“THE SCOREBOARD”
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
CENTRAL INDIANA BOYS LAX SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
CENTRAL INDIANA GIRLS LAX SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TV SCHEDULE/RESULTS
MONDAY, APRIL 7 (NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN SAN ANTONIO)
8:50 P.M. ON CBS
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCONN 82 SOUTH CAROLINA 59
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
VIRGINIA TECH 11 NOTRE DAME 5
XAVIER 14 BUTLER 1
INDIANA 6 MICHIGAN STATE 4
WASHINGTON 5 PURDUE 3
BALL STATE 9 EASTERN MICHIGAN 5
BELMONT 10 INDIANA STATE 8
VALPO 3 ILLINOIS STATE 2
ILLINOIS CHICAGO 7 EVANSVILLE 5
SOUTHERN INDIANA 9 MOREHEAD STATE 5
SOUTHERN INDIANA 14 MOREHEAD STATE 6
INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
PITTSBURGH 5 NOTRE DAME 1
UCONN 5 BUTLER 3
MINNESOTA 11 PURDUE 8
INDIANA 20 MARYLAND 10
BELMONT 10 EVANSVILLE 8
BRADLEY 4 VALPO 3
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 10 INDIANA STATE 2
SIU EDWARDSVILLE AT SOUTHERN INDIANA CANCELLED
COLLEGE HOCKEY PLAYOFFS
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA MEN’S LAX SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA WOMEN’S LAX SCORES
UC DAVIS 12 BUTLER 6
NBA SCOREBOARD
CHICAGO 131 CHARLOTTE 117
LA LAKERS 126 OKLAHOMA CITY 99
TORONTO 120 BROOKLYN 109
PORTLAND 120 SAN ANTONIO 109
ATLANTA 147 UTAH 134
SACRAMENTO 120 CLEVELAND 113
BOSTON 124 WASHINGTON 90
NEW YORK 112 PHOENIX 98
INDIANA 125 DENVER 120
HOUSTON 106 GOLDEN STATE 96
MILWAUKEE 111 NEW ORLEANS 107
NHL SCOREBOARD
NY ISLANDERS 4 WASHINGTON 1
MINNESOTA 3 DALLAS 2 OT
OTTAWA 4 COLUMBUS 0
DETROIT 2 FLORIDA 1
BUFFALO 6 BOSTON 3
CHICAGO 3 PITTSBURGH 1
MONTRÉAL 2 NASHVILLE 1
VEGAS 3 VANCOUVER 2
MLB SCOREBOARD
PHILADELPHIA 8 LOS ANGELES DODGERS 7
PITTSBURGH 5 NY YANKEES 4 (11)
WASHINGTON 5 ARIZONA 4
BOSTON 5 ST. LOUIS 4 (10)
DETROIT 4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3
NY METS 2 TORONTO 1
KANSAS CITY 4 BALTIMORE 1
MILWAUKEE 8 CINCINNATI 2
HOUSTON 9 MINNESOTA 7 (10)
SAN DIEGO 8 CHICAGO CUBS 7
TEXAS 4 TAMPA BAY 3
COLORADO 12 LAS VEGAS 5
SAN FRANCISCO 5 SEATTLE 4
LA ANGELS 6 CLEVELAND 2
BOSTON 18 ST. LOUIS 7
MIAMI AT ATLANTA POSTPONED
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
INDIANAPOLIS 5 IOWA 4
IOWA 4 INDIANAPOLIS 1
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SCOREBOARD
MINNESOTA 2 NEW YORK CITY 1
SAN JOSE 6 DC UNITED 1
MIAMI 1 TORONTO 1
UFL SCOREBOARD
ARLINGTON 11 HOUSTON 9
ST. LOUIS 26 SAN ANTONIO 9
WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCONN ROUTS SOUTH CAROLINA TO CAPTURE 12TH NATIONAL TITLE
Before his UConn women’s basketball program claimed its 12th national championship, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma ran through a scenario.
“Today I was thinking, ‘Man, what am I going to say if things don’t go our way?’” Auriemma said. “How can you describe the emotions that you would feel if it went the wrong way for us when there’s so much riding on this game for a lot of people at UConn, and mostly for Paige (Bueckers)?”
Luckily for Auriemma, he did not have to answer his hypothetical questions. Bueckers, a three-time unanimous first-team All-American, scored 17 points to cap an illustrious college career with a national championship.
Behind 24-point efforts from both Azzi Fudd and freshman Sarah Strong, UConn (37-3) routed South Carolina 82-59 in Sunday’s NCAA Tournament national championship game in Tampa, Fla.
“To be the person that I am today and the team we are today, you feel like on the other side of a hard time is a blessing,” Bueckers said while wearing one of the nets cut down in the postgame celebration. “… Very validating to all the hard work we put in as individuals and as a team, and how we stuck together.”
The Huskies delivered a dominant all-around performance, trailing for only a little more than three minutes early before building a 10-point lead by halftime. With Fudd leading the charge after intermission, scoring eight of UConn’s first 10 points out of the break, the Huskies doubled their advantage by the end of the third quarter.
“At that point, you realize you’re not going to win the game,” South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards said. “But you just keep fighting. That’s all you can do. You don’t go down without a fight.”
The Gamecocks (35-4), coming into Sunday’s title round looking to become the first repeat national champions since UConn won four straight from 2013-2016, put up a fight but could not match UConn’s haymakers.
South Carolina shot just 21-of-61 (34.4 percent) from the field. No Gamecock scorer reached double figures until Tessa Johnson’s 3-pointer with 3:40 remaining in regulation gave her 10 points. Edwards added another 10 points.
South Carolina still had a puncher’s chance until UConn landed a devastating combo at the 3:09 mark of the third quarter. First, Strong penetrated from the top of the key and, upon drawing over a defender, dumped a no-look pass to Fudd in the corner.
Fudd’s 3-pointer was just the second made attempt from deep for the Huskies, who started 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Their third made 3-pointer came just 31 seconds later when KK Arnold found Strong with space at the top of the key.
Fudd shot 9-of-17 from the floor on Sunday. Strong shot 10-of-15 to go with 15 rebounds.
Bueckers ending her career with a championship, and snapping UConn’s nine-year drought between titles, loomed as the primary storyline of the Huskies’ postseason. Another subplot that reached a climax on Sunday was Fudd — limited to 17 combined games the previous two seasons with injuries — emerging as the Most Outstanding Player in UConn’s return to the pinnacle of the sport.
“Last year, being out (with a torn ACL), I really got a chance to sit back and look around and just see the attention that we had and just the impact that all of us, my teammates, had on little girls. It was just incredible,” Fudd said. “To see that grow — it was there my freshman year (2021-22), but it’s definitely grown a lot since then.”
Fudd and Strong joined Bueckers to become the first trio of teammates to all score 100-plus points in the same NCAA Tournament since 2009 when UConn’s Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery accomplished the feat.
Strong’s 114 points are the most by a freshman in the NCAA Tournament. Bueckers scored 149 points in UConn’s six wins.
“This was one of the most emotional Final Fours and emotional national championships I’ve been a part of since that very first one,” Auriemma said. His first championship came 30 years ago in 1995, and with Sunday’s win, he has coached a title-winning team in each of the last four decades.
With Sunday’s win, UConn stands alone as the only men’s or women’s basketball program with 12 national titles, all under Auriemma. The Huskies were tied at 11 with the UCLA men’s program.
The loss marked the first for a South Carolina team in the national championship game in four tries.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
DUKE STAR COOPER FLAGG WINS NAISMITH TROPHY
Duke star Cooper Flagg won his second major award in two days when he received the Naismith Trophy as the national player of the year on Sunday.
One day earlier, Flagg won the Wooden Award.
Flagg became just the fourth freshman to win the Naismith Trophy, which is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The others are Texas’ Kevin Durant (2007), Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Duke’s Zion Williamson (2019).
The same quartet are the only freshmen to win the Wooden Award.
Flagg’s latest award was announced in San Antonio, one day after the Blue Devils lost 70-67 to Houston in the Final Four.
“This is an incredible honor and I am truly grateful for the recognition,” Flagg said. “This whole year, this (NCAA) tournament, has gone by so fast. It’s been a blur and an incredible year. I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates, Coach (Jon) Scheyer, the rest of the staff and everyone who had me ready to go every single night. They believed in me and let me be me out there on the court.”
Flagg emerged as the favorite for the award over the second half of the season. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games.
The other finalists were Auburn’s Johni Broome, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. and Purdue’s Braden Smith.
Among Flagg’s other accolades are being named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as well as being a consensus first-team All-American.
Flagg is expected to be the No. 1 choice in the NBA draft if he chooses to enter his name.
Rick Pitino was named the Werner Ladder Coach of the Year award after leading St. John’s to a 31-5 record in his second season at the school.
The 31 wins matched the school mark reached twice in the mid-1980s.
The Red Storm received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before exiting in the second round with a loss to Arkansas. The first-round victory over Omaha was the school’s first NCAA tourney win since 2000.
“I’m truly honored to be the recipient of the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award, especially with the incredible coaching of the other finalists this past season,” the 72-year-old Pitino said. “I want to thank my players and coaches for making this possible after a historic season for St. John’s Basketball. I am also grateful to the Atlanta Tipoff Club and the Naismith Awards selection committee for this prestigious honor.”
The other finalists were Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson and Scheyer.
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner won Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honors. The senior blocked 93 shots this season while winning Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors for the fourth straight season.
Kalkbrenner also averaged 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds and shot 65.3 percent from the field this season.
“It is a huge honor to be named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and I am most appreciative to my teammates, coaches and the Atlanta Tipoff Club for recognizing our success,” Kalkbrenner said.
Houston’s Joseph Tugler and two Tennessee players — Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler — were the other finalists.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: PACERS OVERCOME MONSTER GAME BY NIKOLA JOKIC
Myles Turner had 24 points, Obi Toppin added 22 and the Indiana Pacers withstood another massive Nikola Jokic triple-double to beat the host Denver Nuggets 125-120 on Sunday.
Andrew Nembhard had 19 points and six assists for the Pacers, who picked up their fourth straight win to stay in the top four of the Eastern Conference. Aaron Nesmith contributed 17 points and six rebounds.
Jokic totaled 41 points, 15 boards and 13 assists for Denver, his third triple-double in five games and 32nd of the season. Christian Braun scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half for the Nuggets, who lost their fourth straight.
Indiana built an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter before Denver whittled it to 122-120 with 43.1 seconds left. The Pacers, though, forced a turnover with 15.1 seconds to go and hit their free throws down the stretch to record the win.
Rockets 106, Warriors 96
Dillon Brooks went for a game-high 24 points, Amen Thompson spearheaded a suffocating defense that held Stephen Curry to three points, and Houston neared clinching the No. 2 seed in the West by beating Golden State in San Francisco.
Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Northern California native Jalen Green poured in 21 points for the Rockets, who can finish no worse than tied for second in the conference.
The Warriors, meanwhile, saw a five-game winning streak come to an end. They fell into a four-way tie for fifth place in the West, a half-game behind the fourth-place Denver Nuggets with four games remaining. Buddy Hield paced Golden State with 20 points.
Bulls 131, Hornets 117
Coby White was 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range en route to 37 points as Chicago picked up its third straight win with a road victory over Charlotte.
White finished 12-for-16 from the field while Josh Giddey chipped in with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 11 boards for the Bulls.
Mark Williams totaled 22 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who dropped their eighth game in their last nine. KJ Simpson had 18 points and seven assists for Charlotte, and Jusuf Nurkic came off the bench for 18 points.
Raptors 120, Nets 109
Jonathan Mogbo led eight Toronto players in double figures by tying a career-high 17 points to go with 11 rebounds and seven assists in beating host Brooklyn for its fifth win in eight games.
Ochai Agabji had 15 points for Toronto, RJ Barrett and AJ Lawson added 13 apiece, while Cole Swider and Jamison Battle finished with 12 each.
Reece Beekman finished with 14 points to lead the Nets, who dropped their 19th in 24 games, while Trendon Watford, Drew Timme, Keon Johnson, Dariq Whitehead and Maxwell Lewis all finished with 13 points.
Lakers 126, Thunder 99
Luka Doncic scored 30 points to lead Los Angeles to a road win over Oklahoma City.
The Lakers finished with a season-high 22 3-pointers on 40 attempts (55 percent). Austin Reaves had 20 points; he and Doncic were two of four Los Angeles players with four or more 3-pointers.
The Thunder have dropped back-to-back games for the second time this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points, extending his streak of scoring 20 or more points to 71 games.
Hawks 147, Jazz 134
Onyeka Okongwu posted 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead Atlanta over visiting Utah and end a three-game losing streak.
Trae Young added 23 points and 15 assists for the Hawks, while Caris LeVert chipped in with 21 points. Atlanta led by 17 at the half.
Keyonte George netted a career-high 35 points off the bench for the Jazz, and Collin Sexton finished with 27 points and six assists.
Celtics 124, Wizards 90
Payton Pritchard, who finished with 20 points, helped Boston add to its record-setting total of made 3-pointers in the home win over Washington.
Derrick White had 19 points for Boston, which was 24-of-52 shooting from long range two days after setting the league’s single-season mark for made 3-pointers in a season. Sam Hauser added 18 points off the bench, and Jaylen Brown scored 15.
Alex Sarr tallied 16 points to lead Washington, while Justin Champagnie chipped in with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Trail Blazers 120, Spurs 109
Toumani Camara poured in 23 points and took 10 rebounds as host Portland did just enough to beat San Antonio.
However, both the Blazers and Spurs were officially eliminated from playoff contention following the Sacramento Kings’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists for Portland. Stephon Castle led San Antonio with 22 points, and Devin Vassell scored 21.
Knicks 112, Suns 98
OG Anunoby continued the surge he began during Jalen Brunson’s absence, and Brunson returned to New York’s lineup by scoring 32 points in a win over visiting Phoenix.
Anunoby is averaging 23.8 points per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field — including 41.8 percent on 3-pointers — over the last 16 games. Brunson finished with 15 points and six assists in his first game since March 6.
Devin Booker scored 40 points for the skidding Suns, whose play-in hopes dimmed further with their sixth straight loss. Phoenix is 2 1/2 games behind the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks.
Bucks 111, Pelicans 107
Playing without a resting Giannis Antetokoumpo, Milwaukee rode 29 points from Gary Trent Jr. and double-doubles from Brook Lopez and Ryan Rollins to a road win against New Orleans.
Lopez totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds to go with four blocks for the Bucks, while Rollins finished with 14 points and 10 assists. Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 points and Kyle Kuzma scored 17 for Milwaukee, which won its fourth straight.
Antonio Reeves paced the Pelicans with 23 points and Yves Missi chipped in with 18 points and 12 boards. Lester Quinones scored 17 points and Bruce Brown had 16 for New Orleans, which lost its third straight.
Kings 120, Cavaliers 113
Zach LaVine made seven 3-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter, to finish with a game-high 37 points as visiting Sacramento pushed past Cleveland.
The win sent the Kings to the ninth seed in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Mavericks, and also denied the Cavaliers the opportunity to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Sacramento won both games over the Cavaliers this season.
DeMar DeRozan had 28 points and seven assists for the Kings, while Domantas Sabonis added 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Ty Jerome paced Cleveland with 20 points off the bench, and Donovan Mitchell had 19 points, six boards and six assists.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: PIRATES WALK OFF YANKEES AFTER BLOWING LEAD
After watching their three-run lead evaporate in the top of the ninth inning, the Pittsburgh Pirates salvaged a walk-off win in the 11th as Tommy Pham delivered a run-scoring single to give the hosts a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday.
In the top of the ninth and trailing 4-1, New York plated three two-out runs, including one on an Oswald Peraza double and two on a Trent Grisham single. In the 11th inning, however, automatic runner Jack Suwinski stole third with one out to set up Pham’s game-winner.
Bryan Reynolds doubled and drove in two runs for Pittsburgh, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa added a double and an RBI.
Grisham finished with two hits for the Yankees but missed a chance to put New York on top with runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the 11th, flying out to left field instead. Jazz Chisolm Jr. had a double and drove in a run for the Yanks.
Phillies 8, Dodgers 7
Nick Castellanos belted a grand slam that helped Philadephia record its second home win over Los Angeles in three games.
The veteran right fielder blasted his eighth career grand slam in the third inning, capping a six-run frame for the Phillies that turned a two-run deficit into a 6-2 lead. Bryce Harper had two hits, including a double, and an RBI for Philly, while Edmundo Sosa added two hits and drove in a run.
Teoscar Hernandez went 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBIs to pace the Dodgers, who have lost two of three since winning eight straight to open the season. Mookie Betts and Will Smith both doubled and singled with an RBI.
Tigers 4, White Sox 3
Spencer Torkelson’s two-run double in the ninth completed a three-run rally as host Detroit topped Chicago.
Javier Baez had three hits and drove in a run for the Tigers, who swept the three-game weekend series. Detroit’s Jackson Jobe gave up three runs (two earned) and four hits while striking out four in five innings.
Martin Perez gave up one run and four hits while striking out four in 6 1/3 innings for the White Sox, who have lost five straight. Andrew Benintendi departed in the fifth inning due to left adductor tightness.
Nationals 5, Diamondbacks 4
Paul DeJong doubled twice and drove in a run, Alex Call had two hits and an RBI and Washington held off a comeback attempt by visiting Arizona to pick up its second straight win.
Dylan Crews also had two hits for the Nationals, while Nathaniel Lowe doubled and drove in a run. The early offensive output was enough for Trevor Williams, who struck out six and allowed three runs in five innings, to earn his first win of the season.
Corbin Carroll paced the Diamondbacks with three hits, including a double and triple. Pavin Smith added two hits and an RBI and Jose Herrera had a home run as part of a two-hit day.
Mets 2, Blue Jays 1
David Peterson held Toronto to just one run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings and four relievers limited the Blue Jays to just one hit after that as New York completed a three-game home sweep.
Pete Alonso drove in a run as part of his two-hit day and Brandon Nimmo added an RBI single for the Mets, who won their fourth straight. Juan Soto added a double for New York.
Alejandro Kirk had two hits for Toronto, while Andres Gimenez drove in the lone run after the Jays fell behind 2-0. The Mets recorded the franchise’s first series sweep of Toronto since July 2001.
Brewers 8, Reds 2
Jackson Chourio had two home runs and drove in a career-high-tying five runs as Milwaukee raced away with a home win over Cincinnati.
Chad Patrick picked up his first win in just his second MLB start after limiting the Reds to just one run on two hits in 5 1/3 innings. Brice Turang singled and doubled for the Brewers while both Christian Yelich and Oliver Dunn had a single and an RBI.
Spencer Steer smacked his first home run of the season for Cincinnati, Jake Fraley doubled and TJ Friedl drove in a run.
Padres 8, Cubs 7
Jackson Merrill homered in the fourth that started a rally for San Diego, which scored five unanswered to avoid a road sweep in Chicago.
Luis Arraez went 4-for-5 with an RBI for the Padres, Merrill finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets all added two hits and an RBI.
Kyle Tucker belted a two-run homer in the second inning — his second hit and second and third RBIs — to put the Cubs up 7-3 before San Diego rallied. Nico Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Rockies 12, Athletics 5
Despite giving up two first-run innings, Chase Dollander held on for his first major-league win after striking out six Athletics in five innings in Denver, Colo.
The Rockies evened the score 2-2 in the first and added three runs in the second as well as one each in the third and fourth innings to provide insurance. Colorado then plated five in the eighth to secure the win.
Ezequiel Tovar went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs for the Rockies, Brenton Doyle was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, including a home run, and Kris Bryant added two hits and drove in a run. Both Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom homered as part of two-hit days for the Athletics.
Giants 5, Mariners 4
Wilmer Flores delivered a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning to give host San Francisco the win over Seattle and earn the team’s seventh straight victory.
After falling behind by two when the Giants posted a four-run fourth inning, the Mariners battled back with a Ryan Bliss RBI in the sixth and a Randy Arozarena run-scoring double in the ninth.
Jung Hoo Lee doubled and singled for San Francisco and Mike Yastrzemski blasted a three-run homer. Cal Raleigh was 3-for-4 for Seattle, including a solo home run, and Victor Robles had two hits before exiting with a left arm injury in the ninth inning.
Royals 4, Orioles 1
Kris Bubic allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings to help host Kansas City win against Baltimore in the rubber match of their three-game series.
Bubic surrendered five hits, struck out eight and walked one. Bobby Witt Jr. singled, doubled and tripled. Salvador Perez, Mark Canha and Maikel Garcia each had two hits and a run scored, while Michael Massey drove in two runs for the Royals.
Baltimore starter Cade Povich allowed four runs and 13 hits over six innings. The left-hander struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Astros 9, Twins 7
Jose Altuve delivered a go-ahead single in the top of the 10th inning as visiting Houston rallied for a win over Minnesota.
Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs for the Astros, who stormed back from a 7-1 deficit and scored the final eight runs of the game. Isaac Paredes went 4-for-6 with a pair of RBIs.
Twins right-hander Louis Varland took the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) in one inning of relief. He was one of seven relief pitchers to follow starter Chris Paddack, who allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in four innings.
Rangers 4, Rays 3
Jonah Heim hit a walk-off single to center to score Josh Smith as Texas completed a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay in Arlington, Texas.
Corey Seager hit his first home run of the year for the Rangers, who have won eight of 10 to start the year. Edwin Uceta sat down the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth before Smith hit a double to left. Two pitches later, Heim followed with his game-winner.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen went five innings, allowing a run on three hits and fanning four batters. Kameron Misner added an RBI single early on for the Rays, who have dropped four in a row.
Angels 6, Guardians 2
Logan O’Hoppe made franchise history by homering in his fourth straight game and Jorge Soler hit a tie-breaking solo home run in the sixth inning to lead Los Angeles to a win over Cleveland in Anaheim, Calif.
With a second-inning solo shot, O’Hoppe, who also singled, became the first Angels catcher to homer in four consecutive contests. He’s batting .345 with five home runs and nine RBIs in seven games for Los Angeles, which has won two straight to win its third consecutive series to open 2025.
Kyle Manzardo homered for one of Cleveland’s three hits. Ortiz allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings for the Guardians, who went 3-6 while opening the season on the road.
Red Sox 5, Cardinals 4 (Game 1)
Wilyer Abreu hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to lift Boston to a come-from-behind win over visiting St. Louis in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader.
The Red Sox forced extras after drawing four walks, including one to Rafael Devers with the bases loaded to drive in the game-tying run against Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley in the ninth. Romy Gonzalez, who went 2-for-2 off the bench, also had an RBI double during the inning.
For the Cardinals, Pedro Pages had two doubles and three RBIs. Ryan Fernandez (0-1) took the loss.
Red Sox 18, Cardinals 7 (Game 2)
Alex Bregman went 4-for-5 with a homer and six RBIs as Boston routed visiting St. Louis to complete a three-game sweep.
Rafael Devers went 4-for-4 with four runs and three RBIs for the Red Sox. Boston starter Hunter Dobbins held the Cardinals to two runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings to win his major league debut.
St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings. Thomas Saggese had a homer and four RBIs.
REPORTS: VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR., JAYS AGREE TO $500 MILLION EXTENSION
The Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have agreed to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension, multiple media outlets reported Sunday.
The deal reportedly includes no deferred money, making it the second-highest contract in present value in the majors, surpassed only by Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million deal which was reached in December.
Guerrero, a four-time All-Star and the MVP runner-up in 2021, was set to become a free agent at the end of the season. By locking him up now, Toronto avoids the risk of getting into a massive bidding war on the open market.
For his career, the 26-year-old has 160 home runs, 511 RBIs, and a .287 batting average in 829 games. Last season, he hit 30 home runs and drove in 103 RBIs with a .323/.396/.544 batting line.
In 10 games this season, Guerrero is hitting .256 with no home runs four RBIs.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: CAPS’ ALEXANDER OVECHKIN TOPS GRETZKY’S GOALS MARK
Despite Alexander Ovechkin scoring career goal No. 895 to surpass Wayne Gretzky and become the all-time goals leader in NHL history, the New York Islanders came away with the 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday in Elmont, N.Y.
Marc Gatcomb collected the first two-goal game of his career while Bo Horvat and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored for the Islanders, who won their second straight game.
Goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped 28 of 29 shots — all but Ovechkin’s — for New York, which sits five points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
With the Islanders’ Casey Cizikas off for tripping seven minutes into the second period, Ovechkin, skating up along the left side of the ice, took a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson and fired a wrist shot from the faceoff circle that sailed past Sorokin’s blocker.
Wild 3, Stars 2 (OT)
Marco Rossi’s power-play goal 58 seconds into overtime gave Minnesota a come-from-behind win over Dallas in Saint Paul, Minn.
Matthew Boldy had a goal and two assists, Rossi added an assist and Marcus Foligno also scored for the Wild, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots.
Jason Robertson and defenseman Thomas Harley produced the goals for the Stars, who lost their second in a row following a seven-game winning streak. Jake Oettinger made 38 saves in the loss.
Red Wings 2, Panthers 1
Cam Talbot made 32 saves to lead Detroit past visiting Florida, handing the Panthers their fifth straight loss.
The Red Wings won for the third time in four games and stayed in the hunt for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, sitting six points behind Montreal.
Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher scored for the Red Wings, who have won both regular-season meetings so far against the Panthers with one more to go on Thursday.
Senators 4, Blue Jackets 0
Linus Ullmark made 30 saves in his fourth shutout of the season and 12th of his career to help Ottawa beat visiting Columbus.
Nikolas Matinpalo scored his first NHL goal while Adam Gaudette, David Perron and Shane Pinto also scored for the Senators, who have won three in a row and lead the league with 10 shutouts.
Daniil Tarasov gave up two goals in the first 4:26 before he was replaced by Elvis Merzlikins, who finished with 22 saves for Columbus, which has lost three in a row.
Blackhawks 3, Penguins 1
Ilya Mikheyev scored two goals and Frank Nazar also scored to back a 28-save effort from Spencer Knight as host Chicago defeated Pittsburgh to stop a five-game losing streak.
Chicago navigated a late charge from the Penguins, who tallied their lone goal when Rickard Rakell scored on the power play with 5:24 remaining.
Pittsburgh was eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race with the loss. With the Montreal Canadiens winning later Sunday, the Penguins now trail the Canadiens by 11 points for the final wild-card spot in the East with four games remaining.
Sabres 6, Bruins 3
Tage Thompson netted his eighth hat trick as Buffalo rallied from an early two-goal deficit to log a home win over Boston.
Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie scored in the first period to give the Bruins an early lead before the Sabres scored the final four goals of the game to pick up their fourth straight victory.
Rasmus Dahlin notched the equalizer late in the second period before Zucker put in the go-ahead goal less than two minutes into the third. Thompson scored twice after that, including an empty-netter, to push Buffalo across the finish line.
Canadiens 2, Predators 1
Montreal strengthened its hold on the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot with a win over host Nashville, which is 0-6-0 in its last six.
Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine scored second-period goals to lead the Canadiens to their fifth consecutive victory and stretch their lead over the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings to six points.
Montreal has five games remaining in the regular season and the pursuers have six contests on the docket. Steven Stamkos opened the game’s scoring for the Predators.
AUTO RACING NEWS
DENNY HAMLIN PREVAILS AT DARLINGTON FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN
Denny Hamlin won the race off pit road, roared away on a two-lap overtime shootout and found checkers for the second straight race, claiming the NASCAR Cup Series’ Goodyear 400 Sunday at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C.
Following pit service after Kyle Larson wrecked with four laps to go, Hamlin’s crew turned in a 9.4-second pit stop to lock in the top spot in the green-white-checker run.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota quickly moved away and saw the lead grow as William Byron, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick ran three-wide for second while Hamlin came to the white flag.
Posting his 56th career win and fifth at Darlington, Hamlin beat Byron by 0.597 seconds while leading just 10 laps.
Byron dominated by leading the first 243 laps but was shuffled back to third with 50 to go after pitting four laps later than Bell and Reddick, who were third and fourth respectively.
Fifth-place finisher Ryan Blaney appeared headed to victory in the final laps until Larson’s crash with four to go.
On Lap 4, Larson lost control of his No. 5 Chevrolet off Turn 2 all by himself and smacked the inside wall, getting significant damage on the race’s first caution.
Byron’s Chevrolet set a hot pace as the field behind him fought the difficult track. With eight laps to go in the segment while Byron was lapping Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet off Turn 4, Riley Herbst’s No. 35 Toyota turned Hocevar, who had brought out the second caution on Lap 24, to force the third yellow session.
In a two-lap sprint to finish Stage 1, Byron held off Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece to snare the maximum bonus points, become the first driver since stage-racing’s inception to lead every lap in a segment at Darlington.
Byron continued his dominance and was again the best car in Stage 2, as he beat Joey Logano and Hamlin in the 100-circuit segment.
Reddick pitted four laps ahead of Byron with 50 to go to swipe the lead from him on fresher tires, but Blaney erased Reddick’s six-second lead with four laps to go before Larson’s late mishap.
GOLF NEWS
MADELENE SAGSTROM OUTLASTS LAUREN COUGHLIN, WINS MATCH PLAY TITLE
Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden went the distance Sunday, finishing off her quarterfinal match before prevailing in the semifinals and defeating Lauren Coughlin 1 up in the finals of the T-Mobile Match Play in North Las Vegas, Nev.
All told, Sagstrom played 36 holes at Shadow Creek Golf Course on Sunday against three different opponents to collect her second LPGA Tour victory and her first since January 2020.
“I’m exhausted and I bet Lauren is exhausted,” Sagstrom said. “I’m so tired and I think it really kind of hit my swing there in the middle. I said to (caddie Shane Codd), ‘I can do this. I just need to find some sort of feeling it hit some good golf shots again.’”
Sagstrom’s quarterfinal match against France’s Celine Boutier was suspended due to darkness Saturday with the pair tied through 17 holes. They went to a 19th hole, where Sagstrom converted a birdie to put Boutier away.
The 46th-seeded Sagstrom then beat No. 10 seed Angel Yin 4 and 2 to set up a showdown with No. 13 seed Coughlin, who edged 32nd seed Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand 1 up in the semis.
Sagstrom won four of her first six holes against Coughlin before committing a double-bogey 7 at No. 7. Coughlin won that hole and added birdies at her next two, wresting away the momentum.
Coughlin went ahead by winning the 11th and 12th holes, where Sagstrom recorded another double and a bogey, respectively. Sagstrom got back in the game by parring the par-3 13th while Coughlin bogeyed.
Sagstrom then went ahead for good at No. 16 when Coughlin carded a double.
“It was kind of sitting up and there was some grass behind it and it just hit like a pillow off my ball, off my club face,” Coughlin said of the shot that did her in at No. 16. “Just kind of unfortunate.
“I thought I hit a really good shot in there. It just caught this slope at the end. I thought I stuffed it, really. I wish I could have that one back a little bit and maybe play a little bit more out to the left than I did.”
Despite her own miscues, Sagstrom has plenty of reason to be confident in her game.
“I feel so comfortable standing over the ball at the moment, and most the times it comes out nice,” Sagstrom said. “It’s just such a nice feeling.”
In the semifinal against Yin, Sagstrom won holes 2-5 and protected the healthy lead the rest of the way. Coughlin trailed Jutanugarn nearly the entire match before winning Nos. 16, 17 and 18 to flip a 2-down deficit into a surprise victory.
All seven of Coughlin’s matches in the five-day tournament went to 18 holes.
MARC LEISHMAN GOES BOGEY-FREE, CAPTURES LIV GOLF MIAMI TITLE
Marc Leishman of Australia came from behind to prevail at LIV Golf Miami on Sunday, finally capturing his first LIV Golf title.
Leishman began the final round three shots off the pace set by Bryson DeChambeau, but a 4-under-par 68 with four birdies and no bogeys vaulted him into first place and also helped his all-Australian team, Ripper GC, claim the team title.
Leishman finished the weekend at 6-under 210, one better than a hard-charging Charl Schwartzel. The South African posted a 66 to finish alone in second.
Leishman was among the early players who left the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed upstart league in 2022, yet the now-41-year-old hadn’t won a LIV event until Sunday.
“Of course you doubt yourself, especially after a week like I had in Singapore,” said Leishman, who tied for 51st in Singapore in the most recent LIV event. “I played terribly. I’ve played well in a lot of LIV events. I’ve had chances to win, haven’t won. You wonder if you’re going to win again.
“It’s been the greatest. I’ve been so happy. I’ve been the happiest person out here.”
Sergio Garcia made things interesting when he birdied the 17th to get to 5 under for the tournament, but the Spaniard put a ball in the water on the par-4 18th and closed with a bogey, placing third at 4 under with a 71.
“I knew he’d birdied 17. I always watch the leaderboards,” Leishman said. “I saw that. I’m like, ‘Wow, I need to birdie this.’ I knew Charl had one to play, so that was a birdie hole today.”
Leishman, in fact, made pars on his last eight holes after making four birdies through the first 10, but that was enough.
Leishman, captain Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones combined to go 5-under-par in the third round to post a winning team score of 4 over, eight shots better than DeChambeau’s Crushers GC in second place.
“It just goes to show the player he is,” Smith said of Leishman. “I think he’s been knocking on the door now for a few years, and whether things haven’t gone his way or he hasn’t had the greatest back nine, it was nice to see him out there in really tough conditions today on probably the toughest golf course we’ve played and get it done.”
Schwartzel, who hadn’t had a top-10 this season before Sunday’s second-place finish, will head to Augusta National next, making the Masters field thanks to his 2011 victory.
“It’s the first time in a long time I said to the guys that I actually feel very optimistic,” Schwartzel said. “I feel quite confident about it. The last few years I’ve either had injuries or the game is not in great shape. If you’re going to win a major, you don’t need any flaws of any sort.
“This year so far, I’ve put in a lot of effort in the off time. Lost over 10 pounds of weight, got fit, started practicing harder, and the biggest thing is I have no injuries. So I’ve been swinging the club freely.”
DeChambeau fell out of contention with a 74 and placed fifth at 2 under.
ANGEL CABRERA WINS HALL OF FAME INVITATIONAL AHEAD OF MASTERS RETURN
Angel Cabrera of Argentina won on the PGA Tour Champions for the first time Sunday, earning a two-shot victory over South Korea’s K.J. Choi at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla.
Cabrera, 55, led wire-to-wire, sharing the first-round lead with four others before pulling ahead by two on Saturday. He shot a 1-under-par 71 on Sunday at the Old Course at Broken Sound, finishing the week 11-under 205.
Cabrera spent time in prison between 2021 and 2023 on charges of assault, including threatening two of his ex-girlfriends.
The former Masters and U.S. Open champion will return to Augusta National this coming week to play in the Masters for the first time since his convictions.
“It’s very emotional after everything that I’ve gone through the last couple years,” Cabrera said after his victory, “so being here to have these chances again and win again for me is very much. And obviously it was a hard battle out there.”
Cabrera was tied with Choi before birdieing the par-4 17th hole to eke in front. Cabrera parred his final hole, while Choi bogeyed.
“Right now, I want to enjoy this,” Cabrera said. “The Masters I’m going to be walking hole by hole, but I want to enjoy this right now.”
South Africa’s Retief Goosen (68) finished third at 8 under at the inaugural event. Thomas Bjorn of Denmark (68) and Joe Durant (69) tied for fourth at 7 under.
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/NEWS RELEASES
INDIANA (TIES) TRANSFER PORTAL UPDATE
Luke Almodovar, So., St. Francis, Ind./NAIA (Noblesville): 20.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.0 apg
Landen Babusiak, R-Fr., Stetson (Hanover Central/Bosco Institute): 1.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg
Reggie Bass, Jr., Lindenwood (Tech): 12.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.7 apg
Flory Bidunga, Fr., Kansas (Kokomo): 5.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg -COMMITTED TO KANSAS
Jalen Blackmon, Sr., Miami, Fla. (Marion): 6.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.4 apg
Vincent Brady II, Jr., Missouri State (Cathedral): 13.5 ppg, 38% on 3s
Jayden Brewer, Jr., FIU (Ben Davis): 14.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.7 apg
Xavier Booker, So., Michigan State (Cathedral): 4.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg — COMMITTED TO UCLA
Kanon Catchings, Fr., BYU (Overtime Elite/Brownsburg): 7.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Myles Colvin, So., Purdue (Heritage Christian): 5.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.5 apg
Tayshawn Comer, Jr., Evansville (Cathedral): 16.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.1 apg
Ryan Conwell, Jr., Xavier (Pike): 16.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.5 apg — COMMITTED TO LOUISVILLE
DaJohn Craig, So., Oregon (Lawrence Central): 1.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.5 apg — COMMITTED TO COASTAL CAROLINA
AJ Dancler, So., Le Moyne (Southport): 15.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.4 apg — COMMITTED TO COASTAL CAROLINA
Koron Davis, Jr., Lafayette (Gary Bowman): 8.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.4 apg
Micah Davis, Fr., Eastern Kentucky (Franklin): 0.8 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.3 apg — COMMITTED TO IU INDY
Tae Davis, Jr., Notre Dame (Warren Central): 15.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.8 apg
Owen Dease, Jr., Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Evansville Reitz): 7.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 apg
Keaton Dukes, Jr., Purdue Fort Wayne (Wawasee): 1.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Jaxon Edwards, Jr., St. Bonaventure (Cathedral): 3.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.5 apg — COMMITTED TO IU INDY
Michael Eley, Jr., Tulane (Veritas Prep – from Fort Wayne): 8.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.8 apg
Gus Etchison, Sr., Marian/NAIA (Hamilton Heights): 19.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, So., Illinois (McCutcheon et al.): 4.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.5 apg
Maximus Gizzi, Sr., Huntington/NAIA (New Palestine): 10.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.7 apg
Landin Hacker, Jr., Bellarmine (Center Grove): 5.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.9 apg
Cameron Haffner, Jr., Evansville (Westfield): 12.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 apg — COMMITTED TO WESTERN KENTUCKY
Brit Harris, Jr., SC Upstate (Michigan City Marquette/Bosco Institute): 11.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.7 apg
Nick Hittle, Sr., Southern Indiana (Culver Academy): 4.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.5 apg
Curt Hopf, Jr., Bellarmine (Barr-Reeve): 4.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 apg
Drew Kegerreis, Fr., IU Indy (Roncalli): Redshirted this past season.
J.R. Konieczny, Jr., Notre Dame (South Bend St. Joseph): 4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.8 apg
Jalen Jackson, Jr., Purdue Fort Wayne (FW Northrop): 19.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg — COMMITTED TO BUTLER
Shilo Jackson, Jr., Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (North Central): 5.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.4 apg
Kamari Jones, Fr., Western Carolina (Lawrence Central): 3.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.3 apg
RaSheed Jones, So., Coastal Carolina (Marion): 11.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg
Jeffrey ‘JT’ Langston Jr., Fr., Southern Utah (San Gabriel Academy – from Fort Wayne): 6.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.6 apg
Jordan Lomax, Fr., Purdue Fort Wayne (Brownsburg): N/A
AJ Lux, Fr., Bellarmine (Crown Point): 3.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.5 apg
David Meriwether, East Tennessee State (Lawrence North): 1.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Tytan Newton, R-So., Morgan State (Richmond): 1.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.3 apg
Mason Nicholson, R-Jr., Jacksonville State (Gary West Side): 7.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg — COMMITTED TO VANDERBILT
Okechukwu Okeke, Sr., FIU (East Chicago Central): 4.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.1 apg
Nijel Pack, Gr., Miami (Lawrence Central): 14.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.2 apg
Quimari Peterson, Sr., East Tennessee State (Gary West Side): 19.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.7 apg — COMMITTED TO WASHINGTON
Kiyron Powell, Jr., Western Illinois (Evansville Bosse): 2.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.2 apg
Zach Reed, R-So., Bellarmine (Brebeuf Jesuit): 3.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.3 apg
JaQualon ‘JQ’ Roberts, So., Vanderbilt (Bloomington North): 1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg
Ron Rutland III, Fr., IU Indy (Crispus Attucks): 2.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.6 apg
Tyler Schmidt, Sr., Valparaiso (Victory Christian): 10.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg — COMMITTED TO TOWSON
Sheridan Sharp, So., Southern Illinois (Ben Davis): 4.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
Tyler Shirley, Sr., Florida A&M (Pebblebrook Ga., from Gary): 3.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.6 apg
Billy Smith, Jr., Bellarmine (Brebeuf Jesuit): 14.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg
Isaiah Stafford, Sr., Valparaiso (Crispus Attucks): 16.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 apg
Jahni Summers, So., Indiana State (Evansville Harrison): 5.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.6 apg
Tucker Tornatta, Fr., UIndy (Evansville Memorial): 7.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Cayden Vasko, So., Central Michigan (Lowell/Bosco Institute): 7.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.6 apg
Leland Walker, Jr., Florida Atlantic (North Central/Hargrave Military): 9.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.1 apg
Jalen Washington, Jr., North Carolina (Gary West Side): 5.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.5 apg — COMMITTED TO VANDERBILT
Ashton Williamson, Fr., FIU (Gary 21st Century): 7.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.7 apg
Harold Woods, Jr., Northeastern (Hammond): 11.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.4 apg
OTHER PORTAL NEWS:
Indiana Women’s BB: Lands Arkansas Guard Phoenix Stotjin
Indiana Men’s BB: Miles Rice Commits to Maryland
Indiana Men’s BB: Indiana gets Davidson Guard Reed Bailey
Purdue Women’s BB: Purdue lands Northern Arizona Guard Taylor Feldman
INDIANA PACERS
GAME REWIND: PACERS 125, NUGGETS 120
The Pacers took on the Nuggets Sunday evening in the penultimate road game of the regular season. Entering the game 20-10 against the Western Conference, Indiana sought to secure a 21st win on its quest to earn home court advantage in the fast-approaching NBA Playoffs. The Nuggets were jockeying for playoff positioning as well, but couldn’t overcome a potent Indiana offense as the Pacers claimed the victory, 125-120.
Obi Toppin earned his second start of the season as he replaced the injured Pascal Siakam, and posted a productive first half. He recorded 19 points and connected on three of his four 3-point attempts to lead Indiana in scoring at the halftime break. He finished the game with 22 points and four rebounds.
The Pacers struck first as Andrew Nembhard set up Aaron Nesmith for a 3-pointer with a flashy behind the back pass early in the first quarter. Myles Turner blocked Christian Braun’s layup attempt on the following defensive possession, marking the 1,400th rejection of his career.
Nikola Jokic gave Denver’s offense a push from the opening tip. He notched 12 points within the first six minutes of the first quarter, willing the Nuggets to stay in the game with a strong Pacers team. His layup at the 4:05 mark of the first frame gave him 16 points, and gave Denver a 22-17 lead over Indiana.
Jokic orchestrated a 15-5 run in the latter half of the first period for the Nuggets, opening up a 9-point advantage going into the second quarter, 33-24. He finished the first period with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
Toppin pulled Indiana within five points of the lead with just under eight minutes to play in the first half as he dropped in a layup, but Denver’s lead ballooned back to its game-high of 13 points. With under six minutes on the clock, Nembhard connected from the corner to end an 8-0 Nuggets run.
Tyrese Haliburton attempted to create some momentum as he drew a foul while shooting a 3-pointer late in the second quarter. However, Denver challenged the call on the floor and officials overruled the foul, deeming Haliburton guilty of an offensive foul as he extended his leg to create contact with the defender.
The Nuggets successfully used both of their challenges in the first half of play, but retained none for the rest of the contest.
Denver held Haliburton scoreless through one half, but he notched eight assists. Jokic was the heartbeat for Denver in the first half – he recorded 29 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
The Nuggets dominated the paint in the opening two quarters, outscoring Indiana 46-28 in that area. Denver’s 60% field goal shooting led to a 5-point halftime advantage, 66-61.
Turner opened the second half scoring with a 3-pointer to cut Denver’s lead to just two points as both teams’ offenses clicked into a flow state. The two clubs opened the half on combined 11-for-20 shooting, capped by Toppin’s corner 3-pointer that sent Indiana into the lead, 79-78, with 7:07 to go in the third period.
Jokic already had a triple-double by the 5:37 mark of the third quarter, posting 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists with nearly a full quarter and a half to play. He would finish the game with 41 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists.
The lead changed hands four times and was tied six times in the third frame, but the Pacers prevailed after three, 98-97. Haliburton recorded seven points over the final 3:43 of the quarter after a scoreless first half.
Jarace Walker was a difference maker in the beginning stages of the fourth quarter. He recorded five points on 2-for-2 shooting and a steal in the first two minutes of the final frame, pushing Indiana to a 105-102 lead.
“Walker had a really impactful game,” coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. “Especially on the defensive end. And he made open shots.”
The Pacers led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter before the Nuggets produced a 7-0 run to bring the deficit back to just three points with little over five minutes remaining in the game.
The final two minutes arrived and Indiana had a 120-118 lead over Denver. Nembhard dropped his defender with a crossover and drilled a jumper to give the Pacers a 4-point lead with under a minute remaining. Nesmith stole a pass by Jalen Pickett on the following defensive possession, but the Blue and Gold couldn’t convert on the offensive end of the floor.
Another turnover by Denver gave the Pacers possession with a 2-point advantage and 15 seconds left in the game. Nesmith stepped up to the free throw line and drilled both, giving Indiana a 4-point cushion.
The Pacers made a defensive stand and converted clutch-time free throws to secure the win, 125-120.
Turner led Indiana in scoring with 24 points, Toppin followed with 22 points of his own, and both recorded 50% shooting from the field. Haliburton recorded nine points, and notched 13 assists in the win.
The Pacers will return to Indianapolis for a 3-game homestand beginning with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, Apr. 8, at 7:00 PM ET.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers recorded 15 made 3-pointers and shot 34% from deep while holding Denver to just 26% shooting from beyond the arc.
Four of five Pacers starters recorded field goal percentages of 50% or better.
Indiana forced 13 Denver turnovers, and only turned the ball over six times.
The Pacers recorded 37 points in both the second and third quarters.
Denver won the battle on the boards, grabbing 47 rebounds to Indiana’s 41.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA USES 15-RUN INNING TO TOP MARYLAND
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– After trailing 8-4 through the top of the third inning, Indiana’s game against Maryland was paused due to inclement weather on Sunday night at Andy Mohr Field.
After the delay, the momentum completely flipped for a major Hoosier comeback.
Indiana drew one run in the bottom of the third to make it 8-5, but then in the bottom of the fourth, the Hoosiers scored 15 runs for a commanding, 20-8 lead.
Indiana would close the game with a 20-10 win over Maryland in the final score column.
With the win, Indiana is now 24-10 overall with a 4-5 record in the Big Ten.
INDIANA 20, MARYLAND 10
KEY MOMENTS
• Maryland jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a 2-run home run by Sydney Lewis and a sacrifice fly from Madison Runyan.
• Indiana countered with an RBI single from Avery Parker and a 2-RBI double from Alex Cooper to make it 3-3 after one inning.
• After the top of the third inning, when Maryland was leading 8-4, the game was put on pause due to heavy rain.
• Kinsey Mitchell’s double to left center brought Aly VanBrandt home to make it 8-5 in the bottom of the third inning.
• The Hoosiers’ 15-run fourth inning was built by home runs from Taylor Minnick, Parker and Melina Wilkison along with a triple from Madalyn Strader, and Josie Bird reaching on a fielder’s choice for an RBI.
• The 15-run outburst got Indiana’s lead up to 20-8 after four innings.
• The Terrapins scored two more runs in the top of the fifth before Indiana closed the game out in five innings on the run rule.
NOTABLES
• Indiana outhit Maryland, 17-4.
• Copeland, Minnick, Parker and VanBrandt each had three hits.
• Seven Hoosiers contributed multiple RBI on the night.
• Indiana has won three games in a row at Andy Mohr Field.
UP NEXT
Indiana will finish out the series with a doubleheader tomorrow against Maryland with the first game starting at 10:30 a.m. and the second to follow at 1 p.m.
INDIANA BASEBALL
HOOSIERS BEAT SPARTAN SHIFT, TAKE SERIES OPENER
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Junior outfielder Devin Taylor described it as “death by one thousand paper cuts.”
On a day where the wind was blowing in, against one of the Big Ten’s premier arms, the Indiana Baseball team (16-14, 7-6 B1G) took advantage of what the visitors gave them. The Hoosiers racked up 12 hits (11 singles) in a 6-4 win over Michigan State on Sunday (April 6) afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field.
IU’s offense found a way to chop hits through the Michigan State defensive shift, eventually piecing together six runs on 12 hits. Michigan State’s Joseph Dzierwa, who entered the weekend only allowing six earned runs on the season, allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in just five innings. The Hoosiers took the lead in the fourth inning on a two-run single from Taylor and never relinquished it.
Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold (W, 2-3) gave IU a fantastic start, tossing five innings and allowing just two earned runs. Senior southpaw Ryan Kraft and redshirt senior closer Jacob Vogel (SV, 1) combined on the final 12 outs to put the home team back in the win column.
Three different freshmen (Jake Hanley, Cooper Malamazian and Will Moore) provided multi-hit days for the Hoosiers. True freshmen combined for seven of the 12 IU hits and played fantastic defense behind IU’s stellar pitching performance.
IU will go for both the series win and the sweep in tomorrow’s (April 7) doubleheader with the Spartans. The Hoosiers will have a host of arms left to throw tomorrow including graduate students Ben Grable and Cole Gilley. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jackson Yarberry is expected to be available for the first time in over a month.
Scoring Recap
Top First
Caleb Berry took advantage of a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch. With a runner on second, he singled home the first run of the ballgame.
Michigan State 1, Indiana 0
Bottom First
IU quickly responded with a run of its own. Devin Taylor singled and advanced to second before Tyler Cerny drove him home with a RBI single.
Michigan State 1, Indiana 1
Top Third
Sam Busch dropped a jam shot single into right field to score J.T. Sokolove from second base.
Michigan State 2, Indiana 1
Bottom Third
Jake Hanley came through in the clutch. Will Moore – who stayed on base via an error – scored an unearned run to tie the game.
Indiana 2, Michigan State 2
Bottom Fourth
IU took the lead for good in the fourth and never gave it back. Taylor took advantage of the shift with a two-run single through the left side.
Indiana 4, Michigan State 2
Bottom Fifth
Cerny took advantage of the pitcher not paying attention with a steal of home.
Indiana 5, Michigan State 2
Bottom Sixth
The Hoosiers added insurance in the sixth inning with a RBI single through the right side from Korbyn Dickerson.
Indiana 6, Michigan State 2
Top Seventh
Michigan State got one back on a throwing error from the catcher.
Indiana 6, Michigan State 3
Top Ninth
Pinch hitter Noah Bright added a RBI double to the tally but Michigan State was held in check from there. Jacob Vogel got a flyout to end the game.
Indiana 6, Michigan State 4
Top Hoosier Performers
#5 Taylor, Devin
3-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
#34 Hanley, Jake
2-4, RBI
#40 Seebold, Gavin
5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 K
Inside the Box Score
• 11 of IU’s 12 hits were singles. Cooper Malamazian had the only extra-base hit.
• IU’s pitching staff walked just two batters.
• Four different players had multi-hit days for IU.
Notes to Know
• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor recorded three base hits, taking his career tally to 194. He needs just six more to become the 25th member of the 200-hit club in program history. Taylor also needs just two RBIs to become the 20th player with 150 RBIs in IU history.
• Senior southpaw Ryan Kraft worked two effective innings and kept himself up for a potential inning or two in Monday’s doubleheader. He made the 73rd appearance of his IU career. He is just three away from passing Chris Wilson (75 – 1997-00) for fifth all-time in program history in pitching appearances.
• IU recorded 12 hits with 11 of them being singles in the 6-4 win over Michigan State. The only extra-base hit was a double from freshman shortstop Cooper Malamazian. It was the first time IU has gotten to double-digit hits with just one extra-base knock since a win over Stetson (1 – Feb. 28, 2025).
• The Hoosiers are now 11-1 this season when its opponent scores four-or-fewer runs. The lone defeat came in a 4-2 setback to UNLV on Opening Day. Last Saturday was a blip on the radar in what has been an effect stretch of form for IU’s pitching staff. Over the past 10 games, IU has maintained a 4.92 team ERA.
Up Next
A rare Monday doubleheader awaits IU as it goes for both the series victory and the sweep against Michigan State. First pitch in the opening game will be at Noon ET. The second game will start 45 minutes after the first ends. It will be streamed on B1G+ and can also be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
PURDUE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL DROPS GAME 3 VS. MINNESOTA
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Coming off a three-game winning streak, Purdue (20-17, 5-8 Big Ten) fell short on the final day of the series against Minnesota (14-23, 3-10 Big Ten).
The Boilermakers put up a strong fight, out-hitting Minnesota 14-10 at the plate, marking the fifth game Purdue has had 14 or more hits this season (first since 3/1 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne).
In the game, freshman Maura Condon led the offensive effort, producing the second double of her career in the first inning on a three RBI dinger on her way to finishing the day with a career-high-tying four RBI.
Three pitchers saw time in the circle, with starter Madi Elish tossing the first three innings, allowing two runs on three hits and one strikeout. The loss was credited to Julia Gossett (5-7) after closing the last 3.1 innings of play.
BOILER BITS vs. Minnesota
Offensive Highlights:
Maura Condon: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 R, 1 HBP
Delaney Reefe: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2 H
Julia Gossett: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
Khloe Banks: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 H, 1 BB
Pitching Breakdown:
Madi Elish: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 12 BF
Kendall Klochack: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 K, 7 BF
Julia Gossett (L, 5-7): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 K, 15 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Minnesota led things off with a hit in the first inning, but Purdue retaliated with five runs on four hits in the bottom of the frame, sending eleven batters to the plate. The performance began with head coach Magali Frezzotti winning a challenge on a close call at first with leadoff Khloe Banks’ bunt. Originally ruled out, the call was overturned. Banks, Delaney Reefe and Ashlynn Campbell recorded singles while Condon hit a three-RBI double out to right field.
The momentum continued into the second inning with three outs in the field, then Purdue tallied three more hits and extended the lead with another run. The top of the third brought three back-to-back outs from the Boilermaker defense, along with an additional two hits on the offensive side.
The Gophers made a comeback in the fourth inning, taking the lead with eight runs on eight hits and two Boilermaker errors. Condon reached base on a hit-by-pitch and Sage Scarmardo singled to right, but Purdue went scoreless in the bottom of the frame.
Minnesota went down in order again in the fifth inning, and the Boilers capitalized on a Gopher error, then put up three hits and tied the game, 8-8. The score stayed even through the sixth frame, each team leaving one runner on base.
Despite Purdue’s comeback, Minnesota answered the call, posting three runs in the seventh inning to seal the game.
Purdue closed out the weekend winning the series, 2-1.
UP NEXT:
The Boilermakers play Eastern Illinois at Bittinger Stadium on Wednesday (April 9) at 5 p.m. ET.
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
PURDUE IN MIDDLE OF THE PACK AT CALUSA CUP
NAPLES, Fla. – The Purdue men’s golf team sits in the middle of the pack after 18 holes at the small, but mighty Calusa Cup, hosted by the University of Iowa at Calusa Pines Golf Club.
The Boilermakers fired a 9-over par 297 to sit in fifth place out of nine teams on the difficult Calusa Pines layout. Louisville leads the way with a brilliant, first-round score of 4-under par 284. Florida is second at 2-over par 290, while UCLA is third at 4-over par 292. Wake Forest is fourth at 8-over par 296.
Purdue is one shot ahead of Iowa (+10), four shots clear of LSU (+13) and five shots ahead of Virginia (+14). Miami, Ohio rounds out the field at 17-over par.
Seven of the nine teams in the field are ranked in the top 50 nationally, headlined by #4 LSU, #8 Virginia and #10 UCLA. Florida is ranked #12, while Louisville is ranked #37.
Sam Easterbrook continues to pace the Boilermakers, firing a 1-under par 71 to finish the opening 18 holes in a tie for sixth. After playing the opening nine holes in 1-over par, Easterbrook played the back nine in 2-under par with no bogeys.
Easterbrook has been at even- or under-par in seven straight rounds entering tomorrow’s second round.
Jenson Forrester is tied for 10th at 1-over par 73. Like Easterbrook, he fared better on the back nine, shooting 2-over par on the front nine, but 1-under par on the back nine.
Supapon Amornchaichan is tied for 26th at 4-over par 76, while Kent Hsiao is tied for 34th at 5-over par 77. Nels Surtani is tied for 37th at 6-over par 78.
Purdue will be paired with Iowa and Wake Forest in Monday’s second round, teeing off from 12:30 to 1:10 p.m. ET, off hole No. 1.
PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF
BROWN MAKES ANOTHER HOLE-IN-ONE ON 1ST DAY OF BOILERMAKER SPRING CLASSIC
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the second straight tournament, Samantha Brown made a hole-in-one in the second round. The freshman aced the par-3 17th at the Ackerman-Allen Course of the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, helping lead Purdue Women’s Golf on the opening day of the Boilermaker Spring Classic.
Brown and senior Jocelyn Bruch carded rounds of 72 (E) and 75 (+3) to pace Purdue, as the pair of Boilermakers sit tied for 16th on the individual leaderboard. As a team, Purdue (+19) is in eighth place.
After making a birdie on the par-5 16th, Brown hit a 5-iron at No. 17 that trickled into the hole for her second ace in the past six days. The hole-in-one helped her play the final five holes 4-under par to battle back to even for her second round.
Bruch made four birdies to counter four bogeys for an even-par 72 to lead the Boilermakers in the opening round.
All 11 Boilermakers on the team hit the course. Freshman Michaela Headlee (+2) led the six Purdue golfers competing as individuals with back-to-back rounds of 73. Lauren Timpf and Caroline Dasch carded 71s (-1) to post under-par rounds in the afternoon.
Lana Malek was another Boilermaker that made a hole-in-one on Sunday. The sophomore aced the par-3 13th in the opening round.
The Boilermaker Spring Classic wraps up Monday morning with a shotgun start beginning at 10 a.m. ET. Purdue will be paired with Princeton (+11), South Alabama (+12) and Minnesota (+18).
For updates throughout the final round, follow Purdue Women’s Golf on Twitter @PurdueWGolf.
BOILERMAKERS
T16. Samantha Brown: 75-72—147 (+3)
T16. Jocelyn Bruch: 72-75—147 (+3)
T33. Jasmine Kahler: 74-76—150 (+6)
T45. Momo Sugiyama: 78-74—152 (+8)
T70. Natasha Kiel: 77-80—157 (+13)
*T13. Michaela Headlee: 73-73—146 (+2)
*T33. Lauren Timpf: 79-71—150 (+6)
*T70. Caroline Dasch: 86-71—157 (+13)
*T76. Jade Gu: 79-79—158 (+14)
*T76. Alison Hildebrand: 76-82—158 (+14)
*T82. Lana Malek: 79-81—160 (+16)
*Competing as an individual
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Illinois: 296-281—577 (+1)
2. Denver: 292-292—584 (+8)
T3. Cincinnati: 300-286—586 (+10)
T3. Illinois State: 294-292—586 (+10)
5. Princeton: 299-288—587 (+11)
6. South Alabama: 296-292—588 (+12)
7. Minnesota: 300-294—594 (+18)
8. Purdue: 298-297—595 (+19)
9. Northern Illinois: 293-303—596 (+20)
10. Eastern Michigan: 301-297—598 (+22)
11. Butler: 308-296—604 (+28)
12. Akron: 295-310—605 (+29)
13. Bradley: 304-307—611 (+35)
T14. Toledo: 312-310—622 (+46)
T14. Tennessee Tech: 318-304—622 (+46)
16. Detroit Mercy: 334-324—658 (+82)
PURDUE BASEBALL
WALK-OFF HOMER DOOMS PURDUE IN FINALE AT WASHINGTON
SEATTLE – Cole Van Assen kept Washington off the scoreboard until the sixth inning to help Purdue Baseball takes its first lead in more than a week, but the Huskies won the game 5-3 on a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth Sunday.
The Boilermakers (20-11, 3-9 Big Ten) lost on a walk-off homer in Big Ten play for the second year in a row. They dropped their seventh straight game overall and have been swept in consecutive weekend series for the first time since May 2019. However, after losing on the walk-off homer in game 2 at Ohio State last season, Purdue reeled off an 11-game win streak in Big Ten play.
CJ Richmond connected for a solo home run off the batter’s eye to extend the Boilers’ lead to 2-0 in the sixth inning. The slugger returned to the lineup this weekend after missing all of March due to a broken hamate bone in his wrist, making Sunday’s blast his first in Big Ten play.
But UW outscored the visitors 5-1 the rest of the way. Saturday, the Huskies (16-17, 8-4 Big Ten) scored all five of their runs in the first three innings. Braeden Terry (2-for-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 R) hit the walk-off home run to right field moments after Purdue went to the bullpen for a fresh arm with the winning run on first base. Closer Avery Cook had thrown a season-high 74 pitches while facing 16 batters over three innings, replacing Van Assen with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
Brandon Anderson delivered a game-tying single in the eighth inning after Washington had taken its first lead with two runs in the previous frame. A bloop single, three walks and an untimely balk populated the rally for UW on the fourth time through the lineup. The Boilermakers were called for four balks in the series after being charged with just two over their first 28 games. Terry drew the bases-loaded walk that forced home the tying run.
Van Assen pitched into the sixth inning for the second time this season, departing after an RBI single with one out. Van Assen and Michael Vallone, who struck out 10 over 5 1/3 innings of relief in Saturday’s game, teamed up for 10 consecutive scoreless innings across the two games. Van Assen did not have a true 1-2-3 inning Sunday, but the sophomore pitched well out of the stretch and did not surrender multiple hits in an inning until the bottom of the sixth.
Doubles from Lukas Cook and Logan Sutter led to the game’s first run in the fourth inning. Although Cook was unable to score on Sutter’s double, Aaron Manias followed with an RBI ground out. Cook extended his on-base streak to 10 consecutive games and has been on base in eight straight games in Big Ten play.
Purdue had not held a lead since the fourth inning of the March 28 loss to UCLA, a streak of 52 consecutive frames. The Boilermakers struck out 38 times over 27 innings in Seattle and have scored just 12 runs over their last five games.
Purdue is back in action Tuesday when it hosts Indiana State for a midweek rematch at Alexander Field. The $3 midweek deals (presented by Indiana Packers) on general admission tickets, hot dogs, beer, popcorn and nachos will be available. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH DROP SERIES FINALE TO PITT
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Softball team dropped Sunday’s series finale to Pittsburgh 5-1. The Irish still secured the series after winning Friday and Saturday night. Notre Dame is now 18-21-1 on the season and 6-9 in conference play.
Notre Dame has now won back-to-back conference series after taking two of three from both then No. 22 Virginia and Pitt.
The Panthers scored three early unearned runs in the first off Irish starter Kami Kamzik. Kamzik settled down after that, throwing scoreless second and third innings while striking out four.
Brianne Weiss threw an inning and two-thirds with two strikeouts while Shannon Becker had a hitless stint of two and one-third innings, striking out three. The Irish pitching staff struckout nine on the day.
Both Rachel Allen and Caroline O’Brien extended their hit-streaks to seven games apiece. Allen grounded a ball up the middle in the fourth for a single while O’Brien roped a line drive single into right center in the fifth.
Anna Holloway notched her 7th RBI of the series with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field to score Kaia Cortes that put the Irish on the board in the bottom of the sixth.
Notre Dame is back in action for five games this upcoming week. The Irish will host DePaul on Tuesday and Bowling Green on Wednesday before heading to Blacksburg to take on the 11th-ranked Hokies of Virginia Tech for a three-game series over the weekend.
Tuesday night’s game is set for a 5 p.m. first pitch on ACC Network Extra while Wednesday night will begin at 8 p.m. nationally on ACC Network. Admission to all regular season Notre Dame softball games is free.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
SERIES FINALE GOES OTHER WAY FOR IRISH AGAINST HOKIES
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team ended on the short side of an 11-5 final against Virginia Tech in the series rubber match on Sunday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium.
The Hokies plated three runs in the top of the second inning to grab the lead early. The Irish tried to respond in the bottom half of the inning. Davis Johnson worked a full count before drawing a lead-off walk, and Parker Brzustewicz sent a single to right field to put a pair on board for the home side. The next three batters, however, were unable to advance the pair any further as the game rolled over to the third.
Virginia Tech posted three runs in the fourth and added four in the fifth to gain a 10-0 advantage. Notre Dame continued to fight down the stretch. The Irish got on the scoreboard in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. Connor Hincks laced a single to center field, and Nick DeMarco drilled the first pitch of his at-bat over the left field wall for a two-run home run.
The Hokies put a run on the board in the sixth, and the Irish came right back with a run in the bottom of the inning. Carson Tinney hit a one-out single to left, and Davis Johnson added a single up the middle to put Tinney on third. Parker Brzustewicz then drove in Tinney with a grounder to plate the third run of the contest for the Irish.
Justin Mayes Jr. retired the side in order in the top of the seventh, and Xavier Hirsch followed suit by retiring the side in order in the top of the eighth. Notre Dame continued to push on the offensive side as Jared Zimbardo led off the bottom of the eighth with a double and advanced to third on a ground out. Carson Tinney had his second hit in as many at-bats to drive in Zimbardo. Davis Johnson drew another walk to put a pair on base. A ground-rule double by Estevan Moreno drove in Tinney, but the rally in the eighth ended short for the Irish. DM Jefferson beat out an infield single in the ninth before a pair of outs ended the game by the 11-5 final.
Rory Fox struck out four but suffered the pitching loss in 3.1 innings of work. Chase Van Ameyde, Brady Koester, Jackson Dennies, Justin Mayes Jr., Xavier Hirsch, and Keenan Mork all saw action on the mound and combined for 10 strikeouts down the stretch.
Carson Tinney went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Nick DeMarco hit his fifth home run of the season to drive in two and score a run. Connor Hincks and Jared Zimbardo each had a hit and scored a run for the Irish. Parker Brzustewicz had a hit and drove in a run, Davis Johnson added a hit with two walks, and DM Jefferson collected a hit.
The Irish (15-14, 3-12 ACC) are set to take on Northwestern at Frank Eck Stadium on Tuesday, April 8 at 5:30 p.m. The game will also be Military Appreciation night as the team honors the bravery and service of our military heroes. Admission is free for all home regular season baseball games.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL DROPS SERIES FINALE AT UCONN
STORRS, Conn. – The Butler softball team and UConn each had a win in the three-game BIG EAST series, but the Huskies (21-13, 9-3 BIG EAST) took the rubber match by the final score of 5-3. The Bulldogs (21-14, 10-5 BIG EAST) scored first to take an early lead in Sunday’s deciding game but gave up five runs in a two-inning stretch and could not respond.
Game 3: UConn 5, Butler 3 (7 innings)
In the second inning, a Sydney Carter home run also pushed home Olivia Moxley and Kieli Ryan. UConn matched the three-spot in the bottom half, forcing a Butler pitching change.
In the bottom of the third, the Huskies loaded the bases with no outs. A two-run double put UConn on top, 5-3.
With one out in the top of the fifth, Butler advanced two runners to scoring position but was unable to cut into the two-run deficit.
In the seventh, the Bulldogs put two runners on with only one out but could not extend the game.
Gwen Baker (1.2 IP, 3R, 1ER, 4H, 2BB) started in the circle for the Bulldogs and lasted into the bottom of the second. Rylyn Dyer (6-4) took over with two outs and one on, retiring the side. She finished the game and took the loss. In 4.1 innings, she allowed two runs on four hits and six walks.
Bulldog Bits
Sydney Carter’s home run was her second of the season, but it was the first over-the-wall shot of her career. She had an inside-the-park home run vs. Detroit Mercy earlier this season.
Kieli Ryan caught her seventh runner attempting to steal this season.
Up Next
Butler travels to Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday, April 9 and then remains on the road for a three-game BIG EAST series at Creighton from Friday through Sunday, April 11-13.
BUTLER BASEBALL
BULLDOGS FALL TO MUSKETEERS
Butler was limited to just four hits on Sunday afternoon, helping Xavier record a 14-1 victory over the Bulldogs. The weekend sweep moves Butler to 10-21 overall while Xavier climbs to 18-14.
Xavier scored eight runs in the bottom of the second inning to take complete control of the contest. The game ended after seven innings.
BU broke up the shutout in the sixth inning with Tommy Townsend hitting a triple to right centerfield that scored Danny Barbero. Butler’s two other hits belonged to David Ayers and Connor Sackett.
On the mound, Colin Dailey got the start and took the loss (0-3). Tre Benjamin had the best outing with a strikeout and no walks over three full.
The Bulldogs will now shift their focus to Evansville. The Purple Aces will host a midweek game against Butler on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
RICHTER’S GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN HOMER LEADS BASEBALL TO COMEBACK WIN AND SERIES SWEEP AT EMU
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Ball State baseball team scored six runs in the ninth inning, including a go-ahead three-run home run by Alex Richter, on its way to a 9-5 win over Eastern Michigan on Sunday afternoon at Oestrike Stadium.
Trailing 5-3 heading into the final frame, the Cardinals (23-10, 10-2 Mid-American Conference) had Max Kalk pinch hit and draw a walk before Gavin Balius singled to right field. Richter the blasted a home run to right field that scored Balius and Brett Griffiths, who had pinch run for Kalk, to give the Cardinals a 6-5 advantage.
DJ Scheumann later scored on an error, and Blake Bevis hit a two-run double to tack on three insurance runs for the Cardinals in the ninth. Garrett Harker (3-1) closed out the game and struck out two in 2.1 innings of work to earn his second win of the weekend.
After Eastern Michigan (13-15, 8-7 MAC) plated three runs in the second frame, Ball State responded with three of its own in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Richter, an RBI single by Dylan Grego and a run-scoring triple from Nick Husovsky. The host Eagles had one run each in the sixth and seventh innings in advance of the final frame heroics for the Cardinals’ offense.
Balius, Bevis and Richter had two hits each, while Balius scored two runs, Bevis had two doubles and Richter drove in four runs.
Right-hander John Chambers struck out three in 4.0 frames of one-run ball out of the bullpen for the Cardinals to help get to Harker in the later innings.
“Our boys’ ‘never say die’ attitude showed up today – a great team effort!” Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. “Alex Richter and Blake Bevis came up with the big hits. John Chambers and Garrett Harker led us on the mound. Sweeps are hard to come by and especially against a good team like EMU.”
Eastern’s Ethan Davis (2-1) surrendered two runs in the ninth to be hit with the loss.
Ball State is next set to play at Indiana at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORES DROP DOUBLEHEADER TO SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Indiana State dropped both games of Sunday’s doubleheader against Southern Illinois, falling 10-2 in five innings in Game 1 and 9-4 in Game 2. The Sycamores struck first in both matchups but couldn’t contain the Salukis’ offensive attack.
Game One: SIU 10, Indiana State 2
The Sycamores were defeated 10-2 in Game One of their doubleheader against SIU. The game ended after five innings due to the run rule, with the Salukis rallying in the first and never looking back.
The Sycamores got off to a strong start in the top of the first inning. After a walk to Morgan Goodrich, Sophie Esposito singled to record the first hit of the game. Hannah Welch then delivered a clutch 2-RBI double to left center, giving Indiana State an early 2-0 lead.
However, the Salukis answered quickly, responding with a five-run rally in the bottom of the first. The inning began with an RBI single from Carder, cutting the Sycamore lead to 2-1. SIU then loaded the bases with no outs. A sac fly by Williams evened the score at 2-2, and with one out, Baker blasted a 3-run homer to give Southern Illinois a 5-2 advantage.
Southern Illinois continued to apply pressure, adding two more runs in the third inning with another two-run homer from Baker.
In the fourth inning, Megan Asher entered to pitch for Indiana State, replacing Lauren Sackett, who took the loss after giving up seven runs on seven hits in three innings of work.
Asher allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks in her lone inning on the mound. SIU capitalized on an error and RBI hits from Carder, Lee, and Coburn, scoring three more runs and loading the bases.
Indiana State finished with six hits in the game, including singles from Sophie Esposito, Kenzie Cornwell, Peyton Simmons, and Morgan Goodrich, along with doubles from Hannah Welch and Livi Colip.
Game Two: SIU 9, Indiana State 4
Southern Illinois rallied with a strong offensive performance to defeat the Sycamores 9-4 in Game 2 of the series on Sunday afternoon.
The game began with a promising start for Indiana State in the top of the 1st inning. Madison Poulson led off with a single, advancing to second on a wild pitch. After a groundout by Goodrich, Poulson moved to third, and Sophie Esposito drove her home with an RBI single, giving the Sycamores an early 1-0 lead.
Southern Illinois quickly responded in the bottom of the 1st. Austin reached on a bunt single, followed by a walk to Lis and a hit-by-pitch for Carder to load the bases. Lee’s sacrifice fly brought in two runs, giving the Salukis a 2-1 lead. Another sacrifice fly from Williams extended the lead to 3-1 before the inning concluded.
Indiana State mounted a comeback in the top of the 2nd inning. Brailey Mills and Peyton Simmons hit consecutive singles, and Luci Kapelka followed with an RBI double to bring in Mills. After a couple of wild pitches allowed Simmons to score and Kapelka to advance to third, Lauren Marsicek’s single gave Indiana State a 4-3 lead.
Southern Illinois took control in the later innings, scoring five unanswered runs. In the third, Lis and Carder singled before Lee’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 4-4, and Williams’ two-run homer put the Salukis ahead 6-4.
A fielding error and a single by Grann in the fifth led to two unearned runs, extending the lead to 8-4. In the sixth, Baker’s RBI double made it 9-4 Salukis.
The Sycamores fought back in the final inning, with Cornwell and Goodrich both leading off with singles. However, they were left stranded as the Salukis closed out the game for a 9-4 win.
Hailey Griffin (L, 5-6) started for Indiana State, allowing six runs on five hits over three innings while striking out three. Cassi Newbanks took over in relief, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits with three strikeouts in three innings. The Sycamores’ pitching staff combined for nine runs allowed on 11 hits with three walks and six strikeouts over six innings.
Up Next: The Sycamores return to Price Field on Tuesday for a doubleheader against MVC rival Evansville, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
BELMONT WALKS OFF THE SYCAMORES IN EXTRA INNINGS TO CLAIM SERIES FINALE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont’s Landon Godsey connected on the walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the host Bruins the 10-8 Sunday afternoon win over Indiana State as the Sycamores fell in the series finale at E.S. Rose Park.
The Indiana State (15-16, 5-4) loss gave Belmont (13-20, 4-5) the series win and marked the Sycamores’ first Missouri Valley Conference series loss since 2022 as Indiana State was unable to rally past an early Bruin lead in the contest.
After Carlos Pena homered in the top of the first inning, Belmont rallied with a four-run frame in the bottom of the first aided by a pair of Indiana State errors to take the early 4-1 lead. The Sycamores answered with Thomas Emerich’s solo home run and an RBI Eli Gipson sacrifice bunt, but Belmont homers off the bats of Pete Daniel and Godsey in the bottom of the second inning stretched the Bruins’ lead to 7-3.
Jack Armstrong and Zac Laird provided quality outings out of the bullpen for the Sycamores as the duo combined to go 5.1 innings allowing just two hits and a run while striking out six to keep the game within striking distance.
The Sycamores’ offense chipped away at the lead as Pena homered (again) and Carter Beck’s RBI single in the fourth inning cut the lead down to 7-5.
Indiana State brought the game all the way back in the top of the eighth as Emil Estrella sparked a rally by drawing a walk. Nomar Garcia followed with an RBI double down the left field line to make it an 8-6 game. Two batters later, Pena rips a line drive single to right field scoring Garcia and Beck on the play to tie the game up at 8-8.
Colby Morse (2-2) worked a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to set the stage for extra innings.
Indiana State loaded the bases in the top of the 10th as Carter Beck drew a one-out walk against Belmont reliever Owen Marsh (1-0). Two batters later, Keegan Garis drew an intentional walk after a failed pickoff throw allowed Beck to advance into scoring position. Zack Henderson drew a full-count walk to load the bases, but Marsh rebounded to retire Emerich on strikes to keep it an 8-8 game.
Belmont capitalized in the bottom of the inning as Ty Allen went with the outside breaking ball for a single through the right side. Godsey followed and connected on the 2-1 offering from Morse for his second home run of the game to secure the Bruins’ win.
Pena went 4-for-6 with two home runs, a double, and four RBIs to power the Indiana State offense in the game. Emerich, Garis, and Jackson Taylor all finished with multi-hit games as Indiana State connected on 13 hits in the loss.
Breyllin Suriel went the first 1.2 innings in the Sunday start allowing eight hits and seven runs (four earned), while walking two. Armstrong went 3.0 innings to quiet the Belmont offense over the middle frames allowing two hits and a run while striking out four, while Laird worked 2.1 scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts.
Godsey homered twice, while Pete Daniel and Charlie Davis also connected on home runs as the Bruins recorded 13 hits in the game. Five Belmont players posted multi-hit efforts overall in the win.
Jake Times went 2.1 innings allowing five hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out two in the start. Andrew Perry worked the majority of the game in relief with a 4.2 inning outing allowing four hits and an unearned run, before Trey Maeker, Ethan Harden, and Marsh went the rest of the way.
How They Scored
Carlos Pena hammered a solo home run over the right field wall in the top of the first inning to give Indiana State the early 1-0 lead.
Belmont rallied back with four runs in the bottom of the frame as a pair of Sycamore errors led to the 4-1 Bruins lead. Landon Godsey drew a bases-loaded walk, while Blake Barton (RBI sacrifice fly) and Michael Lareau also brought home runs in the inning.
Thomas Emerich connected on his first home run in the Sycamore Blue & White in the top of the second inning as the graduate student’s drive down the left field line hit the foul pole to cut the deficit to 4-2.
The Sycamores narrowed the gap to 4-3 as Jackson Taylor scored on Eli Gipson’s sacrifice bunt in the second inning.
Pete Daniel and Godsey connected on solo home runs, and Jake Maddox added an RBI single scoring Gardner Lawrence as Belmont went ahead 7-3 in the bottom of the second inning.
Pena homered for the second time as he drove the ball into the Indiana State bullpen over the left field wall in the top of the third inning to make it a 7-4 ballgame.
The Sycamores cut the lead down to 7-5 in the top of the fourth as Carter Beck singled home Gipson.
Belmont utilized the long ball again as Charlie Davis connected on a solo home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the fifth to give the Bruins the 8-5 lead.
Indiana State rallied back in the top of the eighth inning sparked by Nomar Garcia’s RBI double down the left field line scoring Emil Estrella to make it an 8-6 game.
Two batters later, Pena singled to right field scoring Beck and Garcia to tie the game up at 8-8.
Godsey walked the game off in the bottom of the 10th inning with a two-run home run off the scoreboard beyond the wall in left center to provide the final 10-8 scoring margin.
News & Notes
Carlos Pena ran his on-base streak to 25 consecutive games after his solo home run in the top of the first inning. He finished 4-for-6 with a pair of home runs, a double, and four RBIs.
Belmont’s series win over Indiana State ends one of the longest conference series winning streaks as the Sycamores were unable to take the Sunday win over the Bruins. The loss snapped Indiana State’s 21 consecutive conference series wins dating back to May 2022 and spanned both the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons.
Pena’s pair of home runs marked Indiana State’s fourth game this season with a player connecting on two or more home runs in a game. Keegan Garis (2 vs. Pacific – Mar. 14, 3 at UIC – Mar. 28), and Eli Gipson (2 at Illinois – Mar. 18) have also posted multi-homer games in 2025.
Thomas Emerich became the 10th Sycamore to homer in the 2025 season with his solo shot in the second inning.
Up Next
Indiana State closes out the road trip on Tuesday evening at Alexander Field as the Sycamores travel to West Lafayette, Ind. for a midweek contest at Purdue. First pitch between the Sycamores and the Boilermakers is set for 6 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on 105.5 The Legend and ESPN+.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
UE BASEBALL LATE INNINGS RALLY FALLS JUST SHORT AT UIC
CHICAGO – The University of Evansville baseball team capped off its series with the UIC Flames with another close contest through nine innings.
The Purple Aces battled back from a 5-0 deficit on Sunday but couldn’t quite catch up with UIC in the 7-5 loss. Center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) and right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) led UE on offense with two hits each. While starting pitcher Max Hansmann (Elmhurst, Ill. / York HS) had the longest outing on the mound at 3.2 innings with all five strikeouts for Evansville.
It was a slow start Sunday for the Aces as they went down in order. The Flames were ready to go early, loading the bases with a hit, an error, and a hit by pitch in the first. But UE’s defense got back-to-back outs to keep the game scoreless after one.
Infielder Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) had Evansville’s first hit of the game with a lead off double to start the second inning. But the Aces next three batters all went down in order, stranding McGinnis at second. UIC got a runner on base in the bottom of the second with a walk but two strikeouts and a flyout after the walk ended the inning.
The third was another 1-2-3 inning on offense for UE as the Flames started the bottom of the inning with a lead off home run to take a 1-0 lead. Evansville was able to keep UIC’s offense to only the solo shot as the defense took down the next three batters in order. After another brief inning on offense in the fourth, the Flames jumped out to a five-run lead after loading the bases. A double followed by a single scored all four runners on base for UIC with two outs on the board in the bottom of the fourth.
The Aces were able to get on the board in the next half inning as right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) put his sixth home run of the year out of left field. Yet the Flames were able to answer back in the bottom of the inning on a passed ball to retake a five-run lead.
Despite an out to begin the seventh, UE got a single to center from Rumsey and a stolen base along with a walk for Longmeier. Evansville pulled off the double steal during catcher Matt Flaherty’s at-bat to put both runners in scoring position. Flaherty then hit a sacrifice fly out to center to score Rumsey.
UIC answered again in the sixth with two singles and a walk to get the run back quickly. But the Aces offense kept its momentum from the prior inning as they strung together a walk and two singles to load the bases. A walk to pinch hitter Ben Stuart (Mason, Ohio / William Mason HS) scored a run for UE while keeping the bases loaded.
Evansville followed up with its third single of the inning and the second of the day from Rumsey to make it a three run game. With the bases loaded for the third time in the seventh a sac fly to center from left fielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS) made it a 7-5 game. The Aces next batter struck out, sending the game to the bottom of the seventh.
UE kept the Flames from scoring in the seventh, the home team’s first scoreless inning since the second. Evansville threatened in the top of the eighth loading the bases on a hit by pitch, a single, and a walk. But with two outs on the board the Aces weren’t able to bring a run home on a ground out to second base.
UIC stranded two runners in the bottom of the eighth, giving UE one more chance to try and tie up the game. Evansville began the inning with Rumsey at first thanks to a lead off hit by pitch from the Flames closer. But the Aces next three batters all ground out into the infield to end the game.
UE returns home for a midweek matchup with the Butler Bulldogs on Tuesday. First pitch from German American Bank Field against the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT IN SERIES FINALE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Trailing by a 10-3 score in the middle of the 6th the University of Evansville softball team scored five runs in the bottom of the inning before falling just short in a 10-8 loss to Belmont on Sunday at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.
Jenna Donohoo led the Purple Aces offense, going 3-4 with a run. Niki Bode, Taylor Howe, and Miriah Powell recorded two hits apiece. Kate Ridgway threw the first three innings with three runs scoring on five hits. Cassidy Gall suffered the loss with three runs, one earned, crossing the plate in two innings of work.
Looking to take the early lead, Belmont hit a 1-out double in the first while recording another hit in the second. Kate Ridgway pitched out of both jams unscathed.
Evansville had its first chance in the bottom half of the second. With one out, Miriah Powell and Jenna Donohoo both singled to put runners on the corners. Abby Bode reached on a 2-out walk to load the bases before a strikeout kept the game scoreless. The Bruins offense looked to break the scoreless tie in the third as they loaded the bags for the first time before Ridgway ended the threat with a ground out.
In the bottom of the third, it was Niki Bode opening the scoring. Taylor Howe reached on an error to open the frame before Bode’s hit gave the Purple Aces a 1-0 lead. It did not take long for the Bruins to respond was Madison Dolecki hit a 3-run shot in the top of the fourth to give her squad a 3-1 advantage.
Just as fast as the Bruins jumped in front, the Aces stormed back to tie the score. Jenna Donohoo led the bottom of 4th off with a single while Keghan Pye reached on an error. That brought Abby Bode to the plate, who singled up the middle to bring in Donohoo. Two batters later, Taylor Howe’s infield single knotted the score at 3-3. The back-and-forth action continued as Belmont retook the lead with a 3-run top of the 5th. Four more in the 6th inning pushed the lead to 10-3.
UE’s offense did not give up, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the 6th. Niki Bode’s RBI double brought in Abby Bode while Morgan Adams followed with a 2-run double to right center. Powell added a 2-run double to bring the Aces within two at 10-8. That is as close as the Aces would get as the Bruins finished with the win. Niki Bode looked to tie it up with a home run in the final at-bat, but was inches away as the ball was caught at the warning track.
On Tuesday, the Aces are set to travel to Indiana State for a doubleheader.
SOUTHERN INDIANA
SCREAMING EAGLES SWEEP MOREHEAD STATE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball swept a doubleheader from Morehead State University, 9-5 and 14-6, Sunday afternoon at German American Bank Park at Charles Braun Stadium in Evansville. USI is 15-15 overall and 6-2 in the OVC, while MSU goes to 10-18, 1-7 OVC.
Game 1:
USI rallied from a 5-0 deficit, scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth, to win the opening game, 9-5.
The MSU Eagles built a 5-0 lead after five and a half frames, scoring three in the third and single tallies in the fifth and sixth. Morehead State also had USI’s bats stymied and without a hit until the bottom of the sixth.
USI started their comeback in the sixth by scoring three times to cut the deficit to 5-3. The three-run rally was highlighted by a two single by junior third baseman/leftfielder Patrick McLellan.
The score would remain 5-3 until the bottom of the eighth when USI exploded for six runs to take a 9-5 advantage. The six-run rally was punctuated by an RBI triple by McLennan to tie the score, 5-5; an RBI double by junior first baseman Kannon Coakley for a 6-5 lead; and a three-run home run by sophomore second baseman/third baseman Parker Martin to seal the 9-5 win. The home run was Martin’s first of the season.
McLellan and Martin led the way for USI with three RBIs each, while Martin also had a team-high two hits in the win. USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens saw his 17-game hitting streak end, going hitless in four at-bats.
USI graduate left-hander Camden Dimidjian picked up the victory in relief. Dimidjian (1-1) got his first win as a Screaming Eagle by going three innings and allowing one run on two hits. He also struck out two in the three innings.
USI senior right-hander Ian Anderson picked up his first USI save by striking out the side in the ninth after entering with the bases loaded and no one out.
Game 2:
USI junior right-hander Blake Kimball threw seven strong innings and sophomore third baseman Parker Martin drove in five RBIs to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 14-6 win in the nightcap.
The Screaming Eagles opened the nightcap with a 1-0 lead when junior shortstop Clayton Slack scored on a groundout by junior leftfielder Patrick McLellan. The lead would only hold until the top of the second when Morehead State took the lead for the first time, 2-1.
USI bounced back to tie the score in the third on an RBI ground out by junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens. Morehead State responded right back with a tally in the top of the fourth to regain the lead, 3-2, and would hold the margin until the bottom of the fifth when the Screaming Eagles exploded for six runs on six hits to lead 8-3. Martin led the offensive explosion with a two-run double.
The Screaming Eagles added two more runs in the seventh and sealed the victory with four more in the eighth. Martin, once again, led the offensive punch with a two-run blast in the seventh and an RBI walk in the eighth.
Martin was three-for-seven in the doubleheader with two runs scored and eight RBIs.
Kimball (4-3) was dominant in seven innings of work, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. He also tied a season-high with five strikeouts.
USI senior right-hander Hiroyuki Yamada and freshman right-hander Colin Wolfe finished the game on the mound for the Screaming Eagles. Yamada threw a third of an inning, allowing three runs, while Wolfe threw 1.2 scoreless innings.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Screaming Eagles and the MSU Eagles conclude the homestand Monday at 2 p.m. at the USI Baseball Field.
Following the conclusion of the homestand, USI starts a nine-game road swing with a visit to Western Kentucky University Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Bowling Green, Kentucky. WKU is 27-5 overall after taking two of three at Dallas Baptist University this weekend in Texas.
The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series with USI, 10-2, after sweeping a home-and-home series last spring.
VALPO SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL COMES UP SHY OF SERIES SWEEP
The Valpo softball team threatened in the seventh inning of its series finale Sunday afternoon in Peoria, Ill. in an effort to sweep host Bradley, loading the bases with nobody out, but the Beacons were unable to push across the tying or go-ahead runs as the Braves escaped with a 4-3 victory.
How It Happened
Valpo had the first top chance of the game, thanks to a double the other way from Carson Kuhlmann (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) to lead off the top of the third. The Beacons eventually had runners on second and third with two out before a groundout ended the frame.
Bradley took its first lead of the series in the bottom of the third courtesy of back-to-back two-out doubles.
A leadoff single by Kayden Krug (Milford, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) in the fourth led to the tying run, as after a fielder’s choice, pinch-runner Kaiah Fenters (Speedway, Ind./Speedway) was able to score thanks to a pair of Bradley errors.
The Beacons put the leadoff runner on base for the third straight frame as Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) walked to lead off the fifth, and for the second straight inning, they made it count, as the freshman came around to score on a Bradley error.
Later in the frame, with two on and two out, freshman Sophia Leitzen (Orfordville, Wis./Brodhead) reentered the lineup to hit and lined the first pitch she saw down the right-field line, plating pinch-runner Kyndal Shively (Bloomington, Ind./University) to push the lead to 3-1.
The Braves retorted with three runs in their half of the fifth to pull ahead, 4-3.
After a quiet sixth both ways, the Beacons stepped to the plate in the seventh in an effort to tie and take the lead and made immediate inroads towards doing so. Marissa Jackson (Willis, Mich./Huron) dropped a leadoff single into shallow left-center, Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) drew a walk and Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) took the first pitch she saw the other way into right-center to load the bases with nobody out.
A strikeout accounted for the first out, but then bad luck did in the Beacons from there. Leitzen lined a shot back through the middle, where it ricocheted directly off Bradley pitcher Sydney Kennedy towards shortstop Addie Welsh. With the infield playing in to try to cut down the tying run at the plate, Welsh was able to snag it out of the air for one out, and the Beacons’ runners had no chance, as Welsh turned the double play to end the game.
Inside the Game
Sunday’s loss snapped Valpo’s five-game winning streak in Valley play, as well as a four-game road winning streak.
The one-run loss comes after three of the Beacons’ five wins during their winning streak came by a single tally. Valpo now sits at 9-4 in one-run games this season.
Despite the loss, Valpo claimed the season series from Bradley, 2-1 — the second straight time the Beacons have done so when visiting Peoria.
Gallagher was the only player in Valpo’s lineup to reach more than once, as the junior drew three walks to match the team’s single-game high this season.
Gallagher’s trio of free passes Sunday pushed her season total to 27, easily topping all MVC players in that category. She also cracked the program’s single-season top-10 in the category, as she is now tied for ninth — just three walks outside the top-five.
Erin Metz (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) started in the circle Sunday and went 2.2 innings. Lopez tossed the final 3.1 innings and was charged with the loss, falling to 7-10 on the year.
Next Up
Valpo (17-17, 6-7 MVC) is scheduled to conclude its three-game series against UIC with a single game at the Valpo Softball Complex Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
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/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
April 7
1925 — Babe Ruth collapsed in a railroad station in Asheville, N.C. He would be hospitalized in New York and operated on 10 days later for an ulcer.
1964 — Shea Stadium in New York opened for the first regular season game. The Mets lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.
1969 — The Yankees spoiled the managerial debut of Ted Williams by defeating the Senators 8-4 in the opener at Washington’s RFK Stadium. President Nixon and a crowd of 45,000 attended.
1969 — Dodgers relief pitcher Bill Singer was credited with the first official save. Los Angeles beat Cincinnati, 3-2. The game started with Cincinnati’s Pete Rose hitting Don Drysdale’s first pitch for a home run. Drysdale threw his next pitch to Bobby Tolan and Tolan hit it for a home run. After the first two pitches, Drysdale settled down and threw a shutout.
1970 — Three weeks after moving from Seattle to Milwaukee, the former Pilots played their first game as the Brewers and lost 12-0 to the visiting California Angels.
1973 — Cleveland set an attendance record for day games and opening-day games by attracting 74,420 fans. The Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1.
1977 — The expansion Toronto Blue Jays began their major league odyssey with a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. Al Woods, pinch hitting for Steve Bowling in the fifth inning, became the 11th pinch hitter with a home run in his first at-bat.
1979 — Ken Forsch of the Houston Astros pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta to duplicate the no-hitter tossed by his brother Bob of the Cardinals against the Phillies on April 16, 1978. They are the first brothers to pitch no-hitters.
1984 — Detroit’s Jack Morris pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox despite giving up six walks. It was the first Tigers no-hitter since Jim Bunning’s in 1958.
1987 — Atlanta’s Rick Mahler pitched his third opening day shutout tying an NL record.
1988 — Cincinnati Reds rookie third baseman Chris Sabo ties a major league record with eleven assists in one game.
1998 — On the same day that Major League Baseball returned to Wisconsin 28 years earlier, National League baseball returns to Milwaukee for the first time in 32 years.
2000 — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays retire uniform number 12 in honor of Wade Boggs. Although the former Red Sox and Yankees third baseman only spent two seasons with Tampa Bay, he hit the franchise’s first home run and became the 23rd member of the 3,000-Hit Club as a member of the team.
2003 — Seven months before a November deadline, the Boston Red Sox exercise their 2004 contract option on Pedro Martinez, making him the highest-paid pitcher for a season in major league history.
2012 — J.D. Martinez homered and drove in three runs and Houston beat 49-year-old Jamie Moyer and Colorado 7-3. Moyer became the oldest player to appear in a game since 1980, when 54-year-old Minnie Minoso played in a game for the White Sox. Moyer became the second-oldest pitcher to start a major-league game and was the oldest starting pitcher ever on a team’s opening-day roster.
2013 — Will Middlebrooks hit three home runs and the Boston Red Sox roughed up Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, routing the Toronto Blue Jays 13-0.
2013 — Matt Cain became the first Giants pitcher to allow nine runs in an inning since 1902 when Matt Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals tagged him in a 14-3 romp over San Francisco.
2022 — Opening Day of the 2022 season is finally here, having been delayed by a week by the 2021-2022 lockout.
April 8
1934 — The Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies played the first legal Sunday baseball game in Philadelphia. The exhibition game was made possible when the state made Sunday baseball a local option and the city approved it in a referendum ballot.
1963 — Pete Rose has first at-bat with the Cincinnati Reds.
1969 — Four expansion teams make their debuts. The Kansas City Royals, Seattle Pilots, Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres all win their inaugural games.
1974 — In the opener in Atlanta, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s career record by hitting his 715th home run off Los Angeles left-hander Al Downing in the fourth inning. The Braves beat the Dodgers 7-4 before a crowd of nearly 54,000.
1975 — Frank Robinson became the first black manager in major league history by making his debut as player-manager of the Cleveland Indians. He hit a home run in his first at-bat — as a designated hitter — to help beat the New York Yankees, 5-3.
1977 — The Seattle Mariners record their first win by defeating the California Angels, 7-6, at the Kingdome.
1986 — Jim Presley of the Seattle Mariners hit home runs in the ninth and 10th innings for a come-from-behind 8-4 opening day victory over the California Angels.
1986 — Facing Nolan Ryan of the Astros, Giants rookie Will Clark hits a home run in his first major league at-bat.
1987 — Pitchers Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton of the Cleveland Indians teamed up to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 14-3. Niekro recorded his 312th victory and Carlton pitched four shutout innings in relief. It was the first time in modern history that two 300-game winners pitched for the same team in the same game.
1989 — One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his major league debut for the California Angels.
1991 — Major league umpires strike on Opening Day, and amateur umpires are used as replacements.
1993 — Carlos Baerga of the Cleveland Indians became the first player in major league history to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same inning. The homers came in the seventh inning of a 15-5 rout of the New York Yankees.
1994 — Kurt Mercker of the Atlanta Braves pitched the season’s first no-hitter, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0. It was the first complete game of Mercker’s career.
1995 — Free agents signed include outfielder Larry Walker and pitcher Bill Swift by the Rockies, and pitcher Orel Hershiser by the Indians.
2002 — Craig Biggio hit for the cycle and had four RBIs in Houston’s 8-4 win over Colorado.
2003 — At Yankee Stadium’s home opener, Hideki Matsui hits his first major league home run, a grand slam.
2008 — Chase Utley ties a major league record by being hit by pitch three times in a game.
2011 — Slugger Manny Ramirez, who signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in the off-season, announces his retirement after a failure to conform with Major League Baseball’s drug policy.
2016 — Trevor Story became the first major leaguer to homer in each of his first four games, connecting two more times for the Colorado Rockies in a 13-6 loss to the San Diego Padres. Story, who has six home runs since making his debut on opening day, got three hits and drove in four runs while playing for the first time at Coors Field.
2018 — Shohei Ohtani retired the Oakland Athletics’ first 19 batters and yielded one hit over seven shutout innings in his home pitching debut, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-1 victory. Marcus Semien’s clean one-out single to left broke up Ohtani’s bid for a perfect game. Ohtani (2-0) struck out the side twice and finished with 12 strikeouts in all. He won his pitching debut in Oakland last weekend with six strong innings, then homered in three consecutive games in Anaheim between starts in his attempt to become the first regular two-way player in decades.
_____
April 9
1913 — Ebbets Field opened in Brooklyn and Philadelphia defeated the Dodgers 1-0 before a crowd of 10,000. The stadium, which cost $750,000 to build, was named after Charles Ebbets, the club’s principal owner.
1947 — Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was suspended for one year by commissioner Happy Chandler for “the accumulation of unpleasant incidents” detrimental to baseball.
1959 — The Baltimore Orioles, playing against the Washington Senators, became the first team in history to execute a triple play on opening day. The Senators won the game, 9-2.
1965 — The Houston Astrodome opened with an exhibition game between the New York Yankees and Astros. President Johnson attended and Gov. John Connally threw out the first ball. Mickey Mantle hit the first home run, but the Astros won 2-1 in 12 innings.
1969 — Billy Williams of Chicago hit four consecutive doubles to lead the Cubs to an 11-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
1974 — San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc criticized his club over the public address system during the eighth inning of a 9-5 loss to the Houston Astros! “Ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you,” Kroc told the crowd of 39,083 for the home opener. Kroc added, “I’ve never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life.”
1981 — Fernando Valenzuela made his first major league start a stunning success by pitching a 2-0, five-hit triumph over the Houston Astros in Los Angeles. He would go on to win his first eight games.
1985 — Chicago’s Tom Seaver made his 15th opening day start to break Christy Mathewson’s record. Seaver pitched 6 2-3 innings and was credited with the victory as the White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2.
1987 — Gary Carter drives in his 1,000th career run.
1989 — Rickey Henderson of the New York Yankees gets his his 800th career stolen base.
1993 — The Colorado Rockies beat the Montreal Expos 11-4 for their first win and set a National League record for attendance in their home debut. The crowd of 80,227 broke the record of 78,672 set on April 18, 1958, by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1994 — Recently-retired NBA legend Michael Jordan makes his professional baseball debut by going hitless for AA Birmingham.
2000 — In a 13-7 win over Kansas City, Minnesota’s Ron Coomer, Jacque Jones and Matt LeCroy hit consecutive home runs. The Royals’ Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Mike Sweeney repeated the feat, marking the first time in major league history that both teams hit three consecutive home runs in the same game.
2006 — Cory Sullivan tied a major league record by hitting two triples during a seven-run fifth inning, helping Colorado rout San Diego 10-4.
2012 — Prize Japanese signee Yu Darvish, making his major league debut for the Texas Rangers.
2021 — It took a record 8,206 games, but someone has finally pitched a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres: off-season acquisition Joe Musgrove defeats the Rangers, 3 – 0.
_____
April 10
1913 — President Wilson threw out the first ball as the Senators edged the New York Yankees 2-1 in Washington’s home opener. Walter Johnson allowed an unearned run in the first inning. He did not yield another run for 56 consecutive innings.
1947 — Jackie Robinson became the first black player of the 20th century to sign a major league contract. Robinson agreed a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1959 — Chicago’s Nellie Fox, who went 5-for-7, hit a 14th-inning opening day home run off Don Mossi to beat Detroit, 9-7. The White Sox second baseman did not homer in 623 at-bats the previous season.
1962 — The Houston Colt .45s, in the first major league game played in Texas, beat the Chicago Cubs 11-2 before 25,000. Roman Mejias led Houston’s offense with two three-run homers.
1969 — Tommy Agee of the New York Mets hit a home run into the upper deck in Shea Stadium’s left field. It was the longest home run to reach the seats in the history of the stadium.
1971 — The Phillies opened their new $49.5 million Veterans Stadium by beating Montreal 4-1. Philadelphia’s Don Money hit the first home run.
1973 — The first game at Royals Stadium is played. John Mayberry hit a home run in Kansas City’s 12-1 rout of Texas. A crowd of 39,476 attended the game at the state-of-the-art ballpark, which features water fountains beyond the outfield fence.
1976 — Don Money had a ninth-inning grand slam taken away. Money’s slam gave the Milwaukee Brewers an apparent 10-9 win over the New York Yankees. The umpires, however, rule that New York first baseman Chris Chambliss had called time out before the pitch. Money returned to the plate and flied out to right and the Brewers suffered a 9-7 loss.
1981 — In his first game for the Chicago White Sox, Carlton Fisk belts a three-run home run.
1982 — Under icy conditions, the Cleveland Indians opened the season at Municipal Stadium with an 8-3 loss to the Texas Rangers before 62,443 fans. Five hundred tons of snow had to be removed from the field; the game-time temperature was 38 degrees, with a wind chill of 17.
1989 — Toronto’s Dave Stieb threw a one-hitter for an 8-0 win against the New York Yankees. It was the third one-hitter in Stieb’s last four starts. Stieb, who closed last year with consecutive one-hitters, struck out five, walked four, and gave up a solid single to Jamie Quirk with one out in the fifth inning.
1989 — Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his first major league home run at the Kingdome in Seattle’s 6-5 win over the White Sox. Griffey’s father, Ken Sr., is an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds, making the two the first father-son duo to play in the major leagues at the same time.
1990 — Boston’s Wade Boggs tied a major league record for a nine-inning game by drawing three intentional walks.
1994 — Former NBA star Michael Jordan singles twice, collecting his first hits in his professional baseball career while playing for the Birmingham Barons of the Class-AA Southern League.
2000 — Cincinnati’s Ken Griffey Jr. became the youngest player to hit 400 career home runs when he connected in the Reds’ 7-5 loss to Colorado. At 30 years, 141 days, Griffey beat the previous mark set by Jimmie Foxx, who was 30 years, 248 days old.
2006 — David Ortiz agrees to a four-year contract extension with the Boston Red Sox.
2012 — The Miami Marlins announce that they are suspending manager Ozzie Guillen for five games for making remarks supportive of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
2013 — The Boston Red Sox’s record streak of sell-outs at Fenway Park ends after 820 games as the attendance for today’s game against the Orioles is 30,862
2015 — Mark Buehrle wins the 200th game of his career.
2016 — Rookie Trevor Story capped his amazing first week in the majors by hitting his seventh home run, helping the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 6-3. Story’s homer was one of five solo shots by the Rockies and has driven in 12 runs through six games.
2017 — Wil Myers hit a leadoff triple in the eighth inning to complete the first cycle of his career and send San Diego past Colorado 5-3.
2020 — With no baseball being played because of the coronavirus pandemic, MLB sets up a virtual league, with one player from each of the 30 teams playing a three-inning game on the video game platform MLB: The Show.
2024 — On National Siblings Day, brothers Josh and Bo Naylor both homer in the 4th inning of the Guardians’ game against the White Sox. It is only the tenth recorded instance of brothers homering in the same inning, the previous time having been accomplished by the same pair the previous July. The two long balls help to erase a five-run deficit, and in the 10th inning, Josh drives in the game-tying run with a double, before Bo hits a single with the bases loaded to end the game with a 7 – 6 win for Cleveland.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
April 7
1940 — Jimmy Demaret wins the Masters by four strokes over Lloyd Mangrum. Mangrum opens with a 64, a course record by two strokes that stands for 46 years.
1946 — Herman Keiser edges Ben Hogan by one stroke to win the Masters.
1951 — Ben Hogan takes the Masters by two strokes over Robert Riegel.
1956 — Joe Graboski scores 29 points and Paul Arizin 26 as the Philadelphia Warriors beat the Fort Wayne Pistons 99-88 to win the NBA championship in five games.
1963 — Jack Nicklaus becomes the youngest Masters winner at 23, beating Tony Lema by a stroke.
1969 — Ted Williams begins managing the Washington Senators.
1985 — New Jersey’s Herschel Walker rushes for a USFL-record 233 yards in leading the Generals to a 31-25 victory over the Houston Gamblers. Walker breaks his own USFL record for the longest run from scrimmage by going 89 yards on his second carry.
1995 — Baseball exhibition season begins late due to strike.
1996 — Dave Andreychuk scores a goal for his 1,000th career point, and the New Jersey Devils top the New York Rangers 4-2.
1998 — Al MacInnis has a goal and an assist in St. Louis’ 5-3 loss at Detroit to become the sixth NHL defenseman to reach 1,000 points.
2000 — 1st regular season MLB game at Enron Field (now Minute Maid Park) in Houston.
2003 — Syracuse wins the NCAA title with an 81-78 victory over Kansas.
2007 — Michigan State beats Boston College 3-1 for its first NCAA hockey title in 21 years.
2008 — Mario Chalmers hits a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and Kansas goes on to defeat Memphis 75-68 for the NCAA title.
2009 — Tina Charles scores 25 points and grabs 19 rebounds and Connecticut routs Louisville 76-54 to capture its sixth women’s basketball title. UConn (39-0) wins every one of its 39 games by double digits, a first in college basketball.
2010 — Don Nelson sets the NBA career record for victories by a coach in the Golden State Warriors’ 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nelson’s 1,333 wins surpass Lenny Wilkens’ total.
2014 — Shabazz Napier scores 22 points and Connecticut wins its second NCAA men’s title in four years, beating the freshmen-led Kentucky 60-54 in the championship game.
2015 — UConn’s women down Notre Dame 63-53 for their 10th NCAA championship. Coach Geno Auriemma ties UCLA’s John Wooden for the most titles in college basketball.
2016 — Ernie Els, winner of four major titles, opens with a 10 on the par-4 first hole at the Masters. After his first two shots, Els seven-putts from 2 feet. His sextuple bogey is the worst score on the first hole at the Masters, beating the old mark by two strokes.
2016 — The Golden State Warriors become the second team to win 70 games in a season by beating the San Antonio Spurs 112-101.
2018 — Vegas Golden Knights end regular season with most victories of any expansion team.
2019 — 38th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Baylor beats Notre Dame, 82-81.
2019 — Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki play final NBA games.
2019 — Magic Johnson quits as President of Basketball Operations of the LA Lakers.
April 8
1935 — Gene Sarazen gets a double eagle on the 15th hole to erase Craig Wood’s three-stroke lead, then goes on to win the Masters.
1941 — In his 4th title defense in 9 weeks Joe Louis beats Tony Musto by TKO in the 9th round.
1943 — The Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep.
1956 — Jack Burke, Jr. comes back from eight strokes behind to beat Ken Venturi by one and win the Masters.
1966 — American Football League votes in 36 year old Al Davis as commissioner after Joe Foss resigns. Appointment lasts 3 months when AFL merges with NFL.
1968 — Major League Baseball decides to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
1969 — MLB expansion teams Royals, Expos, Padres & Pilots win their 1st games
1971 — The first legal off-track betting (OTB) system in the United States opens in New York City.
1974 — In the home opener in Atlanta, Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s career record by hitting his 715th home run, connecting off Al Downing of Los Angeles in the fourth inning.
1975 — Frank Robinson, the first black manager in the majors, debuts as player-manager for the Cleveland Indians. Robinson hits a home run in his first at-bat — as a designated hitter — to help beat the New York Yankees 5-3.
1989 — Alex English scores 26 points to become the first player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in eight straight seasons, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 110-106.
1989 — 1-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes MLB debut.
1990 — Nick Faldo becomes the second player to win consecutive Masters, beating Ray Floyd on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Faldo joins Jack Nicklaus as the only repeat winner.
1991 — Major league umpires & baseball reach a 4-year agreement after strike.
1995 — Oliver McCall beats Larry Holmes in 12 for heavyweight boxing title.
2001 — Tiger Woods claims the greatest feat in modern golf by winning the Masters, giving him a clean sweep of the four professional majors in a span of 294 days. Woods, with his winning score of 16-under 272, sweeps the majors with a combined score of 65-under.
2003 — 22nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 73-68.
2007 — Zach Johnson hits three clutch birdies on the back nine of Augusta National, to close with a 69 for a two-shot victory over Tiger Woods at the Masters.
2008 — Candace Parker, playing with an injured left shoulder, scores 17 points and grabs nine rebounds to help Tennessee capture its eighth women’s NCAA championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford.
2012 — 76th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Bubba Watson wins on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
2013 — Luke Hancock makes all five of his 3-pointers and leads Louisville to its first NCAA men’s basketball championship since 1986 with a 82-76 victory over Michigan. Coach Rick Pitino adds this title to the one he won at Kentucky in 1996 and became the first coach to win a championship at two schools.
2014 — 33rd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Notre Dame, 79-58.
2017 — Damian Lillard scores a franchise-record 59 points and matches his career high with nine 3-pointers to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 101-86.
2018 — 82nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Patrick Reed wins his first major title.
2019 — 81st NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Virginia beats Texas Tech, 85-77 OT.
_____
April 9
1912 — 1st exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park.
1946 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 6-3 to win the Stanley Cup in five games.
1947 — Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is suspended for one year by Commissioner A.B. “Happy” Chandler for “conduct detrimental to baseball.” Durocher is linked to gambling interests.
1950 — Jimmy Demaret wins his third Masters, by two strokes over Jim Ferrier.
1959 — 13th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics sweep Minnesota Lakers in 4 games.
1960 — The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 122-103 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for their third NBA title in the last four years. Frank Ramsey leads the Celtics with 24 points and Bill Russell scores 22 points and grabs 35 rebounds.
1962 — Arnold Palmer wins a three-way playoff, beating Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the Masters.
1966 — Anaheim Stadium for California Angels opens.
1972 — 36th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire to win the 4th of his 6 Masters titles.
1978 — Gary Player shoots a final-round 64 to win his third Masters, edging Hubert Green, Rod Funseth and defending champion Tom Watson by a shot.
1978 — Denver’s David Thompson, battling San Antonio’s George Gervin for the NBA season scoring title, scores 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. It’s the third-highest output ever in an NBA game. Gervin, not to be outdone, later scores 63 against the New Orleans Jazz. It’s just enough to give Gervin the scoring crown, 27.22 points per game to Thompson’s 27.15, the tightest one-two finish ever.
1981 — LA Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela’s 1st start.
1987 — For 3rd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in a Stanley Cup game and passes Jean Béliveau as all time playoff scoring champ.
1989 — Britain’s Nick Faldo makes a 25-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters. Runner-up Scott Hoch missed a 2-foot putt for par on the first hole of the playoff that would have given him the title.
1995 — 59th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Crenshaw wins his 2nd Masters title.
1997 — Major League Soccer announces Miami & Chicago as expansion teams.
2000 — Fiji native Vijay Singh meets every challenge to win the Masters, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Ernie Els.2001 — Australia sets a record for the most one-sided international win in FIFA history, beating Tonga 22-0 in an Oceania Group One qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup.
2005 — The United States beats Canada 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless regulation and 20-minute overtime to win the Women’s World Hockey Championship. The win ends the defending champions’ run of eight straight titles.
2006 — 70th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 2nd green jacket.
2013 — 32nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Louisville, 93-60.
2016 — Manny Pacquiao returns from the biggest loss of his career with a bang, knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.
2017 — Sergio Garcia overcomes a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beats Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at the Masters for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache. No one ever played more majors as a pro — 70 — before winning a major for the first time.
2017 — Russell Westbrook breaks Oscar Robertson’s 56-year-old record with his 42nd triple-double of the season, then he breaks the Denver Nuggets’ hearts with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 106-105 victory. Westbrook has 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in breaking Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles that stood since the 1961-62 season. With his triple-double in the books, Westbrook scores his team’s final 15 points, including a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounds after a timeout with 2.9 seconds left.
2021 — San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove no-hits the Texas Rangers.
_____
April 10
1934 — The Chicago Black Hawks edge the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in overtime to win the Stanley Cup in 4 of the best-of-5 series. Charlie Gardiner gets the shutout and Mush March scores the winning goal at 30:05 of overtime. It’s the final NHL game for Gardiner, who dies of a brain hemorrhage two months later.
1947 — Jackie Robinson becomes first black player of the 20th century to sign an MLB contract.
1949 — Sam Snead wins the Masters, beating Lloyd Mangrum and Johnny Bulla by three strokes.
1953 — NBA Championship Finals, Minneapolis Auditorium, Minnesota, MN: Minneapolis Lakers beat NY Knicks, 91-84 for a 4-1 series victory; Lakers’ 5th title in 6 years.
1955 — Cary Middlecoff beats Ben Hogan by seven strokes to win the Masters.
1955 — 9th NBA Championship: Syracuse Nats beat Fort Wayne Pistons, 4 games to 3.
1956 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup in five games.
1960 — 24th U.S. Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: 1958 champion Arnold Palmer birdies the final 2 holes to win by 1 stroke over runner-up Ken Venturi.
1961 — South Africa’s Gary Player becomes the first foreign player to win the Masters, edging Arnold Palmer and Charley Coe by one stroke.
1977 — Tom Watson pulls away in the final four holes to beat Jack Nicklaus by two strokes in the Masters.
1983 — Baltimore’s Eddie Murray hits his 1,000 career hit.
1988 — Scotland’s Sandy Lyle sinks a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a one-shot victory in the Masters, becoming the first British player to win the tournament.
1990 — Dave Taylor, Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato score three goals apiece as the Los Angeles Kings pound the Calgary Flames 12-4, marking the first time in NHL playoff history that three hat tricks are recorded in one game.
1991 — LA King Wayne Gretzky scores NHL record 93rd playoff goal.
1993 — Manon Rheaume, pro hockey’s only female goaltender, allows six goals in her first International Hockey League start for the Atlanta Knights, an 8-6 loss to Cincinnati.
1994 — Jose Maria Olazabal wins the Masters by two strokes over Tom Lehman. It’s the sixth time in seven years a non-American has prevailed.
1996 — Norm Duke sets a Professional Bowlers Association record with three consecutive 300s. Duke, who finished the first round with consecutive 300s, opens the second round with his third perfect game of the day.
2005 — Tiger Woods wins the Masters with a spectacular finish of birdies and bogeys. Woods turns back a surprising challenge Chris DiMarco with a 15-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to capture his fourth green jacket.
2010 — The Boston Bruins clinch a playoff berth after scoring three short-handed goals in 64 seconds on the same penalty during a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s the first time in NHL history that a team accomplishes the feat as Daniel Paille, Blake Wheeler and Steve Begin score the goals in the second period to make it 3-0.
2011 — 75th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Charl Schwartzel of South Africa birdies the final 4 holes to win his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of Australian pair Adam Scott and Jason Day.
2016 — Danny Willett wins the Masters after a stunning collapse by Jordan Spieth. Willett shoots a closing 67 for a 5-under 283 is assured his first major title when Spieth bogies the 17th hole. Spieth, nine holes away from another wire-to-wire victory, throws it away with a collapse around Amen Corner that is shocking even by Augusta National standards. Spieth was five shots ahead on the 10th tee and three shots behind when he walked to the 13th tee.
2016 — Chicago’s Patrick Kane wins the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer. He is the first American-born player in NHL history to capture the Ross since it has been awarded, dating back to 1947-48. Kane wins the scoring title with 106 points, which includes 46 goals and 60 assists, both of which were career highs.
2022 — 86th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: World #1 golfer Scottie Scheffler wins first career major title; beats Irishman Rory McIlroy by 3 strokes.
TV SPORTS MONDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| St. Louis at Pittsburgh | 6:40pm | FanDuel Sports MW ATTSN-PIT |
| NY Yankees at Detroit | 6:40pm | YES FanDuel Sports DET |
| LA Dodgers at Washington | 6:45pm | MASN SNLA |
| Toronto at Boston | 6:45pm | Sportsnet NESN |
| Miami at NY Mets | 7:10pm | FanDuel Sports FL SNY |
| Texas at Chi. Cubs | 7:40pm | RSN MARQ |
| Minnesota at Kansas City | 7:40pm | FanDuel Sports KC Twins.TV |
| Baltiimore at Arizona | 9:40pm | MASN2 DBacks.TV |
| Houston at Seattle | 9:40pm | SCHN ROOT |
| Cincinnati at San Francisco | 9:45pm | FanDuel Sports Ohio NBCS-BAY |
| San Diego at Athletics | 10:05pm | Padres.TV NBCS-CA |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Sacramento Kings vs Detroit Pistons | 7:00pm | NBATV NBCS-CA Fanduel Sports DET |
| Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports Sun NBCS-PHI |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers | 7:00pm | ESPN+ MSG FanDuel Sports Sun |
| St. Louis Blues vs Winnipeg Jets | 7:30pm | NHLN FanDuel Sports MW |
| Edmonton Oilers vs Anaheim Ducks | 10:30pm | ESPN+ Victory+ Sportsnet |
| Seattle Kraken vs Los Angeles Kings | 10:30pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports West KONG |
| Calgary Flames vs San Jose Sharks | 10:30pm | ESPN+ NBCS-CA Sportsnet |
| MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| National Championship | 8:50pm | CBS Paramount+ |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Serie A: Bologna vs Napoli | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| La Liga: Leganés vs Osasuna | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| EPL: Leicester City vs Newcastle United | 3:00pm | USA Peacock |