THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SATURDAY APRIL 15, 2023

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

https://www.maxpreps.com/in/baseball/scores/?date=4/14/2023

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

https://www.maxpreps.com/in/softball/scores/?date=4/14/2023

2023 AT&T NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT

MIAMI 102 CHICAGO 91

MINNESOTA 120 OKLAHOMA CITY 95

2023 NBA PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE

EASTERN CONFERENCE

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (1) VS. MIAMI HEAT (8)

GAME 1: HEAT VS. BUCKS | SUN., APRIL 16 | 5:30 ET (TNT)

GAME 2: HEAT VS. BUCKS | WED., APRIL 19 | 9 ET (NBA TV)

GAME 3: BUCKS VS. HEAT | SAT., APRIL 22 | 7:30 ET (ESPN)

GAME 4: BUCKS VS. HEAT | MON., APRIL 24 | TBD

*GAME 5: HEAT VS. BUCKS | WED., APRIL 26 | TBD

*GAME 6: BUCKS VS. HEAT | FRI, APRIL 28 | TBD

*GAME 7: HEAT VS. BUCKS | SUN., APRIL 20 | TBD

BOSTON CELTICS (2) VS. ATLANTA HAWKS (7)

GAME 1: HAWKS VS. CELTICS | SAT., APRIL 15 | 3:30 ET (ESPN)

GAME 2: HAWKS VS. CELTICS | TUES., APRIL 18 | 7 ET (NBA TV)

GAME 3: CELTICS VS. HAWKS | FRI., APRIL 21 | 7 ET (ESPN)

GAME 4: CELTICS VS. HAWKS | SUN, APRIL 23 | 7 ET (TNT)

*GAME 5: HAWKS VS. CELTICS | TUES., APRIL 25 | TBD

*GAME 6: CELTICS VS. HAWKS | THURS., APRIL 27 | TBD

*GAME 7: HAWKS VS. CELTICS | SAT., APRIL 29 | TBD

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (3) VS. BROOKLYN NETS (6)

GAME 1: NETS VS. 76ERS | SAT., APRIL 15 | 1 ET (ESPN)

GAME 2: NETS VS. 76ERS | MON., APRIL 17 | 7:30 ET (TNT)

GAME 3: 76ERS VS. NETS | THURS., APRIL 20 | 7:30 ET (TNT)

GAME 4: 76ERS VS. NETS | SAT., APRIL 22 | 1 ET (TNT)

*GAME 5: NETS VS. 76ERS | MON., APRIL 24 | TBD

*GAME 6: 76ERS VS. NETS | THURS., APRIL 27 | TBD

*GAME 7: NETS VS. 76ERS | SAT., APRIL 29 | TBD

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (4) VS. NEW YORK KNICKS (5)

GAME 1: KNICKS VS. CAVALIERS | SAT., APRIL 15 | 6 ET (ESPN)

GAME 2: KNICKS VS. CAVALIERS | TUES., APRIL 18 | 7:30 ET (TNT)

GAME 3: CAVALIERS VS. KNICKS | FRI., APRIL 21 | 8:30 ET (ABC)

GAME 4: CAVALIERS VS. KNICKS | SUN., APRIL 23 | 1 ET (ABC)

*GAME 5: KNICKS VS. CAVALIERS | TBD

*GAME 6: CAVALIERS VS. KNICKS | TBD

*GAME 7: KNICKS VS. CAVALIERS | TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE

DENVER NUGGETS (1) VS. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (8)

GAME 1: TIMBERWOLVES VS. NUGGETS | SUN., APRIL 16 | 10.30 ET (TNT)

GAME 2: TIMBERWOLVES VS. NUGGETS | WED., APRIL 19 | 10 ET (TNT)

GAME 3: NUGGETS VS. TIMBERWOLVES | FRI., APRIL 21 | 9:30 ET (ESPN)

GAME 4: NUGGETS VS. TIMBERWOLVES | SUN., APRIL 23 | 9:30 ET (TNT)

*GAME 5: TIMBERWOLVES VS. NUGGETS | TUES., APRIL 25 | TBD

*GAME 6: NUGGETS VS. TIMBERWOLVES | THURS., APRIL 27 | TBD

*GAME 7: TIMBERWOLVES VS. NUGGETS | SAT., APRIL 29 | TBD

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (2) VS. L.A. LAKERS (7)

GAME 1: LAKERS VS. GRIZZLIES | SUN., APRIL 16 | 3 ET (ABC)

GAME 2: LAKERS VS. GRIZZLIES | WED., APRIL 19 | 7:30 ET (TNT)

GAME 3: GRIZZLIES VS. LAKERS | SAT., APRIL 22 | 10 ET (ESPN)

GAME 4: GRIZZLIES VS. LAKERS | MON. APRIL 24 | TBD

*GAME 5: LAKERS VS. GRIZZLIES | WED., APRIL 26 | TBD

*GAME 6: GRIZZLIES VS. LAKERS | FRI., APRIL 28 | TBD

*GAME 7: LAKERS VS. GRIZZLIES | SUN., APRIL 30 | TBD

SACRAMENTO KINGS (3) VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (6)

GAME 1: WARRIORS VS. KINGS | SAT., APRIL 15 | 8:30 ET (ABC)

GAME 2: WARRIORS VS. KINGS | MON., APRIL 17 | 10 ET (TNT)

GAME 3: KINGS VS. WARRIORS | THURS., APRIL 20 | 10 ET (TNT)

GAME 4: KINGS VS. WARRIORS | SUN., APRIL 23 | 3.30 ET (ABC)

*GAME 5: WARRIORS VS. KINGS | WED., APRIL 26 | TBD

*GAME 6: KINGS VS. WARRIORS | FRI., APRIL 28 | TBD

*GAME 7: WARRIORS VS. KINGS | SUN., APRIL 30 | TBD

PHOENIX SUNS (4) VS. LA CLIPPERS (5)

GAME 1: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS | SUN., APRIL 16 | 8 ET (TNT)

GAME 2: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS | TUES., APRIL 18 | 10 ET (TNT)

GAME 3: SUNS VS. CLIPPERS | THURS., APRIL 20 | 10:30 ET (NBA TV)

GAME 4: SUNS VS. CLIPPERS | SAT., APRIL 22 | 3:30 ET (TNT)

*GAME 5: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS | TUES., APRIL 25 | TBD

*GAME 6: SUNS VS. CLIPPERS | THURS., APRIL 27 | TBD

*GAME 7: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS | SAT., APRIL 29 | TBD (TNT)

* IF NECESSARY

NHL SCOREBOARD

COLORADO 4 NASHVILLE 3

NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

EASTERN CONFERENCE

BOSTON BRUINS (A1) VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS (WC2)

MON., APRIL 17: PANTHERS AT BRUINS, 7:30 P.M. ET, ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS

WED., APRIL 19: PANTHERS AT BRUINS, 7:30 P.M. ET, ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS

FRI., APRIL 21: BRUINS AT PANTHERS, 7:30 P.M. ET, TNT, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS

SUN., APRIL 23: BRUINS AT PANTHERS, 3:30 P.M. ET, TNT, SN1, TVAS

WED., APRIL 26: PANTHERS AT BRUINS, TBA

FRI., APRIL 28: BRUINS AT PANTHERS, TBA

SUN., APRIL 30: PANTHERS AT BRUINS, TBA

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (A2) VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (A3)

TUE., APRIL 18: LIGHTNING AT MAPLE LEAFS, 7:30 P.M. ET, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS, ESPN

THU., APRIL 20: LIGHTNING AT MAPLE LEAFS, 7 P.M. ET, SN, CBC, TVAS, ESPN

SAT., APRIL 22: MAPLE LEAFS AT LIGHTNING, 7 P.M. ET, TBS, SN, CBC, TVAS

MON., APRIL 24: MAPLE LEAFS AT LIGHTNING, 7:30 P.M. ET, TBS, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC

THUR., APRIL 27: LIGHTNING AT MAPLE LEAFS, TBA

SAT., APRIL 29: MAPLE LEAFS AT LIGHTNING, TBA

MON., MAY 1: LIGHTNING AT MAPLE LEAFS, TBA

CAROLINA HURRICANES (M1) VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (WC1)

MON., APRIL 17: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES, 7 P.M. ET, ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2

WED., APRIL 19: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES, 7 P.M. ET, ESPN2, SN360, TVAS22

FRI., APRIL 21: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS, 7 P.M. ET, TBS, SN1, TVAS

SUN., APRIL 23: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS, 1 P.M. ET, TNT, SN360, TVAS

TUE., APRIL 25: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES, TBA

FRI., APRIL 28: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS, TBA

SUN., APRIL 30: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES, TBA

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (M2) VS. NEW YORK RANGERS (M3)

TUE., APRIL 18: RANGERS AT DEVILS, 7 P.M. ET, TBS, SN360, TVAS2

THU., APRIL 20: RANGERS AT DEVILS, 7:30 P.M. ET, TBS, SN360, TVAS

SAT., APRIL 22: DEVILS AT RANGERS, 8 P.M. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN1, CITY, TVAS

MON., APRIL 24: DEVILS AT RANGERS, 7 P.M. ET, ESPN, SN360, TVAS

THUR., APRIL 27: RANGERS AT DEVILS, TBA

SAT., APRIL 29: DEVILS AT RANGERS, TBA

MON., MAY 1: RANGERS AT DEVILS, TBA

WESTERN CONFERENCE

COLORADO AVALANCHE (C1) VS. SEATTLE KRAKEN (WC1)

TUE., APRIL 18: KRAKEN AT AVALANCHE, 10 P.M. ET, ESPN, SN360, TVAS

THU., APRIL 20: KRAKEN AT AVALANCHE, 9:30 P.M. ET, ESPN, SN360, FX, TVAS

SAT., APRIL 22: AVALANCHE AT KRAKEN. 10 P.M. ET, TBS, SN360, TVAS

MON., APRIL 24: AVALANCHE AT KRAKEN, 10 P.M. ET, TBS, SN360, TVAS

WED., APRIL 26: KRAKEN AT AVALANCHE, TBA

FRI., APRIL 28: AVALANCHE AT KRAKEN, TBA

SUN., APRIL 30: KRAKEN AT AVALANCHE, TBA

DALLAS STARS (C2) VS. MINNESOTA WILD (C3)

MON., APRIL 17: WILD AT STARS, 9:30 P.M. ET, ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2

WED., APRIL 19: WILD AT STARS, 9:30 P.M. ET, ESPN2, SN360, TVAS

FRI., APRIL 21: STARS AT WILD, 9:30 P.M. ET, TBS, SN1, TVAS

SUN., APRIL 23: STARS AT WILD, 6:30 P.M. ET, TBS, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS

TUE., APRIL 25: WILD AT STARS, TBA

FRI., APRIL 28: STARS AT WILD, TBA

SUN., APRIL 30: WILD AT STARS, TBA

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (P1) VS. WINNIPEG JETS (WC2)

TUE., APRIL 18: JETS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS, 9:30 P.M. ET, ESPN2, SNW, TVAS2

THU., APRIL 20 JETS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS, 10 P.M. ET, TBS, SN, CBC, TVAS

SAT., APRIL 22: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT JETS, 4 P.M. ET, SN, CBC, TVAS, TBS

MON., APRIL 24: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT JETS, 9:30 P.M. ET, SNW, TVAS, ESPN

THU., APRIL 27: JETS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS, TBA

SAT., APRIL 29: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT JETS, TBA

MON., MAY 1: JETS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS, TBA

EDMONTON OILERS (P2) VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS (P3)

MON., APRIL 17: KINGS AT OILERS, 10 P.M. ET, SN, CBC, TVAS, ESPN

WED., APRIL 19: KINGS AT OILERS, 10 P.M. ET, SN, CBC, TVAS, ESPN

FRI., APRIL 21: OILERS AT KINGS, 10 P.M. ET, SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT

SUN., APRIL 23: OILERS AT KINGS, 9 P.M. ET, SN, CBC, TVAS, TBS

TUE., APRIL 25: KINGS AT OILERS, TBA

SAT., APRIL 29: OILERS AT KINGS, TBA

MON., MAY 1: KINGS AT OILERS, TBA

* IF NECESSARY

TBD – TO BE DETERMINED

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

DETROIT 7 SAN FRANCISCO 5 (11)

CLEVELAND 4 WASHINGTON 3

ATLANTIC 10 KANSAS CITY 3

NY METS 17 OAKLAND 6

SEATTLE 5 COLORADO 3

MINNESOTA 4 NY YANKEES 3

TORONTO 6 TAMPA BAY 3

BOSTON 5 LA ANGELS 3

BALTIMORE 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3

TEXAS 6 HOUSTON 2

PHILADELPHIA 8 CINCINNATI 3

MIAMI 5 ARIZONA 1

ST. LOUIS 3 PITTSBURGH 0

MILWAUKEE 11 SAN DIEGO 2

CHICAGO CUBS 8 LA DODGERS 2

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

ST. PAUL 4 INDIANAPOLIS 2

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

NBA NEWS

JOKIC, EMBIID, ANTETOKOUNMPO FINALISTS FOR NBA MVP AWARD

NEW YORK (AP) Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a third straight NBA MVP award, with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo the players who can stop him.

The three leading vote-getters for the league’s individual awards were announced Friday and the marquee category featured familiar names.

Jokic repeated as MVP last year, with Embiid the runner-up and Antetokounmpo third. The Denver Nuggets center could now become the first player to win three straight MVP awards since Hall of Famer Larry Bird from 1984-86.

Antetokounmpo has also won consecutive MVP awards, in 2019 and 2020, along with an NBA Finals MVP when the Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2021 title. Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers center who won his second straight scoring title, has never won.

The winners will be announced beginning next week.

The finalists for the other categories:

COACH OF THE YEAR

Mike Brown, Sacramento; Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City; Joe Mazzulla, Boston.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Paolo Banchero, Orlando; Walker Kessler, Utah; Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Jalen Brunson, New York; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City; Lauri Markkanen, Utah.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis; Brook Lopez, Milwaukee; Evan Mobley, Cleveland.

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

Malcolm Brogdon, Boston; Bobby Portis, Milwaukee; Immanuel Quickley, New York.

CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jimmy Butler, Miami; DeMar DeRozan, Chicago; De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento.

HEAT ELIMINATE BULLS 102-91, WILL FACE BUCKS IN ROUND 1

MIAMI (AP) Max Strus had another 3-pointer taken away in an elimination game. He and Jimmy Butler made sure it didn’t matter.

The playoffs await.

Strus and Butler – who was doubled over at times in the final moments, heaving for every breath – scored 31 points apiece, and the Miami Heat closed the game on a 15-1 run to beat the Chicago Bulls 102-91 in an Eastern Conference play-in game Friday night.

“Our team has obviously not been perfect this year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But I do know one thing about the men in that locker room: The last 48 hours, I know how categorically, unequivocally, how badly and desperately our group wanted to get into this damn thing – and get into the playoffs to have an opportunity to compete for a title.”

Their reward: the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA’s top overall seed, starting Sunday.

DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 26 points and nine assists. Alex Caruso added 16 points, Zach Lavine had 15 but shot just 6 for 20, and Coby White scored 14. Chicago got a road win at Toronto on Wednesday to extend its season, but couldn’t get the second road victory it needed to make the playoffs.

“They’re disappointed,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “When you make that investment from September to the middle of April, that’s a lot of time. You reflect back a little bit. I think they’re all disappointed. We were getting better as a group, I think, since the All-Star break. It would have been nice if we found a way to win tonight and continue on to the playoffs, but it didn’t happen.”

Tyler Herro added 12 points and Bam Adebayo grabbed 17 rebounds for Miami, which trailed by six midway through the final quarter.

But Butler scored while getting fouled with 2:17 left to put Miami ahead for good, found Strus for a 3-pointer – his seventh of the night – a minute later to push the lead to five, and Strus sealed it with three free throws after getting fouled on a try from beyond the arc with 40 seconds remaining.

“I don’t think any of us felt any type of pressure,” Butler said. “We went out, we competed.”

The Heat led by 14 in the first quarter, held as much as a 10-point lead in the third quarter, then found themselves down by six with 7:12 remaining.

A 9-3 spurt over the next 2 minutes – Butler had seven, Strus had the other two – pulled the Heat into a tie, and into all-too-familiar territory. The NBA defines clutch games as those that are within five points or less in the final 5 minutes, and the Heat played a league-high 54 of them during the regular season.

Maybe it prepared them for this moment. White made a 3-pointer with 3:47 left to put the Bulls up 90-87. The score the rest of the way: Heat 15, Bulls 1.

“Win or go home,” said Strus, an Illinois native who started his career with the Bulls. “We’re not done yet.”

TIP-INS

Bulls: Chicago was a combined 13-1 this season against Miami, Detroit, Portland, Utah and Dallas. … The Bulls didn’t trail Miami by more than nine in any of the three regular-season matchups between the teams. … Nikola Vucevic had 12 points.

Heat: Strus had 14 points in the first quarter, matching the seventh-best scoring effort in any quarter of his career. … This was the 21st Heat team to finish a regular season with a winning record; they were 44-38. All 21 have made the playoffs. … Kyle Lowry was limited in the second half with a knee issue, but told Spoelstra postgame that he was fine.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Heat and Bucks split four meetings this season, both going 2-0 at home. Butler averaged 22 points per game to lead all players in the season series. Adebayo and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo both averaged 19.5, and Herro averaged 19.

BILLY AND UDONIS

It was the final time Donovan will share a court with one of his college players at Florida, Heat captain Udonis Haslem, who will retire when this Miami season ends. All of Haslem’s NBA and college coaches were at the game, with Erik Spoelstra on the Heat sideline, Pat Riley in the Heat president’s box, Stan Van Gundy broadcasting for TNT and Donovan leading the Bulls.

“I’m not surprised about the impact he’s had on the community here and I’m not surprised about the impact he’s had inside the organization,” Donovan said. He also lauded Haslem for prioritizing winning and never leaving the Heat even though he had offers elsewhere “for a lot more money.”

UP NEXT

Bulls: Season complete.

Heat: Visit Milwaukee in Game 1 on Sunday.

WOLVES GO BIG TO BEAT THUNDER IN PLAY-IN GAME, GET 8TH SEED

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Timberwolves went big this season, getting Rudy Gobert for an against-the-grain pairing with Karl-Anthony Towns in a league increasingly revolving around outside shooting and small ball.

That’s how they got in the playoffs, in the last possible game.

Towns had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and the Timberwolves muscled and hustled their way past the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-95 to finish the play-in tournament on Friday night.

“We utilized our size. We did a great job of putting pressure on the paint and just doing what we do best,” Towns said. “Rudy was fantastic. He did a lot for us and really imposed his presence.”

Gobert had 21 points and 10 rebounds in his return from exile for swinging at teammate Kyle Anderson, and the Wolves filled out the NBA playoff bracket by seizing the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a near-perfect performance at the end of another harder-than-it-had-to-be season.

Anthony Edwards added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves, who had a 58-30 advantage in points in the paint. They will face No. 1 seed Denver in a best-of-seven series starting on Sunday night.

“We are in the standings, but I don’t consider us as an ‘8’ seed,” Gobert said, adding: “We know if we play the right way, there’s not a team in the league that we can’t beat.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 22 points, going 12 for 12 from the free throw line but just 5 for 19 from the field. Jalen Williams and Lu Dort each scored 17 points.

“It’s been really fun this year. We kind of turned the corner a little bit,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

With their best defender Jaden McDaniels out with a broken hand – thanks to a wall he punched out of frustration in the final regular-season game shortly before Gobert took a swing at Anderson in an argument during a timeout – the Timberwolves put Nickiel Alexander-Walker in the starting lineup. He guarded his cousin, the dynamic Gilgeous-Alexander, at the suggestion of president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

“He’s the reason we won,” Towns said. “There’s no other way to put it.”

Gilgeous-Alexander was slow to get going in the Thunder’s play-in tournament opener, too, before scoring 25 of his 32 points after halftime in the 113-108 win over New Orleans. This time, the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and then had to leave for treatment a few minutes later after Gobert accidentally elbowed him in the eye as he rebounded and dunked his own miss.

Towns had 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting in Minnesota’s 108-102 overtime loss in Los Angeles in the first play-in game on Tuesday, when the Wolves offense grinded to a woeful finish. This time, they took a much better blend of outside and inside shots with a constantly moving ball. Towns and Gobert going to work against the much-smaller Thunder, who played all season without No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren, the 7-foot-1 Minneapolis native who broke his foot in summer pro-am game.

Gobert was listed as questionable with a back injury that might have kept him out against the Lakers anyway to make his team-imposed suspension moot. He wore a wrap around his midsection when he was on the bench, but he found his groove in the second half.

After Mike Conley tracked down a loose ball in the corner midway through the fourth quarter, he threw a three-quarters-of-the-court baseball pass to Towns, whose cross-court feed set Gobert up for yet another dunk and a 109-80 lead that matched Minnesota’s biggest of the game.

“It was nice not to give back a lead, which we’ve done quite a bit,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “The guys were super locked-in. They knew what it was going to take.”

RELEARNING PROCESS

The Wolves won three of four matchups with the Thunder, playing twice in the first five days of the season and twice more by Dec. 16. Towns was out with an injury then. The three-team trade that jettisoned D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota backcourt and brought in Conley and Alexander-Walker was still two months from conception.

So was it even worth reviewing the film from those games?

“We do because we’re paranoid, and what else are you going to do? Like, watch Netflix?” Daigneault said. “But it’s different. They’re missing guys. We’re different. Both teams have evolved since then.”

TIP-INS

Thunder: Josh Giddey went just 2 for 13 from the floor. … Oklahoma City shot 13 for 40 from 3-point range.

Timberwolves: Walker-Alexander had 12 points. … Minnesota’s last consecutive playoff appearances came from 1997-2004.

FORMER NBA STAR SHAWN KEMP CHARGED IN PARKING LOT SHOOTING

SEATTLE (AP) Prosecutors in Washington state charged former NBA star Shawn Kemp on Friday with first-degree assault in a parking lot shooting last month over a stolen cellphone, saying that in a text message just before the shooting, Kemp wrote, “I’m about to shoot this (expletive).”

Kemp was arrested after the shooting outside the Tacoma Mall on March 8. No one was injured, and Kemp’s lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self defense after tracking and trying to retrieve a cellphone that had been stolen from him earlier that day.

In a written statement sent by defense attorney Tim Leary on Friday, Kemp’s legal team said he would plead not guilty: “He is confident that once the jury hears from the witnesses and sees the evidence at trial, they will conclude that he was justified in defending himself that afternoon.”

A probable cause statement by Tacoma police, filed in Pierce County Superior Court on Friday, did not indicate Kemp was shot at. It said some of his statements were not corroborated by surveillance video, and that the text message sent just 13 minutes before he arrived at the mall showed his intent.

The document said Kemp told police that after being shot at he went back to his own vehicle, parked several spots away, to get his own gun. But the video showed that he was armed with the weapon when he approached the parked Toyota 4Runner where he had tracked his phone.

According to the statement, Kemp tracked his phone to a Toyota 4Runner sport-utility vehicle that was parked near a JCPenney department store. He parked his own car, a Porsche, several spots away, grabbed a handgun out of a backpack and approached the 4Runner, the statement said.

The statement said he fired three times into the Toyota and then threw his gun into some bushes. The driver of the 4Runner appeared to duck one of the shots and eventually drove off, it said. Only about five minutes elapsed from the time Kemp arrived until the time the 4Runner left.

The bullets that struck the 4Runner went through the front license plate mount, the front quarter panel toward the steering wheel, and through the front passenger door.

Kemp is due to be arraigned May 4.

Kemp, who has two licensed cannabis stores in Seattle, was a six-time NBA all-star and played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.

Kemp debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He became known for his high-flying dunks.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS

MLB ROUNDUP: BLUE JAYS END RAYS’ HISTORIC 13-0 START

Bo Bichette went 5-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI and the Toronto Blue Jays ended the visiting Tampa Bay Rays’ 13-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory on Friday night.

The Rays had joined the 1982 Atlanta Braves and the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers as the only teams since 1900 to win their first 13 games of the season. The only major league team that had a longer season-opening winning streak was the 1884 St. Louis Maroons, who began 20-0.

George Springer hit a solo homer for Toronto. Josh Lowe and Christian Bethancourt hit solo shots for the Rays.

Toronto right-hander Jose Berrios (1-2) allowed one run on four hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out six before he was removed due to a left knee contusion that occurred on a comebacker that ended the fifth inning.

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen (2-1) allowed five runs, eight hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. He fanned four.

Mets 17, Athletics 6

Francisco Lindor tied a career high with seven RBIs thanks to a grand slam and a bases-clearing double, sending New York past host Oakland to open the interleague series.

Starling Marte drove in three runs and Brandon Nimmo scored three times for the Mets, who scored six times in both the second and fifth innings. New York starter Kodai Senga couldn’t last long enough to get the win. He was pulled two outs into the fifth with a pitch count of 96 and the Mets up 12-4. Dennis Santana (1-0) got the win.

Aledmys Diaz, Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers launched home runs for the Athletics, who outhit the Mets 13-11. A’s starter James Kaprielian (0-2) was charged with six runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked seven and struck out four.

Cubs 8, Dodgers 2

Justin Steele tossed seven strong innings and Yan Gomes hit two of visiting Chicago’s five solo home runs in a win over Los Angeles.

Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Patrick Wisdom also homered for Chicago, which had lost its last 10 games against the Dodgers dating to June 25, 2021. Happ had four hits, three RBIs and a stolen base. Steele (2-0) allowed two runs on three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.

The Dodgers were held to three hits, including solo homers by Chris Taylor and Max Muncy. Los Angeles has lost five of its last seven.

Mariners 5, Rockies 3

Jarred Kelenic homered for the fourth consecutive game as Seattle defeated visiting Colorado in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

Kelenic hit a two-run shot to straightaway center field off Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber (0-3) in the second inning, giving Seattle a 2-1 lead. Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez and Ty France all doubled in a three-run fourth, knocking Gomber out of the game.

Kris Bryant hit a solo shot in the first inning for Colorado, which took its third consecutive loss.

Brewers 11, Padres 2

Rowdy Tellez led a 15-hit attack with two homers and four RBIs and left-hander Eric Lauer allowed one run over six innings as Milwaukee routed host San Diego.

The Brewers finished with nine extra-base hits — including four doubles in a four-run first inning off Padres’ starter Michael Wacha. Christian Yelich smacked a solo homer off Wacha in the second.

Milwaukee set season highs for hits and extra-base hits and have won the first two games of the four-game series. The only run against Lauer (2-1) was a solo homer leading off the fifth by Padres catcher Luis Campusano. Lauer allowed five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Tigers 7, Giants 5 (11)

Nick Maton blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th as host Detroit defeated San Francisco.

Javy Baez, who was benched on Thursday after a baserunning gaffe, reached base four times and drove in two runs for Detroit. Starting pitcher Joey Wentz gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings and struck out seven but the bullpen squandered a three-run lead.

J.D. Davis hit a three-run homer for San Francisco. Thairo Estrada also homered among three hits and scored two runs. Giants starter Sean Manaea was removed after 3 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs and four hits and struck out four in throwing 82 pitches.

Marlins 5, Diamondbacks 1

Trevor Rogers pitched six strong innings for his first win since last July 1 as host Miami defeated Arizona.

Miami broke the game open in the fourth inning with all five of their runs — coming on four straight RBI hits — with two outs. Rogers (1-2) allowed five hits, one walk and one run, and striking out seven. Miami had lost his past 10 starts. During that stretch, he went 0-7 with a 5.44 ERA.

Arizona starter Madison Bumgarner (0-2) allowed nine hits and five runs in five innings. The four-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion has a 7.90 ERA through three starts this season.

Phillies 8, Reds 3

Edmundo Sosa homered and Kyle Schwarber had two hits, reached base four times and scored twice to lead visiting Philadelphia past Cincinnati.

Taijuan Walker (1-1) had his best outing of the season, limiting the Reds to four hits and one run over six innings, striking out four and walking two. J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm each drove in two runs for the Phillies, who snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in eight road games.

Reds starter Connor Overton (0-1) was pulled after three innings, allowing five runs on five hits. Jonathan India had two RBIs.

Guardians 4, Nationals 3

Cal Quantrill and three Cleveland relievers combined for five consecutive shutout innings to end the game and the visiting Guardians came back from a three-run deficit to defeat Washington.

Josh Bell belted a solo homer off his old team for his first long ball with Cleveland and later doubled in the eighth. Trevor Stephan (1-0) was the winning pitcher with one shutout inning, and he was followed from the bullpen by James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase.

Washington’s Luis Garcia homered and Alex Call drove in two runs, but the Nationals lost for the sixth time in seven home games this season.

Twins 4, Yankees 3

Carlos Correa hit a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning and visiting Minnesota rallied late for a victory over New York.

Correa hit a solo homer in the sixth off New York starter Nestor Cortes and drove in three runs. With the Yankees leading 3-2, Clay Holmes (0-1) opened the eighth inning by allowing a single to Michael A. Taylor. After Byron Buxton walked, Correa smacked his double down the right field line to give Minnesota the lead.

New York rookie Anthony Volpe hit his first career home run to lead off the bottom of the first, Aaron Judge connected on the next pitch, and Giancarlo Stanton also went deep.

Cardinals 3, Pirates 0

Nolan Gorman drove in two runs as St. Louis defeated visiting Pittsburgh.

Nolan Arenado went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs for the Cardinals, who won for the third time in four games.Cardinals starting pitcher Jake Woodford contained the Pirates for 5 1/3 innings. He scattered seven hits, struck out three batters and walked one.

Zack Thompson (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings to earn the victory. Drew VerHagen retired the Pirates in order in the eighth inning, and Giovanny Gallegos earned his first save. Pittsburgh starting pitcher John Oviedo (1-1) allowed one run on six hits in seven innings. He struck out 10 batters and walked one.

Red Sox 5, Angels 3

Enrique Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring double, Rafael Devers homered and host Boston took advantage of three errors by Los Angeles.

The Red Sox, who came off being swept in a four-game set at Tampa Bay, scored all five runs in the middle innings and emerged with the series-opening win despite being outhit 11-5. Josh Winckowski (1-0) pitched three innings of one-run ball in relief of Tanner Houck to post the win for the Red Sox.

Kenley Jansen struck out the side, including Angels stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani back-to-back, in the ninth inning to post his third save of the season. Anthony Rendon (3-for-4, run) and Jake Lamb (2-for-3) led the Angels, who had won consecutive games. The Angels were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Braves 10, Royals 3

Ronald Acuna Jr. went 3-for-5 and smacked one of Atlanta’s five home runs in crushing host Kansas City.

Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Sean Murphy and Sam Hilliard also went deep for the Braves, who have won four straight. The onslaught made things easy for Atlanta starter Charlie Morton (2-1), who allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in six innings to pick up the win.

Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits and Edward Olivares tripled for Kansas City, which has lost four of its last five. Despite a 34-pitch first, Royals starter Brady Singer (1-1) ended up lasting five innings but surrendered eight runs on 10 hits. He fanned eight without issuing a walk.

Rangers 6, Astros 2

Nathaniel Lowe drove in three runs and Adolis Garcia clubbed a home run as Texas topped host Houston to open a three-game series.

Lowe provided the Rangers a 1-0 lead with his RBI double in the first inning and produced some insurance with his two-run single to left field with one out in the fifth. Lowe also walked and scored on Garcia’s homer in the third.

Martin Perez (2-1), who pitched masterfully in two of his three appearances at Minute Maid Park last season, limited the Astros to two runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts while pitching into the sixth. Both runs scored via the solo homer, with Yordan Alvarez putting Houston on the board with his two-out home run to left in the third — his fourth of the season — while Martin Maldonado socked a 410-foot blast to left-center in the fifth.

Orioles 6, White Sox 3

Adley Rutschman delivered a bases-clearing double to cap a go-ahead, four-run seventh inning and boost visiting Baltimore to a win over Chicago.

After struggling to mount an attack against White Sox starter Mike Clevinger during his six shutout innings, Baltimore rallied against the Chicago bullpen to win for the fourth time in five games. Jorge Mateo and Ryan O’Hearn made it six unanswered runs for Baltimore with eighth-inning RBI doubles.

The White Sox led 3-0 entering the seventh. Jake Burger smacked a solo home run against Baltimore starter Tyler Wells to open the scoring in the second inning. Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi and Eloy Jimenez contributed RBI hits in a two-run sixth.

NHL NEWS

MACKINNON SCORES 3, AVS BEAT PREDATORS 4-3 TO WIN CENTRAL

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Nathan MacKinnon had three goals and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Friday night to win the Central Division title.

Devon Toews also scored and had an assist and Alexandar Georgiev made 18 saves for Colorado, which finished a point ahead of Dallas in the division. Mikko Rantanen had two assists.

Kiefer Sherwood scored twice, Luke Evangelista added one and Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves for the Predators.

With 1:42 remaining in the third, MacKinnon skated into the Nashville zone on the right side before snapping a wrist shot by Lankinen. His third goal was his 42nd of the season, setting a career high. The hat trick was his first of the season and fourth of his career.

“Obviously, I had some good looks tonight and managed to find the back of the net,” MacKinnon said.

The reigning Stanley Cup-winning Avalanche will begin their championship defense against Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. They will do so without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who announced Thursday that the knee injury that has sidelined him for the entire regular season will keep him out for the playoffs as well.

“These guys have put their heart and soul into this season, this regular season,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Getting stronger and stronger as the year has gone on against whatever adversity we have faced. We’ve had different guys step up at different times and our leaders have been outstanding.”

In a first period where Colorado outshot Nashville 18-4, MacKinnon assisted on Toews’ goal just 28 seconds after the opening faceoff. MacKinnon then scored twice, with his second coming with 6:46 left in the first when he slipped a backhand past Lankinen after splitting a pair of Predators defenders in the slot.

Nashville drew even at 7:08 of the second on a power-play goal from Sherwood. It was his second goal of the game and the first two-goal game of his career. Sherwood played parts of the last two seasons with Colorado.

“That’s kind of the summary of the season,” Sherwood said. “Things don’t always go to plan, but we buckled down and came out and responded well and gave ourselves a chance to win at the end. They’re obviously Stanley Cup champions for a reason and it just shows the character of our group to fight till the end. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win.”

Nashville was eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday night when Winnipeg clinched the Western Conference’s final playoff berth with a victory over Minnesota. The Predators had qualified for the playoffs the last eight seasons, tied with Washington for the second-longest active streaks, trailing just Pittsburgh’s 16. All three teams failed to qualify for this season’s playoffs.

PK SUCCESS

Nashville successfully killed all four Avalanche power plays in the game. The Predators did not yield a power-play goal in their last six games, going 17 for 17 on the penalty-kill in the process.

POILE’S LAST

Friday was the final game in the career of Predators general manager David Poile. Just prior to the NHL trade deadline, Poile, the winningest regular season general manager in NHL history, announced that he was retiring from the position. Poile, who has been Nashville’s GM since the franchise has been existence, will be replaced by Barry Trotz, the team’s first head coach.

UP NEXT

Avalanche: Host Seattle in Game 1 of the first round on Tuesday night.

Predators: offseason.

MEN’S GOLF

MASTERS CHAMP RAHM REBOUNDS AS WALKER LEADS RBC HERITAGE

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Jimmy Walker was feeling like his old self after his second straight 6-under 65 on Friday – and so was Masters champion Jon Rahm halfway through the RBC Heritage.

Walker had his third straight round in the 60s overall to post a two-day total of 12-under 130 at Harbour Town, three shots better than Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele.

Rahm, who won at Augusta National last week – his second career major championship and his fourth PGA Tour win this season – recovered from his opening 1-over 72 on Thursday with a 64 to move to 6-under. He’s still got work ahead, although another victory seems much more doable for the world No. 1 than it did after the opening round.

Walker will try to maintain his strong play, something he’s struggled with since stepping away from the game amid a lengthy battle with Lyme disease.

“I haven’t put two really good rounds together back-to-back out here,” said Walker, who has missed eight cuts in his past 12 events.

He’ll need to do it against a major-quality field with seven of the world’s top 10 players competing for their share of a $20 million purse at the tour’s sixth designated event of the season.

Scheffler, No. 2 in the world, shot 65, Olympic Schauffele 66 and Rose 67 to reach 9-under. The trio all reached milestones in this event with Rose making his 400th tour start, Schauffele his 150th and Scheffler his 100th.

Patrick Cantlay, who lost in a playoff to Jordan Spieth a year ago at Harbour Town, was in a group of four another shot back. Cantlay’s round of 65 included a hole-in-one (his third career ace on tour) on the par-3 seventh.

Also at 8-under were Tommy Fleetwood (65), Mark Hubbard (66), first-round leader Aaron Rai (71) and Viktor Hovland (70).

Spieth (67) and Matt Kuchar (67), the 2014 champion, were part of a group of eight at 7-under.

Walker has won six times on tour, the last in 2016 at the PGA Championship, his only major championship and the culmination of a rise to become one of the top Americans in golf. In the fall of that year, he went on a hunting trip in south Texas and fell ill afterward. He was diagnosed with Lyme disease the following spring and battled its effects for years. When he stepped away from the tour last year, he wasn’t sure he would ever return.

But the start of the LIV Golf circuit, and those PGA Tour players who gave up membership, moved Walker into the top 50 all-time money winners. That meant one-time exemption to play on tour this year.

Walker wasn’t sure it was the right move, but supported by his family, he decided to come back. His return hasn’t been easy, but so far, it’s been a different story at Hilton Head.

Never the straightest driver, Walker has so far kept his ball in play at tight, tree-lined Harbour Town and made enough putts to move in front.

That was the case Friday as he made seven birdies, none from shorter than 7 feet. His most unlikely one came at the par-3 14th when he holed a putt of roughly 50 feet from off the green.

Walker hopes he can call on what’s worked so far on the weekend. The most difficult part, he said, is the inconsistency of how he feels.

“Since getting sick, mentally and physically feel different damn near every day, and that’s been the hardest part,” he said. “The things that work on one day, I can’t feel it the next day.”

Still, Walker’s never backed off when in the hunt and is ready to give it a go against a big-time field.

“I’ve never felt like I’ve ever been afraid to go win a golf tournament,” he said.

And neither has Rahm, who despite his Masters fatigue honored the commitment he and other top players made to play in the tour’s new designated events. He has a chance to collect this tournament’s plaid jacket to go along with his new green one.

Rahm put together a bogey-free round with seven birdies, flashing his best-in-the-world form early. He started on the back nine and had four straight birdies starting on the 11th hole. He rolled in a 33-footer on the par-3 14th.

There’s still work ahead to chase down Walker, but Rahm believes he can be a factor at the end.

“Today overall felt pretty good,” Rahm said. “I felt like my body was moving properly. Still not as good as I would like to be, but really, really good. So, hopefully, it can keep getting a little bit better.”

DIVOTS: World No. 7 Max Homa, No. 20 Kurt Kitayama and rising start Tom Kim were among the players who missed the cut. … U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson made 18 pars Friday, the first time in 1,641 stroke-play rounds on tour he’s done that.

WOMEN’S GOLF WOMENS

YU JIN SUNG TAKES 1-SHOT LEAD INTO LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE

HONOLULU (AP) Yu Jin Sung shot a 1-under 71 on Friday at windy Hoakalei Country Club to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the LOTTE Championship.

The 22-year-old South Korean is playing on a sponsor exemption after winning the 2022 LOTTE Open on the Korean LPGA. She’s trying to become the first sponsor invite to win since Lydia Ko in the 2013 CP Women’s Open.

“I haven’t really thought about the winning part,” Sung said. “There is still a day left in this tournament. Again, not really thinking about winning, but just trying to show my best golf game.”

She opened with a birdie on the par-5 first, dropped a stroke on the par-4 13th and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 14th.

“It’s a very difficult course and it’s really windy today, so I tried my best to just ease and play that way,” Sung said.

Georgia Hall, Linnea Strom and tour rookie Grace Kim were tied for second, with 13 players within three strokes of each other at the top of the leaderboard.

Kim, from Australia, had a 70. Hall, from England, and Strom, from Sweden, each shot 71.

“I’m very happy to be in this position,” Strom said. “I’ve been working very hard to be here. So, it’s nice to see some hard work pay off. But I still feel like I’m not hitting it quite as good as I want out there. I’m hitting the drives pretty good, but struggling a bit with my irons at the moment.”

Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, tied for the lead after each of the first two rounds, had a 73 to fall into a tie for fifth at 7 under with Lauren Hartlage (70), Christina Kim (71) and Nasa Hataoka (71).

The 20-year-old Vongtaveelap is making her second LPGA Tour start. In February, she won her first two events as pro on the Thai LPGA Tour, then was second behind Lilia Vu in the LPGA Thailand.

Brooke Henderson, at No. 7 the highest-ranked player in the field, had two back-nine bogeys in a 69 that left her 6 under. The Canadian birdied five or her first seven holes. She’s the only multiple winner in event history, taking the 2018 and 2019 titles at Ko Olina.

“The front nine was a lot of fun,” Henderson said. “I was making a lot of birdies and giving myself a lot of the good opportunities. Unfortunately, dropped a couple shots here on the back nine. Hopefully, just go out there and do the same thing the first nine holes and just clean this up a little bit.”

Bailey Tardy (65) also was 6 under with Celine Boutier (67), Peiyun Chien (69) and Siyun Liu (70).

Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim was 1 over, following a second-round 78 with a 71.

The Chevron Championship, the first women’s major championship of the year, is next week in Texas.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/NEWS

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

INDIANAPOLIS – In a game that was scoreless through seven innings, the St. Paul Saints brought across three runs in the eighth to best the Indianapolis Indians on Friday night at Victory Field, 4-2.

With the game scoreless after seven frames, the Saints (8-4) broke open the scoring with a three-run eighth. The bases were loaded after a leadoff double by Alex De Goti and walks issued to Hernán Perez and Mark Contreras. Angel Perdomo (L, 0-1) then beaned Chris Williams to bring in the first run of the contest. Andrew Stevenson followed with a slow-rolling grounder up the middle to bring in a pair and make it a 3-0 Saints advantage.

Indians starter Kent Emanuel and reliever Colin Selby combined for 6.0 scoreless innings, two hits allowed and five strikeouts. Saints starter Aaron Sanchez pitched 5.0 scoreless and Cody Laweryson (W, 1-1) picked up his first win of the season with 2.0 scoreless innings.

Both teams scored in the ninth frame. For St. Paul, Contreras doubled and a fielding error by Cal Mitchell led to Perez scoring from first base. In the bottom of the frame, Tucupita Marcano singled and scored on an RBI triple by Endy Rodríguez. Rodríguez later scored on a wild pitch by Brock Stewart.

Marcano had his third three-hit game of the season and Miguel Andújar, Nick Gonzales and Malcom Nuñez each had two-hit performances.

The Indians have now dropped their first seven home games of the season for the first time since 1972, tied for the worst start on record dating back to the 1938 campaign.

Indianapolis will look to snap its winless home stretch on Saturday in a 6:35 PM ET first pitch at Victory Field. RHP Quinn Priester (0-0, 6.14) will take the mound for the Indians vs. St. Paul’s RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-1, 4.91).

INDY ELEVEN

#OCvIND Preview  

Indy Eleven at Orange County SC

Saturday, April 15, 2023 – 10:00 p.m. ET 

Championship Soccer Stadium – Irvine, Calif.

Follow Live:

Local TV: n/a

Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe) 

Radio: n/a

In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed

Live Opta stats: #OCvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com

2023 USL Championship Records:

Indy Eleven: 1W-1L-2D (-2 GD), 5 pts.; T-6th in Eastern Conference 

Orange County SC: 0W-2L-3D (-3 GD), 3 pts.; T-10th in Western Conference 

Community Health Network Sports Medicine Indy Eleven Injury Report:

OUT: None

QUESTIONABLE: None

Discipline Report:

IND: none

OC: none

After completing its first home stretch of the season over the last two weeks, Indy Eleven gets back on the road in a big way this weekend with a first-ever trek to Orange County SC, the first of two trips the Boys in Blue will take to California across the next month.

Indy Eleven will be looking to shake off its first defeat of 2023 last weekend, which came via a surprising 0-3 result to another Golden State squad in Oakland Roots SC. At the end of a three-game week – including a 120-minute run out in U.S. Open Cup play three days prior – Indy Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry pointed out the energy level that kept the squad undefeated in its first four competitive matches this season just wasn’t present, so a full week to rest and prepare for OCSC was indeed welcome for a roster that should indeed be back at 100% both injury and energy wise for this weekend.

Now it’s time to address the elephant in the room – last year’s two trips to California, the first two for Indiana’s Team during its then five-season USL Championship tenure. Indy’s 2022 campaign hit a pair of speedbumps after 0-5 defeats in different parts of the season at San Diego Loyal SC (June 25) and Monterey Bay F.C. (Sept. 17) – that’s the bad news. The good news? Of the 10 players who have started all four matches in league play thus far, only one – Solomon Asante – was a part of those defeats, so Lowry should not have to break out the Men in Black memory-eraser thingy as part of this week’s preparations. New year, new players, new attitudes, new philosophy, new playing style … you get the picture. If anything, those heavy defeats last season – combined with a disappointing result last Saturday – should provide the Boys in Blue with ample motivation to turn things around in short order against a so far struggling OCSC side..

The best way to go about that would be continuing to limit the opposition’s changes. The squad’s 8.5 shots allowed per game (30 shots in 4 games) is second lowest in the league, and last weekend’s 11 shots allowed against Oakland fell right at league average per game. However, Roots SC gamed the system by putting seven of its 11 shots on frame, with those seven shots faced equaling the Eleven’s total allowed from its first three games combined. Defense is always accentuated when taking to the road, and you can bet Lowry put a premium on shoring things up on that side of the ball throughout training this week.

For Orange County, the USL Championship’s reigning Golden Boot holder Milan Iloski remains the primary focus. The 23-year-old striker from the San Diego area burst onto the scene with 22 goals in his first season with OCSC last year, and his two tallies on 14 shots early on in 2023 show he has no signs of slowing down. Brief Boy in Blue Kevin Partida has also stood out in his box-to-box role in Orange County’s midfield, contributing team highs in interceptions (11), tackles/tackles won (12/10), duels/duels won (50/28) and, just for good measure, yellow cards (3), while also contributing a goal.

Between the posts, former U.S. Youth international and certified journeyman Cody Cropper has been the first choice ‘keeper for OCSC’s last four games, this after Colin Shutler conceded thrice in a 1-3 season-opening loss at home to Louisville City FC. Cropper has allowed multiple goals just once (2-2 draw vs. Las Vegas on March 25) in that stretch but has yet to notch a clean sheet, keeping Orange County as one of eight squads that have not posted a shutout thus far in 2023.

One thing to be on the lookout for on Saturday will be who breaks though first. For two teams that have failed to lead much in the early stages of the season – OCSC has led for 18% of its 450 minutes played, while Indy has led only 8% of the time in its 360 minutes of action – said first goal (assuming it happens) may carry added importance on Saturday.

Series vs. Orange County SC:

USL Championship regular season: 1W-0L-0D (3 GF/1 GA)

At home: 1W-0L-0D (3 GF/1 GA)

Indy Eleven’s lone meeting with Orange County SC was another early-season affair last April 24, when the Boys in Blue stormed back in the second half to register a 3-1 win at Carroll Stadium. Mikko Kununigas’ 13th minute tally opened the scoring, and the then-defending USL Championship title holder kept the advantage through halftime and early into the second stanza. However, Noah Powder’s 54th minute goal equalized before Stefano Pinho notched the eventual game-winner in the 65th minute. An insurance tally goal by Aris Briggs a minute into stoppage time secured the Eleven’s third win on the trot during a torrid April stretch.

#OCvIND Familiar Faces

Only one current member of each squad has suited up for the opposite side heading into Saturday’s affair. For Indy, that would be midfielder Aodhan Quinn, who had a standout three seasons with Orange County SC from 2018-20, when he registered 24 goals and an equal number of assists in 86 appearances. Quinn’s initial All-USL Championship First Team accolade followed his first campaign with OCSC in 2018, when he finished second in the league with 15 assists to go along with 12 goals and a league-high 103 chances created, figures that also landed the San Diego native on the three-person shortlist for that season’s USL Championship Most Valuable Player award.

The paragraph honoring current OCSC midfielder Kevin Partida’s time in Indy will be a bit shorter, as the Nevada native joined Indiana’s Team for a cup of coffee at the end of the 2021 season, when he started five of his six appearances.

Eleven Player to Watch: DF Robby Dambrot

With a preseason foot injury now behind him, look for Dambrot to help provide more balance to an Indy attack that had previously been right-sided dominant across its first three contests.

Just how unbalanced had Indy become before Dambrot’s first start last Saturday? Compare where Indy help possession in the two league matches before Dambrot’s return against his 82-minute stint against Oakland …

Dambrot’s activity was borne out in the numbers, as the left back was fourth on the squad in touches (58, compared to 35 for Boudadi) and was successful on four of his six dribble attempts – compare that against four out of seven successful attempts for the rest of the team combined!

Needless to say Dambrot can bring different dimensions to an attack that could use a spark after being shutout in its last two league affairs. Against an Orange County side that has yet to prove it can completely close down the opposition, Dambrot could stand out even more as he continues to get back to full match fitness and in the flow of Indy’s possession-based style here in 2023.

INDY FUEL

INDIANAPOLIS-The Fuel hosted the Fort Wayne Komets in the final regular season home game this year. Despite the playoffs already being set, this cross-state rivalry was in full swing in their first match of the weekend. The Fuel ultimately won 2-1 with a shorthanded goal by Seamus Malone.

1ST PERIOD

The first period saw a lot of back and forth action with quite a few checks, as most games between the cross-state rivals do. It was Fort Wayne who headed to the penalty box first though. Daniel Maggio was called for high-sticking at 7:55.

While that penalty was killed off, Fort Wayne took another for too many men at 12:07. It was the Komets who had a series of shorthanded opportunities however, but Mitchell Weeks made some highlight reel worthy saves in net.

At 16:07, Fort Wayne’s Oliver Cooper sat for tripping giving the Fuel their third consecutive power play opportunity of the period. The Komets were able to kill it off and that is how the period ended.

2ND PERIOD

Fort Wayne opened the second period with another penalty, this time a roughing call was given to Shawn Boudrias after attempting to fight Indy’s Koletrane Wilson just 31 seconds into the frame.

They followed it up with their fifth consecutive penalty at 4:51 with a slashing call on Joe Masonius.

About eight minutes into the period, the Komets appeared to have scored but the play was called dead due to offsides and the score remained 0-0.

At 9:49, Matt Watson took the Fuel’s first penalty of the game for holding. With just five seconds left on the power play, Fort Wayne’s William Provost scored to make it 1-0 Komets.

With one more penalty each in the final minutes of the period, the Fuel laid on the shots heavily but could not tie it up before time expired.

3RD PERIOD

As expected, the third period quickly got chippy with Chase Lang taking an interference penalty at 3:13. Seamus Malone got a breakaway while shorthanded and scored to tie the game up with the help of Wilson.

This was Malone’s 22nd goal and his fourth shorthanded goal of the season matching the franchise single season record that he has achieved once before. It also was his eighth shorthanded goal while with the Fuel, setting a new franchise record.

Soon after the goal, a fight broke out resulting in 26 penalty minutes being handed out at 6:35 of the frame. While on the power play, Logan Nijhoff scored to give the Fuel their first lead of the game. Alex Wideman and Bryan Lemos both claimed assists on the goal.

Things remained chippy between the two teams as the Fuel tried to keep hold of their lead resulting in a bench minor issued to Indy that Kyle Maksimovich served for the final 45 seconds of the period.

With a final attempt at a shorthanded empty net goal the Fuel claimed the 2-1 win before heading to Fort Wayne to play the Komets again tomorrow night.

INDIANA BASEBALL

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In a game that had its fair share of momentum swings, the Indiana baseball program dropped a 7-5 decision to Illinois on Friday (April 14) evening at Illinois Field.

Indiana (23-11, 7-3 B1G) opened the scoring with a single run in the first, but Illinois (15-15, 4-6 B1G) scored one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth to push out to a 4-1 lead. Two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh pushed the Hoosiers back into the lead, 5-4, before the Fighting Illini went back in front for good with a three-run eighth.

Freshman Devin Taylor posted his second career multi-home run game and accounted for three RBIs in the contest. Sophomore Brock Tibbitts posted a pair of his 14th multi-hit game of the season and senior Phillip Glasser moved his reached base streak to 34 games with a 1-for-4 night at the plate.

Redshirt junior Morgan Colopy drove in two RBIs for his sixth multi-RBI game of the year and sophomore Josh Pyne chipped in two hits.

Redshirt senior Craig Yoho (4-1) took the loss with three runs allowed on three hits in relief. He walked two and struck out three in the outing. Junior Seti Manase made the start and tossed two scoreless innings with two hits allowed and one walk.

Only one Illinois hitter posted a multi-hit game, as Camden Janik posted two hits, scored one run and drove in one RBI. Drake Westcott drove in two RBIs with a home run and Jacob Schroeder plated three RBIs with his eighth-inning home run. Korey Bunselmeyer (2-1) picked up the win with a scoreless inning of work and Joseph Glassey (3) picked up the save with a scoreless ninth inning.

Scoring Recap

Top First

Devin Taylor hit a two-out solo home run to right-center field.

Indiana 1, at Illinois 0

Bottom Third

Danny Doligale reached base to start the inning on a wild pitch after he struck out swinging. A double to right center field from Camden Janik brough Doligale around to score.

Indiana 1, at Illinois 1

Bottom Fourth

A two-out walk to Brody Harding was followed by a failed pickoff attempt to move the runner to second base. Cal Hejza followed with a single to score a run.

at Illinois 2, Indiana 1

Bottom Fifth

Janik walked to start the inning and, with one out, Drake Westcott homered.

at Illinois 4, Indiana 1

Top Sixth

Good base running led to a pair of runs in the inning. Brock Tibbitts singled and moved to third on a Josh Pyne single, with the throw going to third, allowing Pyne to move to second base. Morgan Colopy’s single up the middle plated both runs, with Pyne sliding around the tag at home.

at Illinois 4, Indiana 3

Top Seventh

With one on base and one out, Taylor homered to left field.

Indiana 5, at Illinois 4

Bottom Eighth

The first two batters reached with a walk and a double to put runners on second and third before a strikeout accounted for the first out of the frame for IU reliever Craig Yoho. Jacob Schroeder pushed Illinois back in front for good with a three-run home run.

at Illinois 7, Indiana 5

Up Next

Indiana and Illinois will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 15, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. The second game will begin at 6 p.m. ET and air on the Big Ten Network. Each game of the weekend series can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network

INDIANA SOFTBALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 24 Indiana (31-13, 9-3 B1G) fell to Nebraska (28-13, 8-4 B1G), 12-2, in five innings on Friday evening at Andy Mohr Field after the game was delayed two hours due to weather in the middle of the second inning.

INDIANA 2, NEBRASKA 12

KEY MOMENTS

Nebraska started things off taking a 3-0 lead in the first.

Senior Cora Bassett and Sophomore Taylor Minnick earned two hits in the bottom of the inning before the Huskers pitcher walked sophomore duo Sarah Stone and Brianna Copeland with the bases loaded to cut the lead, 3-2.

Nebraska extended the lead with four runs in the top of the second, 7-2, before the game went into a lightening delay.

The Huskers gained the momentum in the top of the fourth inning adding on two more runs followed by three more in the top of the fifth for the run-rule.

UP NEXT

The Hoosiers return back tomorrow to Andy Mohr Field as they look to bounce back in game two against the Huskers at 2:00 p.m. ET.

PURDUE BASEBALL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A two-out error opened the door for a 12-run inning as Penn State blew open a one-run affair entering the top of the sixth and defeated Purdue baseball 15-3 in Friday’s series opener at Alexander Field.

Due to rain in the forecast for Sunday, the teams will be play a doubleheader Saturday at 2 p.m. ET to conclude the series. One ticket is good for both/either game(s). Fans with tickets for Sunday can use the tickets Saturday or exchange them for general admission seats to any future home game this season.

The Nittany Lions (19-11, 2-5 B1G) sent 16 men to the plate in the sixth inning. The key error at shortstop occurred after a pitching change as the first batter CJ Backer faced. It came with the bases loaded and PSU leading 3-1. After a two-run single and a bases-loaded walk, Thomas Bramley hit a grand slam. Grant Norris later connected for a two-run homer, also going deep in his second at-bat of the inning.

The Nittany Lions accounted for the biggest inning at Alexander Field since Indiana State also scored a dozen runs in the eighth inning in April 2016. Penn State scored seven runs in the sixth inning Tuesday vs. West Virginia and has now won five straight games.

Remarkably, both teams finished with 14 hits. But PSU had a 7-1 advantage in walks, five coming in the long sixth inning. Six of those seven base runners that reached via the walk came around to score. Mike Bolton Jr. and Evan Albrecht both made excellent catches in left field, taking away hits from the Lions in the third and fifth innings.

Purdue (14-18, 5-5 B1G) scored first on a two-out RBI single by Connor Caskenette in the first inning. But it was a short-lived lead after PSU’s Bobby Marsh connected for a two-out solo homer the following frame. Marsh was the only batter Khal Stephen did not retire through his first four innings.

Trailing 2-1, Stephen began his third time through the PSU lineup to open the sixth inning and ended up facing six batters in the frame. The Nittany Lions scored on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly and Stephen walked the next batter to load them up again. Backer got the call from the bullpen and induced a ground ball to shortstop, but it did not end the inning. Penn State scored 11 of its 12 runs in the frame with two outs.

Stephen surrendered only four hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out four. He was one of four pitchers to take the mound for Purdue in the sixth inning. Carter Doorn was effective as the final pitcher of the night, working 3 1/3 innings of one-run relief after finally bringing the top of the sixth to a close. Doorn struck out four.

Jaden Henline stayed in the game and gave Penn State four more outs after he watched his teammates erupt for the big inning. With the three pitching changes, five walks and 16 total batters, the top of the sixth took approximately 40 minutes.

Couper Cornblum singled in three consecutive at-bats, driving in a run with a base hit in the seventh inning. Jake Parr had a pair of hits and an RBI, extending his hit streak to six consecutive games. Caskenette extended his on-base streak to 11 consecutive games with his RBI single.

Saturday will be Purdue’s sixth doubleheader of the season and third over the first four weekends of Big Ten play. The Boilermakers are 5-5 in doubleheader action this year.

PURDUE SOFTBALL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In the opening game of the series, the Purdue softball team (18-23, 2-10 Big Ten) was shut out, 0-4 by Michigan (21-25, 7-4 Big Ten).

The Boilermakers were out-hit 7-0. Defensively, Purdue made one error while Michigan registered two.

Alex Echazarreta received the loss after tossing the first 5.2 innings, moving her record to 5-10 on the year. Alexa Pinarski entered in relief for the final 1.1 innings. Combined, the Boilermaker struck out six batters.

Schedule Update

Due to impending weather on Sunday, Saturday will now be a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. ET. No game will be played on Sunday. Both games will be streamed on B1G+. Bark in the Park will still take place on Saturday, with admission free for all fans.

PURDUE MEN’S GOLF

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men’s golf sits in fourth place just two shots off the lead after shooting a 3-under par 281 under near-perfect conditions at the Ackerman-Allen Golf Course on Friday afternoon.

Purdue’s 281 is two shots off the pace set by Rutgers, which surged late in the round finishing with a 5-under par 279. No. 11-ranked Oklahoma and Wisconsin are tied for second at 4-under par 280, while Purdue is fourth and Kent State is fifth at 2-under par 282.

The Boilermakers played a steady round on both nines and finished strong with four birdies in its last 21 holes played to move from 1-under to 3-under par and from a fifth-place tie to fourth. The leader for most of the round, Oklahoma, came back to the pack by playing the same stretch in 3-over par, setting the stage for a tightly-contested battle on Saturday between five teams.

As he has done for most of the year, Herman Sekne continued to pace the Boilermakers in round one. The junior from Oslo, Norway, shot a 2-under par 69 to sit in a fifth-place tie, four shots off the pace set by Wisconsin’s Cameron Huss. Sekne played a solid round, running into trouble just once in his round when his drive on 14 found itself inches behind a tree, resulting in a bogey.

It marked Sekne’s 10th round this season in the 60s, one off the school record, and 12 of his 22 rounds this year have been even- or under-par.

Nick Dentino also had a strong round, posting his fourth round this year in the 60s, also posting a 2-under par 69. Dentino was 1-over par through four holes, but played the remaining 14 holes in 3-over par to sit in the top five after 18 holes.

Peyton Snoeberger is the third Boilermaker in the top 20, shooting a 1-under par 70, good for T-13th after round one. Snoeberger was 1-over par after six holes, but recorded 10 pars and two birdies down the stretch for his round of 70.

Andrew Farraye and Nels Surtani are tied for 30th at 2-over par 73.

Playing as individuals, Kentaro Nanayama is tied for 19th at even-par 71, Andrew White is tied for 48th at 4-over par 75, Kent Hsiao is tied for 58th at 5-over par 76 and Luke Prall is 69th at 7-over par 78.

Purdue’s counting team will tee off the second round at 9 a.m. ET, off holes four through seven. The Boilermakers will be paired with Kent State and Illinois State.

BUTLER SB

STORRS, Conn. – The Butler softball team lost a pitcher’s duel with league-leading UConn, falling, 2-1, in game one of a three-game set. The Bulldogs (15-25, 9-4 BIG EAST) scored one in the sixth inning, but that was matched by the Huskies (26-11, 13-3 BIG EAST) in the bottom half. A walk-off double in the final frame gave UConn one-run victory.

How It Happened

In the second inning, Monique Hoosen sent a deep ball to left, but UConn left fielder Kaitlyn Kibling snagged it just above the top of the wall, denying the home run. The Bulldogs then stranded two runners in the third inning, the fourth, and again in the fifth, and the game remained scoreless through five complete.

In the sixth, Paige Dorsett hit a leadoff home run over the left field fence, giving Butler a 1-0 lead. UConn responded in the bottom half, and the teams were tied, 1-1, going into the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, Butler used two singles and a walk to load the bases with only one out. The Huskies made a pitching change and retired the side with two strikeouts.

In the bottom half of the final inning, UConn advanced a runner to second, and a walk-off double from Grace Jenkins ended the game.

Mackenzie Griman (7-12) started in the circle for Butler and threw a complete game. In 6.1 innings, she allowed two runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out five.

Bulldog Bits

Paige Dorsett’s home run was her sixth of the season and seventh of her career.

Kieli Ryan caught UConn’s Lexi Hastings stealing, the Huskie’s first time being caught in 28 attempts. Ryan has now caught 12 runners attempting to steal this season.

Monique Hoosen’s stolen base was her first of the season and eighth of her career.

Cate Lehner’s three hits were a career high.

Mackenzie Griman’s pitched her 12th complete game of the season.

Up Next

Butler remains in UConn to complete the conference series. Game two is scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 15, with game three on the following Sunday.

BUTLER BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Butler Bulldogs in the first game of the weekend series by the final score of 13-9. The Friday afternoon battle featured 31 total hits with the Bulldogs recording 17 in the setback. Stephen Turzai was credited with the win while Clay Holzworth took the loss.

Each team used five pitchers on Friday, but the story in this outcome was all about the offense. Jack O’Reilly put the Wildcats on the scoreboard first with a lead-off home run in the fourth inning. Weill Reiner would add a two-run homer in the frame to put the visitors out in front 4-0.

Butler cut into the deficit with a single score in the fifth inning. Joey Urban singled to center to score Keegan Connors and that got the Butler offense moving in the right direction.

Nova added two runs in the top of the sixth, but the Bulldogs would take the lead with a seven-run bottom half of the inning. Ryan O’Halloran, Garret Gray and Kyle Van Liere all had RBI singles for BU and Carter Dorighi would deliver a big blow with a base clearing, three RBI triple down the left field line.

Dorighi gave BU a 7-6 lead and Urban would add a sac fly to give the home team a two-run cushion heading to the seventh.

Villanova fought back and won the game in crunch time. They scored four runs in the seventh, two in the eighth and had one more in the ninth to collect their seventh win of 2023. Sal Fusco impacted the action for Nova by throwing the final 2.1 innings. By doing so, he earned his first save of the season.

The Wildcats continued to put their lead-off man on base throughout the contest. Craig Larsen and Reiner each finished the game with three RBI. Carter Dorighi and Joey Urban also had three RBI each for BU.

With rain in the forecast for Sunday, these two teams will now play a doubleheader on Saturday. Action starts at Noon.

IUPUI SOFTBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI softball team welcomed the number one team in the Horizon League, Youngstown State for a doubleheader of Friday with the Jags coming out on top in both contests. The Jags earned the win in game one, 8-2 and completed the doubleheader sweep with a 2-1 win in game two. Madison Bryant and Alexa Holman each threw a complete game to earn the wins in the circle for the Jags.

In game one, the Jags outscored the Penguins, 8-2. IUPUI took the lead in the bottom of the first inning due to an error by the Penguins’ catcher, 1-0. Madison Bryant threw three hitless innings, then gave up a single in the fourth to lead to a run for Youngstown State, 1-1.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, IUPUI retook the lead with a two-RBI double from Kayla Freiberg scoring Kennedy Cowan and Kendal Calvert. Jordan Jenkins followed with a single up the middle to score Rachael Gregory. Kasie Keyes singled through the left side to score Freiberg, then Jaida Speth scored Keyes with a single to center field. Cowan knocked a double to right center scoring Speth to extend the Jags lead to 8-1 in the fifth ining.

Yougnstown scored one run in the seventh inning but the Jags got the three outs and sealed the 8-2 win. IUPUI recorded 13 hits in the victory with Bryant earning the win in the circle. She threw a complete game only giving up two runs on three hits with eight strikeouts.

In game two, IUPUI completed the doubleheader sweep with a score of 2-1.

Maicey Bedrick put the Jags on the board first in the third inning with a solo home run to left field, 1-0. Freiberg extended the lead in the third with a single to left field scoring Calvert, 2-0.

The Penguins were held scoreless until the seventh inning when they threatened with one run, but Holman closed out the game to seal with win, 2-1.

Holman is now 5-3 on the season after throwing the complete game giving up just one run on five hits with one strikeouts.

With the wins, IUPUI moves to 12-23 and 8-7 in conference play. They close out the three-game series tomorrow with one game at noon.

IUPUI WOMEN’S TRACK

In game two, IUPUI completed the doubleheader sweep with a score of 2-1.

Maicey Bedrick put the Jags on the board first in the third inning with a solo home run to left field, 1-0. Freiberg extended the lead in the third with a single to left field scoring Calvert, 2-0.

The Penguins were held scoreless until the seventh inning when they threatened with one run, but Holman closed out the game to seal with win, 2-1.

Holman is now 5-3 on the season after throwing the complete game giving up just one run on five hits with one strikeouts.

With the wins, IUPUI moves to 12-23 and 8-7 in conference play. They close out the three-game series tomorrow with one game at noon.

BALL STATE BASEBALL

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Ball State baseball team was back on the diamond for game one of a three game series at Central Michigan on Friday. Adam Tellier led the Cardinals with solo home run as BSU fell to CMU 9-1.

With the loss, Ball State fell to 23-10 overall and 10-3 in MAC play, while Central Michigan improved to 19-13 overall and 8-5 in league action.

The Chippewas got on the board first in the bottom of the second on a two-run home run by Christian Mitchell. CMU added two runs on two hits with one BSU error to extend its lead to 4-0.

Tellier led off the top of the fourth with a solo home run to left field and cut the deficit to 4-1.

Central Michigan added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth and took a 6-1 lead. CMU extended its lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a run on two hits. The Chippewas added two runs in the bottom of the ninth and took a 9-1 lead.

Trennor O’Donnell got the start on the mound and went six innings in the loss. He fell to 2-2 on the season. He struck out nine batters and walked one. He surrendered six runs, five earned, on six hits. Owen Quinn went two innings in relief with one strikeout and a walk. He gave up three earned runs on four hits.

Adam Mrakitsch threw a complete game with 10 strikeouts and moved to 5-2 with the win. He gave up one earned runs on two hits.

Ball State and Central Michigan return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader starting a noon.

NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team earned a 6-1 victory over the visiting #14/17 Virginia Tech Hokies Friday night at Melissa Cook Stadium. Payton Tidd limited one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most powerful offenses to seven hits, and only one for extra bases. The Irish improve to 26-11-1 on the season, and 8-7-1 in league play with the win. Virginia Tech falls to 31-11 and 11-5 in league action.

Tidd threw a complete game, her seventh of the season to earn her 13th win. The graduate student allowed just one earned run, walked one, and allowed seven hits, six of which were singles. The Hokies entered the weekend as the nation’s top home run hitting team, averaging nearly two per game.

The offense was consistent up and down and eight of nine starters earned a hit. Carlli Kloss, Karina Gaskins and Mickey Winchell each finished with two hits. Joley Mitchell and Lexi Orozco made the most of their hits, as both hit a two-run homer in the victory. Leea Hanks and Payton Tidd added RBI hits in the contest.

How It Happened

The Irish didn’t waste any time getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Kloss led off the inning with a single to left and stole second. Virginia Tech nearly wiggled off the hook with back-to-back strikeouts, but Orozco lifted a 3-2 pitch over the left field bleachers to take the 2-0 lead.

The Hokies answered the next half inning, getting a run back. A lead off single went through the left side, and with two outs, a triple down just out of the reach of the diving left fielder to brought in a run and cut the Irish lead in half.

Notre Dame hung another crooked number in the third, plating three runs. It was the top of the order getting the rally going again as Kloss led the inning off with a single up the middle. Mitchell hit a homer off the scoreboard to put the Irish up 4-1. Gaskins kept the rally going immediately, doubling to left field and moving up when Hanks lifted a fly ball to deep left center where the Hokie center fielder made a diving catch for the out. Tidd worked a 12-pitch at bat before winning the battle with a single to left field to extend the lead to 5-1.

The Irish added on to the lead in the fifth with a run. Gaskins knocked a single through the left side and was pinch ran for by Emily Tran. Tran swiped second, setting up a runner in scoring position for Hanks who knocked a single through the right side to extend the lead to 6-1.

The Hokies got a runner on in the seventh inning, but Tidd worked right around it, getting the next hitter to drive a ground ball to Miranda Johnson at second. Johnson flipped to shortstop Anna Holloway and the relay to Gaskins at first turned the double play to end the game.

Up Next

The Irish and Hokies are back in action tomorrow when they play a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.

NOTRE DAME WLAX

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse program continued its winning ways with a 17-6 victory over Pitt Friday night to improve to 10-4 on the season and now sit 5-3 in ACC action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Irish opened strong with a goal from Jackie Wolak two and a half minutes into play. Five individuals would score in the first 15 minutes, including Madison Ahern recording her eighth hat trick of the season, to lift the Irish to the 8-0 lead after one quarter.

Kasey Choma net her second of the day less than a minute into the second quarter before Wolak capitalized for the third time to boast her eighth hat trick and tie Ahern for second-most on the team. Choma joined Wolak and Ahern moments later with her third goal of the game to give the Irish the 11-0 lead partway through the second quarter.

With her fourth save of the contest just six minutes into the second frame, Lilly Callahan registered her 100th save of the season.

Pitt answered with two goals late in the second quarter as the Irish carried the 12-2 lead into the halftime break.

The Irish snapped their scoreless drought with four minutes left in the third quarter as Choma fired her fourth shot into the net, and picked up her sixth point of the game.

With two goals to close out the third quarter, Ahern recorded her third sock trick of the season, having previously scored six goals against Liberty and Duke in 2023.

The Irish secured the win with two more goals in the fourth quarter as MK Doherty and Jane McAvoy both added their names to the box score Friday against the Panthers.

With seven saves, Callahan now boasts double-digit wins for the first time in her collegiate career.

STAT OF THE GAME

By the time the horn sounded to signal the end of the first half, three Irish women had recorded hat tricks against the Panthers. Ahern scored three early goals in the first quarter before Wolak and Choma matched their classmate’s three-goal outing and gave the Irish the 12-2 lead through 30 minutes of play.

Ahern, who led the team with six goals and an assist Friday, recorded her seventh career sock trick en route to the team’s 17-6 win over the Panthers.

ND NOTES

Six individuals tallied goals in the win, including four of whom found the back of the net multiple times against the Panthers.

Ahern led the Irish with six goals in the contest while Choma (4-2-6), Doherty (2-0-2) and Wolak (3-2-5) all registered multiple goals. Jane McAvoy had multiple points, adding a goal and two assists to her resume for three points.

Callahan’s fourth save of the game was her 100th of the season. She now boasts 103 stops and is 10-4 on the year, having earned every decision for the Irish in 2023.

With two draw controls Friday night, Kelly Denes holds 85 on the year and is 11 shy of 200 career draw wins.

With 17 goals in the win, the Irish have scored double-digit goals in all but one outing this season and have a combined 43 goals in their last two games.

The scoring trio of Ahern, Choma and Wolak eclipsed 190 points on the year as the three senior attackers combined for 13 goals and five assists in the win at Pitt. This season they boast 191 points of the team’s 323 total points, or approximately 60 percent of the scoring.

UP NEXT

The Irish close out their regular season road slate with nonconference opponent Robert Morris Sunday afternoon before returning home for their ACC finale next Thursday against Louisville.

Prior to first draw Thursday at Arlotta Stadium, the Irish will honor its senior class for their contributions to the team over their careers.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Indiana State offense gave Matt Jachec just enough on Friday afternoon and the Sycamore ace took care of the rest as ISU took the series opener against Belmont, 2-1, at E.S. Rose Park.

Adam Pottinger homered to give ISU (20-12, 9-1 MVC) the early lead and Seth Gergely scored the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth on a Belmont (19-16, 5-5 MVC) error to give Jachec (4-2) all the support he would need in another career outing on the rubber.

Jachec went 7.0 innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his fourth quality start of the 2023 season. The Hampshire, Ill. native surrendered one single in every inning but was able to keep the Belmont bats at bay in picking up his team-leading fourth win of the season.

Jachec struck out at least two hitters in the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings and added a key pickoff in the bottom of the seventh to highlight the victory. Grant Magill added his 12th runner thrown out attempting to steal in the contest.

Jared Spencer (S, 4) closed out the final two innings in relief in his fourth save of the year. The sophomore left-hander surrendered just a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth before getting the final out on a fly ball to Parker Stinson in right field to end the game.

Magill had two of ISU’s four hits in the game, while Pottinger homered and Luis Hernandez doubled in the win.

Friday’s win stretches ISU’s winning streak to eight consecutive games dating back to April 2 at UIC. Following Southern Illinois’ loss to Evansville on Friday night, the Sycamores are atop the Missouri Valley rankings with a 9-1 record in conference play.

Belmont starter Andy Bean (3-5) nearly matched Jachec’s performance on the mound as the left-hander went 7.2 innings allowing four hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out five. Jett Thielke went the final 1.1 innings with a trio of strikeouts in relief.

Mason Landers and Max Blessinger had two hits apiece for the Bruins in the loss.

How They Scored

Adam Pottinger put the Sycamores on the board to lead off the third inning as the right fielder connected on a 2-2 offering from Belmont starter Andy Bean and drove out the solo home run over the right field wall to put ISU ahead 1-0.

Belmont tied the game up in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an errant pickoff attempt that moved Mason Landers from first to third base. Brodey Heaton brought him home with an RBI groundout up the middle for the unearned run and tied the game at 1-1.

The Sycamores strung together a pair of hits in the top of the sixth inning and took advantage of a Belmont error to plate the go-ahead run. Luis Hernandez provided the game-winning hit with a double to right field and Seth Gergely came around to score as the throw into the infield skipped around the Bruin first baseman and over to the ISU dugout giving the Sycamores the final 2-1 margin.

News & Notes

Indiana State ran its winning streak to eight consecutive games following Friday’s win. The streak is ISU’s longest since posting a nine-game stretch in the 2019 season spanning March 2-17 with victories over Austin Peay (twice), Mercer (three), Purdue (one), and The Citadel (three).

The Sycamores continued one of the best starts to conference play in program history as the 9-1 mark trails only the 12-1 start ISU accomplished back in the 1998 season.

Matt Jachec has gone 17.1 innings without allowing an earned run dating back to the second inning against UIC (April 2). He lowered his season ERA to 3.25 on the year following Friday’s start.

Jachec’s 11-strikeout performance was a new career-high for the redshirt junior. It was his fourth career double-digit strikeout game and second this season behind the 10 he recorded against Memphis on March 10 in the complete-game effort against the Tigers.

Jachec’s 11 strikeouts were the most by a Sycamore pitcher since Jack Parisi struck out 13 against Merrimack last season at the Snowbird Baseball Classic down in Port Charlotte, Fla. on February 25.

Jachec’s 11 strikeout, zero walk performance was the third time in his career he has posted double-digit strikeouts without surrendering a walk (May 7 at Bradley – 10 K-0 BB; May 25 vs. Valparaiso – 10 K-0 BB).

Luis Hernandez extended his on-base streak to a career-best 25 consecutive games following his sixth-inning double.

Hernandez’s streak ties for the third-longest in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era equaling Andy Young’s 25-game stretch in the 2016 season.

Seth Gergely’s on-base streak ended at 15 games after his 0-for-4 outing at the plate. The redshirt senior has reached base safely in 30 of ISU’s 32 games this year with a pair of 15-game streaks.

Adam Pottinger picked up his fifth home run of the season and first since April 2 against UIC.

Pottinger’s home run stretched his hitting streak to four games and he has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.

Grant Magill was the lone Sycamore with a two-hit game on Friday giving him seven multi-hit games in the 2023 season.

The Sycamore pitching staff has allowed one earned run over the last 23.1 innings in lowering the team’s ERA to 4.68.

Jared Spencer picked up his team-leading fourth save of the season after going scoreless the final two innings. Two of his four saves in 2023 have been multi-inning efforts.

Up Next

Indiana State continues the weekend series with Belmont on Saturday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed live on 105.5 The Legend.

INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL

NASHVILLE – Indiana State softball opened their three-game series against Belmont with a 10-1 run rule victory, defeating the Bruins in six innings on Friday night at Rose Park.

The Sycamores finished with 10 hits in the win while holding Belmont to just five.

The Action

Sycamore starter Lexi Benko stranded a pair of runners to cap off a scoreless opening frame for both teams.

In the top of the second, Cassie Thomerson launched her first home run of the season to left field to put ISU on the board first. The blast brought home Kennedy Shade for a 2-0 lead. Belmont would get a run back in the bottom half with three hits to make it a 2-1 contest.

The Sycamore offense stayed hot in the third inning, stringing together four hits to plate three runs and take a 5-1 lead. Isabella Henning drove home Danielle Henning with a double to left center followed by a RBI single by Annie Tokarek. Kennedy Shade then reached on an infield single to bring up Cassie Thomerson who singled down the right field line to score pinch-runner Hannah Welch.

Benko worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third, getting a fly out and two groundouts to quickly sit down the Bruins.

The Bruins replaced starter Maya Johnson prior to the start of the fourth. Danielle Henning would extend the Sycamore lead with a two-out RBI single to center to score Kaylee Barrett and make it a 6-1 ballgame. Isabella Henning and Annie Tokarek drew back-to-back walks to load the bases but Belmont was able to escape the jam.

After the first two Belmont batters reached base in bottom of the fourth, Lexi Benko was replaced by Cassi Newbanks who got three-straight groundouts to escape the jam and keep the score at 6-1.

Kaylee Barrett made it a 7-1 lead with a RBI single in the top of the fifth, scoring Cassie Thomerson who was hit by a pitch to begin the inning. The Bruins were able to strand a pair of ISU runners to limit the damage in the frame. Cassi Newbanks continued her strong relief outing with a scoreless inning in the bottom half.

In the top of the sixth, Indiana State loaded the bases as Isabella Henning singled, Annie Tokarek was hit by a pitch and Kennedy Shade walked. Cassie Thomerson promptly cleared the bases with a double to right center to put the Sycamores up 10-1.

Newbanks worked another scoreless inning in the bottom of the sixth to close out the Bruins. Lexi Benko got the win and improved to 9-6.

Cassie Thomerson finished a perfect 3-for-3 with six runs batted in on the day. Isabella Henning also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Up Next

The series will continue tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET at E.S. Rose Park.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Justin Miller recorded his 200th career strikeout in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 7-4 victory over Milwaukee on Friday (April 14).

Miller threw the final three innings to get his third save of the season. He needed two strikeouts to reach 200 and earned it for the second out of the ninth inning. He gave up just one hit in three innings of work. Miller is just the second Mastodon to ever record 200 career strikeouts.

He took the ball from Mac Ayres who went 6.0 innings for the victory. He allowed four runs and six hits with three strikeouts. He is now 3-1.

The ‘Dons scored seven runs on Milwaukee’s Riley Frey who also went six innings and earned the loss.

Purdue Fort Wayne never trailed in the game after scoring three runs in the first inning. Cade Fitzpatrick knocked in one and Tyler Nelson drove in two in the inning to make the score 3-0. Dylan Stewart drove in Grant Thoroman on a single in the fourth to give the ‘Dons a 4-1 lead.

A three-spot by the Panthers in the fifth knotted the game at four. But back came the ‘Dons as Braedon Blackford drove in two with a double and Caileb Johnson followed up with a single up the middle to score Blackford in the sixth.

Walker, Blackford, Johnson and Stewart each had two hits in the game. Every Mastodon starter reached base.

The two clubs will play a doubleheader on Saturday (April 15) in a noon start as rain is on the way on Sunday.

The ‘Dons are now 9-26 (6-7 Horizon League). Milwaukee is now 14-16 (5-7 Horizon League).

PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Purdue Fort Wayne and Robert Morris split a pair of softball games on Friday (April 14) to open their Horizon League series.

GAME 1 – Purdue Fort Wayne 3, Robert Morris 1

The Mastodons used a three-run fifth to beat the Colonials in the first game of the doubleheader.

Brooke Lickey was hit by the pitch to start the inning, then advanced to third on a double to center field from Bailey Manos. Taryn Jenkins singled to left to score Lickey and bring Manos around to third. With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Epiphany Hang singled to right field to score both. This put the Mastodons up 3-0.

Gracie Brinkerhoff was dealing from the circle on Friday. She held Robert Morris scoreless for the first five innings, throwing six strikeouts along the way. She finished with the win to move to 6-4 on the year. Alanah Jones came in after RMU scored its first run to finish the game. She did successfully, striking out three batters in 1.2 innings to pick up her second save of the year.

RMU’s Jane Garver took the loss to fall to 5-3.

The two teams were even at eight hits apiece.

GAME 2 – Robert Morris 4, Purdue Fort Wayne 2

Purdue Fort Wayne jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Colonials in game two with a run in both of the first and third innings.

After Jenkins walked and stole second in her first time up, Grace Hollopeter singled to right field to bring her home. The third inning started very similarly, as Jenkins singled this time, but stole second again. She advanced to third on a ground out, then snuck home after a wild pitch.

The Colonials started to figure out Jones’ pitching in the fourth, getting a triple and a single to score their first run of the game. An inning later, RMU scored score three with a pair of doubles to take the lead that held until the end of the game.

Alyson Quinlan was good in relief, throwing 1.1 innings without giving up a hit. Jones took the loss despite six strikeouts in 4.2 innings. RMU’s Dana Vatakis got the win to move to 6-8.

With the split, Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 16-21 and 8-5 in Horizon League play. Robert Morris goes to 17-18, 8-5.

These two teams will meet again tomorrow at noon for the rubber game.

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

CARBONDALE, Ill. – University of Evansville senior outfielder Mark Shallenberger launched two home runs and drove in six runs in his first game back from injury on Friday night, as the visiting Purple Aces cruised to a 10-2 victory over the Southern Illinois Salukis at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

“What a tremendous night all the way around tonight,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “I thought that up and down our batting order, we had different guys step up, but I really cannot say enough about the job that Mark Shallenberger did tonight.

“To not see live pitching since February and come in and have a game like tonight is incredible. It is really a credit to all of the hard work that Mark has put in the last two months in rehab with our athletic trainer Eric Harcourt.”

Shallenberger, who had not played since February 21, capped a five-run third inning with his first home run of the night, a three-run shot to right field to give UE the lead for good. Shallenberger’s home run followed RBI singles by graduate outfielder Eric Roberts and fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug in the frame.

The Salukis would threaten to get back into the contest against UE starter Nick Smith (3-3) in both the fourth and fifth innings, but Smith would get back-to-back inning-ending 4-6-3 double plays to get out of both frames. Shallenberger then added to UE’s lead with a two-run blast to right field to push UE’s lead to 7-1.

Junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse would add to the lead in the seventh inning on a two-run single down the left-field line to move the advantage to 9-1. After the Salukis got an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to cut into the deficit, Shallenberger knocked an RBI double down the right-field line to cap the six-RBI performance and the 10-2 victory.

Shallenberger finished 3-for-5 with six RBI, while Fougerousse added two RBI and fifth-year outfielder Danny Borgstrom added two doubles and a run. Smith earned the victory on the mound by giving up a single run on five hits in 5.0 innings of work.

With the victory, Evansville improves to 20-13 overall and 6-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Southern Illinois, meanwhile, sees its six-game winning streak come to an end, as the Salukis fall to 20-14 overall and 8-2 in the MVC. The two teams will continue the series on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., with UE sending senior LHP Tyler Denu to the mound to face SIU LHP Jordan Bloemer. The game can be seen on ESPN3 and heard live in the Tri-State on the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.

EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL

MURRAY, Ky. – Alexa Davis went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and six RBI as the University of Evansville softball team earned a 7-0 shutout victory over Murray State on Friday at Racer Field.

Sydney Weatherford made the start and tossed the Purple Aces’ third shutout in a row. She scatted five hits over seven innings and did not issue a walk. Evansville recorded its fourth win in a row while picking up its second-consecutive Valley road win.

After two scoreless innings, UE broke through in the top half of the third. Zoe Frossard reached on an error while Marah Wood followed with a single. With two runners on, Jenna Nink singled to center to score Frossard and give the Aces a 1-0 lead. With one out, Alexa Davis stepped to the plate and delivered a 2-RBI double to left to extend the advantage to 3-0.

Two frames later, UE broke the game wide open. Kaylee Lawson and Wood singled while Taylor Howe reached on an error to load the bases for Davis. Facing an 0-2 count, Davis came through once again, hitting a grand slam to push the lead to 7-0.

While the offense was racking up the runs, Sydney Weatherford took care of business in the circle and improved as the game moved along. After allowing a single hit by the Racers in each of the first five innings, Weatherford threw a hitless 6th and 7th frame to seal the complete game shutout.

Davis and Wood recorded two hits apiece in the contest with Wood scoring twice. Nink, Lawson and Hannah Hood also contributed hits. On Saturday, the Aces look to seal their third MVC series in a row with a 2 p.m. game at Racer Field.

SOUTHERN INDIANA SB

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball split its series-opening doubleheader against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at USI Softball Field on Friday, as the Screaming Eagles won in walk-off fashion, 4-3, in game 1 before falling in game 2, 5-3.

With Friday’s results, Southern Indiana moved to 16-18 overall and 9-7 in Ohio Valley Conference action. SIUE went to 16-22 this season with a 3-9 record in OVC play. USI reached a season-best four-game winning streak after the game 1 win and before the Cougars snapped the streak in game 2.

In Friday’s first game, USI tallied the first runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning. After the first two Screaming Eagles reached base in junior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) and sophomore outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana), senior Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) lifted a ball to the outfield fence for a two-RBI double that gave USI an early 2-0 lead.

SIUE answered to tie the game at two in the second inning, and the Cougars grabbed another run in the third to take a one-run lead.

Following a few scoreless innings, the Screaming Eagles evened the game at three in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Goodin led off the frame with her third home run of the season and third RBI of the contest. The momentum carried into the bottom of the seventh inning, as the first USI batters reached to load the bases. Two hitters later and with one out, Nalley took a 3-1 pitch into right-center field to score senior infielder Jordan Rager (Fishers, Indiana) for the walk-off victory.

Goodin had two hits with three RBIs in the first game, and senior infielder Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) also had a pair of hits.

In the pitching circle, sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) was credited with her 13th win of the season in her 13th complete game. The right-hander struck out three and allowed three runs – two earned – off seven hits.

For SIUE, junior Kelsey Ray was dealt the loss, dropping to 4-9 this season. Ray struck out four and surrendered four runs – three earned – off five hits in six innings.

In game 2, it was SIUE who struck first on the scoreboard, scoring three runs and forcing USI into an early pitching change. USI responded with a run in the home half of the first with another RBI hit on the day by Goodin.

SIUE built a 5-1 advantage through four innings, but Southern Indiana made a late push toward another comeback bid just like in game 1. Following three errors by SIUE, USI made it a three-run game, 5-2. A productive RBI groundout manufactured another run for USI, bringing the Screaming Eagles within two, 5-3, but the late charge ended there. SIUE got out of the inning with no further damage and closed out the rest of the game.

Rager led USI with two hits, while Goodin and sophomore Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) were responsible for USI’s two RBIs.

USI freshman pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky), who made her first OVC start, was tagged with the loss, recording one out and giving up three runs. Freshman pitcher Kylie Eads (Indianapolis, Indiana) pitched 2.2 innings with one run allowed in middle relief. Gotshall finished the game in the pitching circle for USI with one unearned run allowed in four innings.

The Cougars’ freshman pitcher Rylie Pindel picked up her fourth win after allowing two unearned runs in 3.1 innings of relief after junior starting pitcher Sydney Baalman tossed the first 3.2 innings with an unearned run surrendered.

The Screaming Eagles and Cougars will conclude the three-game series Saturday at 1 p.m. Admission to all 2023 USI Softball home spring games is free, courtesy of The Women’s Hospital Deaconess. The game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage links are on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

MARTIN, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball was out homered by the University of Tennessee at Martin and lost a 14-3 decision Friday evening in Martin, Tennessee. USI watched its record go to 9-24 overall and 2-8 in the OVC, while UTM goes to 10-25, 5-5 OVC, this spring.

USI jumped out in front to get the scoring started when junior rightfielder Drew Taylor (Jeffersonville, Indiana) homered to left center for the 1-0 Eagles’ lead. The home run was Taylor’s second of the season.

After the Skyhawks rallied to take a 4-1 advantage on a grand slam in the bottom of the second, the Eagles cut the deficit to one, 4-3, with a pair of tallies in the top of the fourth. Junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) got one of the runs back with a blast to right center, while junior leftfielder Gavin McLarty (Buckner, Kentucky) drove in the Eagle’s third run of the game with a RBI-single up the middle to make the score. 4-3.

Ebest’s solo shot in the fourth was his team-best seventh of the season for USI.

The Skyhawks would put the game out of reach with 10 unanswered runs, posting one in the fourth, eight in the sixth, including UTM’s second grand slam of the game, and one in the eighth, for the eventual final score of 14-3.

On the mound, sophomore right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana) was tagged with the loss for the Eagles. Morris (0-2) allowed nine runs on nine hits and four walks, while striking out one in 5.2 innings of work.

Up Next for the Eagles:

USI and UTM continue the three-game series Saturday with a 3 p.m. contest. The series concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.

VALPO BASEBALL

The Valparaiso University baseball team earned its second straight win on Friday night at Dozer Park in Peoria, rallying from a three-run deficit with a three-run seventh inning in an eventual 4-3, 10-inning triumph over host Bradley. Jake Skrine (Longmont, Colo. / Mead [Indiana]) belted a long home run and cut down a pair of would-be base stealers, while Grant Jablonski (Mishawaka, Ind. / Mishawaka) followed a solid start by Griffin McCluskey (Normal, Ill. / Normal Community]) with a stellar relief outing.

How It Happened

The only batter who reached base against McCluskey over the first two innings came on a dropped third strike. He struck out two of the three batters in the second while sending down the side in order.

The Braves broke through with two runs in the third to start the game’s scoring.

Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) made a sprawling catch in right for the second out of the fourth. A Bradley runner from third did tag and score on the play to boost the lead to 3-0.

McCluskey recovered nicely to put up zeros in the fifth and sixth innings.

The complexion of the game flipped in the seventh inning, when Valpo rallied for three runs to tie the score. Valpo ripped off a stretch of three straight extra-base hits. Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) started the uprising with a double, then Skrine cracked a tape-measure blast to deep left to cut the Bradley lead to 3-2.

Maka added to the stretch of extra-base hits with a double, then he scooted home on a two-hit single by Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) that leveled the score at three.

Jablonski started his day with a scoreless seventh as Bradley stranded a man in scoring position, then he wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth to keep it 3-3.

Jablonski continued to do yeoman’s work out of the bullpen, facing the minimum in the bottom of the ninth with help from Skrine cutting down a runner trying to steal.

The top of the 10th started with a Spencer Warfield (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) single, then Warfield moved to second on a sac bunt, and scored on a throwing error to give the Beacons the lead.

Jablonski put up another zero in the 10th, striking out the game’s final two batters.

Inside the Game

The Skrine home run was his third of the season.

Renfro posted three hits, his fifth three-hit game of the year. He extended his on-base streak to 26.

Jablonski achieved the win, the first of his collegiate career. He went four scoreless innings while allowing three hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts. That came in relief of McCluskey, who went six innings of three-run, five-hit ball while walking three and striking out six.

Valpo improved to 3-0 in extra-inning games and 4-2 in one-run games this season.

Up Next

Valpo (12-14, 3-7 MVC) and Bradley have altered the schedule for the remainder of the weekend due to the weather forecast for Sunday. The series will now wrap up with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon. The first game will not be broadcast, but the second game will air on ESPN3.

VALPO SOFTBALL

No, there isn’t an echo in here. For a second straight start, Valpo softball senior Easton Seib (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) tossed a one-hit shutout, this time blanking Bradley in MVC play as the Beacons opened the series in Peoria with a 2-0 victory over the Braves.

How It Happened

Just as was the case Tuesday in her previous one-hitter, Seib took the circle with the lead on Friday thanks to the Beacons scoring in the top of the first. Fifth-year Taylor Herschbach (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) and senior Lauren Kehlenbrink (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway South) connected on 0-2 pitches for singles in consecutive at-bats to put runners on the corners with one out. Junior Regi Hecker (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Blue Springs South) then laid down a squeeze bunt and Herschbach was able to elude the tag on her slide, giving Valpo a 1-0 lead.

Seib set the tone for her outing in the circle with a nine-pitch bottom of the first, tallying a strikeout and inducing a pair of groundouts. The senior eventually retired the first seven batters she faced in a row.

Valpo had a chance to add some insurance in the top of the third following a leadoff single up the middle from junior Alexis Johnson (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central). Johnson moved over to third with two outs, and after Hecker drew a walk, she swiped second to give the Beacons a pair of runners in scoring position. But they were stranded on second and third as it remained a one-run game.

Bradley’s lone hit of the game came with one out in the third, an infield single to short. But Seib was able to retire each of the next two batters on grounders to keep the shutout going and start what eventually became a streak of 13 retired in a row.

The Beacons got another runner into scoring position in the sixth, as Hecker sacrificed pinch-runner Lauren Sena (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) — who ran for Kehlenbrink after a leadoff single — to second with one out. That runner was stranded as well, however.

Valpo finally found an insurance tally in the top of the seventh. Freshman Lexi Szostak (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) dumped a one-out pinch-hit single into left field and moved up to second on a walk by fellow freshman Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central). An error by the Bradley infield allowed Szostak to come around and score, pushing the lead to 2-0.

Bradley did get the potential tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh following a two-out walk, but fittingly, Seib induced one final ground ball to close out the shutout.

Inside the Game

Seib became the first known pitcher in program history (full single-game records date back to 1999) to throw a one-hitter or better in two straight starts.

It was the sixth shutout of Seib’s career, three of which have come this season.

Seib has back-to-back one-hitters this week after entering the week with a three-hitter as her career-best effort.

It was an efficient evening in the circle for Seib, as she tossed 72 pitches, 49 of them for strikes. 16 of the 21 outs came via the ground ball — first baseman Autumn Acord (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone [Kent State]) just missed cracking Valpo’s single-game top-five as she recorded 16 putouts, while Seib and each of the other three infielders all posted at least three assists.

Playing in their seventh consecutive road game, the Beacons scored in the top of the first inning for the fifth time in those seven games.

Kehlenbrink and Johnson each had multi-hit games, accounting for four of Valpo’s six hits. Kehlenbrink has six multi-hit games on the season, while Johnson has five such games.

Hecker posted the rare 0-for-0 line at the plate with an RBI and a stolen base, walking once and laying down two sacrifice bunts.

Szostak is now 3-for-8 coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter this season.

Next Up

Valpo (6-29, 2-12 MVC) and Bradley will now conclude their three-game series with a Saturday doubleheader as the teams try to avoid forecasted inclement weather on Sunday. The twinbill will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com.

U OF I WOMEN’S LAX

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UIndy women’s lacrosse team (13-2, 4-0 GLVC) dominated from start to finish this evening against the Rockhurst Hawks by grabbing an 18-3 victory at Bourke Field.

A key headline on offense came from the stick of Anna Ziemba, who corralled 11 points on five goals and six assists. The senior attacker from Cazenovia, N.Y., nearly matched the UIndy single-game points record of 13. In total, six other players for the Greyhounds had one or more points.

On defense, Ziemba led the charge with four caused turnovers while Amy Vegh was close behind with three. Audrey Moran had seven saves between the pipes in the winning effort.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was all UIndy from the opening whistle as the Hounds managed a 5-0 lead before the Hawks could find the scoreboard in return. The Greyhounds would take an 11-2 advantage into the halftime locker room and quickly activated the running clock which rolls when a team is up by 10 or more goals. UIndy continued to pile on goals until the final buzzer.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

-Mekayla Montgomery led the team with seven draw controls.

-UIndy managed 37 total shots while Rockhurst answered with just 15.

-The Hounds scooped up a game-high 18 ground balls while the Hawks had just 15.

-It was a perfect 15-of-15 evening for the Greyhounds on clear attempts.

UP NEXT

The Greyhounds will return to Key Stadium on Friday, April 21 for a battle against Quincy. This will be the team’s annual “One Love Game”. Action is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

U OF I BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis baseball team split day one of a four-game set with the visiting William Jewell Cardinals. Originally scheduled over three days, the Hounds moved their GLVC-set to a two-day doubleheader format. Jewell picked up the first game win in seven, winning 17-3, but the Greyhounds refused to roll over, winning game two 8-3.

Will Spear had a solid offensive day, recording an RBI in the first contest and two in the second. Brady Ware, nearing a week removed from history, pitched an excellent game two, going five and two-thirds with three earned runs and six punchouts.

GAME 1 | JEWELL 17, UINDY 3

Game one was a struggle for the Hounds. The Cardinals put their foot on the gas early, scoring in the first and the third. The Hounds went onto answer in the second and the fifth, but big innings in the fourth and the ninth were enough to put the Hounds away.

Drew Donaldson went 3-3 with a double and a walk while Denton Shepler also picked up an RBI in the loss. Despite the result, Seth Spencer walked away with only three earned runs, striking out four over five frames.

GAME 2 | UINDY 8, JEWELL 3

The second matchup didn’t start too hot for the Hounds, giving up a sacrifice fly in the first to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. They added onto that with a towering shot over the left center wall in the second and it looked like it was going to be a repeat of the first day contest.

Back-to-back doubles by the “Twin Shredders” in Nick Lukac and Jared Bujdos fought that notion, however, giving the Hounds their first run of the contest. Spear made his presence known just an at bat later, crushing a ball into center, scoring Bujdos. Ware, the man, the myth, the legend, was the next on the scoring train, roping a ball into right field scoring both Donaldson and Easton Good. A Cardinal Wild pitch would score the final run of the second making it 6-3.

A towering Donaldson dinger into right-center field added another in the sixth. While the long-ball was working, small ball was too with Zack Williams squaring around on a second and third suicide squeeze, allowing the lighting fast Vaughn to score the eighth run of the contest.

UP NEXT

The same schedule is on deck tomorrow for the Hounds as they finish the series with Jewell Cardinals. Noon is the scheduled first pitch for tomorrow’s doubleheader.

MARIAN SOFTBALL

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The Marian softball team traded wins with Huntington Friday afternoon to move to 31-3 overall and 20-2 in Crossroads League play. After coming up with the 1-0 win in the opener, the Knights fell short in game two 3-2 after a walk-off spoiler by the Foresters.

Game 1 | Marian 1-0 Huntington

Marian and Huntington were both held scoreless in a pitcher’s duel until the runs started to trickle in in the fourth inning. The Foresters made a threat first in the bottom of the second when they registered the first hit of the game, but Olivia Stunkel does what she does best as she got the strike out for the last out.

Savannah Harweger picked up the Knights’ first hit as she singled up the middle to start the fourth inning, before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Marian scored their first and only run after Abby Madere hit the sacrifice fly, allowing Harweger to score.

Stunkel struck out four through the next three innings to keep her team ahead. With the 1-0 lead at hand, Marian saw a chance to tack on some insurance runs, but the hosts managed to get out of the inning and leave the Marian runners stranded.

Huntington threatened Marian’s lead after start the bottom of the seventh with a double, while a walk put runners on first and second. A sacrifice fly put the Foresters in scoring position, as the runner advanced. However, Stunkel stayed poised, striking out the final batter on the full count to help the Knights clinch the 1-0 victory.

In Marian’s three hits, Harweger, Madere, and Brooke Knox all recorded one, while Madere picked up one RBI as well. Stunkel pitched all seven innings, striking out nine batters, and allowing three hits to pick up her 16th win.

Game 2 | Marian 2-3 Huntington

Unlike the opener, the nightcap began with Huntington scoring in the bottom half of the first inning after an RBI single. Knox broke the silence in the top of the second inning with her single, before Anna Pritchett recorded the RBI single to even the score.

The next two innings went scoreless for both sides, with the Foresters notching four hits to the Knights’ one. Marian made up for it in the top half of the fifth, as Pritchett executed on a pair of errors made by the hosts to cross home plate and give her team the 2-1 advantage.

In an effort to pack on a few more runs in the final inning, the Knights had a solid look with Abbi Wirey and Harweger on second and third. However, Marian was unable to execute as the next two batters would be put away. Huntington managed to load the bases after the first three batters, leading to the tying run to cross the plate. With the game tied at 2-2, the hosts had the walk-off play to score the game winning run.

Norman led Marian with two hits, while five different Knights each recorded a hit. Pritchett had the Knights’ lone RBI, while Harweger and Grace Meyer each scored a run.

Marian heads to Goshen tomorrow for another twin bill with the Maple Leafs at 1 p.m.

MARIAN BASEBALL

Mishawaka, Ind. – The Marian baseball team suffered a painful sweep on Friday against Bethel University, dropping a slugfest in game one before watching a win slip away in the bottom of the seventh of game two with a walk-off homerun giving the Pilots a win. Marian’s two losses drop them to 13-21 on the year and 7-15 in Crossroads League play.

Game 1 | Marian 7-11 Bethel

Bethel took off with an early lead in the opening game of the day, as they were able to strike in the second inning after Joe Nelan pitched out of a jam in the first. The Pilots racked up four singles against Nelan in the second to bring in a pair of runs, while mirroring their success in the bottom of the third as three base hits helped score two more.

Nelan was able to pitch out of each inning, and in the fourth got a sense of relief as the offense went to work, with Trey Heidlage and JJ Rivera roping back to back singles. A sacrifice bunt pushed the men into scoring position, and a two-RBI double from Bryce Davenport erased the zero on the scoreboard, plating Marian’s first runs of the game. A sacrifice fly from Caden Mason would bring home Davenport after he took third on a wild pitch, entering the home half of the fourth inning trailing 4-3.

Despite the new momentum, Marian was unable to hold the score, as Nelan allowed three consecutive base hits to open the home half of the fourth to allow Bethel to scratch a run. Daniel Brenneman was called on out of the bullpen after the base hit by Eli MacDonald, as the senior was able to close the inning but not before giving up a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly and wild pitch, as Bethel led 7-3 as the inning came to an end.

Marian charged back again in the fifth and drove in three runs with two outs, as a Heidlage walk and an error off the bat of Rivera prolonged the frame. Josh Lamb took advantage and roped an RBI single through the left side to bring home Heidlage, while Davenport launched his second double to left-center on the day, score two more runs to bring the Knights back within a run. Brenneman was unable to keep the game a one-run affair as the game moved into the bottom of the fifth, as the righty struggled with Bethel jumping on first pitch fastballs, ripping three hits through the Knights defense to score two more runs.

Bethel would add to their lead and go ahead 10-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning, as a single and error against Brenneman came in to score on a sacrifice fly. Michael Mates would finish the sixth, and in the seventh the Pilots managed to bring in one more off the bullpen, with Justin Johnson giving up one after allowing three hits. The Knights would manage to score one in the top of the eighth as a pair of walks would help move a lead-runner to third, with Lamb plating his second RBI on a single to the grass. Marian would come up short of extending the rally in the eighth, and in the ninth grounded into a double play to end the game, falling by the final of 11-7.

Nelan took the loss in the game throwing three-plus innings, allowing 11 hits in his outing. Brenneman and Johsnon would each allow four hits, with Brenneman yielding three runs and Johnson one. At the plate Marian had 10 base hits as a team, with Davenport leading the way going 3-5 with two doubles and four RBI. Lamb went 2-2 with a pair of runs driven in, and Dawson Estep had two hits in the game.

Game 2 | Marian 5-6 Bethel

The Pilots wasted little time scoring in the second act of the doubleheader, as Damien Wallace was roughed up for four hits that allowed the home team to score three runs in the opening frame of the game. Wallace was able to end the inning with a play at the plate after a pitch skirted away from his catcher Josh Lamb, and found a groove in the second inning as the right-hander stranded a single, while in the third went three-up, three-down.

Marian got their offense started in the third inning as they began to ride Wallace’s momentum, getting a lead-off single from Rylan Huntley in his first game in nearly three weeks. Dawson Estep kept a hot bat swinging as he belted a 1-2 pitch into deep right-center field, as the freshman hammered his first Marian home run to put a pair of runs on the board. The game drew to a tie in the top of the fourth, with JJ Rivera ripping a double to start the frame, scoring a pair of batters later as the Pilots shortstop let a hard hit grounder from Huntley swim through his legs, with the error tying the game 3-3.

Wallace cruised through the fourth inning tossing a quick one, two, three frame, and in the fifth worked around a two-out walk to keep the game tied. In the top of the sixth Marian’s offense drove home two more runs, as Rivera and Max Steffen roped back to back doubles, trading places to take their first lead of the game. Steffen’s courtesy runner, Johnny Roeder, scored with ease on a sacrifice fly by Huntley, pushing the Knights lead to a pair.

Marian’s defense protected the lead after six complete as a one-out single for Bethel was stuck at second base, but in the seventh Marian got into a jam as Wallace tossed a one-out walk. A base hit and passed ball helped the Pilots put runners on the corners, bringing Andrew Miranda to the plate. Wallace was able to get ahead in the count 0-2, but left a pitch over the plate for Miranda to hit, as the Pilots outfielder delivered a walk-off three-run home run to right field, winning the game for Bethel 6-5.

Wallace pitched the entire 6.1 innings for Marian, falling to 4-3 as he gave up eight hits and three walks that brought in six runs. The Knights offense was led by JJ Rivera’s 2-3 outing as he had a pair of doubles and runs scored, while Huntley finished 1-2 in his return. Estep ended the game 1-2 with a walk, hitting his first home run of the season.

The Knights and Pilots will finish their series on Saturday afternoon, starting the weekend doubleheader at 1 p.m. with Marian looking to bounce back into the win column.

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

MLB STANDINGS

American League
East
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Tampa Bay	13	1	.929	–	10 – 0	3 – 1	4 – 1	3 – 0	3 – 0	9 – 1	L 1
Toronto	9	5	.643	4	3 – 1	6 – 4	1 – 0	5 – 2	2 – 1	8 – 2	W 1
Baltimore	8	6	.571	5	4 – 3	4 – 3	2 – 4	1 – 0	5 – 2	6 – 4	W 2
NY Yankees	8	6	.571	5	4 – 4	4 – 2	2 – 1	2 – 3	0 – 0	5 – 5	L 2
Boston	6	8	.429	7	3 – 4	3 – 4	2 – 5	3 – 0	1 – 0	4 – 6	W 1
Central
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Minnesota	10	4	.714	–	4 – 2	6 – 2	2 – 0	5 – 1	2 – 1	6 – 4	W 4
Cleveland	8	6	.571	2	2 – 4	6 – 2	1 – 2	0 – 0	6 – 4	5 – 5	W 1
Chi White Sox	5	9	.357	5	1 – 3	4 – 6	0 – 1	1 – 2	2 – 2	3 – 7	L 3
Detroit	4	9	.308	5.5	1 – 3	3 – 6	1 – 8	0 – 0	2 – 1	4 – 6	W 2
Kansas City	4	10	.286	6	1 – 7	3 – 3	1 – 3	0 – 3	1 – 2	3 – 7	L 1
West
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Texas	8	5	.615	–	6 – 3	2 – 2	1 – 2	2 – 1	1 – 0	5 – 5	W 1
LA Angels	7	6	.538	1	3 – 3	4 – 3	1 – 3	0 – 0	4 – 2	5 – 5	L 1
Houston	6	8	.429	2.5	3 – 5	3 – 3	0 – 0	4 – 6	0 – 1	4 – 6	L 1
Seattle	6	8	.429	2.5	3 – 5	3 – 3	0 – 0	3 – 4	1 – 2	5 – 5	W 2
Oakland	3	11	.214	5.5	2 – 5	1 – 6	1 – 6	1 – 2	1 – 2	2 – 8	L 2

National League
East
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Atlanta	10	4	.714	–	4 – 3	6 – 1	2 – 1	6 – 0	1 – 3	7 – 3	W 4
NY Mets	8	6	.571	2	4 – 2	4 – 4	5 – 2	0 – 3	2 – 1	5 – 5	W 2
Miami	7	7	.500	3	4 – 4	3 – 3	4 – 6	0 – 0	1 – 0	6 – 4	W 3
Philadelphia	5	9	.357	5	3 – 3	2 – 6	1 – 2	3 – 2	0 – 0	5 – 5	W 1
Washington	4	10	.286	6	1 – 6	3 – 4	1 – 2	0 – 0	2 – 2	3 – 7	L 3
Central
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Milwaukee	10	4	.714	–	5 – 1	5 – 3	3 – 0	4 – 2	3 – 2	7 – 3	W 2
Chi Cubs	7	5	.583	2	5 – 4	2 – 1	0 – 0	2 – 3	1 – 0	6 – 4	W 1
Pittsburgh	8	6	.571	2	3 – 3	5 – 3	0 – 0	2 – 3	0 – 0	6 – 4	L 1
St. Louis	6	8	.429	4	3 – 5	3 – 3	0 – 3	2 – 3	2 – 1	4 – 6	W 1
Cincinnati	5	8	.385	4.5	4 – 3	1 – 5	2 – 6	3 – 2	0 – 0	3 – 7	L 1
West
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Arizona	8	6	.571	–	5 – 2	3 – 4	0 – 1	2 – 1	6 – 4	6 – 4	L 1
LA Dodgers	7	7	.500	1	4 – 3	3 – 4	0 – 0	0 – 1	7 – 6	5 – 5	L 1
San Diego	7	8	.467	1.5	3 – 5	4 – 3	4 – 3	0 – 2	3 – 3	4 – 6	L 3
San Francisco	5	8	.385	2.5	2 – 4	3 – 4	0 – 0	0 – 0	1 – 2	4 – 6	L 2
Colorado	5	9	.357	3	3 – 4	2 – 5	2 – 2	1 – 2	2 – 4	3 – 7	L 3