1
ORLANDO CITY 1 NEW YORK 1
NEW YORK CITY 1 MIAMI 1
NASHVILLE 2 COLUMBUS 2
HOUSTON 2 SAN JOSE 1
SALT LAKE 3 ST. LOUIS 1
VANCOUVER 3 PORTLAND 2
LOS ANGELES 1 SEATTLE 0
UFL SCORES
BIRMINGHAM 27 ARLINGTON 14
MICHIGAN 18 ST. LOUIS 16
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7 NOTRE DAME 6
BUTLER 8 INDIANA 5
INDIANA 22 BUTLER 3
OHIO STATE 12 PURDUE 10
NEBRASKA 9 NORTHWESTERN 5
MICHIGAN 12 MARYLAND 1
ILLINOIS 17 PENN STATE 6
IOWA 14 MINNESOTA 6
MICHIGAN STATE 5 RUTGERS 2
ILLINOIS 12 PENN STATE 8
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 9 MILWAUKEE 5
BALL STATE 14 OHIO 7
BOWLING GREEN 8 XAVIER 4
EASTERN MICHIGAN 6 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 5
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 5 TOLEDO 3
KENT STATE 5 WESTERN MICHIGAN 4
VALPARAISO 9 BRADLEY 2
INDIANA STATE 9 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 8 (11)
EVANSVILLE 11 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 10 (10)
ILLINOIS STATE 8 MISSOURI STATE 5
MOREHEAD STATE 18 SOUTHERN INDIANA 9
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
NORTH CAROLINA 4 NOTRE DAME 3
PENN STATE 9 MARYLAND 6
MICHIGAN STATE 8 IOWA 2
MINNESOTA 13 ILLINOIS 0
NEBRASKA 7 WISCONSIN 3
NORTHWESTERN 9 OHIO STATE 7
PURDUE 6 RUTGERS 5
MICHIGAN 7 INDIANA 1
MINNESOTA 6 ILLINOIS 4
IOWA 1 MICHIGAN STATE 0
PURDUE 5 RUTGERS 3
NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
DONOVAN CLINGAN, UCONN POWER BACK INTO FINAL FOUR BEHIND 30-0 RUN IN 77-52 ROUT OF ILLINOIS
BOSTON (AP) — Defending national champion UConn powered its way back into the Final Four behind a 30-0 run led by Donovan Clingan, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Huskies crushed Illinois 77-52 on Saturday night.
It was a March Madness record 10th straight double-digit victory for the Huskies, who cruised to their fifth national title last year and seem inexorably headed for a sixth. Their NCAA Tournament wins this year have come by 39, 17, 30 and 25 points.
The top-seeded Huskies (35-3) will now get on an airplane for the first time in almost a month and head to the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona, where they will face the West Region champion, either Alabama or Clemson.
They are the first defending champions to make it back to the national semifinals since Florida won back-to-back titles in 2006 and ’07.
That’s still a possibility for the Huskies, too.
Marcus Domask scored 17 points — 15 in the first half — for Illinois (29-9), and star Terrence Shannon Jr. was held to eight points on 2-of-12 shooting. Shannon, who scored 29 points in Thursday night’s Sweet 16 victory over Iowa State, snapped a string of 41 straight games scoring in double digits.
Cam Spencer had 11 points and 12 rebounds, Hassan Diarra scored 11 and Alex Karaban had 10 points for UConn.
But the big problem for third-seeded Illinois was the 7-foot-2 Clingan.
The Fighting Illini (29-9) managed just four points in the first half when Clingan was in the game, with the Connecticut native recording nine points, six rebounds and three blocked shots before the break.
UConn led just 28-23 at the half, but then things really fell apart for the Illini. They missed their first 14 shots of the second — 17 misses in a row, in all — as the Huskies scored the first 25 points of the period. The 30-0 UConn run lasted for the last 1:49 of the first half and the first 7:19 of the second.
By the time Clingan took a break with 14:35 to play, the Huskies led by 23. On the next Illinois possession, Samson Johnson — who subbed in for Clingan — blocked Shannon under the basket and finished the fast break at the other end with a layup that gave UConn a 48-23 lead.
The Huskies have a school-record 35 wins this season.
ALABAMA ADVANCES TO PROGRAM’S SECOND-EVER ELITE 8 WITH 89-87 UPSET WIN OVER TOP-SEEDED NORTH CAROLINA
LOS ANGELES – The Alabama men’s basketball team advanced to the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament Elite 8 thanks to an 89-87 upset victory over No. 1 seed North Carolina Thursday night inside Crypto.com Arena. With the victory, the Crimson Tide will face No. 6 seed Clemson Saturday with the winner advancing to the 2024 Men’s Basketball Final Four.
Grant Nelson played arguably his best game in an Alabama uniform, as he finished with 24 points, 19 of which came in the second half, to go with 12 rebounds and five blocks in the contest. Rylan Griffen and Aaron Estrada each added 19 while Mark Sears added 18 points in the win.
With the victory, the 2023-24 Crimson Tide (24-11) joins the 2003-04 squad as the only two teams in men’s basketball program history to reach the Elite 8.
North Carolina (29-8) was led by Armando Bacot’s 19 points and 12 rebounds to top four players in double figures.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
IOWA ELITE: HAWKEYES DOWN BUFFS TO ADVANCE TO ELITE EIGHT
ALBANY, New York – The top-seeded University of Iowa women’s basketball team led for all but 14 seconds in an 89-68 blasting of fifth-seeded Colorado on Saturday afternoon at MVP Arena. The Hawkeyes, who have advanced to their sixth Elite 8 in program history, defeated the Buffaloes in back-to-back years in the Sweet Sixteen.
All five starters finished in double figures with All-American Caitlin Clark leading the way, recording her 66th career double-double with 29 points, 15 assists and six rebounds. She was 13-of-22 from the floor with three 3-point field goals.
Junior Sydney Affolter, who has finished in double figures in five of the last six games, added 15, and sophomore Hannah Stuelke recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds – her second straight double-double. Kate Martin finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Gabbie Marshall went 4-for-5 from the behind the arc, finishing with 14 points.
“I’m proud of the way that we played today. I thought we played really good team basketball,” said P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Lisa Bluder. “We got everybody involved. We had five people in double figures and did a great job on the boards. They only got four offensive rebounds in the whole second half. I’m proud of my group. Caitlin comes out and has 15 assists, only two turnovers.
“I thought there’s so many people that played well in this game. Syd Affolter has the highest plus/minus of anybody, Gabbie Marshall knocks down 3s, Kate Martin her leadership out there was unbelievable. Hannah Stuelke didn’t let their center have a single O-board. That’s hard to do. That’s really hard to do.”
The Hawkeyes got off to a hot start with a 9-3, run in the first two minutes. Iowa continued the momentum throughout the first, closing out the quarter with a 22-14 lead. Clark led the way with six points and six assists.
Martin had a quick layup to start the second followed by an and-one from Stuelke to give the Hawkeyes a 13-point lead. The Buffaloes were able to close to within eight in the second, but Iowa kept the momentum, taking a 48-35 lead into the break.
The Hawkeyes went on a 6-0 to start the second half, forcing a Colorado timeout. The Buffaloes responded with back-to-back buckets, but Iowa took control, maintaining a double digit lead throughout the half. Iowa had a 22 point advantage (69-47) heading into the fourth.
“That’s what we talked about in the locker room at halftime, is to come out and dominate that third quarter from the start and that’s exactly what we did, we forced them to use a time-out,” said Clark. “I thought we really controlled the game. Once we got that lead, we were able to sustain it. Even when they went on a few runs, we were able to switch up our player defense, our zone defense — that caused them a few problems.
“Overall I just thought we executed offensively, whether it was in zone, whether it was in man-to-man, whether it was in transition, and then we did a great job on defense. It was a complete basketball game is what it felt like.”
Iowa maintained at least a 20-point lead throughout the fourth to give the program its second straight Elite 8 appearance. The 21-point win is the largest margin of victory in a Sweet Sixteen game in program history.
NO. 3 LSU ADVANCES TO ELITE EIGHT IN GRITTY WIN OVER NO. 2 UCLA, 78-69
ALBANY, N.Y. — No. 3 LSU battled all four quarters in MVP Arena on Saturday as it earned a 78-69 Sweet Sixteen win over No. 2 UCLA to survive and advance to the Elite Eight.
LSU will advance to its 10th Elite Eight in program history as it will face the winner of No. 1 Iowa and No. 5 Colorado on Monday at 6:15 p.m. CT inside MVP Arena. The winner will secure its spot at the Final Four in Cleveland next week.
“I just thought a lot of individual players did a lot of little things to help us just keep playing the game,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “One of the ways I’ve always thought that we can win a lot of games is we get to the foul line, and we did that again tonight.”
Flau’Jae Johnson led all scorers with 24 points on 7-11 from the field, 2-2 from deep, and 8-10 from the foul line. The Sophomore added 12 rebounds as she was LSU’s spark of energy all day long. Johnson flew around the court on both sides of the ball and showed no signs of fatigue. It marks her second double-double of the season
“I feel like my whole life, I’ve been hooping a whole long time,” Johnson said. “This is just a bigger stage for me, and just give all the glory to God and working. That’s it.”
Angel Reese earned her 26th double-double of the year after scoring 16 points and hauling in 11 boards. Reese went 6-7 from the foul line before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Reese was matched up with the Bruin’s 6-7 Lauren Betts for most of the night. For Reese it was her eighth straight double-double in the NCAA Tournament.
“We’ve gelled together all year,” Reese said. “Some nights it’s me, some nights it’s Neese, some nights it’s Flau’Jae. It’s so many different players on any given night, and people don’t realize that. Like we have a purpose, and our purpose is to get to the championship, and we don’t care who scores. I didn’t lose confidence in my team. I knew they were going to come out and continue to do what they do because we have great players on our team”
The double-double duo of Johnson and Reese combined for 40 of LSU’s 78 points and 23 of the Tigers’ 38 rebounds.
Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams broke double figures scoring 17 and 12, respectively. Both players came alive in the second quarter as LSU was behind and needed points to stop the UCLA comeback.
Betts, Londynn Jones, and Gabriela Jaquez each scored 14 for the Bruins to spread the offensive effort. Betts brought down 17 total rebounds to lead all players. Jones scored 4 three-pointers to lead all players. KiKi Rice added 13 for UCLA before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Johnson gave the Tigers their first lead of the day with back-to-back triples to put LSU up 8-7 before the first media timeout. Betts earned 5 of the Bruins points in the first 5 minutes as she battled with Reese down low. LSU found its early offense on the perimeter with Johnsosn’s pair of threes and a pull-up jumper from Williams. Johnson went on to score two more from the free throw line to earn her 8th straight points for the Tigers. LSU looked to hang on to its narrow lead, but the Bruins stringed together a 6-0 run to move back ahead by 1 with 1:30 to go in the quarter. Van Lith went 1-1 from the charity stripe to knot things up at 15 after the opening 10 minutes.
Reese went coast-to-coast to open the quarter as her steal led to another layup that regained the LSU lead. Jaquez hit UCLA’s first three-pointer of the day to move the bruins back in front, 18-17. The Tigers forced a Bruin timeout with just under 7 minutes to play as they went on a 6-0 run that was capped off by a spin-move finish from Johnson to move her into double figures. After opening the second quarter 1-6 from the field, Rice went 2-2 from the field to put the Bruins within two. LSU moved its lead to by as many as 10 before the end of the quarter, but a Londynn Jones three-pointer to end the quarter made it 34-27 at the half.
The Tigers went 57.1-percent from the field in the second quarter to outscore UCLA 19-12. The Bruins were just 4-14 in the second. LSU was outrebounded in the first half 23-20 and only brought down 2 offensive boards. The lead changed 5 times and the Tigers largest lead was 10 throughout the first half.
At the media timeout, both squads had scored 10 points to start the third quarter as LSU held onto its 7 point lead. UCLA found its scoring down low and from beyond the arch, while the Tigers made its offensive effort in the mid-range. After the break, an 8-0 UCLA run regained the Bruin lead for the first time since the first minute of the second quarter. The Bruins hit three triples in just two minutes to spark its offense heading into the final minute of the quarter. A steal from Reese led to Betts’ third personal and sent Reese to the line to end the third. Reese went 2-2 to secure her double-double and tie things up at 48 heading into the final quarter.
The Bruins scored first to go up by 3 within the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. The Tigers traded buckets to stay within striking distance. A Williams steal led to a second chance finish that put LSU up by 1 with 7:48 remaining. Osborne connected on UCLA’s seventh three of the day to move them back up by 1. Williams responded again with a driving layup to make it 58-58 at the media timeout. LSU played from behind for the next three minutes staying close, but unable to regain the lead. The Tigers called for a 30-second timeout after Morrow scored to male it 67-66, UCLA. Reese went 2-2 from the foul line to gain LSU’s first lead of the quarter with just under two minutes to play. Johnson made the same a possession later to make it 70-67. LSU made its free throws down the stretch to improve its advantage and earn the win, 78-69.
USC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IS ON TO THE ELITE EIGHT!
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — The top-seeded USC women’s basketball team gutted out an intense final four minutes to claw out of a three-point hole and beat No. 5 seed Baylor 74-70 to secure the Trojans’ first trip to the NCAA Elite Eight since 1994. In a battle that saw 11 lead changes, USC made an 8-0 run to get back on top in the fourth quarter, while JuJu Watkins worked her way to her 14th 30-point game of the season to help her Trojans earn the Sweet 16 victory today in Portland, Ore. USC is now 29-5 overall.
The lead changed hands five times in the first frame before USC managed a 10-point lead during the second, and the Trojans would grip a 37-31 halftime advantage. USC had shot 40 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes, bettering Baylor’s 32 percent effort from the floor. The teams were even on the boards at 23 apiece, with USC’s Rayah Marshall hauling in a whopping 11 first-half rebounds. Baylor heated up in the third and shot 65 percent from the floor to work back on top and lead it 57-53 entering the fourth. An 8-0 fourth-quarter run by the Trojans erased a three-point hole and had the top seeds leading it with 3:13 to to go, and USC fended off the Bears the rest of the way.
USC finished out the game shooting 39.4 percent overall to edge out Baylor’s 38.6 percent. The Bears won the battle of the boards 44-41 and hit nine 3-pointers, but USC’s five threes and a 17-of-21 effort from the free-throw line helped the Trojans secure the Sweet 16 win.
USC was led by Watkins’ game-high 30 points, which included a 12-of-13 outing from the free-throw line. McKenzie Forbes was next with 14 points for USC, while Rayah Marshall had her 14th double-double of the season with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Baylor got 17 points from Sarah Andrew, 15 from Jada Walker and a double-double from Darianna Littlepage-Buggs with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Dre’una Edwards also collected 12 rebounds for the Bears.
Baylor built an early 7-2 lead before the Trojans manufactured a 6-0 rally sparked by a Rayah Marshall bucket and then back-to-back scores from JuJu Watkins to edge ahead 7-6 four minutes into the action. It was a back-and-forth battle from there, with the lead changing hands five times in the first 10 minutes. McKenzie Forbes blasted a 3-pointer to tug the Trojans ahead 16-14, and then she’d follow a Baylor bucket with a strike that had USC ahead 18-16 at the end of the first. A Bear 3-pointer had it at a two-point margin, only to see USC issue blocks from Kayla Padilla and JuJu Watkins helped fuel an 8-0 USC push that had the Trojans ahead 32-22 with 4:00 on the clock. The Bears bit back with a 7-0 surge in under a minute that had it as a 35-31 margin with a minute left, but Padilla had the last word of the half with a jumper that got USC ahead 37-31 for halftime.
Both teams came out of the locker rooms with hot hands, with a combined 25 points scored in the first five minutes of the third. Kaitlyn Davis delivered her first points of the day in that stretch, while Watkins buried a pair of 3-pointers and delivered an assist to Marshall to help net a 49-44 USC lead by the five-minute mark. Baylor would respond with back-to-back threes while USC’s shots fell just off the mark, and the Bears took their first lead since the first quarter with a 50-49 advantage at 2:55. USC nudged back ahead with scored from Marshall and Forbes, but the Bears finished out the third on a 7-0 rally that had Baylor on top 57-53 entering the fourth. USC kicked down the gates of the fourth with a three-point play from Padilla and a 3-pointer from Forbes to shove back ahead, up 59-57. Baylor answered back, though, and was up 64-61 with 4:15 on the clock. The it was the Trojans’ turn again. An 8-0 USC rally ensued, with Watkins delivering an assist to Clarice Akunwafo and delivering a book while also adding a three-point play and two more free throws to get USC on top 69-64 at 1:49. A Bear blast from 3-point range carved it to a two-point game with 1:32 to go, and then Davis took a charge to get USC back the other way in the final minute. Watkins dropped a pair of free throws to make it 71-67 with 26 ticks on the clock, and then Baylor got one back on a 3-pointer at 23 seconds to make it 71-70. In the last 20 seconds Watkins landed two more free throws, and after her 16th rebound of the day, Marshall hit the all-important front end of her trip to the line with eight ticks to go to help USC lock up a 74-70 win.
NEXT:
No. 1 seed USC will face No. 3 seed UConn in the Regional Final at 6:15 p.m. PT on Monday (April 1) in Portland, Ore.
NOTABLE:
– USC is making its first trip to the Elite Eight since 1994.
– FR JuJu Watkins scored 30 points today to move into second place on the all-time NCAA freshman scoring list with 891 points scored this season, passing Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State) and now standing seven points behind the all-time freshman scoring leader Tina Hutchinson of San Diego State, who scored 898 points in 1984.
– Watkins now ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 for most points scored by any player in a single season.
– Watkins now has had 14 games of 30 or more points scored this season
– With 11 points and 16 rebounds, JR Rayah Marshall recorded her 14th double-double of the season and the 34th of her career. She has posted a double-double in six of her last eight games.
– In going 2-for-2 from 3-point range today, GS McKenzie Forbes has made at least one three-pointer in 31 games this season.
– Over the last four games, Forbes has made 50.0 percent of her 3-point attempts (15-for-30).
– USC is now 22-0 when scoring 70 or more points in a game this season.
– USC led 37-31 at halftime and is now 25-0 in games this season when leading at halftime.
– USC trailed 57-53 entering the 4th quarter and improved to 3-5 when trailing entering the fourth quarter
– USC held Baylor to 38.6 percent shooting for the game; Baylor entered the game averaging 44.5 percent from the field on the season.
– USC improved to 12-5 this season in games decided by five points or less.
– With 12 free throws made tonight, Watkins extended her USC record for free throws made in a single season with 273.
– Today was her eighth game this season registering double figures in free throws made.
– Now 29-5 overall, USC has recorded its most wins since going 31-5 in 1985-86 under head coach Linda Sharp.
HUSKIES HEADED BACK TO ELITE EIGHT
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 24 points to lead third-seeded UConn and its injury-depleted roster back to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 53-45 victory over No. 7 seed Duke on Saturday night.
A year after having to watch March Madness while sidelined by a knee injury, Bueckers was again the best player on the floor, lifting the Huskies into their 28th regional final. And this one will be among the more unlikely in coach Geno Auriemma’s 39-year tenure.
UConn dressed eight players and played only six. But it still has Bueckers, the 2021 national player of the year who has returned to that form after injuries limited or sidelined her for most of the past two seasons.
The Huskies’ victory set up the matchup fans had anticipated since the brackets were released — top seed Southern California against the Huskies on Monday night with Bueckers squaring off against fabulous freshman JuJu Watkins. The 18-year-old Watkins had 30 points in USC’s 74-70 win over Baylor in the other Portland 3 Region semifinal.
Aaliyah Edwards and KK Arnold each scored 12 points for the Huskies, who scored their second-fewest points in a March Madness victory.
Oluchi Okananwa led Duke (22-12) with 15 points and Reigan Richardson added 10, but after ousting No. 2 seed Ohio State in the second round, the Blue Devils disappeared at the offensive end. They scored 13 first-half points and had 27 going to the fourth quarter before a flurry that put a scare into the Huskies.
Bueckers had a role in causing the offensive issues for Duke, but it was a collective effort that kept Richardson from getting hot like she did while scoring 28 points against Ohio State.
The Blue Devils had just 11 baskets through three quarters. Duke trailed by as many as 20 late in the third but made a massive run in the closing minutes. Okananwa’s three-point play with 4:46 left cut the deficit to 10. She added a 3-pointer with 1:59 left to get Duke within five, but the Blue Devils got no closer despite a couple of UConn turnovers and a handful of good looks for Duke around the basket.
Buecker’s free throws with 19 seconds left put the final touch on a shaky victory for the Huskies.
Duke had 13 turnovers and hit 5 of 24 shots in the first half. Ashlon Jackson’s 3-pointer in the dying seconds of the second quarter assured Duke of avoiding a school record for fewest points in the opening 20 minutes. Its 13 points were tied for the third-fewest.
UP NEXT
UConn will be seeking its 23rd Final Four appearance and while the focus will be on Watkins and Bueckers, the Huskies will need to find more offense to keep up with USC.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
EDDIE ROSARIO’S SACRIFICE FLY CAPS 3-RUN 9TH INNING OFF ALEXIS DÍAZ AS NATIONALS BEAT REDS 7-6
CINCINNATI (AP) — Eddie Rosario capped a three-run ninth inning off All-Star closer Alexis Díaz with a tiebreaking sacrifice fly, and the Washington Nationals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 on Saturday.
Pinch-hitter Nick Martini gave the Reds a 6-4 lead with a two-run double in the eighth against Hunter Harvey (1-0).
Díaz, who had 37 saves in 40 chances last year, walked CJ Abrams on four pitches leading off the ninth, gave up a one-out RBI single to Jesse Winker and then allowed Joey Meneses’ single and a walk to Joey Gallo.
Díaz forced in the tying run when he hit Keibert Ruiz with a fastball. Pinch-runner Nasim Nuñez scored standing up on Rosario’s opposite-field fly to left.
Kyle Finnegan pitched around a walk in the bottom half for the save as the Nationals rebounded from an opening 8-2 loss on Thursday.
Nationals third baseman Trey Lipscomb went 1 for 4 in his big league debut. The 23-year-old, a third-round draft pick in 2022, singled to left in his first at-bat in the third inning and then stole second. Lipscomb fielded Tyler Stephenson’s grounder and threw to first for the game’s final out.
Nationals starter Patrick Corbin gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, including a two-run homer to Luke Maile an a solo shot to Jeimer Candelario.
Reds starter Hunter Greene allowed two runs and five hits while striking out seven in 4 2/3 innings.
Ruiz hit a solo homer in the eighth off Lucas Sims.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Manager Dave Martinez said 3B Nick Senzel won’t require surgery after Senzel broke his right hand during batting practice on Thursday. Senzel was put on the 10-day IL and the team selected the contract of Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester.
Reds: Manager David Bell said LHP Sam Moll is healthy after missing spring training with a sore left shoulder. Moll is scheduled for a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville.
UP NEXT
RHP Nick Martinez makes his Reds debut against Nationals RHP Jake Irvin in the series finale on Sunday. ___
JARED WALSH HOMERS AFTER WATCHING NEW TEAMMATES GET WORLD SERIES RINGS AS RANGERS BEAT CUBS 11-2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jared Walsh homered in his first at-bat for Texas after watching his new teammates get their World Series rings, and the Rangers beat the Chicago Cubs 11-2 on Saturday night.
Adolis García matched Walsh’s two-run homer in the second inning with a go-ahead shot in the third, and Corey Seager had four singles and two RBIs to help the defending champs to a 2-0 start.
All three of Chicago’s hits off left-hander Cody Bradford came in the second, including Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer.
Bradford (1-0) finished the second with two of his six strikeouts over five innings and faced the minimum over his final three frames.
Four Texas relievers pitched a scoreless inning apiece in a five-hitter, capped by Brock Burke after the Rangers blew open the game with a six-run eighth.
Seager, last year’s World Series MVP, finished his 12th four-hit game as one of five consecutive batters to drive in a run in the eighth against right-hander Ben Brown, who made his major league debut.
Marcus Semien had an RBI single before Seager, then Evan Carter added a run-scoring groundout and García a hit sacrifice fly. Josh Jung’s two-run homer knocked out Brown.
The 24-year-old was recalled from Triple-A Iowa after left-lander Justin Steele went on the injured list. Steele is expected to miss at least a month after straining his left hamstring in his first opening-day start.
Walsh, who had three hits and scored three times, followed his homer by lining a double off the base of the center-field wall in the fourth and came home on Seager’s third consecutive single for a 5-2 lead.
Kyle Hendricks (0-1) gave up five runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
After spending his first five seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Walsh signed a minor league contract and as Gold Glove first baseman Nathaniel Lowe recovers from a right oblique strain.
After Swanson had given the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the second, Walsh pulled the third pitch he saw with the Rangers into the seats above the bullpen in right-center field
It didn’t take García long to put his World Series ring on his finger for the cameras during a pregame ceremony. Then the reigning AL Championship Series MVP homered for the second time in two games.
UP NEXT
Cubs LHP Jordan Wicks opens his first full big league season against Texas RHP Jon Gray. Wicks debuted in August and was 4-1 with a 4.41 ERA in seven starts. Gray, who was scratched from an exhibition start Tuesday due to neck stiffness, made a team-high 29 starts last season.
JARED WALSH HOMERS AFTER WATCHING NEW TEAMMATES GET WORLD SERIES RINGS AS RANGERS BEAT CUBS 11-2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jared Walsh homered in his first at-bat for Texas after watching his new teammates get their World Series rings, and the Rangers beat the Chicago Cubs 11-2 on Saturday night.
Adolis García matched Walsh’s two-run homer in the second inning with a go-ahead shot in the third, and Corey Seager had four singles and two RBIs to help the defending champs to a 2-0 start.
All three of Chicago’s hits off left-hander Cody Bradford came in the second, including Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer.
Bradford (1-0) finished the second with two of his six strikeouts over five innings and faced the minimum over his final three frames.
Four Texas relievers pitched a scoreless inning apiece in a five-hitter, capped by Brock Burke after the Rangers blew open the game with a six-run eighth.
Seager, last year’s World Series MVP, finished his 12th four-hit game as one of five consecutive batters to drive in a run in the eighth against right-hander Ben Brown, who made his major league debut.
Marcus Semien had an RBI single before Seager, then Evan Carter added a run-scoring groundout and García a hit sacrifice fly. Josh Jung’s two-run homer knocked out Brown.
The 24-year-old was recalled from Triple-A Iowa after left-lander Justin Steele went on the injured list. Steele is expected to miss at least a month after straining his left hamstring in his first opening-day start.
Walsh, who had three hits and scored three times, followed his homer by lining a double off the base of the center-field wall in the fourth and came home on Seager’s third consecutive single for a 5-2 lead.
Kyle Hendricks (0-1) gave up five runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
After spending his first five seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Walsh signed a minor league contract and as Gold Glove first baseman Nathaniel Lowe recovers from a right oblique strain.
After Swanson had given the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the second, Walsh pulled the third pitch he saw with the Rangers into the seats above the bullpen in right-center field
It didn’t take García long to put his World Series ring on his finger for the cameras during a pregame ceremony. Then the reigning AL Championship Series MVP homered for the second time in two games.
UP NEXT
Cubs LHP Jordan Wicks opens his first full big league season against Texas RHP Jon Gray. Wicks debuted in August and was 4-1 with a 4.41 ERA in seven starts. Gray, who was scratched from an exhibition start Tuesday due to neck stiffness, made a team-high 29 starts last season.
CARSON KELLY HITS RBI SINGLE IN THE 10TH AS THE DETROIT TIGERS BEAT THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX 7-6
CHICAGO (AP) — Carson Kelly hit run-scoring singles in the seventh inning and 10th innings, helping the Detroit Tigers rally for a 7-6 victory over Luis Robert Jr. and the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Mark Canha and Riley Greene homered for the Tigers, who beat Chicago 1-0 on opening day Thursday. Parker Meadows reached three times from the leadoff spot and robbed Martín Maldonado of a home run with a leaping grab in center.
Canha was the automatic runner on second in the 10th when Kelly hit a grounder back up the middle against Deivi García (0-1), putting Detroit ahead to stay. Kelly also drove in Canha with a two-out single in the seventh, tying it at 6.
Shelby Miller (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
Robert hit a pair of two-run homers and Braden Shewmake also connected for Chicago, which managed just three singles in the opener. Michael Soroka pitched five innings of four-run ball in his White Sox debut.
Robert hit a 449-foot shot to left on the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Kenta Maeda in the first. He came up again in the third and drove Maeda’s eighth pitch deep to left-center, lifting the White Sox to a 5-3 lead. The All-Star center fielder went 3 for 4 with a walk in his sixth career multihomer game.
Maeda was tagged for six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings in his first start for Detroit. The Japanese right-hander agreed to a $24 million, two-year contract as a free agent.
Detroit trailed 6-3 before Canha connected with two outs in the fifth. Greene led off the seventh with a drive to center against Dominic Leone, setting the stage for Kelly’s big hit.
Chicago loaded the bases in the bottom half on three walks, but Will Vest got Eloy Jiménez to bounce into a double play. First baseman Spencer Torkelson made a nice scoop on third baseman Zach McKinstry’s throw, ending the inning.
BIG SWING
Shewmake went deep on the first pitch he saw in the second inning in his Chicago debut. He became the first White Sox player to hit a home run for his first major league hit since Zack Collins at Texas on June 21, 2019.
Shewmake and Soroka were acquired in a November trade that sent reliever Aaron Bummer to Atlanta.
UP NEXT
Right-handers Jack Flaherty and Erick Fedde start the series finale on Sunday. The 28-year-old Flaherty is making his Detroit debut after signing a $14 million, one-year contract. The 31-year-old Fedde finalized a $15 million, two-year contract with Chicago in December after pitching in South Korea last season.
KWAN HOMERS, GUARDIANS GET 15 HITS AND ROUT A’S 12-3 BEFORE CROWD OF JUST 5,425
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Bay area native Steven Kwan homered and reached base four times, and the Cleveland Guardians had 15 hits in a 12-3 rout of the Oakland Athletics before a Saturday afternoon crowd of just 5,425.
Six Cleveland players stole bases off Kyle McCann, a 26-year-old catcher making his major league debut.
Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt tied Al Lopez in 1951 as the only managers to start their Cleveland careers 3-0. Oakland dropped to 0-3 for the second time in 28 years.
The A’s, who have announced plans to move to Las Vegas for the 2028 season, have drawn 22,784 in their first three home games for an average of 7,595.
Cleveland trailed 3-2 before scoring three runs in the fourth, two each in the fifth and sixth, and then one in the sixth to burst ahead 8-3.
Nick Sandlin (1-0) struck out two in a hitless fifth in relief of Tanner Bibee, who allowed three runs, six hits in four innings. Bibee matched his career high with five walks.
JP Sears (0-1) gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Sears went 5-14 last year as the A’s finished a major league-worst 50-112.
Gabriel Arias hit a tying single and Austin Hedges followed with a sacrifice fly in the go-ahead fourth.
A throwing error by Oakland shortstop Nick Allen led to a pair of unearned runs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: RHP Ben Lively and RHP Xzavion Curry, both on the 15-day IL with a viral illness, threw bullpen sessions on Friday and are expected to go on a rehab assignment soon. … LHP Sam Hentges (left middle finger inflammation) and RHP Gavin Williams (right elbow inflammation) are improving and will throw bullpens soon.
UP NEXT
Guardians RHP Carlos Carrasco (3-6, 6.80 ERA in 2023) faces A’s RHP Paul Blackburn (4-7, 4.83 ERA in 2023) on Sunday.
CARDINALS BEAT DODGERS 6-5 IN 10 INNINGS AFTER BETTS HOMERS AGAIN IN THE NINTH
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Goldschidt drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning with a groundout after Mookie Betts homered again to help Los Angeles tie it in the ninth, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Dodgers 6-5 on Saturday night.
The Cardinals turned a hit batter, a catcher’s interference and a balk into a five-run seventh inning and led 5-3 in the ninth. The Dodgers tied it against Ryan Helsley (1-0) on a one-out home run from Betts and a game-tying single from Max Muncy with two outs. Betts has a home run in four consecutive games.
Right-hander Lance Lynn pitched four scoreless innings in his first outing for St. Louis since 2017, then was pulled following a rare Dodger Stadium rain delay that lasted 35 minutes. It was believed to be the first rain delay at the ballpark since April of 2017.
Dodgers right-hander Kyle Hurt (0-1) gave up a run in 2 2/3 innings. Helsley gave up two runs on four hits in the ninth before Giovanny Gallegos pitched the 10th for his first save.
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto went five scoreless innings for Los Angeles in his home debut, pitching on both sides of the rain delay. He bounced back from his dismal MLB debut on March 21, when he gave up five runs in just one inning against the San Diego Padres at Seoul, South Korea.
Will Smith had a pair of RBI singles and Freddie Freeman added an RBI single for the Dodgers.
The game was scoreless when the delay began at the end of the fourth inning. Yamamoto returned with another scoreless innings before the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead on back-to-back RBI hits from Freeman and Smith.
The Cardinals went to work in the seventh, loading the bases on Nolan Gorman’s walk, while Nolan Arenado was hit by a pitch and Matt Carpenter loaded the bases on Smith’s catcher’s interference.
After Carpenter scored the go-ahead run following Joe Kelly’s balk with Victor Scott II at the plate, Brendan Donovan hit a two-run double to right for a 5-2 lead.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw, who isn’t expected to pitch until the second half after offseason shoulder surgery, played catch from 120 feet in the outfield Saturday as he continues his throwing program. … RHP Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) is expected to pitch from a mound next week as he continues his rehab after starting the season in the injured list.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: LHP Steven Matz will make his season debut after going 4-7 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 appearances (17 starts) last season.
Dodgers: RHP Gavin Stone will make his season debut after he went 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in eight appearances (four starts) last season and winning a rotation spot in spring training.
NBA NEWS
CELTICS REBOUND FROM BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES WITH WIN OVER PELICANS
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and the Boston Celtics rebounded from back-to-back losses to Atlanta, pulling away in the third quarter for a 104-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and Jaylen Brown scored 17 as the Celtics, who at 58-16 have the NBA’s best record, avoided what would have been their first three-game skid of the year.
Derrick White had 15 points and Jrue Holiday had 13 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.
Zion Williamson scored 25 for New Orleans and CJ McCollum added 24.
Porzingis said stopping the two-game skid — only the Celtics’ third losing streak of the season — was less important than simply playing well.
“Last year Denver lost four in a row at one point, and I think the team that won before that lost five in a row,” he said. “But winning is a nice habit for sure.”
Ahead 59-57 at halftime, Boston took control in the third quarter, limiting New Orleans to 11 points while Porzingis had two of his blocks. The Celtics went ahead 79-68 on Tatum’s 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way, going up by 22 in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics took away open 3-point shots and funneled the Pelicans to the basket, where Porzingis was waiting.
“That has to be our identity defensively,” Porzingis said. “The guys (on the perimeter ) do everything up until that point, and when the opponent gets to the rim, they meet me. We played at a very high level.”
The Pelicans shot 4 of 23 in the third quarter and Williamson missed all five of his attempts, guarded primarily by the 6-foot-6 Brown. New Orleans did not score after Trey Murphy’s 3-pointer with 4:37 left, going 0 of 6 with three turnovers.
“Jaylen did a nice job of making it very difficult for him (Williamson),” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He still got his average on free throws, but we kept him out of transition, kept him out of the paint and the guys on the perimeter did a great job of showing help on Zion and making him give up the ball early.”
Williamson and Herb Jones each had 14 points in the first half, when New Orleans led by 11 points after Williamson’s steal and dunk sparked a 9-0 run.
“They definitely hit us first,” Mazzulla said. “Our guys did a great job keeping their poise and responding the way we know how to with our defense and our offensive execution.”
McCollum’s driving layup made it 34-23 late in the first quarter, but Boston chipped away in the second quarter, tying it at 44 on White’s tip-in of Brown’s miss.
White gave the Celtics their first lead when he hit a deep 3 as time expired in the first half, and they continued their run at the start of the third quarter.
“They upped their intensity and we didn’t match it,” Williamson said. “When we decided to match it, the game was kind of out of hand at that point.”
Brandon Ingram missed his fifth consecutive game for the Pelicans with a bone bruise in his left knee. New Orleans was trying to get 18 games above .500 for the first time since being 49-31 on April 12, 2009.
__
UP NEXT
Celtics: Visit Charlotte on Monday night to wrap up a six-game road swing.
Pelicans: Host Phoenix on Monday night in the fourth of six straight at home.
ORLANDO MAGIC SNAP 3-GAME SKID WITH 118-88 ROUT OF MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony added 15 points each and the Orlando Magic broke a three-game losing streak with a 118-88 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
A day after committing two late turnovers and blaming himself for a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Paolo Banchero sat out the fourth quarter and finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Jordan Goodwin led the Grizzlies with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Clarke added 13 points in 20 minutes in his second game back from an Achilles injury.
The win moved the Magic a game and a half behind New York in the race for the fourth Eastern Conference playoff spot. With eight games left in the regular season, the Magic are in fifth place, 1 1/2 up on Indiana and 2 1/2 up on Miami. Their 43 wins are the most for the franchise since 2010-11.
Joe Ingles hit three 3-pointers during a 15-0 Magic run in the first quarter, and Anthony and Markelle Fultz hit 3s on a second-quarter burst that gave Orlando a 43-15 lead.
The Grizzlies, who came into the game last in the NBA in scoring (101.6 points per game), field-goal percentage (43.6) and 3-point percentage (34.7), shot 26.2% in the first half and 36% for the game.
Desmond Bane (sore back) and Santi Aldama (illness) were added to the long list of players sidelined by injuries for the Grizzlies, who have lost seven of eight.
Jonathan Isaac and Gary Harris did not play for Orlando due to “injury maintenance.”
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Visit Detroit on Monday.
Magic: Host Portland on Monday.
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO HAS 36 POINTS, 16 REBOUNDS TO POWER BUCKS PAST HAWKS, 122-113
ATLANTA (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had six dunks while scoring 36 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 38 points to beat Atlanta 122-113 on Saturday night, ending the Hawks’ four-game winning streak.
Antetokounmpo added 16 rebounds and Khris Middleton scored 21 points as the Bucks snapped a two-game losing streak.
Dejounte Murray, who scored a career-high 44 points in Atlanta’s 123-122 overtime win over Boston on Thursday night for Atlanta’s second win over the Celtics in four days, had 20 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.
Bogdanovic set a career high with 10 rebounds. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter while sinking two 3-pointers in the final minute.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter and Bogdanovic midway through the final period cut the Bucks’ lead to 94-89. Middleton and Brook Lopez answered with 3s for Milwaukee to quickly push the advantage back to double figures.
Milwaukee point guard Damian Lillard was held out for personal reasons. The Bucks had been 0-5 without Lillard this season.
Lillard’s status is uncertain for the Bucks’ game at Washington on Tuesday night. Patrick Beverley scored 18 points as the fill-in starter.
The Hawks again were missing injured forwards Onyeka Okongwu (left big toe sprain) and Jalen Johnson (right ankle), complicating the already difficult challenge of defending Antetokounmpo. Forward Saddiq Bey, another part of Atlanta’s regular rotation when healthy, had season-ending knee surgery this week.
Atlanta All-Star point guard Trae Young (finger) has missed 18 consecutive games. The Hawks, who are a game behind No. 9 Chicago in the East, have about two weeks to have injured players return before their likely spot in the play-in tournament.
The Hawks averaged 123.8 points in the four straight wins before being held to 45 first-half points by Milwaukee.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Visit Washington on Tuesday night.
Hawks: Visit Chicago on Monday night in a possible preview of the play-in tournament opener.
NHL NEWS
NHL-LEADING RANGERS GET 50TH WIN, QUICK SETS US RECORD IN 8-5 VICTORY OVER COYOTES
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Alexis Lafreniere had three goals and two assists, Jonathan Quick broke the victory record for U.S.-born goalies and the NHL-leading New York Rangers reached 50th wins, beating the Arizona Coyotes 8-5 on Saturday.
Jonathan Quick stopped 27 shots in moving past Ryan Miller with his 392nd victory.
Arteri Panarin had an empty-net goal with 2:25 left, his 44th of the season, and had three assists to give him 63. Lafreniere got the hat trick with an empty-netter with 14 seconds left. He has 25 goals, a career high for the 2020 first overall pick.
Tied at 3 in the third period, the Rangers scored three times in the first 10 minutes to seemingly break it open. Chris Kreider, Zac Jones and Barclay Goodrow had the goals in the third, with Goodrow’s short-handed strike the eventual deciding goal.
Arizona cut it it 6-5 before Panarin put it on ice.
The Rangers, with 104 points, won their fifth straight and finished March 10-3-1. New York is 20-4-1 since February.
Ryan Lindgren had a goal and two assists for the Rangers.
Matias Maccelli, Clayton Keller, Nick Bjugstad, Lawson Crouse and Logan Cooley scored for Arizona. Keller has a season-high eight-game points streak. He has 31 goals. Bjugstad has goals in four straight games.
Karel Vejmelka made 24 saves for Arizona.
Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba returned after missing 11 games because of a lower body injury. The Rangers captain last played March 4.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Host Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Coyotes: Host Vancouver on Wednesday night.
CONNOR BEDARD, BLACKHAWKS SKATE PAST THE FLYERS 5-1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Connor Bedard had an assist to increase his rookie-leading points total, Philipp Kurashev, Joey Anderson and Lukas Reichel each added a goal and an assist and the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Saturday night.
Nick Foligno and MacKenzie Entwistle also scored for rebuilding Chicago, which entered with the second-fewest points in the NHL. The Blackhawks improved to 22-47-5 overall and 7-29-1 on the road. Arvid Soderblom made 29 saves.
Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers, and Samuel Ersson made 19 saves.
This season was expected to be another rebuilding campaign in the second year under coach John Tortorella, but the Flyers are a surprising playoff contender. They last made the postseason in 2020. The Flyers started Saturday holding the final playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division but just a point ahead of fourth-place Washington. Philadelphia has seven games remaining.
Tortorella was shaking his head early and often behind the bench, as the Flyers came out slow against the lowly Blackhawks, who have already been eliminated from the playoff race.
Reichel’s wraparound just 2:01 into the contest put the Blackhawks up 1-0, and Kurashev finished a 3-on-2 with a wrister past Ersson glove side after a pretty cross-ice pass from Bedard.
Bedard improved his team-leading points total to 57 with his 36th assist, which also is leading Chicago. The Blackhawks selected the 18-year-old star No. 1 in last spring’s draft.
After Philadelphia assistant captain Scott Laughton dropped the gloves with Ryan Donato at the end of the first period in an apparent attempt to spark his team, the Flyers pulled within 2-1 just 17 seconds into the second period on Foerster’s 20th of the season.
But Philadelphia couldn’t find the equalizer, and the Blackhawks took a two-goal lead with 2:32 remaining in the second on Foligno’s power-play tally on a one-timer from the slot. Anderson and Entwistle padded the Blackhawks’ advantage with goals in the third.
The Flyers were hurt by their own performance on the man-advantage, going 0 for 3. Philadelphia entered converting at an NHL-worst 13.2% on the power play.
Ivan Fedotov served as Philadelphia’s backup goalie after joining the Flyers on Friday. The club drafted the 6-foot-6, 27-year-old in the seventh round in 2015, but he has yet to suit up for the Flyers due to issues leaving Russia and playing in the KHL. Fedotov, wearing an unpainted, white goalie mask, was cheered loudly during warmups.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: At Islanders on Tuesday night.
Flyers: Host Islanders on Monday night.
GOLF NEWS
SCHEFFLER OVERCOMES LATE DOUBLE-BOGEY TO JOIN 5-WAY TIE IN HOUSTON
HOUSTON (AP) — Scottie Scheffler made double bogey from what he thought was a good shot, responded with back-to-back birdies and finished with a 4-under 66 on Saturday to be part of a five-way tie for the lead in the Houston Open.
Scheffler is trying to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2017 to win three consecutive PGA Tour starts, and he would appear to be in the pole position among players with so little experience at winning on tour.
David Skinns, a 42-year-old from England, had a 65 and was the first to post at 9-under 201. He was joined by Stephan Jaeger of Germany (66), Thomas Detry of Belgium (67) and Alejandro Tosti of Argentina (68), all of them trying to win on the PGA Tour for the first time.
Three others with one PGA Tour win, including U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap, were another shot behind.
Tony Finau, who had a two-shot lead going into the third round, didn’t make a birdie until the 13th hole on another blustery day at Memorial Park. He salvaged a 72 and was still in the thick of it, just two shots behind.
Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, is coming off victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
“Winning the last two doesn’t help me do anything tomorrow,” Scheffler said. “I think it’s going to be another pretty challenging day out there with high winds. Stick to my process and control what I can control out there.”
Some things were out of his control at Memorial Park.
It was crowded at the top for so much of the day. Scheffler joined the chase with four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn, and looked to be on the verge of seizing control. But he turned a birdie chance into bogey when his pitch on the reachable par-4 13th went over the green and he was fortunate his next chip didn’t come back to his feet.
But what flummoxed him was the par-3 15th, with the tee and pin moved forward, making the hole play a mere 121 yards with narrow margins for the miss. Scheffler’s tee shot landed about 6 feet from the hole and he heard the gallery cheers — and then groan.
The ball spun back just enough to catch a slope, then a steeper slope in front of the green, and it kept rolling right through the rough and into the water. Scheffler covered his mouth with his hand and then began to laugh.
“What are you going to do?” he said to his caddie.
The only option was to take a penalty drop, and he failed to get up-and-down for his second double bogey in two days.
“I didn’t expect it to spin back, I didn’t expect it to spin back off the green and I didn’t expect it to be in the water,” he said.
But he answered with a 4-iron to the green on the par-5 16th and another great shot to a tough pin to 4 feet for birdie on the 17th.
Tosti, trying to become the fourth PGA Tour rookie to win this early in the season, overcame a double bogey on the par-3 second when he four-putted (the first one went off the green), and he had plenty of passion and fire the rest of the way.
Dunlap became the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour at The American Express in January, turned pro and it has been a struggle since then. He was at dinner with his caddie Friday night trying to figure what needed to be better. He found a solution.
“All I tried to do today was play perfect with what I had, not necessarily like perfect golf but getting the easy ones up and down, not three-putting,” Dunlap said.
Part of that equation was seven birdies for a 63, and he goes into Sunday with a chance to win. Also at 8-under 202 were Taylor Moore, who won the Valspar Championship a year ago, and Akshay Bhatia, who won the Barracuda Championship last summer. They each shot 67.
Finau was about the only player who couldn’t get anything going. One day after making just about everything, he kept missing with the putter — two par putts from inside 10 feet and two birdie chances from about the same range.
He drove the 13th green and two-putted for his first birdie, only to hit into the water on the 15th, escaping with bogey. And then on the par-5 16th, his second shot bounced left and into the water, spelling more trouble. But he chipped in for birdie after his penalty drop and was well within range of Scheffler and everyone else going into Sunday.
CIGANDA FIRES 66 IN BLUSTERY WEATHER TO SHARE LEAD AT LPGA FORD
GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) — Carlota Ciganda shot 6-under 66 to share the lead with fellow hometown favorite Sarah Schmelzel and Hyo Joo Kim after a blustery third round Saturday in the LPGA Tour Ford Championship.
Two days of ideal conditions and low scoring gave way to gusty wind that had balls oscillating on the greens at Seville Golf and Country Club.
Hannah Green had the overnight lead at 14 under, but quickly fell back as the wind made pulling the right club and even putting difficult.
The leaders found a way to navigate the tough conditions.
An Arizona State alum from Spain, Ciganda had two eagles before the wind started sending plumes of dust across the course, posting an early 15-under 201 in her bid to win for the first time in eight years.
Schmelzel, also an Arizona resident who grew up in the area, shot 70 in her bid to win on the LPGA Tour for the first time. Kim had three birdies in her first four holes and closed with 14 straight pars to shoot 69.
Yuka Saso overcame a four-putt double bogey on No. 15 with two birdies in her final three holes to shoot 69 and reach 14 under. She’s tied with Maja Stark, who had one of the free bogey-free rounds with a 66.
Top-ranked Nelly Korda stayed steady to shoot 69 and is two shots back in her bid to become the first LPGA player to win three straight starts since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016. She chipped in on the island par-3 17th for a second straight birdie to join 10 players at 13 under.
Lexi Thompson was in that group as well, two-putting for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 69 that put her in contention to win for the first time in five years.
Ciganda was among the players who took advantage of an earlier tee time, eagling the par-5 fifth hole and adding another on the short par-4 16th to climb quickly up the leaderboard.
Playing in front of numerous family and friends in the afternoon, Schmelzel rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 10, but gave it back on the next hole by missing a short par putt. She rolled in a birdie on the par-4 13th and got up and down for another on the short par-4 16th to reach 15 under.
Green had 11 birdies — second-most in LPGA Tour history — in a second-round 61 that gave her the overnight lead by one. She had a hard time following it up in the wind, shooting a 75 that drop to 11 under.
RACING NEWS
LARSON WINS POLE FOR NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE AT RICHMOND
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Kyle Larson turned a fast lap at 120.332 mph on Saturday to win the pole position for Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.
Larson, the defending race winner, barely edged Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott for his first pole of the season. Elliott was slower by just 0.002 seconds.
Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing qualified third and Alex Bowman, another Hendrick driver, was fourth. Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing and Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports will start in the third row, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs and Team Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano.
Truex, the points leader through six races, is the only driver to have finished on the lead lap in every race.
INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS
INDIANA PACERS
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS NETS
Just seven games remain on the Indiana Pacers’ regular season schedule, but the next couple of contests will pit them against the same opponent twice in three days.
The Pacers (42-33) will host the Brooklyn Nets (29-45) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday before heading to the Empire State on Wednesday to complete their regular season series.
Brooklyn will play on the second leg of a back-to-back on Monday as they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in New York. The Nets have a record of 4-8 in games with no rest this season, including 1-5 on the road.
Indiana enters its next game coming off a 109-90 win on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the victory, the Pacers gave up their fewest points in a game this season, limiting the Lakers to 40.7 percent shooting (16.7 percent from 3-point range).
The Pacers have won two of their last three games and own a record of 7-3 when coming off two days rest. Gainbridge Fieldhouse has been a tough place to play for visitors this season, as the Pacers own a 22-15 home record.
After going 8-7 in March, the Pacers hope to create extra padding going into the postseason by earning some wins in early April.
As of Saturday night, the Pacers were in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Nets were 11th — one spot out of the final Play-In Tournament spot. The Pacers were a game ahead of the Miami Heat and two and a half games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the final automatic playoff berth, while the Nets trailed the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks by a handful of games.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Track the Latest Standings, Potential Matchups, and More >>
Indiana has relied on its league-leading scoring and a much-improved defense to grind out wins in the latter third of the season. Over their last 10 games, the Pacers have the 13th-best defensive rating of all NBA teams – after ranking at or near the bottom in defense for months – and are giving up 114.6 points per game during that stretch.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle consistently credits forward Aaron Nesmith, center Myles Turner, and guard Andrew Nembhard with drawing challenging defensive assignments throughout the season.
Against the Lakers, Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton logged 21 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Nesmith drew the assignment of LeBron James, limiting the future Hall-of-Famer to 16 points on 50 percent shooting.
The Pacers are still first in the league in scoring and assists, averaging 122.7 points (46.2 bench points) on a nightly basis and 30.6 dimes.
T.J. McConnell has been solid for the Pacers all season leading the second unit, but his efforts have made a significant difference over the last few weeks. McConnell has scored at least 10 points in nine straight games, the longest streak of double-digit scoring performances in his career.
Brooklyn has struggled to score points this season, averaging 111.2 points per game — 24th in the NBA — but it makes the eighth-most 3-pointers per game (13.6).
Rebounding could prove pivotal, as the Nets are eighth and the Pacers rank 28th on the boards. Indiana has a record of 19-25 when outrebounded by an opponent this season.
Cam Thomas leads the Nets this season with 21.9 points per game, while Mikal Bridges puts up 20.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Nets: G – Dennis Schroder, G – Cam Thomas, F – Mikal Bridges, F – Dorian Finney-Smith, C – Nic Claxton
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Nets: Dennis Smith Jr. – probable (right hip synovitis), Cameron Johnson – questionable (left big toe sprain), Keita Bates-Diop – out (right tibia stress fracture), Ben Simmons – out (left lower back nerve impingement), Dariq Whitehead – out (left shin stress reaction)
Last Meeting
March 16, 2024: The Pacers used a second-half surge to post a convincing 121-100 win over the Nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
After a tight first half, with the Pacers leading 58-57, the Blue & Gold limited the Nets to 5-for-18 shooting in the third quarter to take an 86-78 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Pacers blew open the game by scoring 35 points in the final frame.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 28 points and 11 rebounds, Aaron Nemsith recorded 16 points, and Tyrese Haliburton posted 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Cam Thomas topped the Nets with 22 points and eight rebounds, and Cameron Johnson collected 15 points and four boards off the bench.
The Pacers shot 47.6 percent from the field to the Nets’ 42.9 percent but were outgained in free throws as the visitors made 24-of-31 attempts to the Blue & Gold’s 15-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Brooklyn won the rebounding margin 50-45 but had 21 turnovers, which resulted in 30 Pacers points.
Noteworthy
Tyrese Haliburton has 682 assists on the season and needs three to pass Don Buse (685 assists in 1976-77) for second place in the franchise’s single-season record book. Mark Jackson holds the franchise record with 713 assists in 1997-98.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle currently has 938 career wins, tying him with legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time wins list.
Indiana would win its season series with Brooklyn by beating the Nets on Monday. The Pacers split games last year, and haven’t won a series against hte Nets since the 2019-20 season.
INDY ELEVEN SOCCER
RECAP – IND 1:2 DET
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, March 30, 2024) – On Saturday night at Michael A. Carroll Stadium, Indy Eleven fell, 2-1, to Detroit City FC in their first game against an Eastern Conference opponent. The Boys in Blue fall to 1-2-1 on the 2024 season, while Detroit City FC climbs to 3-0-0.
Indy opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Younes Boudadi megged a Detroit defender to set up Sebastián Guenzatti to snatch the lead in the opening half. The tally was the first of the season for Gunezatti and Boudadi’s helper gives him a team-high two.
Shortly into the second half, Maxi Rodriguez sent a ball to Ali Coote who leveled the match for Detroit in the 55th minute. The match winner followed in the 88th minute off a late penalty. Detroit sent the free kick into the box where Yazeed Matthews found Rodriguez in the 88th minute for the goal.
Jack Blake led the Boys in the Blue with three total shots and Adrián Diz Pe lead the team in shots on target with two.
Detroit outshot Indy 16-8 in the match and led in total time of possession.
Indy heads south to take on Louisville City FC on Saturday April 6 in the first leg of the LIPAFC rivalry.
USL Championship Regular Season
Indy Eleven 1:2 Detroit City FC
Saturday, March 30, 2024 – 7 p.m. ET
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis
2024 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 1-2-1 (-1), 4 pts Eastern Conference
Detroit City FC: 3-0-0 (+31), 9 pts Eastern Conference
Scoring Summary
IND – Sebastián Guenzatti (Younes Boudadi) 24’
DET – Ali Coote (Maxi Rodriguez) 55’
DET – Maxi Rodriguez (Yazeed Matthews) 88’
Discipline Summary
IND – Younes Boudadi (caution) 15’
DET – Abdoulaye Diop (caution) 42’
IND – Adrián Diz Pe (caution) 87’
DET – Stephen Carroll (caution) 90’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2): Yannik Oettl, Aedan Stanley, Danny Barbir, Adrian Diz Pe, Younes Boudadi, Jack Blake, Cam Lindley (Max Schneider 60’), Tyler Gibson (captain) (Elliot Collier 75’), Sebastian Guenzatti, Tega Ikoba (Douglas Martinez 60’), Augi Williams
Indy Subs: Cayden Crawford, Nikola Ivetic, Macca King, Maverick McCoy, Josh O’Brien, Ethan O’Brien
Detroit City line-up: Nathan Steinwascher, Michael Bryant (Matt Sheldon 70), Stephen Carrol, Devon Amoo-Mensah, Brett Levis (Alex Villanueva 70’), Abdoulaye Diop (Dominic Gasso 84’), James Murphy, Rhys Williams, Maxi Rodriguez, Ali Coote (Ben Morris 79’), Elvis Amoh (Yazeed Matthews 79’)
Detroit Subs: Daniel Espeleta, Carlos Saldaña
INDY FUEL HOCKEY
FUEL CLAIM ONE POINT IN BIG GOALIE BATTLE
INDIANAPOLIS- The Fuel finished their weekend in Toledo on Saturday night with a 3-2 shootout loss after staying in it with the dominant Walleye during regulation.
1ST PERIOD
Just 1:20 into the game, the Fuel earned the first power play of the game with a slashing call on Conlan Keenan.
The Walleye were able to kill off that penalty before Chris Cameron took a slashing penalty of his own, giving Toledo a power play. The Fuel killed off that penalty as well and the score remained 0-0.
Toledo outshot Indy 10-6 in the first frame while no one cracked the scoreboard.
2ND PERIOD
In the first ten minutes of play in the second frame, Toledo only tallied one shot as Indy dominated possession.
At 10:48, Toledo’s Jacob Graves took a double minor high sticking penalty that gave Indy a huge power play opportunity.
Less than thirty seconds into it, Andrew Bellant scored first with a tipped in goal assisted by Bryan Lemos and Brett Bulmer. Toledo killed off the second penalty soon after.
Brandon Hawkins took a holding penalty at 17:49, giving Indy another power play opportunity, however the Walleye killed it off and the period ended 11 seconds later.
Indy outshot Toledo 15-5 in the second period.
3RD PERIOD
Fuel captain Seamus Malone took a slashing penalty, giving Toledo their second power play of the game. After a few great saves by Cam Gray in net, the Walleye tied the game with a power play goal by Chase Gresock.
Just 41 seconds later, Ross MacDougall scored to break the tie again. Andrew Perrott and Kyle Maksimovich claimed both assists on that go-ahead goal.
After pouring on sixteen shots in the first twelve minutes of the third period, Toledo tied it up with a goal by Alexander Doucet at 12:17.
At 16:25, Cameron took a tripping penalty to put the Fuel back on the penalty kill and they were able to prevent Toledo from scoring.
Time expired soon after on regulation and for the second night in a row, the Fuel headed to OT.
OVERTIME
The goaltender battle continued in overtime with both Gray and Jon Lethemon making amazing saves to keep their team in it.
Indy outshot Toledo 8-5 in overtime before time expired and the game headed to a shootout.
After two rounds, with Brandon Hawkins and Orrin Centazzo scoring, the Walleye claimed the 3-2 win.
The Indy Fuel are back in action at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Wednesday, April 3 against the Wheeling Nailers.
INDIANA SWIMMING
INDIANA FINISHES FOURTH AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana clinched its fifth top-five national finish in six years Saturday (March 30) at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside the IU Natatorium. The Hoosiers scored 376 points to finish fourth as a team for the second consecutive season.
Indiana remains among college swimming’s elite – in the last six years, only four teams have consistently finished with the top six nationally: Cal, Texas, Florida and the Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers finished two points behind Florida and 56 points in front of NC State.
Fourteen Hoosiers combined for 43 All-America honors, both totals Indiana’s most since 19 athletes from the 1974 squad totaled 50 honors in a second-place team finish.
As well as the national finish, Indiana won its third consecutive Big Ten Championship during the 2023-24 season. The Hoosier men and women completed conference championship double for the second time in program history, and both teams finished the regular season 8-0 in dual meet competition.
Junior Carson Tyler repeated as the NCAA platform diving champion with a score of 515.75, IU’s best-ever score at an NCAA Championships. For the second-straight night, Tyler led a 1-2 Hoosier finish as sophomore Maxwell Weinrich took silver in 450.70. Junior Quinn Henninger finished seventh with a 377.65.
The Hoosiers captured a program record six diving medals of the nine available; two gold, two silver and two bronze. IU’s trio combined for 121 points on the boards, 66 points more than the second-best diving team – Ohio State – and outscoring all but 10 combined swimming and diving programs. Indiana has eclipsed 100 points at back-to-back NCAA Championships after earning 104 points last year. Tyler himself outscored Ohio State’s divers, totaling 56 points from his two championships and his bronze on the 1-meter board. Henninger had 46 points – better than all but two other teams – and Weinrich contributed 19.
Senior Brendan Burns finished his career in the most fitting way, swimming the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard butterfly on the same day for the first time at an NCAA Championships. Burns placed on the podium in both events thanks to his morning performances and finished seventh in the back and eighth in the fly. The fifth-year senior swam those events at every Big Ten Championships and became the first man in the conference to win both in the same year in 2021 – before repeating the feat in 2022 and 2023.
Burns closes his collegiate chapter a three-time NCAA Champion, four-time national runner-up, 25-time All-American and 22-time Big Ten Champion. He helped lead the Hoosiers to three Big Ten team titles and three top-five national finishes.
For the second-straight season, Tomer Frankel finished within the top five in both the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard butterfly. Frankel set a program record in the 100 fly Friday, becoming the first Hoosier ever under the 44-second barrier with times of 43.90 and 43.85.
RESULTS
1,650 FREESTYLE
26. Tristan DeWitt – 14:51.45 (Career Best)
200 BACKSTROKE
7. Brendan Burns – 1:38.62 (All-America)
13. Kai van Westering – 1:39.76 (Second-Team All-America)
100 FREESTYLE
14. Rafael Miroslaw – 41.75 (Second-Team All-America)
200 BREASTSTROKE
7. Jassen Yep – 1:51.51 (All-America)
12. Maxwell Reich – 1:52.28 (Second-Team All-America)
200 BUTTERFLY
4. Tomer Frankel – 1:39.35 (All-America)
8. Brendan Burns – 1:41.73 (All-America)
PLATFORM
1. Carson Tyler – 515.75 (NCAA Champion, All-America)
2. Maxwell Weinrich – 450.70 (NCAA Silver, All-America, Career Best)
7. Quinn Henninger – 377.65 (All-America)
400 FREESTYLE RELAY
9. Tomer Frankel, Rafael Miroslaw, Luke Barr, Mikkel Lee – 2:47.13 (Second-Team All-America)
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Luke Barr (200 IM*, 400 freestyle relay*)
Finn Brooks (200 medley relay, 100 butterfly*)
Brendan Burns (200 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly)
Tomer Frankel (200 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle relay*, 100 butterfly, 400 medley relay, 200 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay*)
Quinn Henninger (1-meter, 3-meter, platform)
Mikkel Lee (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay*, 400 freestyle relay*)
Josh Matheny (100 breaststroke, 400 medley relay)
Rafael Miroslaw (800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay*, 200 freestyle, 400 medley relay, 100 freestyle*, 400 freestyle relay*)
Maxwell Reich (200 breaststroke*)
Carson Tyler (1-meter, 3-meter, platform)
Kai van Westering (800 freestyle relay, 200 backstroke*)
Maxwell Weinrich (3-meter*, platform)
Gavin Wight (200 freestyle relay*)
Jassen Yep (100 breaststroke*, 200 breaststroke)
* – Denotes second-team All-America
INDIANA BASEBALL
HOOSIERS, BULLDOGS SETTLE FOR SERIES SPLIT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It was a mixed bag of results on Saturday (March 30) afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field as the Indiana Baseball team (15-14, 1-2 B1G) split a pair of games with Butler close out the weekend series. IU mashed its way to 22 runs in the opener but struggled late in the second game, an 8-5 loss.
A scheduled four-game series on IU’s bye weekend during conference play, the two teams each won a pair of contests. Butler won the opening and closing games of the series with IU taking the middle two affairs. The Hoosiers’ 22-3 victory was the second-largest margin of victory in the Jeff Mercer era (+19). IU held the lead in the final game of the doubleheader but relinquished it in the top of the ninth.
The bright spot of the Saturday doubleheader came in the form of IU’s young stars as sophomores Tyler Cerny and Connor Foley and freshmen Jasen Oliver and Andrew Wiggins continued to play well. Cerny, Oliver and Wiggins all hit home runs in the first game while Foley (W, 3-1) was awarded the win to begin the day.
Oliver was outstanding in all five games this week as he continues to prove he’s one of the biggest pieces of IU’s future. He hit .550 (11-20) on the week with three home runs, seven RBIs and seven runs. He’s riding an 11-game hitting streak, the longest active streak on the team.
The month of March comes to a close for IU as the calendar flips to April for Tuesday’s contest and rematch against Indiana State. The Hoosiers resume Big Ten play next weekend in College Park against the two-time defending Big Ten Champions Maryland.
Game 1: Indiana 22, Butler 3
Recap – Game 1
The Hoosiers showed no mercy offensively in the opening game, ripping 22 runs on 20 hits in a seven-inning shortened mercy rule contest. Seven different starters had multi-hit days, led by freshman designated hitter Andrew Wiggins’ 4-4 day. Including Wiggins, five different players hit home runs. Junior outfielder Nick Mitchell hit a grand slam to break the game open in the second inning.
IU scored 20 runs for the seventh time in the Mercer era and the first since plating 26 in a beatdown of rival Purdue last May. The margin of victory (+19) was second largest in the Mercer era and greatest since beating Minnesota by 22 in April of 2021.
Sophomore right-hander Connor Foley was phenomenal on the mound. Despite struggling with command issues at times, he allowed just three hits in 5.2 innings while striking out nine batters in the win. Redshirt sophomore Grant Holderfield came on for the final 1.1 innings and held Butler hitless.
15 different position players saw action in the first game including four true freshmen. Mitchell, led by his grand slam, had a career high six RBIs.
Game 2: Butler 8, Indiana 5
Recap – Game 2
Despite controlling the game through six innings, IU let the lead slip away late over the final three frames. Butler struck for five runs from the seventh inning on, highlighted by a three-run home run in the top of the ninth from Kade Lewis.
The Hoosiers grabbed four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead but left 12 runners on base in the contest. IU’s three, four and five-hole hitters were held hitless and combined to leave eight runners on the bases. Freshman second baseman Jasen Oliver added three hits but IU’s five runs were not enough to win.
A pair of defensive lapses, paired with a lack of production from the offense and pitching, allowed Butler back into the game. The Bulldogs went to left-handers Andrew Crumbley and Cole Graverson, both who pitched in Thursday’s win, to see out the victory.
Notes to Know – Both Games
• Brock Tibbitts has now started 148-consecutive games for the Hoosiers. He’s two games away from becoming the third player in the last 16 years (since 2008) to start at least 150-straight contests without missing a game.
• Jasen Oliver is riding an 11-game hitting streak following the weekend’s action. It’s the longest hitting streak by an IU freshman since Tyler Cerny’s 11-conseuctive games in 2023 (May 7-25). Oliver finished the week hitting .550 (11-20) in five games with three home runs.
• Freshmen Andrew Wiggins (4-4 vs. Butler) and Oliver (4-5 vs. Middle Tennessee) both had four-hit contests this week for the Hoosiers. Each hit at least home run in those respective games.
• Connor Foley won a second-straight outing with the victory on Saturday afternoon. In his past two appearances, he’s thrown 12.2 innings, allowing just five hits and three runs while striking out 19 batters.
• Nick Mitchell’s 12-game hitting streak came to an end in the second game of the doubleheader against Butler. It is the longest hitting streak by any IU player this year and was highlighted by a second-inning grand slam in the opening game against Butler on Saturday.
Up Next
A rematch with Indiana State awaits IU on Tuesday evening (6:00 PM), pending weather. Big Ten play resumes next weekend at Maryland. All games can be streamed via Big Ten plus or can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA DROPS SATURDAY GAME TO MICHIGAN
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana lost in a tough battle to Michigan, 7-1, on Saturday afternoon at Andy Mohr Field.
Following the loss, Indiana now sits at 23-11 on the season with an 0-5 record in conference play.
MICHIGAN 7, INDIANA 1
KEY MOMENTS
• Michigan recorded five runs through the first three innings to build an early 5-0 lead.
• The Hoosiers held Michigan scoreless in the top of the fourth, as the Hoosiers recorded three straight outs.
• Junior Taylor Minnick would put the Hoosiers on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
• In the bottom of the fifth, Indiana got the bases loaded but could not score.
• Michigan would score two more runs in the fifth and seventh innings to make it a 7-1 game.
• After the game, Indiana’s 1983 Women’s College World Series team was recognized with each member getting a world series ring to honor their accomplishment.
NOTABLES
• Minnick’s home run was her fifth of the season and first since playing at No. 10 Florida on March 16.
• Minnick now has 36 RBI on the season which leads the team.
• Building off Stone’s three-hit day on Friday, she had a double against the Wolverines today. That was her eighth double of the year and her 12th extra base hit.
UP NEXT
Indiana will finish the weekend series against Michigan tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Andy Mohr Field.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
TOP-SEEDED PURDUE BATTLES SECOND-SEEDED TENNESSEE FOR SPOT IN FINAL FOUR
GAMEDAY INFORMATION — GAME 37 /// NCAA TOURNAMENT ELITE EIGHT
[1 Seed] Purdue (32-4) vs. [2 Seed] Tennessee (27-8)
Sunday, March 31, 2024
2:20 p.m. ET | Detroit, Michigan
Little Caesar’s Arena (20,332)
TELEVISION: CBS (Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The Midwest’s top seed, Purdue, will battle the No. 2 seed and No. 6-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in Sunday’s Elite Eight from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Boilermakers are looking for their first Final Four appearance since 1980, while Tennessee is aiming for their first Final Four in school history.
• This marks the second straight game that Purdue will play a team in the NCAA Tournament that it faced during the regular season after defeating Gonzaga on Friday. Previously before the Gonzaga and subsequent Tennessee game, Purdue hadn’t done that since 2000.
• If Purdue’s path to the Final Four looks eerily familiar, it’s because it is. In November, Purdue won three games at the Maui Invitational playing Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette in order. The Boilermakers defeated Gonzaga on Friday in the Sweet 16 and will face Tennessee in the Elite 8 on Sunday. Marquette lost in Friday’s Sweet 16 to North Carolina State.
• Head coach Matt Painter is a big-time Chicago Cubs and hopes history repeats itself in 2024. For just the second time in Purdue history, the Boilermakers will play on the same day as the Chicago Cubs. The first occurrence came on March 28, 2019, when the Cubs defeated the Texas Rangers, 12-4, while Purdue topped Tennessee in the 2019 Sweet Sixteen, 99-94. The Cubs will play Texas again on Sunday, while the Boilermakers battle the Volunteers.
• Purdue and Tennessee have quite a history between the two teams. In 2009, Purdue topped the Vols 73-72 to win the Paradise Jam in November. The Volunteers then returned the favor with a 78-75 overtime win in the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis. Purdue responded by topping the Volunteers in the 2019 Sweet 16, 99-94, in an overtime classic, before defeating Tennessee in the 2023 Maui Invitational semifinals, 71-67.
• With the win over Gonzaga on Friday, the Boilermakers won their 32nd game of the year and are now 32-4 on the season. The 32 victories are a continuing school record.
• Purdue has won its first three games in the NCAA Tournament by a combined 79 points (78-50 vs. Grambling; 106-67 vs. Utah State; 80-68 vs. Gonzaga).
• Purdue is making its second Elite Eight appearances in five seasons, last making the Regional Finals in 2019 (lost to eventual National Champion Virginia in overtime). Prior to the 2019 season, the Boilermakers last made the Elite Eight in 2000.
• Purdue improved to 9-0 this season against nationally-ranked teams. The Boilermakers are the second team in the last 15 years to play at least nine games against nationally-ranked teams without a loss (2012 Kentucky; 10-0).
• Purdue has won 20 straight non-conference, regular-season and postseason games against power-conference OR nationally-ranked teams. It equals the second-longest streak in NCAA history, and is just behind the 22 straight by UCLA from 1971 to 1974. Duke (March 1991 to Feb. 1993) and UCLA (March 1968 to Dec. 1970) also won 20 straight games.
• Purdue is 18-5 (.783) against nationally-ranked teams since the start of the 2021-22 season, easily the best record in America (Arizona; 14-7).
• Since the 2020-21 season, Purdue is now 49-2 when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field. Purdue shot 57.1 percent from the field, including 60.7 percent in the second half. Purdue went 15-of-21 (.714) inside the 3-point line in the second half. Purdue’s 57.1 field goal percentage against Gonzaga was its highest in the NCAA Tournament since 1999.
• Braden Smith recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 14 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. The 15 assists are the third most in a game in school history and the 10th most by any player in the NCAA Tournament. It was tied for the most assists by a Big Ten player ever in an NCAA Tournament game (Indiana’s Keith Smart; Ohio State’s Aaron Craft).
• Braden Smith joined Indiana’s Keith Smart (March 14, 1987) and Murray State’s Ja Morant (March 21, 2019) as the only players in NCAA Tournament history with at least 14 points, 15 assists and 8 rebounds.
• Braden Smith is the fourth player in NCAA history with at least 425 points, 270 assists and 200 rebounds in a season (UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth, California’s Jason Kidd).
• Braden Smith moved into third place on the Big Ten’s single-season assists list with 271 (Cassius Winston – 291; Mateen Cleaves – 274).
• Zach Edey scored 27 points with 14 rebounds and an assist. He has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in four straight NCAA Tournament games, the second-longest stream in NCAA Tournament history (David Robinson – 5 games).
• In three NCAA Tournament games this season, Zach Edey has 80 points, 49 rebounds and six assists. Edey joins Wake Forest’s Len Chappell (1960) and West Virginia’s Jerry West (1961) as the only players with at least 80 points, 45 rebounds and five assists in the first three NCAA Tournament games.
• Zach Edey moved into third place on Purdue’s single-season points list with 886 points. He is now fifth on the Big Ten single-season points list.
• Zach Edey now has 2,419 career points, needing 19 points to tie Indiana’s Steve Alford for fifth on the Big Ten career points list.
• Zach Edey tied Caleb Swanigan for second on Purdue’s single-season rebounds list with 436, needing two rebounds to tie the school record he set last year (438).
• Zach Edey become the sixth player in NCAA history with at least 400 free throw attempts (402), and the first since Pete Maravich in 1970 (436).
• Zach Edey become the 11th player in NCAA history with 875 points and 435 rebounds in a season – the first since Indiana State’s Larry Bird in 1979.
• Zach Edey became the fourth player in NCAA history with two seasons of at least 750 points and 425 rebounds (Elvin Hayes – 3; Rick Barry – 2; Oscar Robertson – 2).
• Fletcher Loyer scored 10 points and is now 15-of-22 (.682) from 3-point range in the month of March.
• Purdue is now 29-of-67 (.433) from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament. Purdue is America’s top 3-point shooting team at 41.0 percent.
PURDUE SOFTBALL
BOILERMAKERS SECURE SERIES VICTORY VS. RUTGERS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After opening the day with a walk-off eight-inning victory, the Purdue softball squad (14-18, 2-4 Big Ten) secured its first Big Ten series win of the season with a 5-3 decision vs. Rutgers (21-15, 3-3 Big Ten) in Game 3.
Madi Elish (3-5) went the distance for her second complete game of the season, feeding the defense throughout the game for 21 putouts and 10 assists for the fifth 20-putout, 10-assist game of the season. Elish dished out two strikeouts and allowed four hits on three runs and two walks in the outing.
After falling yesterday in a close battle, the Boilermakers surged back on Day 2, taking both games in the doubleheader vs. Rutgers for the series win. In both wins, Purdue racked up five runs in a single inning, totaling five in the fifth inning of the series’ Game 2 and five in the third inning in Game 3, which proved to be the difference-maker.
A sacrifice fly and a two-run homer by Rutgers gave the Scarlet Knights a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning, however the Boilermakers responded immediately with five runs in the bottom of the frame. The Boilermakers loaded the bases and walked in two straight runs following back-to-back hit-by-pitches, which allowed Moriah Polar and Khloe Banks to score. Sage Scarmardo, the national leader in hit-by-pitch, registered her 18th HBP of the season for Purdue to post its first run of the game. With the play, Scarmardo has reached base in 20 of the last 21 consecutive games. The game-winner came on a two RBI single by catcher Ryen Ross and an insurance run was notched on Olivia McFadden’s RBI single, which scored Kyndall Bailey.
Purdue was out-hit 3-4 in the outing. A clean defensive performance by both teams resulted in no errors.
Purdue returns to action on Wednesday for a doubleheader at Indiana, which will air on Big Ten Network at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET. Then, the Boilermakers will host Iowa for a weekend series at Bittinger Stadium. Weekend promotions include Diversity & Inclusion Night on Friday (5 p.m. ET), Barbie at Bitt on Saturday (2 p.m. ET) and National Beer Day and Bark in the Park on Sunday (1 p.m. ET).
PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE PREPPED FOR WNIT GREAT 8 CLASH WITH VERMONT
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team hosts Vermont in the Great 8 of the WNIT on Monday night in Mackey Arena with a trip to the Fab 4 on the line. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on B1G+.
The Purdue Global Radio Network will have Tim Newton and Jane Schott on the call on 95.3 BOB FM
GAME INFORMATION
Purdue (15-18) vs. Vermont (24-11)
Monday, April 1
Time: 7 PM
TV/Stream: B1G+
Radio: 95.3 BOB FM
Live Stats: Purduestats.com
LAST TIME OUT
The Boilermakers punched their Great 8 ticket with a decisive 71-50 win over Duquesne on Thursday. Jayla Smith and Abbey Ellis led the way with 15 points each. Sophie Swanson matched Purdue’s WNIT record with a quartet of 3-pointers. Purdue held the Dukes to just 28.1% from the field and 5-of-26 from behind the arc. The Boilermakers put the game away by outscoring Duquesne 21-9 in the fourth.
NOTES
• Purdue and Vermont will meet for the first time since 1985, when the Boilermakers won 75-47 in the Dartmouth Invitational.
• Jayla Smith has been electric for Purdue with back-to-back games in double figures. The Indianapolis native is averaging 13 points and 4.5 rebounds with a 55.6% shooting clip in the WNIT.
• Mary Ashley Stevenson notched her 10th game with at least seven points and seven rebounds, most by a Big Ten rookie, going for 13-9 against Duquesne. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year is one of two rookies in Purdue history with more than 300 (322) points and 150 (161) rebounds.
• Jeanae Terry is the first player in the history of Big Ten men’s or women’s basketball to amass 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 700 assists in a career.
• Terry is on the verge of even more history. The fifth-year senior is four assists away from matching Lisa Jahner’s single-season record of 201 set during the 1987-88 season. Terry holds three of the top four highest season assist totals in Purdue history.
• Abbey Ellis has scored in double figures in each of the last 10 games, her second 10-game streak this season. The Australian international is averaging 15.5 points per game during the run.
• With 33 points against Duquesne, Purdue’s freshman class posted its eighth game this season with 30 points, most by a rookie class in the Big Ten. The Boilermaker freshmen are averaging 23.6 points per game, the best mark in the Big Ten this year and the highest at Purdue in the last 30 years.
• Sophie Swanson has nailed four or more 3-pointers in four games this season, the most since Karissa McLaughlin did it five times in the 2017-18 campaign. Swanson has 12 triples over her last three games.
• Purdue is making its fifth appearance in the WNIT and second under head coach Katie Gearlds, playing in the event in 1988, 2010, 2018 and 2022 before this season.
• Purdue has an 8-4 all-time record in the WNIT/NWIT.
• Against Butler, Mary Ashley Stevenson and Rashunda Jones became the first freshman duo to start for Purdue since 2017-18.
• Purdue is playing its first game in April since a 2003 Elite Eight matchup with No. 1 UConn in Dayton, Ohio.
• Purdue has kept four teams to 50 or fewer points this season and is now 28-3 under Katie Gearlds when allowing 60 or less.
• Abbey Ellis is on a 10-game double-figure scoring streak, putting her 16 points away from 2,000 for her career.
• Jeanae Terry is one of four players in the last 15 years nationally to record 195 assists and 275 rebounds. (Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon, 2019-20 – Kelly Ally Lehman, Northern Illinois, 2016-17 – Kelly Campbell, DePaul, 2017-18).
PURDUE BASEBALL
22-RUN THRILLER DECIDED BY WALK-OFF HR IN 9TH
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On a day in which 19 of the 22 runs scored with two outs, Ohio State’s Trey Lipsey hit a three-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning to power the Buckeyes past Purdue Baseball 12-10 Saturday.
The Boilermakers (16-12, 1-4 Big Ten) led for much of the day thanks to a six-run third inning, an extended rally that featured six consecutive two-out hits. But OSU (12-11, 2-0 Big Ten) scored the game’s final five runs on a two-run homer from Tyler Pettroini in the bottom of the eighth and Lipsey’s game-winning blast.
Jo Stevens doubled twice and scored four times, extending his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games. Keenan Taylor hit a go-ahead three-run homer off the batter’s eye in center field. Thomas Green had three hits in his first start since March 9, driving in a run in three at-bats.
Aaron Suval gave Purdue consecutive scoreless frames for the first time in the series, retiring seven of eight batters faced from the fourth through the sixth inning. Jackson Dannelley stranded a pair of inherited runners while retiring the first three batters he faced after taking over for Suval with two on and no outs in the bottom of the seventh.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Jo Stevens – 14-game on-base streak; 8-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 5/18/23)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 11-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 4/29/23); 7-game on-base streak in all games
• Jackson Dannelley – 14 consecutive inherited runners stranded (since 5/20/23)
A leadoff hit by pitch and a throwing error on a failed pickoff gave OSU the tying run at third base with no outs in the ninth inning. The Buckeyes opted not to try score the runner on a ground ball to third base and fly ball to shallow left field. But another hit by pitch helped roll over the lineup to Lipsey at the top with two outs. He hit the second pitch of his at-bat over the left field wall for the opposite-field game-winner.
Nine consecutive Purdue batters reached base safely with two outs in the third inning. The Boilermakers scored at least six runs in a frame for the sixth time this season. Hits to center field keyed the rally. Along with Taylor’s three-run homer off the batter’s eye, Connor Caskenette, Camden Gasser and Couper Cornblum all singled to center field. Caskenette ignited the rally, Gasser delivered an RBI single and Cornbum connected for a two-run single to cap the scoring.
Dueling doubles in the second and fourth innings helped Purdue score in three consecutive frames, racking up eight runs on 12 hits along the way. Taylor and Green traded places with their doubles in the top of the second. Countrymen Stevens and Keenan Spence did likewise in the fourth.
Green’s two-out RBI single top of the eighth inning gave the Boilermakers a 10-7 lead.
Purdue lost on a walk-off homer for the second year in a row.
Sunday’s series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX
#1 IRISH DOWN #3 SYRACUSE AT ARLOTTA, 14-12
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 1 Fighting Irish recorded its second top-3 win of the season, defeating No. 3 Syracuse by a score of 14-12 in front of a sold out Arlotta Stadium crowd on Saturday afternoon. Notre Dame improves to 6-1 on the season and begins ACC play with a record of 1-0.
Will Lynch set the tone from out outset at the faceoff dot and turned in one the best performances of his career. The junior won 19-of-26 faceoffs, marking a season high and scooped up 11 ground balls. Lynch also scored a goal, the second of his season in the win.
The trio of Pat Kavanagh, Chris Kavanagh and Eric Dobson each finished with three points and 10 Notre Dame players scored at least one goal in the win.
The Irish defense was exemplary, causing havoc in both settled situations and on the ride. Notre Dame caused 13 total turnovers, led by Chris Conlin, Will Donovan and Pat Kavanagh with three each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Syracuse scored the opener in the first two minutes of play and then the Irish grabbed the lead by scoring three straight courtesy of Reilly Gray (2) and Ben Ramsey. The Orange answered with two goals of their own to level the score at 3-3 with two minutes left in the first frame.
Notre Dame closed the quarter strongly, as Dobson scored his first of the afternoon followed by two from Pat Kavanagh to give the Irish a 6-3 lead after the opening 15 minutes of action.
The two sides each scored twice over the first 14 minutes of play, with the Irish goals coming from Devon McLane and Will Angrick.
The Irish finished the half with a flurry, scoring twice in the final minute to take a 10-5 lead into the half. Chris Kavanagh scored off a pass from Dobson followed by Lynch winning the faceoff and burying his shot to send the Irish faithful into a frenzy.
Notre Dame pushed its lead to six by the end of the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 3-2 in the frame to make the score 13-7. Jake Taylor scored twice in the quarter, including a highlight-worthy one-handed finish and Jordan Faison added one to continue his streak of scoring in every game of the season.
The Orange tried to make a frantic comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring the first three goals of the period in the opening three minutes to cut the lead in half at 13-10. Liam Entenmann made the play of the day, making a diving save across the crease to make a save on the doorstep during a man-down situation to keep the lead at three.
Dobson scored his second of the afternoon with just under seven minutes of play remaining to push the lead back to 14-10. Syracuse managed to score the final two goals of the day but the Irish held on to claim the big resume win with a final score of 14-12.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
The Irish now lead the all-time series with a mark of 11-10, winning each of the last seven matchups.
Notre Dame finished with a season-high 13 caused turnovers.
The Irish attack has finished in double-figures for goals in every game this season.
Notre Dame handed Syracuse its first loss in regulation this season.
All six offensive starters scored at least one goal in the win.
Lynch has now won the faceoff matchup in six of seven games, despite facing some of the top FOGOs in the country.
Freshman defenseman Shawn Lyght was masterful, holding All-American Joey Spallina to just one point on an unsettled goal.
With three points, Pat Kavanagh now has 46 points in his career over six games against Syracuse.
Pat Kavanagh also impacted the game on the ride, causing three turnovers and collecting six ground balls.
Conlin had a career day, scooping up a career-high seven ground balls while adding a season-high three caused turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Irish hit the road for a two-game road swing, starting off with another top-5 matchup, as they take on No. 5 Duke at Koskinen Stadium at noon ET on Sunday, April 7. The game will air on ACCN.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH SUFFER NINTH-INNING 7-6 LOSS AT NO. 22 NC STATE
RALEIGH, N.C. – Notre Dame (14-12, 2-10 ACC) suffered a heartbreaking 7-6 defeat at the hands of No. 22 NC State (18-7, 8-4 ACC) in the series finale Sunday. The Irish battled through the ninth inning, surrendering a two-run lead on a walkoff home run.
RHP Rory Fox earned the start Sunday and pitched 5.0 innings, a career-high, posting a strikeout and allowing just one run. RHP Ricky Reeth (1-3) shouldered the loss, going 3.2 innings with three strikeouts.
OF David Glancy had an outstanding day, going 4-for-5 at the plate with four RBI, two runs scored and a home run in the top of the ninth. He also posted four putouts in left field.
Glancy led the Irish in the series with a .455 batting average, totaling five hits and five RBI. INF Estevan Moreno was close behind, batting .400 with four hits (all doubles) and three RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
OF T.J. Williams led off the first with a single, but was held at first as the next three batters went down in order. NC State posted a single in the bottom half, but INF Connor Hincks grabbed a grounder at first, turning a double play to INF Jack Penney for the out at second to end the inning.
Notre Dame went three up, three down in the second, and the Wolfpack led off with a single, but Fox notched a strikeout and the next two batters could not reach base.
Still scoreless, Moreno drew a one-out walk in the third, and Williams took a HBP to place both on base. Both runners advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. Glancy delivered an RBI single to strike first, scoring Moreno. Hincks then laid down a bunt to score Williams, putting the Irish up 2-0 headed to the bottom of the third. NC State led off with a single, and after a popup, Williams snagged a fly ball in center field and fired it to Hincks at first for Notre Dame’s second double play of the game.
The Irish were retired in order in the fourth, and the Wolfpack led off the fourth with a solo homer to cut the lead in half. Penney, OF Brady Gumpf and Williams took care of the next three batters to preserve a 2-1 lead.
Moreno drew a one-out walk in the fifth, and moved to second on a groundout. Glancy hit his second RBI single of the day as Moreno sped home from second to add a run. Hincks singled, pushing Glancy to second, and INF Simon Baumgardt took a HBP to load the bases. Penney drew a walk to score Glancy, sending the Irish to the field with a 4-1 lead. Glancy took care of all three outs in the bottom of the fifth, as Fox forced three fly balls to left field, allowing only a single in the inning.
The Irish were unable to add in the sixth, and after two batters came aboard for NC State in the bottom of the inning, Reeth took the mound for Notre Dame. The Wolfpack began to chip away at the lead, as a HBP loaded the bases and two groundouts to Hincks scored two runs for NC State. A final grounder ended the inning, as the Irish kept a 4-3 lead.
Glancy hit his third single of the day to lead off the seventh, but three outs followed to keep Notre Dame from scoring. Reeth dealt two strikeouts to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, and after a walk, a groundout to Baumgardt held the Wolfpack from scoring.
In the eighth, Notre Dame went down in order. After a popup, NC State singled, and Reeth added another strikeout as NC State stole second. An RBI single tied the game at 4-4, and a grounder to Hincks ended the inning.
In the top of the ninth, Moreno led off with a double, and after a strikeout, Glancy delivered a two-run homer to left center, giving the Irish a 6-4 lead. In the bottom of the ninth after an out, two singles and a fielder’s choice put runners on first and third. With two outs, the Wolfpack homered to walk it off with the 7-6 win.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame returns home for four games, facing Michigan State on April 2 and hosting No. 3 Clemson for a three-game series April 5-7. All games will be played at Jake Kline Field at Frank Eck Stadium, and Friday’s game vs. Clemson will be broadcast on ESPN2. All other games will be streamed on ACCNX.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH FALL 4-3 IN SERIES FINALE AT NORTH CAROLINA
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame softball team dropped the series finale with the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday afternoon at Anderson Stadium. The Fighting Irish scored first, but North Carolina battled back to drop the Irish 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Irish fell to 21-12 and 6-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina improved to 24-9, and 6-6 in league play.
Alexis Laudenslager started in the circle. The graduate student threw 3.1 innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs and struck out three. Micaela Kastor came on in relief, getting out of a bases loaded jam. Kastor totaled 3.1 innings, allowing three hits, an earned run and struck out four.
Cassidy Grimm led the Irish offense, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Emily Tran, Karina Gaskins, Addison Amaral, Mickey Winchell, Jane Kronenberger and Anna Holloway each tallied a hit in the contest. Kronenberger connecting for an RBI double late in the game.
How It Happened
Notre Dame struck first, rallying with two outs in the first inning. Gaskins tied the program record by drawing her 41st walk of the season to light the fuse as Amaral followed with an 0-2 single through the left side. Grimm drove a 0-1 offering to the gap in right center, scoring two to put the Irish up 2-0.
North Carolina took the lead in the fourth inning, plating three runs. The rally got started with a hit batter and a walk before a bunt single loaded the bases. A pinch hitter came on and singled through the left side to score two before a bases loaded ground out put the Tar Heels up 3-2.
The Irish rallied in the sixth inning, tying the game with two outs. With a runner on, Kronenberger drove a double to the gap in right center to score Winchell from first to tie the game at three.
After a scoreless top of the seventh, North Carolina got back-to-back two-out hits to score the game winning run.
Up Next
The Irish return to Melissa Cook Stadium for a pair of midweek games, taking on IUPUI Tuesday and Michigan on Wednesday. Both games are scheduled for 5 p.m. first pitches.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S LAX
RECORD DAY GIVES IRISH WIN OVER PANTHERS
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A record setting day for the Irish women’s lacrosse team led them to a 26-5 victory over visiting Pitt Saturday in Arlotta Stadium. A program best draw control for one, 200 career goal mark for another, and double digit points for a third all highlighted Saturday’s contest.
The Saturday game concluded the team’s Daughters 4 Dads month with a 6-1 record in March. Fans can still donate to the team’s month-long initiative here.
The Irish looked to have scored on their opening possession after Abby Lyons won the opening draw but a dangerous follow through was called and the score remained 0-0.
A defensive stand on the other end of the field resulted in a turnover caused by Keelin Schlageter to send the ball back to the Irish attack. Jackie Wolak and Madison Ahern connected on the opening goal as the Irish took the 1-0 lead.
The Irish jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after a behind the back goal from Arden Tierney.
Pitt responded with a pair of goals, one of which came off the free position, to knot things up 2-2 but four unanswered goals by the Irish gave them the 6-2 lead with three minutes to play in the quarter and the Panthers called timeout.
The Panthers snapped the Irish run with a goal at 2:49 to make it a 6-3 contest.
Kasey Choma scored off the free position attempt moments later to reclaim the four-goal lead for the Irish with under two minutes to play in the opening quarter.
Pitt would score once more before the end of the quarter to make it a 7-4 game through 15 minutes played.
Abby Maichin opened the scoring in the second quarter to give the Irish the 8-4 lead before Jackie Wolak forced a turnover on the following possession and raced in uncontested for her third of the day and the 9-4 score.
Ahern scored moments later, further extending the Irish lead to six goals as they held the 10-4 lead partway through the frame.
Meghan O’Hare scored off a free position opportunity to give the Irish the 11-4 lead eight minutes into the second quarter.
The Irish closed out the half with four more goals and held the Panthers scoreless in the second frame to take the 15-4 lead into the halftime break.
Choma opened the second half scoring with her hat trick goal to make it a 16-4 game just 45 seconds into the third quarter.
The Irish scoring run continued with goals from the Irish depth as the end of the quarter loomed. Notre Dame extended their lead to 21-4 to but the scoring streak was snapped as Pitt recorded their first goal since the opening quarter with just five seconds to play in the third.
Notre Dame outscored Pitt 5-0 in the final frame, with goals coming from Wolak, Fran Frieri, Franny O’Brien and Angie Conley to round out the game and give Notre Dame the 26-5 final.
Izzy Pithie came in goal halfway through the fourth quarter after Callahan had made five saves on the day. Pithie recorded one save in the fourth quarter to keep the Panthers scoreless through the final 15 and preserve the 26-5 game.
KEY STATS
With her third goal of the game, Madison Ahern eclipsed the 200 career goal mark and had her third consecutive three-plus goal game. She finished the day with four goals and two assists for six total points.
Winning the final draw control of the game, Kelly Denes marked her 16th of the day, a career-best and tying the program record for draw controls in a single game – previously set by Andie Aldave in 2019.
With an assist on Denes’ goal at 7:25 of the third quarter, Wolak set a career best nine points in the contest. She would go on to finish the day with 11 total. In addition to her career mark in points, Wolak’s six assists on the day was also a personal best for the graduate.
The Irish finished the day with a 26-7 edge at the draw, with Denes leading the team in the category and hitting a career best and program record.
Lilly Callahan improved to 10-2 on the season in cage with five saves and a .500 save percentage.
After allowing four goals in the opening quarter, the Irish held the Panthers to just one goal in the final 45 minutes for the 26-5 final.
With 26 goals on the afternoon, the Irish recorded their fifth 20+ goal performance of the season and second in as many games.
Four Irish individuals recorded hat tricks in the contest with Wolak (five), Ahern (four), Choma (three) and Tierney (three) each reaching the mark.
Wolak’s five goals on the day tied her season high.
UP NEXT
The Irish return to Arlotta Stadium next Saturday for their regular season home finale as they host Duke (April 6). Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the team will honor its 17 seniors prior to first draw at 1pm.
BUTLER BASEBALL
SATURDAY’S COME-FROM-BEHIND WIN EARNS BUTLER THE SERIES SPLIT WITH INDIANA
Butler picked up an 8-5 decision in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Indiana, splitting the pair of games on the day and earning a split in the four-game series with the Hoosiers.
The Bulldogs’ wins served as the bookends of the series as Butler took a win in Thursday’s game in Indianapolis and the final game of the day Saturday in Bloomington.
After the weekend, Butler stands at 12-14 on the season, while Indiana is 15-14.
On Saturday afternoon, Butler overcame a 4-1 deficit through four innings and broke a 5-5 tie with three runs in the top of the ninth. Those three runs in the deciding ninth came on a three-run shot from Kade Lewis over the right field wall.
Joey Urban went 4-for-4 at the plate for Butler in the contest, which included a solo home run in the third inning, his third blast of the season. Lewis had five RBI on a 2-for-5 performance.
Six pitchers shared the mound for Butler; Cole Graverson went the final 1.2 innings to earn the win. Indiana’s Brayden Risedorph allowed the three Butler runs in the ninth to suffer the loss.
Indiana took the first game of the doubleheader Saturday, posting a 22-3 win in seven innings. The Hoosiers hit five home runs. Nick Mitchell went 3-for-4 with one of those long balls and six RBI. Andrew Wiggins had hits in all four of his at-bats, knocking in three runs, while Jasen Oliver also had four RBI.
Lewis provided most of the Bulldogs’ offense with a second-inning two-run home run.
Connor Foley went 5.2 innings and got the win for Indiana; Grant Brooks took the loss on the mound for Butler.
The Bulldogs are back in action Tuesday, hosting Eastern Illinois for a 4 p.m. first pitch at Bulldog Park. That serves as the final warm-up for Butler’s BIG EAST play as a weekend series at Creighton looms.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLERSOFTBALL CONTROLS GAME THREE WITH SETON HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler softball team led throughout game three of the series with Seton Hall and secured the victory with a final score of 5-2. The Bulldogs (15-19, 4-8 BIG EAST) scored runs in the first four innings and limited the Pirates (16-13, 7-5 BIG EAST) to only two runs in the third. Seton Hall took the series, two games to one.
Game 3: Butler 5, Seton Hall 2 (7 innings)
Butler scored the first run of the game in the first inning when Sydney Carter drew a bases-loaded walk.
In the second inning, with runners at the corners, Hailey Conger put the ball in play, allowing Olivia Moxley to score from third. Ella White then singled up the middle and pushed Cate Lehner across. The Bulldogs were up, 3-0.
In the top of the third, Seton Hall scored one run on a double with two base runners. Later, with runners on second and third, the Pirates hit a single up the middle. One run scored, but a second runner was out at home on a throw from Conger in center field.
In the bottom half of the third, Kaylee Gross was hit by a pitch and then stole second. A Leigh Vande Hei single, up the middle, allowed Gross to cross the plate, giving the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead.
In the fourth, Butler scored its final run when a Paige Dorsett double allowed Cate Lehner to score from second.
Seton Hall managed only one base runner in the final three innings.
Katie Petran (10-4) pitched a complete game for Butler. In 7.0 innings, she allowed two runs on six hits and a walk.
Bulldog Bits
Paige Dorsett’s double was her seventh of the season and 19th of her career.
Kaylee Gross stole her second base in as many games. She now has three this season and 21 for her career.
Katie Petran now has eight complete-game wins in the circle this season.
Up Next
Butler travels to Dayton for a mid-week contest on Wednesday, Apr. 3, and then travels to DePaul for a three-game BIG EAST series from Friday, Apr. 5 through Sunday, Apr. 7.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL CLOSES TWO MATCH WEEKEND AT LEWIS WITH 3-2 HEARTBREAKING LOSS
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Ball State volleyball team (18-9, 11-3 MIVA) dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to close out its two-match Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association weekend at Lewis (15—12, 8-6 MIVA) Saturday evening at Neil Carey Arena.
The Cardinals took the opening set over the Flyers in dominating fashion as Ball State held the lead and controlled the pace of play over Lewis to win the first set, 25-18. As a team, the Cardinals turned in a .421 hitting performance from the floor which was led by Aaron Hernandez with seven kills.
Lewis then came back to take sets two and three, 25-19, to take the 2-1 edge over Ball State.
A tightly contested set four, Ball State trailed most of the frame but was able to come back late with kills from Lucas Machado, Trevor Phillips and Tinaishe Ndavazocheva to take a 23-22 edge over the Flyers. The back-and-forth affair continued but Will Patterson and Ndavazocheva had back-to-back kills to give BSU the 27-25 win in the fourth stanza to send the match into overtime.
Just like in the first meeting, the fifth set was close but this time the match win column went to Lewis after the Flyers won the set, 15-12.
For the contest, Ndavazocheva led the Cardinals offensively with 20 kills while Hernandez had 12.
The Ball State men’s volleyball team returns home Thursday against Quincy at 7 pm ET in Worthen Arena.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
BALL STATE OFFENSE STAYS HOT TO SWEEP OHIO
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team scored 12 runs in the first five innings of Saturday afternoon’s game against Ohio to lead to a 14-7 win and series sweep at Ball Diamond.
The Cardinals (17-12, 5-7 Mid-American Conference) trailed the Bobcats (8-16, 4-8 MAC) by two runs after the top of the first inning and by three runs after the top of the second but responded with a
crooked number in the bottom half of each frame to stay in the game. Ball State won the middle innings 8-0 and cruised to its fifth straight win.
Decker Scheffler hit a two-run triple and scored on an RBI grounder from Nick Husovsky to give the Cardinals a 3-2 edge after the first. Nick Gregory smoked a solo home run and Scheffler knocked an RBI double to make the score 6-5 in Ohio’s favor after the second frame. After the Bobcats plated a tally in the third, the hosts got a two-run homer from Michael Hallquist in the fourth inning to tie the game at 7-7 and a go-ahead single from Husovsky that plated Scheffler for what proved to be the game-winning run.
Ball State tacked on four runs in the fifth inning highlighted by an RBI single from Hallquist and a two-run safety by Blake Bevis to increase the edge to 12-7. Hunter Dobbins and Matthew Kamins hit solo
homers in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively, for Ball State insurance runs.
Scheffler went 5-for-6 with three RBI and three runs scored in the first five-hit day for a Ball State player since 2018 (Jeff Riedel on March 9 against Western Carolina). Hallquist put together a 4-for-6 day at the plate with three RBI and four runs while finishing a triple short of the cycle.
Bevis took three hit by pitches, tying the Ball State record which happened twice previously (Jon Byerly in 2006 and Ryan Read in 1995).
Jacob Hartlaub (2-2) tossed 4.1 innings of 1-run ball out of the bullpen, striking out three, to be credited with the win, while Sam Klein struck out six in 3.0 shutout frames to collect his second save of the season. The Ball State pitching staff didn’t allow a run in the final six innings of the game.
“Our boys put together a solid weekend to earn a much-needed sweep,” head coach Rich Maloney said. “It was a total team effort with so many players making contributions. I’m very pleased with our bullpen today holding Ohio scoreless over the last six innings.”
Ohio starting pitcher Blake Gaskey gave up eight runs in 4.0 innings to drop his record to 0-5.
Ball State’s next scheduled game is on Tuesday 3 p.m. at Bellarmine in Louisville.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL DROPS SERIES FINALE AT TOLEDO
TOLEDO, Ohio – – The Ball State softball team registered two more home runs Saturday afternoon but could not overcome a six-run third inning in a 9-4 loss to Toledo at Scott Park.
The Cardinals (15-20; 2-7 Mid-American Conference) looked solid early behind redshirt freshman Sydney Miller who retired the first four batters she faced in the game in her first collegiate start.
Unfortunately, the Rockets (16-13; 7-2 MAC) followed with two straight singles, before a ground out put runners at second and third with two out. UT would then capitalize on a dribbler about five feet out of the batter’s box to score the game’s first run.
While Ball State only allowed one run in the second, things escalated in the third with Toledo striking for six to take control.
The Cardinals’ bats started to come to life in the top of the fourth as a two-out single from redshirt sophomore shortstop McKenna Mulholland set up a two-run blast from redshirt sophomore designated player Jessica Hoffman for her sixth blast of the season.
It remained a five-run game until the bottom of the sixth, when Toledo struck for a two-run blast of its own.
Trailing 9-2, the Cardinals were able to get two more runs on a two-out, two-run blast from junior pinch hitter Maddie Weaver in the top of the seventh to give the game its final score of 9-4.
Ball State also received more solid pitching from sophomore Bridie Murphy, who threw the final 3.2 innings, limiting Toledo to just five hits and the two-run home run in the sixth. Murphy appeared in all three games for the Cardinals, boasting a 2.56 ERA and a .275 average against over her 13.2 innings of work.
SCORING SUMMARY – Ball State 4 – Toledo 9
B2 | A dribbler from Madison Mikulski brings home Grace O’Malley from third (1-0)
B3 | An RBI single from Sidney Griffith makes it a two-run game (2-0)
B3 | Griffith scores on a bunt single from Jenna Kroll (3-0)
B3 | An error on an Emily Bracamonte fly to right turns a sac fly into a pair of runs (5-0)
B3 | Mikulski picks up her second RBI of the game with a single to center (6-0)
B3 | An RBI fielder’s choice from Eliss Enriquez cap the six-run third for Toledo (7-0)
T4 | Hoffman gets the Cardinals on the board with her two-run shot to right center (7-2)
B6 | Toledo counters with a two-run blast from Riley Mohr (9-2)
B7 | Weaver follows a two-out single to left by freshman second baseman Maia Pietrzak with her first career home run (9-4)
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team returns home for a Tuesday doubleheader versus Western Michigan. First pitch of the opening game is set for 1 p.m. with the second game following approximately 30 minutes after the opener.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORE SOFTBALL FALLS TO BELMONT ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON
TERRE HAUTE, Ind.- The Sycamores fell to Belmont in game two of the three-game series with a score of 6-0. The Bruins lead the series 2-0 over the Sycamores with the final game of the series to be played tomorrow at noon.
Hailey Griffin (4-3) took the loss in the circle for Indiana State, throwing the first 4.0 innings, allowing six hits and three runs scored while striking out six. Cassi Newbanks took over the ball in the fifth inning where she quickly retired all three batters in relief. Newbanks went the final 3.0 innings of the game, where she allowed two hits and three runs scored while striking out two batters.
The Bruins took the early lead in the first inning, with a sacrifice fly by Gressly to score Barnes, to take the lead 1-0 over the Sycamores.
Hailey Griffin was dominant in the second inning where she faced three batters and struck out all three.
Belmont advanced their lead to 3-0 in the third inning when bases were loaded and two runs were walked in.
Belmont had the chance to extend their lead in the fourth inning when they had bases loaded, but the Sycamores defense held the Bruins scoreless.
The Bruins added their final three runs in the 6-0 victory in the seventh inning, when Ledbetter singled to score Ensio, Haynie scored on a passed ball, and a sacrifice fly by Hughes drove in the final run for Belmont.
Isabella Henning led the Sycamores offensively where she went 2-3 which included a double in the first inning, which is her 11th of the 2024 season. Abby Robakowski also recorded a double in the loss against Belmont’s Emma Summers.
Up Next:
Indiana State will host the final game of the three-game series against Belmont tomorrow at 12p.m ET.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES WALK-OFF UIC IN EXTRA-INNINGS TO SECURE 12TH CONSECUTIVE MVC SERIES WIN
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Parker Stinson doubled home Joe Kido in the bottom of the 11th inning and then slid across the plate two batters later on Dom Krupinski’s fielder’s choice grounder as Indiana State outlasted UIC on Saturday afternoon at Bob Warn Field, 9-8.
Trailing 8-7 heading into the bottom of the 11th inning after UIC (16-9, 2-3) utilized aggressive base-running to take their second lead of the game, the Sycamores (20-5, 4-1) responded with two runs in their final at-bats to secure their 12th consecutive Missouri Valley series win.
Schedule Update: Due to potential weather in the Wabash Valley area, Sunday’s series finale between Indiana State and UIC has been moved up to a Noon ET first pitch at Bob Warn Field.
UIC took the lead as Jackson Bessette scored from first base on Ryan Nagelbach’s single back up the middle. Aided by a full-count in the two-out situation, the UIC catcher slid home ahead of the tag at the plate to give the Flames the 8-7 lead off ISU reliever Jared Spencer (5-0).
The Sycamores wasted little time responding in the bottom half of the inning. Mike Sears connected on a leadoff single to left center off UIC closer Reece Lawler (1-1) to put the tying run on the base paths. After Joe Kido entered to run, Stinson worked a 1-2 count before drilling a ball into the right center gap for a standup double, one-hopping the wall and allowing Kido to score without a throw to tie the game up at 8-8.
Josue Urdaneta followed dropping a sacrifice bunt down the third baseline moving Stinson 90 feet away from the plate and leading to a UIC pitching change with left-hander Colin Hawkins taking the mound against Krupinski’s lefty bat. Krupinski drew a 2-1 count before connecting on a soft check-swing grounder past the mound and Stinson beat the throw to the plate for the walk-off fielder’s choice win.
UIC had a chance to win the game in the ninth inning as the Flames rallied back from a 7-6 deficit with Zane Zielinski connecting on the go-ahead two-run home run over the right center wall. The Sycamores responded in the bottom half of the inning with Grant Magill connecting on a two-out hard single back up the middle scoring Stinson to send the game into extra-innings.
Indiana State built the early 5-1 lead through the first five innings highlighted by Mike Sears’ solo home run and strong pitching from Brennyn Cutts. Stinson (RBI single), Randal Diaz (RBI double), and Luis Hernandez (RBI single) all drove in runs early in the contest to stake the Sycamores to the early lead.
The Flames started their comeback in the top of the sixth inning as Ryan Nagelbach connected on a two-run home run chasing Cutts, while Kendall Ewell greeted ISU reliever Zach Davidson with a solo home run over the right field wall to cut the ISU lead down to 5-4.
Ewell tied the game up at 5-5 in the top of the eighth inning with an RBI double to left center off Simon Gregersen scoring Bessette. The Sycamores retook the lead in the bottom of the frame as Listi beat out a fielder’s choice allowing Krupinski to score and put ISU ahead 6-5 and setting the stage for the late inning heroics from both sides.
Sears, Stinson, and Pottinger all finished with three-hit days for the Sycamores as Indiana State connected on 16 hits overall as a team on Saturday afternoon. Diaz and Listi both doubled among their multi-hit efforts in the win.
Cutts went the first 5.2 innings in taking the no-decision on Saturday afternoon. The junior right-hander allowed three hits and three runs while striking out seven batters in the outing. Gregersen went a season-long 3.1 innings striking out four, while Spencer picked up his fifth win of the season out of the bullpen.
Zielinski, Nagelbach, Ewell, and James Harris all homered for UIC on Saturday afternoon with all four shots clearing the right field wall on the day to highlight the Flames’ 12-hit outing. Zielinski, Bessette, Nagelbach, and Ewell all finished with two hits apiece.
Brandon Bak took the no-decision after allowing eight hits and five runs over the first 5.0 innings. Dylan White went 2.0 innings allowing two hits and a run to help slow the ISU offense down, while Lawler went 3.1 innings allowing six hits and three runs in the late game.
How They Scored
Indiana State took the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Parker Stinson connected on a two-out RBI single to left field scoring Dominic Listi to put ISU on top early.
James Harris tied the game up in the top of the second inning as the Flames’ first baseman connected on his second home run of the weekend, this one a solo shot over the wall in left center to even the score at 1-1.
The Sycamores retook the lead in the bottom of the second as Randal Diaz snuck a hard grounder inside the third base bag and down the line for an RBI double scoring Adam Pottinger, while Luis Hernandez singled Diaz home to give ISU the 3-1 lead.
Listi dropped a fly ball between three UIC defenders down the left field line for an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning scoring Grant Magill to give the Sycamores the 4-1 lead.
Mike Sears made it a 5-1 Indiana State lead as the third baseman hammered the ball into the trees beyond the right center fence for his 10th home run of the season.
Ryan Nagelbach and Kendall Ewell both homered for UIC in the top of the sixth inning to cut the Indiana State lead down to 5-4. Nagelbach’s two-run shot brought home AJ Henkle, while Ewell put one into the wind that carried the ball into the trees by the foul pole to make it a one-run game.
UIC tied it up in the top of the eighth inning as Ewell connected on an RBI double to the left center gap scoring Jackson Bessette from first to make it a 5-5 game.
The Sycamores answered in the bottom of the eighth inning as ISU loaded the bases before Listi beat out a fielder’s choice allowing Dom Krupinski to score putting Indiana State back ahead 6-5.
Zane Zielinski answered for UIC in the top of the ninth with the go-ahead two-run home run scoring AJ Taylor to give the Flames the 7-6 lead.
Grant Magill sent the game into extra innings as the Sycamores mounted a two-out rally started on singles by both Parker Stinson and Krupinski. Magill scorched a grounder back up the middle past the UIC second baseman allowing Stinson to score from second and tying the game up at 7-7.
UIC took the lead in the top of the 11th inning as Bessette scored from first on Nagelbach’s single back up the middle giving the Flames the 8-7 lead.
Parker Stinson tied the game in the bottom of the 11th driving a double to the right center gap scoring Joe Kido from first to even the game at 8-8. The Sycamore right fielder would come around to score the game-winner on Krupinski’s fielder’s choice to secure the walk-off win.
News & Notes
Dominic Listi extended his on-base streak to 25 games on Saturday afternoon after his RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning. He finished the game 2-for-6 from the plate with two RBIs and one run scored.
Luis Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 24 consecutive games following his RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. He continues the longest hitting streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era dating back to the 2014 season and finished the day 1-for-5 from the plate with an RBI.
Adam Pottinger extended his on-base streak to 16 consecutive games on Saturday afternoon following his walk in the bottom of second inning. He finished the game 3-for-4 with a run scored.
Josue Urdaneta extended his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games on Saturday afternoon following his walk in the bottom of the first inning. He finished the game 0-for-4 with a walk and key sacrifice bunt.
Indiana State claimed its 12th consecutive MVC series win with Saturday’s victory over UIC continuing a streak dating back to the end of the 2022 season.
The Sycamores have gone 30-4-1 in MVC action since the end of the 2022 regular season including a perfect 12-0 mark in the middle game of the series following Saturday’s win.
Mike Sears tied his season-high with three hits on Saturday afternoon as the redshirt senior third baseman equaled the mark he set back on March 19 against Indiana. It marked the sixth three-hit game of his ISU career.
Sears’ 10th home run gave him double-digit home runs for the second consecutive season making him the first Sycamore to achieve the feat since Dane Gielser hit the mark in both 2017 (17) and 2018 (15).
Luis Hernandez was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning continuing ISU’s stretch of having at least one batter hit by a pitch in every game in the 2024 season. The Sycamores pace the Missouri Valley with 60 HBPs through the first 25 games.
Saturday’s walk-off win moved the Sycamores to 3-0 in extra-inning games and was ISU’s third walk-off of the 2024 season. Indiana State won on a walk-off passed ball in the 10th inning against Michigan State in a 7-6 win over the Spartans on March 23. Grant Magill singled home the winning run in the 10th inning the following day in ISU’s 5-4 win over Marshall.
Indiana State has won its last seven extra-inning games dating back to their 10-7 win at Illinois on March 15, 2023.
The Sycamores have won their last five MVC extra-inning games dating back to their April 22, 2022, 7-6 win over Evansville when Keegan Watson hit the 10th inning walk-off home run over the Aces at Bob Warn Field.
Up Next
Indiana State closes out the weekend series at Bob Warn Field this weekend on Sunday afternoon as the Sycamores and Flames take the field with a noon ET first pitch. The game will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MASTODONS PUSH HAWKS INTO FORCED LANDING IN 3-0 WIN
QUINCY, Ill. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team throttled Quincy on Saturday evening (March 30) in a 25-21, 25-13, 25-18 victory.
From the get-go, Mark Frazier dominated the Hawks. He had nine kills on 10 swings in the opening frame, leading the ‘Dons to hit .435 as a team. The ‘Dons jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never trailed, holding QU to .048 hitting.
In set two, Jon Diedrich and Carlos Mercado took over the hitting duties as they combined for eight. Much like the first set, they never trailed after going up 5-1 and 10-2.
Quincy led 14-9 in set two before Mercado led the ‘Dons to a 4-0 run and a 12-2 extended run. Frazier ended the match as he began it by recording four kills in the final five points of the match.
Frazier finished with a match-high 17 kills while hitting .609. Diedrich pitched in 13. Andrej Polomac dished out 33 assists while leading the team to a .467 team hitting percentage. Wilmer Hernandez and Frazier had six digs each.
Quincy was led by eight kills from Raje Alleyne.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 12-10 and 6-7 in the MIVA. Quincy falls to 5-17, 1-13 after its 16th loss in a row. The Mastodons will be back in Fort Wayne next week with Lewis on Thursday (April 4) and the Hawks on Saturday (April 6) for Senior Day.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
FIVE RUN SIXTH LIFTS ‘DONS OVER MILWAUKEE 9-5
FRANKLIN, Wis. – Purdue Fort Wayne scored five runs in the sixth inning to take down Milwaukee on Saturday (Mar. 30) 9-5
After Justin Osterhouse’s walk loaded the bases, Ben Higgins drew a walk to bring in a run and make the score 5-2 Milwaukee. Cade Fitzpatrick followed with a double to left to score two runs. Luke Miles singled up the middle to score both Fitzpatrick and Higgins and give the ‘Dons a 6-5 lead.
The ‘Dons added an insurance run in the seventh on a groundout by Higgins. Grant Thoroman plated two more in the ninth with a two-run home run.
Kevin Fee shut down the Panthers offense with 4.2 scoreless innings to get the win. He struck out two and only walked one while only allowing four hits to improve to 3-0.
The ‘Dons scored the first run of the game in the opening frame when Nick Sutherlin doubled to left and drove in Thoroman.
Camden Kuhnke fell to 0-2 for Panthers allowing two runs in the sixth inning. Justin Hausser had three hits for Milwaukee including a fifth inning solo home run.
Milwaukee falls to 4-20 (3-6 Horizon). The ‘Dons improve to 10-18 (4-5 Horizon).
The ‘Dons host Western Michigan at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday (Apr. 2) in non-league play.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL DOUBLEHEADER GOES TO NORTHERN KENTUCKY
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Purdue Fort Wayne dropped two games of a Horizon League doubleheader on Saturday (March 30) at Northern Kentucky.
GAME 1 – Northern Kentucky 6, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Grace Hollopeter went 2-for-3 and drove in a run, but Purdue Fort Wayne fell in game one with Northern Kentucky 6-2.
Aglaia Rudd doubled to drive in Hollopeter to score the first run of the day for the ‘Dons in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, Hollopeter collected her second hit of the day and brought Gwen McMenemy home.
Northern Kentucky scored all six of their runs in the first two innings.
Brooklyn Ballis improved to 3-3 for NKU, while Gracie Brinkerhoff fell to 2-10.
GAME 2 – Northern Kentucky 4, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Lauryn Hicks (6-5) threw seven innings and allowed two hits to get the win for Northern Kentucky.
Brooke Lickey and Epiphany Hang each had a hit for the ‘Dons. Olivia Pastin went 3-for-3 for the Norse driving in three runs.
Hicks moves to 6-5 on the season. Alanah Jones took the loss for Purdue Fort Wayne and falls to 2-10.
Northern Kentucky improves to 14-11, 8-2 in the Horizon League. Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 5-23, 0-6. The Mastodons will host Robert Morris at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne on Friday and Saturday (April 5-6). Those games will be on ESPN+.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
BASEBALL WALKS OFF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, 11-10, IN EXTRAS TO WIN SERIES
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and then rallied again for three more in the tenth to rally past the visiting Southern Illinois Salukis, 11-10, at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
“What a gritty win by our ballclub today,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll, who picked up his 400th career coaching victory at Evansville with the win. “We found a way to win today, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
“I was really proud of the fight that we showed today, especially in the ninth and the tenth innings. Evan Waggoner did a great job of getting a job done in the ninth with the sacrifice fly, and then after they scored two in the tenth inning, Mark Shallenberger and Kevin McCormick stepped up big time to help get us this win. We had a lot of different guys step up today, and hopefully, a win like this will be a spark to get us going again!”
Evansville jumped out early to a 7-1 lead, as the Purple Aces got a run in the second inning on an RBI single by junior outfielder Harrison Taubert before exploding for six runs in the second inning. After senior designated hitter Kip Fougerousse brought home the first run with a run-scoring fielder’s choice, graduate first baseman Chase Hug followed two batters later with a two-run double to left-center field to give UE a 4-1 lead.
Freshman second baseman Brodie Peart then scored Hug from second base two batters later with an RBI single up the middle to move the score to 5-1. Graduate catcher Brendan Hord then knocked a two-run double into the left-field corner to give UE a 7-1 cushion.
UE graduate starter Donovan Schultz would keep things at 7-1 until the fifth inning, when SIU started to chip away at the UE lead. The Salukis scored single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, before getting three more in the seventh inning to crawl back within a run at 7-6 and chase Schultz from the game.
SIU pinch-hitter Justin Keuss tied the game at 7-7 in the eighth inning with a bad-hop double to left field. Then, the Salukis got a two-out RBI single by outfielder Mathieu Vallee in the ninth inning to take an 8-7 lead. SIU would load the bases in the ninth inning, but UE reliever Jakob Meyer got out of the jam with a strikeout.
Evansville was able to put the lead-off batter on base in the ninth inning, as graduate third baseman Brent Widder was hit by a pitch. After a one-out Simon Scherry single through the right side put men on the corners for UE, junior Evan Waggoner delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to left field to score Widder and tie the game at 8-8. Evansville threatened to win the game in the ninth inning, but junior pinch-hitter Cal McGinnis lined out to right field with two men on base to end the threat.
In the tenth, SIU catcher Cole Christman launched a solo home run with two-outs to give the Salukis a 9-8 lead. A walk, a single and a run-scoring wild pitch would plate SIU’s second run, but UE was not done yet.
After a lead-off walk by junior outfielder Ty Rumsey, Shallenberger crushed a two-run home run to right-center field to tie the game at 10-10. Back-to-back hit-by-pitches then put two men on base with no one out. Redshirt sophomore Kevin McCormick then came to the plate as a pinch-hitter, and originally showed bunt, but pulled the bat back and slashed a ground ball through the left side of the infield and into left field for a base hit. Fougerousse was able to easily come around to score on the play, as Evansville earned the series victory.
Taubert led UE offensively by going 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Shallenberger, Scherry, Peart, and Hord all had two-hit days as well for UE.
With the victory, Evansville improves to 11-16 overall and 2-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. SIU, meanwhile, falls to 18-10 overall and 4-2 in the Valley with the loss. Evansville is now off until Tuesday night when the Purple Aces host Austin Peay at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday’s game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
FLAMES TAKE GAME TWO AND CLINCH SERIES
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Nine runs in the first three innings launched UIC to a 10-3 win over the University of Evansville softball team on Saturday afternoon at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.
Evansville accumulated 10 hits in the game with Callie Meinel going a perfect 3-for-3. Zoe Frossard continued her strong play as she went 2-3 with a walk. UIC finished the day with 13 hits as five players registered two hits apiece.
Two runs in the first, four in the second and three in the third saw the Flames jump out to a 9-0 lead. Alannah Cran got things started with a 2-run home run in the first before adding an RBI single in the second. Larisa Villa added a 2-RBI hit in the second.
Evansville picked up its first two hits of the game in the bottom half of the third. Jenna Nink had a single before Zoe Frossard added a ground rule double. UIC was able to get through the frame unscathed.
That changed in the bottom of the fourth when five runners in a row reached base including four consecutive base hits. Callie Meinel began with a 1-out infield single while Brooke Voss followed with a single up the middle. Next up was Brooke McCorkle, who hit another single up the middle to bring in Meinel for the first UE run of the day. Kaylee Lawson followed up with the fourth hit in a row to score Voss.
Abby Bode added an RBI groundout to plate the third run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. UIC added a home run in the top of the 7th frame to extend the lead to 10-3. Megan Brenton made the start for UE and allowed five runs in 1 2/3 innings. Christina Toniolo threw another complete game, allowing three runs on 10 hits.
Sunday’s series finale will begin with a 12 p.m. first pitch.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI OUTSLUGGED BY MOREHEAD STATE
MOREHEAD, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball was outslugged by Morehead State University, 18-9, Saturday afternoon in Morehead, Kentucky. USI is 12-15 overall and 3-3 in the OVC, while MSU goes to 16-12, 3-3 OVC.
USI junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela) put the Screaming Eagles into the lead, 2-0, in the top of the second with a two-run blast to right field. The home run was Van Grieken’s first of the season. The 2-0 USI lead would last until the bottom half of the inning when MSU tied the score with a two-run home run of its own.
The Screaming Eagles regained the advantage, 5-2, in the top of the third with a three-spot. USI junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) led of the frame with his third home run of the year for a 3-2 lead, while junior rightfielder Adam Euler (Evansville, Indiana) pushed a run across with a sacrifice fly and junior second baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) singled in the fifth USI run of the game.
The momentum would shift back to MSU as it would score twice in the bottom of the third to close the gap to 5-4 and surged into the lead, 11-5, with a seven-run fourth and 14-5 on three additional runs in the fifth.
It would be USI’s turn to close the gap in the top of the sixth. USI freshman leftfielder Ethan Rothschild (Evansville, Indiana) started the rally by scoring on a fielding error before senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) hit a three-run bomb to make the score 14-9. The Ellis home run was his team-best sixth of the season.
The MSU Eagles would seal their win with four runs in the bottom of the eighth and the 18-9 final score.
USI junior right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana) started and took the loss on the mound. Morris (3-2) gave up eight runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five in three frames of work.
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI finishes the road trip Tuesday when it visits Murray State University for a 5 p.m. game Tuesday in Murray, Kentucky, before returning to the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field to host Murray State at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Murray State is 18-9 overall after losing three-straight to Belmont University over the weekend. The Racers lead the all-time series, 9-3-1, after sweeping a three-game series from USI last year in Murray, Kentucky.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
USI FIGHTS OFF SEMO RALLY, SEIZES SERIES WIN
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball had a fast start to Saturday’s series finale against Southeast Missouri State University, but the Screaming Eagles had to fight off a late charge by the visiting Redhawks to claim a 5-4 victory at USI Softball Field.
With Saturday’s win, Southern Indiana (14-13) captured its third consecutive series win in Ohio Valley Conference play to maintain a top-two spot in the standings with an 8-4 OVC record. Southeast Missouri (12-20) dropped to 7-5 in OVC action.
Southern Indiana came out with a flying start in the bottom of the first inning on Saturday. Following a leadoff single by senior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana), Bedrick came around to score in the next at-bat by sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) with an RBI double. Stapleton would be thrown out trying to advance an extra base, but junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) stepped up to the plate next with her first home run of the season, a solo shot, to put USI ahead 2-0. The fast start by the Screaming Eagles forced Southeast Missouri to make a pitching change with only out in the bottom of the first.
The Screaming Eagles added three more runs in the second inning, including one on an RBI single from Stapleton, to take a 3-0 lead. Before the end of the second frame, SEMO went to its third pitcher of the game, as USI had claimed a 5-0 advantage.
Later on, Southeast Missouri made a push. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fifth inning, the Redhawks scored two runs back on a two-RBI double. SEMO cut the deficit down to one, 5-4, with another pair of runs in the sixth inning off an RBI single and a sac fly. From there, the Screaming Eagles slammed the door on the Redhawks’ rally in the sixth inning and closed out the win in the seventh.
Southern Indiana scored five runs on nine hits. The top three in USI’s lineup – Bedrick, Stapleton, and Gotshall – each had two hits for six of USI’s total hits. Stapleton and Gotshall each had two RBIs. Southeast Missouri totaled four runs on 11 hits.
In the pitching circle, junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) picked up the win, improving to 12-5 this season. Newman struck out seven in the complete-game effort.
Southeast Missouri used four pitchers in the game with senior starting pitcher Paytience Holman dropping to 7-8 on the season with the loss.
The Screaming Eagles will gear up for a midweek matchup across town at the University of Evansville on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. from Tristate Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium. The game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
VALPO SOFTBALL
JOHNSON DELIVERS WALK-OFF WINNER, LIFTS SOFTBALL OVER BRADLEY TO CLOSE SERIES
Valpo softball senior Alexis Johnson (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) made sure a long day at the ballpark would end with an on-field celebration, connecting on a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning of Saturday’s nightcap to give the Beacons a 3-2 win over Bradley. It was the second 10-inning game of the day at the Valpo Softball Complex, as the visiting Braves emerged victorious in a pitcher’s duel in the opener, 3-0.
How It Happened – Game One
Freshman Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) locked up with Bradley hurler Sydney Kennedy in an old-fashioned, low-scoring duel in the opener Saturday.
McDermott allowed just three baserunners in the first seven innings — a two-out double in the third which she quickly followed with a strikeout, a leadoff walk in the fourth who did not advance past first base and and a leadoff single in the seventh which she stranded at third base with a flyout.
Valpo had the best chance of either team to put runs in the board in regulation, loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second on a hit batter and two walks. But a grounder to third turned into a force for the third out.
The Beacons’ final 15 batters of regulation were retired in order as the game entered extra innings scoreless.
After McDermott set down Bradley in order in the top of the eighth, senior Emily Crompton (Salem, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the frame — Valpo’s first hit of the ballgame. Crompton’s pinch-runner moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a groundout, but another grounder stranded her there as the game advanced to the ninth.
A two-out error gave Bradley a runner on third in the top of the ninth, but that just set up McDermott to snare a liner back through the box for the third out of the frame. Valpo went down in order in its half of the ninth.
Bradley loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10th. McDermott dug in and recorded a strikeout on a full-count pitch for the second out before Tori Meyer lined the first pitch she saw to the fence in right-center, clearing the bases. The Beacons were retired in order in their half of the inning to close out the game.
How It Happened – Game Two
After a game one which featured just 13 total baserunners between the two teams, the story of the nightcap was the chances both teams would have, as both Bradley and Valpo stranded more runners than that.
The first couple of innings for Bradley set up how the game would go, as the Braves had runners on the corners with two outs in the first and second and third with one out in the second. Both times, freshman Anna Wilming (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) picked up the key outs to keep Bradley off the board.
Valpo scored its first run of the day in the bottom of the second, as freshman Natalie Bush (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) and sophomore Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) drew back-to-back walks to lead off the inning, and the former came around to score on an RBI single by Crompton. The Beacons had two in scoring position with one out and the bases loaded with two outs later in the frame, but were unable to add to their advantage.
Bradley evened the score in the top of the third on a solo homer by Bailey Sample. The Braves looked to go in front in the fourth as they loaded the bases with one out before a foulout and a lineout kept it a 1-1 tie.
The Beacons had their own chance in the bottom of the fourth, with runners on second and third with one out. An infield pop-up and a grounder kept them from retaking the lead.
It looked like Bradley had pulled in front in the top of the fifth, as with the bases loaded and one out, the Braves got a fly ball to deep center field and their runner from third came home. The Beacons appealed at third that the runner had left early, however, and got the out signal to complete the double play.
Valpo pulled ahead in the bottom of the fifth, as Bush came in to score on a Bradley error.
The Beacons entered the top of the seventh with a 2-1 lead, but were unable to close things out in regulation, as a leadoff double turned into the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly. Valpo looked to literally walk it off in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs on a trio of walks before a grounder sent the game to extras.
For all the runners stranded through the game’s first seven innings, the start of extra innings was relatively benign, as the two squads combined to leave just three runners on base in the first two innings. The best chance for either team in those frames came in Valpo’s half of the eighth, as senior Kayla Skapyak (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) led off the inning with a single before she was erased as Bradley turned a double play on a sacrifice bunt attempt which was lined right at the Braves’ first baseman.
Bradley got a two-out walk in the top of the 10th before senior Caitlin Kowalski (Temperance, Mich./Notre Dame Academy) recorded a strikeout looking to close out the inning.
Freshman Madison Stamper (Matthews, N.C./Porter Ridge) reached to lead off the bottom of the 10th on a Bradley error. Pinch-runner Lyna Vasquez (Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View) advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Skapyak, setting up Johnson’s heroics.
Inside the Games
Johnson’s walk-off was Valpo’s first since Morgan Matalin sent everyone home happy with a walk-off homer in a neutral-site game against Cleveland State March 8, 2020.
Valpo’s last walk-off at home came on April 9, 2019 against Indiana State, courtesy of Taylor Herschbach.
Saturday marked just the second time in program history Valpo has played at least 10 innings twice in the same day — a twinbill April 8, 2006 at IUPUI featured a 10-inning opener, followed by an 11-inning nightcap.
It is just the fifth time in program history Valpo has played at least 20 innings of softball in one day.
The opener was the first game in program history which entered the 10th inning scoreless.
Crompton picked up Valpo’s sole hit in the opener.
While the result didn’t go her way, McDermott’s effort in the circle in the opener was admirable. The freshman needed just 104 pitches to spin nine shutout innings to open the game before running into trouble in the 10th. McDermott ended up surrendering just four hits on the day.
The offense came alive for the Beacons in the nightcap, as they racked up nine hits and eight walks. Senior Regi Hecker (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Blue Springs South) led the way as she went 2-for-3 with a pair of free passes.
Skapyak had a multi-hit game in the finale as well, going 2-for-4, while Johnson reached base three times, finishing 1-for-4 with two walks.
Bradley stranded 15 runners on base in the nightcap and was just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, while Valpo left 14 runners on base and was 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Wilming started in the circle and surrendered just one run in 3.1 innings of work. Kowalski entered in relief in the fourth inning and earned the win, going 6.2 innings and surrendering just three hits and one run.
Next Up
Valpo (7-20, 1-5 MVC) continues its eight-game homestand on Friday afternoon when the Beacons take on Belmont at 3 p.m.
VALPO BASEBALL
LOCKWOOD GOES DISTANCE AS BIG EIGHTH INNING HELPS VALPO OVER BRADLEY
After a brief start to open the series on Friday, an extended outing from Saturday’s starting pitcher was just what the doctor ordered for the Valparaiso University baseball team. Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) delivered that in a big way, going the distance in a 9-2 victory over Bradley on Saturday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field. The Beacons took the lead with two in the seventh and then pulled away by scoring a half a dozen in the eighth.
How It Happened
Lockwood was perfect the first time through the batting order and retired the side in order in four of the first five innings.
The Beacons got on the board when Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) drilled a home run to right in the fifth.
Bradley responded with a solo shot of its own in the sixth to level the score at one.
A two-out double helped the Braves take a 2-1 lead in the seventh, but that was short-lived as Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) slugged Valpo’s second big fly of the game in the seventh to tie the game at two. Later in that frame, Alex Ryan added a sac fly to plate the go-ahead run.
Valpo pulled away by scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth. Carson Husmann (Hanna, Ind. / South Central [Bradley]) walked with the bases loaded and Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) singled to drive in a run before Ryan drilled a bases-clearing double down the left-field line. The Beacons added one more as Connor Giusti (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd [Wisconsin Oshkosh]) grounded a single through the left side.
Lockwood had a pair of strikeouts in the final frame to cap off the 103-pitch CG.
Inside the Game
Lockwood, who improved to 2-1 on the season with the win, scattered eight hits and limited Bradley to two runs while striking out nine and walking none.
Lockwood threw Valpo’s first complete game since Bobby Nowak on April 15, 2023 at Bradley in a seven-inning contest. This was Valpo’s first nine-inning CG since Zach Fricke on May 11, 2019 vs. Southern Illinois.
The 3-7 hitters in the Valpo lineup all enjoyed multi-hit outputs, led by Ryan and Giusti with three apiece. Ryan drove in four of the team’s nine runs on a day where Valpo outhit Bradley 14-8.
The 14 hits marked Valpo’s highest total since March 8 at The Citadel (18).
Valpo pitching issued no walks for the fourth time this season and first since March 12 at Gardner-Webb.
Renfro’s home run was his first of the season and the 16th of his collegiate career.
Schmack’s home run was his ninth of the season and the 27th of his career. He moved into sole possession of third in program history and surpassed Jeff Mandsager (2001-2003) on Saturday.
Up Next
Valpo (9-16, 1-4 MVC) will close out the weekend series against Bradley on Sunday at Emory G. Bauer Field.
UINDY SOFTBALL
LATE FIREWORKS HELP HOUND SECURE SWEEP
LEBANON, Ill. – The No. 5 UIndy softball team downed host McKendree in a conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon. Junior second baseman Jocelyn Calvin had five hits on the day, including a seventh-inning, go-ahead home run in game two. Greyhounds are now 11-1 in GLVC play and are tied atop the conference standings.
GAME 1 | UIndy 3, McKendree 0
Ace Kenzee Smith garnered her 17th win in 18 decisions with another shutout performance. She finished with seven strikeouts in the complete-game effort, giving up only four hits and two walks.
Offensively, all of UIndy’s runs came via a pair of triples by junior Megan Nichols. The all-region outfielder broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning, driving in Grace Mosele and Calvin with a gapper. She later plated Calvin with an insurance run in the seventh with another three-bagger.
Three Hounds hit a double during game one – Calvin, Lexy Rees and Shelby Cook.
GAME 2 | UIndy 4, McKendree 2
Entering the final inning, the game was tied at two. A solo homer by Calvin broke the stalemate and gave the Greyhounds the lead. Two batters later, Emily O’Conner added another solo bomb to increase the lead.
Smith made sure it held, pitching a scoreless bottom of the seventh. She earned her second win of the day with three hitless innings of relief. Jayden Casebolt was the starter for game two, tossing four innings and allowing two runs.
Rees was the RBI leader for the Hounds, as she gave UIndy an early lead with a two-RBI triple in the first. Dominique Proctor finished with a double and a run scored.
UP NEXT
UIndy enters a two-week-long homestead featuring four home doubleheaders. The first will be against in-region Ohio Dominican on Wednesday, April 3. The mid-week matchup is set to begin at 2 p.m. at Baumgartner Field.
UINDY BASEBALL
GREYHOUNDS DROP SERIES FINALE TO HAWKS
INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis baseball team suffered a rough series finale loss to the visiting Rockhurst Hawks on Saturday, losing 17-10 for their third-straight setback.
The Hawks, who lead the GLVC in batting average, were deadly from the plate as they scored in every inning minus the first the last. The longball favored them as well as they batted five out of the park, with three of them coming off the bat of Adonis Forte who fell just a grand slam shy of the home run cycle.
For the Hounds offense, Drew Donaldson and Zack Williams, batting back-to-back in the lineup were effective from the plate with Donaldson going yard for the second time in the series, while Williams plated three with on a big sixth-inning single.
Defensively, it was another struggle as the Hounds committed a trio of errors. The pitching core employed seven different players with Jackson Kirkpatrick getting hit with his second loss of the season.
INS & OUTS
Slick baserunning put the Hounds up by two after the first as Good forced himself into scoring position where Williams would score him. Later in the frame, with runners at the corners, the Hounds implemented a designed rundown from Dakota Sill, allowing Cole Hampton to steal home and give the Hounds a two-run advantage.
That advantage dissipated quickly as a Forte three-run homer took the lead. The Hawks racked up runs after runs after runs from there, eventually ballooning the lead to 9-2 before UIndy responded with an Donaldson RBI single.
The Hawks kept punching as the Hounds attempted a rally in the sixth with a four-spot and then another trio in the eighth. The bats got hot too little too late however as the game was left 17-10 after nine.
UP NEXT
The Hounds will look to forget the series with the Hawks as they hit the road again for some more GLVC-baseball action. They head west to Springfield, Ill. to battle the Prairie Stars of UIS.
This will be the first meeting between Greyhounds and the new-look Stars who have former Greyhound assistant coach Trevor Forde as their new head coach.
MARIAN SOFTBALL
NO. 7 MARIAN’S HOME STAND CONCLUDES WITH SPLIT AGAINST MT. VERNON NAZARENE
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian softball team split their final doubleheader of the week on Saturday, as Marian earned a run-rule win over Mt. Vernon Nazarene in game one before falling in game two. Marian moves to 23-5 overall on the season and 11-3 in the Crossroads League following the the conclusion of their 14-game home stand.
Game 1 | Marian 8-0 Mt. Vernon Nazarene | 5 Innings
The Knights and Cougars matched each other in Saturday’s first act with scoreless innings from both teams, as the starting pitchers Sheridan Sullivan and Olivia Stunkel traded turns in the circle. Stunkel stranded a hit in each of the first two innings as she racked up four strikeouts, while Sullivan retired Marian in order in their first two trips to the plate.
Stunkel stranded a runner in the third inning, and in the home half she got support from her offense with Grace Meyer ripping a single to wake up the bats. Hayley Greene drew a walk and Savannah Harweger was hit by a pitch to load the bases, allowing Brooke Knox to break the tie with an RBI single. Sierra Norman drew an RBI walk to end the inning, as Marian pushed ahead 2-0.
The Marian ace Stunkel worked out of trouble in the top of the fourth as an error and single allowed two runners to get into scoring position, but a pop up would end the frame to preserve the lead. After getting the hold, the Knights exploded at the plate, putting up six hits and five runs in the fourth inning to expand their lead. Meyer doubled to lead off the crooked inning and scored on an error for the team’s third run, while an RBI single from Savannah Harweger added the fourth run. With two outs, Abby Madere recorded a two RBI single that saw Brooke Knox and Jenna Minnix score, while Norman closed the inning with an RBI base hit of her own.
Stunkel would pitch a scoreless fifth inning as Marian looked to end the game early, scattering a single to left in the process. In the home half of the fifth, Meyer picked up her second double of the game, and after being replaced by Emily Phillips to run, a Jenna Minnix RBI single closed the game, as Phillips scored from third to cap the 8-0 run-rule victory.
Marian’s ace pitcher Stunkel tossed her fourth complete game shutout of the season in the win, collecting her 13th victory of the season. The junior allowed four hits and retired five batters via the strikeout, throwing just 61 pitches in the five-inning game. Offensively Marian had 10 hits, with Meyer going a perfect 3-3 with two runs scored. Minnix went 2-3 in the win, while five other players had at least one hit.
Game 2 | Marian 8-10 Mt. Vernon Nazarene
In the second act, Marian got a strong start from Macy Coan as she retired the side in order to start the game, while her offense scored a pair of runs without a hit in the home half of the first, as Lily Wendt recorded an RBI on one of four free passes in the inning, while Abby Madere scored on a passed ball. The strong offensive start didn’t last long for Marian, as Mt. Vernon responded with three runs in the top of the second, as an error and three hits helped the Cougars take the lead.
In the third inning Mt. Vernon again extended their lead as Coan surrendered three consecutive hits, with a double to Kenzie Hancock delivering the damaging blow. Trailing 5-3, the Knights were unable to respond as they went down in order in the third inning, and in the fourth saw two runners reach base after getting hit by a pitch, but again failed to record a timely hit.
Coan kept Marian in the game as the bats came to the plate in the home half of the fifth inning, as the freshman stranded a double that led off the fifth inning. In the home half, a single for Abby Madere got Marian started, with Sierra Norman and Abbey Hofmann following on base after getting hit by a pitch. Wendt produced a quality at bat with the bases loaded, delivering a 2-RBI single up the middle of the field to tack on to Marian’s totals. Wendt and Hofmann then executed a double steal which allowed the freshman to tie the game at 5-5. Grace Meyer draw a walk as the rally cry continued, and Hayley Greene finished off the inning with a double to the wall in left field, scoring two runs to give Marian a 7-5 lead.
Now pitching with a lead, Coan threw a scoreless inning in the sixth, and saw another run of support hit the plate in the bottom of the inning, as Abby Madere slammed a solo home run to make it an 8-5 game. The Knights would load the bases but were unable to add to their lead, which would turn problematic in the seventh inning as Coan allowed three consecutive singles to open the frame, with the third being an RBI hit. Olivia Stunkel came on in relief to make the final three outs, but her inherited situation would not end cleanly, as an error scored a run to make it a one-run contest.
Stunkel was able to get a strikeout as she looked to avoid giving up the winning runs, but a home run hit by Kiera Mayer to left field scored three runs, as the junior’s second long ball given up this season put Mt. Vernon Nazarene on top 10-8. Trialing in their final at bats, Marian managed a lone bunt single from Savannah Harweger, as they came up short in game two falling 10-8.
Marian had just six hits in game two, but drew seven walks and were hit by pitch five times. Harweger and Madere each had two hits, while Wendt led the team in RBI with three, as she walked twice. Meyer and Norman each walked twice in the loss, while Norman was also hit by a pitch. Coan allowed 12 hits and eight runs in the loss, five of which were earned. Stunkel took the loss as she blew the save opportunity, giving up two runs and two hits. Both of Marian’s pitchers recorded two strikeouts.
The Knights go on the road after playing 14 consecutive games at home, traveling to Taylor for a 4:00 p.m. start on Tuesday.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MNCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
4 – 22 – 23 – 19
March 31, 1973 – Bobby Orr, Number 4 of the Boston Bruins scored his 3rd career hat trick in a 7-3 loss at Toronto to become the first player in NHL history to score 100 points for 4 straight seasons. The amazing thing about it is Bobby played as a defenseman!
March 31, 1984 – New York Islanders star Mike Bossy, Number 22 becomes the first player in NHL history to complete 7 consecutive seasons where he scored at least 50 goals. He actually tallied number 51 on the season as well in his multi goal game against Washington as the Isles topped the Caps 3-1.
March 31, 1987 – Indiana Guard Keith Smart, Number 23 nails a buzzer beater to propel the Hoosiers to the National Championship title as they overcame the strong competition of Syracuse, 74-73. Smart also picked off the last ditch pass by the Orange in the final seconds to preserve the victory in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
March 31, 1990 – Quebec Nordiques’ center Joe Sakic, Number 19 scored a goal in a 3-2 loss to Hartford to become the youngest player in NHL history (20 years old) to score 100 points in a season.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football History Headlines for March 31
March 31, 1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) is formally established. In 1910 the IAAUS was renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA according to the Library of Congress. Early football games often resulted in injury and even death, prompting some colleges and universities to close their football programs. The reforms were encouraged by President Roosevelt in 1905. Some of the revisions to the rules from the IAAUS were the institution of the legal forward pass as well as some rules making certain formations illegal.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for March 31
March 31, 1938 – Elizabeth, New Jersey – The great Army halfback of 1957 to 1959, Bob Anderson was born.
There are two Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined men named Jimmy Johnson with connections to Dallas. Head Coach Jimmy Johnson was just recently placed in the Hall as a contributor but his date of birth is July 16. Today we celebrate the great player James Johnson.
March 31, 1938 – Dallas, Texas – Jimmy Johnson the great two way player as a halfback and defensive back of the San Francisco 49ers was born. As a matter of fact according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame he was the top pick of the Niners in the 1961 NFL Draft.
March 31, 1950 – New York City, New York – The top Cornell running back from 1969 to 1971, Ed Marinaro celebrated his date of birth. Marinaro according to his bio on the FootballFoundation.org had a higher rushing yards per game than collegiate greats and Tony Dorsett, O.J. Simpson and even Hershel Walker! Ed’s 174.6 yards per game on the ground in 27 games is truly a remarkable feat! Marinaro had 10 games in which he exceeded 200 yards; this includes, in 1969, 245 against Rutgers, 281 against Harvard; in 1970, 260 against Lehigh; in 1971, 272 against Columbia, 260 against Colgate. Ed’s average yards on the ground in 1971 was an astounding 209 yards per game, an NCAA record that lasted 10 years until broken. Marinaro was an All- America selection twice and in 1971 won the Maxwell Trophy and was named Player of the Year by Columbus, Cleveland and Washington Touchdown Clubs. He was named to the Ivy League Silver Anniversary Team.. The College Football Hall of Fame celebrated the arrival of Ed Marinaro’s collegiate gridiron accomplishments into their hall of legends in 1991. After college he enjoyed a six year pro career with the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and the New York Jets. He then budded into a television acting star having been on hit shows Laverne and Shirley and Hill Street Blues.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1948 At Ebbets Field No. 2, the Dodgers play their first exhibition game at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, which will remain the team’s home for 61 years. Amidst much fanfare, including Governor Millard Caldwell throwing the ceremonial first pitch, Jackie Robinson homers in the first inning when Brooklyn beats its top farm club, the Montreal Royals, 5-4.
1958 Larry Doby returns to the Indians when the Orioles trade him to Cleveland, along with Don Ferrarese, in exchange for Gene Woodling, Dick Williams, and Bud Daley. The 34-year-old veteran outfielder, who broke in with the Tribe in 1947 as the American League’s first black player, will have a solid season, hitting .284 in a part-time role with the fourth-place team.
1961 The Professional Baseball Rules Committee rejects the Pacific Coast League’s proposal to use a designated hitter for the pitcher by a vote of 8-1. The first use of the DH will occur in the American League in 1973.
1968 The American League’s new franchise in Seattle chooses Pilots as the team’s nickname. The name originated from the coastal seaport city’s association with the airplane industry and co-owner Dewey Soriano’s part-time job as a harbor pilot.
1982 The Rangers trade outfielder/first baseman Al Oliver to the Expos for outfielder/third baseman Larry Parrish and minor league first baseman Dave Hostetler. Hitting .335 this season, Oliver will capture the National League batting crown, compiling a .315 batting average during his two seasons north of the border.
1984 On a televised episode of ABC’s Sports Beat, Howard Cosell informs interviewee Roger Maris of the Yankees’ plan to retire the slugger’s number 9 in July at the Old Timers’ Game ceremonies. At first, the former Bronx Bombers’ reaction is disbelief, followed by his genuine pleasure for the recognition of his achievements during his seven years with the team.
1993 Bill White, the first black to serve as a league president, resigns from his National League post. The former Cardinal first baseman will remain at the job until next March, replaced by Leonard S. Coleman, MLB’s director of market development.
1994 The Mets trade hard-luck right-hander Anthony Young to the Cubs for shortstop Jose Vizcaino. While with New York, A-Yo dropped 27 consecutive decisions, 14 as a starter and 13 as a reliever, establishing the major league record for the most consecutive losses by a pitcher.
1994 The White Sox assign NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons of the Class AA Southern League. Before returning to the NBA, the 31-year-old outfielder will play just one season of professional baseball, hitting .202 in 134 games for the minor league team.
1995 A crowd of 47,536 attend the first game ever played at Coors Field. The exhibition contest played with replacement players due to the strike, ends with the Rockies beating the Yankees, 4-1.
1996 At the Kingdome, the Mariners beat the White Sox in 12 innings, 3-2, marking the first time a season begins with a game played in March. In 2018, except for international openers, Opening Day for all 30 teams will be March 29, becoming the earliest start in major league history.
1998 On Opening Day at Cinergy Field, Pokey Reese, filling in for shortstop Barry Larkin, who is on the DL, makes four errors on his first three chances in the Reds’ 10-2 loss to San Diego. The 25-year-old infielder will win the Gold Glove as a second baseman in 1999 and 2000.
1998 In the longest scoreless opener in National League history, pinch-hitter Alberto Castillo’s 14th-inning single with two outs and the bases loaded gives the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Phillies. The most extended Opening Day game in major league history occurred in 1926 when the Senators blanked the Philadelphia A’s in 15 innings, 1-0.
1998 In front of a sellout crowd of 47,484 at Bank One Ballpark, the Arizona Diamondbacks lose to the Rockies, 9-2. The seven-run difference matches the ’62 Mets and the ’77 Mariners for the most-lopsided loss by an expansion team in its first game.
1998 The Tigers spoil the Devil Rays’ major league debut, beating the American League’s newest team, 6-2 at Tampa’s Tropicana Field. After Hall-of-Famers Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Al Lopez, and Monte Irvin throw out ceremonial first pitches, Wilson Alvarez, the losing pitcher, hurls the first pitch in franchise history – a ball to Detroit’s center fielder Brian Hunter.
1998 With a rare on-the-field appearance, Hank Aaron helps to mark Milwaukee’s historic return to the Senior Circuit as the Brewers play their inaugural game as a National League team, losing to the Braves at Turner Field, 2-1. Milwaukee is the first team since the inception of the American League in 1901 to switch leagues.
1998 Mark McGwire hits the first of his historic seventy home runs when he goes deep off Ramon Martinez in the fifth inning of the Cardinals’ 6-0 victory over L.A. at Busch Stadium. The Redbirds’ first baseman becomes the first player in franchise history to hit a grand slam on Opening Day.
2003 On Opening Day, MLB.com, the Major League Baseball website, has more than 10 million hits, setting a new record. The previous mark, set last season on the final day of online voting for All-Star Game starters, attracted 3.6 million visitors to the site.
2003 Substituting for his son, a former Yale left-handed first baseman named George Bush throws the ceremonial first pitch when the Reds play the first game in their new home, Great American Ball Park. The former president and the sellout crowd of 42,263 flag-waving fans enjoy the patriotic pregame ceremonies and then watch the Pirates rout Cincinnati, 10-1.
2003 At Shea Stadium, the Mets Opening Day lineup includes the first regular starting double-play combination in major league history featuring natives from Puerto Rico. Second baseman Roberto Alomar and shortstop Rey Sanchez combine to make two twin killings as the Cubs drub New York, 15-2.
2004 With a 12-1 defeat of the Devil Rays in Tokyo, Kevin Brown becomes the second pitcher in history to have defeated all thirty major league teams. The 39-year-old right-hander joins Al Leiter, who accomplished the feat with the Mets last season.
2005 The Orioles and MLB agree on a deal that allows the televising Nationals games. A joint venture backed by MLB will let fans in the Baltimore-Washington area enjoy both franchises’ telecasts, ensuring the Orioles fans in the nation’s capital will still have an opportunity to watch their ‘Birds.’
2007 In the MLB’s inaugural Civil Rights Game, the Cardinals beat the Indians at AutoZone Park in Memphis, 5-1. The preseason exhibition, becoming a regular season game in 2009, is designed to celebrate and honor baseball’s historical role in the nation’s civil rights movement.
2008 On Opening Day, the Reds pay tribute to Joe Nuxhall by wearing the number 41 on their uniforms. The team’s beloved broadcaster, who spent over 60 years with the organization, including his major debut as a 15-year-old hurler, died during the off-season at the age of 79.
2008 Outside of Wrigley Field, the Cubs unveil the seven-foot bronze sculpture of Ernie Banks by 46-year-old Lou Cella, a passionate fan who idolized Mr. Cub as a kid. The typographical error on the statue’s granite base, “Lets play two,” is quickly corrected when the sculptor comes down to the ballpark two days later and carves the needed apostrophe.
2009 The Tigers unexpectedly release Gary Sheffield despite having $14 million left on the $28 million, two-year contract extension given to the DH/outfielder after being acquired from the Yankees in a trade for prospects. The 40-year-old nine-time All-Star needing one more dinger to become the 25th major league player to hit 500 career home runs, reaches the milestone as a pinch-hitter in a Mets uniform on April 17 at Citi Field.
2010 In the first inning of an exhibition game in Tampa, Denard Span hits a hard foul line drive that strikes his mother while watching him play. The Twins’ stunned leadoff batter runs into the crowded stands, staying with his mom while paramedics treat her until she returns to her seat, slightly shaken but intact.
2011 Down to their final out on Opening Day, Cameron Maybin, acquired by the Padres in the offseason from the Marlins for Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb, hits a game-tying homer off Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin. San Diego wins the game two innings later on three successive two-out hits, including their new centerfielder’s knock for the go-ahead run in the team’s eventual 5-3 victory at Busch Stadium.
2013 Shintaro Fujinami, a first-round draft selection, sets a record for players drafted out of high school when he makes his first professional start, a game sooner than Daisuke Matsuzaka (1999) and Hideaki Wakui (2005), pitching for the Hanshin Tigers just three games into the season. The 18-year-old Japanese rookie right-hander will allow two runs in six innings, taking the loss in the team’s 2-0 loss against Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium.
2013 In their American League debut, the Astros beat the Rangers, 8-3, victory in a nationally televised game at Minute Maid Park. After 51 years of playing in the National League, Houston agreed to move from the NL Central to the AL West to give each league 15 teams with an equal number of teams in each division as a condition for the approval of the sale of the team to Jim Crane.
2014 Pittsburgh native Neil Walker sends the largest regular-season crowd in the 14-year history of PNC Park home happy when he hits a Carlos Villanueva change-up over the fence, giving the Pirates a 1-0 walk-off victory over the Cubs. The tenth-inning homer marks the first time since 1965, when Bob Bailey went deep off Giants’ right-hander Juan Marichal that a Buc player ended a scoreless Opening Day contest with a solo round-trip.
2014 A video review overturns an umpire’s decision using MLB’s expanded replay system for the first time. Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun, initially called safe by first base by ump Greg Gibson, on a sixth-inning leadoff infield single, is ruled out after the Braves manager Freddi Gonzalez challenges the play.
2014 On Opening Day, Anaheim’s hitting coach Don Baylor suffers a freak accident, fracturing his right femur while backhanding the low and away ceremonial first pitch from Vladimir Guerrero, the team’s former outfielder who had just signed a one-day contract on the field much to crowd’s delight. Guerrero spent six seasons of his 16 major league tenure with the Halos and was named the AL MVP in 2004, his first year with the team, joining Baylor (1979) as the only other player to win the award in franchise history.
2018 Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who goes 3-for-4 in the team’s 3-2 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field, becomes the first American Leaguer to have multiple extra-base hits in the first three games of the season. In 2015, Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez also accomplished the feat, collecting at least two safeties in LA’s first three contests when he compiled ten hits in his first 14 at-bats of the season.
APRIL 2-APRIL 4
April 2
1931 — Virne Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell, the first woman in professional baseball, pitched against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game in Chattanooga. Babe Ruth waved wildly at the first two pitches and took a third strike. Lou Gehrig timed his swing to miss three straight pitches. Tony Lazzeri, after trying to bunt, walked and Mitchell left the game.
1952 — Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin of the New York Giants broke his ankle in an exhibition game. Irvin played just 46 games that season.
1976 — The Oakland Athletics trade two key members from their recent World Series championship teams, sending OF Reggie Jackson and P Ken Holtzman to the Baltimore Orioles.
1984 — The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 for their first opening-day defeat in 10 years.
1995 — The longest strike in major league history comes to an end. Having the first 23 days of this major league season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players’ March 31st unconditional offer to return to work. The players’ decision to return to work is made after a US District Court issued an injunction restoring terms and conditions of the expired agreement. Teams will play 144-game schedules. The strike had begun on August 12, 1994.
1996 — St. Francis of Illinois pummeled Robert Morris 71-1, with Robert Morris coach Gerald McNamara ending the after four innings.
1997 — For the first time, the salary of one player — Albert Belle — exceeded the payroll of an entire team — the Pittsburgh Pirates. Belle, the game’s highest-paid player for 1997 at $10 million, made $928,333 more than the whole Pirates payroll of $9,071,667.
1998 — By hitting a home run at Bank One Ballpark, Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums.
2001 — For the first time in major league history, a Japanese position player participates in a regular season game. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, hitless in his first three at-bats, singles in the 7th inning to ignite a two-run rally, and bunts for another single in the 8th in his debut at Safeco Field. He will go on the be both the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP this year.
2001 — Roger Clemens became the AL strikeout king, getting five to pass Walter Johnson as the Yankees beat Kansas City 7-3 in their season opener. Clemens fanned Joe Randa for his 3,509th career strikeout.
2003 — Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 300 home runs, connecting for a three-run drive in the Texas Rangers’ 11-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels. Rodriguez at 27 years, 249 days old, surpassed Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (27 years, 328 days).
2003 — The Detroit Tigers became the first team to have four pitchers make their major league debuts in the same game — Jeremy Bonderman, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling and Matt Roney. The Tigers lost 8-1 to the Minnesota Twins.
2007 — Tampa Bay’s Elijah Dukes homered in his first big league at-bat in a 9-5 loss to the New York Yankees.
2008 — Kevin Youkilis plays his 194th consecutive error-free game at first base, breaking Steve Garvey’s 23-year-old major league record.
2010 — The Minnesota Twins open their new ballpark, Target Field, with an 8 – 4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game.
2011 — Ichiro Suzuki breaks the franchise hit record for the Seattle Mariners in the Mariners’ 6 – 2 win over Oakland. Ten years to the day after his first major league hit, Ichiro collects safety number 2,248, passing Edgar Martinez, with an infield single that drives in the winning run in the 9th.
2011 — Ian Kinsler of Texas became the first major leaguer with leadoff homers in each of his team’s first two games. Kinsler hit the first of four homers by the Rangers in a 12-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
2012 — Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a $127.5 million, six-year contract, the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history.
2017 — Madison Bumgarner hit two homers but the Arizona Diamondbacks scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off new San Francisco closer Mark Melancon to beat the Giants 6-5 in a wild season opener. Bumgarner retired his first 16 batters and became the first pitcher to hit two home runs on opening day. He struck out 11 with no walks in seven innings.
2019 — Returning to Washington, D.C. for the first time since signing a record free agent contract with the Phillies in the spring, Bryce Harper is back. He collects 3 hits, including a 458-foot two-run homer to lead the Phillies to an 8 – 2 win over the Nationals.
2021 — Commissioner Rob Manfred announces that the 2021 All-Star Game will not be staged in Atlanta, GA, as planned, but will be moved to another location to be determined, in response to the state of Georgia’s adoption of rules aimed at restricting the voting rights of African-Americans. This follows only two days after President Joe Biden stated he supported such a move, given the discriminatory nature of Georgia’s law.
_____
April 3
1923 — In Chicago, Ill., two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 in damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to their reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.
1966 — The New York Mets sign University of Southern California star P Tom Seaver to his first contract.
1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But commissioner Bowie Kuhn would not allow it and ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.
1985 — A major league owners’ proposal is agreed to by the Players Association. The American and National leagues playoff formats are changed to best-of-sevens.
1987 — The Chicago Cubs trade starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers. Eckersley will emerge as the game’s dominant closer, saving 291 games over the next eight seasons.
1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.
1989 — Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners makes his major league debut.
1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.
1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.
1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener away from the United States and Canada.
2000 — A new major league record for Opening Day is set with five players having multiple home run games.
2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major-league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.
2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.
2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major-leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Royals 11-2.
2005 — In his first outing for the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as New York open the major league season with a 9 – 2 win.
2006 — Seattle Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, the first catcher from Japan to start a major league game, hits a home run for his first hit.
2015 — MLB suspends P Ervin Santana, who signed the largest free agent contract in Twins history this off-season, for 80 games for testing positive to the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
_____
April 4
1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.
1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.
1993 — At Camden Yards, Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch of the season from the pitcher’s mound.
1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.
1994 — The Cleveland Indians open new stadium, Jacobs Field, with a 4 – 3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.
1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener outside the United States and Canada.
2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.
2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.
2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 11-2.
2011 — Nelson Cruz of Texas became the third player in major league history to homer in the first four games of a season and the Rangers beat Seattle 6-4. Cruz joined Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998) as the only players to go deep in each of their first four games of a season.
2012 — The Miami Marlins open a new name and a new ballpark, Marlins Park, but lose to the St. Louis Cardinals.
2016 — Colorado Rockies SS Trevor Story becomes the first player to hit two homers in his debut on Opening Day.
2018 — MLB experiments with a new medium as today’s game between the Phillies and Mets is broadcast live exclusively on “Facebook Watch”.
2021 — For the first time since his debut in Major League Baseball in 2018, Shohei Ohtani is in the batting order in a game in which he is also the starting pitcher.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1959 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
Off the field…
The United States expanded its borders as both Alaska and Hawaii were officially admitted to the Union. Despite an overwhelming vote by Alaskans in 1956, it took more than two years for the Senate to finally agree to make Alaska the forty-ninth state. On March 18, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower added Hawaii, the Aloha State, and commissioned a new fifty star U.S. Flag.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), and Ritchie Valens died when their Beechcraft plane crashed just outside Clear Lake, Iowa, during a stormy winter night. Holly was famous for many hits including “Peggy Sue.” The Big Bopper had one big hit, “Chantilly Lace.” And Valens was best known for his hit, “La Bamba.” The tragic accident was penned in the papers as “The Day the Music Died”.
Scandal rocked America’s most popular Game Show “Twenty-One” after former champion Herbert Stempel confessed to being given the answers to questions, told which questions to miss, and coached in presentation. After he blew the whistle, public outrage was so great that in 1959 Congress opened hearings on the great American quiz show fix and later formally outlawed all future quiz show deceptions.
In the American League…
The Boston Red Sox remained as the only Major League team not to include minority players in its line-up. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed a grievance against the franchise charging them with racial discrimination and calling for an official investigation into the team’s signing policies.
Chicago White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox managed five hits in seven at bats on Opening Day (including a two-run home run off pitcher Don Mossi to win the game) during a fourteen-inning, 9-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers. His five hits in a season opener tied a Major League record that would not be matched for forty years.
Cleveland’s Rocky Colavito hit four consecutive home runs at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium en route to an 11-8 victory over the home team Orioles. The Indian slugger joined Lou Gehrig and Bobby Lowe as the only Major League players ever to hit four consecutive round-trippers.
In the National League…
On May 26, Pirates ace Harvey Haddix pitched a perfect game against Milwaukee for twelve innings, only to lose in the 13th. After Felix Mantilla managed to reach base on a fielding error, Hank Aaron was intentionally walked. Pittsburgh’s strategy proved meaningless though as Joe Adcock maintained the Braves newfound momentum with a three-run blast for the comeback win. The following day National League President Warren Giles ruled that the final score should be amended to 1-0, since both runners Henry Aaron and Joe Adcock were both ruled out. (Aaron had been called for leaving the field during play, and Adcock had passed him in the base path.)
Seven pitchers combined to tie a National League record with twenty-three strikeouts during a May 31 outing between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Sandy Koufax led the effort with nine “K’s” for the 5-3 win.
The San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs set a new record for the longest nine-inning game in history after playing for three hours and fifty minutes. The home team finally won the “marathon at Wrigley” with a score of 20-9 after tallying nineteen hits and five home runs.
Around the League…
The Rules Committee finally permitted inter-league trading for a limited, three-and-a-half-week period during Major League Baseball’s winter meetings.
The Players Association fired lawyer J. Norman Lewis and replaced him with Judge Robert C. Cannon, the son of Wisconsin Congressman Raymond J. Cannon, who had attempted to unionize the players during the 1920 season.
Controversy erupted over the American League batting title as the Cleveland Indians’ Tito Francona finished the season with a league leading .363 average, but fell one at-bat short (three-hundred ninety-nine) of the required total (four-hundred). As a result, Harvey Kuenn of the Detroit Tigers was crowned the American League batting champion.
Washington D.C. Senator Estes Kefauver warned Major League Baseball that they were closely monitoring the “attitudes of organized baseball” toward the Continental League in an effort to prevent any antitrust issues.
BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS
CY YOUNG
Cy Young is a name familiar to all but the most casual of baseball fans, well over 100 years after his pitching career ended. After all, he is the one the Cy Young Award is named after, the award given every year to the best pitcher in each league. Young also holds numerous baseball records, including some that are unlikely to be broken, including both the most wins by any pitcher (511) and the most complete games (749).1
The years in which Young pitched in the major leagues (1890-1911) saw a number of significant changes in baseball, which included an increase in the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate, and the introduction of the foul strike rule.2 Sixteen times Young was a 20-game winner, and in five of those seasons he was actually a 30-game winner. There were even three seasons when he lost more than 20 games, but each time he came back and won as many as or more the following year.
READ MORE: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cy-young/
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
March 31, 1982
The NBA and the Players Association reached a four-year agreement that included a revenue-sharing plan, the first of its kind in team sports. Players received 53 percent of revenues starting the 1984-85 season in return for minimum and maximum payrolls.
March 31, 1992
Phoenix coach Cotton Fitzsimmons guided the Suns to a 128-111 home win over Portland, becoming the sixth coach in NBA history to chalk up 800 career wins.
March 31, 1996
After defeating the visiting Phoenix Suns 97-83, the San Antonio Spurs become the 11th NBA team to go unbeaten over a month, with a 16-0 mark in March. The Spurs tied the 1971-72 Lakers (who were 16-0 in December of 1971) for the winningest month ever by an NBA team.
March 31, 2000
The NBA announced the NBA Legends Tour, which featured a star-studded team of former NBA players that traveled to China for a series of games against the Sydney Olympics-bound Chinese Men’s National Basketball team. Three international exhibition games were staged August 11, 14 and 17 in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, respectively, against the Chinese Men’s National Basketball team.
March 31, 2022
Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan scores 50 points in an overtime win against the LA Clippers. In doing so, he became the 14th different player to reach the half-century mark this season, setting a new NBA record. He was also the seventh different player to go for at least 50 in the month of March alone, setting a new single-month league record as well. Overall, there were nine instances in which a player scored 50 points in March, 2022, with the feats being accomplished by: DeRozan, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns and Saddiq Bey.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1923 — The Ottawa Senators of the NHL completes a two-game sweep of the WCHL’s Edmonton Eskimos with a 1-0 victory to win the Stanley Cup for the third time in four years. Harry “Punch” Broadbent scores the goal.
1931 — Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and seven others die in a plane crash in a wheat field near Bazaar, Kansas. During his 13 years at Notre Dame, the 43-year-old coach, led the “Fighting Irish” to 105 victories, 12 losses, five ties and three national championships.
1968 — The American League’s new franchise in Seattle chooses Pilots as its nickname.
1973 — The Philadelphia Flyers tie an NHL record for most goals in one period, scoring eight goals in the second period of a 10-2 win over the New York Islanders.
1973 — Ken Norton scores a stunning upset by winning a 12-round split decision over Muhammad Ali to win the NABF heavyweight title. Norton, a 5-1 underdog, breaks Ali’s jaw in the first round.
1975 — UCLA beats Kentucky 92-85 for its 10th NCAA basketball title under head coach John Wooden. Wooden finishes with a 620-147 career record after announcing his retirement two days earlier.
1976 — Cleveland Cavaliers beat Jazz to clinch club’s first ever NBA playoff berth.
1980 — Larry Holmes scores a TKO in the eighth round over Leroy Jones to retain his WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
1980 — Mike Weaver knocks out John Tate in the 15th round to win the WBA heavyweight title in Knoxville, Tenn.
1982 — NBA and NBAPA reach 4-year agreement on return for minimum & maximum payrolls, the first of its kind in team sports.
1984 — Mike Bossy becomes first player in NHL history to record 7 straight 50 goal seasons.
1985 — Old Dominion beats Georgia in the 4th NCAAW National Championship.
1986 — Freshman center Pervis Ellison hits two free throws with 27 seconds left to seal Louisville’s 72-69 victory over Duke in the NCAA basketball championship.
1990 — 20-year old C Joe Sakic becomes the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season
1991 — Tennessee edges Virginia 70-67 in overtime for its third NCAA women’s basketball title. It’s the first overtime in the NCAA’s 10-year history.
1991 — Amy Alcott wins the Dinah Shore golf tournament with a record eight-shot victory over Dottie Mochrie.
1994 — Chicago White Sox assigns former NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons of Class AA Southern League.
1995 — Major league baseball players end their strike.
1997 — Martina Hingis becomes the youngest No. 1 player in tennis history. The 16-year-old Swiss sensation, who claimed her fifth title of 1997 at the Lipton Championships on March 29, supplants Steffi Graf in the WTA Tour rankings.
1998 — Expansion clubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks both suffer losses in their MLB debuts.
2002 — UConn women’s basketball team beat Oklahoma, 82-70; Huskies conclude perfect season (39-0).
2002 — Andre Agassi wins his 700th career match and captures his second straight Key Biscayne Title.
2005 — Tarence Kinsey hits a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to lift South Carolina to a 60-57 victory over Saint Joseph’s for the NIT championship.
2012 — Ray Whitney passes 1,000 career points with a goal and assist in Phoenix’s 4-0 victory over Anaheim.
2013 — In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NCAA women’s tournament, sixth-seeded Louisville stuns defending national champion Baylor in the regional semifinals, 82-81. It’s the end of a remarkable college career for Baylor’s Brittney Griner, a record-setting 6-foot-8 post player who ended up as the second-highest scoring player in NCAA history.
2013 — Pete Weber ties Earl Anthony by winning his 10th major Professional Bowlers Association title with a 224-179 win over Australian Jason Belmonte in the Tournament of Champions.
2017 — UConn’s record 111-game winning streak comes to a startling end when Mississippi State pulls off perhaps the biggest upset in women’s basketball history, shocking the Huskies 66-64 on Morgan William’s overtime buzzer beater in the national semifinals.
2018 — Anthony Joshua beats Joseph Parker by unanimous decision to become a three-belt world heavyweight boxing champion. Joshua adds Parker’s WBO belt to his WBA and IBF titles, and moves within one belt of becoming the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
TV SPORTS SUNDAY
AUTO RACING
5 p.m.
CBSSN — FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship: The MXGP, Xanadu-Arroyomolinos, Spain
7 p.m.
FOX — NASCAR Cup Series: The Toyota Owners 400, Richmond Raceway, Richmond, Va.
1 a.m. (Monday)
CNBC — AMA Supercross Series: Round 12, St. Louis (Taped)
BOWLING
1:30 p.m.
FOX — PBA: The USBC Masters Finals, Las Vegas
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Noon
BTN — Maryland at Michigan
2 p.m.
SECN — Georgia at Tennessee
3 p.m.
BTN — Penn St. at Illinois
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
2 p.m.
CBS — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Elite Eight
4:45 p.m.
CBS — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Elite Eight
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)
1 p.m.
ABC — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Elite Eight
3 p.m.
ABC — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Elite Eight
COLLEGE HOCKEY (MEN’S)
4 p.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Quarterfinal, Providence, R.I.
6:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: TBD, Quarterfinal, St. Louis
COLLEGE LACROSSE (MEN’S)
2:30 p.m.
ESPNU — Syracuse at Notre Dame
7 p.m.
BTN — Maryland at Penn St.
COLLEGE LACROSSE (WOMEN’S)
3 p.m.
PAC-12N — California at Southern Cal
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Noon
ESPN2 — Arkansas at Georgia
SECN — South Carolina at Mississippi
GOLF
1 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Texas Children’s Houston Open, Final Round, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston
2:30 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Galleri Classic, Final Round, Mission Hills Country Club – Dinah Shore Tournament Course, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
NBC — PGA Tour: The Texas Children’s Houston Open, Final Round, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston
6 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The Ford Championship, Final Round, Seville Golf and Country Club, Gilbert, Ariz.
MLB BASEBALL
1:30 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Atlanta at Philadelphia OR Toronto at Tampa Bay
4:30 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: San Francisco at San Diego (4:10 p.m.) OR Boston at Seattle (4:10 p.m.)
7 p.m.
ESPN — St. Louis at LA Dodgers
NBA BASKETBALL
3:30 p.m.
NBATV — Cleveland at Denver
7 p.m.
NBATV — Golden State at San Antonio
NHL HOCKEY
3:30 p.m.
TNT — Anaheim at Vancouver
RODEO
Noon
CBS — PBR: Bucking Battle, Nampa, Idaho (Taped)
8 p.m.
CBSSN — PBR: Round 3 & Championship Round, Nampa, Idaho
RUGBY (MEN’S)
6 p.m.
FS1 — MLR: San Diego at Miami
SOCCER (MEN’S)
9 a.m.
USA — Premier League: Brighton & Hove Albion at Liverpool
11:30 a.m.
NBC — Premier League: Arsenal at Manchester City
3:30 p.m.
FOX — MLS: Chicago Fire FC at Atlanta United FC
9:30 p.m.
FS2 — Liga MX: Santos Laguna at Juárez
SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
3 p.m.
CBSSN — D1 Arkema: Havre at Lyon
TENNIS
12:30 p.m.
TENNIS — Miami-WTA Doubles Final
3 p.m.
TENNIS — Miami-ATP Singles Final
UFL FOOTBALL
Noon
ESPN — D.C. at San Antonio
3 p.m.
ESPN — Memphis at Houston