“THE SCOREBOARD”
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 13 SPEEDWAY 0
WESTERN BOONE 5 DANVILLE 2
PLAINFIELD 11 DECATUR CENTRAL 4
WES DEL 7 WAPAHANI 4
RUSHVILLE 15 N. DECATUR 0
HAUSER 15 SOUTHWESTERN 0
SHENANDOAH 8 BLUE RIVER 4
PARKE HERITAGE 7 N. VERMILLION 4
TRITON CENTRAL 6 SCECINA 1
CRAWFORDSVILLE 9 SOUTHMONT 0
PURDUE BROAD RIPPLE 9 INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE 4
NORTH CENTRAL 9 PIKE 2
PURDUE POLY 15 INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON 1
BREBEUF 15 BISHOP CHATARD 6
BREBEUF 7 BISHOP CHATARD 5
CASCADE 23 BEECH GROVE 7
COWAN 2 MONROE CENTRAL 0
MARION 2 ANDERSON 1
LAWRENCE NORTH 3 WARREN CENTRAL 0
INDIANA DEAF 23 TINDLEY 3
LAPEL 8 ELWOOD 1
RONCALLI 5 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 1
NEW CASTLE 5 YORKTOWN 4
EASTERN HANCOCK 22 ANDERSON PREP 7
MOUNT VERNON 2 PENDLETON HEIGHTS 1
LEBANON 4 TRI-WEST 1
MOORESVILLE 6 FRANKLIN 1
AVON 6 BROWNSBURG 5
SOUTHPORT 6 BEN DAVIS 3
COLUMBUS NORTH 4 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 2
COLUMBUS EAST 6 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 5
WHITELAND 5 MARTINSVILLE 1
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 7 NORTHWESTERN 1
ZIONSVILLE 2 FRANKLIN CENTRAL 0
NEW PALESTINE 4 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 1
NORTHVIEW 8 N. PUTNAM 4
DELTA 6 SHELBYVILLE 3
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 6 BLOOMFIELD 3
SOUTH-CENTRAL 10 EASTERN 8
INDIAN CREEK 1 W. VIGO 0
PLAINFIELD 6 DECATUR CENTRAL 3
STATE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/BASEBALL/SCORES/?DATE=4/24/2024
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
DALEVILLE 10 SOUTHERN WELLS 0
DELTA 6 MONROE CENTRAL 5
SCECINA 17 PURDUE POLY 1
WAPAHANI 8 WES DEL 6
KNIGHTSTOWN 17 S. DECATUR 2
HAGERSTOWN 10 CENTERVILLE 4
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 3 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 0
OWEN VALLEY 22 GREENCASTLE 11
WOODLAN 3 ADAMS CENTRAL 2
SPEEDWAY 19 RITTER 0
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 6 MADISON GRANT 2
NORTH CENTRAL 14 PIKE 2
SOUTHMONT 15 CRAWFORDSVILLE 2
UNION COUNTY 10 RICHMOND 8
ZIONSVILLE 7 CARMEL 0
NEW PALESTINE 14 CENTER GROVE 9
EASTERN HANCOCK 15 NORTHEASTERN 0
CASCADE 4 BEECH GROVE 1
LAWRENCE NORTH 10 SOUTHPORT 2
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 12 TRITON CENTRAL 2
LAPEL 12 NEW CASTLE 5
TRI-WEST 14 LEBANON 0
TRI-WEST 7 LEBANON 4
WESTERN BOONE 4 DANVILLE 2
GREENWOOD 8 PERRY MERIDIAN 5
UNION CITY 23 MUNCIE CENTRAL 0
GREENSBURG 3 FRANKLIN COUNTY 2
DECATUR CENTRAL 5 PLAINFIELD 3
RONCALLI 15 FRANKLIN CENTRAL 1
LAWRENCE CENTRAL 10 HERRON 3
COVENANT CHRISTIAN 13 PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY 0
CATHEDRAL 11 CONNERSVILLE 2
MOORESVILLE 6 FRANKLIN 5
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 6 NORTHWESTERN 3
AVON 12 BROWNSBURG 7
YORKTOWN 11 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 1
FLOYD CENTRAL 4 COLUMBUS NORTH 1
EMINENCE 11 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 3
MONROVIA 6 SPEEDWAY 5
SULLIVAN 11 BROWN COUNTY 6
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 1 FISHERS 0
STATE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/SOFTBALL/SCORES/?DATE=4/24/2024
INDIANA BOYS GOLF
TRI-WEST 167 GREENCASTLE 175
EAST CENTRAL 162 FRANKLIN COUNTY 170
MONROVIA 186 RITTER 197
INDIANA GIRLS TENNIS
PLAINFIELD 5 DECATUR CENTRAL 0
TRITON CENTRAL 3 SPEEDWAY 2
NORTHWOOD 5 CONCORD 0
ALEXANDRIA 4 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 1
INDIANA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
PERRY MERIDIAN 3 MARTINSVILLE 1
INDIANA TRACK RESULTS: HTTPS://IN.MILESPLIT.COM/RESULTS
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
• GAME 1: CELTICS 114, HEAT 94
• GAME 2: HEAT 111, CELTICS 101
• GAME 3: CELTICS VS. HEAT; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (6 ET, TNT)
• GAME 4: CELTICS VS. HEAT; MONDAY, APRIL 29 (TBD, TNT)
• GAME 5: HEAT VS. CELTICS; WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 (7:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 6: CELTICS VS. HEAT; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: HEAT VS. CELTICS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
SERIES TIED 1-1
* = IF NECESSARY
(2) NEW YORK VS. (7) PHILADELPHIA
• GAME 1: KNICKS 111, 76ERS 104
• GAME 2: KNICKS 104, 76ERS 101
• GAME 3: KNICKS VS. 76ERS; THURSDAY, APRIL 25 (7:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 4: KNICKS VS. 76ERS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (1 ET, ABC)
• GAME 5: 76ERS VS. KNICKS; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TNT)*
• GAME 6: KNICKS VS. 76ERS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: 76ERS VS. KNICKS; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
NEW YORK LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: BUCKS 109, PACERS 94
• GAME 2: PACERS 125, BUCKS 108
• GAME 3: BUCKS VS. PACERS; FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (5:30 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: BUCKS VS. PACERS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (7 ET, TNT)
• GAME 5: PACERS VS. BUCKS; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 6: BUCKS VS. PACERS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: PACERS VS. BUCKS; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
SERIES TIED 1-1
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: CAVALIERS 97, MAGIC 83
• GAME 2: CAVALIERS 96, MAGIC 86
• GAME 3: CAVALIERS VS. MAGIC; THURSDAY, APRIL 25 (7 ET, NBA TV)
• GAME 4: CAVALIERS VS. MAGIC; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (1 ET, TNT)
• GAME 5: MAGIC VS. CAVALIERS; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 6: CAVALIERS VS. MAGIC; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: MAGIC VS. CAVALIERS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
CLEVELAND LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
(1) OKLAHOMA CITY VS. (8) NEW ORLEANS
• GAME 1: THUNDER 94, PELICANS 92
• GAME 2: THUNDER 124, PELICANS 92
• GAME 3: THUNDER VS. PELICANS; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (3:30 ET TNT)
• GAME 4: THUNDER VS. PELICANS; MONDAY, APRIL 29 (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 5: PELICANS VS. THUNDER; WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 (8:30 ET, NBA TV)*
• GAME 6: THUNDER VS. PELICANS; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: PELICANS VS. THUNDER; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
OKLAHOMA CITY LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
(2) DENVER VS. (7) L.A. LAKERS
• GAME 1: NUGGETS 114, LAKERS 103
• GAME 2: NUGGETS 101, LAKERS 99
• GAME 3: NUGGETS VS. LAKERS; THURSDAY, APRIL 25 (10 ET, TNT)
• GAME 4: NUGGETS VS. LAKERS; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (8:30 ET, ABC)
• GAME 5: LAKERS VS. NUGGETS; MONDAY, APRIL 29 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 6: NUGGETS VS. LAKERS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: LAKERS VS. NUGGETS; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
DENVER LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: TIMBERWOLVES 120, SUNS 95
• GAME 2: TIMBERWOLVES 105, SUNS 93
• GAME 3: TIMBERWOLVES VS. SUNS; FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (10:30 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: TIMBERWOLVES VS. SUNS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (9:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 5: SUNS VS. TIMBERWOLVES; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TNT)*
• GAME 6: TIMBERWOLVES VS. SUNS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: SUNS VS. TIMBERWOLVES; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
MINNESOTA LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
(4) LA CLIPPERS VS. (5) DALLAS
• GAME 1: CLIPPERS 109, MAVERICKS 97
• GAME 2: MAVERICKS 96, CLIPPERS 93
• GAME 3: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS; FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (8 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (3:30 ET, ABC)
• GAME 5: MAVERICKS VS. CLIPPERS; WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 (10 ET, TNT)
• GAME 6: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: MAVERICKS VS. CLIPPERS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
SERIES TIED 1-1
* = IF NECESSARY
NHL PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
FLORIDA PANTHERS (1A) VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (WC1)
FLORIDA LEADS SERIES 2-0
GAME 1: PANTHERS 3, LIGHTNING 2
GAME 2: PANTHERS 3, LIGHTNING 2 (OT)
GAME 3: PANTHERS AT LIGHTNING — APRIL 25, 7 P.M. ET (TBS, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 4: PANTHERS AT LIGHTNING — APRIL 27, 5 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, TVAS, SNE, SNW, SNP)
GAME 5: LIGHTNING AT PANTHERS — APRIL 29, TBD
GAME 6: PANTHERS AT LIGHTNING — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 7: LIGHTNING AT PANTHERS — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE PANTHERS-LIGHTNING SERIES COVERAGE
BOSTON BRUINS (2A) VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3A)
BOSTON LEADS SERIES 2-1
GAME 1: BRUINS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 1
GAME 2: MAPLE LEAFS 3, BRUINS 2
GAME 3: BRUINS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2
GAME 4: BRUINS AT MAPLE LEAFS — APRIL 27, 8 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS, CBC)
GAME 5: MAPLE LEAFS AT BRUINS — APRIL 30, TBD
GAME 6: BRUINS AT MAPLE LEAFS — MAY 2, TBD
GAME 7: MAPLE LEAFS AT BRUINS — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE BRUINS-MAPLE LEAFS SERIES COVERAGE
NEW YORK RANGERS (1M) VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (WC2)
NEW YORK LEADS SERIES 2-0
GAME 1: RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 1
GAME 2: RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 3
GAME 3: RANGERS AT CAPITALS — APRIL 26, 7 P.M. ET (TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN360, TVAS)
GAME 4: RANGERS AT CAPITALS — APRIL 28, 8 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN360, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNP)
GAME 5: CAPITALS AT RANGERS — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 6: RANGERS AT CAPITALS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: CAPITALS AT RANGERS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE RANGERS-CAPITALS SERIES COVERAGE
CAROLINA HURRICANES (2M) VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3M)
CAROLINA LEADS SERIES 2-0
GAME 1: HURRICANES 3, ISLANDERS 1
GAME 2: HURRICANES 5, ISLANDERS 3
GAME 3: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS — APRIL 25, 7:30 P.M. ET (ESPN2, SN360, TVAS)
GAME 4: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS — APRIL 27, 2 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 5: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES — APRIL 30, TBD
GAME 6: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS — MAY 2, TBD
GAME 7: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE HURRICANES-ISLANDERS SERIES COVERAGE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
DALLAS STARS (1C) VS. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (WC2)
VEGAS LEADS SERIES 2-0
GAME 1: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, STARS 3
GAME 2: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, STARS 1
GAME 3: STARS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS — APRIL 27, 10:30 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, SN360, TVAS)
GAME 4: STARS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS — APRIL 29, TBD
GAME 5: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT STARS — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 6: STARS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT STARS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE STARS-GOLDEN KNIGHTS SERIES COVERAGE
WINNIPEG JETS (2C) VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE (3C)
SERIES TIED 1-1
GAME 1: JETS 7, AVALANCHE 6
GAME 2: AVALANCHE 5, JETS 2
GAME 3: JETS AT AVALANCHE — APRIL 26, 10 P.M. ET (TNT, TRUTV, MAX, CBC, TVAS)
GAME 4: JETS AT AVALANCHE — APRIL 28, 2:30 P.M. ET (TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 5: AVALANCHE AT JETS — APRIL 30, TBD
GAME 6: JETS AT AVALANCHE — MAY 2, TBD
GAME 7: AVALANCHE AT JETS — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE JETS-AVALANCHE SERIES COVERAGE
VANCOUVER CANUCKS (1P) VS. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (WC1)
SERIES TIED 1-1
GAME 1: CANUCKS 4, PREDATORS 2
GAME 2: PREDATORS 4, CANUCKS 1
GAME 3: CANUCKS AT PREDATORS — APRIL 26, 7:30 P.M. ET (TBS, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 4: CANUCKS AT PREDATORS — APRIL 28, 5 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 5: PREDATORS AT CANUCKS — APRIL 30, TBD
GAME 6: CANUCKS AT PREDATORS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: PREDATORS AT CANUCKS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE CANUCKS-PREDATORS SERIES COVERAGE
EDMONTON OILERS (2P) VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS (3P)
SERIES TIED 1-1
GAME 1: OILERS 7, KINGS 4
GAME 2: KINGS 5, OILERS 4 (OT)
GAME 3: OILERS AT KINGS — APRIL 26, 10:30 P.M. ET (TBS, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 4: OILERS AT KINGS — APRIL 28, 10:30 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, SN1, TVAS)
GAME 5: KINGS AT OILERS — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 6: OILERS AT KINGS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: KINGS AT OILERS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE OILERS-KINGS SERIES COVERAGE
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
ST. LOUIS 5 ARIZONA 1
NY METS 8 SAN FRANCISCO 2
BALTIMORE 6 LA ANGELS 5
BOSTON 8 CLEVELAND 0
MILWAUKEE 3 PITTSBURGH 2
CINCINNATI 7 PHILADELPHIA 4
LA DODGERS 11 WASHINGTON 2
TAMPA BAY 7 DETROIT 5
NY YANKEES 7 OAKLAND 3
ATLANTA 4 MIAMI 3
KANSAS CITY 3 TORONTO 2
MINNESOTA 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3
CHICAGO CUBS 4 HOUSTON 3
TEXAS 5 SEATTLE 1
SAN DIEGO 5 COLORADO 2
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS 7 OMAHA 4
GREAT LAKES 11 FORT WAYNE 1
GREAT LAKES 5 FORT WAYNE 1
QUAD CITIES 4 SOUTH BEND 2
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 2 NOTRE DAME 0
WEST VIRGINIA AT PENN STATE CANCELED
BUTLER 10 EASTERN ILLINOIS 6
INDIANA 7 BALL STATE 7 (13)
PURDUE 10 EVANSVILLE 6
MINNESOTA 8 ST. THOMAS 0
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 4 TOLEDO 3 (13)
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 10 AKRON 9
CLARION 10 KENT STATE 5
ILLINOIS CHICAGO 5 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 4
DAYTON AT BOWLING GREEN CANCELED
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
IUPUI AT DAYTON CANCELED
INDIANA 9 BUTLER 0
PURDUE 6 BALL STATE 1
MARYLAND 11 TOWSON 2
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 7 MINNESOTA 0
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 5 VALPARAISO 2
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 4 BOWLING GREEN 2
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 9 BOWLING GREEN 5
MIAMI OHIO 11 EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
PITTSBURGH 5 OHIO 4
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 8 VALPARAISO 0
ST. BONAVENTURE AT BUFFALO CANCELED
EVANSVILLE 3 INDIANA STATE 0
UFL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
2024 NFL DRAFT
1ST ROUND
NFL draft order
HERE IS THE CURRENT DRAFT ORDER FOR ROUND 1 OF THE 2024 NFL DRAFT (AS OF APRIL 22):
- CHICAGO BEARS (FROM CAROLINA)
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
- ARIZONA CARDINALS
- LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
- NEW YORK GIANTS
- TENNESSEE TITANS
- ATLANTA FALCONS
- CHICAGO BEARS
- NEW YORK JETS
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS
- DENVER BRONCOS
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
- NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
- INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
- CINCINNATI BENGALS
- LOS ANGELES RAMS
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS
- MIAMI DOLPHINS
- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS (FROM CLEVELAND THROUGH HOUSTON)
- DALLAS COWBOYS
- GREEN BAY PACKERS
- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
- ARIZONA CARDINALS (FROM HOUSTON)
- BUFFALO BILLS
- DETROIT LIONS
- BALTIMORE RAVENS
- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
- KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES AND NEWS REPORTS
NFL NEWS
FIRST-ROUND PICKS COULD BE ON THE TRADING BLOCK ON DAY 1 OF THE NFL DRAFT
The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft already has traded hands, with Carolina sending it more than a year ago to Chicago in a trade to move up to take Bryce Young first overall in 2023.
Based on recent history, plenty more first-round picks should change hands on Thursday night with teams either looking to move up a spot or two for a specific player or to make a bigger investment with future picks to trade up for a franchise quarterback.
Over the past five drafts, there have been 28 trades during the first day of the draft that included first-round picks, with five of those deals involving picks in the top 10.
Three of those five draft-day trades involving top 10 picks came last season, with Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort making two of them. The Cardinals traded down from No. 3 to No. 12 to let Houston take eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr.
Arizona then moved back up to No. 6 to take tackle Paris Johnson.
There were six trades during last year’s opening night of the draft involving first-round picks, with Jacksonville also making two. The Jaguars moved down from No. 24 to No. 27 in a pair of deals that netted them picks in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds.
The busiest draft day in terms of trades in recent memory came in 2022 when there were nine trades on opening night involving first-round picks.
While trading first-round picks during the draft is common, giving up a first-round pick before the season that turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick is quite rare.
The last time it happened before Carolina’s trade with Chicago was in 1983 when Cincinnati dealt quarterback Jack Thompson to Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers went 2-14 in 1983 and had to send the top pick in the 1984 draft to Cincinnati. The Bengals then traded that pick to New England. The Patriots drafted Irving Fryar No. 1.
The same thing happened five years earlier when San Francisco traded the pick that turned out to be No. 1 overall to Buffalo for O.J. Simpson.
The Bills used the pick on Tom Cousineau, who went to Canada instead of signing with Buffalo and then later was traded to Cleveland when he came back to the NFL.
RUNNING BACK WAIT
In a draft that is shaping up as a potential record breaker for offensive players in the first round, running backs might have a long wait to start going off the board.
No running backs are projected to go in the first round on Thursday night as teams are shying away from investing big resources in a position that has a short shelf life and often has many viable options later in the draft.
This could be the third time in the common draft era that started in 1967 that no running back is picked in the first round, with it also happening in 2022 and 2014. The high for running backs came in 1971 when eight of the 26 first-round picks were used for the position. There were five first-round backs taken in 2008, which is equal to the total from the previous four first rounds combined.
The latest for the first running back to be selected is No. 54 when Tennessee took Bishop Sankey in 2014. Bryce Hall went 36th to the New York Jets in 2022 in the only other draft without a first-round back.
This could be the fourth draft ever with quarterbacks going with the top three picks after it previously happened in 1971, 1999 and 2021 and possibly the first with four QBs going in the top nine picks. The 2018 draft had four quarterbacks taken in the top 10 in Baker Mayfield (first), Sam Darnold (third), Josh Allen (seventh) and Josh Rosen (10th).
The record of 19 offensive players taken in the first round could fall this year, with BetMGM Sportsbook projecting an over-under of 21 1/2 offensive players. There were 19 taken in 2009, 2004 and 1968.
The latest pick for the first defensive player in the common draft era came in 2021 when Carolina took cornerback Jaycee Horn eighth overall.
BetMGM also has set the over-under on first-round receivers at 6 1/2 with the record of seven happening in 2004. This could be the record fifth straight draft with at least four receivers going in the first round.
The most offensive linemen taken in the first round was 10 in 1968, with the over-under this year set at 9 1/2.
HELLO HEISMAN
The last two Heisman Trophy winners should hear their names quickly on draft night, with 2022 winner Caleb Williams projected to go first to Chicago and last season’s winner, Jayden Daniels, likely to go in the top five.
This would be the eighth time in the common draft era that two Heisman Trophy winners were selected in the same draft, with it last happening in 2018 when 2017 winner Baker Mayfield went first to Cleveland and 2016 winner Lamar Jackson went 32nd to Baltimore.
There’s been only one year when two Heisman winners went in the top five of the same draft, with 2013 winner Jameis Winston and 2014 winner Marcus Mariota being taken with the top two picks in 2015.
The other years in the common draft era with two Heisman Trophy winners were 2011 (Cam Newton and Mark Ingram), 2010 (Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow), 1992 (Desmond Howard and Ty Detmer), 1985 (Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie) and 1980 (Billy Sims and Charles White).
SMALL SCHOOL GEMS
One byproduct of the transfer portal in college football is fewer players entering the draft from colleges outside of the Power Five conferences.
Last year’s draft was the first in the Power Five era when no players from schools outside the biggest conferences and Notre Dame were taken in the first round. North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch was the first player from outside the Power Five to be drafted when he went 48th to Tampa Bay.
There’s only one player this year from outside the Power Five ranked in the top 50 on the big board for Pro Football Focus, with Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell projected as a first-rounder.
In the 10 previous drafts, there were 34 smaller school players taken in the first round, with at least two going in every year outside of 2020.
LIONS, ST. BROWN AGREE TO 4-YEAR DEAL WORTH MORE THAN $120M WITH $77M GUARANTEED, AP SOURCE SAYS
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth more than $120 million with $77 million in guarantees, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke Wednesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the financial terms were not announced.
“Four more years,” St. Brown said in an Instagram post.
Detroit drafted St. Brown out of USC in the fourth round in 2021 with the No. 112 overall pick and he was entering the last season of his rookie contract.
He was an All-Pro last season, helping the Lions earn a division title for the first time in three decades and win two playoff games in the same season for the first time since winning the 1957 NFL title.
St. Brown had career highs with 119 receptions, 1,515 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last season. In three seasons, he has 315 catches for 3,588 yards and 21 receiving touchdowns.
EAGLES’ ISAIAH RODGERS REINSTATED BY NFL AFTER YEARLONG GAMBLING SUSPENSION
NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who was suspended last season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, was reinstated Tuesday.
The league said Rodgers, 26, is cleared to participate in team activities, effective immediately.
The Eagles signed Rodgers in August 2023, two months after the Indianapolis Colts waived him. The Colts let him go shortly after the NFL suspended Rodgers and two other Colts players indefinitely for gambling on NFL games during the previous season.
At least 12 players have been suspended for gambling, beginning with the 2022 season-long suspension of receiver Calvin Ridley. He was reinstated in March and now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Five players were suspended for gambling infractions last April, four from the Detroit Lions.
Rodgers, a fourth-year player drafted in the sixth round from UMass, has played in 45 career games with 10 starts. He has three interceptions, all in 2021.
REPORT: STEELERS NOT EXPECTED TO PICK UP FIELDS’ 5TH-YEAR OPTION
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t expected to pick up the $25.6-million fifth-year option in quarterback Justin Fields’ rookie contract, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Fields – whom the Steelers acquired from the Chicago Bears for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick in March – will enter the final year of his deal in 2024.
With Russell Wilson reportedly set to start over Fields, the decision to decline the young passer’s costly option was widely expected. Pittsburgh signed Wilson this offseason after he was released by the Denver Broncos.
The conditional sixth-round pick will turn into a fourth-round selection if Fields plays at least 51% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps this season.
As the owner of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Chicago parted ways with Fields in order to select a new quarterback, likely former Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
Fields produced an up-and-down three-year stint with the Bears. He sometimes flashed the potential that made him a first-round pick in 2021 but struggled with consistency, passing efficiency, and turnovers.
The 25-year-old completed 60.3% of his passes for 6,674 yards and 40 touchdowns against 30 interceptions in 40 appearances (38 starts) in Chicago.
He was, however, one of the most productive rushing quarterbacks, racking up 2,220 yards and 14 scores – including a 1,143-yard campaign in 2022 – on the ground.
BENGALS EXERCISE 5TH-YEAR OPTION ON WR JA’MARR CHASE
The Cincinnati Bengals picked up the fifth-year option on Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on Wednesday, keeping him under contract through the 2025 season.
Chase is entering his fourth season and will make a base salary of $1.1 million. His base will balloon to at least $21.8 million in 2025 if a long-term extension hasn’t been reached by then.
Chase, 24, has earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first three seasons. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021.
Selected No. 5 overall in the 2021 draft, Chase has 268 catches for 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns in 45 games, all starts. He hauled in a career-high 100 receptions in 2023, tied for the second most in a season in team history.
BEARS LAY OUT CONTROVERSIAL $5B STADIUM PROPOSAL
The Chicago Bears are looking to build a new stadium, and they need nearly $5 billion to do so — but not everyone is in favor of the plan.
Chicago released a proposal for a domed stadium on Wednesday, with $3.2 billion earmarked for the stadium itself and another $1.5 billion for infrastructure.
The team announced that it would put more than $2 billion toward the stadium project. According to the Chicago Tribune, to make up the rest, the Bears would seek $300 million from the NFL and would ask the state of Illinois to borrow $900 million, which would be paid back by Chicago’s 2 percent hotel tax.
The plan didn’t sit well with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“I remain skeptical about this proposal, and I wonder whether it’s a good deal for the taxpayers,” Pritzker said. “There are a lot of priorities that the state has, and I’m not sure that this is among the highest priorities for taxpayers.”
Non-profit group Friends of the Parks, which focuses on Chicago’s Lakefront Protection ordinance, also criticized the plan, writing in a statement, “As is so often the case in Chicago, the powerful and wealthy are demanding that our entire city stop and fast track their plans to expand operations on the people’s lakefront.”
However, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson attended the Bears’ press conference announcing the proposal, which he called a “crown jewel.” He added, “This project will result in no new taxes on the residents of Chicago.”
The Bears’ new home would be located on the edge of Lake Michigan — just like Soldier Field, Chicago’s current stadium — and would add green and open space to the city’s lakefront while also providing better access to the Museum Campus.
“This is an incredibly, incredibly special day for the Chicago Bears,” Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement on Wednesday. “For the City of Chicago, for the state of Illinois, for our ownership, for our players, for our coaches, for our staff members, for the alumni and for our incredible Chicago Bear fans.
“Today is about progress, and one of the things that I am most excited about today is the fact that this shows that in this city we have the intellectual capabilities, we have the heart, we have the passion, we have the foresight, we have the wisdom, we have the vision to do big things.”
In addition to 14 acres of athletic fields for youth sports programs and park space for the general public, there could also be a publicly owned hotel near the site of the new stadium.
Fans would get to experience attractions indoors and outdoors, and there would also be a plaza that features restaurants and retail stores.
“This is not an easy project, but Chicago doesn’t like it easy,” Warren said.
REPORTS: BENGALS DE TREY HENDRICKSON REQUESTS TRADE
Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson requested a trade on Wednesday, according to reports from ESPN and NFL Network.
Hendrickson signed a one-year, $21 million extension that included an $8 million signing bonus last year, but now he is looking for a long-term contract outside of Cincinnati. However, the Bengals do not want to deal him to another team, per the reports.
In 17 games (all starts) last season, Hendrickson tied for second in the NFL with 17.5 sacks. He recorded 43 tackles and also forced three fumbles.
A Pro Bowler in each of the past three seasons, Hendrickson, 29, has amassed 59.5 sacks, 174 tackles, 12 forced fumbles and 119 quarterback hits in 93 career games (64 starts) with the New Orleans Saints (2017-20) and Bengals (2021-23).
New Orleans selected Hendrickson in the third round (103rd overall) of the 2017 draft.
NBA NEWS
HERRO SCORES 24, HEAT HIT FRANCHISE PLAYOFF-RECORD 23 3S TO BEAT BOSTON AND EVEN SERIES 1-1
BOSTON (AP) — Tyler Herro had 24 points and 14 assists, hitting six of Miami’s franchise playoff-record 23 3-pointers, to lead the Heat to a 111-101 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night and tie their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and new Celtics nemesis Caleb Martin also had 21 points for the Heat, who shot 53.5% (23 of 43) from beyond the arc to bounce back after a Game 1 blowout. That broke Miami’s playoff record of 20 3-pointers, set against the Bucks in the 2021 first round.
Jaylen Brown scored 33 points for top-seeded Boston. Jayson Tatum scored 28, showing no ill-effects of Martin’s hard foul that sent him crashing to the floor with under a minute to play in Boston’s 114-94 victory on Sunday.
The series moves to Miami for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.
The Celtics won 64 games in the regular season to claim home-court advantage through the NBA Finals, but they didn’t make very good use of it on Wednesday despite a crowd that was still fired up over seeing their star land hard in the series opener.
Tatum had his first career playoff triple-double on Sunday, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists in game in which Boston led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter. But the big question was how he would bounce back after getting undercut by Martin while going after a rebound.
Tatum started Game 2 and had 14 points in the first quarter. And Martin was heartily booed every time he touched the ball. It only seemed to energize him and the Heat, who needed to win a play-in game to earn the right to face the Celtics.
Miami led by five, 55-50, with two minutes left in the first half before the Brown hit three straight 3-pointers to open a four-point lead. Brown missed a 3 the next time down, but his layup in the final seconds made it 61-58 at the half.
Miami went on a 10-0 run to take an 82-70 lead with under four minutes to play in the third. Boston cut it to six, 102-96, with three minutes left, but Martin hit a 3 and the Celtics never got within two possessions again.
SGA’S 33 POINTS HELP THUNDER BEAT PELICANS, TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Just a few days ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked like a young team struggling through their first playoff game together.
On Wednesday night, they looked like grizzled playoff veterans.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the top-seeded Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder remained focused instead of worrying about outside issues such as other highly seeded teams struggling at home.
“I think it just goes back to us prioritizing winning,” he said. “And all those things are distractions that get in the way of winning. And every night, all 15 of us go to bed and to win the next game, want to win the next day. And we do everything we can to do so.”
Chet Holmgren had 26 points and seven rebounds and Jalen Williams added 21 points for the Thunder, who shot 59% from the field and made 14 of 29 3-pointers.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 points and Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram added 18 each for the Pelicans.
In Game 1, Valanciunas had 20 rebounds, including nine offensive, and the Pelicans outrebounded the Thunder 52-44. On Wednesday, Oklahoma City outrebounded New Orleans 37-35 and held the Pelicans to eight offensive boards.
The Pelicans continued to struggle on offense without top scorer Zion Williamson, who remained out with a strained left hamstring. Ingram, New Orleans’ No. 2 scorer in the regular season, got off just 10 shots in Game 2 as Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort harassed him throughout the night. Ingram made just 5 of 17 field goals in Game 1.
The Thunder also scored 22 points off New Orleans’ 18 turnovers.
Game 3 is Saturday in New Orleans.
“Now, the challenge is to continue to grow and learn and improve with the series because the Pelicans are going to improve,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They’re a good team that’s going home and they’re well coached. They’re going to get better. You know so we have to continue to get better.”
The pace picked up significantly from Sunday’s game, which Oklahoma City won 94-92. The Thunder, who averaged 120.1 points in the regular season, were much more comfortable with it.
“In the first game, I thought both teams were kind of calibrating,” Daigneault said. “And, tonight we had much quicker recognition of the way that they were guarding us, where we wanted to attack, and we got to those things pretty well.”
Valanciunas scored 11 points in the first three minutes, but Holmgren countered with 13 points in seven minutes of first-quarter action.
Gilgeous-Alexander picked up where Holmgren left off. He didn’t score for the first nine minutes, then scored seven in the final three minutes of the quarter to help the Thunder take a 35-22 lead. Holmgren’s 15 points were the most by a Thunder rookie in any quarter of a playoff game.
“I thought they turned up the pressure offensively,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “They got some early 3’s and that opened the floodgates up for them.”
Oklahoma City led 63-50 at halftime. Holmgren scored 20 points and Gilgeous-Alexander added 16 before the break.
The Thunder extended their lead to 92-74 at the end of the third, and Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren went to the bench for good with the Thunder leading 120-86 in the fourth.
“Tough one for us,” Green said. “Give them credit, they took care of home court. It was a dominant win for them. So we’ll get home, we’ll regroup and get back after it.”
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: KNIGHTS MAKE IT TWO STRAIGHT AT DALLAS
Jonathan Marchessault and Jack Eichel each had a goal and an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights produced a second consecutive road victory over the Dallas Stars, prevailing 3-1 on Wednesday.
Vegas holds a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series while heading home for Game 3 on Saturday.
Noah Hanifin also scored and Logan Thompson made 20 saves for Vegas, which extended its winning streak against the Stars to six games dating back to Game 6 of the 2023 Western Conference finals.
Jason Robertson scored for Dallas, the top seed in the West after finishing with 113 points in the regular season. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger finished with 23 saves.
Kings 5, Oilers 4 (OT)
Anze Kopitar scored in overtime to cap a three-point game and give Los Angeles a victory at Edmonton, leveling the teams’ first-round Western Conference playoff series at one win apiece.
Adrian Kempe scored twice while Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala tallied once apiece for the Kings, who recovered after surrendering leads of 3-1 and 4-3. Cam Talbot made 27 saves. Quinton Byfield posted two assists, including one on the game-winner.
Dylan Holloway scored twice while Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman tallied once each for the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl and Mattias Janmark both posted two assists and Stuart Skinner stopped 21 shots.
Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 2
Brad Marchand scored the go-ahead goal with 8:07 remaining in the third period, lifting visiting Boston to a victory over Toronto and a 2-1 edge in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Marchand, who added a late empty-net goal, notched an assist on Jake DeBrusk’s third power-play goal of the series. Trent Frederic also scored and Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves for the Bruins, who rebounded from a 3-2 setback in Game 2.
Matthew Knies and Tyler Bertuzzi each scored a goal for the Maple Leafs, and Mitch Marner had an assist to post his first point of the series. Ilya Samsonov turned aside 30 shots.
BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: BRAVES GET WALK-OFF WIN IN 10TH, SWEEP MARLINS
Michael Harris II led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a game-winning RBI double to give the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 victory over the visiting Miami Marlins and a sweep of the three-game series.
Harris smacked an 0-1 fastball from Tanner Scott (0-4) past center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. to plate automatic runner Ronald Acuna Jr. A.J. Minter (4-1) earned the win after pitching a scoreless top of the inning.
The Braves improved to 5-1 against Miami this season and are 3-0 in extra innings.
The Marlins tied the score with two runs in the ninth against Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias. After the first three batters reached on singles to load the bases, Josh Bell smashed a hard grounder that went off the chest of Matt Olson and caromed into the camera well. The error allowed two runs to score and handed Iglesias his first blown save of the season.
Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 1
Lars Nootbaar hit a two-run double to propel St. Louis past visiting Arizona.
After defeating the Cardinals 14-1 on Tuesday, the Diamondbacks left seven runners on base, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.
Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson (2-2) allowed one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked two.
Mets 8, Giants 2
Francisco Lindor belted a pair of two-run home runs and New York salvaged the finale of its three-game series against host San Francisco.
Lindor went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, and Tyrone Taylor finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs. Jeff McNeil contributed a double and a single in the Mets’ 10-hit attack.
Wilmer Flores had two hits for the Giants, who had a two-game winning streak end.
Yankees 7, Athletics 3
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the first inning after nearly striking out and host New York recorded a victory over Oakland.
Judge hit his fourth homer of the season after Oakland starting pitcher Joe Boyle (1-4) was called for a balk. Doyle was called for the balk after throwing a called third strike to Judge, who began walking back to the dugout before returning to finish the at-bat. After the balk, Judge lined a fastball into the right-field seats to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Anthony Rizzo homered for the second straight game and Juan Soto also homered as the Yankees won for the fifth time in seven games.
Oakland’s Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer in the sixth that chased New York starter Clarke Schmidt (2-0), who allowed three runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Boyle allowed two runs on three hits in three innings.
Orioles 6, Angels 5
Gunnar Henderson had three hits, including a home run for the second straight game, and Baltimore held off Los Angeles in the rubber game of their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
Adley Rutschman contributed two hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who have won four of five. Baltimore starter Dean Kremer (1-2) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and matched his career high with 10 strikeouts. Craig Kimbrel gave up a run in the ninth but recorded his seventh save.
Mike Trout, Taylor Ward and Zach Neto homered for the Angels, who have lost six of seven. Los Angeles starter Tyler Anderson (2-3) allowed two runs and four hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked a season-high four.
Cubs 4, Astros 3
Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer and host Chicago edged Houston in frigid weather for its eighth win in the past 11 games.
The Cubs went up 1-0 on Michael Busch’s sacrifice fly in the first, and two batters later, Swanson crushed a 2-2 cutter from Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti through a stiff wind into the left field bleachers. Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (2-0) worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Jose Altuve homered for the Astros, the last-place team in the American League West. They lost their fourth in a row and their 11th in the past 14. In 3 2/3 innings, Arrighetti (0-3) yielded four runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.
Rangers 5, Mariners 1
Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning and Texas went on to defeat Seattle in Arlington, Texas, reclaiming first place in the American League West.
Reliever Jonathan Hernandez (1-0) earned the victory as three members of the Rangers’ bullpen allowed only one hit in a combined 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Rangers starter Jon Gray pitched well but was pulled after throwing 92 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander gave up one run on seven hits.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller (3-2), who had allowed just one earned run in winning his previous three starts, struggled with his command and lasted just four-plus innings. He gave up two runs on four hits, with four walks and five strikeouts.
Twins 6, White Sox 3
Willi Castro hit a three-run homer and doubled as Minnesota held on for a win over Chicago in Minneapolis.
Christian Vazquez and Max Kepler added one RBI apiece for the Twins, who won their third game in a row to open a four-game series. Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (1-1) struck out eight batters in six innings. He allowed three runs on four hits and one walk.
Chicago’s Kevin Pillar and Korey Lee each hit a solo home run. The White Sox lost their sixth straight game and dropped to 3-21, the worst record in the big leagues. White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet (1-4) gave up five runs on seven hits in four-plus innings.
Red Sox 8, Guardians 0
Connor Wong clubbed a pair of solo homers and joined Wilyer Abreu with four hits while Cooper Criswell pitched five strong innings as visiting Boston cooled off Cleveland.
Rafael Devers, back from a five-game absence due to a knee injury, also went deep, was a triple shy of the cycle and had two RBIs for the Red Sox, who evened the three-game set by improving to 4-1 on a six-game trip.
Carlos Carrasco was charged with five runs and nine hits in five-plus innings for the Guardians.
Dodgers 11, Nationals 2
Starter Landon Knack picked up his first major league victory by working six innings and Los Angeles racked up 20 hits in defeating host Washington.
Will Smith went 4-for-6, Shohei Ohtani doubled three times and Mookie Betts, who also had four hits, and Gavin Lux each had two-run singles as the Dodgers won their third game in a row. Andy Pages, who also had three hits, added a home run.
Knack (1-1), a right-hander who lost Washington in his big-league debut, last week, held the Nationals to two runs on three hits and three walks. He struck out five and retired the final 13 batters he faced. Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-2) lasted only 4 2/3 innings after baffling the Dodgers in Los Angeles on April 17. This time, he allowed six runs on 12 hits.
Brewers 3, Pirates 2
William Contreras went 3-for-4 and Sal Frelick went 2-for-4 for Milwaukee, which held on to edge host Pittsburgh.
Milwaukee, which lost the first two games of the four-game series, is 5-2 in its past seven. The Brewers scored their runs in the third on Contreras’ RBI single, and consecutive walks with the bases loaded. The Pirates got their runs in the home half of the inning on Bryan Reynolds’ two-run homer.
Reliever Bryan Hudson (2-0) gave up one hit in 1 2/3 innings for Milwaukee, and Joel Payamps stepped in for the final inning to pick up his fourth save. Pirates opener Josh Fleming (1-1) allowed one hit, walked two and was charged with two unearned runs in 2 1/3 innings. He fanned one.
Rays 7, Tigers 5
Curtis Mead lofted a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning as Tampa Bay salvaged one win in its three-game series with Detroit, taming the hot Tigers in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Trailing 5-4, the Rays tied it in the sixth against reliever Will Vest (1-1) on Ben Rortvedt’s RBI single. Mead then slugged a two-run shot, his first long ball of the season, down the left field line. Randy Arozarena hit a solo shot, and Rortvedt went 2-for-4.
Detroit’s Matt Vierling went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run. Mark Canha hit a two-run single as the Tigers lost for the first time in four games. Starter Jack Flaherty rebounded after allowing all four runs against him in the first two frames. He lasted five innings.
Reds 7, Phillies 4
Santiago Espinal’s two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning tied the score, and Cincinnati added two more runs in the inning to defeat visiting Philadelphia.
Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz finished with three hits and three more steals, including third base twice, to raise his total to 15 this season, tops in the majors.
Alec Bohm continued his hot series by driving in the Phillies’ first two runs, both coming off Cincinnati lefty starter Nick Lodolo, in the first and third innings.
Royals 3, Blue Jays 2
Host Kansas City took advantage of early miscues by Toronto en route to a narrow win.
Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez issued two walks in the first inning that led to a run on Salvador Perez’s single. Then in the sixth, Toronto left fielder Addison Barger, who was making his major league debut, misplayed Kyle Isbel’s second-inning fly ball into a double, then allowed Isbel to advance to third on an error. He scored on Maikel Garcia’s two-out single.
Royals reliever John Schreiber (2-0) pitched a hitless seventh for the win. Chris Stratton struck out two in the eighth, setting up James McArthur for his sixth save. George Springer homered for Toronto, and Rodriguez (0-1) allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in four-plus innings.
Padres 5, Rockies 2
Matt Waldron tossed six solid innings, Xander Bogaerts had three hits and San Diego rode a four-run first inning to a win over Colorado in Denver.
Ha-Seong Kim had two hits and two RBIs for the Padres. Waldron (1-2) used his knuckleball to keep Rockies batters off balance in his longest outing of the season, and allowed just one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out five.
Elias Diaz homered and singled, and Ryan McMahon also went deep for the Rockies.
AUTO RACING
JOSEF NEWGARDEN’S WIN IN INDYCAR’S SEASON-OPENING RACE HAS BEEN DISQUALIFIED. O’WARD NAMED WINNER
Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system.
Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. Will Power, who finished fourth at St. Pete, was not penalized but docked 10 points.
Additionally, all three Penske entries were fined $25,000 and forfeited all prize money associated with the race. Power has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Roger Penske owns the race team, the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, host of the Indy 500.
“Very disappointing,” Penske said in a text message to The Associated Press. “I am embarrassed.”
The reverberations were immediate throughout the paddock.
“I’ve emulated Roger Penske for many years on and off the track, so today’s news is quite a disappointment for me,” rival team owner Chip Ganassi told the AP. “This is a blemish on his team, their organization, and the series. Very disappointing as a fellow owner and competitor in the series.”
The disqualifications gave the victory to Pato O’Ward, who finished second. It is the first win for McLaren’s IndyCar team since 2022.
Although Newgarden is accused of cheating in the March 10 opener, IndyCar said the manipulation wasn’t discovered until Sunday morning’s warmup in Long Beach, California — nearly two months later.
“The integrity of the IndyCar Series championship is critical to everything we do,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said. “While the violation went undetected at St. Petersburg, IndyCar discovered the manipulation during Sunday’s warmup in Long Beach and immediately addressed it ensuring all cars were compliant for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
“Beginning with this week’s race at Barber Motorsports Park, new technical inspection procedures will be in place to deter this violation.”
A review of the data from the St. Petersburg race showed that Team Penske manipulated the overtake system so the three Penske drivers could use push-to-pass on starts and restarts. According to IndyCar rules, the use of the overtake isn’t available until the car reaches the alternate start-finish line.
Team Penske President Tim Cindric said in a statement that the “push-to-pass software was not removed as it should have been, following recently completed hybrid testing in the Team Penske Indy cars.”
“This software allowed for push-to-pass to be deployed during restarts at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix race, when it should not have been permitted,” Cindric continued. “The No. 2 car driven by Josef Newgarden and the No. 3 car driven by Scott McLaughlin, both deployed push-to-pass on a restart, which violated IndyCar rules. Team Penske accepts the penalties applied by IndyCar.”
Newgarden, a two-time IndyCar champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner who is in a contract year with Penske, fell from first in points to 11th with the disqualification. Ganassi driver Scott Dixon, winner Sunday at Long Beach, is now the points leader headed into Sunday’s race at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.
It’s the second cheating offense this season for Team Penske. Joey Logano was fined $10,000 and docked his second-place starting position for a NASCAR race at Atlanta earlier this season because he was wearing an illegal glove during his qualifying run.
It is assumed that Logano wore the same illegal glove — which had clear aerodynamic-deflecting alterations that made it look as if he was wearing part of an amphibious costume — when he won the pole for the Daytona 500 one week earlier.
The black glove for Logano’s left hand had webbing made of an unspecified material in between every finger. The theory was that Team Penske had the glove altered in order for Logano to place his hand out his window as an aerodynamic blocker during qualifying.
Penske was livid after the Logano infractions.
“I didn’t like that at all,” Penske told the AP at the time. “It’s not good. Period. I told him. He’s the leader of the team. Look, we are under so much scrutiny and the last thing we need to do is have any noise like that. It’s not good for us. It’s not good for him. We’ll take our punches.”
GOLF NEWS
REPORT: PGA TOUR REWARDS LOYALTY OF TIGER WOODS, RORY MCILROY
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and other PGA Tour stars are about to receive massive bonuses for their loyalty.
The Telegraph reported Wednesday that Woods will receive $100 million in equity as part of the newly created for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises, with McIlroy earning about half that amount.
The payouts are a way to thank players for sticking with the PGA Tour instead of jumping to rival LIV Golf and huge paydays from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Several hundred players will receive a stake, with most of it going to the top 36 players based on a formula that weighs career success and cultural popularity.
PGA Tour Enterprises received a reported $3 billion investment earlier this year from Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of sports owners that includes the New York Mets’ Steve Cohen and the Atlanta Falcons’ Arthur Blank.
2024 ZURICH CLASSIC: PREVIEW, PROPS, BEST BETS
The PGA Tour’s only official team event hits the Big Easy with the start of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Thursday.
The field includes three top-10 players, with Rory McIlroy making his event debut alongside Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry. Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.
ZURICH CLASSIC
Location: Avondale, La., April 25-28
Course: TPC Louisiana (Par 72, 7,425 Yards)
Purse: $8.9M (Winners: $1.286M each)
Defending Champions: Davis Riley, Nick Hardy
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 3:30-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 12:45-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. ET; Friday, 9:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @Zurich_Classic
PROP PICKS
–Daniel Berger/Victor Perez to Beat Davis Thompson/Andrew Novak (+115 at DraftKings): With the difficulty of projecting how most tandems will fair in this format, we looked for the best value and return. Berger has mostly struggled since returning from his long layoff due to a back injury, but he has made consecutive cuts and is teamed with the steady Perez, ranked 95th in the world. Thompson is 120th after a T18 at Corales last week, while Novak has dipped to 155th with a T58 and T53 in his past two starts.
–Nick Taylor/Adam Hadwin to Make Cut (-175 at BetMGM): Hadwin is coming off a T42 at the RBC Heritage, where Taylor finished T49. TPC Louisiana is a lengthy track and neither Canadian is exactly a bomber, but both are excellent ball-strikers who should make for a very consistent pairing. The Taylor/Hadwin pairing is the book’s second biggest liability to win this week.
–Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele Top 10 (-190 at DraftKings): Not only are the good friends and Ryder Cup teammates the lone pairing of top-10 players, they’ve won this even before and were in contention to repeat last year until a disappointing final round. It’s difficult to see them not in contention, much less falling outside of the top-10 in the 80-team field.
2024 Prop Picks Record: 22-25-1
BEST BETS
–Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (+450 at BetMGM) followed their victory in 2022 with a T4 showing last year and are the only pairing of top-10 players in the field.
–Rory McIlroy/Shane Lowry (+750) have the top-ranked player in the field, with No. 2 McIlroy making his event debut along with Ryder Cup teammate Lowry.
–Sahith Theegala/Will Zalatoris (+850) are both winners on tour and young stars with the ability to go very low. This pairing is the biggest liability for the book as they lead the field with 16.3 percent of the total bets and 24.8 percent of the money since opening at +1000.
–Collin Morikawa/Kurt Kitayama (+1200) are led by Morikawa coming off a T3 at the Masters and a ninth-place finish last week. Kitayama, a fellow Las Vegas resident, has a high of T19 at the Players in making four consecutive cuts.
NOTES
–This is the seventh year the Zurich has been a team event. The field is comprised of 80 two-player teams that will play fourball in the first and third rounds and foursomes (alternate shot) for the second and fourth rounds.
–Each player from the winning team will earn 400 FedEx Cup points, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour through 2026 and entry into the three remaining signature events this year.
–Horschel, who won his first stroke-play event in two years last week, teamed with Scott Piercy to win in New Orleans in 2018. He also won the Zurich Classic as an individual event in 2013.
–Hardy and Riley set the tournament record of 30-under 258 in each claiming their first PGA Tour titles last year.
–This is the second of three events that count toward the Aon Swing 5 for the next signature event, with the five players not otherwise exempt who earn the most points in those three events qualifying for the Wells Fargo Championship.
–Charley Hoffman/Nick Watney and Kevin Tway/Kelly Kraft are the only pairs who have competed together in all six previous editions of the team format.
AMY OLSON RETIRES AFTER 10 YEARS ON LPGA TOUR
Amy Olson announced her retirement Wednesday on social media after 10 years on the LPGA Tour.
Olson, 31, had been on maternity leave with the birth on Sept. 15, 2023, of daughter Carly Gray Olson with husband Grant Olson, the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State University.
“What. A. Ride,” Amy Olson tweeted on her X account. “My journey in professional golf is officially ending. Call it quitting, retirement, a VERY extended maternity leave. … I am turning the page to the next chapter in my life. I couldn’t be more thankful to the places God took me through this game of golf.”
A native of Oxbow, N.D., Olson turned pro after setting an NCAA-record with 20 titles at North Dakota State but did not win on the tour. She told Golfweek that was an unrealized dream along with not playing on the U.S. Solheim Cup team.
“I’ve had to come to terms with that,” Olson told Golfweek. “I’m just realizing OK, that’s not part of my story, and realizing I have different dreams and bigger dreams, rather than clinging to the same ones that motivated me for a number of years.”
Olson has 13 career top-10 finishes, including rallying to tie for second at the 2021 Kia Classic.
She also tied for second at the 2018 Evian Championship with a double bogey on the 72nd hole, losing to Angela Stanford. The 2020 U.S. Women’s Open was especially painful, as her father-in-law Lee Olson died the night before the final round, and she ended up tied for second in a highly emotional performance.
“Unfortunately, a couple of the pivotal ones of my career were actually really sad moments,” Olson told Golfweek. “But I think one of the things I’ve always been most proud of is keeping golf in perspective and realizing that life is bigger than golf. In a lot of ways, some of those bigger moments that people remember me for, I was able to live that out in front of them.”
Olson last played on tour in July 2023 at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, when she was seven months pregnant and missed the cut.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES AND NEWS REPORTS
INDIANA PACERS
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS BUCKS (GAME 3)
After splitting a pair of games in Milwaukee, the Pacers return to Indianapolis to host two pivotal playoff games this weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Sixth-seeded Indiana secured homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven series with the third-seeded Bucks thanks to a 125-108 Game 2 victory.
But now, the Blue & Gold must defend their home court, starting with Game 3 on Friday evening. Friday’s game will be the first playoff game hosted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since 2019 (the Pacers made the playoffs in 2020, but the postseason that year was held entirely in the NBA bubble in Orlando due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Pacers center Myles Turner is one of just two players remaining on the roster from that team. Less than an hour after Tuesday’s win, Turner was already looking ahead to Friday.
“I’m just excited to get back to Gainbridge,” Turner said. “It’s going to be a hell of an environment in there. I’ve been waiting a long time to give the home fans what they reserve. And I’m just really, really excited for that environment.”
The Pacers are riding high after a stellar Game 2 performance. Indiana shot 55.6 percent from the field, went 16-for-36 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range, scored 52 points in the paint, and dished out 38 assists while committing only six turnovers.
Though the Blue & Gold are a young team with limited playoff experience, veteran forward Pascal Siakam has provided a reliable and calming presence over the start of this series. Siakam played in 61 playoff games over seven seasons in Toronto (more than double the playoff experience of any other player on the roster) and his first two postseason appearances as a Pacer have been his best games yet.
He was a lone bright spot in Indiana’s 109-95 loss in Game 1, dropping 36 points and 13 rebounds. He followed that up with 37 points, 11 boards, and six assists in Game 2, joining a list with Reggie Miller as the only players in franchise history to score 35 or more points in consecutive NBA playoff games.
The biggest question mark hanging over this series is if and when Giannis Antetokounmpo will return to the lineup for the Bucks. The two-time MVP sat out the first two games of the series with a calf injury and his status for Friday is unknown.
Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have relied heavily on eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard. Lillard has largely delivered, dropping 35 points in the first half of Game 1 and 26 points over the first two quarters of Game 2. But in both games, he’s seemingly run out of gas in the second half.
If Antetokounmpo is able to return, that would lighten the load on Lillard’s shoulders. If not, the Bucks will likely need other players to share more of the scoring load to win a game in Indianapolis.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Bucks: G – Damian Lillard, G – Patrick Beverley, F – Khris Middleton, F – Bobby Portis, C – Brook Lopez
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo – TBA (left soleus strain)
Last Meeting
April 23, 2024: The Indiana offense got back in gear as the Pacers rolled to a 125-108 win over the Bucks in Game 2 at Fiserv Forum.
The Blue & Gold won all four quarters and led for the entire second half. They were in front 92-88 with 11 minutes remaining, but outscored Milwaukee 23-4 over the next five minutes to put the game away.
Pascal Siakam led the way with 37 points on 16-of-23 shooting, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Myles Turner added 22 points, seven boards, six assists, and three blocks, Andrew Nembhard tallied 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and Tyrese Haliburton recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists.
Damian Lillard led the Bucks with 34 points, going 10-for-21 from the field, 6-for-13 from 3-point range, and 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Brook Lopez added 22 points while going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc, Khris Middleton tallied 15 points and six assists, and Bobby Portis contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Last Meeting
The Pacers’ last playoff game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was a 110-106 loss to the Celtics in Game 4 of their first round series on April 21, 2019. Indiana’s last home playoff victory was a 121-87 Game 6 rout of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 27, 2018.
The Pacers went 2-0 against the Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the regular season, winning 126-124 on Nov. 9 and 142-130 on Jan. 3.
There will be a Pregame Party on Bicentennial Unity Plaza on Friday from 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Activations will include a DJ, face painting, caricature and balloon artists, basketball, and concessions. Fans must have ticket to Game 3 for entry to the Pregame Party.
Friday’s game will be a “Gold Out,” with all fans in attendance receiving a gold t-shirt.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: ESPN – Mark Jones (play-by-play), Hubie Brown (analyst), Monica McNutt (sideline reporter)
Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Tickets
The Pacers will host the Bucks in Game 3 on Friday, April 26 at 5:30 PM ET, the first playoff game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since 2019.
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS BASEBALL
SKENES’ SEVEN STRIKEOUTS, INDIANS FOUR-RUN SECOND HIGHLIGHT VICTORY
PAPILLION, Neb. – Paul Skenes, MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect, tossed a career high 4.1 innings and Nick Gonzales raised his batting average to .402 on the year as the Indianapolis Indians defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers at Werner Park on Wednesday afternoon, 7-4.
The Indians (12-11) combined to score five runs in the first two innings, enough to stave off a late comeback effort by the Storm Chasers. They jumped on the board in the first inning courtesy of a Malcom Nuñez RBI single to score Ji Hwan Bae following a leadoff walk. The Indians then piled on with four runs in the second, with a two-run double off the bat of Liover Peguero highlighting the frame.
Omaha (13-10) got one run back in the bottom of the second inning when Nate Eaton drove in CJ Alexander after a one-out triple. The run was Skenes’ first and only earned run surrendered in 17.0 innings this season.
In the fourth, Nuñez collected his second RBI of the game with an RBI single to plate Peguero. The Storm Chasers matched the run on a fielders’ choice and subsequent throwing error by Skenes.
With Indianapolis still leading by four runs in the sixth inning, Gonzales continued a hot start to the season with his second home run of 2024. He led the offense with three hits and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
Omaha cut into Indy’s lead in the eighth via back-to-back singles by Eaton and Brian O’Keefe, but the comeback effort was stymied as Brent Honeywell ended the frame on a strikeout.
Skenes exited the game in the fifth inning after allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts. In relief, Indianapolis relied on Brady Feigl (W, 3-1), Honeywell and Geronimo Franzua (S, 4) to limit Omaha’s offense.
Zach Davies (L, 0-1) made his first start of the year for Omaha and gave up five runs (four earned) in 3.0 innings.
The Indians and Storm Chasers will continue the six-game series on Thursday at 7:35 PM ET. Taking the hill for Omaha is RHP Luis Cessa (0-2, 8.31) while Indianapolis has yet to name a starter.
INDY FUEL HOCKEY
FUEL FACE NAILERS IN MUST-WIN GAME FIVE
INDIANAPOLIS- The Fuel will look to stay alive in the playoffs with a win over Wheeling on Saturday night. If they can claim a second win in the series, both teams will head back to Indy, giving the Fuel home ice advantage in their efforts to avoid elimination.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time these teams met was Tuesday night in Wheeling when the Nailers shut out the Fuel, 3-0. Jordan Martel had two power play goals to swing the momentum in Wheeling’s favor. The Fuel had four power play chances but could not capitalize on them.
SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYERS
Through the first four games of this series, the Fuel have struggled with success on special teams. With ample power play opportunities, they haven’t been able to connect with the man advantage. They have also struggled to stay disciplined, taking a penalty of their own three times while on the power play in their last game. A key to success for the Fuel will be conquering special teams.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
KANAAN CARLYLE SIGNS WITH INDIANA
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – IU head coach Mike Woodson announced the addition of transfer Kanaan Carlyle to the Indiana men’s basketball program on Wednesday. Carlyle, an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team performer, joins Indiana after one season at Stanford.
The 6-3 guard averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game and shot 32.0% (32-of-100) from the 3-point line during his lone season with the Cardinal. The Atlanta native scored double figures in 15 games of his 23 games played and reached 20-plus points in three outings.
Carlyle was named an honorable mention selection to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. He earned Associated Press National Player of the Week, lauded as the Dick Vitale Diaper Dandy of the Week, and voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Jan. 2, 2024, after posting 28 points on 6-of-8 shooting for the 3-point line to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks against No. 4 Arizona on Dec. 31.
Out of high school, he was a consensus four-star, top-60 recruit and the fourth-ranked player in the state of Georgia. Carlyle played his first three high school seasons at Milton before he joined Overtime Elite for his senior season. He averaged 9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the YNG Dreamers within OTE and led the YNG Dreamers to the OTE Championship game. Carlyle also led Milton to a Georgia state championship as a sophomore in 2021.
He was part of the USA Basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas championship in Tijuana, Mexico.
WOODSON ON CARLYLE
“Kanaan is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands with the length and skillset to create scoring chances for himself and others. His ability off the bounce pairs nicely with his shooting stroke. His length, quickness, and mentality give him the capability to be a high-impact defender for our ballclub. We are really excited to welcome him and his family to IU.”
INDIANA BASEBALL
12-INNING MARATHON ENDS IN TIE
MUNCIE, Ind. – After 4.5 hours of baseball on Tuesday (April 24) night in Muncie, the contest between Ball State and the Indiana Baseball team (22-18-1, 7-5 B1G) was called due to darkness. Ball State’s home field doesn’t have lights and it was determined a new inning couldn’t start after the 12th frame was complete.
The game resulted in a 7-7 tie following 12 innings of action. It was the first tie in the Jeff Mercer era (since 2019) and the first for the IU program since two ties in 2017. Both of those games came on travel days for the visiting team and were called after drop-dead times.
IU used 11 pitchers on Tuesday evening with only one throwing more than a single inning. Because of the tie, there was no pitcher of record. Junior Brandon Keyster and freshman Seth Benes had perhaps the best outings with scoreless innings and a pair of strikeouts each. Sophomore Aydan Decker-Petty was the lone pitcher to toss two innings and gave up no runs.
The Hoosiers trailed 7-1 after seven innings but battled back to score six runs in the eighth and ninth combined. Junior designated hitter Jake Stadler had the biggest hit of the contest, a two-out double down the right field line to score the tying run in the ninth inning.
Junior third baseman Josh Pyne recorded his 200th career hit with a double into right field in the sixth inning. His 201st hit began the rally in the ninth inning. He is the 24th member of the 200-hit club in program history. He’s just the 10th to do so in his first three years of college.
IU faces a quick turnaround as Rutgers visits for a crucial Big Ten series at Bart Kaufman Field. As of right now, Friday’s first pitch is slated for 6:00 PM.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Ball State jumped all over IU starter Ethan Phillips in the first inning. Hunter Dobbins singled to bring home Michael Hallquist. Blake Bevis doubled into left field to bring home Dobbins. The Cardinals added a third as Nick Husovsky doubled into right field to score Bevis.
Ball State 3, Indiana 0
Bottom Third
Husovsky stayed hot with a single into left field to bring home Hallquist.
Ball State 4, Indiana 0
Top Fourth
Joey Brenczewski got the Hoosiers on the board after lacing a single over the shortstop’s head to score Devin Taylor.
Ball State 4, Indiana 1
Bottom Fifth
The Cardinals threatened to break it open in the fifth with another pair of runs. Husovsky and Dylan Grego each had RBI-singles off of IU reliever Ryan Kraft to extend the lead.
Ball State 6, Indiana 1
Bottom Seventh
Bevis doubled into left field for his second RBI of the day as Dobbins scored another run for the hosts.
Ball State 7, Indiana 1
Top Eighth
The Hoosiers began to crawl back into the game in the eighth. Nick Mitchell grounded out to the first baseman but Taylor was able to score. Brenczewski hit a tapper back to the mound that was thrown away by the pitcher, bringing home Cerny on the error. Jake Stadler laced a single up the middle to bring home Brenczewski.
Ball State 7, Indiana 4
Top Ninth
The middle of IU’s order answered the call in the ninth with their backs against the wall. The first three runners got on before Mitchell brought home Josh Pyne on a sacrifice fly. Taylor came home on a wild pitch before Stadler hit a clutch double down the right field line with two outs to tie the game.
Ball State 7, Indiana 7
Top Hoosier Performers
#8 Cerny, Tyler
3-7, 2 R
#44 Stadler, Jake
2-5, 2 RBI
#55 Decker-Petty, Aydan
2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K
Notes to Know
• Junior third baseman Josh Pyne became the 24th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana with his sixth-inning double. He’s the first to accomplish the feat since Logan Sowers (2018). In program history, he’s just the 10th with 200 hits in his first three years.
• This was the first tie for IU since the 2017 season. That year, the Hoosiers tied twice, against Florida Atlantic and Nebraska. It is the first tie by a Big Ten team this year. It is the first 12-inning game since a road contest at Northwestern in May of 2023.
Up Next
After this lengthy midweek game, IU will have a quick turnaround before playing Rutgers on Friday night to begin a massive three-game series. The game will be streamed on BTN+ and can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA DOWNS BUTLER IN FIVE INNINGS
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –––– Indiana put together a dominating performance on the road against Butler, winning 9-0, in five innings.
It was a complete effort at the plate and in the field as Indiana charted nine runs on ten hits while keeping Butler scoreless and only allowing two Bulldog hits.
The Hoosiers’ season record now stands at 35-13 on the season.
INDIANA 9, BUTLER 0
KEY MOMENTS
• In the bottom of the first, Butler had the bases loaded, but Indiana’s defense didn’t falter as Alex Cooper fielded a grounder, tagged third and then threw out the runner going to first to complete the double play.
• In the top of the third, Indiana got the scoring started when senior Brooke Benson hit an RBI single up the middle, senior Aaliyah Andrews advanced to third on the play and then scored on an error by the shortstop to put Indiana up 1-0.
• Later in the inning, junior Brianna Copeland singled up the middle before junior Taylor Minnick hit a three-run home run to bring Indiana’s lead to 4-0.
• In the bottom of the fourth, Kleiman continued to work in the circle, striking Butler’s Ella White out swinging and getting the defense off the field after three batters.
• In the top of the fifth, Indiana got the bats going again as Benson hit another RBI single, scoring freshman Alex Cooper and a few at-bats later, junior Sarah Stone hit an RBI on a groundout to shortstop to score Benson. Those runs put Indiana up 6-0.
• In the very next at bat, sophomore Avery Parker hit a three-run home run to left center to give Indiana a 9-0 advantage and put the Hoosiers in position for a run rule.
• In the bottom of the fifth, senior Macy Montgomery came into pitch and quickly got Indiana out of the inning and secured the win, striking out two batters.
NOTABLES
• Indiana has won 12 of its last 13 games.
• In four innings in the circle, Kleiman only allowed one hit. She earned the win and improved her season record to 13-3.
• Parker and Minnick each had a home run in the game.
• With Minnick’s three-run home run, she is up to 50 RBI on the season.
• Three Hoosiers logged two hits: Copeland, Minnick and Benson.
• The Hoosiers outhit Butler, 10-2.
UP NEXT
Indiana will be back in action from Friday through Sunday (April 26-28) for its final home series of the season when it hosts Wisconsin. Friday’s game will have a 6 p.m. first pitch.
INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS
14-SEED HOOSIERS FALL TO NO. 11 NEBRASKA IN ROUND ONE OF BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 14 seed Indiana women’s tennis (6-20, 0-12 B1G) wrapped up the season as they fell to No. 11 Nebraska (13-10, 4-8 B1G) at the Varsity Tennis Courts in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.
KEY MOMENTS
• Nebraska took an early lead in the opening round of doubles, before IU went down 2-0 after the Cornhuskers picked up a win in No. 6 singles.
• Freshman Li Hsin Lin put the Hoosiers on the board after taking the second and third sets in No. 4 singles.
• The Cornhuskers extended their lead with a win in No. 2 singles before clinching the match with a win in the No. 1 singles match.
INDIANA 1, NEBRASKA 4
SINGLES
1. Raphaelle Lacasse (NEB) def. Nicole Teodosescu (IU), 7-5, 6-4
2. Anfisa Danilchenko (NEB) def. Elisabeth Dunac (IU), 6-3, 6-3
3. Isabel Adrover (NEB) def. Saby Nihalani (IU), 4-6, 6-4 (unfinished)
4. Li Hsin Lin (IU) def. Maja Pietrowicz (NEB), 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
5. Ana Zamburek (NEB) def. Lene Mari Hovda (IU), 6-2, 3-6, 3-4 (unfinished)
6. Maria Taranova (NEB) def. Magdalena Swierczynska (IU), 6-2, 6-1
DOUBLES
1. Lacasse/Pietrowicz (NEB) def. Saby Nihalani/Li Hsin Lin (IND). 6-0
2. Lene Mari Hovda/Sarah L’allier (IND) vs. Danilchenki/Zamburek (NEB), 3-5 (unfinished)
3. Adrover/Loy (NEB) def. Elisabeth Dunac/Nicole Teodosescu (IND), 6-3
ORDER OF FINISH
Singles: 6, 2, 4, 1
Doubles: 1, 3
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
BOILERMAKERS RETURN TO COLUMBUS FOR BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 28-ranked Purdue men’s golf team returns to Columbus, Ohio, for the second straight week, this time for the 104th Big Ten Championships to be played at Scioto Country Club.
The Boilermakers will enter the event as the tournament’s No. 2 seed behind Illinois and ahead of Ohio State. Entering the weekend, Purdue owns a 20-6-0 head-to-head record against its Big Ten counterparts, including 1-1 records against both Illinois and Ohio State. Purdue is aiming for its first Big Ten title since 1981 and its last runner-up finish came in 2019 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
THE FIELD (SpikeMark Rankings / as of April 24)
18 Illinois
28 Purdue
37 Ohio State
44 Northwestern
46 Indiana
74 Michigan State
84 Michigan
88 Rutgers
89 Wisconsin
98 Minnesota
109 Iowa
114 Penn State
115 Nebraska
192 Maryland
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue struggled in the second round, costing the Boilermakers a shot at their third team title of the season, placing third at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate at the Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course. The Boilermakers totaled a 24-over par 876 (289-301-286) to finish third by just five shots behind Indiana and host Ohio State. Sam Easterbrook posted his second straight top-five finish, while Nels Surtani (T-12) and Peyton Snoeberger (T-18) both finished in the top 20. The Boilermakers played the event without 2023 All-American Herman Sekne, who received a sponsor’s exemption into the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Championship.
TEAM NOTES
In nine team events, Purdue has finished in the top three in six of them.
The Boilermakers’ current team average of 284.69 is a school record – almost two shots better per round than second on the list (2021-22; 286.63).
Purdue owns five rounds of 275 or better this season – the most in school history.
Purdue owns three of the 11-best, 54-hole tournament scores in school history.
Purdue has won two tournaments this year. A win in any of its remaining tournaments will give Purdue its most tournament titles in a season since 2016. The Boilermakers reached the NCAA Championships that season.
Purdue will host the NCAA Regional Championships on May 13-15 at the Kampen-Cosler Course in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers last hosted in 2017, as Purdue advanced to the National Championships out of the Regional. Purdue has hosted Regionals twice (2004 and 2017), advancing to Nationals both times.
PURDUE LINEUP
Herman Sekne – Senior; Oslo, Norway
70.00 stroke average; 6 top-20; 16 rounds of par or better; 4 career victories.
Nels Surtani – Junior; Indianapolis, Indiana
71.73 stroke average; 5 top-20; 13 rounds of par or better; Puerto Rico Classic medalist
Sam Easterbrook – Freshman; Tomworth, England
72.54 stroke average; 3 top-20, 3 top-10; 13 rounds of par or better; T-5 last two tournaments.
Peyton Snoeberger – 5th year; Williamsport, Indiana
72.54 stroke average; 3 top-20, 1 top-10; 10 rounds of par or better; 9th at Windon Memorial
Kent Hsiao – Junior; Taipei, Taiwan
72.70 stroke average; 3 top-10, 2 top-10; 9 rounds of par or better; 8th at Windon Memorial
Nick Dentino – 5th year; Carmel, Indiana
73.08 stroke average; 2 top-20; 8 rounds of par or better; T-4 at Hootie at Bulls Bay
INDIVIDUALS IN THE BIG TEN
Five players have seen action at the Big Ten Championships.
Herman Sekne – Senior
2021 at Crooked Stick – 82-75-74=231 (T-34)
2022 at French Lick Resort – 72-74-79=225 (T-25)
2023 at Galloway National – 80-62=142 (T-9)
Nels Surtani – Junior
2022 at French Lick Resort – 78-75-79=232 (51)
2023 at Galloway National – 83-XX=83 (—)
Peyton Snoeberger – 5th year
2021 at Crooked Stick – 84-78-76=238 (57)
2023 at Galloway National – 83-74=157 (T-53)
Kent Hsiao – Junior; Taipei, Taiwan
2023 at Galloway National – 78-70=148 (T-23)
Nick Dentino – 5th year; Carmel, Indiana
2021 at Crooked Stick – 78-78-85=241 (T-62)
2023 at Galloway National – 75-74=149 (T-29)
LAST YEAR AT BIG TENS
The Boilermakers had a wide range of results in last year’s event, placing tied for seventh at the rain-shortened Big Ten Championships at Galloway National on the Jersey Shore. Purdue was the victim of an unfortunate tee time as weather rolled in late in round one, costing the Boilermakers a shot at a Big Ten title. Purdue totaled a 316-280=596, playing the first 11 holes in the first round in 11-over par, but the final seven holes in 28-over par after the weather moved through. However, a bright spot came in the second round as Herman Sekne recorded a Big Ten Championships and Purdue-record 62, posting nine birdies and nine pars, including seven birdies in his final 12 holes. Round three was then canceled after a morning delay and then heavy rain in the afternoon.
THE COURSE
The site of six major championships, Scioto Country Club is one of only five courses in America to host the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and the U.S. Amateur (others are Hazeltine, Oak Hill, Oakland Hills and Pinehurst No. 2). Renovated in 2008, Scioto opened in 1916 and was the course where Jack Nicklaus learned to play. One of its co-founders was Samuel P. Bush, the grandfather of George H.W. Bush) and it most recently hosted the 2016 U.S. Senior Open won by Gene Sauers. Bobby Jones won the second of his four U.S. Opens at Scioto in 1926.
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Mostly Sunny; 73 degrees; SE 10-15 MPH
Saturday: Overcast; 79 degrees; S 15-20 MPH
Sunday: Partly Sunny; 83 degrees; SSW 10-20 MPH
LIVE SCORING
Will be available on golfstat.com.
PURDUE BASEBALL
FAST START HELPS PURDUE SNAP ACES’ 8-GAME WIN STREAK
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – An extra-base hit from four different Boilermakers powered a fast start and stretch of nine unanswered runs as Purdue Baseball scored in each of the first five innings to defeat Evansville 10-6 Wednesday in the finale of a nine-game homestand at Alexander Field.
Luke Gaffney connected for a two-run triple as the Boilermakers (26-15) sent 10 men to the plate in a four-run first inning. Gaffney scored twice on the night, pushing his season total to 51 runs scored and breaking a Purdue freshman record in the process. He eclipsed Brett Roach’s benchmark that had stood since 1986.
The Boilermakers snapped Evansville’s eight-game win streak, beating a hot team in a midweek matchup at Alexander for the second week in a row. Purdue improved to 10-3 since March 31 and posted a double-figure run total for the fifth time in the last seven games. Gaffney is 12-for-18 with runners in scoring position while racking up 23 RBI since March 31.
The Boilermakers went 6-3 on their April homestand. They resume Big Ten play Friday night with a game at Wrigley Field that serves as the opener of a three-game series at Northwestern. Purdue is riding a seven-game win streak in conference play, its longest since 2018.
Cole Van Assen and Davis Pratt teamed up to put six consecutive zeros on the board for the Boilermakers after UE (22-18) scored twice in the first inning. Van Assen (4-0) matched his season high with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball. The freshman has made nine appearances (six starts) this season and given Purdue at least eight outs while surrendering no more than two runs in all but one.
As the first man out of the bullpen, Pratt retired all eight batters he faced, striking out the Purple Aces’ 3-4 hitters consecutively to begin his outing.
Couper Cornblum, Connor Caskenette and Keenan Taylor all connected for a double in the second inning as the Boilermakers went up 6-2.
Camden Gasser was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles at the bottom of the lineup. Purdue’s shortstop has reached base safely multiple times in each of the last seven games, compiling a .679 on-base percentage during that stretch. His OBP for the season is up to .524.
Mike Bolton Jr. delivered a game-opening hit for the third game in a row and reached base safely three times, extending his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games. It’s the second 20-game streak of his career, joining Brandon Haveman (4), Skyler Hunter (3), Jordan Comadena, Nick Dalesandro and Evan Albrecht as Boilermakers since 2001 with multiple single-season streaks of at least 20 games.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Mike Bolton Jr.: 20-game on-base streak; 13-game on-base streak at home
• Camden Gasser: 7-game on-base streak
• Couper Cornblum: 94 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
Jo Stevens made the elite defensive play of the night, taking away a leadoff double in the top of the fifth with a diving stop behind the third base bag. Stevens drove in a run in the bottom half of the frame when the UE shortstop couldn’t make a play on a grounder with a runner at third and one out. But the Aussie’s team-long 26-game on-base streak came to an end Wednesday. He was held with out a hit, walk or hit by pitch for the first time since March 1 and just the second time this season when he was in the starting lineup.
Ty Gill connected for a pinch-hit triple to the wall in right field for Purdue’s fifth extra-base hit of the night in the ninth inning. The Boilermakers went without a home run for the first time since the opening game of the homestand, an April 9 loss to Indiana State.
Friday’s game vs. Northwestern at Wrigley Field is slated for an 8 p.m. ET first pitch and is scheduled to be televised live by the Big Ten Network. The final two games of the series are scheduled to be played at NU’s Rocky & Berenice Miller Park in Evanston.
PURDUE SOFTBALL
BOILERMAKERS DOWN BALL STATE, 6-1
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A nine-hit game for Purdue, which saw two triples and a home run, led to a 6-1 win vs. Ball State. The come-from-behind victory saw runs scored in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings as Purdue improved to 23-22 overall record while Ball State fell to 22-25.
Lefty Kendall Klochack won the game in relief, tossing the final 4.0 innings. The junior struck out half of her batters faced, ending the night with seven strikeouts, no hits, no runs and one walk allowed.
After Ball State posted a home run in the second inning to take the 0-1 lead, Tyrina Jones responded in the fourth inning with a dinger of her won to tie the ballgame, 1-1. Purdue recorded four runs in the fifth inning, with the game-winner coming on Moriah Polar’s two RBI triple, scoring Ashlynn Campbell and Khloe Banks.
Insurance runs were scored by Kyndall Bailey and Polar on Sage Scarmardo’s two RBI single (fifth inning) and a sac fly by Khloe Banks to bring Jordyn Ramos home, who had tripled on the previous play.
Polar’s triple was her seventh of the season and moved the freshman into second all-time in program history for most triples in the season. She is one of three Boilermakers ever, including the first in 16 years, to produce as many in one year (last: record-holder Ashley Hall with 8 in 2008).
Purdue out-hit Ball State, 9-2 in the outing, committing two errors to the Cardinals’ one.
The Boilermakers will travel to Maryland for its final regular-season Big Ten road series. Purdue will play Friday at 6 p.m. ET, Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and Sunday at Noon. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
PURDUE TRACK
FINAL REGULAR-SEASON WEEKEND FEATURES TRIPS TO DRAKE RELAYS AND ARIZONA
DES MOINES, Iowa, and TUCSON, Ariz. – The regular season concludes this weekend for the Purdue track & field team at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, Arizona.
The Boilermakers’ distance runners, throwers and jumpers will compete at the Drake Relays from April 25-27, while Purdue’s sprinters and jumpers are at the Desert Heat Classic on April 27.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results (Drake | Arizona) and the meet schedules (Drake | Arizona). There also will be a live stream of the Drake Relays. Additional updates can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
Hosted at Drake Stadium, the nationally-renowned Drake Relays begins for Purdue with distance events on Thursday, April 25, at 7:24 p.m. ET / 6:24 p.m. CT. The day will conclude at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 p.m. CT. Throwing and jumping events cover much of Friday, April 26, for the Boilermakers, with the team’s first event at 12:15 p.m. ET / 11:15 a.m. CT. The 1,500-meter will end the day for the Old Gold and Black at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT. On Saturday, April 27, two field events are on the schedule for Purdue, beginning at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT.
Arizona’s Drachman Stadium will host the Desert Heat Classic on Saturday, April 27. The Boilermakers are scheduled to begin competition at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT, and the one-day event will wrap up shortly after 1 a.m. ET / 10 p.m. MT.
PURDUE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Boilermakers are represented twice in the top-25 in the fifth weekly national TFRI individual rankings, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Graduate student Cameron Miller is ranked No. 8 in the 200-meter and sophomore Seth Allen checks in at 18th in the discus. Miller earned his spot in the rankings with a school-record time, and Allen is in the top-25 thanks to a throw that is No. 3 in program history.
In the Event Squad rankings, the women’s 3,000m steeplechase is No. 6, the men’s 3,000m steeplechase is 10th and the men’s pole vault is 19th.
LAST YEAR ON THE BLUE OVAL
It was a memorable trip to the Drake Relays in 2023, as the Boilermakers won three titles and earned seven top-three finishes at Drake Stadium from April 26-29. Purdue placed 16 in the top five and added one top-10 time in school history and six personal-best marks.
Cierra Williams won the 400m and both the men’s and women’s 4×200 relays added Drake Relays titles of their own. Silver-medal showings included the women’s 4×400 and sophomore Praise Aniamaka in the triple jump invitational. Payne Turney entered the school record books at No. 8 in the 1,500m with the fastest time by a Boilermaker in the event since 2016.
Recap all the action from all four days, including full results, at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
A RETURN VISIT TO ARIZONA
The Boilermakers make their second trip to the Grand Canyon State in 2024, after Purdue’s decathletes and heptathletes competed at the Jim Click Shootout from April 5-6 in Tucson, Arizona. Freshman Andreas Hantson and senior Logan Sandlin both entered the record books in the decathlon. Sandlin’s personal-best point total came with seven PRs in the 10 events. Hantson notched four collegiate bests, and the other six events he was competing in for the first time outdoors as a college athlete.
Hantson earned 7,212 points to become just the fourth athlete in program history to eclipse 7,000 points in the decathlon. He’s the second to do it since 1998, along with Isaiah Martin, who set the record of 7,708 in 2021. Sandlin earned 6,820 points to enter the top-10 list at No. 6. That’s the third-best total since 1998, along with Martin and Hantson.
A complete recap from day one and day two, including full results, can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
LAST TIME OUT: A WEEKEND IN THE BLUEGRASS STATE
Purdue won three events and notched two top-10 marks in school history at the Jim Green Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky, from April 19-20. Junior Zoe Sullivan entered the record books in the 100m hurdles at No. 6 and sophomore Leo Maxwell improved his spot at No. 8 all-time in the hammer throw. Wins were recorded by junior Praise Aniamaka in the triple jump and sophomores Seth Allen (discus) and Bryanna Craig (heptathlon)
A complete recap from day one and day two, including full results, can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
NEXT UP: THE POSTSEASON CALLS
The postseason is up next, beginning with the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships from May 10-12. Michigan will host the annual event in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF
WOMEN’S GOLF EARNS NINTH STRAIGHT NCAA REGIONAL BERTH
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Women’s Golf learned its postseason destination Wednesday (April 24), watching the selection show for the 2024 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships on Golf Channel. Earning their ninth straight regional berth in the second season under head coach Zack Byrd, the Boilermakers are headed to the Las Vegas Regional (May 6-8) at Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Purdue is the No. 6 seed for the regional, which consists of 54 holes of stroke play. The top five teams and the top individual (not on an advancing team) will advance from the regional site to the championships, which will be held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California (May 17-22).
The Boilermakers earned an NCAA Regional berth for the 26th time out of the 27 renditions of the NCAA Championships. Purdue advanced to the championships stage 18 of those times. In 2010, the Boilermakers captured the national championship with the second-lowest four-round team score in NCAA Championships history.
Purdue earned a trip to the postseason after a strong 2023-24 campaign that featured two tournament titles and five Top 3 finishes. Capturing the Boilermaker Classic and the Mary Fossum Invitational, Purdue won multiple tournaments in a season for the first time in seven years. The Boilermakers also produced two of the lowest five team totals (54 holes) in school history, a program-best 837 at the Schooner Fall Classic and an 852 (fifth) at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic. Heading into NCAA Regionals, Purdue placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships with an even-par 864, the Boilermakers’ best score in the league tournament since 2016.
The quartet of Momo Sugiyama (72.28 stroke average), Ashley Kozlowski (72.47 stroke average), Natasha Kiel (73.97 stroke average) and Jocelyn Bruch (74.22 stroke average) has competed in all 11 tournaments for the Boilermakers. Sugiyama and Kozlowski crack the Top 150 of the national rankings at No. 135 and No. 136, respectively.
The Boilermakers are familiar with Spanish Trail Country Club, having competed in The Show in March. Purdue tied for fourth in the event at 12-over par (293-293-290—876). The Old Gold and Black also participated in the 2023 edition of The Show at Spanish Trail.
NCAA Las Vegas Regional
1. #4 UCLA
2. #9 Arkansas
3. #16 Arizona
4. #19 Florida State
5. Cal
6. Purdue
7. Baylor
8. Oklahoma
9. Colorado State
10. Kent State
11. Xavier
12. Dartmouth
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH COME UP SHORT AGAINST CENTRAL MICHIGAN, 2-0
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame (20-19) fell short in a midweek matchup against Central Michigan (14-27), 2-0.
It was a quiet day for the Irish bats, with INF Simon Baumgardt recording the sole hit. On the mound, the Irish used five arms, recording a combined six strikeouts. Starting RHP DJ Helwig tied his career-high, pitching three complete innings. RHP Keenan Mork (1-1) bore the loss. Altogether, Notre Dame gave up just three hits on the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both the Irish and the Chippewas held each other to a quick three up, three down in the first inning.
In the second, the Irish defense was able to retire the next three batters in order with Helwig posting his first strikeout of the night to record the third out. After a flyout to lead off in the bottom of the second, INF Connor Hincks drew a walk on a full count. Baumgardt then singled to center field, and both runners were able to advance into scoring position on a groundout. Neither were able to turn home on the ensuing groundout.
The Chippewas grounded out to Helwig to lead off the third inning. After a walk, the runner on base was able to advance all the way to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball on consecutive pitches. The next batter drew a walk, but C Joey Spence and INF Estevan Moreno caught him stealing at second base. Helwig’s second strikeout of the night ended the half-inning. At the plate, the first two Irish batters were retired on a flyout and foul out. OF David Glancy was hit by a pitch to take first base, but an unassisted groundout sent the game into the next inning, still scoreless.
Mork took the mound for Helwig to start the fourth inning. The lead off batter drew a walk on a full count. The next batter grounded out on a sacrifice bunt, and the runner on base advanced to second. Another groundout advanced the runner to third, but Baumgardt made a daring bare-handed grab on the slow ball, dishing to Hincks at first for the out. A walk and then another hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for the Chippewas. Mork gave up a walk on a full count to score one for Central Michigan. RHP Ricky Reeth came into the game in relief of Mork and retired the next batter on a flyout to center field. The Irish were unable to respond on offense, with the next three batters retired in order.
In the fifth inning, OF Brady Gumpf retired the first batter with a spectacular diving catch in right field, laying out to sit the batter down. INF Jack Penney took care of the next out on a grounder. After drawing a walk, the Chippewas flew out, ending the half-inning. In the bottom of the fifth, after a flyout on the first pitch, Gumpf earned a walk, but a flyout and foul out put an end to the inning.
The Chippewas singled to begin the top of the sixth inning. Reeth then dealt a three-pitch strikeout. The next batter doubled, advancing the lead runner to third. Central Michigan then scored on a fielder’s choice to shortstop, making the score 0-2. A groundout got the Irish out of the top half of the inning. Glancy led off for the Irish in the bottom of the sixth, walking on a full count. A groundout brought Glancy to second, but a subsequent strikeout and flyout ended the inning.
RHP Will Jacobsen took the mound for Reeth in the top of the seventh inning. Central Michigan led off with a groundout to Penney for the first out. After a walk, Jacobsen struck out the next Chippewa batter. Another single advanced the runner into scoring position. RHP Nate Hardman came into the game to relieve Jacobsen, entering on a 2-2 count. A groundout sent the Irish back up to back to bat. The next three Irish batters went down in order.
It was a reciprocal eighth inning for both teams. The Irish defense held the Chippewas to another three up, three down, including a six-pitch strikeout for Hardman, but the Chippewas were able to hold the Irish to a three up, three down of their own.
Moving into the ninth inning, after allowing a walk on a full count, the Irish were able to retire the next three Chippewa batters. Penney drew a walk to lead off for the Irish and Moreno then reached on a fielder’s choice that tagged Penney out. Moreno was able to advance to second on a groundout, but a final lineout ended the game.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame is set to face No. 8 Wake Forest at home in a weekend series beginning on Friday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX.
Saturday, April 27, Notre Dame and Wake Forest will play at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network, and the series finale will be Sunday, April 28 at Noon ET on ACCNX.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S LAX
IRISH ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS WITH WIN OVER CLEMSON
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals with a 14-12 victory over Clemson Wednesday evening. The second-seeded Irish defeated the Tigers to earn their 15th victory of the season and improve to 15-2 overall.
The Tigers won the first draw control of the game but a strong defensive start for the Irish kept them off the board on the possession with Lilly Callahan making a big save early.
Madison Ahern scored the opening goal with 13:12 left in the first quarter off a free position shot to give the Irish the 1-0 lead.
The Tigers evened the score after a shot from Wolak was saved at the opposite end of the field. Clemson thought they scored again moments later but a video review confirmed no goal on the play.
After recovering the ground ball and asking for the review, the Tigers retained possession and eventually capitalized to take the 2-1 lead at 9:35 of the first quarter.
Clemson jumped out to the 3-1 tally to extend their scoring run but Ahern’s second of the day stopped the Tigers as the Irish drew within one with 5:57 to play in the first. The Tigers reclaimed their two-goal lead shortly after as a shot down low beat Callahan in the crease.
Kasey Choma buried her first of the day with a shot late in the opening quarter following a pass from Jackie Wolak behind the net to make it a 4-3 contest through 15 minutes of play.
The Tigers got one back just under two minutes into the second quarter as the Irish faced the 5-3 deficit.
Notre Dame’s leading scorer continued the trend with her first goal of the day at 9:17 in the second quarter.
MK Doherty tied the game up less than a minute as she danced through traffic before firing a shot on goal.
The Tigers took advantage of a free position shot moments later to make it a 6-5 contest. Clemson was awarded another free position a few minutes later to extend their lead back to two goals as the Irish trailed 7-5.
Notre Dame went on a scoring tear to end the second half, including a pair of highlight reel plays en route to five unanswered tallies as the Irish took the 10-7 lead into the halftime break.
The offensive surge was sparked by the tandem of Doherty and Ahern, forcing the turnover in the neutral zone and creating a two-on-one opportunity in transition. Ahern capitalized on the pass from Doherty to record her third of the game and her third consecutive game with three or more tallies.
Wolak knotted the game up 7-7 moments later before Kathryn Morrissey gave the Irish their first lead since the opening goal as they grabbed the 8-7 edge with 64 seconds to play in the half.
Abby Maichin and Ahern each scored again late in the frame to give the Irish the 10-7 lead heading into the half, including a behind-the-back goal by Ahern to beat the buzzer. The graduate attacker’s fourth goal of the first half came with just two seconds remaining before the horn.
The Irish scoring streak continued with a goal from Wolak, her third of the day, to extend their lead to four goals.
Clemson got one back at 10:36 of the third quarter to snap the Irish scoring streak at six goals but Arden Tierney’s tally a few minutes later gave the Irish the four-goal lead again. The Tigers called for a review of the goal but after a lengthy review the shot was upheld and Tierney had her first of the game.
The Tigers scored two straight goals to draw within two of the Irish with 3:29 left in the third. The back-to-back Clemson goals stood to be the final goals of the quarter as the Irish took the 12-10 lead into the final 15 minutes of play.
A pair of Irish attackers in Maichin and Wolak added to the Irish lead, reclaiming the four-goal edge with two goals early in the frame to make it a 14-10 game but Clemson would score twice more to finish out the contest as the Irish held on to win 14-12.
With the win, the Irish improve to 15-2 on the season and advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals for the fourth consecutive season.
KEY STATS
With seven points on the day, Jackie Wolak led the team in the category as the graduate attacker picked up four goals and three assists. Wolak now boasts 89 points on the season off 52 goals and 37 assists.
Madison Ahern notched her third consecutive game with four or more goals and now owns 51 on the season, just one shy of Wolak’s total. Her 70 total points also ranks second on the team while her four goals against Clemson tied Wolak for a team best Wednesday.
Scooping up five ground balls in the contest, Olivia Dooley led the team in the category as the Irish registered 25 ground ball recoveries on the day. Dooley also forced four of the team’s 10 total caused turnovers as the Irish held the narrow edge over the Tigers in the category.
With nine saves on the day, Lilly Callahan boasts all decisions for the Irish this season in the crease, and is one win shy of tying the program record for wins in a single season.
Her nine draw controls on the day led the team as Kelly Denes now sits one shy of Andie Aldave’s program record at the draw circle. Her 366 all-time draw controls for the Irish ranks second in program history and her 127 this season leads the team. At the circle, the Irish led the Tigers 17-13, including a 5-1 draw control advantage in a pivotal third quarter.
With a 15-2 record this season, the Irish currently sit at 299 wins in program history.
UP NEXT
The Irish advance to the ACC semifinals and will face the winner of Boston College/Duke at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 26.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
KASTOR SUFFOCATES FLAMES FOR SHUTOUT WIN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team earned a 1-0 win over the visiting UIC Flames Wednesday night at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Fighting Irish got a dominant start from sophomore Micaela Kastor who threw her second complete game of the season, setting a new career-best with 10 strikeouts.
Kastor allowed just two hits and four base runners in Wednesday’s win. The sophomore never allowed more than two runners on base in an inning as she recorded at least one strikeout in each frame. Kastor bookended the contest with strikeouts, and had multiple strikeouts in three innings.
The Irish offense got just what it needed to earn the win with five hits. Jane Kronenberger led the way with a 2-for-2 effort and drew a walk. The top of the order got the run home in the fifth as Kloss scored on an Amaral sacrifice fly. Mickey Winchell, Cassidy Grimm and Anna Holloway each tallied a hit in the contest.
How It Happened
The Irish threatened in the bottom of the second, as Grimm reached with a ground ball that was misplayed by the UIC defense. A ground ball moved her up and a single up the middle put runners on the corners. Holloway hit a sharp ground ball, directly at the third baseman who made a diving tag attempt to get Grimm at third, and a ground out retired the threat as the game remained scoreless.
After four scoreless innings, the Irish finally broke in for a solo run in the fifth. A lead-off walk and a single put runners on the corners. A stolen base put them in scoring position as Amaral lifted a fly ball to right field to score Carlli Kloss and put the Irish up 1-0.
That lead would hold as Kastor would suffocate the Flames offense, allowing just one base runner over the final two innings.
Up Next
The Irish continue their homestand this Friday as they host the Boston College Eagles in a three-game Atlantic Coast conference series, beginning at 5 p.m.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
FIRST INNING GRAND SLAM GIVES BUTLER 10-6 WIN AT EASTERN ILLINOIS
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Billy Wurch hit a grand slam in the first inning of Wednesday’s night game at Eastern Illinois helping the Bulldogs secure a 10-6 victory. Nine of Butler’s 10 runs came in the first inning and the hot start would allow the ‘Dawgs to claim their 16th win of the season.
Wurch and Carter Dorighi each hit homers in the first as the Bulldogs were able to bat around to build their 9-0 lead. Dorighi added a double to his stat line, finishing the night 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Joey Urban also came up with an RBI in the eighth inning. His double to left center scored Keegan Connors to make the game 10-3.
The Vota brothers did the heavy lifting on the mound for BU combining to throw four of the nine innings. Gage Vota got the start and struck out four Panthers over two innings. Cade Vota came in after Simon Linde. Cade made his debut on the mound and collected six outs over the seven batters he faced.
Linde improved to 1-2 on the mound for BU. He threw a clean inning as did Colin Dailey, Tate Foxson, and Christian Finnigan on Wednesday.
Winners of two-straight, BU will head into the weekend ready to host Seton Hall in a three-game series. First pitch on Friday is set for 3 PM.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL DROPS FINAL HOME GAME TO HOOSIERS
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler softball dropped its final non-conference contest and final home game of the season to Indiana. The Hoosiers (35-13, 10-7 Big Ten) scored four runs in the third inning and five runs in the fifth for the 9-0 margin of victory. The Bulldogs (20-26, 9-12 BIG EAST) managed just two hits in the five-inning affair.
Katie Petran (13-7) started in the circle for Butler and took the loss. In 4.0 innings, she allowed four runs on five hits and one walk. Sydney Cammon (1.0IP, 5R, 5H) provided relief and finished the game.
Bulldog Bits
Monique Hoosen’s double was her fourth of the season and 19th of her career.
Up Next
Butler has a bye in BIG EAST competition this coming weekend. The Bulldogs will be competing for a spot in the BIG EAST tournament in their final conference series, on the road at Villanova, from May 3-5.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
BALL STATE TIES IU AFTER 12 INNINGS
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team got out to 4-0 and 7-1 leads on Wednesday afternoon against Indiana but settled for a 7-7 tie after the game was called due to darkness following the 12th inning.
The Cardinals (25-15-1) plated three in the first on an RBI single by Hunter Dobbins and run-scoring doubles from Blake Bevis and Nick Husovsky for the early edge. Husovsky came through again in the third inning with an RBI single to increase the host’s lead to four runs.
Indiana (22-18-1) responded with a single tally in the fourth, but Ball State got RBI singles by Husovsky and Dylan Grego in the fifth and a Bevis RBI double in the seventh inning for the 7-1 advantage. The visiting Hoosiers scored three runs each in the eighth and ninth innings to tie the game, and neither team could push a run across in extras to finish in a stalemate.
Bevis went 3-for-5 with three doubles, a walk, two RBI and a run scored while tossing 2.1 shutout innings and striking out three after going to the mound in relief in the ninth to force extra baseball. Husovsky also produced a trio of hits while driving in three.
Jacob Hartlaub started for the Cardinals, striking out two and allowing two hits and a run in 4.0 innings. Logan Schulfer followed that up with three strikeouts in 2.1 shutout innings. Brady Owens struck out the side in a scoreless twelfth inning for a Ball State pitching staff that used nine hurlers.
The game was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday night at Victory Field in Indianapolis but was postponed to Wednesday at Ball Diamond due to rain.
Ball State hits the road to face NC State in a three-game set scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL FALLS IN WEDNESDAY ACTION AT PURDUE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – – Senior left fielder Kaitlyn Mathews blasted her fourth home run of the season to give Ball State a 1-0 lead in the second inning Wednesday evening at Bittinger Stadium, but it was not enough as Purdue rallied for a 6-1 win.
It was Mathews third home run in the last four games and helped the Cardinals (22-25) jump ahead early in its final non-conference game of the season. Unfortunately, the host Boilermakers (23-22) would even the score with a run in the fourth, before tallying four more in the fifth and capping the scoring with a run in the sixth.
Despite taking the loss in the circle, Ball State senior Francys King would tally five strikeouts in the game over her 4.1 innings of work. Sophomore Bridie Murphy finished the contest and picked up two more, giving the BSU pitching staff seven on the night.
SCORING SUMMARY – Ball State 1 – Purdue 6
T2 | Mathews blasts a solo shot over the fence in center field (1-0)
B4 | Tyrina Jones evened the score with a solo blast to left field (1-1)
B5 | A two-run triple from Moriah Polar gives the hosts the lead (1-3)
B5 | Sage Scarmardo drives in two more with a single through the left side (1-5)
B6 | A sacrifice fly to left field from Khloe Banks caps the scoring in the game (1-6)
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team will be off for the weekend, before returning to the road next week for a pair of pivotal league series. The Cardinals will travel to Northern Illinois for a Tuesday (April 30) doubleheader before closing the regular season with a three-game series at Central Michigan Saturday and Sunday (May 4-5).
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
GREGERSEN NAMED TO NCBWA MIDSEASON STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
NCBWA – Indiana State relief pitcher Simon Gregersen was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association’s (NCBWA) Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List as announced by the organization on Wednesday afternoon.
Gregersen was one of three pitchers in the Missouri Valley to be named to the list and one of 59 pitchers across all NCAA Division I to receive recognition from the organization. UIC’s Reece Lawler and SIU’s Anthony Pron joined Gregersen on the list from the conference institutions.
The Elk River, Minn. native took on the closer role for the Sycamores in mid-March and has been among the top relievers in the conference to date in the 2024 season. Gregersen has posted a 3.20 ERA over 15 appearances on the mound while leading Indiana State with five saves.
He’s recorded 25.1 innings on the mound allowing opponents to hit just .211 from the plate while posting a 31:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Gregersen has made six appearances that have gone multiple innings on the year including a pair of 3.0-inning outings in conference play against both UIC and at Murray State.
The redshirt junior’s signature appearance to date came on March 26 against Purdue where he entered with the bases-loaded, none out with an 8-7 lead. He proceeded to strikeout the first batter faced and then forced a game-ending double play to secure the save.
Overall, the Sycamores have won 13 of the 15 games he’s appeared in the 2024 season.
Gregersen and the Sycamores continues the seven-game road trip this weekend as the ISU travel to Carbondale, Ill. to take on Southern Illinois over April 26-28. First pitch in Friday’s contest at Itchy Jones Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET.
All three games will be broadcast on 105.5 The Legend, with Friday and Saturday also being streamed on ESPN+. Sunday’s contest will be carried on ESPNU with a 7 p.m. ET first pitch.
PURDU FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
‘DONS WALK OFF IN WEDNESDAY WIN OVER TOLEDO IN 13 INNINGS
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Nick Sutherlin scored on a wild pitch in the 13th inning as Purdue Fort Wayne walked off Toledo on Wednesday (April 24) in a 4-3 win.
Sutherlin started the bottom of the 13th inning with a single into left field. He moved to second on a bunt before taking third on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch followed and Sutherlin sprinted home for the winning run.
Kevin Fee put the ‘Dons in position to win in extra innings. After he came on in the ninth inning, he kept Toledo hitless for 4.2 innings and struck out four.
The ‘Dons scored three of their four runs in the first two innings. In the first, Jacob Walker and Grant Thoroman hit back-to-back doubles to put Purdue Fort Wayne up 1-0 before adding another in the frame. The next inning, Thoroman drove in his second run of the game on an infield single.
Toledo scored one run in each of the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings to tie the game.
Fee (5-1) got the win for the ‘Dons. It was a solid day for the Mastodon pitching staff that allowed just five hits in 13 innings. Drew Evans (4.1 IP), Carson Caudill (1.1 IP) and Jake Paymaster (2.2 IP) each contributed to the victory.
Ryan Hughes (0-1) took the loss for Toledo in allowing one run in the final third of an inning. The Rockets are now 19-22. Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 15-25.
The ‘Dons will travel to Dayton for a three-game set with Wright State this weekend.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
PURDUE SNAPS BASEBALL’S WINNING STREAK
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – During the University of Evansville’s eight-game winning streak, pitching and defense helped power the Purple Aces’ success. On Wednesday night, that wasn’t the case, as the homestanding Purdue Boilermakers scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back, as Purdue snapped UE’s winning streak with a 10-6 victory at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.
After UE had jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by graduate first baseman Chase Hug and an RBI ground out by graduate third baseman Brent Widder, the Boilermakers sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and scored four runs on just two hits. In the inning, UE committed three errors, issued two walks, and hit a batter to help Purdue grab a lead it would never lose.
Purdue would add two more runs in the second inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by catcher Connor Caskenette and outfielder Keenan Taylor to grab a 6-2 lead. The Boilermakers would tack on single tallies in the third, fourth and fifth innings to build the lead to 9-2. A walk scored in the fourth inning and a hit batter came around to score in the fifth for Purdue.
UE would finally answer back in the eighth inning with a run on an RBI double by Widder. Then, after Purdue scored a run of its own in the eighth inning, UE was able to plate three runs in the ninth inning to make things interesting. Senior outfielder Kip Fougerousse had an RBI single, and Hug added a two-run single to provide the final score of 10-6.
Hug went 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead UE offensively. Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger also went 2-for-2 and reached base in all five trips to the plate, scoring two runs. Fougerousse also had a two-hit day, while Widder drove in two RBI for UE. On the mound, UE issued seven walks and hit five Purdue batters. It equals the most free bases the UE pitching staff has allowed all year. UE’s four errors also equaled a season-high.
With the victory, Purdue improved to 26-15 overall. Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 22-18 with the loss. The Purple Aces will now return home to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium for an important three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against Missouri State. Evansville is currently in second place in the MVC with a 10-5 conference mark, just two games behind league-leading and nationally-ranked Indiana State entering the weekend. The series will begin on Friday at 6 p.m. and continue both Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively. Tickets for each game are currently available by calling Logan Belz in the UE athletic ticket office by phone at 812-488-2623.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL EARNS 3-0 SHUTOUT OVER SYCAMORES TO CLINCH SEASON SERIES
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Sydney Weatherford tossed a complete game shutout and Niki Bode picked up a late 2-run single to help the University of Evansville softball team earn a 3-0 win over Indiana State on Wednesday at Price Field. The win marked the 300th for head coach Mat Mundell.
Weatherford allowed just three hits while fanning three batters on the way to win #7 of the season. The Purple Aces recorded six hits on the day with Taylor Howe going 2-3 with a double and two runs scored.
Pitching was the story as both starters were lights out with the game being scoreless after four innings. Indiana State had the first hit of the day on a leadoff bunt in the first while Hannah Hood’s 1-out double in the top of the second was the first hit of the contest for UE.
As the game progressed, it was obvious that runs would be a premium and Evansville was the first to score on a fluke play that was keyed by heads-up baserunning. Taylor Howe reached on a 1-out double. Up next was Lacy Smith. After striking out, Smith hustled to first on the dropped third strike and forced a throwing error by the Sycamores catcher. Howe scored all the way from first to break the scoreless tie.
In the top of the 7th, UE came through with two important insurance runs. Marah Wood and Howe recorded back-to-back singles with one out. Howe stole second to put two runners in scoring position for pinch hitter Niki Bode. The freshman came through with a single to right center to score both runners and make it a 3-0 game.
From there, Weatherford got the job done as she retired the side in order to clinch the victory.
UE returns home this weekend for its final home series of the season against Missouri State.
EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL ADDS GABRIEL POZZATO
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Gabriel Pozzato – a 6-foot-7 forward from Italy – has officially signed with the University of Evansville men’s basketball program. Pozzato joins as a freshman for the 2024-25 season.
The high school senior comes to Evansville from the NBA Academy in Australia where he averaged 8.6 points per game in his final season with the program.
“We’re extremely excited to add Gabriel and his family to our UE family. Our staff had an opportunity to evaluate Gabriel while he was participating in the NBA Academy games. We quickly noticed his athletic ability along with his ability to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor,” UE head coach David Ragland exclaimed. “We have been focused on continuing to add height to our roster as well as continuing to add players that have the ability to dribble, pass and shoot. During the recruitment process, Coach Snow did a wonderful job of cultivating a strong relationship with Gabriel and his inner circle.”
“We believe in recruiting young men that have been a part of winning programs. Gabriel is the perfect example of that. He is also the perfect fit for our culture,” Ragland added. “Aces fans will love watching Gabriel play here at the University of Evansville.”
Last year, Pozzato participated in the FIBA U18 European Championship for Italy. Over the course of seven contests, he averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Pozzato scored 17 points against Denmark and added 15 tallies versus Croatia.
“I am excited to be a part of this team and family. I believe this program is going to help me in this new chapter of my journey and will support me to grow and reach my goals,” Pozzato said. “I want to thank Coach Ragland and his staff for the opportunity. I look forward to representing UE!”
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
JONES SIGNS WITH USI
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball announced the signing of junior guard Braxton Jones (Monroe, New Jersey) for the 2024-25 season. Jones is the first player to sign with USI and Head Coach Stan Gouard this spring.
“USI is extremely excited to welcome Braxton and his family to the Screaming Eagles family,” said Gouard. “We have been recruiting Braxton and his family hard and cannot wait to watch him knock down threes in front the of the best fans and student section in all of college basketball.”
“I know Braxton is excited to uphold the standards of all the USI greats that have come before him,” continued Gouard. “He embodies our culture both on and off the court.”
“Braxton is an absolute gym rat who has an immense amount of pride in how he plays and competes on a daily basis. I cannot wait to get to work with him and have him here in Evansville this summer,” concluded Gouard.
Jones comes to USI from Garden City Community College where he was named second-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. He posted 18.9 points, 2.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds during his only season with GCCC, posting a season-high 33 points versus Seward County Community College and 10 assists versus Dodge City Community College.
The 2023-24 sophomore guard shot nearly 35 percent from beyond the arc, hitting a school-record eight triples vs. Sterling College and drained five or more three-pointers in a game nine times. He also posted a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 109-72 victory over Dodge City in January.
Jones ranked as high as 15th in JucoRecruiting.com, finishing the year 31st.
Prior to playing at GCCC, Jones began his collegiate career at the University of Harford where he averaged 4.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 28 games during 2022-23. He posted a season-high 24 points and eight rebounds versus Fairleigh Dickinson University.
A graduate of Roselle Catholic High School, Jones helped the Lions to the 2022 NJSIAAA Tournament championship. He played a pivotal role the title game, hitting the go-ahead bucket on the way to the championship.
The Screaming Eagles reached the Ohio Valley Conference Championship post-season in 2023-24 marking the second-straight season since USI made the transition to NCAA Division I.
VALPO SOFTBALL
BEACONS DROP DOUBLEHEADER TO NIU; WEEKEND SERIES ADJUSTED
The Valpo softball team played its final nonconference games of the regular season Wednesday afternoon at the Valpo Softball Complex, falling to visiting Northern Illinois by final scores of 5-2 and 8-0.
How It Happened – Game One
NIU loaded the bases in the top of the first, but Valpo starter Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) escaped the jam by getting a grounder to third.
The Huskies opened the scoring with a two-out RBI single in the third inning.
NIU scored three runs in the fifth inning without the benefit of a hit, taking advantage of four walks and a hit batter.
The Huskies scored what proved to be a helpful insurance run in the top of the seventh inning, as NIU’s runner was judged to have crossed home plate on an RBI single before senior Kayla Skapyak (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) threw out a trail runner at third base.
The Beacons put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh to get on the board. Senior Emily Crompton (Salem, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) singled with one out, and freshman Natalie Bush (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) drew a walk two batters later to give Valpo a pair of baserunners.
Freshman Cici Wilson (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) pinch hit and dropped a single into shallow center. Junior Lauren Sena (McHenry, Ill./McHenry), pinch-running for Crompton, beat the throw home for the Beacons’ first run. The throw got away from the NIU catcher, allowing freshman Carson Kuhlmann (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) — who pinch ran for Bush — to scamper home as well, making it 5-2. A groundout ended the game with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.
How It Happened – Game Two
NIU got on the board in its first turn at the plate, as Caitlyn Shumaker connected on a three-run homer — all three runs being unearned.
The Huskies added a sac fly for an unearned run in the second and RBI singles for one run apiece in the third and fifth innings.
A two-out, two-run homer by Madison Mathews in the top of the sixth put the game in run-rule territory.
Inside the Games
Coming off her first career home run on Sunday, Bush stayed hot at the plate on Wednesday. The freshman went 1-for-2 with a walk in the opener and then had her first career multi-hit game in the nightcap, going 2-for-3.
Crompton picked up a hit in both games as well, going 1-for-2 with a walk in the opener and 1-for-3 in the nightcap.
Freshman Lana Tellez (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) made her first collegiate start at catcher in the nightcap and reached base twice, including her first career hit in the fifth inning.
Freshman Madison Stamper (Matthews, N.C./Porter Ridge) started at catcher in the opener and tallied her first career caught stealing from behind the plate.
Skapyak stole a base in the opener, her eighth of the season and the 19th of her career.
Next Up
Valpo (8-34) has seven MVC games remaining in the regular season, beginning with a three-game set against Murray State this weekend at the Valpo Softball Complex. Due to inclement weather in the forecast, the two teams will not play on Friday, and instead will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
UINDY BASEBALL
KIRKPATRICK PUNCHES OUT 12 AS HOUNDS CAPTURE MIDWEEK WIN
FINDLAY, Ohio – On the same day they became the No. 25 team in the country, the University of Indianapolis baseball team proved that true, enduring some rare late-April cold in Findlay, Ohio to earn a 6-2 region victory.
Jackson Kirkpatrick was the story of the game, with the graduate-student going for 12 strikeouts in 5 & 1/3 innings of work. Kirkpatrick’s day marked the first win of the season for him, as well as his longest start of the season. It is the second 10-punchout performance for Kirk as well, with him going for 13 against SBU earlier this season.
The offense did their job as well, rewarding Kirk with six runs of offense across the nine-inning affair. Zack Williams led the force from the plate, going 3 for 5 with a pair of RBIs on a big double in the fifth.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kirkpatrick, despite giving up a run in the first, was able to rebound well, tossing the next four scoreless, including a three-punchie fourth.
Bryce Goodwine tied the ballgame with a sac bunt in the third. With a fresh start, the Hounds leaned on Williams who set one down in left field for extra bases and a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth.
A one-run response in the bottom half of the fifth was swiftly answered by the Hounds who padded the lead with runs in the sixth and seventh. Cole Hampton was responsible for the Hounds lone sixth-inning run, demolishing a ball over the left field wall for his, now team-leading, sixth homer of the season.
From there Payton Plym went to work from the bullpen. The junior out of Seatonville, Ill. earned his first save of his career with 3 & 1/3 innings of work. Plym gave up just one baserunner during that time, using just 29 pitches to record ten outs.
UP NEXT
The Truman State Bulldogs come into town for the last home series of the series for the Hounds. They will kick off the four game set on Friday at 3 p.m.
UINDY SOFTBALL
HOUNDS SWEEP SAINTS IN NON-CONFERENCE TWIN BILL
CRESTVIEW, Ky.—The No. 2-ranked UIndy softball team earned a pair of wins in a mid-week doubleheader at Thomas More Wednesday evening. Fifth-year senior Emily O’Connor headlined a number of notable performances on the day, breaking her own school record for most RBIs in a season.
GAME 1 | UIndy 9, TMU 2 (8 innings)
The Hounds battled a pesky Saints club to a 2-2 tie before finally blowing it open in the top of the eighth. UIndy batted around in the fatal frame, racking up seven base hits along the way. Shelby Cook sparked the rally with a leadoff single, with Sydnee Perry later adding an RBI double and Braxton Downs a two-run single.
Earlier in the game, the Saints managed a feat few teams have this season: scoring on starting pitcher Kenzee Smith. Coming into the game with a DII-leading 0.21 ERA, Smith surrendered a pair of runs in the fifth – though only one was earned.
She later found herself in a bind in the bottom of the seventh. With the score knotted at 2-2, the Saints finagled a hit by pitch and a bunt single to make it first and second with nobody out. A sac bunt moved both runners up, with the game-winning run now on third base. The Greyhound ace remained unfazed, however, fanning the next Saint batter and inducing a lazy flyball to end the threat and force extras.
Smith’s 127-pitch complete game secured her 27th victory of the season. Her 12 Ks upped her season total to 204, good for 10th in the UIndy single-season annals.
Meanwhile, O’Connor drove in three runs in the opener and finished the day at 69 ribbies on the year, surpassing her own school record set just last season. Cook also had three hits as one of five Hounds with multiple hits in the contest. Dominique Proctor’s bloop single in the eighth brought home the go-ahead run.
GAME 2 | UIndy 5, TMU 0
The Hounds pushed across two unearned runs in the first inning, providing more than enough support for game-two starter Jayden Casebolt. She ultimately tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering seven hits and four walks while striking out six.
Perry added her second RBI double of the day with a fifth-inning gapper, while ribbies from Downs (sac fly) and Lexy Rees (double) provided additional insurance in the seventh.
Megan Nichols went 3-for-4 with two runs scores, while Perry and Jocelyn Calvin had two hits apiece. Nicholas also had a great diving catch and double play in the bottom of the second to help keep the Saints off the board.
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds return to conference play immediately, hosting Quincy Thursday at 2 p.m. for a doubleheader that was moved up two days due to the rainy forecast this weekend.
MARIAN SOFTBALL
NORMAN TAKES MARIAN’S CAREER RBI CROWN AS KNIGHTS SWEEP MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE
Mount Vernon, Ohio – The Marian softball team kept in the hunt for the Crossroads League title on Wednesday afternoon, sweeping their doubleheader at Mt. Vernon Nazarene with 12-0 and 4-3 victories. The Knights are 39-9 overall on the season following the wins, remaining tied for first place with Indiana Wesleyan at 27-7 in CL games. Also highlighting the wins was Sierra Norman, who became Marian’s career leader in RBI in game one.
Game 1 | Marian 12-0 Mt. Vernon Nazarene | 5 Innings
Olivia Stunkel and Sheridan Sullivan locked horns in the opening innings of Wednesday’s first game, as the Knights and Cougars were held scoreless by the starting pitchers. Marian managed a walk to Savannah Harweger in the first inning and in the second inning three Knights reached base as Hayley Greene singled and Grace Meyer doubled, but Sullivan managed to end the inning with a zero on the board. Stunkel was near perfect as she started her outing, stranding an error in the home side of the first while getting the Cougars to go down in order in the bottom of the second.
In the third inning the Knights broke the drought with a pair of runs, as an Abby Madere single and walk to Sierra Norman ignited the offense, setting up Abbey Hofmann who tripled to center field to score both of her teammates. After a perfect inning from Stunkel in the third, Marian charged four more runs in the fourth, as Madere launched a grand slam to left, pushing the lead to six runs. Anna Pritchett and Brooke Knox singled while Harweger walked ahead of Madere, helping make the contest a 6-0 affair.
Stunkel tossed a flawless fourth, and in the fifth inning put the game to bed, driving home six runs on five hits, scoring each run with two outs. Lily Wendt started the final charge as she, Greene, and Pritchett recorded three consecutive base hits. A groundout would pick up the second out of the frame, but the runs started to score as Knox, Madere, and Sierra Norman each picked up an RBI with a walk or base hit. Grace Meyer capped the big inning with a triple to left field, clearing the bases to make it a 12-0 contest. In the final half inning Stunkel would yield her first hit of the game with one out, but ended the contest with a shutout as she forced two flyouts to right field.
The run-rule victory featured 12 hits for Marian, with Madere holding the strongest game going 3-4 with five RBI and three runs scored. Greene, Pritchett, and Meyer each had two hits in the win, with Meyer recording three RBI. Norman’s walk in the fifth inning recorded her 204th career RBI, moving her into first place all-time at Marian as she passed Shelbie Stotts for the all-time lead.
In the circle, Olivia Stunkel recorded her 22nd win of the year, striking out three batters as she finished the complete-game shutout with one hit allowed.
Game 2 | Marian 4-3 Mt. Vernon Nazarene
Game two started in favor of the Cougars, as the home team scored a run in both the first and second inning against Macy Coan. The first run of the game for Mount Vernon came unearned as an error allowed Kiera Mayer to record an RBI single in the first inning, while in the second inning a pair of base hits drove in a second score. Coan settled into the game in the third inning as she stranded two runners on base, keeping Marian in the game after the offense left a runner on in the second and two in the third.
In the fourth inning the Knights were finally able to break through, getting life with a lead-off single from Sierra Norman. Grace Meyer would reach on a fielder’s choice as Norman was out at second, but the rally effort continued with Abbey Hofmann singling to short, and Hayley Greene reaching on an error, scoring Meyer from second. Caroline Roop added to the party with an RBI single that scored Hofmann, and Savannah Harweger and Brooke Knox completed the rally effort with an RBI single and sacrifice fly, pushing their team in front by a 4-2 score.
Coan continued to work in the circle after getting a lead, tossing a perfect fourth inning and stranding a pair of hits in the fifth, as a double play turned by Greene and Knox wrapped up the threat. The Knights attempted to pad their advantage in both the fifth and sixth innings, but would see the combined two hits and three walks get stranded, as they gripped their 4-2 lead.
The freshman pitcher delivered again for Marian in the home half of the sixth as she retired the side in order. The score remained 4-2 entering the bottom of the seventh as Mackenzie Dalton was left on base in the top half, and in the bottom the Cougars started a rally as they had a batter reach on an error. A pair of base hits would score a run with one out left to get, but Coan stayed composed in the circle, fielding a ground ball back to the circle to end the game as a 4-3 winner.
Marian recorded 10 hits at the plate in game two, with two coming from the bat of Pritchett, Harweger, and Meyer. Knox and Hofmann each had sacrifice hits in the win for Marian. The pitching duties were handled soley by Macy Coan, who picked up her ninth win on the season as she gave up one earned run and three total. The freshman allowed eight hits and picked up one strikeout.
The Knights will conclude the regular season on Saturday afternoon, as they are scheduled to host Taylor University at 1:00 p.m. for their senior day doubleheader.
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/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
2 – 14 – 1 – 18 – 34
April 25, 1901 – Erve Beck of the Cleveland Blues hit the American League’s first home run.
April 25, 1933 – Philadelphia Phillies’ short stop, Dick Bartell, Number 2 is 1st MLB player to get 4 consecutive doubles in 9 innings
April 25, 1933 – Left handed New York Yankee ace pitcher, Russ Van Atta, Number 14 shut out Washington Senators 16-0 with some great pitching and timely hitting by teammates.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football History Headlines for April 25
April 25, 1974 – Sweeping NFL Rules reform
The Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day comes from the April 26, 1974 edition of the Miami Herald which has as its boldface heading, “NFL Brings In Sudden Death; Changes Rules For Field Goals!” The Herald Wire Service of course is talking about an April 25 NFL rules meeting in New York City that the League responded to criticism of safety and sagging offenses. The sweeping changes were to first move the goalposts from the goal line to the end line and also to adopt sudden death overtime for all regular and exhibition games. Another rule that made a difference was that a missed field goal would either be returned to the 20 yard line or to the previous line of scrimmage, whichever was further from the goal line for the next series to start. Commissioner Pete Rozelle walking out of the meetings was quoted as saying; “ I am extremely pleased. I felt the coaches were doing too good of a job with defenses. This should make things interesting.”
The article goes on to say that these changes including one where the kickoffs will be from the thirty five yard line, to encourage kick returns, are designed to provide more scoring by offenses. Another revision in the kicking game was that members of the punting and kicking teams could not go beyond the line of scrimmage until the ball was kicked.
Some of the biggest impact changes were to eliminate some downfield contact that defensive backs could perform on downfield receivers such as roll blocking and cutting. Offensive holding penalties were reduced to ten yards from the previous 15 yard variety and crackback blocks, which are when the blocker is heading back towards their own goal line, could no longer be below the waist of the defender.
Why so many sweeping changes at one time? Rozelle in his presser said the changes were in the works for two years but individually were voted down, the Commish stated,”The Competition Committee decided to present them as a total package rather than pick them apart.” To pass there needed to be at least 20 of the 26 franchises that voted in favor and according to Rozelle , it wasn’t even close. Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin, who opposed the changes expressed his feelings when he said,” My personal opinion is that it’s a reaction to the media. They were made by the owners and not by the coaches.” His statement implied that the coaches now would need to make even more crucial decisions in game and spend more time during the week on scheme and strategy. Years later we can look back and say the rules for the most part started improvement in the League’s offensive firepower.
The proof, let’s look at the stats according to Pro Football Reference. In 1973 teams averaged 19.5 points per game with 285.3 yards per game of offense. In 1975 the points per game were 20.6 and 308.3 yards per game. More offense was indeed gained and with more scoring the popularity of the game rose and so did the revenues.
If you want to be able to be able to read through some old articles like Miami Herald, you need to check out Newspapers.com. At Newspapers.com, you can get access to over 640 million pages’ worth of news from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and more dating back from 1798 to yesterday. Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers. And with a paid subscription, you’ll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows.
April 25, 1993 – The 1993 NFL Draft took place and the New England Patriots used the first selection of the Draft to take Washington State QB Drew Bledsoe. The Hall of Fame players that so far have come out of this Draft class are Tackle Willie Roaf who was the number 8 pick by the New Orleans Saints, running back Jerome Bettis the 19th overall selection by the Saint Louis Rams, Michael Strahan a defensive lineman taken by the New York Giants with the 40th pick, Will Shields a guard selected by the Kansas City Chiefs at pick number 74 and the steal of the weekend may have been John Lynch, another future Hall of Famer as the defensive back was chosen by Tampa Bay with the 82nd overall selection in the Draft per the Pro-Football-Reference.com. This was the first Draft that was reduced from 12 rounds to only 8.
April 25, 2009 – NFL Draft: Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford first pick by Detroit Lions. According to the Pro-Football-Reference.com website the rest of the top ten of this Draft class went like this:
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 DET Matthew Stafford QB Georgia
2 STL Jason Smith T Baylor
3 KAN Tyson Jackson DE LSU
4 SEA Aaron Curry LB Wake Forest
5 NYJ Mark Sanchez QB USC
6 CIN Andre Smith T Alabama
7 OAK Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland
8 JAX Eugene Monroe T Virginia
9 GNB B.J. Raji DT Boston Col.
10 SFO Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech
April 25, 2013 – NFL Draft: Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher first pick by Kansas City Chiefs. Some including the NFL Spin Zon argue that this draft class may be the worst in NFL modern history. The rest of the top ten picks from this Draft according to the Pro-Football-Reference.com went something like this:
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 KAN Eric Fisher T Central Michigan
2 JAX Luke Joeckel T Texas A&M
3 MIA Dion Jordan DE Oregon
4 PHI Lane Johnson T Oklahoma
5 DET Ezekiel Ansah DE BYU
6 CLE Barkevious Mingo LB LSU
7 ARI Jonathan Cooper G North Carolina
8 STL Tavon Austin WR West Virginia
9 NYJ Dee Milliner DB Alabama
10 TEN Chance Warmack G
April 25, 2019 – NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray #1 pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Again we use the informative Pro-Football-Reference.com to generate this draft class top ten choices:
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 ARI Kyler Murray QB Oklahoma
2 SFO Nick Bosa DE Ohio St.
3 NYJ Quinnen Williams DT Alabama
4 OAK Clelin Ferrell DE Clemson
5 TAM Devin White LB LSU
6 NYG Daniel Jones QB Duke
7 JAX Josh Allen LB Kentucky
8 DET T.J. Hockenson TE Iowa
9 BUF Ed Oliver DT Houston
10 PIT Devin Bush Jr. LB
Hall of Fame Birthdays for April 25
April 25, 1927 – Hector, Minnesota – Minnesota’s Gustavus Adolphus tackle Calvin Roberts was born. The National Football Foundation selected Calvin Roberts for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Calvin was drafted by the New York Giants, but an illness prevented him from taking on competition at the professional level.
April 25, 1954 – Brooklyn, New York – Randy Cross the tough interior lineman of the UCLA Bruins arrived to declare his date of birth. Cross received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. After graduation Cross was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1976 NFL Draft. Randy thrived in the Leagues for 13 years and won three Super Bowls with the franchise. Avoiding major injury, the iron man missed only eight games in his professional career propelling him to be named to three All-Pro teams and was voted the San Francisco 49ers’ Man of the Year (1985) for his work in the community.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
April 25
1901 — In the opener at Detroit’s Bennett Park, the Tigers beat Milwaukee in a great comeback. Trailing 13-4 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers scored 10 runs for a 14-13 victory. Frank Dillon had four doubles.
1904 — New York pitcher Jack Chesbro recorded the first of his 41 victories on the season, an American League record that still stands.
1933 — Yankees pitcher Russ Van Atta made a spectacular debut by blanking Washington 16-0 and going 4-for-4.
1948 — Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians ties a major league record by striking out five times in a game.
1961 — Two weeks after the Boston Celtics win the NBA championship, their reserve center, Gene Conley, pitching for the Boston Red Sox, gets his first American League victory, a 6-1 win over the visiting Washington Senators.
1976 — Cubs center fielder Rick Monday rescued the American flag from two trespassers who tried to set it on fire in the outfield of Dodger Stadium. The incident happened in the fourth inning of a 5-4, 10-inning loss to Los Angeles.
1982 — Just 14 games into the season, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fires manager Bob Lemon and replaces him with Gene Michael, the man Lemon had replaced the previous September. Michael won’t finish the season either.
1990 — At Fenway Park, gimpy-legged Bill Buckner, 41, hits an inside-the-park home run for the Boston Red Sox. It will be his only homer in this, his last, season as he will play just 22 games.
1995 — Major league baseball returned after a 257-day layoff as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 8-7. Players had gone on strike the previous season.
1997 — Matt Williams hit three homers and David Justice homered twice as the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers combined to match a major league record for home runs in a nine-inning night game with 11. Cleveland hit a club-record eight in all, including three in one inning as the Indians beat the Brewers 11-4.
2001 — Rickey Henderson of the Padres set the major league walks record with his 2,063rd base on balls in San Diego’s 5-3 loss to Philadelphia.
2009 — Albert Pujols hit his second grand slam of the season and surpassed 1,000 career RBIs in St. Louis’ 8-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
2017 — Eric Thames hit his major league-leading 11th home run — his eighth against Cincinnati this season — and the Milwaukee Brewers cruised to a 9-1 victory over the Reds. In his first season with the Brewers after playing three years in South Korea, Thames capped a five-run sixth with a two-run drive off reliever Robert Stephenson. He has homered in all six games against the Reds and joined Willie Stargell as the only players in MLB history to hit eight homers in April against one team.
2017 — Trea Turner hit for the third cycle in Nationals history and drove in a career-high seven runs, helping Washington to a 15-12 win over Colorado on a frigid night.
2019 — In the NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals select University of Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray first overall. He had been the #1 pick of the Athletics in the 2018 amateur draft, 9th overall, as an outfielder, and had signed with the A’s before giving up baseball last winter. This makes him the first player to be a first-rounder in both the NFL and MLB drafts. Murray will soon give up baseball in favor of the gridiron.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1985 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)..
Off the field…
TWA Flight 847 was hijacked by a group of Shi’ite terrorists who were identified as members of Islamic Jihad, a group of various fundamentalists, operating in Lebanon and other Middle East countries. The militant Muslims held one-hundred fifty-three people (including women and children) hostage while demanding the release of their brothers in arms. One passenger, U.S. Navy Diver Robert Stethem was executed and his body was dumped onto the tarmac. After several unsuccessful negotiations, Israel agreed to release thirty-one of its Shi’ite prisoners and the hostages were freed in return.
The wreck of the RMS Titanic (which sunk in 1912 killing 1,522 passengers and crew after striking an iceberg) was finally discovered by a joint U.S.-French expedition who located the remains of the “unsinkable” ocean liner three-hundred fifty miles southeast of Newfoundland in thirteen-thousand feet of water.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held a Summit Meeting in Geneva to discuss improving relations between the U.S.S.R. and the United States and to help decrease the risk of nuclear war. In the end, both agreed not to attempt to achieve military superiority and banned the development of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction.
In the American League…
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Rollie Fingers recorded his two-hundred seventeenth American League career save breaking the record originally set by Sparky Lyle. The victory gave “The Mustache” a Major League record of three-hundred twenty-five saves overall. He retired at the end of the season capping off a brilliant seventeen-year career with a 114-118 record, a 2.90 ERA and three-hundred forty-one saves.
On August 4th, thirty-nine year-old Anaheim Angel Rod Carew became only the sixteenth player in Major League history to join the “3,000 Hit Club.”
Major League Baseball’s oldest stadium, Chicago’s Comiskey Park, celebrated its 75th anniversary with eleven fans in attendance who were present at it’s opening in 1910. The Seattle Mariners spoiled the festivities with a 3-1 win over the White Sox.
In the National League…
Dwight “Doc” Gooden of the New York Mets became the first National League pitcher to reach two-hundred strikeouts in each of his first two seasons as well as the youngest twenty game winner in baseball history. The previous mark was set by Bob Feller in 1939, but Gooden managed to beat him by one month.
Nolan Ryan, of the Houston Astros, struck out Danny Heep, of the New York Mets, to become the first pitcher ever to reach four-thousand strikeouts. The Texas ace went on to sit down ten more batters as the Astros won 4-3 in twelve innings.
Fifty-seven years to the day after Ty Cobb played in his last game, Pete Rose, of the Cincinnati Reds, knocked his 4,192nd career hit breaking “The Georgia Peach’s” record. Newly approved owner Marge Schott presented Rose with a shiny red Corvette bearing the license plate PR 4192.
Around the league…
Newly appointed Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstated Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle after Commissioner Bowie Kuhn had banned the Hall of Famers from association with Major League Baseball for being employed by companies with ties to legal gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Pittsburgh Associates reached an agreement in principle with the Galbreath family to purchase the sinking Pirates franchise. As a result the team was able to stay afloat in the “Steel City” thanks to the combined financial commitments of Pittsburgh’s most influential corporations including Carnegie Mellon University, the Aluminum Company of America, Mellon Bank, PNC Financial, PPG Industries, USX Corporation and Westinghouse Electrical Company.
Sports Illustrated pulled off a major April Fool’s Day joke by publishing a story about a 168 mph pitching Tibetan Buddhist monk named Sidd Finch who was the New York Mets latest rookie phenomenon. Despite the April 1 date on the article and byline by George Plimpton, many fans believed the story was real and were disappointed after discovering that Finch was a fake.
Baseball’s Championship Series was altered from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format in an effort to generate up to $9 million dollars in additional revenues.
HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO CUBS (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
If you were to draw up the perfect baseball franchise, chances are you might come up with the Chicago Cubs. Here you have a long-established team in a large city with a fanatical fan base, an impressive roster of Hall of Fame players, and a beautiful, timeless ball park that revels in its unique traditions and is actually part of the personality of the team and the city.
Alas, nothing is perfect and the blemish that prevents the Cubs from being that perfect franchise is the interminable lack of success they have suffered on the playing field. Still, they embody much of what makes baseball uniquely great and magical.
No baseball team in any city has the length of lineage the Cubs have in Chicago. They were originally formed as an amateur team less than a decade after the Civil War (1874) and joined the National League for its initial season. Playing their first professional game on April 25, 1876, exactly two months before Custer’s Last Stand and while Ulysses S. Grant was President of the United States, they defeated the Louisville Greys 4-0.
Ironically, at this time they were known as the White Stockings. Their star player was Hall of Famer Adrian “Cap” Anson, the first player to accumulate three-thousand hits. He played and managed in Chicago for twenty-two years, leaving the Cubs in 1897, due to his declining prowess and a typo error in his contract that he’d overlooked.
Chicago greeted the 20th century by changing the team name to the Cubs and developing a whole new cast of superstar players. Frank Chance, considered the best first baseman of his time, became player-manager of the club in 1905. Known as the “Peerless Leader” for his ability to manage and motivate players, Chance began guiding the Cubs down a road that would lead them to one of the greatest seasons of all time.
The 1906 Cubs had it all: a great manager, first baseman and hitter in Chance, the immortal Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance infield and a virtually unhittable pitching staff with Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown (26-6, 1.04), Jack Pfeister (20-8, 1.56), Ed Reulbach (19-4, 1.65) and Carl Lundgren (17-6, 2.21). The team won 116 games, a National League record that still stands, and finished 20 games ahead of the competition. The only thing the Cubs did wrong in 1906, was (somehow) lose the World Series. They were upset by their cross-town rival White Sox in six games in what remains the only all-Chicago World Series ever played.
Undeterred, Chance led the Cubs back to the World Series in 1907, and 1908, both times against Ty Cobb’s Detroit Tigers. The Cubs won both series, and these back to back championships were the only two the franchise won until the next century! The 1908 Cubs were involved in the famous “Merkle’s Boner” incident, in which Fred Merkle, the Giants’ baserunner on first base, failed to touch second after the Giants’ hitter had singled home the winning run from third. Johnny Evers retrieved the ball from the crowd (which had flooded the field) and got an ump to call Merkle out at second. Merkle’s mental lapsus ended up costing the Giants the pennant.
The Cubs won one more pennant for Chance in 1910, and another in 1918 behind new manager Fred Mitchell and twenty game winners Hippo Vaughn and Claude Hendrix. They lost both World Series.
In 1921, Phillip Wrigley of chewing gum fame bought the team from Charles Weeghman. Weeghman had originally owned the Federal League”s Chicago Whales (the Federal League was a third Major League that played in 1914-15). Weeghman built the Whales a handsome ballpark on the north side and called it Weeghman Park. After Wrigley bought the team, he changed the name of the park to Cubs Park in 1920, and then to Wrigley Field in 1926.
The Cubs roared back to the top of the National League in 1929 and began a pattern of winning the pennant every three years (1929-1932-1935-1938), losing all four World Series — though the ’35 Cubs set a still-standing major league record of 21 straight wins. Those teams had their share of great players during this decade, including Hall of Famer Hack Wilson, who, in the prime of his short career, set the then National League home run record (56) and the still-standing record of 191 RBIs in 1930; other Cubs Hall-of-Famers from that period included Rogers Hornsby, Kiki Cuyler, Billy Herman, Gabby Hartnett, Dizzy Dean and Chuck Klein. They also had solid performing veterans like Stan Hack, Ripper Collins, and a young Phil Cavarretta.
The Cubs under Charlie Grimm garnered one more pennant, winning in a war-year (1945) when many teams had lost their best players to military service and the Cubs were lucky enough to lose fewer than most. The Cubs did not fail to disappoint again in the World Series, losing to the Tigers in 7. Nonetheless, ten pennants in the first half of the century was a respectable showing. But the Cubs were about to plunge into an abyss at the beginning of the second half of the century: In a 20-year stretch from 1947 to 1966, they finished last five times and only managed to finish above .500 once.
Under veteran manager Leo Durocher, the Cubs rebounded in the late 1960’s. Ernie Banks had been the heart and soul of the Cubs for the previous decade. He was called Mr. Cub for his loyalty to the franchise and optimistic disposition (“Let’s Play Two!”). His 512 career home runs and two Most Valuable Player Awards helped cement his reputation. Banks was finally surrounded by strong supporting talent including Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert and Randy Hundley. A veteran pitching staff led by Fergie Jenkins, Ken Holtzman, and Bill Hands made the Cubs a contender, but never a winner. The 1969 campaign was the toughest of all for Cubs fans, as the team blew a nine game lead in August to the Miracle Mets.
The Cubs returned to their losing ways until Dallas Green came on board and rode the offensive talents of Ryne Sandberg, Jody Davis, Ron Cey and Gary Matthews to the 1984 National League East title. What put the Cubs over the top that year was the in-season acquisition of pitcher Rick Sutcliffe who won 16 of his 17 decisions. This magical Cubs season ended on a sour note when they lost the NL Championship Series to the Padres in five games after winning the first two. The Cubs first-baseman, Leon Durham, committed an error in the seventh inning of the decisive game that opened the way to the Padres’ victory — almost identical in effect and imagery (a ground ball dribbling through his legs) to the error first-baseman Bill Buckner (a former Cub) was to commit two years later in the tenth inning of Game 6 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets.
In 1988, the Cubs brightened Wrigley Field with the installation of lights and enjoyed some success afterwards with division titles in 1989, and 2003, and a wild card berth in 1998. The ’89 and ’98 teams exited the playoffs quickly, but the 2003 team went down especially hard, with one particular play summing up life as a Cubs player and fan.
The Cubs were leading 3-0 in the eighth inning of the sixth game, just five outs away from a win against the Florida Marlins that would take them to their first World Series in almost sixty years. The Marlins’ Luis Castillo lofted a foul ball down the left field line and a fan named Steve Bartman reached for the ball, deflecting it from the outstretched glove of Cubs left-fielder Moises Alou, and preventing him from registering what would have been the second out of the inning.
The Cubs fans were furious with Bartman, and their anger continued unabated well after Bartman had touched the foul ball. The Cubs ace, Mark Prior, was to give up a walk and a single and shortstop Alex Gonzalez was to boot a double play ball that would have gotten the Cubs out of the inning without allowing a run. Before the Cubs could close out the inning, the Marlins had scored eight runs, won the game and won Game 7 the next night.
For Bartman, a lifelong and loyal Cubs fan, life became a nightmare. A half-century of fan frustration poured out on him like venom. He had to be escorted out of the stadium by security guards and go into seclusion for months.
In desperation, Cubs fans ceremoniously destroyed the Bartman foul ball before the beginning of the following season, hoping it would change the karma of a team that had suffered through a half century of abject misery punctuated by occasional near-miss heartbreaks. No sign yet that it’s worked, though there are some glimmerings. The arrival of Theo Epstein on the scene in 2011 may have begun to pay dividends, as the Cubs, led by Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and a slew of talented rookies, managed to reach the Championship Series again in 2015 — though no further, for they were swept by the Mets in 4 games.
2016 proved to be the year that the Fall Classic drought ended for the Cubs. With key moves at the trade deadline, Chicago was ready to make a championship run, and did so! Third baseman Kris Bryant won the NL MVP in 2016. Not only did the Cubs see individual success, but this was the season where everything came together — again. They won the World Series in seven games against the Cleveland Indians, their first World Series championship in one-hundred eight years!
In a potential repeat year, the Cubs won 92 games in the 2017 regular season. Chicago managed to make it out of the NLDS, and they reached the NLCS for the third consecutive season. The Cubs fell to the Dodgers in 5 games. The Cubs reached the postseason in 2018 and 2020, but failed to advance beyond the Wild Card games.
BASEBALL GREATS
RICHIE ASHBURN
The ultimate singles hitter, Ashburn hit leadoff for 15 years, batting over .300 nine times, winning two batting titles and finishing second three times. He is also the most recent player to hit .300 in his last season; he batted .306 for the expansion Mets and was their only All-Star. He became a Phillies broadcaster in 1963 and after retirement became known as a familiar short and smiling figure who wore an Irish hunting cap.
An All-Star in his first season, Ashburn knew how to get on base, leading the NL in walks four times. He was a model of consistency. He batted 6-for-10 and scored four runs in five All-Star games, and only once did he fail to score at least 84 runs in a season for the Phillies. A spray hitter with little power, 86 percent of his hits were singles. He reached his season high for homers (seven) with the Mets in his last year, playing in the Polo Grounds with its short distances down the lines.
Together with Robin Roberts, Jim Konstanty, Del Ennis, Curt Simmons, and Granny Hamner, he was a core player on the 1950 Philadelphia Whiz Kids, who won the NL pennant on the last day of the season over the Dodgers. On May 20, 1951, he singled eight times in a doubleheader.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
April 25
1950 — Charles Cooper, an All-American from Duquesne playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, becomes the first black to be picked in the NBA draft when he’s taken by the Boston Celtics.
1952 — The Minneapolis Lakers, led by George Mikan’s 22 points, beat the New York Knicks 82-65 to win the NBA title in seven games.
1964 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win their third straight Stanley Cup with a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the seventh game.
1965 — The Boston Celtics score 42 points on a record 21 field goals in the final quarter of Game 5 to post a 129-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers and win their seventh consecutive NBA championship.
1974 — The NFL adopts the 15-minute, sudden-death overtime to avoid ties. The league also moves the goal posts to the back of the end zones.
1985 — For 2nd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points in a Cup game (3 goals, 4 assists).
1989 — Mario Lemieux ties NHL playoff records with four first-period goals, five overall and eight points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia 10-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the Patrick Division finals.
1993 — Micheal Williams sets an NBA record for consecutive free throws with 84. He makes 10 straight as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Utah 113-111. Calvin Murphy held the previous mark of 78 for Houston in 1981.
1993 — Pittsburgh’s NHL-record 14-game playoff winning streak and its overall 21-game unbeaten string are snapped as the New Jersey Devils beat the Penguins 4-1.
1993 — NFL Draft: Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe first pick by New England Patriots.
1995 — Major league baseball returns after a 257-day players’ strike as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 8-7.
1997 — Phoenix’s Rex Chapman makes a playoff-record nine 3-pointers en route to career-high 42 points in a 106-101 win at Seattle. Chapman broke the old playoff mark of eight treys set by Dan Majerle of Phoenix against Seattle on June 1, 1993.
1997 — Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 250th HR.
2000 — The San Jose Sharks, the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed, eliminate the NHL’s regular-season champions, the St. Louis Blues, with a 3-1 victory in Game 7. The Blues are the second NHL regular-season champion to get knocked out in the first round, joining the 1991 Chicago Blackhawks.
2006 — Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams is suspended for the 2006 season by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for the fourth time.
2009 — San Antonio’s Tony Parker matches George Gervin’s franchise playoff record for points in a half, scoring 31 by halftime of the Spurs’ 99-90 loss to Dallas in Game 4 of their series. Parker makes 12 of 17 shots, including two 3-pointers, to help the Spurs take a 55-51 halftime lead. Parker finishes with 43 points.
2009 — NFL Draft: Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford first pick by Detroit Lions.
2010 — Dwyane Wade sets franchise playoff records with 46 points, 30 in the second half, and Miami staves off elimination by beating Boston 101-92 in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.
2013 — Miami’s Ray Allen scores 23 points and breaks the NBA career playoff record for 3-pointers, and the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-91 for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series. Allen’s five 3-pointers against the Bucks gives him 322 for his career, two more than Reggie Miller.
2013 — NFL Draft: Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher first pick by Kansas City Chiefs.
2014 — In a historic vote, Northwestern University football players casts secret ballots on whether to form the nation’s first union for college athletes — a decision that could change the landscape of American amateur sports.
2015 — Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko easily outpoints a game-but-outclassed Bryant Jennings in the champion’s first fight in the United States in seven years, defending his heavyweight titles with a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in New York.
2017 — In a swift response to increasing debates over television reviews, golf’s ruling bodies issue a new decision on the Rules of Golf that limits the use of video evidence and could spare players from being penalized even if they violated a rule. The decision issued — and effective immediately on all tours around the world — has two standards. Players can avoid a penalty if the violation could not be noticed with the naked eye. Rules officials also can eliminate penalties if they feel players made a “reasonable judgment” in taking a drop or replacing their golf balls on the putting green.
2017 — Trea Turner hits for the cycle and drives in a career-high seven runs, helping Washington to a 15-12 win over Colorado.
2019 — NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray #1 pick by Arizona Cardinals.
TV SPORTS THURSDAY
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
5:30 a.m.
FS2 — AFL: Brisbane at Greater Western Sydney
COLLEGE BASEBALL
7 p.m.
ACCN — Virginia vs. Boston College, Boston
7:30 p.m.
ESPNU — Alabama at Mississippi
SECN — Missouri at Tennessee
COLLEGE BEACH VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
11:30 a.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Match 7, Tempe, Ariz.
1:15 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Match 8, Tempe, Ariz.
3 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Match 9, Tempe, Ariz.
4:45 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Match 10, Tempe, Ariz.
6:30 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Match 11, Tempe, Ariz.
8:15 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Match 12, Tempe, Ariz.
GOLF
3:30 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans, First Round, TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La.
6:30 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The JM Eagle LA Championship, First Round, Wilshire Country Club, Los Angeles
11 p.m.
GOLF — DP World Tour: The ISPS Handa Championship, Second Round, Taiheiyo Club Minori Course, Omitama, Japan
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
IIHF HOCKEY (MEN’S)
7 a.m.
NHLN — IIHF U-18 World Championship Group Stage: U.S. vs. Slovakia, Group A, Espoo, Finland
Noon
NHLN — IIHF U-18 World Championship Group Stage: Sweden vs. Canada, Group B, Vantaa, Finland
MLB BASEBALL
1 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Boston at Cleveland OR Philadelphia at Cincinnati
4 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: LA Dodgers at Washington OR San Diego at Colorado (3:10 p.m.)
7 p.m.
NBA BASKETBALL
7 p.m.
NBATV — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: Cleveland at Orlando, Game 3
7:30 p.m.
TNT — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: New York at Philadelphia, Game 3
TRUTV — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: New York at Philadelphia, Game 3 (BetCast)
10 p.m.
TNT — Western Conference First Round Playoff: Denver at LA Lakers, Game 3
TRUTV — Western Conference First Round Playoff: Denver at LA Lakers, Game 3 (BetCast)
NFL FOOTBALL
8 p.m.
ABC — 2024 NFL Draft: Round 1, Detroit
ESPN — 2024 NFL Draft: Round 1, Detroit
NFLN — 2024 NFL Draft: Round 1, Detroit
NHL HOCKEY
7 p.m.
TBS — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: Florida at Tampa Bay, Game 3
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: Carolina at NY Islanders, Game 3
RUGBY (MEN’S)
5:55 a.m. (Friday)
FS2 — NRL: Parramatta at Manly-Warringah
SOCCER (MEN’S)
3 p.m.
USA — Premier League: Manchester City at Brighton & Hove Albion
TENNIS
5 a.m.
TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
6 a.m.
TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
5 a.m. (Friday)
TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
6 a.m. (Friday) TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds