CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
SECTIONAL BRACKETS:
CENTRAL INDIANA SOFTBALL
SECTIONAL BRACKETS:
NBA PLAYOFFS
MIAMI 128 BOSTON 102
WNBA
SUN 80 MYSTICS 74
LIBERTY 90 FEVER 73
SKY 75 MERCURY 69
NHL PLAYOFFS
VEGAS 3 DALLAS 2 OT
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
NY YANKEES 4 CINCINNATI 1
ATLANTA 3 SEATTLE 2
WASHINGTON 6 DETROIT 4
MILWAUKEE 6 TAMPA BAY 4
NY METS 5 CLEVELAND 4
NY METS 2 CLEVELAND 1
TEXAS 13 COLORADO 3
SAN DIEGO 7 BOSTON 0
BALTIMORE 8 TORONTO 3 (11)
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 KANSAS CITY 2
HOUSTON 2 OAKLAND 0
LA ANGELS 4 MINNESOTA 2
PHILADELPHIA 2 CHICAGO CUBS 1
ARIZONA 8 PITTSBURGH 3
ST. LOUIS 10 LA DODGERS 5
SAN FRANCISCO 7 MIAMI 5
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS 5 IOWA 1
FORT WAYNE 11 DAYTON 10
BELOIT 6 SOUTH BEND 2
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/GOLF/FINAL.ASP?TOUR=PGA
NCAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT REGIONALS
NORMAN REGIONAL (NORMAN, OKLAHOMA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 1 OKLAHOMA 16, CALIFORNIA 3 (5 INNINGS)
NO. 1 OKLAHOMA ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
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CLEMSON REGIONAL (CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA).
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: AUBURN 5, NO. 16 CLEMSON 2
GAME 7: NO. 16 CLEMSON 5, AUBURN 1
NO. 16 CLEMSON ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
DURHAM REGIONAL (DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 8 DUKE 4, CHARLOTTE 2
NO. 8 DUKE ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
STANFORD REGIONAL (STANFORD, CALIFORNIA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 9 STANFORD 11, FLORIDA 2
NO. 9 STANFORD ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL (TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4, NO. 5 ALABAMA 1
GAME 7: NO. 5 ALABAMA 1, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 0
NO. 5 ALABAMA ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
EVANSTON REGIONAL (EVANSTON, ILLINOIS)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 12 NORTHWESTERN 5, MIAMI (OHIO) 4
NO. 12 NORTHWESTERN ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
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AUSTIN REGIONAL (AUSTIN, TEXAS)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 13 TEXAS 11, TEXAS A&M 5
NO. 13 TEXAS ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL (KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE)
SUNDAY:
GAME 5: INDIANA 4, LOUISVILLE 2 (LOUISVILLE ELIMINATED)
GAME 6: NO. 4 TENNESSEE 7, INDIANA 3
NO. 4 TENNESSEE ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL (TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: SOUTH CAROLINA 4, NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE 0
GAME 7: NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE 1, SOUTH CAROLINA 0
NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
ATHENS REGIONAL (ATHENS, GEORGIA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 14 GEORGIA 12, VIRGINIA TECH 3
NO. 14 GEORGIA ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL (FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: OREGON 14, NO. 11 ARKANSAS 4
OREGON ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
STILLWATER REGIONAL (STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 6 OKLAHOMA STATE 5, NEBRASKA 2
NO. 6 OKLAHOMA STATE ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
SEATTLE REGIONAL (SEATTLE, WASHINGTON)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: MCNEESE 1, NO. 7 WASHINGTON 0
GAME 7: NO. 7 WASHINGTON 7, MCNEESE 6
NO. 7 WASHINGTON ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
BATON ROUGE REGIONAL (BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: LOUISIANA 7, NO. 10 LSU 4
GAME 7: LOUISIANA 9, NO. 10 LSU 8
LOUISIANA ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
SALT LAKE CITY REGIONAL (SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 15 UTAH 4, OLE MISS 1
NO. 15 UTAH ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL (LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: SAN DIEGO STATE 6, LIBERTY 3
SAN DIEGO STATE ADVANCES TO SUPER REGIONALS
SUPER REGIONALS
BEST OF THREE SERIES
THURSDAY, MAY 25, THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 28
NO. 16 CLEMSON AT NO. 1 OKLAHOMA
NO. 14 GEORGIA AT NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE
NO. 13 TEXAS AT NO. 4 TENNESSEE
NO. 12 NORTHWESTERN AT NO. 5 ALABAMA
OREGON AT NO. 6 OKLAHOMA STATE
LOUISIANA AT NO. 7 WASHINGTON
SAN DIEGO STATE AT NO. 15 UTAH
NO. 9 STANFORD AT NO. 8 DUKE
USFL SCORES
STARS 16 BREAKERS 10
GAMBLERS 16 GENERALS 10
TOP NATIONAL NEWS
NBA PLAYOFFS/NEWS
HEAT ROLL PAST CELTICS 128-102, TAKE 3-0 LEAD IN EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
MIAMI (AP) Erik Spoelstra had his team fully expecting that Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals would be extremely difficult, that the Miami Heat were going to have to take the best shot that a desperate bunch of Boston Celtics could muster.
He was wrong.
It was a Heat romp – and a team that had to pull off a frantic rally just to make the playoffs is now one win from the NBA Finals.
Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points, Duncan Robinson added 22 and the eighth-seeded Heat rolled past the Celtics 128-102 on Sunday night. Miami leads the series 3-0, with a chance to finish off a stunning sweep on Tuesday night at home in Game 4,
“That was a solid, mature, professional approach,” said Spoelstra, now on the brink of a sixth trip to the NBA Finals as Miami’s coach. “There’s a lot of pent-up stuff here and we’re getting closer, but we still have to finish this off.”
Caleb Martin scored 18, Jimmy Butler finished with 16, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Max Strus added 10 for Miami. Every team in NBA history that has won the first three games of a best-of-seven has ultimately prevailed; the Heat are 8-0 in that situation.
“The rim was as big as the ocean for everybody,” Adebayo said, after Miami shot 57%.
Jayson Tatum scored 14 and Jaylen Brown added 12 for the second-seeded Celtics, who won three times on Miami’s floor on the way to winning last season’s East finals – but simply never had a chance in this one and basically emptied the bench for the fourth quarter.
“I just didn’t have them ready to play,” said Boston coach Joe Mazzulla, who has been the subject of tons of criticism in this series – and will surely face more going into Tuesday. “Whatever it was, whether it was the starting lineup or an adjustment, I have to get them in a better place, ready to play. That’s on me.”
Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard each added 12 for Boston.
“To their credit, they’re playing well above their means,” Brown said. “They’re ballin’ right now and I’ve got to give them respect. Gabe Vincent, Martin, Strus, Duncan Robinson, guys that we should be able to keep under control are playing their (butt) off.”
The NBA Finals start June 1, and the way things are going, that might mean the league is about to go a few days without games. The Western Conference finals could end Monday; Denver leads that series against the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0. And now, the East finals could end Tuesday.
“It’s the first to four games,” Vincent said. “We’re not satisfied with three.”
There’s never been a season where both conference finals ended in sweeps; it happened in 1957 in the division finals immediately preceding the title series, when Boston beat Syracuse 3-0 and St. Louis beat Minneapolis 3-0.
Of all the 3-0 series leads in NBA history, this one might be the most unexpected – a No. 8 seed in the Heat, a team that struggled just to get into the playoffs, a team that was less than 3 minutes away from being eliminated in the play-in tournament, getting past top-seeded Milwaukee in five games, then fifth-seeded New York in six, and now on the brink of denying the Celtics a second consecutive East crown.
And the Heat let Boston know how much they were enjoying this one.
Mindful that Boston’s Al Horford directed a timeout signal toward the Miami bench during Game 1 when the Celtics were on a second-quarter spurt to build a comfortable lead, Butler did the same to Horford as the Heat were running away in the third quarter of Game 3.
Besides, the Heat rallied to win Game 1 anyway. There was no rally required in Game 3 by the Heat. There was barely one attempted by the Celtics, for that matter.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Brown said. “It’s an obvious letdown. I feel like we let our fan base, organization down. We let ourselves down. And it was collective. We can point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing.”
Boston got within 61-49 when Marcus Smart had a three-point play on the opening possession of the second half. The rest was all Miami, which immediately answered with a 28-7 run to open a 33-point lead at 89-56, which had the building rolling. The lead was so big, and there was so much time left, that the sellout crowd of 20,088 actually was subdued a bit by the time it was over.
They might have been yelled-out. Or maybe they were saving it for hockey on Monday night, when the Florida Panthers – another No. 8 seed on a magical playoff run in South Florida – will try to take a 3-0 lead in their East finals series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We’ll decompress tomorrow,” Spoelstra said, “but we’ll really get our minds right to finish this thing off.”
TIP-INS
Celtics: Robert Williams made his first shot, meaning he made 12 straight to start the series. He missed his second attempt. … The Heat encourage fans to wear white to playoff games, and Tatum also arrived in an all-white suit.
Heat: Robinson made five 3-pointers and now has 124 in his Heat postseason career, passing LeBron James (123) for the most in Miami history. … Butler’s steal with 7:17 left in the first quarter was the 2,000th in Heat postseason history. … Vincent’s previous career best was 28, set in a Jan. 12 win over Milwaukee.
LOVE HURT
Miami’s Kevin Love checked out 4:47 into the game after what the Heat said was an undisclosed ankle injury. He went to the Heat locker room for evaluation, returned to the bench area later in the first half, but did not return to the game.
QUOTABLE
“The lack of mental toughness. It’s embarrassing … that was an embarrassment for the Celtics.” – TNT’s Charles Barkley at halftime, with Boston trailing 61-46 and after being down by as many as 22 points.
NHL PLAYOFFS
STEPHENSON’S OT GOAL GIVES GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3-2 WIN OVER STARS, LEAD 2-0 IN WEST FINAL
LAS VEGAS (AP) Chandler Stephenson jumped on a rebound 1:12 into overtime and hit the back of the net to complete a rally and give the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final.
Jonathan Marchessault forced overtime with a shot from the slot with just 2:22 left in the third period.
Stephenson, Marchessault and Mark Stone each had a goal and an assist for Vegas, and Adin Hill saved 26 shots.
Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson each scored for the Stars, and Ryan Suter had two assists. Jake Oettinger made 21 saves.
All four games of the conference finals have gone to overtime, the first time in NHL history that has occurred. Also, Dallas is the fifth team to lose four OT games in a postseason.
Game 3 is Tuesday in Dallas.
Each team took advantage of funky bounces to score in the first period.
Heiskanen scored just 2:47 into the game for the Stars, the puck hopping over Hill. That was the 10th time this postseason the Knights have given up the first goal, but they now have won seven of those games.
Vegas evened the scored at 10:08 when the puck went off Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell’s skate and Stone buried the 5-on-3 power-play goal.
Robertson scored for the second game in a row when he knocked in a rebound on a power play at 9:21 of the second period to put Dallas back in front at 2-1. That goal rewarded a Stars defensive effort that allowed just 10 shots on goal through the first two periods.
The Knights, however, picked up the pressure in the third period with 12 shots on goal. They forced overtime with 2:22 left when Jack Eichel from behind the net found Marchessault.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
ROUND-UP SUNDAY
Oscar Mercado and Paul DeJong combined to drive in nine runs as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5 on Sunday afternoon.
Mercado, batting ninth in the order, went 3-for-5 and tied his single-game career high with five RBIs. DeJong hit an RBI single and a three-run homer. The Cardinals won their fourth straight series. After starting the season 10-24, they have gone 11-3.
Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty allowed three runs on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Drew VerHagen (3-0) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless relief innings to earn the win.
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw (6-4) struggled through his shortest outing of 2023. He allowed four runs on five hits with six strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
Yankees 4, Reds 1
Harrison Bader belted a two-run homer and Luis Severino pitched effectively into the fifth inning in his season debut, lifting New York past host Cincinnati.
The Yankees won for the 14th time in 19 games since falling to 15-15 on May 1. They completed a 6-1 road trip while getting their second series sweep this season.
Severino returned after missing over two months with a strained right lat, the same injury he sustained July 13 at home against Cincinnati that cost him two months. The right-hander allowed one run on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one in a 75-pitch showing while averaging 96.7 mph on his 44 four-seam fastballs.
Mets 5, Guardians 4 (Game 1)
New York mounted another late-inning comeback as Starling Marte hit a two-run, eighth-inning homer to lift the host team to a thrilling win over Cleveland in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Mets, who squandered a 3-0 lead in the top of the eighth, have won four straight, including three in their last at-bat. Max Scherzer scattered three hits and a walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out five.
The Guardians have lost four of five. Jose Ramirez delivered a go-ahead, two-run blast in the top of the eighth for Cleveland’s short-lived lead.
Brewers 6, Rays 4
Milwaukee relied on the long ball to get back on the winning track as Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez and William Contreras each belted home runs to power a win over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Contreras’ two-run homer in a three-run fifth inning put the Brewers on top to stay. Freddy Peralta (5-3) gave the Brewers six quality innings, allowing a three-run homer among five hits and walking three with four strikeouts. Devin Williams collected his seventh save, working 1 1/3 innings.
The Brewers salvaged the series finale after dropping the first two games in the series. Josh Lowe had three hits, including his 11th homer, and drove in all four Tampa Bay runs. The Rays suffered a rare home loss (21-4), and are 5-7 since a blistering 29-7 start.
Twins 4, Angels 2
Mickey Moniak’s two-run double in the seventh inning snapped a 1-1 tie and propelled Los Angeles to a victory over Minnesota in Anaheim, Calif.
Moniak’s clutch hit off Twins reliever Jorge Lopez gave the Angels a 3-1 lead before Alex Kirilloff’s solo homer in the eighth cut the Angels’ edge to 3-2. But Los Angeles got an insurance run in the bottom of the inning on Matt Thaiss’ two-out RBI double.
Shohei Ohtani started for the Angels and gave up one run on two hits and three walks in six innings, striking out nine. He went 1-for-3 with a walk at the plate. Willi Castro had three hits for the Twins.
Phillies 2, Cubs 1
Bryson Stott broke a scoreless tie with his pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Philadelphia got a solid outing from starter Taijuan Walker on short rest to beat visiting Chicago in the decisive three-game series finale.
Philadelphia managed just four hits through six innings against Chicago starter Justin Steele but broke through with the left-hander out of the game. Stott delivered against Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay (1-3) to extend his hitting streak to eight games with his fourth homer. Philadelphia’s Matt Strahm (4-3) whiffed two in relief to earn the win.
The 2-0 cushion proved enough to send the Phillies to a second straight win after losing five straight. Walker delivered a strong bounce-back effort on three days’ rest, tossing 5 1/3 shutout innings. Christopher Morel hit his fourth homer in four games — and eighth in 11 this season — with two outs in the ninth for Chicago, which ended a 2-7 trip.
Nationals 6, Tigers 4
Riley Adams belted a solo homer to highlight his four-hit performance, lifting Washington to victory over visiting Detroit.
Adams also had two doubles and a single for the Nationals, who took two of three from the Tigers. Ildemaro Vargas also homered and Jeimer Candelario had four singles for Washington. Starter Josiah Gray (4-5) navigated five innings, allowing one run on three hits and overcoming six walks to pick up the win.
Nick Maton had a homer and a single and Matt Vierling also had two hits for the Tigers. Detroit starter Joey Wentz (1-4) faced 16 batters before being pulled in the third inning after allowing six runs on 10 hits in two-plus frames.
Astros 2, Athletics 0
Framber Valdez rebounded from his worst start of the season in stellar fashion as Houston completed a three-game sweep of visiting Oakland.
Valdez (4-4) allowed four hits and did not issue a walk while twirling his fifth career complete game and second shutout. He struck out seven on the heels of allowing four runs over four innings against the Chicago Cubs last week, his shortest outing and one that snapped his string of seven consecutive quality starts.
The Astros swept their six-game homestand and extended their winning streak to seven games. Oakland has dropped 12 of 14 games. Athletics right-hander James Kaprielian (0-4), recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday, allowed one run on three hits and four walks while recording five strikeouts.
Diamondbacks 8, Pirates 3
Corbin Carroll homered and Christian Walker drove in three runs to help visiting Arizona down Pittsburgh to take two of three in the weekend series.
Pavin Smith and Ketel Marte each added an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who have won seven of nine. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly (5-3) allowed three runs (two earned) and three hits in five innings, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Tucupita Marcano hit a two-run double for the Pirates. Pittsburgh starter Roansy Contreras gave up three runs and three hits in five innings, with three walks and three strikeouts.
Braves 3, Mariners 2
Rookie Jared Shuster, ranked as Atlanta’s No. 1 pitching prospect, earned his first major league victory as the Braves beat visiting Seattle in the rubber game of their three-game series.
Shuster (1-2), hastily moved into the rotation when the Braves lost top-line starters Max Fried and Kyle Wright to prolonged injuries, produced the best start of his young career. In his fourth appearance, the left-hander went six innings and allowed one run on one hit, one walk and a career-high seven strikeouts.
Mariners starter George Kirby (5-3) pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
Orioles 8, Blue Jays 3 (11 innings)
Cedric Mullins capped his five-hit performance with a two-run double in a five-run 11th inning, lifting Baltimore over host Toronto.
Each team scored once in the 10th inning before Baltimore erupted in the 11th.
The Blue Jays’ Yimi Garcia (1-2) allowed Adam Frazier’s one-out single that moved automatic runner Ryan McKenna to third before Austin Hays hit an RBI single. Gunnar Henderson singled to load the bases and pinch hitter Terrin Vavra hit a two-run single before Mullins added a two-run double.
White Sox 5, Royals 2
Romy Gonzalez hit a two-run triple among his three hits and Lance Lynn pitched six strong innings to lift host Chicago over Kansas City.
The White Sox secured their first series sweep of the season to close a nine-game homestand with a 6-3 record.
Michael Massey reached Lynn for a two-run home run in the second inning, but the Royals couldn’t score after that en route to their seventh loss in nine games. Lynn scattered two runs and four hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts for his third win in four May starts.
Rangers 13, Rockies 3
Corey Seager and Josh Jung both went deep in a five-run second inning, Andrew Heaney threw six innings of one-run ball and host Texas routed Colorado to complete a three-game sweep.
The Rangers outscored the Rockies 31-10 over the series. Texas has won 11 of its last 15 games and is 12 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2016 season.
Colorado’s road woes continued as it dropped to 9-16 away from home.
Giants 7, Marlins 5
Patrick Bailey belted his first big-league home run, J.D. Davis added a two-run shot and San Francisco finished off a series win over visiting Miami.
Casey Schmitt capped a memorable first full homestand with two hits and an RBI for the Giants, who went 5-1 against the Phillies and Marlins. Davis, who scored twice, collected two hits for the Giants, as did Schmitt and Mitch Haniger. San Francisco’s bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run.
Jorge Soler went 4-for-5 with three RBIs for the Marlins. His third hit was a single scoring Xavier Edwards to draw Miami even at 4-4 in the fifth. Davis’ homer came off Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo (3-3), who was charged with six runs on six hits in five-plus innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
Padres 7, Red Sox 0
Michael Wacha fired six shutout innings against his former team and Rougned Odor (four RBIs) and Matt Carpenter (three) combined to drive in every run as San Diego defeated visiting Boston to salvage a win in the finale of a three-game series.
Wacha extended his scoreless innings streak to 15 as the win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Padres, who won for only the third time in 14 games.
Wacha, who took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his previous start, held Boston to five hits and a walk with four strikeouts to improve to 5-1. Wacha has allowed only one run over his last 25 innings and is 3-0 with a 0.36 ERA in May. He pitched for the Red Sox in 2022.
NASCAR
KYLE LARSON CRUISES TO WIN NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE
Kyle Larson decimated the competition Sunday night to win NASCAR’s All-Star Race as the Cup Series returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time since 1996 in North Wilkesboro, N.C.
Driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro, Larson pulled away to lead two lengthy stretches and breezed to victory in the 200-lap race.
In joining Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon as three-time winners of the non-points race – the second-most, behind Jimmie Johnson’s four — Larson easily outdistanced runner-up Bubba Wallace by 4.537 seconds.
The victory marked a NASCAR-best 11th for Hendrick Motorsports in the All-Star Race.
Rounding out the top five were Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott in the short-track race that had just two cautions and two leaders.
The Cup Series last raced at the historic venue on Sept. 29, 1996, when Gordon beat Earnhardt by nearly two seconds.
But the track’s two dates were moved to speedways in Texas and New Hampshire, ending a 47-year run of NASCAR-sanctioned races at the .625-mile oval.
After Josh Berry won the 100-lap All-Star Open in his first race at NWS and advanced to the main event with runner-up Ty Gibbs and fan vote winner Noah Gragson.
Polesitter Daniel Suarez paced the 24-car field to the green flag at NWS and slipped away with Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford close behind.
On Lap 15 off Turn 4, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun after contact with the No. 43 Chevrolet driven by Erik Jones for the first caution.
But it was Larson, who started his Chevy in 16th, that charged through the field and hooked the bottom of the track to take the point on Lap 55.
A two-time winner through the season’s first 13 races, Larson quickly checked out from his fellow drivers.
The 2021 Cup champion used his fresher tires to stretch his advantage to over 11 seconds ahead of Suarez by Lap 90 and leave just 16 drivers on the lead lap.
Following a competition caution at halfway, Larson was first off pit road and zipped away for good with 90 circuits to go.
USFL ROUND-UP
Amani Dennis returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown and Luis Aguilar kicked three field goals to lead the Philadelphia Stars past the New Orleans Breakers 16-10 on Sunday in Detroit.
Aguilar made field goals of 21 and 31 yards for an early 6-0 lead for the Stars (3-3).
Dennis picked off Breakers quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson for a score and a 13-0 lead with 9:59 left in the second quarter.
Bethel-Thompson connected with Johnnie Dixon for a 4-yard touchdown to bring the Breakers (4-2) within 13-7 by halftime. Aguilar added a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia QB Case Cookus completed 17 of 27 passes for 238 yards and two interceptions.
Bethel-Thompson was 22-of-38 passing for 190 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Gamblers 16, Generals 10
Houston led by 16 points through three quarters and held off New Jersey’s 10-point, fourth-quarter rally in Memphis, Tenn.
Nick Vogel kicked field goals of 38, 37 and 34 yards for the Gamblers (4-2). Mark Thompson rushed 22 times for 82 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown with 1:33 left in the first quarter.
Houston quarterback Kenji Bahar was 19-of-29 passing for 130 yards.
Kyle Lauletta, making his first start for the Generals (2-4), completed 17 of 30 passes for 177 yards, one interception and a 7-yard TD toss to Alonzo Moore with 3:09 left in regulation.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
PALOU WINS POLE WITH RECORD RUN IN FASTEST INDY 500 FIELD
Alex Palou won the NTT P1 Award for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday with the fastest pole speed in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou delivered Chip Ganassi Racing its third consecutive “500” pole with a four-lap average speed of 234.217 mph in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda. He became the first Spaniard to win the Indy 500 pole.
SEE:Qualifying Results | Starting Lineup
Rinus VeeKay will start second in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing after his four-lap average of 234.211. That’s the second-closest margin in terms of speed between the top two qualifiers in Indy 500 history.
Felix Rosenqvist earned the outside front-row starting spot after qualifying third at 234.114 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
All three front-row starters were faster than the previous pole record of 234.046 set last year by Scott Dixon. Only Arie Luyendyk’s mighty qualifying run of 236.986, set on the second day of qualifying in 1996, is faster.
Christian Lundgaard, Sting Ray Robb and Jack Harvey earned the final three spots in the 33-car field in an incredibly dramatic Last Chance Qualifying. Harvey bumped his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Graham Rahal by 44 10-thousandths of a second over the 10-mile qualifying run on the last attempt of the session.
This is the fastest field in Indianapolis 500 history. The average speed for the 33-car field is 232.184, shattering the record of 231.023 set last year.
The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).
INDIANS BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS – Quinn Priester continued his outstanding month of May with 5.0 scoreless innings and Malcom Nuñez rocked a three-run home run in the eighth inning to carry the Indianapolis Indians to a 5-1 win over the Iowa Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Victory Field.
The Indians (21-23) never trailed in the finale to earn the series split. Ben Brown (L, 1-2) retired the first five batters he faced before four straight Indians reached safely with two down in the second inning. Nuñez and Aaron Shackelford collected back-to-back singles ahead of walks by Josh Bissonette and Chavez Young, the latter base on balls coming on a 3-2 pitch that narrowly missed below the strike zone.
Priester (W, 5-3) put up zeroes with the lead, scattering five hits and two walks with two strikeouts to improve to 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA (3er/24.0ip) in four May starts.
Indy doubled its advantage in the fifth thanks to another two-out rally. Nick Gonzales singled before Canaan Smith-Njigba smacked a double into the right-field corner of Vinny Nittoli.
Iowa (25-17) tallied its lone run in the eighth on a wild pitch by Angel Perdomo, but Nuñez’s three-run blast in the eighth gave the Indians their largest lead of the day to complete the scoring. The long ball was his fourth of the season to go with a game-high three RBI.
Following a day off on Monday, Indianapolis begins a six-game series in Columbus against the Clippers on Tuesday at 7:05 PM ET. Neither team has named probables for the series.
INDIANA FEVER BASKETBALL
BROOKLYN – The Indiana Fever fell in its first road game of the season to the New York Liberty on Sunday at Barclays Center, 90-73.
The New York Liberty (1-1) opened the game on a quick note, going 6-of-8 from the field and took an early 15-4 lead within the first three minutes of play. The Liberty maintained control throughout the quarter and continued to extend its lead, ending the quarter up 36-14.
Fever forward NaLyssa Smith began to find her groove throughout the second quarter as she contributed nine points and pulled down seven rebounds to aid Indiana in closing the deficit. Smith finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds on the night for her ninth double-double of her career and first double-double of the 2023 season.
Indiana (0-2) came out of the locker room and scored a quick 15 points in the first four minutes of the half. Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Kristy Wallace found their own rhythm to start off the half, as Mitchell went 3-of-3 from the floor and Wallace contributed five of her 11 points in the third quarter. Despite allowing the Liberty to score only five points in the fourth quarter, which ties the third-fewest points given up by the Fever in a quarter, the deficit was too much to overcome for Indiana. Mitchell finished the game with 10 points and team-high three assists.
Fever center Aliyah Boston contributed 15 points of her own for the second consecutive game to begin her WNBA career while shooting 5-of-7 from the floor.
For the Liberty, forward Breanna Stewart stole the show as she recorded a career-high and New York Liberty franchise record 45 points in her home debut with the team. Stewart also pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.
Liberty starting guard Sabrina Ionescu added nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Jonquel Jones had 14 points in her home debut with the Liberty as well. Veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot rounded out the newest group of new Liberty additions with 11 points and eight assists.
INDY ELEVEN WOMEN’S SOCCER
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Sunday, May 21, 2023) – Playing their first of two games on the road this week, the Indy Eleven traveled to Lexington, Kentucky for the first of three matches against Lexington Sporting Club this season. Three goals in the first half would eventually propel the Girls in Blue to their second win of the 2023 season.
Indy Eleven dominated the first half, putting two goals on the board in the first 25 minutes. Sam Dewey got the Girls in Blue on the board first when she chipped a ball over the top of Lexington goaltender Marzia Josephson. Getting alone behind the Lexington back line, Maisie Whitsett curled a ball past a diving Josephson for Indy’s second goal of the match.
Lexington would slow the play down in the remaining minutes of the first half but Nona Reason and the Indy Eleven would control any chances that they created.
Following a couple of Lexington chances, Indy would triple their lead after a sequence of passing that ended up on the feet of Addie Chester allowing her to fire it over the shoulder of Josephson.
Substituting six players out in the second half, Indy saw multiple players make their season debut for the W League squad. Throughout the second 45 minutes, Indy would control possession but wouldn’t be able to add any scores, eventually earning them the 3-0 win on Sunday afternoon.
The Girls in Blue will play again on Wednesday night, facing Kings Hammer FC. Following their match against Kings Hammer, Indy Eleven will play their first home match against Racing Louisville on Friday, June 2. Purchase your tickets here.
2023 USL W League Regular Season
Sunday, May 21, 2023 – 4 p.m. ET
Toyota Field – Lexington KY
Indy Eleven: 2W-0L-0D, 6 pts
Lexington Sporting Club: 1W-2L-0D, 3 pts
Scoring Summary:
IND – Sam Dewey 17’
IND – Maisie Whitsett 23’
IND – Addie Chester 43’
Disciplinary Summary:
Indy Eleven lineup: Nona Reason, Rafferty Kugler, Trinity Watson, Grace Bahr, Jenna Chatterton (Kraszula 62’), Hal Hershfelt (Dean 72’), Ella Rogers, Sam Dewey (Sexton 62’), Addie Chester (Lacognato 62’), Katie Soderstrom (Kevdzija 72’), Maisie Whitsett (Matshuhisa 72’)
IND substitutes: Dean, Edwards
INDIANA SOFTBALL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Indiana scored three runs in the top of the seventh as it defeated Louisville, 4-2, to advance to the Knoxville regional final on Sunday afternoon.
KEY MOMENTS
The Cardinals left two on in the bottom of the first but struck in the second when it scored on a Hoosier error. They tacked on one more on a double to center before taking a 2-0 lead.
The Hoosiers showed life in the fifth, as freshman utility Cassidy Kettleman reached on an error and a single up the middle by sophomore outfielder Kinsey Mitchell put a runner in scoring position. But the momentum was quickly taken away as Indiana was caught off the bag at first to end the inning.
Redshirt junior utility Cora Bassett singled to the gap to start off the bottom of the sixth as freshman infielder Taryn Kern snuck one through the Louisville defense to reach base with no outs. Bassett reached third on a fielder’s choice and crossed the plate on another fielder’s choice from Sarah Stone to make it a 2-1 deficit. The inning would end on a pop-up from Briana Copeland.
Indiana reached on back-to-back singles from freshman Avery Parker and Kettleman in the top of the seventh as it capitalized on a junior infielder Brooke Benson bunt. Benson laid the bunt down on the first baseline as a fielding error sent two runners home and Benson to third. Bassett stepped up for the SAC fly to score Benson from third before the inning was complete to give IU a 4-2 lead.
Sophomore pitcher Heather Johnson came in for five innings of relief, where she had seven strikeouts, retired the side in the bottom of the inning to send the Hoosiers to victory.
NOTES
Six different Hoosiers had hits on the afternoon.
Bassett and Stone each recorded RBI in the win.
The Hoosiers have now beaten Louisville three times this season, once in the regular season and twice in the Knoxville regional.
Johnson improved to 16-6 on the year in her five innings of relief. She struck out seven and did not give up a hit or a run.
GAME TWO VS. TENNESSEE
Tennessee is the No. 4-ranked softball team in the country for a reason.
The Lady Volunteers flashed power and dominating pitching to claim the title in the NCAA Regional on Sunday.
A 7-3 victory over Indiana in the championship game earned Tennessee (47-8) an opportunity to host Texas next weekend in the Super Regional.
The Hoosiers, who finished the year 44-18 and reached a regional final for the first time since 1994, had their season end with plenty of promise for the future. Only one player (right fielder Cora Bassett) in IU starting lineup is a senior.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – For the sixth time in program history, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team is heading to championship weekend after defeating No. 6 Johns Hopkins by a final score of 12-9 on Sunday afternoon at Navy – Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
The Irish advance to the semifinals and will face No. 2 Virginia on Saturday, May 27 in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. The game will air on ESPN2. Buy tickets here.
Notre Dame had a balanced attack on Sunday, as three players posted hat tricks in the victory. Chris Kavanagh and Jack Simmons each had four points off three goals and an assist. Jake Taylor also found the back of the net three times and Jalen Seymour matched his career high with two goals.
In the cage, First Team All-American Liam Entenmann made 10 saves while allowing just nine goals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish and Blue Jays played a tightly contested first quarter, as Johns Hopkins struck first before the Irish answered with goals from Jack Simmons and Chris Kavnagh to go up 2-1 midway through the quarter. Both sides scored two more in the frame to make it 4-3 in Notre Dame’s favor after the opening 15 minutes of action.
The Blue Jays leveled the score at 4-4 in the first minute of the second stanza before the Irish closed strong with the last three goals of the half to take a 7-4 lead into the intermission.
The Irish increased its lead to four goals by the end of the third quarter. Johns Hopkins scored the first two goals of the quarter to trim the margin to one at 7-6 but Notre Dame responded with three straight to end the period, courtesy of two goals from Taylor and one from Simmons.
Notre Dame extended its lead advantage to five at 11-6, its largest of the day, following a goal from Seymour to open the scoring in the fourth. JHU managed to score three of the final four goals but never truly threatened the Irish in the final 10 minutes of play, as Notre Dame punched its ticket to Philadelphia for Championship Weekend.
ND STAT OF THE GAME
Notre Dame’s defense held Johns Hopkins to just nine goals off 19 shots on target. The 19 shots on goal are a season low for the Blue Jays.
ND NOTES
Notre Dame improves to 23-25 in NCAA Championships history, including a record of 18-11 over the last 12 tournament appearances.
The Irish have now advanced to Championship Weekend on six occasions, also reaching the semifinals in 2001, 2010, 2012, 2014 & 2016.
The Irish are now 3-4 against the Blue Jays in the all-time series and have won each of the last two matchups in the NCAA Championships..
With 10 saves, Liam Entenmann extends his double-digit save streak to 12 games.
Chris Kavanagh has a career-high 58 points on the season and the Kavanagh brothers each have over 50 points on the season.
Jake Taylor finished with three goals and now has nine straight multi-goal games.
Jack Simmons matched his career high for points in a game with four and tied his season high for goals in a game with three.
With an assist in Sunday’s matchup, Pat Kavanagh became the first player in Notre Dame history with 50 or more assists in a season. The senior has 50 on the year.
Chris Conlin recorded a season-high four ground balls and added a caused turnover on the defensive end.
UP NEXT
The Irish advance to the semifinals and will face No. 2 Virginia on Saturday, May 27 in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
DURHAM, N.C. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish earned the eight seed in the 2023 ACC Baseball Championship hosted at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.
The No. 8 seed Irish (30-22, 15-15 ACC) are in Pool A where they’ll open up tournament play with No. 12 seed Pitt (23-30, 10-18). They are set to play on Wednesday, May 24 at 11 AM. The Irish won the regular-season series over the Panthers on the road in early April, taking game one 10-8 and game two 11-2 before falling to Pitt in the final game 9-5.
Notre Dame will also face the No. 1 seed in the tournament and No. 1 team in the country, Wake Forest (45-9, 22-7 ACC). The Irish went 1-2 against Wake Forest in mid-March, as Notre Dame delivered the first home loss to the Demon Deacons this season. After falling in the first two games in a doubleheader, the Irish won game three in a 3-1 victory over Wake Forest on their home turf. The Irish are set to play the Demon Deacons on Friday, May 26 at 7 PM.
2023 ACC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Durham Bulls Athletic Park; Durham, N.C.
POOL A – #1 Wake Forest, #8 Notre Dame, #12 Pitt
POOL B – #2 Virginia, #7 North Carolina, #11 Georgia Tech
POOL C – #3 Clemson, #6 Boston College, #10 Virginia Tech
POOL D – #4 Miami, #5 Duke, #9 NC State
Tuesday, May 23 (Pool Play)
No. 10 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Boston College, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. No. 7 North Carolina, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
No. 9 NC State vs. No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Wednesday, May 24 (Pool Play)
No. 12 Pitt vs. No. 8 Notre Dame, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Thursday, May 25 (Pool Play)
No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 12 Pitt, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
No. 7 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Virginia, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
No. 4 Miami vs. No. 9 NC State, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Friday, May 26 (Pool Play)
No. 6 Boston College vs. No. 3 Clemson, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
No. 5 Duke vs. No. 4 Miami, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Wake Forest, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Saturday, May 27
Pool A Winner vs. Pool D Winner, 1 p.m. (ACC Network)
Pool B Winner vs. Pool C Winner, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)
Sunday, May 28
ACC Championship, Noon (ESPN2)
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State University will serve as host for the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship from May 23-27 in Terre Haute, Indiana. The 2023 event will take place at Bob Warn Field, which serves as the home field for the Sycamores.
Indiana State earned its first MVC regular-season title since 2012, including only the second outright title in program history, as the Sycamores claimed the tournament’s top seed with a 24-3 MVC record. Indiana State won all nine Valley series during the regular season and claimed the Valley title by six games over No. 2 seed Missouri State (18-9 MVC). The six-game gap was the league’s largest since Wichita State won the title by eight games in 1998.
The Sycamores have commemorative t-shirts now on sale signifying the 2023 MVC Regular Season Championship. You can purchase the shirt, featuring the 2023 roster, by clicking the link here.
No. 3 Southern Illinois (15-12 MVC) will face host No. 4 Evansville (15-12 MVC) in Wednesday’s first game slated for 9 a.m. (ET).
No. 5 Murray State (14-13 MVC) will face No. 8 Valparaiso (10-17 MVC) at 6 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, while No. 6 UIC (13-14 MVC) will open the tournament against No. 7 Belmont (10-17 MVC) at 2:30 p.m. (ET) Tuesday.
No. 1 Indiana State and No. 2 Missouri State will find out their first game opponents following the conclusion of Tuesday’s competition. The Sycamores will start MVC Championship play on Wednesday with first pitch set for 4 p.m. (ET). Missouri State will line up in the final game of the day slated to start at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
*If the No. 8 seed wins Game 2, it will play the No. 1 seed at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, and the winner of Game 1 would face the No. 2 seed.
VALPO BASEBALL
Valparaiso (20-25, 10-17 MVC)
at MVC Tournament
Bob Warn Field (2,000) | Terre Haute, Ind.
Tuesday, May 23, 5 p.m. CT vs. Murray State (29-26, 14-13 MVC) – RHP Bobby Nowak
May 24-28 – TBD
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: After being picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll, the Valparaiso University baseball team has exceeded expectations by earning a spot in the eight-team Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, which will begin on Tuesday as the eighth-seeded Beacons take on fifth-seeded Murray State in the opening round. If Valpo beats Murray State in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, the Beacons will play top-seeded Indiana State on Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT. If Valpo drops the opening game, the Brown & Gold will play an elimination game at 11:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday.
Last Time Out: Valpo took care of business over the final weekend of the regular season as the Beacons needed to win one game in the three-game set with Illinois State to clinch a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament berth, and did just that in Thursday’s series opener. Valpo trailed 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth and rallied for three runs to grab a 7-6 lead. Head coach Brian Schmack turned to usual starter Bobby Nowak in the ninth and he nailed down the save to clinch the team’s tournament berth. The final two games of the regular season had no implications on who made the tournament, and Valpo fell 20-10 in eight innings on Friday and 10-3 on Saturday.
Following the Beacons: Every game in the tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+. Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Shane Dennis (analyst) will have the call of Tuesday’s game against Murray State. Tom Ackerman (play-by-play) and Kirk Champion (analyst) comprise the other broadcast tandem that will call games this week. Links to live video and stats are available on ValpoAthletics.com. For all the latest in Valpo Baseball, follow @ValpoBaseball on Twitter and Instagram.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (188-292) is in his 10th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he entered 2023 having skippered 435 Valpo games. He entered the season with 168 victories, one of four coaches in program history with over 150. The former big-league pitcher led Valpo to 25 wins in his inaugural campaign in 2014, a school record for victories by a first-year skipper. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
Series Notes: Murray State owns a slight 6-5 edge in the all-time series after the Racers came to Emory G. Bauer Field and took two of three on April 2-3 of this season. Valpo dropped both ends of a lopsided doubleheader on April 2, falling 14-3 and 14-5 before bouncing back to take the series finale 5-2 on May 3. Valpo’s all-time records against other MVC Tournament participants are listed below with this year’s series in parentheses.
Indiana State: 30-54-1 (0-3, L 22 straight since March 31, 2007)
Missouri State: 1-19 (0-3)
Southern Illinois: 11-9 (1-2)
Evansville: 41-27 (1-2)
UIC: 65-77 (2-1)
Belmont: 1-6 (1-2)
Program Progress
Valpo currently has 20 wins, the team’s highest overall win total since the 2017 campaign (24).
The team recently surpassed 2018 (19) for the team’s highest overall win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
The team’s highest overall win total in recent years comes despite the fact that six nonconference games were called off due to poor weather.
Valpo will finish with no worse than a .426 winning percentage, so the Beacons have clinched the program’s highest winning percentage since 2017.
With 10 conference victories, Valpo has notched its highest MVC win total since joining the league. The team’s previous Valley-only peak was nine in 2021.
Valpo finished the season with a league-only winning percentage of .370. Prior to this season, the team’s best MVC winning percentage was .321 in 2021.
This also represents the first time that Valpo has finished ahead of more than one team in the conference standings since joining the league. The team finished seventh of eight in 2018 and 2019 and eighth of eight in 2021 and 2022. There was no MVC play in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Valpo in the Valley Tournament
This will represent Valpo’s fifth MVC Tournament appearance, and in two of the first four the Beacons have put together notable victories.
In 2021, Valpo survived a pair of elimination games with wins over Missouri State and Illinois State to finish as one of the final four teams standing in the event, joining a pair of NCAA Regional qualifiers (Indiana State and DBU) and a 40-win team (Southern Illinois).
Valpo made a strong entrance in its first MVC Tournament back in 2018, beating a DBU team that went on to earn an NCAA at-large berth by a score of 13-10 in the tournament opener before incurring tight setbacks to Bradley (11-9) and DBU (7-5).
There have been two seasons where Valpo bowed out after the opening round – setbacks to Missouri State (2019) and Indiana State (2022).
Talkin’ Schmack
With Valpo’s victory over Illinois State on May 18, head coach Brian Schmack surpassed his predecessor Tracy Woodson for third on Valpo’s all-time wins list.
Entering the MVC Tournament, Schmack owns 188 career wins.
He sits behind only Paul Twenge (1986-2006, 378) and the legendary Emory G. Bauer (1954-1981, 359) on Valpo’s all-time wins list.
Beacon Blasts
Valpo has launched 47 home runs this season, recently surpassing the 2018 campaign (41) for fifth on the program’s single-season home run list.
This year’s team owns the program’s highest single-season home run total since 2002, when the team ripped 49 dingers, a total that ranks fourth in the program record book.
Valpo holds its highest single-season home run total during the BBCOR bat era that began in 2011.
Valpo Single-Season Top 5 – Team Home Runs
Rank Year HR
1 2001 81
2 1985 64
3 1999 55
4 2002 49
5 2023 47
Other Record Book Watches
The Beacons are also reaching base at a high clip, as the team’s .386 on-base percentage is positioned to be its highest in over 20 years. If the season ended today, that mark would rank tied for fifth in the program’s single-season record book, joining the 2001 and 1998 seasons. This would be the first time since 2001 that Valpo would own an OBP of .386 or better, and if the Beacons move that up another percentage point, it would be the squad’s best team OBP since 1999.
Valpo owns a .974 fielding percentage for the season, in line to outdo the program record of .973 set in 2018.
Skrine Shots
Catcher Jake Skrine, who joined the program as a graduate transfer from Indiana prior to this season, has belted 11 home runs in his lone season with the Brown & Gold.
This marks the highest single-season home run total by a Valpo player since Josh Wallace hit 11 in 2008.
If Skrine hits one more, he will own Valpo’s highest single-season home run total since 2002 (Dan Schrum, 13). If he hits two more, he will crack the program’s single-season top five in home runs.
Skrine hit two home runs over his first 21 games and has now hit nine over his last 20.
He had a pair of three-homer series this season – at Bradley and vs. Illinois State including a two-homer game against the Redbirds.
Maka-ing Good Things Happen
Ryan Maka ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .343 batting average. In MVC-only games, he finished the season second in the league in batting average at .382.
In league-only play, Maka also ranked in the top 10 in The Valley in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBIs, total bases and walks.
Entering the second game of the doubleheader on April 15 at Bradley, Maka was hitting .268 for the season. Since then, he is hitting .444 to go along with a .496 OBP and .694 slugging percentage, leading the team in all three slash-line categories in that stretch.
Of his 32 hits during those 18 games, 10 have gone for extra bases, including four home runs. He has totaled 50 bases and driven in 25 runs while scoring 18 in those 18 contests.
Maka’s batting average from last season to this season jumped nearly 100 points as he hit .250 as a freshman a year ago.
Bobby on the Bump
Valpo will start senior RHP Bobby Nowak for the conference tournament opener against Murray State.
Nowak leads the Missouri Valley Conference in opposing batting average as opponents are hitting just .199 against him.
He ranks sixth in the league in ERA at 3.59.
Nowak’s regular-season outing against Murray State was his first career start, when he went six innings and permitted two runs on just four hits and one walk while striking out nine to earn the victory.
After coming out of the bullpen for the first 25 appearances of his Valpo career including serving as the team’s primary closer last season, Nowak moved into the weekend rotation for the bulk of conference play and made seven starts.
He temporarily returned to a relief role on May 18 vs. Illinois State, when he nailed down the save to clinch a spot in the MVC Tournament. That was his 10th career save, moving into a tie for sixth in program history in that category, joining Jon Tieman (2017-2021) and Dallas Cawiezell (2005-2007).
Winning the Close Ones
With the 7-6 win in the May 18 game vs. Illinois State, Valpo improved to 7-3 this season in one-run games.
This marks Valpo’s best winning percentage in one-run games since at least 2005.
Nine has been a key number for the Beacons this season as Valpo is 11-0 when scoring nine runs or more but just 9-23 when scoring fewer than nine runs.
Olive Branches
After starting the season with a .217 average over the first eight games he played, Matt Olive has hit .377 over his last 18 games.
He has also reached base at a .500 clip and slugged .574 during that stretch.
Banged Up Beacons
Valpo played without four starting position players for an extended period of time as third baseman Kaleb Hannahs (hand), catcher Kade Reinertson (hand), outfielder Spencer Warfield (hand) and first baseman Brady Renfro (hip) have all been sidelined.
Hannahs returned to the lineup for the Illinois State series on May 18, and during his first plate appearance since April 9 at Evansville, he launched a home run.
Furthermore, Valpo has been without two potential weekend starting pitchers as Connor Lockwood (elbow) went down with a season-ending injury and Trent Turzenski has logged just one inning this season after an elbow injury last year.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
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
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 34 | 14 | .708 | – | 21 – 4 | 13 – 10 | 10 – 7 | 9 – 1 | 4 – 2 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Baltimore | 31 | 16 | .660 | 2.5 | 15 – 8 | 16 – 8 | 9 – 6 | 10 – 3 | 7 – 4 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| NY Yankees | 29 | 20 | .592 | 5.5 | 16 – 10 | 13 – 10 | 9 – 8 | 7 – 6 | 6 – 4 | 8 – 2 | W 4 |
| Boston | 26 | 21 | .553 | 7.5 | 15 – 11 | 11 – 10 | 7 – 7 | 7 – 2 | 5 – 2 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Toronto | 25 | 22 | .532 | 8.5 | 13 – 9 | 12 – 13 | 5 – 12 | 8 – 2 | 5 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 4 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 25 | 22 | .532 | – | 14 – 8 | 11 – 14 | 5 – 5 | 10 – 6 | 3 – 3 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Detroit | 20 | 24 | .455 | 3.5 | 10 – 10 | 10 – 14 | 2 – 14 | 4 – 2 | 3 – 3 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| Cleveland | 20 | 26 | .435 | 4.5 | 9 – 12 | 11 – 14 | 3 – 6 | 5 – 7 | 8 – 5 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| Chi White Sox | 19 | 29 | .396 | 6.5 | 12 – 13 | 7 – 16 | 2 – 11 | 9 – 7 | 3 – 4 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| Kansas City | 14 | 34 | .292 | 11.5 | 6 – 17 | 8 – 17 | 2 – 5 | 4 – 10 | 3 – 9 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 29 | 17 | .630 | – | 16 – 8 | 13 – 9 | 4 – 3 | 5 – 1 | 11 – 5 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Houston | 27 | 19 | .587 | 2 | 14 – 11 | 13 – 8 | 4 – 2 | 6 – 7 | 7 – 5 | 9 – 1 | W 7 |
| LA Angels | 25 | 23 | .521 | 5 | 12 – 10 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 9 | 5 – 4 | 9 – 7 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Seattle | 22 | 24 | .478 | 7 | 10 – 12 | 12 – 12 | 2 – 4 | 5 – 5 | 7 – 5 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Oakland | 10 | 38 | .208 | 20 | 5 – 20 | 5 – 18 | 1 – 9 | 3 – 3 | 4 – 16 | 2 – 8 | L 4 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 29 | 17 | .630 | – | 12 – 10 | 17 – 7 | 10 – 3 | 6 – 0 | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| NY Mets | 25 | 23 | .521 | 5 | 12 – 9 | 13 – 14 | 9 – 8 | 1 – 5 | 7 – 6 | 7 – 3 | W 5 |
| Miami | 24 | 23 | .511 | 5.5 | 14 – 11 | 10 – 12 | 8 – 12 | 5 – 4 | 7 – 5 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Philadelphia | 22 | 24 | .478 | 7 | 13 – 8 | 9 – 16 | 1 – 2 | 6 – 4 | 5 – 8 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| Washington | 20 | 27 | .426 | 9.5 | 10 – 15 | 10 – 12 | 5 – 8 | 4 – 3 | 5 – 5 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Milwaukee | 25 | 21 | .543 | – | 13 – 8 | 12 – 13 | 3 – 0 | 5 – 4 | 6 – 10 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 24 | 22 | .522 | 1 | 11 – 11 | 13 – 11 | 2 – 1 | 7 – 4 | 7 – 5 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| St. Louis | 21 | 27 | .438 | 5 | 11 – 15 | 10 – 12 | 0 – 3 | 7 – 6 | 7 – 10 | 8 – 2 | W 2 |
| Chi Cubs | 20 | 26 | .435 | 5 | 11 – 11 | 9 – 15 | 4 – 9 | 3 – 5 | 5 – 5 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| Cincinnati | 19 | 27 | .413 | 6 | 12 – 12 | 7 – 15 | 7 – 9 | 3 – 6 | 2 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 4 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 29 | 19 | .604 | – | 17 – 7 | 12 – 12 | 4 – 2 | 11 – 9 | 12 – 7 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| Arizona | 27 | 20 | .574 | 1.5 | 14 – 10 | 13 – 10 | 4 – 5 | 6 – 3 | 12 – 9 | 7 – 3 | W 2 |
| San Francisco | 22 | 24 | .478 | 6 | 15 – 11 | 7 – 13 | 9 – 7 | 5 – 2 | 2 – 7 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| San Diego | 21 | 26 | .447 | 7.5 | 12 – 15 | 9 – 11 | 5 – 5 | 4 – 6 | 9 – 9 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| Colorado | 19 | 28 | .404 | 9.5 | 10 – 12 | 9 – 16 | 6 – 8 | 8 – 7 | 3 – 6 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1914 Ben Tincup becomes the first person from the Cherokee tribe to play in the major leagues. The 21-year-old Phillies right-hander makes his debut at Forbes Field in an 8-2 loss to the Pirates.
1922 The Yankees, the Giants’ tenants in the Polo Grounds since 1913, begin construction on their ballpark in the Bronx. The stadium will become known as the ‘House that Ruth Built,’ acknowledging the Babe’s popularity and influence.
1925 Pete Donohue goes 5-for-5 with four singles and a home run when the Reds beat the Phillies at the Baker Bowl, 11-2. In his complete-game victory, the 24-year-old right-hander gives up seven hits, only two more than his production at the plate.
1930 Babe Ruth ties a major league record, hitting five homers in two games and six in three games when he had a trio of round-trippers in the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader, two more in the opener of today’s twin bill, adding one more in the nightcap. Teammate Lou Gehrig also goes deep three times in the second game of the doubleheader, a 20-13 Yankee victory over the A’s at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park.
1933 Yankee third baseman Joe Sewell is struck out for the first time this season, a victim of Cleveland’s Wes Ferrell. The 34-year-old infielder, playing in his final season, will strike out only three more times in 524 at-bats.
1938 Ted Lyons records his 200th career win when Chicago beats Washington at Griffith Stadium, 9-2. The future Hall of Famer, nicknamed Sunday Teddy for his success on the Sabbath, winning 52 of 82 decisions on that day of the week from 1939 until 1942, will compile a 260-230 record during a 21-year major league career, all with the White Sox.
1942 Ted Williams is sworn into the U.S. Navy but will remain with the Red Sox until called for active duty. Earlier in the year, a public outcry occurred when the Boston outfielder asked to be reclassified from Class 1-A to 3-A due to being the sole support of his mother, causing the Quaker Oats Company to drop him from their ads.
1952 The Celler congressional committee concludes the need to regulate baseball is unnecessary. The report states that the major leagues can solve their issues and opposes legislation exempting the sport’s reserve clause from existing antitrust laws.
1954 The box score for the contest shows left-handed thrower Nino Escalera coming into the game as a shortstop when Reds’ manager Birdie Tebbetts implements a four-man outfield against Stan Musial. Escalera actually replaced infielder Roy McMillian when the rookie skipper stationed him in right-center between Cincinnati outfielders Wally Post and Gus Bell.
1957 At Fenway Park, the Red Sox go deep four times in the sixth inning in an 11-0 rout over Cleveland. Gene Mauch, Ted Williams, Dick Gernert, and Frank Malzone all homer on the first 16 pitches thrown by Cal McLish.
1959 Hoyt Wilhelm one-hits the Yankees in the Orioles’ 5-0 victory at Memorial Stadium. Jerry Lumpe’s single in the eighth spoils the knuckleballer’s bid for a no-hitter.
1962 Los Angeles intentionally walks Roger Maris four times to establish a major league record. Four different Halo hurlers issue the quartet of free passes in New York’s 2-1 victory over the Angels in 12 innings at Yankee Stadium.
1963 Once again, Mickey Mantle barely misses becoming the first player to hit a home run out of Yankee Stadium. The monstrous walk-off blast off A’s hurler Bill Fischer, giving the Yankees an 8-7 victory, lands just a few feet below the decorative facade down the right-field line.
1968 At Wrigley Field, Pirates’ slugger Willie Stargell hits three home runs and barely misses a fourth in a 13-6 rout over the Cubs. ‘Pops’ also hit a single and a double, which bounced off the railing of the left-field fence back onto the playing field.
1969 With the team routing the Mets 12-0, Braves skipper Lum Harris elects to rest Hank Aaron, making Mike Lum the only major leaguer to pinch-hit for Hammerin’ Hank. Coming off the bench, the 23-year-old Hawaiian-born outfielder delivers a two-run double to right field in his seventh-inning plate appearance at Atlanta Stadium.
1976 Reggie Smith drives in five runs in the Cardinals’ 7-6 victory over Philadelphia at Veterans Stadium. The St. Louis switch-hitter’s third homer of the game, a two-out solo shot in the ninth, proves to be the difference.
1977 The Red Sox (6) and Brewers (5) collectively hit 11 home runs, tying a major league record in Boston’s 14-10 victory at Fenway Park. The round-tripper riot equals the total collected by the Yankees/Tigers in 1950 and matched by the Cubs/Mets in 1967.
1981 After an 11-25 (.306) start, the Twins make a managerial change, replacing Johnny Goryl with Billy Gardner. The former major league infielder gets his first opportunity to manage a big-league club after being a very successful minor league skipper, winning six championships in 13 seasons
1982 In his last major league at-bat, Mario Mendoza, who will become a minor league hitting instructor, reaches first on a fielder’s choice, ending his nine-year career with a .215 batting average. The Ranger infielder’s name will become infamous, as players struggling at the plate will become known as performing below the ‘Mendoza Line.’
1983 Cliff Johnson ties Jerry Lynch’s major league mark when he hits his 18th career pinch home run. The eighth inning solo shot comes off Tippy Martinez in the Blue Jays’ 5-0 victory over Baltimore at Exhibition Stadium.
1985 Pete Rose becomes the all-time leader in the National League for runs scored when he crosses the plate for the 2,108th time in his career. The Reds’ player-manager surpasses Hank Aaron when he tallies a run in the sixth inning of a 7-4 loss to Chicago at Wrigley Field.
1990 During the Cubs’ 2-1 victory against the Reds in a 16-inning contest at Wrigley Field, Andre Dawson is walked five times intentionally to set a major league record. Yankees outfielder Roger Maris established the previous mark of four free passes in a game on this date in 1962 and then equaled by Padres shortstop Gerry Templeton in 1985.
1992 Felipe Alou becomes the Expos manager, replacing Tom Runnels, who compiled 68-81 (.456) records during his one-plus seasons at the helm. The new 57-year-old skipper, who will manage the team for a decade, leads the 17-20 Montreal club to an eventual second-place finish in the National League East.
1995 After a brawl between the Durham Bulls and Winston-Salem Warthogs, taking more than 30 minutes to sort out, the umpires eject ten players during ‘Strike Out Domestic Violence Night’ at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The president of the Carolina League will hand down 124 days of suspensions, including every player in uniform, for a specified amount of time.
1998 Brian Cox enjoys a 6-for-6 performance, including a grand slam in the team’s ten-run third inning when Florida State demolishes Delaware 27-6 in the NCAA Atlantic II Regionals. Matt Diaz, a freshman for the Seminoles, contributes three home runs to the routing of the Fightin’ Blue Hens.
1998 The Mets send Preston Wilson, Geoff Goetz, and Ed Yarnell to the Marlins for Mike Piazza. Florida had acquired the All-Star catcher last week from the Dodgers and Todd Zeile for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich, and Manuel Barrios.
1998 At Busch Stadium, Mark McGwire becomes the first player to launch a ball into Big Mac Land, a section of the ballpark in left field named after him due to the frequency of his home runs landing there. Thanks to the Cardinal slugger’s sixth-inning two-run poke off Giants’ right-hander Mark Gardner, the 47,579 ticket holders attending the game receive a coupon for a free Big Mac at McDonald’s restaurants.
1999 Mark McGwire becomes the third player to launch a ball out of Dodger Stadium when one of his two home runs travels 483 feet in the Cardinals’ 10-7 victory at Chavez Ravine. The slugging first baseman joins Willie Stargell, who accomplished the feat twice in 1969 and 1973, and Mike Piazza, whose Ruthian blast cleared the ballpark two seasons ago.
1999 After a stint on the disabled list and a rainout, Yankees’ right-hander Roger Clemens finally breaks the American League record for consecutive victories with 18, previously shared by Johnny Allen (Indians, 1936-37) and Dave McNally (Orioles, 1968-69). The somewhat anticlimactic accomplishment includes ten no-decisions.
2000 Scoring seven times in the bottom of the ninth, the Brewers make their biggest comeback in franchise history, knotting the score at nine before only 3,913 fans at County Stadium. Jose Hernandez’s solo homer completes the come-from-behind victory in the next inning when Milwaukee beats the Astros, 10-9.
2001 For the second time this season, Barry Bonds homers in six consecutive games, collecting nine homers to establish a National League mark. In 1968, Senators slugger Frank Howard’s hit ten homers in six games, setting the major league record.
2002 The A’s deal a stunned Jeremy Giambi to the Phillies in exchange for pinch-hitter John Mabry. The former Oakland outfielder is four years younger than the Phillies’ utility man, but he doesn’t meet the ‘Moneyball’ approach preached by GM Billy Beane.
2002 Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura approves a $120 million financing framework for a $330 million open-air stadium. The bill has only lukewarm support because they are unsure if they’ll find the required down payment and get a guarantee from major league baseball that a team will play in Minnesota for at least 30 years.
2003 Arturo Moreno purchases the World Champion Angels from Walt Disney for $184 million to become the third owner in the 43-year history of the franchise. The 56-year-old outdoor advertising tycoon, a fourth-generation Mexican-American, is the first Hispanic to have a controlling interest in a major league club.
2004 Oakland retires Reggie Jackson jersey number 9, honoring the slugger who played his first nine Hall of Fame seasons with the A’s, helping the team capture three consecutive World Series (1972-74). The former Athletics’ right fielder, who had his #44 retired by the Yankees in 1993, becomes the eighth player to have his digits retired by two or more teams.
2006 In a 3-1 loss to the Braves at Petco Park, Jake Peavy fans 16 batters to set a Padres regular-season record for strikeouts, helping the team reach a franchise mark for a nine-inning game with 18 Ks. The 24 -year-old right-hander, striking out every batter in the starting lineup at least once, loses the game when the only fly ball he allows is Ryan Langerhans’ second-frame two-run homer.
2008 J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell both hit grand slams when the Red Sox beat Kansas City, 11-8. Daisuke Matsuzaka, who gives up three runs in 5.1 innings, remains unbeaten, improving his record to 8-0 with the Fenway Park victory.
2008 Blue Jays southpaw Jesse Carlson, entering the game at the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded, whiffs Sean Rodriguez, Maicer Izturis, and Gary Matthews in the eventual 4-3 victory over the Angels at the Rogers Centre. The 27-year-old Berlin (CT) native becomes the first pitcher since Jack Sanford in 1960 to come into a game with the bases full, then strike out the side.
2009 With a broken-bat triple in the sixth inning, Michael Cuddyer completes the cycle in the Twins’ 11-3 victory over Milwaukee at the Metrodome. In his first three turns at-bat, the Minnesota right-fielder hit a three-run home run in the first inning, doubled to the gap for a ground-rule two-bagger in the third, and singled in the fourth frame.
2010 After setting the mark in his previous game, Mike Redmond’s major league record errorless streak behind the plate ends when his throw to second base, trying to thwart a would-be base stealer, skips past Mark Grudzielanek. The Indians catcher’s spotless performance started on July 22, 2004, covering 253 games.
2010 Matt Stairs ties a major league mark when he homers for his eleventh team in San Diego’s 2-1 interleague victory in Seattle. The Padres designated hitter’s fourth-inning homer off Ian Snell ties Todd Zeile’s record, who accomplished the feat by going deep in an Expo uniform in 2003.
2012 Ricky Nolasco becomes the franchise leader in career wins when Miami beats Colorado at Marlins Park, 7-6. The 29-year-old right-hander, who hit a double to put his team ahead, surpasses Dontrelle Willis for the most team victories, improving his record to 69-53 for the South Florida squad.
2014 Barack Obama becomes the first U.S. president to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. During his visit, the Commander in Chief, a White Sox fan, holds FDR’s green-light letter and a pair of spikes worn by Chicago’s “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who was one of the eight players banned from the game for their alleged role in fixing the 1919 World Series.
2019 Josh Bell, for the second time in two weeks, reaches the Allegheny River on the fly, hitting PNC Park’s fifth ‘splash’ home run since the ballpark opened in 2001. The Pirates’ first baseman accomplishes the feat when he blasts a second-inning Jon Gray changeup 454 feet over the Clemente Wall in right field in the team’s 9-3 loss to the Rockies.
2021 In his major league debut, Taylor Walls collects a pair of two-baggers, doubling as a righty in the fifth, and then as a lefty in the ninth in the Rays’ 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. The 24-year-old switch-hitting shortstop joins Rich Becker (1993 Twins, two doubles) and George Wright (1982 Rangers, double/home run) as the third player to break in with an extra-base hit from both sides of the plate.
2022 In his tenth career start, Reid Detmers becomes the 25th rookie to throw a no-hitter, blanking the Rays at Angel Stadium, 12-0. The 22-year-old southpaw out of the University of Louisville throws 108 pitches, the most in his professional career, completing the 12th no-no in franchise history.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
May 22, 1990 – NFL Hall of Fame player who was also moonlighting in the MLB, Deion Sanders was involved in a dispute with Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, one of the most infamous incidents of Sanders’ baseball career. This story goes a little deeper than just the headline. Let’s set the table for this one with some info provided by an article on the Undefeated.com. Fisk, aka “The Commander” or “Pudge,” was entering his fourth decade as a player. He also spent the first part of his career with the Boston Red Sox, so there was absolutely no love lost playing against the team from the Bronx. On the other hand the flamboyant Sanders attracted a lot of media attention. The fifth overall selection in the 1989 NFL draft had signed a 4-year, $4 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster in 1990 and became one of the first in the majors to wear his own brand. The Daily News shares that Fisk became incensed when Prime Time, before stepping into the batter’s box, drew dollar signs in the dirt by home plate right before the first pitch of the fifth inning. Deion swears he wasn’t drawing the dollar signs but was simply performing the dust scribble ritual before entering the box that he has done since he was a youngster. Sanders continued to have fun with reporters about the confrontation after his Yankees won 5-2 while Fisk was still upset and yelled at the media as he entered his post-game shower.
NFL Expansion Narrowly Passes
May 22, 1991 – The NFL agrees to expand by two teams by the start of the 1994 season. The May 23, 1991 edition of the Charlotte Observer stated that the resolution barely received the 21 votes of the then 28 franchises it needed to carry. The Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions and Phoenix Cardinals voted against the expansion while the Los Angeles Raiders and Indianapolis Colts abstained from voting. The NFL bylaws require a ¾ majority to pass on such a change. There were multiple reasons that teams did not like the arrangement of expansion and they ranged from splitting TV revenues, lack of a collective bargaining agreement at the time and a slowing U.S. economy. Bills owner Ralph Wilson was quoted as, “ I was in the Navy, and they always said, ‘If you’re going to land the troops on the beach, you better clear the land mines first.”
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue exited the meeting stating that financially at worst the expansion would be a wash for the current team’s revenue because the items of concern would be offset by franchise fees of the new teams plus additional revenue streams of taking the League to 30 teams. The two teams added would later be known as the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If you want to be able to be able to read through some old articles like NY Daily News and the Charlotte Observer, you need to check out Newspapers.com. At Newspapers.com, you can get access to over 640 million pages’ worth of news from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and more dating back from 1798 to yesterday. Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers. And with a paid subscription, you’ll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows.
NFL Owners Meeting 2001
On May 22, 2001 the NFL owners voted to realign the League. The Houston Texans joined the NFL and the newly created AFC South Division as the 32 teams split into a total of 8 Divisions from 6. It is also announced that the Seattle Seahawks will move from the AFC West to the NFC West for the 2002 season as the NFL realign
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR MAY 22
Here are some bios on birthday boys that are either in the College Football Hall of Fame or the Pro Football Hall of Fame that were born on this day. There is plenty more about them to read by either clicking their high-lighted name or at the top of this page clicking the “On This Day in Football History” and going to May 22 Football History.
May 22, 1907 – Chicago, Illinois – Washington tackle of 1929 to 1931, Paul Schwegler was born. Schwegler received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
May 22, 1940 – Mick Tingelhoff is an NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Center who played for the Minnesota Vikings for 17 seasons. He was selected in the HOF in the 2015 class. Mick played his college football at the University of Nebras ka-Lincoln and did not become the starter there until his senior season. The Hall of Famer also went undrafted and signed with the Vikings as a free agent in 1962 and became the starter as a rookie! His hard work earned him the right to play in six consecutive Pro Bowls in the late 1960s. After the 1969 season Mr. Tingelhoff was voted as the NFL’s Top Offensive Lineman of the Year.
May 22, 1960 – Omaha, Nebraska – Dave Rimington the star University of Nebraska center from 1979 to 1982 arrived into this world. Rimington during his last two seasons made All-America and Academic All-America those years of 1981 and 1982. Dave also received a National Football Foundation scholarship and won the Lombardi Award which is handed to the nation’s best lineman or linebacker, in 1982 according to his bio on the NFF’s website. He won the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman. Dave Rimington’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1997. Rimington enjoyed a pro career during the rest of the 1980’s decade, splitting time with the NFL’s the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles.
May 22, 1977 – Chesapeake, Virginia – North Carolina cornerback from 1996 through the 1998 season Dré Bly was born. The National Football Foundation recognizes Bly as the preeminent defensive back of his era, as he finished his career as the only three-time First-Team All-American in ACC history. The two time consensus First-Team All-America selection, led North Carolina to three consecutive bowl wins, including victories in 1997 and 1998 Gator Bowls and the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl. A finalist for the 1997 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Dre set the conference record with 20 career and 11 single-season interceptions, and both marks still stand as school records. Dre Bly was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014 after the National Football Foundation tabulated their votes. Bly was selected in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, helping them win Super Bowl XXXIV during his rookie season. Dre spent a total of 11 years in the professional ranks with the Rams, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers and he was respected as an All-Pro honoree and two-time Pro Bowl selection during his career.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
4 – 9 – 8 – 30
May 22, 1930 – Future New Yankees’ Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman, Lou Gehrig, Number 4 became the first MLB player to hit 3 Home Runs, in three different games. The Yankees outscored Philadelphia Athletics, 20-13 in this contest as the teams combined for a then-record 10 home runs!
May 22, 1962 – Speaking of the Yankees how about another NY star player that made the news? New York’s Number 9, Roger Maris walked an MLB record 5 times in a 9 inning game as the Los Angeles Angels did not want any part of his batting. The strategy failed to work though as the Yankees won 3-1.
May 22, 1968 – While we are thinking about great hitters how about the event when on this date the Pittsburgh Pirates future Baseball Hall of Fame hitter, Willie Stargell, Number 8 hit 3 Home Runs, a double and a single in a 13-6 rout of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Pirates teammate Maury Wills, Number 30 posted his 1,500th Major League hit in the contest as well on the banner Pittsburgh day.
TV MONDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Chi. White Sox at Cleveland | 6:10pm | NBCS-CHI Bally Sports |
| Texas at Pittsburgh | 6:35pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-PIT |
| Arizona at Philadelphia | 6:40pm | Bally Sports NBCS-PHI |
| St. Louis at Cincinnati | 6:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Toronto at Tampa Bay | 6:40pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| LA Dodgers at Atlanta | 7:20pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Detroit at Kansas City | 7:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Houston at Milwaukee | 7:40pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-SW |
| San Francisco at Minnesota | 7:40pm | FS1 NBCS-BAY Bally Sports |
| Miami at Colorado | 8:40pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-RM |
| Boston at LA Angels | 9:38pm | Bally Sports NESN |
| Oakland at Seattle | 9:40pm | Root Sports NBCS-CA |
| NBA PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| West Finals Game 4: Denver at LA Lakers | 8:30pm | ESPN |
| NHL PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| East Finals Game 3: Carolina at Florida | 8:00pm | TNT |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Serie A: Roma vs Salernitana | 12:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Serie A: Empoli vs Juventus | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| EPL: Newcastle United vs Leicester City | 3:00pm | USA |
| Brasileirão: Cruzeiro vs Cuiabá | 7:00pm | Paramount+ |