INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS (SATURDAY)
CLASS A: LUTHERAN VS. SOUTHWOOD, 10:30 A.M.
CLASS 2A: FW BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN VS. LINTON-STOCKTON, 12:45 P.M.
CLASS 3A: GUERIN CATHOLIC VS. NORTHWOOD, 6 P.M.
CLASS 4A: BEN DAVIS VS. KOKOMO, 8:15 P.M.
FINALS PREVIEW: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-23%20Boys%20Basketball%20Preview.pdf
INDIANA TOP 60 WORKOUT ROSTER
WESTON AIGNER, CASTLE
JEREMIAH ALEXANDER, BEECH GROVE
LUKE ALMODOVAR, NOBLESVILLE
MARCUS ANKNEY, CENTER GROVE
MATTHEW ARTHUR, NEW WASHINGTON
ANTHONY BALL, DECATUR CENTRAL
ZAVION BELLAMY, KOKOMO
LANDON BIEGEL, OAK HILL
PEYTON BLEDSOE, LOOGOOTEE
CADE BRENNER, NORTHWOOD
DARRION BROOKS, NEW HAVEN
JOEY BROWN, NORTH CENTRAL
MARKUS BURTON, PENN
CLAY BUTLER, BEN DAVIS
AHMERE CARSON, ANDERSON
JERMAINE COLEMAN, PARK TUDOR
MYLES COLVIN, HERITAGE CHRISTIAN
DAJOHN CRAIG, LAWRENCE CENTRAL
NOLAN CUMBERLAND, TIPPECANOE VALLEY
AJ DANCLER, SOUTHPORT
CALEB DEWEY, EDINBURGH
ZANE DOUGHTY, BEN DAVIS
COOPER FARRALL, CULVER ACADEMIES
AIDAN FRANKS, WAPAHANI
JOSH FURST, FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK
JOSH GATETE, PENN
ARLONDO HALL, TINDLEY
JOEY HART, LINTON-STOCKTON
ANDREW HEDRICK, COLUMBIA CITY
BEN HENDERSON, HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)
JAMIE HODGES JR., MICHIGAN CITY
JALEN HOOKS, WARREN CENTRAL
DAYTON HOOVER, FRONTIER
COOPER HORN, COLUMBUS NORTH
LOGAN IMES, ZIONSVILLE
MASON JONES, VALPARAISO
CASEY KAELIN, PROVIDENCE
KYRON KAOPUIKI, HOMESTEAD
MASON LARKIN, FOUNTAIN CENTRAL
NICKENS LEMBA, SOUTHPORT
AJ LUX, CROWN POINT
KEEGAN MANOWITZ, JENNINGS COUNTY
LUKE MCBRIDE, NORWELL
WILLIE MILLER, LAKE STATION
DYLAN MOLES, GREENFIELD-CENTRAL
J.J. MORRIS, ARGOS
DJ MOSS, GARY 21ST CENTURY
JAYLEN MULLEN, NORTH DAVIESS
TYLER MYERS, EVANSVILLE DAY
SAM ORME, CARMEL
COLE PRIDE, BATESVILLE
IAN RAASCH, NORTHWOOD
NICK RICHART, ZIONSVILLE
JQ ROBERTS, BLOOMINGTON NORTH
ALEX ROMACK, WESTFIELD
LUKE SAYLOR, HERITAGE
GAGE SEFTON, FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK
SHERIDAN SHARP, BEN DAVIS
JACOB SPAULDING, EASTERN HANCOCK
SILAS SPAULDING, EASTERN HANCOCK
IAN STEPHENS, NEW PALESTINE
DEAGLAN SULLIVAN, MISHAWAKA MARIAN
JARON TIBBS, CATHEDRAL
LOGAN WEBB, LINTON-STOCKTON
GAVIN WELCH, NEW CASTLE
SPENCER WHITE, CARMEL
ASHTON WILLIAMSON, GARY 21ST CENTURY
GAVIN WISLEY, BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
DEVON WOODS, PIKE
SELECTED BUT INJURED AND UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE: JAXSON GOULD, WARSAW; JORDAN WOODS, HAMMOND CENTRAL
SELECTED BUT UNABLE TO ATTEND: CHASE BACHELOR, PRAIRIE HEIGHTS; XAVIER BOOKER, CATHEDRAL; KAMEA CHANDLER, GUERIN CATHOLIC; JACOB CHERRY, EASTERN (PEKIN), DREW COOK, NORTHVIEW; AUSTIN CRIPE, WEST NOBLE; JAKE DAVIS, CATHEDRAL; ELHADJ DIALLO, BROWNSBURG; OWEN DUFF, CARROLL (FLORA); TYSON GOOD, LEWIS CASS; BRYCEN HANNAH, GLENN; ISAAC HIGGS, EVANSVILLE REITZ; ISAIAH MALONE, PRAIRIE HEIGHTS; BAUER MAPLE, MACONAQUAH; KADEN OLIVER, SILVER CREEK; BRANDON TRILLI, MUNSTER, CALEB WASHINGTON, FLOYD CENTRAL
INDIANA SOFTBALL SCORES
ANDREAN 3 RIVERDALE 1
ANDREAN 16 CENTENNIAL 0
FLOYD CENTRAL 8 WESTVIEW 5
FLOYD CENTRAL 15 RIVERDALE 7
PLAINVIEW 8 GIBSON SOUTHERN 6
CASTLE 7 DIXON COUNTY 2
CASTLE 6 DYER COUNTY 0
LINCOLN COUNTY 10 CASTLE 6
GOSHEN 9 W. NOBLE 1
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 13 TULLAHOMA 3
MOUNT JULIET 14 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 5
SOUTH BEND RILEY 13 ELKHART CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 6
FAIRFIELD 12 BREMAN 2
LEO 18 FORT WAYNE LUERS 0
FISHERS 3 WARREN CENTRAL 0
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SAN DIEGO STATE 71 ALABAMA 64
MIAMI 89 HOUSTON 75
CREIGHTON 86 PRINCETON 75
TEXAS 83 XAVIER 71
SATURDAY
FLORIDA ATLANTIC VS. KANSAS STATE 6:09 TBS
UCONN VS. GONZAGA 8:49 TBS
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MIAMI 70 VILLANOVA 65
LSU 66 UTAH 63
IOWA 87 COLORADO 77
LOUISVILLE 87 OLE MISS 62
SATURDAY, MARCH 25 — SWEET 16
NO. 2 MARYLAND VS. NO. 3 NOTRE DAME | 11:30 A.M. | ESPN
NO.1 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 4 UCLA| 2:00 P.M.| ESPN
NO. 2 UCONN VS. NO. 3 OHIO STATE |4 P.M. | ABC
NO. 1 VIRGINIA TECH VS. NO. 4 TENNESSEE | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN2
NBA SCOREBOARD
BOSTON 120 INDIANA 95
WASHINGTON 136 SAN ANTONIO 124
TORONTO 118 DETROIT 97
MEMPHIS 151 HOUSTON 114
CHARLOTTE 117 DALLAS 109
MILWAUKEE 144 UTAH 116
GOLDEN STATE 120 PHILADELPHIA 112
CHICAGO 124 PORTLAND 96
SACRAMENTO 135 PHOENIX 127
LA LAKERS 116 OKLAHOMA CITY 111
NHL SCOREBOARD
BUFFALO 5 NEW JERSEY 4
COLUMBUS 5 NY ISLANDERS 4
COLORADO 3 ARIZONA 1
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
KANSAS CITY 3 SAN FRANCISCO 0
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 12 OAKLAND 0
CHICAGO CUBS 5 TEXAS 3
LA DODGERS 6 MILWAUKEE 6
SAN DIEGO 3 LA ANGELS 0
COLORADO 9 MILWAUKEE 4
CINCINNATI 7 ARIZONA 4
CLEVELAND 5 CHICAGO CUBS 3
SEATTLE 15 OAKLAND 3
MINNESOTA 6 NY YANKEES 4
NY METS 11 TAMPA BAY 2
BALTIMORE 7 NY YANKEES 6
BOSTON 9 ATLANTA 8
PITTSBURGH 6 DETROIT 6
ST. LOUIS 7 WASHINGTON 1
TORONTO 6 PHILADELPHIA 3
MIAMI 3 HOUSTON 2
TOP INDIANA (RELEASES)
INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL
In the final regular season matchup against the reigning Eastern Conference champions, the Indiana Pacers couldn’t get much to fall from deep.
The Pacers (33-41), which have made the fifth-most 3-pointers of any NBA team this season, sank a season-low four threes on a season-worst 15.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc in a 120-95 loss to the Boston Celtics (51-23) on Friday at TD Garden. Going into the game, the Pacers averaged 13.8 made 3-pointers per game on 36.6 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Boston, currently ranked No. 2 in the East behind Milwaukee, busted open a five-point halftime advantage with a pair of runs in the third quarter before leading by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter. In the second half, the Celtics outscored the Pacers 60-40.
“We were struggling to get good shots and we were struggling defensively, and it all just kind of snowballed in a four- or five-minute period of time,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
Boston made 18 of 42 3-point attempts and shot 47 percent overall from the field.
The Celtics All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both put up impressive numbers, as Tatum registered 34 points and seven rebounds and Brown had 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Derrick White also had a solid outing for Boston, finishing with 22 points, nine assists and four rebounds.
Returning from a six-game absence due to a right ankle sprain, Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton recorded 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Center Myles Turner was next for the Pacers with 20 points and six rebounds.
With the loss, the Pacers are now two games back from 10th in the East, which is the final Play-In Tournament seed.
In the first half, there were six lead changes and five ties.
Boston came out on fire from beyond the 3-point arc, making four of its first five attempts, with four different players hitting a trey, to lead 19-14 four minutes into the game.
Indiana stayed within reach though, thanks to nine early points by Turner, and re-tied the game following a Haliburton layup and Buddy Hield 3-pointer with 2:25 left in the first quarter.
Back-to-back dunks from Jordan Nwora and Isaiah Jackson again knotted the score before Tatum got a contested layup to go at the buzzer to put the Celtics ahead 34-32 at the end of the opening frame. Tatum had 13 points in the first quarter.
The Celtics stayed ahead until T.J. McConnell scored six straight points for the Pacers and Hield added a breakaway dunk to tie the game at 44 with 6:39 left in the half.
Boston responded with a 11-4 run, on five points from Tatum, to go up 58-48 with 2:42 remaining in the half before the Pacers closed the half on an 8-2 run thanks to four points from Turner.
Indiana trailed 60-55 at half despite shooting 56.5 percent to the Celtics’ 46.9 percent. At halftime, the Pacers had two made 3-pointers.
Brown scored 15 points in the third quarter and the Celtics outscored the Pacers 32-21 in the frame to create some separation.
After Haliburton opened the second half by scoring with a basket, the Celtics went on an 11-0 run, on seven points by Brown, to lead 71-57 with 10:17 left in the third quarter.
The Celtics never trailed by more than 10 points the remainder of the third quarter, and outscored the Pacers 12-6 in the final 4:47 of the frame to lead 92-76 going into the fourth quarter.
In the third quarter, the Pacers had eight turnovers and shot just 37.5 percent while making one three.
“We just got stagnant offensively, didn’t get enough stops and (Boston) started making some shots,” Haliburton said of the third quarter. “We just didn’t make any shots the whole night. That definitely hurt us.”
Back-to-back made 3-pointers from White and Sam Hauser pushed the lead to 98-78 with 9:37 left in the game, and Boston never looked back from there.
Indiana’s reserves played a majority of the final six minutes of the game.
The Pacers will conclude their four-game road trip at the Atlanta Hawks (36-37) tomorrow. This season, the Pacers have a record of 7-6 on the second legs of back-to-backs.
Inside the Numbers
Indiana was held to under 100 points for just a sixth time this season.
The Pacers shot 13-for-22 from the free throw line and the Celtics were 14-for-19. Indiana’s 59.1 percent from the charity stripe is its worst in a game this season (previously 60 percent against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 16).
Indiana’s bench outscored Boston’s reserves 44-25.
Boston outrebounded Indiana 49-44.
The Celtics had more fast break (16-8) and second-chance (13-5) points.
Indiana outscored Boston 56-48 in the paint.
Boston scored 21 points off 17 Pacers turnovers.
You Can Quote Me On That
“Some nights, shotmaking comes and goes a little bit … but I’ll have to look and see how good the quality of the shots were. I do know that we were in the paint a lot in the first half. We were in (the paint) 75%, which is well above our normal rate – and they were at a pretty low rate. We needed to jump into the third quarter with some force and just were unable to do it.” – Carlisle on the low scoring numbers
“We’re looking at everything. This is a big-picture period for this organization and the coaching staff and the players; and we’ve got to find the right formulas. It’s great for a guy like Benn Mathurin to have a chance to start against a finals-level team and see and feel what the responsibility of holding your own against the highest level players that start the game is all about. A lot was learned tonight. Unfortunately, you seldom have growth without upheaval or some real challenges.” – Carlisle on lineups
“He didn’t look like he slowed down at all, and he attacked well. As a team, we all struggled to make threes tonight. So he was 1-for-5, but I thought most of his looks were good looks. Having him back out there is great.” – Carlisle on Haliburton’s return
“They are obviously a tough team. They are No. 2 in the East for a reason. They have a lot of talent over there. They just had a really good game. We feel like we’ve competed with them well all year … it was just the first one that kind of got out of hand. But kudos to them, they had a good game. – Haliburton on the Celtics
“We just missed shots today.” – Haliburton on the loss
Stat of the Night
Indiana shot 4-for-26 from 3-point range against the Celtics, which is its fewest made 3-pointers in a game this season as well as the worst 3-point field goal percentage. The previous lows this season were seven made 3-pointers (twice) and 21.4 percent shooting from 3-point (at the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 27).
Noteworthy
Hield, who hasn’t missed a game this season, didn’t start for the first time since joining the Pacers during the 2021-2022 season. He has started in 99 of 100 games for the Blue & Gold.
Mathurin started for a third straight game after playing most of the season off the bench.
Former Pacer Malcom Brogdon, who comes off the bench for Boston and is a leading Sixth Man of the Year award contender, was a late scratch.
Indiana has not won their season series against the Celtics since the 2015-2016 season.
Pacers second-year man Chris Duarte missed a fifth straight game due to a sore left ankle.
Indiana has put out 25 different starting lineups this season.
Up Next
The Pacers travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday, March 25 at 5:00 PM ET.
Tickets
After a four-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, March 27 at 7:00 PM ET
INDY FUEL
FUEL FALL TO SWAMP RABBITS ON FRIDAY NIGHT
INDIANAPOLIS – The Fuel hosted the Greenville Swamp Rabbits for the first time since their meeting in the 2021 postseason where Indy earned their first franchise postseason win. Greenville came away with the win tonight, 2-0 after a scoreless first two periods.
1ST PERIOD
The first period began and ended quickly as neither team scored or took a single penalty.
By the end of the period, Indy was outshooting Greenville 13-11 despite the Swamp Rabbits claiming a lot of possession time. In net, Zach Driscoll made a lot of saves that kept the Fuel tied without a goal.
2ND PERIOD
The second period was much like the first with no goals and the first penalty of the game coming with less than two minutes to go in the frame. It was a holding call on Fuel newcomer, Nick Cardelli.
At the end of the second period, the Fuel were outshooting the Swamp Rabbits 28-20.
3RD PERIOD
The penalty carried over into the third period and the Swamp Rabbits were able to capitalize on it with a power play goal by Max Martin just 39 seconds into the frame.
Less than three minutes later, Greenville made it 2-0 with a goal by Alex Ierullo who had an assist on the first goal.
Tanner Eberle took Greenville’s first penalty of the game at 7:05 for interference, but it was killed off. With three minutes to go, the Fuel pulled Driscoll from net in favor of an extra skater.
It appeared Greenville scored an empty net goal as a result, but it was called back due to offsides on the play. Time expired on regulation and the Swamp Rabbits won 2-0.
The Indy Fuel return to Indiana Farmers Coliseum tomorrow night as they take on the Kalamazoo Wings for State Fair Night.
INDY ELEVEN
BOYS IN BLUE HEAD NORTH TO RENEW RIVALRY WITH LE ROUGE
Indy Eleven at Detroit City FC
Saturday, March 25, 2023 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Keyworth Stadium – Hamtramck, Mich.
FOLLOW LIVE
Local TV: n/a
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
Radio: n/a
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Live Opta stats: #DETvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2023 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Indy Eleven: 0W-0L-1D (0 GD), 1 pt.; T-8th in Eastern Conference
Detroit City FC: 1W-1L-0D (+1 GD), 3 pts.; 5th in Eastern Conference
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK SPORTS MEDICINE INDY ELEVEN INJURY REPORT
OUT: DF Robby Dambrot (L foot injury)
QUESTIONABLE: none
DISCIPLINE REPORT
IND: none
DET: none
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
IND: none
DET: none
After enjoying an early season bye for the USL Championship’s Round 2, Indy Eleven is back at it – and back on the road – this Saturday, when it renews its budding rivalry with Detroit City FC at historic Keyworth Stadium.
Indiana’s Team will be looking to continue the momentum gained from its season opener against the Tampa Bay Rowdies back on March 11, when Aodhan Quinn’s penalty conversion deep in stoppage time helped the Eleven take a point back home. Like Indy, Detroit began its 2023 campaign with a pair of road games, starting things off with a 0-1 defeat at San Diego Loyal before rebounding with a resounding 3-1 win last weekend at El Paso Locomotive FC.
For Mark Lowry’s side, the row with the Rowdies provided some strong evidence that Indy’s veteran laden squad will be able to hold its own against top competition, even away from home. The Boys in Blue (or red as the case will be away from home in 2023 … just indulge us!) went toe-to-toe statistically with the home side in shots (8 apiece), shots on target (3 each), total big chances (2 each), expected goals (1.50 vs. 1.42 in favor of Indy), and even penalty kicks (1 pivotal chance each) in a performance that showcased eight new players in the squad’s starting XI.
There were other indicators that showed even more proof of concept of how Lowry wants his side to play, most notably Indy’s massive 58%-42% possession advantage that was created with 130 more pass attempts (498-368) throughout the 90 minutes. That helped swing significant favors in crosses attempted (20-13) and fouls suffered (23-13), while the Eleven also held a 6-4 advantage in corners. In addition, Indy’s pressure on the defensive side of the ball resulted in more than 2-to-1 margins in tackles attempted (18-7) and tackles won (11-4), which evened out Tampa Bay’s 11-3 differential in interceptions.
This weekend Indy will face another challenge in DCFC, which lost the game in which it had the advantage in expected goals (1.46-0.87 at SD) and won the contest in which it was outpaced in xG (1.35-1.65 at ELP). After putting only two of its 16 shots on target in the opener against Loyal SC, the Michigan side straightened things out last weekend in El Paso, scoring on five of its 17 shots overall, five of which were on target. Early on the Detroit attack has been largely spearheaded between the three-headed monster of Maxi Rodriguez (1 goal, 4 shots, 2 shots on goal), Yazeed Mathews (1G, 7 shots, 2 SoG, 5 key passes), and Skage Lehland (1 assist, 5 shots, 2 SoG, 5 key passes).
Stephen Carroll continues to be a staple for Le Rouge’s backline, as the Irishman returns for his seventh season with the club and his fifth as captain. He’s joined by a trio of defenders in their second full seasons with the DCFC – Rhys Williams, Matt Lewis, and Devin Amoo-Mensah – while Jalen Robinson brings six seasons of USL Championship experience with him, most recently with Loudoun United FC last season. In goal the dependable Nathan Steinwascher has picked up where he left off last year, with his nine saves from DCFC’s first two matches ranking tied for the second most across the Championship in the early going.
SERIES VS. DETROIT CITY FC:
USL Championship regular season (2022): 0W-1L-1D (0 GF/1 GA)
Home record: 0W-1L-0D (0 GF/1 GA)
Away record: 0W-0L-1D (0 GF/0GA
Goals were at a premium in the first season series between the two new rivals last year, with Detroit City capturing a 1-0 win at Carroll Stadium on July 9 and the teams dueling to a scoreless draw at Keyworth Stadium on Sept. 3.
In the July meeting in the Circle City, DCFC rode a Connor Rutz goal five minutes in all the way through to capture the full three points for the visitors, who kept the Boys in Blue without a shot on goal throughout the proceedings. The Labor Day weekend affair in Michigan was even stingier, as the teams combined for three shots on frame, with Tim Trilk making a pair of saves en route to a second shutout in a three-game stretch that, when combined with previous wins over conference leaders San Antonio and Louisville City, contributed to a week that began to turn around Indy’s fortunes down the stretch.
The two sides also met in an exhibition match during Detroit City’s NPSL era back on Aug. 13, 2019. In that friendly, Eugene Starikov’s 71st minute goal was the lone tally in the Eleven’s 1-0 victory.
#INDvDET FAMILIAR FACES
The lone familiar face between the two teams is on the Detroit City FC sideline in the person of Head Coach Trevor James, who served as Indy Eleven’s Technical Director and Assistant Coach across the 2017-18 seasons. There is one other link to the Hoosier State on the DCFC squad in Richard Ballard, who helped Indiana University to the 2012 National Championship as part of his tenure in Bloomington from 2012-16.
ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: DF YOUNES BOUDADI
If you were paying attention above, you could surmise that “gritty” would be a fitting word to describe last year’s two meetings. We’re not fortune tellers by any stretch, but with the following forecast set for Saturday in Hamtramck, we’ll guess this weekend’s game might continue that trend:
49 degrees, showers, SW winds at 26 MPH
Needless to say, an approach that led to 20 crosses like we saw in the opener might not be optimal, so how might Indy adapt? Enter Boudadi, who is the more comfortable of the two likely starting wide defenders (alongside Gustavo Rissi, with Robby Dambrot sidelined) on the ball. His 79 touches in the opener at Tampa Bay were the third most on the squad (behind only Adrian Diz Pe’s 85 and Cam Lindley’s 81), so there’s clearly a willingness to trust the Belgian to start play from the back and get involved going forward.
He was also 2-for-2 in dribbles on the evening, and with the winds whipping around Keyworth on Saturday his ability to keep it on the carpet – and keep possession in the process – could go a long way towards helping the Boys in Blue control the contest.
INDIANA SWIMMING
BURNS, CAPOBIANCO NATIONAL TITLES PART OF IU’S MOMENTOUS FRIDAY
MINNEAPOLIS – Indiana men’s swimming and diving won two national championships and earned six medal finishes on Friday (March 24) night at the 2023 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
The No. 6-ranked Hoosiers were the top-scoring team on the third day of the national meet, earning 160 points, moving from sixth to fourth in the standings and showing quality in all three disciplines – swimming, diving and relay. Complementing the NCAA titles, IU had two silver medalists and two bronze medalists. Four program records were broken on Friday.
“I’m just so proud of everyone tonight,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “What a fantastic night of, not only swimming, but diving too, and then just a scintillating relay to end it.”
In his final NCAA 3-meter diving final, Andrew Capobianco gave a dominant performance to win his third national championship in the event. The senior’s lowest-scoring dive earned him 81.00 points as he tallied a program record 522.60 and outscored the field by 74.3 points. He ended the performance with an exclamation mark, earning 91.20 points on a forward 4 ½ somersault tuck.
“What a day for IU swimming and diving,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Andrew put together the best list of his life in a moment that had so much meaning. That rarely happens in sport. He was amazing.”
Capobianco led what became a dominant team finish on the 3-meter board. Three Hoosiers were top-four finishers, as sophomores Quinn Henninger (425.40) and Carson Tyler (415.50) placed third and fourth, respectively. IU earned 51 points from the diving event.
“Quinn and Carson pushed the field today the same way that they push Andrew every day in practice,” Johansen said. “It was a great day to be a Hoosier. One more day!”
“The divers, oh my!” Looze said. “Andrew, what’s he going to do, score 600 points next? He could have almost been done after five rounds and still won!”
Capobianco is now a three-time NCAA Champion, six-time NCAA medalist and 12-time All-American. He’ll compete for the final time collegiately on Saturday in the platform diving event.
Senior Brendan Burns captured his second-career national title, this time in the 100-yard backstroke. Burns set the program record at 44.15 while finishing as the runner-up a year ago. A year later, he’s the national champion with a 43.61 – the nation’s third-fastest time ever. Burns is IU’s seventh different swimmer to win the 100 back and first since Ben Hesen in 2008.
“Brendan Burns was honest in his ESPN interview. He told (assistant coach Luke Ryan), ‘I don’t think I can be competitive in the 100 back,'” Looze said. “We both got on him for that and told him, hey, this is what you need to do. You have speed, go out with these guys, and good things will happen. He trusted us, and we’re humbled that he would do that in a moment where you’re not sure or believing in yourself.”
Burns’ 100 back performance came after he had earned maximum points in the 100-yard butterfly consolation final. He’ll look to defend his first title in the 200 fly on Saturday, the last individual swimming event of the meet.
Indiana has totaled 12 individual national titles over the last five championships.
Coming into the day, program record holder Ian Finnerty was the only Hoosier to swim the 100-yard breaststroke under 51 seconds. He’s not so lonely anymore. Senior Van Mathias, whose personal best at the start of the season was 54.74, dropped a 50.57 in the prelim and then won silver in the event Friday night with a 50.60. In the consolation final, sophomore Josh Matheny earned maximum points for his first time under 51.00 as he posted a career-best 50.99.
“In the 100 breast, Josh Matheny going 50.99 was a big barrier for him that he wanted to accomplish, and then Van, getting second place as a new breaststroker,” Looze said, “people are really shocked around the country at Van and what he’s swimming here and how well he’s doing, but he’s a special kid.”
Junior Tomer Frankel broke the program record in the 100-yard butterfly twice on Friday. He came into the meet a hundredth of a second short of the mark but quickly took put himself in front. The No. 7 seed in the event, Frankel swam a 44.26 to earn the No. 4 spot in the final where he trimmed his time down to 44.04 and dropped into bronze medal position. The performance was Frankel’s first individual medal.
“Brendan was really upset about being in the consolation again and took care of business and won that,” Looze said. “Tomer stepped up and moved all the way to third with a school record, again.
Sophomore Rafael Miroslaw ended up racing the 200-yard freestyle three times on Friday between his prelim, swim-off and consolation final and came out of it 13th in the country.
“I was really pleased with Rafa’s performance,” Looze said. “I know he fell back, but he had just an exhausting, heartbreaking morning, so we really praised him for getting 13th and just fighting. I think it really helped him turn the corner for what he would later do in the relay.”
The night ended with a thrilling 400-yard medley relay in which IU earned its second straight national runner-up finish. The same quartet of Burns, Matheny, Frankel and Miroslaw – who all had busy evenings – was one of three teams that swam better than the NCAA record. Florida set the new standard at 2:58.32, but the Hoosiers got a brand-new program record in 2:59.09 with splits of 43.82, 50.32, 43.70 and 41.26. Despite having swam that 100 fly, 100 back double, Burns posted the field’s top backstroke leg.
“It’s not often that you get second and break the NCAA record,” Looze said. “I’m happy with what they did. I don’t think we could have gone any faster. Overall, I’m just super proud of the program. The coaches, trainers, massage therapists, everybody’s pulling in the same direction, and that makes me happiest.”
RESULTS
100 BUTTERFLY
3. Tomer Frankel – 44.04 (NCAA Bronze, Program Record, All-America)
9. Brendan Burns – 44.60 (Honorable Mention All-America)
200 FREESTYLE
13. Rafael Miroslaw – 1:32.65 (Honorable Mention All-America)
100 BREASTSTROKE
2. Van Mathias – 50.60 (NCAA Silver, All-America)
9. Josh Matheny – 50.99 (Honorable Mention All-America)
100 BACKSTROKE
1. Brendan Burns – 43.61 (NCAA Champion, Program Record, Pool Record, All-America)
3-METER
1. Andrew Capobianco – 522.50 (NCAA Champion, Program Record, All-America)
3. Quinn Henninger – 425.40 (NCAA Bronze, All-America)
4. Carson Tyler – 415.50 (All-America)
400 MEDLEY RELAY
2. Brendan Burns, Josh Matheny, Tomer Frankel, Rafael Miroslaw – 2:59.09 (NCAA Silver, Program Record, All-America)
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Finn Brooks (200 Freestyle Relay*)
Brendan Burns (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay, 100 Butterfly*, 100 Backstroke, 400 Medley Relay)
Andrew Capobianco (1-meter, 3-meter)
Tomer Frankel (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay, 100 Butterfly, 400 Medley Relay)
Quinn Henninger (3-meter)
Josh Matheny (100 Breaststroke*, 400 Medley Relay)
Van Mathias (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay, 50 Freestyle*, 200 Freestyle Relay*, 100 Breaststroke)
Rafael Miroslaw (800 Freestyle Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay*, 200 Freestyle*, 400 Medley Relay)
Carson Tyler (3-meter)
Gavin Wight (200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay*)
* – Denotes Honorable Mention
UP NEXT
Saturday is the last day of competition at the NCAA Championships. Prelims will kick off at 11 a.m. ET in preparation for the final session on the meet, set to begin at 6 p.m.
PURDUE BASEBALL
BOILERMAKERS RALLY FROM 4-0 DEFICIT TO WIN B1G OPENER
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Khal Stephen and Aaron Suval teamed up for 11 strikeouts and seven consecutive zeros, leading the way as Purdue baseball regrouped from a shaky start to overcome a four-run deficit and defeat Michigan State 5-4 in Friday’s Big Ten opener.
The Boilermakers (10-10, 1-0 B1G) scored five unanswered runs after going down 4-0 in the bottom the second, scoring the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded hit by pitch in the ninth inning.
Purdue won its sixth straight Big Ten opener dating back to 2017 and improved to 8-1 in Big Ten openers since 2014. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers also won their fourth straight vs. MSU (11-8, 0-1 B1G) dating back to 2021 while ending the Spartans’ six-game win streak.
Stephen struck out a career-high eight over six innings of four-run ball, matching the most strikeouts by a Purdue pitcher this season in his longest outing as a Boilermaker. After seven of MSU’s first 11 batters of the game reached base safely against him, Stephen found a groove and went on to retire 14 of the final 16 batters he faced. The sophomore worked three consecutive 1-2-3 innings across the third, fourth and fifth while the Boilermakers rallied to tie the game.
Suval (3-1) retired nine of the 14 batters he faced over three innings of two-hit relief, setting down MSU’s No. 4 and 5 hitters to close out the win with runners on first and second base. After a one-out double in the ninth, Purdue opted to intentionally walk 3-hole hitter Brock Vradenburg — putting the winning run on base – and Suval did his part to assure the gamble paid off.
A leadoff single from Jake Jarvis in the ninth inning led to the go-ahead run. Couper Cornblum battled back from a 1-2 count to draw a walk against MSU closer Wyatt Rush, who had issued only one walk in 12 2/3 innings this season entering the day. Rush then mishandled a sacrifice bunt by Cam Thompson, loading the bases with no outs. Rush hit Jo Stevens in the back with the first pitch of the at-bat, forcing home Jarvis to give Purdue its first lead of the day.
The Boilermakers scored three times with two outs in the fifth inning to tie the game. Stevens drew a walk and the top of the lineup produced three straight singles. Mike Bolton Jr. beat out a bunt hit and Evan Albrecht followed with an RBI single to chase starter Joseph Dzierwa. Paul Toetz singled up the middle for his 32nd RBI (16th with two outs) and Albrecht scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
Connor Caskenette nearly hit a grand slam in the top of the fourth. His fly ball to the wall in left field turned into a sacrifice fly when Casey Mayes made the catch before crashing into the wall.
Albrecht extended his on-base streak to 23 consecutive games dating back to last season and now has a six-game hit streak as well. Bolton and Toetz are both riding 12-game on-base streaks. Cornblum has a seven-game on-base streak.
Game 2 of the series is slated for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET but a doubleheader Sunday is a possibility due to steady rain showers in the forecast for much of Saturday.
PURDUE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL BATTLES BUT FALLS SHORT 7-9 AT NEBRASKA
LINCOLN, Neb.— A tense battle at Nebraska to open Big Ten play ended in a 7-9 decision in favor of Nebraska. A neck-and-neck game had Purdue softball ahead, 7-6, after the fourth inning, but a three-run homer in the sixth inning proved to be the decision-maker, despite the Boilermakers loading the bases in the seventh inning.
With the result, Purdue moves to 15-14 on the season while Nebraska improves to 21-9.
Purdue’s five runs over the first two innings were the most this season to start a game.
Although Purdue was out-hit 8-13 in the outing, the game’s difference-maker was the runners left stranded, which Boilermakers left 11 compared to Nebraska’s eight.
Leading Purdue’s offensive effort was Tyrina Jones with two runs, a hit and a walk, meanwhile Olivia McFadden secured a team-best two RBI on two hits, along with a run.
Center fielder Kiara Dillon had a good night defensively, notching three throws to home to cut off Husker scoring attempts, including a tag out at home as the throw was made to catcher Anna Lonchar in time for the out.
Four pitchers saw time in the circle for Purdue: Madi Elish, Alex Echazarreta, Alexa Pinarski and Mo Wimpee. Wimpee (4-3) was tabbed the loss after closing out the final 1.2 innings pitched. Wimpee entered in relief in the fifth inning with two runners in scoring position and got the Boilermakers out of a jam as she fed the defense a grounder and followed it up with a strikeout swinging to end the Huskers chance to score. Wimpee allowed two hits.
Two games remain in the series at Nebraska. Purdue will take on the Huskers tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET before finishing the series Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Both games will be streamed on B1G+.
PURDUE SWIMMING
SAMUELS, SHERMAN BREAK TEAM RECORDS AT NCAAS
MINNEAPOLIS – Brady Samuels and Nick Sherman teamed up for a record-setting session Friday at the NCAA Championships, eclipsing Purdue benchmarks in the 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle.
Samuels finished 10th of 42 in the 100 back prelims with a time of 45.17, earning a second swim in the consolation final and honorable mention All-America accolades. He became the Boilermakers’ first All-American in the backstroke since Louis Paul (200 back) in 2005.
Sherman broke his own record in the 200 free with a time of 1:33.27, resetting the team benchmark for the third time. He eclipsed an individual team record at NCAAs for the second time in his career, also accomplishing the feat in the 200 IM in 2021.
Samuels eclipsed Joe Young’s team record (45.56) in the 100 back that had stood since 2019. Samuels now owns team records in the 100 butterfly and 100 back as well as the 400 freestyle relay. He has joined Nikola Aćin (50 & 100 free), Steele Jonson (1-meter & 3-meter diving), Matthew Martin (1000 & 1650 free) and Sherman (200 free, 200 IM) as Boilermakers to currently hold multiple team records in individual events.
Excluding the honorary All-America accolades awarded in 2020 in the wake of the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, Samuels is Purdue’s first sophomore swimmer to earn All-America honors in an individual event since Giordan Pogioli (200 breast) in 2004.
Thursday, Samuels also posted a career-best time of 19.46 in the prelims of the 50 free. He moved into fourth place in team history with his Purdue season-best mark.
The Boilermakers had a top-20 finisher in both springboard diving events. Jordan Rzepka was 17th in the 1-meter prelims Thursday and Sam Bennett placed 18th in the 3-meter prelims Friday. Both Boilermakers narrowly missed out on honorable mention All-America accolades via a top-16 showing in the prelims.
The NCAA Championships conclude Saturday with Samuels and Sherman in the 100 free plus Rzepka competing in platform diving. Swimming prelims begin at 11 a.m. ET and the diving prelim starts at 1 p.m. ET. Saturday’s finals session is set for 7 p.m. ET.
PURDUE AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Results from the first two days of individual events
Friday
100 Back
Brady Samuels, 45.17 (Prelim Time) – Finished 8th in Consolation Final; Honorable Mention All-America; PURDUE RECORD
200 Free
Nick Sherman, 1:33.27 – Finished 27th in Prelims; PURDUE RECORD
3-Meter Diving
Sam Bennett, 362.50 – Finished 18th in Prelims
Jordan Rzepka, 323.10 – Finished 36th in Prelims
Thursday
1-Meter Diving
Jordan Rzepka, 342.15 – Finished 17th in Prelims
Sam Bennett, 316.70 – Finished 32nd in Prelims
50 Free
Brady Samuels, 19.46 – Finished 40th in Prelims; 4th Fastest in Team History
200 IM
Nick Sherman, 1:42.97 – Finished 24th in Prelims
BUTLER TRACK
ELLIS’S RECORD-BREAKING RACE HIGHLIGHTS THE BEGINNING OF THE RALEIGH RELAYS
Raleigh, N.C. — Butler’s track and field team traveled south to compete against the top talent in the nation on Thursday and Friday at the Raleigh Relays.
Angelina Ellis set a new Raleigh Relays meet record in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase while capturing the win in an elite national field. Her mark of 9:53.32 scratched over 10 seconds off her personal best and was the fastest time in the NCAA Division I as of Friday night.
Niki Ezeh began her outdoor track season by placing 24th in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at 14.19. She added on a new personal best in the high jump with a height of 1.57 meters.
In the 5,000 meters, three Bulldog men placed in the top 25 out of over 200 runners. Simon Bedard opened his outdoor track season by claiming 10th at 13:44.37.
Matthew Forrester and William Zegarski both won their section races. Forrester placed 19th at 13:56.87, crushing his personal best, while Zegarski earned 24th at 14:00.22 in his collegiate debut in the event.
In the sprints, Luke Finnegan and Ben Bradley each set new lifetime bests in the men’s 100 meters. Finnegan came in 21st at 10.80, while Bradley finished 25th at 10.85.
Other notable finishes:
Gavin Cougle earned 12th in the men’s 400 meters at 48.08
Drew Herman placed 16th in the men’s high jump with a height of 1.97 meters.
Luke Finnegan posted a time of 10.85 in the men’s 100 meters to place 21st
Abby Olson finished 23rd in her first appearance in the women’s 10,000 meters at 35:32.26
Mia Beckham clocked in at 16:19.91 in the women’s 5,000 meters to place 23rd
The Bulldogs will finish up the last day of the Raleigh Relays tomorrow, beginning at 9:45 a.m.
BUTLER WOMEN’S TENNIS
BUTLER WTENNIS WINS HOME DOUBLEHEADER
The Bulldogs picked up two wins on Friday when they hosted IUPUI and Bellarmine for a doubleheader. Butler will move to 8-10 on the season after toping IUPUI 6-1 and sweeping Bellarmine 7-0.
Against IUPUI, Butler dropped the doubles point. The No. 1 pairing of Natalie Boesing and Chase Metcalf beat their opponents comfortably, but the Jaguars took the No. 2 and No. 3 courts to clinch the point.
The Bulldogs dominated singles play with six straight-set wins and only 10 total dropped games across all the matches. Norah Balthazor was flawless, blanking her opponent at the No. 4 6-0, 6-0. Boesing, Katie Beavin, and Emma Beavin all managed to only give up one game at the No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6 positions respectively. Delaney Schurhamer and Metcalf rounded out the win with impressive performances in the No. 2 and No. 3 matchups.
Butler controlled their meeting with Bellarmine from the start. Again, Boesing and Metcalf were solid in the No. 1 duos while Balthazor and Jordan Schildcrout captured the No. 3 to take the doubles point.
All six singles matches went in favor of the Bulldogs. Boesing, Schurhamer, Balthazor, and Katie Beavin won their matches in straight-sets. Metcalf and Veronika Bruetting found themselves in close battles, but both edged out their opponents in third set tiebreakers to complete Butler’s perfect 12-0 singles record for the day.
The Bulldog’s compete again on Sunday when they matchup with St. Louis.
Match Results – Butler vs. IUPUI
Singles:
Natalie Boesing (BU) def. Meghan Bernard (IUPUI) 6-0, 6-1
Delaney Schurhamer (BU) def. Samantha Hayward (IUPUI) 6-0, 6-2
Chase Metcalf (BU) def. Emma Dell (IUPUI) 6-2, 6-3
Norah Balthazor (BU) def. Sarah Lounsbury (IUPUI) 6-0, 6-0
Katie Beavin (BU) def. Grace Lampman (IUPUI) 6-0, 6-1
Emma Beavin (BU) def. Marta Krakowski (IUPUI) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles:
Natalie Boesing/Chase Metcalf (BU) def. Samantha Hayward/Meghan Bernard (IUPUI) 6-1
Emma Dell/Grace Lampman (IUPUI) def. Veronika Bruetting/Delaney Schurhamer (BU) 7-5
Marta Krakowski/Sarah Lounsbury (IUPUI) def. Norah Balthazor/Jordan Schildcrout (BU) 6-4
Match Results – Butler vs. Bellarmine
Singles:
Natalie Boesing (BU) def. Ekaterina Tikhonko (BELL) 6-1, 6-0
Delaney Schurhamer (BU) def. Lailaa Bashir (BELL) 6-2, 6-3
Chase Metcalf (BU) def. Vendula Keyslova (BELL) 6-7, 6-4, 1-0 (5)
Norah Balthazor (BU) def. Cydney Rogers (BELL) 6-0, 6-1
Katie Beavin (BU) def. Hanley Riner (BELL) 6-3, 6-3
Veronika Bruetting (BU) def. Shu Grosso (BELL) 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (8)
Doubles:
Natalie Boesing/Chase Metcalf (BU) def. Ekaterina Tikhonko/ Vendula Keyslova (BELL) 6-4
Lailaa Bashir/Cydney Rogers (BELL) def. Veronika Bruetting/Delaney Schurhamer (BU) 6-3
Norah Balthazor/Jordan Schildcrout (BU) def. Shu Grosso /Channing Varnum (BELL) 6-3
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL DEFEATS PROVIDENCE, REMAINS PERFECT IN BIG EAST
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Butler softball team won its sixth consecutive game on Friday, a 7-1 victory over BIG EAST opponent Providence. The win, in game one of the three-game series, keeps the Bulldogs atop the conference standings with a perfect 4-0 start.
The Friars (9-15, 2-5 BIG EAST) scored one run in the third inning to take an early lead, but the Bulldogs (10-18, 4-0 BIG EAST) used four extra-base hits in a three-inning span to respond with seven unanswered runs.
How It Happened
Providence took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third off a Butler error along with two singles. The Bulldogs ended the inning when catcher Kieli Ryan picked off a Friars base runner at second base.
Butler loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth and tied the game at one when Ellie Boyer drew a walk. Kaylee Gross then hit a single to left, sending Monique Hoosen and Olivia Moxley home and giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.
In the top of the fifth, back-to-back doubles by Ella White and Paige Dorsett extended Butler’s lead to three runs. Three batters later, Hoosen hit a two-run home run to left center, giving the Dawgs a 6-1 cushion.
A White triple in the sixth pushed Gross across and extended the lead by one.
The game ended in the bottom of the seventh with Ryan picked off her second runner of the day from behind the plate, this time at first base.
Mackenzie Griman (5-7) started in the circle for Butler, pitched her eighth complete game of the season, and picked up the win. In 7.0 innings, she allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three.
Bulldog Bits
Monique Hoosen’s home run was her sixth of the season and the 19th of her career. She is now tied for sixth on Butler’s all-time list.
Ella White’s triple was her first of the season and the fourth of her career. Her double was her sixth of the season and the 17th of her career.
Paige Dorsett’s double was her fourth of the season and the sixth of her career. She is 9-for-19 (.474) in the past six games with at least one hit in each.
Kaylee Gross had two stolen bases in the game, her eighth and ninth of the season. She now has ten in her career.
Gross is 12-for-19 (.632) in the past six games, with three hits in two of them.
Mackenzie Griman’s win in the circle was her fifth of the season and the 13th of her career.
Up Next
After a day off on Saturday, Butler remains in Providence for games two and three of the series on Sunday, Mar. 26. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 11 a.m.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL OPENS HOME MIVA WEEKEND WITH 3-1 WIN OVER QUINCY
MUNCIE, Ind. – The 12th-ranked Ball State men’s volleyball team (13-8, 6-3 MIVA) opened its home Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) two-match series with a 3-1 take down over Quincy (7-14, 0-9 MIVA) Friday night in Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals breezed through the first frame of action jumping out to a quick 13-3 lead over the Hawks. Ball State was unstoppable, hitting a staggering .571 from the floor.
But the tables turned quickly for Ball State in set two, with Quincy leading the entire second frame. Ball State struggled on both sides of the net and would drop the second set to Quincy, 25-20.
The third set was close with a f11 ties and six lead changes. Quincy held onto a small edge at the beginning of the frame, but Ball State began to pull away after back-to-back kills from Bryce Behrendt and Kaleb Jenness giving BSU the 14-12 advantage. As the set continued it was a back-and-forth affair until Behrendt served for six-straight points which helped the Cardinals earn set three over the Hawks, 25-19.
Another seesaw match occurred in the fourth period with the up-and-down affair favoring the Cardinals late in the set. Ball State’s defense helped the Cardinals lock up set four by a score of 25-21 and the match, 3-1.
For the match, Jenness led the Cardinals’ charge with 16 kills while Behrendt ended the night with 12 and Felix Egharevba turned in a 10-kill performance. Egharevba also led BSU with seven block assists.
The Ball State men’s volleyball team continues Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play at home when it hosts Lindenwood Saturday at 6 pm ET in Worthen Arena.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
CARDINALS USE GRIT TO DEFEAT EAGLES ON FRIDAY
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Ball State baseball team took to the road for the first time in Mid-American Conference play this season with a trip to Eastern Michigan on Friday. Trennor O’Donnell and Ryan Brown combined for 11 strikeouts as the Cardinals claimed game one of the series 2-1.
With the win, Ball State improved to 15-6 overall and 6-1 in league games, while Eastern Michigan fell to 10-8 overall and 4-3 in MAC contests.
“Our team showed its grit! Trennor O’Donnell and Ryan Brown were outstanding on the mound,” said Head Coach Rich Maloney. “Adam Tellier delivered the big hit. The game changing play was by Justin Conant diving and then throwing runner out at home was amazing.”
Matthew Rivera drew a six-pitch walk with one out in the top of the fourth. Andrew Wilhite was hit by a pitch to give the Cardinals runners on first and second. Decker Scheffler drew a walk to load the bases for BSU. Hunter Dobbins collected an RBI on a ground out to the pitcher, which allowed Rivera to score.
Eastern Michigan tied it in the home half of the sixth.
Justin Conant reached safely on a throwing error by the third baseman to start the top of the ninth. He then stole second. Nick Gregory grounded out to the first baseman and moved Conant to third. Adam Tellier gave the Cardinals the go-ahead run with a single through the left side as Conant scored. Ball State held a 2-1 after 8.5 innings and went on to win the contest by the same score.
O’Donnell went seven innings in the start. He struck out seven batters and gave up one earned run on five hits. Brown closed out the game with two innings and claimed the victory. He moved to 4-1 on the season. He struck out four batters and surrendered just one hit.
Tellier led the Cardinals at the plate with a 2-for-4 game. He drove in the game-winning run.
Thomas House got the start on the mound for EMU. He went six innings with eight strikeouts. He gave up one earned run on two hits. Zach Gillig added 2/3 of an inning and surrendered two hits. Luke Russo finished the game for the Eagles and went 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters and gave up an unearned run.
Ball State and Eastern Michigan return to action on Saturday for game two of the three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
BALL STATE MEN’S TENNIS
MEN’S TENNIS PICKS UP 6-1 ROAD WIN AT BINGHAMTON
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The Ball State men’s tennis team (10-6, 2-2 MAC) won its second-straight Mid-American Conference match after picking up a 6-1 road win at Binghamton (4-14, 0-3 MAC) Friday afternoon at the Lane-Starke Tennis Center.
The Cardinals opened the match by taking the doubles point against the Bearcats. Vince Orlando and Eli Herran paired up on court No. 2 for a 6-3 take down versus Ronin Lotlikar and Kyle Weekes. On the top court, Nathaniel Webster and Danilo Kovacevic claimed the doubles point after beating Michael Pawlowicz and Andrew Fang, 6-4.
In singles, Webster, who was this week’s MAC Singles Player of the Week, only gave up three games to Pawlowicz, winning 6-2, 6-1. Herran followed suit with his dominating 6-1, 6-3 performance over Binghamton’s No. 4 player Weekes.
Kovacevic then clinched match point for Ball State winning both sets 6-4 on court No. 3 versus Lotlikar.
The Ball State men’s tennis team continues Mid-American Conference action on the road when it plays at Buffalo Sunday. First serve is at 1 pm ET in the Miller Tennis Center.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH TAKE DOWN NO. 2 LOUISVILLE IN SERIES OPENER
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came out swinging as they took down the No. 2 Louisville Cardinals in the series opener at Frank Eck on Friday, March 24 by a score of 4-3.
The Irish advance to 11-8 on the year and 3-4 in the conference as the Cardinals drop to 18-3 on the year and 2-2 in ACC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was three up, three down for both the Irish and the Cardinals to start the game, as Jackson Dennies recorded his first strikeout of the day to close the top of the first.
The Louisville offense struck first, recording two runs in the second. Danny Neri recorded a base hit in the bottom of the inning, but the Irish would trail 2-0 heading into the third.
A scoreless third kept it within two in the top of the fourth, where Dennies recorded his third and fourth strikeout of the day before Caden Spivey came on in relief to close out the top of the inning.
The bats started to get going for Notre Dame as the bottom of the fourth was started with back-to-back singles from Jack Zyska and Carter Putz. Both would advance to scoring position after a sac bunt from Brooks Coetzee, but the Irish were unable to capitalize, as the threat was ended with a strikeout and a pop up to first base.
Notre Dame held Louisville scoreless in the top of the fifth, while the Irish offense really started to get hot in the bottom of the frame. The Irish led off with singles from DM Jefferson and TJ Williams, and a sac bunt from Jack Penney would put runners on second and third for Notre Dame. Zack Prajzner scored both as he doubled down the left field line to add two Irish runs to the board and make it an even 2-2 ballgame. Zyska followed with a double of his own as he sent it to the wall in the left field gap to score Prajzner and take the lead 3-2.
The Cardinals added another run to the board in the top of the sixth to tie it up at 3-3 as Aidan Tyrell came out of the pen to record the final out of the inning. The Irish immediately responded as Estevan Moreno ripped a home run to deep left, his second of the season, to put the Irish back on top at 4-3.
Both pitching staffs tossed scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth innings, giving the Irish a one-run lead heading into the ninth. Tyrell completed his great relief outing by slamming the door on the Louisville bats in the ninth, handing the Cardinals their first loss on the road this season and giving Notre Dame its third straight win.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Cardinals are back in action tomorrow at 3:00 pm and on Sunday at 1:00 pm at Frank Eck.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH TAKE SERIES OPENER FROM SYRACUSE IN FIVE INNINGS
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team extended its winning streak to seven games, earning a 10-2 five-inning win over the visiting Syracuse Orange Friday evening at Melissa Cook Stadium. Payton Tidd put together an all-around performance, throwing a complete game, the 33rd of her career, and went 2-for-2 matching a career-best with two doubles and four RBI. The Fighting Irish improve to 18-7 overall on the season, and 4-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Tidd worked in the circle, logging all 5.0 innings, allowing just three hits, two runs, one earned and striking out three.
At the plate, it was Tidd and Joley Mitchell leading the offense. Mitchell added a 3-for-3 effort, scoring twice and hitting a double. Carlli Kloss added a 2-for-4 performance with a double, an RBI and scored once. Karina Gaskins, Jane Kronenberger and Mickey Winchell all added a hit and an RBI in the contest. Winchell drove in two, while Gaskins took the team-lead with her seventh homer of the season.
How It Happened
Kloss got the Irish on the board in the first inning. The catcher doubled to start the frame, then a wild pitch skipped away from the Syracuse catcher who couldn’t locate it, allowing Kloss to score from second on the wild pitch. The Irish added another run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Tidd.
The Orange knotted the game the next half inning. A lead-off single started the rally as a double moved two into scoring position. Olivia Pess singled to shallow left, scoring one and a wild throw home allowed another run to score to tie the game at two each.
Notre Dame struck for five in the bottom of the third, to take a commanding lead. Gaskins started the frame off with a solo homer, before a walk and back-to-back doubles plated two more. A walk and two groundouts added a run before Kloss hammered a single through the right side to add the fifth run of the inning.
After holding the Orange scoreless in the fourth, Notre Dame tacked on three more runs with two outs in the bottom of the inning. A single from Mitchell and back-to-back doubles from Tidd and Kronenberger drove in two runs. Winchell added the third run of the inning with a single to left field to extend the lead to 10-2.
Up Next
These two will square off again tomorrow at Melissa Cook Stadium at 1 p.m. in the second game of the ACC series.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORES TAKE SERIES OPENER AT DRAKE, SERIES SCHEDULE SHIFTED
DES MOINES, Iowa – Indiana State softball continued Missouri Valley Conference play on Friday, defeating Drake 3-1 in the series opener at Buel Field.
The Sycamores (15-12, 4-0) picked up their fourth straight MVC win on the year while Drake (6-18, 0-4) has dropped their first four conference matchups.
The Action
Lexi Benko started in the circle for ISU and got three quick groundouts in the first to keep the game scoreless after one inning.
Kaylee Barrett got the Sycamores first hit of the game in the second but was called out for leaving first base early which retired the side for the Trees in the frame. Drake started their half of the second with back-to-back singles before Lexi Benko struck out the next three batters to end the Bulldog threat.
In the top of the third, Indiana State would jump out in front with two runs in the frame. Abi Chipps led off the inning with a single and would come around to score on an Olivia Patton RBI double down the left field line to make it 1-0 ISU. Danielle Henning followed Patton with an RBI double to left of her own, easily scoring Patton to put the Sycamores up 2-0.
Drake would get on the board in the bottom of the third, getting an RBI double from Emily Valtman to make it a 2-1 game. Benko was able to strand a runner on second and limit the damage to retire the side with ISU still leading 2-1.
The Sycamores continued to rack up hits in the fourth, getting an RBI double from TeAnn Bringle after Annie Tokarek started the inning with a single. Tokarek was pinch ran for by Hannah Welch who scored on the Bringle double to put ISU up 3-1. Abi Chipps reached on an infield single followed by an Olivia Patton walk to load the bases, but Indiana State couldn’t get another run across in the frame.
Lexi Benko continued her strong outing in the bottom of the fourth, getting a swinging strikeout to finish off another 1-2-3 inning as the Sycamores remained in the lead 3-1.
Kennedy Shade gave Indiana State their eighth hit of the contest with a single to right in the fifth. Cassie Thomerson’s groundball then hit Shade on the basepaths, which rules Shade out and retired the side for Drake in the inning.
In the bottom half of the frame, Benko was replaced after 4.2 innings, finishing with five strikeouts while allowing just one run on four hits and a walk. Lauren Sackett entered and got a groundball out to retire the Bulldogs in the fifth.
In the top of the sixth for the Sycamores, TeAnn Bringle and Olivia Patton each drew a walk to put ISU in scoring position, but Drake was able to get a groundout to keep the score at 3-1.
Sackett remained in the circle for ISU in the sixth, getting into some trouble with runners getting on second and third but she was able to get out of the jam. Annie Tokarek corralled a wild pitch and tagged a runner trying to score out for the second out of the inning. Sackett then got a fly ball to center to end the inning and keep Indiana State’s 3-1 intact.
Drake would load the bases in the bottom of the seventh with one out, forcing Indiana State to go back to its bullpen for Hailey Griffin. Griffin would get a pop up and a strikeout to slam the door shut and give the Sycamores the victory.
Indiana State finished with nine hits while Drake had seven. Abi Chipps and Annie Tokarek both had multi-hit games for ISU.
Lexi Benko gets the win and improves to 7-3 on the season while Hailey Griffin gets her second save of the year.
Up Next
The series scheduled has shifted as the remaining two games will now be played as a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 25.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
PAUL LAWRENCE NAMED INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER HEAD COACH
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales announced Friday afternoon that Paul Lawrence has been named the fourth women’s soccer head coach in program history.
Lawrence comes to Indiana State following a six-year coaching stint at Florida Southern College where he led the Moccasins to their first Sunshine State regular season championship in program history this past fall.
“Paul Lawrence is a well tenured head coach, who has had consistent success wherever he has been,” Clinkscales said. “He is a skilled tactician who builds his teams through strong player development on and off the field. He firmly believes Indiana State soccer should consistently compete for championships and is poised to help take our program to the next level.”
Lawrence guides Florida Southern College to a 36-32-13 overall record since 2017 including a 13-2-4 mark this past fall. The Mocs hosted the first ever conference semifinals in school history and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. FSC added the program’s first NCAA postseason win this fall beating Mississippi College in double-overtime.
He was named the 2022 SSC Coach of the Year becoming just the second soccer coach in school history to win the award. The team completed the 2022 season with 13 wins (most since 2008), eight conference wins (program record), 45 goals (third-most in school history), averaged 2.37 goals a game (second-best), and set a new school record with nine shutouts in the season, allowing only 15 goals all year. FSC also featured their first All-American selection with Morgan Collica named to the D2CCA All-America Third Team.
“I’m looking forward to the start of something very special here,” Lawrence said. “Sherard and Angie (Lansing) were instrumental in shaping my decision to make Indiana State my new home. I can’t thank them enough for this opportunity and their trust in me. I have a clear vision for where I feel we can take Indiana State soccer.”
Among the highlights during his time at Florida Southern include six All-Region selections, 10 All-Conference selections, the 2022 SSC Freshman of the Year (Angelina Coelho) and Defensive Player of the Year (Morgan Collica). The Mocs also excelled in the classroom earning three CoSIDA Academic All-American selections, 12 All-District selections, 36 D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards, and 121 SSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll selections.
“We are eager to welcome Paul and his family to Terre Haute and into the Sycamore community,” Senior Associate A.D./Senior Woman Administrator Angie Lansing said. “I have been impressed with his attention to detail and how he invested in our team during the hiring process. I look forward to working with him as he builds relationships in his quest for championships.”
Prior to his time at FSC, Lawrence served as the head coach at Knox College in Illinois from 2014-16 leading the Prairie Fire to a 35-20-3 overall record. His 2016 team was the best in school history going 19-1-1 on the way to winning the Midwest Conference regular-season and tournament championships for the first time and earning the program’s first bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The 2016 season featured the Prairie Fire setting numerous school and conference records. Knox College went undefeated through the regular season for the first time since 1919. They outscored their opponents 65-6 and posted 17 shutouts with a 0.28 goals-against average that ranked fifth in the nation in Division III.
The team also ranked third nationally in shutout percentage (.810), seventh in save percentage (.903), and 23rd in scoring offense (3.10 goals per game). Knox also earned a top-25 ranking in the NSCAA national poll for the first time in program history, five players earned All-MWC honors, three were named to the All-North Region Team, and Lawrence was selected the MWC Coach-of-the-Year.
When Lawrence was named the head women’s soccer coach at Knox College in January of 2014, the Prairie Fire had not had a winning season in 18 years, not qualified for the conference tournament since 1995, nor won a conference game since 2011.
After a 3-14 campaign in his first season, Lawrence guided them to a 13-5-2 record in 2015 and a spot in the conference championship game for the first time ever. Their 9½-game improvement was the third-best in NCAA Division III that year and tied for the ninth-best all-time at that level. One year later, Lawrence led them to their school-record 19 wins and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Lawrence came to Knox College from Northwood University in Michigan where he spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as an assistant coach under Dean Pappas. He helped the Timberwolves make back-to-back Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournaments and nearly upset undefeated and eventual national champion Grand Valley State in the 2013 GLIAC Tournament.
In addition to his time at Knox and Northwood, Lawrence spent one year at Alma College where he was an assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach under Jeff Hosler. He helped the Scots win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship with the best record in school history (18-4-1) and qualify for the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
Prior to moving to the United States, Lawrence worked as assistant men’s soccer coach and goalkeeping coach at Bournemouth University before taking on his duties at Alma College. While studying at BU, he was also involved with video analysis for English professional soccer club AFC Bournemouth.
Lawrence currently holds a USSF C License, NSCAA Premier Diploma, NSCAA Goalkeeper III Diploma, as well as various USSF and English FA coaching licenses. He was a member of the Region II ODP staff as part of the girls’ youth selection camp in July of 2013.
Lawrence graduated from Bournemouth University in 2011. He and his wife Maria have two daughters, London Olivia and Sydney.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
BEN HIGGINS AND MAC AYRES GUIDE ‘DONS TO LEAGUE WIN OVER NKU
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Ben Higgins hit a grand slam and Mac Ayres threw 5.1 scoreless innings in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 6-5 victory over Northern Kentucky on Friday (March 24) afternoon at Mastodon Field in Horizon League play.
All six Purdue Fort Wayne runs came in the fifth inning.
The first run came around on a Tyler Nelson single to score Cade Nelis. Run two came on a bases loaded walk by Braedon Blackford to score Nelson. Higgins then stepped to the plate and took the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for a grand slam. He has two home runs on the season.
It was scoreless to start the bottom of the fifth because of the outing by starting pitcher Mac Ayres. He came out in the sixth to get one out, finishing with 5.1 innings of scoreless work. Ayres allowed three hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He is now 1-1 on the year after earning his first collegiate victory.
NKU made it tighter with a five-run eighth inning. Bryce Martens earned a fly out to end the threat. Martens also induced a double play in the ninth but was relieved after a walk. JD Deany came in and capped off the game with a strikeout. It is Deany’s first collegiate save.
Clay Brock took the loss for NKU. He is 3-1.
Higgins finished with two hits on the day. Nelson also had two hits while adding a double.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 2-2 in the Horizon League and 5-17 overall. NKU is now 3-1 in league and 11-9 overall.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK
TWO SCHOOL RECORDS FALL FOR MASTODON WOMEN AT RALEIGH RELAYS
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Mastodon women’s track and field team set two new school records on Friday (March 24) at the Raleigh Relays hosted by North Carolina State University.
Jai Reed broke a seven-year old school record with a time of 12.20 in the 100 meters to take 35th of 74 runners.
Jesseca Hudson-Turpin turned in a time of 13.96 in the 100 hurdles, to also set a school record. She was 13th in a field of 72 athletes. Jordan Yanders was 53rd (15.03) in the same event.
Katie Clark ran the 400 and finished 54th (57.31).
BRAXTON TRITTIPO SETS NEW 400 SCHOOL RECORD
RALEIGH, N.C. – Braxton Trittipo had an impressive outing in his first outdoor action of the season on Friday (March 24) for the Purdue Fort Wayne track and field program.
Trittipo took 10th in a field of 84 in the 400 meters. He set a school record in the process with a time of 47.84.
The meet continues on Saturday.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL
MASTODONS BEAT WMU FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne softball beat Western Michigan 4-0 on Friday (March 24), marking the first win for the Mastodons against the Broncos since 2018.
Purdue Fort Wayne asserted itself early to jump out to a lead in the first inning. The Mastodons loaded the bases with their first three batters. Taryn Jenkins singled up the middle, then Taylor Warne and Grace Hollopeter drew walks. Sonia Solis sent a sacrifice fly into left to score Jenkins, then Warne scored on the subsequent at bat. The Broncos recorded a strikeout, but the catcher dropped the ball then had to send the ball to first to get the out. Warne was quick and beat the throw back home to give the Mastodons a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Bailey Manos singled with two outs to extend the inning, bringing up Jenkins at the top of the order. Jenkins swung hard at the first pitch she saw, hammering it over the right center wall. It was her third home run of the season.
The 4-0 lead for the Mastodons did not change the rest of the way. Western Michigan loaded the bases in the seventh inning with the potential game-tying run at the plate, but Alyson Quinlan was clutch with the final at bat, striking out the Bronco with five pitches.
Alanah Jones picked up her fourth win of the season, throwing 4.0 innings with five strikeouts. Gracie Brinkerhoff had four strikeouts in 2.0 innings pitched. Quinlan finished the game with a pair of strikeouts in her 1.0 inning pitched. The ‘Dons combined for a season-high 11 strikeouts. They only allowed one walk as well.
Purdue Fort Wayne improved to 6-18. Western Michigan fell to 6-12. The Mastodons will be back in action next week (Wednesday, March 29) when the Valparaiso Beacons come to town for a 3:30 first pitch.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
STREAKING BASEBALL ACES OPEN VALLEY PLAY AT MISSOURI STATE SATURDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The red-hot University of Evansville baseball team will open up Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend in Springfield, Missouri with a key conference series against defending MVC Tournament champion Missouri State at Hammons Field. Due to heavy rain in the Springfield area on Friday, the series will be a two-day set, beginning on Saturday with a noon doubleheader and concluding on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Evansville will enter Saturday’s series-opener having won six games in a row and 13 out of 15 overall. The Purple Aces will bring a 13-7 overall record into conference play. UE was predicted to finish third in the league’s preseason poll, right behind Missouri State, which currently stands at 11-8 overall. RPI-wise, Evansville and Missouri State rank second and third in the league entering conference play, with UE ranking 47th and Missouri State 75th, respectively.
The Purple Aces won their sixth-straight game on Wednesday with an 11-7 win at SIU-Edwardsville. Junior catcher Brendan Hord hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats to spur four-run frames in both the third and fourth innings to help lead the way for UE. Fifth-year outfielder Eric Roberts and senior third baseman Brent Widder also homered in the game, as UE has launched 25 home runs already this year.
Offensively, Evansville is led by fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug, who will bring a .420 batting average into the weekend. Hug ranks third nationally with a .596 on-base percentage, and he loved hitting at Hammons Field last year, as he hit four of his 11 home runs in seven games at the park during both UE’s regular-season series at Missouri State and in the MVC Tournament. In fact, he has homered in four of his last five games at Hammons Field.
Pitching-wise, UE will send traditional weekend starters Nick Smith (2-3, 5.16 ERA), Tyler Denu (1-0, 3.66 ERA) and Donovan Schultz (3-1, 2.67 ERA) to the mound in the three games. Schultz is the current MVC Pitcher of the Week, and UE’s pitching staff has been a big part of UE’s success of late. Wednesday night was the first time that UE had allowed more than four runs in a game since March 1, and overall, the Purple Aces have posted a 3.19 ERA in the month of March.
Missouri State will enter this weekend’s series trying to bounce back from a three-game sweep at #10 East Carolina last weekend. The Bears once again boast one of the more potent lineups in the MVC entering league play, as Missouri State leads the Valley and ranks in the nation’s top 35 in both doubles (47) and home runs (30). The Bears’ pitching staff also ranks second in the league in ERA (behind Evansville) with a 4.62 staff ERA.
INDIANAPOLIS WOMEN’S LAX
#4 GREYHOUNDS BOUNCE BACK WITH CONVINCING WIN OVER NORTHERN MICHIGAN
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 4 UIndy women’s lacrosse team returned to its winning ways on Friday afternoon at Key Stadium by taking down the Northern Michigan Wildcats by a final of 18-5. With the win, the Hounds improve to 9-1 on the season.
In total, nine different players on offense scored one or more points for UIndy. Anna Ziemba led the squad with five goals while Joey Fowler was close behind with four. Megan Dunn dished out a team-high three assists.
On defense, Delaney Stahrr caused three turnovers to lead the team. Between the pipes, Audrey Moran collected the start and played the whole first half while notching two saves in the winning decision. Lylian Iman saw her first collegiate action by playing the whole second half for the Greyhounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was all UIndy from the opening whistle at Key Stadium as the Greyhounds held a 10-0 advantage in the first half before Northern Michigan could add a goal in return. Notably, the first five goals of the game for the Hounds came from the stick of either Fowler or Ziemba. The Hounds continued to pour in goals in the second half and kept the running clock rolling in the easy non-conference victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-UIndy fired 32 total shots while Northern Michigan had just 10.
-Stahrr had a team-best four draw controls.
-The Hounds forced the Wildcats into 19 total turnovers and just a 2-of-12 mark on clear attempts.
-A total of 18 ground balls were scooped up by the Greyhounds.
-Elle Cimini scored two goals in the contest which were the first of her collegiate career.
UP NEXT
UIndy will open GLVC play on Sunday at Key Stadium with a battle against Lewis. That game will start at 1 p.m. ET.
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
TOP NATIONAL NEWS
NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: NO. 5 SAN DIEGO ST. OUSTS NO. 1 ALABAMA
Underdog San Diego State kicked No. 1 overall seed Alabama out of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Elite Eight on Friday night in Louisville.
A 71-64 win sends the fifth-seeded Aztecs (30-6) into the South Region final on Sunday against sixth-seeded Creighton. They all but erased Alabama All-American Brandon Miller in the second half, limiting him to 1 of 10 shooting in the half. He finished the night with nine points and six turnovers.
San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell had a game-high 21 points, making nine of his 16 attempts from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range. The Aztecs’ relentless, stranglehold defense and balanced offensive attack combined to quiet the Crimson Tide, who made 3 of 27 3-point attempts and just 14 of 28 layups, a testament to the Aztecs’ static-cling.
Alabama (31-6), now 1-9 all time in the Sweet 16, was led by Mark Sears’ 16 points and 10 rebounds. Miller (3 of 19), Sears (4 of 11), and Jahvon Quinerly (4 of 13) couldn’t catch fire and the Crimson Tide shot 32.4 percent for the game.
NO. 6 CREIGHTON 86, NO. 15 PRINCETON 75
Ryan Kalkbrenner dropped 22 points, Baylor Scheierman added 21 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting and the Bluejays shot 58.2 percent to take down the Tigers.
The Bluejays (24-12) will face fifth-seeded San Diego State in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The high-octane Bluejays made 32 of 55 shots, including Kalkbrenner’s 9 of 12 and Scheierman’s 8 of 11. Trey Alexander scored 19 points, Arthur Kaluma had 10 and Ryan Nembhard put up nine points and eight assists for Creighton.
Princeton (23-9) was vying to become the second No. 15 seed ever to make the Elite Eight, but the Tigers couldn’t match the feat of New Jersey neighbor Saint Peter’s last year. Ryan Langborg led the Tigers with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting, and Tosan Evbuomwan supplied 24 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
MIDWEST
NO. 5 MIAMI 89, NO. 1 HOUSTON 75
Nijel Pack scored 26 points to lead the Hurricanes past the Cougars as the last of the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seeds was eliminated.
Miami (28-7) had five players score in double figures. Isaiah Wong had 20 points, Jordan Miller 13, Norchad Omier 12 and Wooga Poplar 11. Omier grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Houston was led by Jarace Walker with 16 points. Jamal Shead added 15, and Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark each had 14. Walker added 11 rebounds and four blocks.
NO. 2 TEXAS 83, NO. 3 XAVIER 71
Tyrese Hunter scored 19 points, Marcus Carr added 18 points and six assists and the Longhorns never trailed while cruising past the Musketeers in Kansas City, Mo.
Christian Bishop also had 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Sir’Jabari Rice added 16 points for the Longhorns (29-8), who will face fifth-seeded Miami (28-7) on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four. Texas big man Dylan Disu, who averaged 22.5 points and 10 rebounds over the Longhorns’ first two tourney games, departed after 94 seconds with foot injury.
Adam Kunkel scored 21 points and Jack Nunge had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Xavier (27-10). Colby Jones also scored 15 points and Souley Boum added 12 for the Musketeers, who lost for just the second time in the past nine games.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MIAMI WOMEN HOLD ON, BEAT VILLANOVA FOR 1ST TRIP TO ELITE 8
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) The horn sounded and Miami coach Katie Meier turned to start jumping and hugging her staff as players and cheerleaders sprinted past for a meet-at-midcourt celebration. She soon made her way into the crowd to embrace players hollering with delight.
Soon she emerged through the other side to trade hugs and high-fives with a front-row section of Hurricanes fans.
An improbable and emotional ride to the program’s first Elite Eight appearance in the women’s NCAA Tournament was worth sharing with as many people as she could.
“I can’t believe it,” Meier said afterward. “I’m not going to act cool. This is awesome.”
Jasmyne Roberts scored a career-high 26 points – including a stick-back for the go-ahead, three-point play with 38.8 seconds left – to help Miami overcome blowing a 21-point lead and beat Villanova 70-65 on Friday, pulling the program to within a win of the Final Four.
Miami had reached the Sweet 16 only once before, in 1992. Now the Hurricanes will play Sunday for the Greenville Region 2 title against third-seeded LSU.
The ninth-seeded Hurricanes (22-12) looked dominant in building a huge lead, wobbly in blowing it. But they hung on down the stretch after Villanova made its push back behind the latest big-scoring effort from Associated Press first-team All-American Maddy Siegrist.
“I can’t even explain the feeling really,” guard Haley Cavinder said.
The celebration said plenty. While Meier made her way to the fans, Roberts stayed locked in a firm and emotional embrace with teammate Ja’Leah Williams. The sophomore guard picked a perfect time to come through with a huge performance by making 10 of 16 shots and all six of her free throws while pulling down nine rebounds.
“Cool Hand Luke is her new nickname. She doesn’t even know that movie,” Meier said, referencing the Paul Newman movie released more than three decades before Roberts’ birth.
Siegrist, the nation’s scoring leader, had 31 points, 13 rebounds and five steals for fourth-seeded Villanova (30-7). It marked her third 30-point outing in as many tournament games, pushing her to the No. 2 single-season scoring total in Division I history.
MARCH MADNESS: MORRIS, LSU WOMEN TOP UTAH, INTO ELITE EIGHT
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) LaDazhia Williams was determined to extend her career. Thanks to her best game of the season, her LSU teammates will get to keep playing, too.
“I’m not ready to home,” she said. “We already know where we want to go.”
Williams and the third-seeded Tigers reached the Elite Eight for the first time in 15 years, holding off No. 2 seed Utah 66-63 on Friday night.
Williams had a season-high 24 points to boost LSU (31-2).
Alexis Morris, another fifth-year transfer like Williams, had 15 points. Her two foul shots with 10 seconds left put LSU ahead for good, 64-63. She later made two more free throws.
“We’re just hungry right now,” Morris said. “I know we’re fueled up and we’re fired up. We’re one game away from going to the Final Four.”
Angel Reese added 17 points and 12 rebounds for her 31st double double of the season.
Coach Kim Mulkey’s Tigers can reach their first Final Four since 2008 on Sunday night when they face No. 9 seed Miami to close the Greenville 2 Regional. The Hurricanes overcame fourth-seeded Villanova and the nation’s leading scorer Maddy Siegrist 70-65 earlier at the Greenville 2 Regional.
“I think we fought hard all four quarters,” Reese said. “We’ve been through so much from the beginning to the end, so I’m just super happy for this team.”
Not that there weren’t some anxious moments at the end.
CLARK’S MARCH MADNESS MARCHES ON, IOWA WOMEN BEAT COLORADO
SEATTLE (AP) Caitlin Clark felt it was all happening a little too quick and on the stage of playing in a regional semifinal, Iowa’s star needed to slow down for a change.
“I felt like I was playing a little frantic. I felt like I was rushed on offense,” Clark said.
In this case, slowing down led to a big second half from Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Clark scored 31 points, 18 coming in the second half, and No. 2 seed Iowa shook disappointments the past two seasons and reached the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament with an 87-77 win over Colorado in the Seattle 4 Regional semifinals on Friday night.
After two straight tournaments where Clark’s season ended in the round of 16 and the round of 32, the Hawkeyes will play for a chance at just the second Final Four berth in school history on Sunday.
“Anytime you get to play basketball for this long, it’s really special. None of us want this to end,” Iowa’s Monika Czinano said.
Clark was the catalyst for Iowa’s big second half, and the first-team All-American finished 11 of 22 shooting with four 3-pointers and eight assists. It was her 11th game this season scoring at least 30 points.
But she had plenty of help, especially after Clark sat a chunk of the first half after picking up two fouls.
Czinano added 15 points, including a key basket in the paint with 1:10 remaining. Kate Martin scored 16 and McKenna Warnock scored 10. Iowa shot 54% for the game and 59% in the second half.
“We shot the ball very well tonight and I’m proud of that because of Colorado’s defense,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “We scored more points than anybody has all year against their defense. Their defense is very good, but we were still able to shoot over 50% from the field. But you do that when you’re having the balance of four people in double figures.”
Iowa (29-6) will face No. 5 seed Louisville in the regional final on Sunday. It’s the fifth Elite Eight appearance for the Hawkeyes, but their only Final Four appearance came in 1993.
MARCH MADNESS: LOUISVILLE TOPS OLE MISS 72-62 IN SWEET 16
SEATTLE (AP) Hailey Van Lith put on a show in her home state to get Louisville back to a familiar place – the Elite Eight.
Van Lith scored 21 points to help the fifth-seeded Cardinals beat No. 8 seed Mississippi 72-62 on Friday night and advance to the final of the Seattle 4 Region.
“It was amazing to have friends and family in the whole state out cheering for us,” Van Lith said. “I’m a very focused player, there were no distractions before the game. After the game, I kissed all the babies and hugged all the people. After business was done, I celebrated.”
The Cardinals (26-11) will face second-seed Iowa on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four. The Hawkeyes beat Colorado 87-77, behind the play of Caitlin Clark.
It’s the fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament that Louisville has gotten this far, one of the few teams to accomplish the feat.
“It’s hard to continue to get to where we are and win,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. “You have to enjoy it. It’s too short not to enjoy these types of moments.”
Expectations were high for the Cardinals under Walz to start the season as the team was ranked seventh in The Associated Press’ preseason Top 25 poll. With many new players, the Cardinals lost four out of six games in late November and early December.
Walz wasn’t concerned. The team started to get more comfortable on the court and made a run to the finals of the ACC Tournament, where they lost to Virginia Tech.
“We’ve been playing well for the last month and a half,” Walz said. “We’ll continue to roll and continue to play. We’re going to enjoy this tonight. I’m going to enjoy this. I’m going to the bar. Life’s too short.”
On Friday, the Cardinals were met with a stiff challenge from upstart Mississippi.
The Rebels (25-9) hadn’t advanced this far since 2007, when the team made its fifth Elite Eight in program history. They were looking to become only the second No. 8 seed to reach a regional final, joining Southwest Missouri State, which did it in 1992.
Mississippi’s defense under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin had been so good in the first two games of the tournament, keeping both Gonzaga and No. 1 seed Stanford under 50 points in each game.
“The Sweet 16 is the new standard,” McPhee-McCuin said.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: WARRIORS WITHSTAND JOEL EMBIID’S 46-POINT GAME
WARRIORS 120 76ERS 112
Jordan Poole saved 19 of his team-high 33 points for the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry broke a late tie with two of his 29, and the Golden State Warriors overcame a 46-point performance by Joel Embiid to topple the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 120-112 on Friday night in San Francisco.
Klay Thompson chipped in with 21 points for the Warriors, who won their third straight overall and ninth in a row at home to maintain their No. 6 position in the Western Conference playoff race.
Tobias Harris had 23 points and Tyrese Maxey 21 for the 76ers, who led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter despite the absence of James Harden, out with a sore Achilles.
The loss, just Philadelphia’s second in its last 11 games, cost it a game in its battle with the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 spot in the East.
KINGS 135, SUNS 127
Domantas Sabonis finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Kevin Huerter scored a team-high 29 points, and host Sacramento weathered 62 combined points from Devin Booker and Terrence Ross to knock off Phoenix.
Sacramento withstood a 57.1 percent shooting first half for Phoenix, as the Suns led by as many as 14 points before intermission. A 23-9 run in the first 5:59 out of the locker room quickly flipped the game in the Kings’ favor. Huerter’s 3-pointer broke a 76-76 tie and gave Sacramento a lead it never relinquished the rest of the way.
Booker finished with 32 points, 14 in the fourth quarter, and Ross’ 30 points marked a season high. The Kings extended their lead over Phoenix for third place in the Western Conference to six games, while the Suns slid to fifth, a half-game behind the Los Angeles Clippers.
BUCKS 144, JAZZ 116
Grayson Allen torched his former team for 25 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 with 11 assists to lead Milwaukee’s thumping of short-handed Utah in Salt Lake City.
Allen, drafted 21st overall by Utah in 2018, hit three quick 3-pointers and scored the first 11 points of the game as the Bucks led the whole way. Pat Connaughton netted 22 points, Jrue Holiday added 18 points and nine assists and Brook Lopez totaled 17 points, 14 boards and seven blocks for the NBA-leading Bucks, who have won three straight.
Italian rookie Simone Fontecchio led Utah with 26 points, while Kelly Olynyk chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds. The Jazz played without injured starters Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton.
WIZARDS 136, SPURS 124
Corey Kispert scored 26 points and Deni Avdija added 21 points and 11 rebounds for host Washington, which was at its best in the fourth quarter while beating San Antonio.
The Wizards led by a point after a back-and-forth third quarter but took charge for good with a 22-8 run over the first 5 1/2 minutes of the final period.
Keldon Johnson led all scorers with 30 points for the Spurs.
CELTICS 120, PACERS 95
Boston overcame the return of Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton to post a home victory.
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 34 points and had seven rebounds for the Celtics, who made 18 3-pointers — 14 more than the Pacers.
Haliburton and Myles Turner each scored 20 points to lead Indiana, which trailed by 29 in the fourth quarter.
GRIZZLIES 151, ROCKETS 114
Luke Kennard made a career-high 10 3-pointers, Desmond Bane scored 25 points and Memphis rolled past visiting Houston.
The Grizzlies extended their winning streak to five games and have won eight of nine. Kennard finished with 30 points. Memphis made a franchise-record 25 3-pointers.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. scored 20 points apiece for Houston. Smith added eight rebounds while Porter had six rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Rookie Tari Eason matched his career high of 21 points.
HORNETS 117, MAVERICKS 109
P.J. Washington scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward had 25 as short-handed Charlotte dealt a devastating blow to host Dallas’ postseason hopes.
The Hornets, who had lost five of their previous six games, shot 48.3 percent from the field to shake off recent offensive doldrums. Charlotte received a boost from the return of rookie center Mark Williams, who missed time with a thumb injury but provided 13 points and eight rebounds. Dennis Smith Jr. (illness), who also left Thursday night’s game, had 13 points and nine assists.
Luka Doncic scored 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Mavericks. Guard Kyrie Irving was back after missing Wednesday night’s loss to Golden State with a foot injury, supplying 18 points. Dwight Powell and Christian Wood had 14 points each.
LAKERS 116, THUNDER 111
Anthony Davis scored 15 of his 37 points in the first quarter and added 15 rebounds as Los Angeles got off to a fast start and held on for a victory over visiting Oklahoma City.
The Lakers registered their third consecutive win and reached .500 for the first time this season. Dennis Schroder scored 21 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 20 for the Lakers, who defeated the Thunder for the second time this month and moved one game ahead of Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings.
Josh Giddey scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also had 27 points for the Thunder, who dropped consecutive games for the first time since losing five in a row from Feb. 23-March 1.
RAPTORS 118, PISTONS 97
Pascal Siakam compiled 32 points, nine assists and five rebounds as host Toronto defeated Detroit.
Chris Boucher added 19 points off the bench for the Raptors, who have split the first two games of a four-game homestand.
Jaden Ivey had 20 points and eight assists for the Pistons, who have lost 16 of their past 17 games.
BULLS 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 96
Zach LaVine recorded 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting and had eight assists to lead hot-shooting Chicago to a convincing victory over host Portland.
Nikola Vucevic added 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and collected 15 rebounds for Chicago, which was without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (quadriceps). Coby White had 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and registered nine assists as the Bulls made 57.1 percent of their shots, including a torrid 17 of 28 from 3-point range.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 24 points for Portland, which played without Damian Lillard (calf) and fellow starters Jusuf Nurkic (knee), Jerami Grant (quadriceps) and Anfernee Simons (foot). Portland (32-41) is 3 1/2 games out of the last play-in spot in the Western Conference.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: CALE MAKAR RETURNS TO LEAD AVS PAST COYOTES
AVALANCHE 3 COYOTES 1
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar collected a goal and two assists each, J.T. Compher also had a goal and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-1 on Friday in Denver.
Alexandar Georgiev turned away 17 shots and Valeri Nichushkin had two assists for Colorado. The Avalanche moved within two points of Central Division-leader Dallas with a game in hand on the Stars.
Clayton Keller scored and Karel Vejmelka had 27 saves for Arizona.
Colorado got stronger on the back end with the return of defensemen Makar and Erik Johnson. Makar had missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury, and Johnson was out for 19 games with a broken ankle sustained at Florida on Feb. 11.
SABRES 5, DEVILS 4
Alex Tuch scored twice in the second period for host Buffalo Sabres, which withstood a third-period rally by Jack Hughes and New Jersey.
Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn scored in the first for the Sabres, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves for the win.
Yegor Sharangovich and Kevin Bahl scored in the first and Hughes twice in the third for the Devils, who lost for the fifth time in six games (1-3-2) and missed a chance to clinch their first playoff berth since 2018. Goalie Akira Schmid was chased after allowing three goals on seven shots. Vitek Vanecek recorded 17 saves in relief.
BLUE JACKETS 5, ISLANDERS 4 (OT)
Boone Jenner deflected a Johnny Gaudreau shot for a game-winning power play goal just 40 seconds into overtime as Columbus edged visiting New York.
Gaudreau scored earlier on a power-play and rookie Kent Johnson added a trick goal to highlight a four-goal, second-period explosion for the Blue Jackets, who won their second straight overtime contest. Michael Hutchinson stopped 34 shots.
Brock Nelson scored twice, including the game-tying goal in the third, but the Islanders saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves in the loss.
MLB NEWS
TWINS 6 YANKEES 4
Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning as the Minnesota Twins scored five runs in the last two innings to rally past the New York Yankees 6-4 in a spring training game Friday in Tampa, Fla.
Eduoard Julien hit a solo homer in the eighth to close the Twins’ deficit to 4-2. In the ninth with two down, Armani Smith delivered an RBI single off right-hander Albert Abreu and Rodriguez followed with his first home run of the spring.
Anthony Volpe went deep for the Yankees’ lone extra-base hit of the team’s five total.
METS 11, RAYS 2
Pete Alonso smacked a 425-foot three-run homer and Omar Narvaez added a solo shot to power New York past host Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Right-hander Max Scherzer pitched the first six innings and allowed four hits, two runs and one walk with 11 strikeouts.
Yandy Diaz hit a two-run single for the Rays in the second inning.
WHITE SOX 12, ATHLETICS 0
Romy Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs and Yoan Moncada added a two-run shot as visiting Chicago overwhelmed Oakland in Mesa, Ariz.
The White Sox collected 15 hits in support of four pitchers who combined to shut out the Athletics on nine hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts.
Jace Peterson was 2-for-3 and Pablo Reyes doubled for Oakland.
BREWERS 6, DODGERS 6
J.D. Martinez and Max Muncy homered for host Los Angeles, while Josh VanMeter and Mike Brosseau did the same for Milwaukee in a tie game in Phoenix.
Muncy went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, two RBIs and two runs.
Owen Miller went 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run for the Brewers.
ROYALS 3, GIANTS 0
Kansas City scored all of the game’s runs in the first inning on MJ Melendez’s solo homer and Edward Olivares’ two-run shot off Tristan Beck to beat visiting San Francisco in Surprise, Ariz.
Five Royals pitchers combined for the shutout, led by right-hander Brad Keller, who got the start and scattered five hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in five innings.
The Giants had more hits, 8-5, including two apiece from David Villar and Ford Proctor.
CUBS 5, RANGERS 3
Luis Vazquez homered, doubled and drove in three runs to lead host Chicago past Texas in Mesa, Ariz.
Eric Hosmer went 2-for-4 with one RBI for the Cubs, who had 10 hits.
The Rangers had 11 hits, two apiece from Robbie Grossman and Brad Miller.
REDS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 4
Jose Barrero went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and an RBI double to power Cincinnati past host Arizona in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Henry Ramos and Spencer Steer also homered for the Reds, who totaled 13 hits.
Corbin Carroll (2-for-3) was the lone Diamondback with multiple hits of the team’s eight.
ROCKIES 9, BREWERS 4
Kris Bryant delivered a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI double in the fourth to highlight visiting Colorado’s victory over Milwaukee in Phoenix.
Mike Moustakas added a solo shot in the third, while Yonathan Daza, Elehuris Montero, Elias Diaz and Ezequiel Tovar had two hits apiece of the Rockies’ 13 total.
Garrett Mitchell homered and Gregory Barrios drove in two runs for the Brewers.
PADRES 3, ANGELS 0
San Diego’s Blake Snell, Domingo Tapia and Brent Honeywell Jr. combined on a five-hit shutout of host Los Angeles in Tempe, Ariz.
Snell went six innings (three hits, one walk, six strikeouts), Tapia one (two strikeouts) and Honeywell two (two hits, one strikeout). They got all the run support they needed from Fernando Tatis Jr.’s solo homer in the fifth.
David Calabrese doubled for the Angels’ lone extra-base hit.
RED SOX 9, BRAVES 8
Justin Turner homered among his three hits as Boston edged Atlanta in Fort Myers, Fla.
Christian Arroyo also had three hits and Triston Casas homered for the Red Sox. The Braves got home runs from Ozzie Albies and Adam Zebrowski.
ORIOLES 7, YANKEES (SS) 6
Josh Lester hit a walk-off double in the ninth inning to lift Baltimore past a New York split squad in Sarasota, Fla.
The Yankees led 6-0 after two innings, but the Orioles completed their comeback with four runs in the eighth and one in the ninth. New York’s Oswaldo Cabrera and Kyle Higashioka hit the game’s only homers.
CARDINALS 7, NATIONALS 1
Miles Mikolas allowed just an unearned run in seven innings as St. Louis defeated Washington in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn each had two hits for the Cardinals, while Jeimer Candelario collected two hits for the Nationals.
PIRATES 6, TIGERS 6
Ernny Ordonez’s ninth-inning RBI groundout lifted Pittsburgh to a tie with Detroit in Lakeland, Fla.
Kerry Carpenter had three hits and two runs for the Tigers. The Pirates got three hits and two RBIs from Ke’Bryan Hayes.
BLUE JAYS 6, PHILLIES 3
Alek Manoah struck out six and yielded only one run in six innings as Toronto doubled up Philadelphia in Dunedin, Fla.
Daulton Varsho had two hits and two runs for the Blue Jays. Kody Clemens doubled twice for the Phillies.
MARLINS 3, ASTROS 2
Sandy Alcantara struck out the first eight batters he faced as Miami beat Houston in Jupiter, Fla. Alcantara threw three innings, and only the last hitter he faced put the ball in play, with Zach Cole Jr. grounding out.
Astros starter Framber Valdez allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings.
GUARDIANS 5, CUBS (SS) 3
Josh Bell, Jose Ramirez and Myles Straw homered to power Cleveland past a Chicago split squad in Goodyear, Ariz.
Edwin Rios and Luis Torrens hit RBI doubles for the Cubs.
MARINERS 15, ATHLETICS (SS) 3
Cal Raleigh hit a three-run homer and Ty France added three hits to help Seattle crush an Oakland split squad in Peoria, Ariz.
The Mariners’ Delino DeShields, Jose Caballero and Raleigh and the Athletics’ Jonah Bride and Jordan Diaz had two hits apiece.
NFL NEWS
REPORT: WR MARQUEZ CALLAWAY TO SIGN WITH BRONCOS
Free agent wide receiver Marquez Callaway plans to sign with the Denver Broncos, ESPN reported Friday.
He caught 16 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in 14 games (three starts) with New Orleans in 2022.
Callaway, who turns 25 next week, had his best season with the Saints under new Broncos coach Sean Payton in 2021 with 46 catches for 698 yards and six touchdowns.
Undrafted in 2020 out of Tennessee, Callaway has 83 receptions for 1,069 yards and seven scores in 42 career games (17 starts) over three seasons with New Orleans.
REPORTS: BROWNS SIGN WR MARQUISE GOODWIN
The Cleveland Browns are signing wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to a one-year contract, multiple media outlets reported on Friday.
Financial terms were not disclosed for Goodwin, who becomes the second wide receiver the Browns have added this week. Cleveland acquired Elijah Moore from the New York Jets, and those two players will join Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones in the wide receiver room for the Browns.
Goodwin, 32, had 27 catches for 387 yards to go along with a career high-tying four touchdowns in 13 games (two starts) last season with the Seattle Seahawks.
He has 187 receptions for 3,023 yards and 18 touchdowns in 102 career games (44 starts) with the Buffalo Bills (2013-16), San Francisco 49ers (2017-19), Chicago Bears (2021) and Seahawks (2022).
REPORT: PANTHERS SIGNING WR DJ CHARK TO 1-YEAR DEAL
The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with wide receiver DJ Chark on a one-year deal, NFL Network reported Friday.
Chark, 26, caught 30 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games (10 starts) in his first season with the Detroit Lions in 2022.
Chark missed six games last season with an ankle injury after sitting out the final 13 games of 2021 with the Jacksonville Jaguars due to a broken ankle.
A second-round pick in 2018 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2019, Chark has 177 catches for 2,544 yards and 18 TDs in 54 games (40 starts) with the Jaguars and Lions.
Chark joins a revamped Carolina offense under new coach Frank Reich that includes fellow free-signees running back Miles Sanders, wide receiver Adam Thielen, tight end Hayden Hurst and quarterback Andy Dalton.
The Panthers also acquired the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in a trade with the Chicago Bears. They are widely expected to select a quarterback.
REPORTS: WR NELSON AGHOLOR SIGNING WITH RAVENS
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor is signing a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, multiple outlets reported Friday.
The $3.25 million deal for the 29-year-old free agent is worth up to $6.25 million with incentives, per the reports.
Agholor caught 31 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games (seven starts) with the New England Patriots last season.
The former first-round draft pick (20th overall in 2015) has 340 receptions for 4,246 yards and 31 scores in 118 career games (95 starts) with the Philadelphia Eagles (2015-19), Las Vegas Raiders (2020) and Patriots (2021-22).
REPORT: CHIEFS RE-SIGNING VETERAN TE BLAKE BELL
The Kansas City Chiefs are re-signing tight end Blake Bell to a one-year deal, NFL Network reported Friday.
Bell, 31, missed most of last season following hip surgery and finished with two catches for 20 yards and one touchdown — the first of his eight-year career — in three games (one start).
The two-time Super Bowl champion has played in 100 games (27 starts) since San Francisco selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 draft.
Known primarily for his blocking, Bell has 60 catches for 641 yards and the one TD with the 49ers (2015-16), Minnesota Vikings (2017), Jacksonville Jaguars (2018), Dallas Cowboys (2020) and Chiefs (2019, 2021-22).
LIONS RE-SIGN BACKUP QB NATE SUDFELD
The Detroit Lions announced the re-signing of backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld on Friday. Terms were not disclosed.
Sudfeld, 29, returns for his second season as the QB2 behind Jared Goff, who started all 17 games in 2022.
Sudfeld appeared in two games for the Lions last season but did not attempt a pass, playing only nine snaps.
A sixth-round pick by Washington in 2016, Sudfeld played in six games for the Philadelphia Eagles (2017-18, 2020) and Lions. He completed 25-of-37 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
MEN’S GOLF
MATT WALLACE GRABS LEAD AT PGA TOUR’S DOMINICAN EVENT
England’s Matt Wallace closed the second round of the Corales Puntacana Championship with three birdies on Friday to take a one-shot lead in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Wallace recorded a 6-under-par 66 at the Corales Golf Course to move to 11-under 133 at the PGA Tour event’s midpoint.
Sam Stevens and Wyndham Clark each shot 65 on Friday to leave them one stroke behind Wallace.
Akshay Bhatia (second-round 63), Tyler Duncan (65), Brice Garnett (70) and Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard (65) are tied for fourth at 8 under. Brandon Matthews (67) and Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos (65) share eighth place at 7 under.
Wallace had three birdies and 12 pars through 15 holes before adding another three birdies to move in front.
“Nice, nice day,” Wallace said. “I hit it probably a little bit better than yesterday, so didn’t think that was possible but it’s nice to have that in the bank now and confidence has grown.”
Wallace, 32, has four career European Tour wins but none on the U.S.-based PGA Tour.
Looking ahead to the weekend, he said, “I want to just keep playing the way I’m playing, doesn’t matter where I am on the leaderboard. … If we’re at the top of the leaderboard … I want to keep pushing and playing really good golf and see where that puts me because then I know what my levels are.”
Stevens carded eight birdies and a bogey, while Clark had five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fourth hole.
Defending champion Chad Ramey of the United States withdrew from the tournament due to a back injury after shooting a 71 on Thursday.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, RORY MCILROY AMONG 16 ADVANCING AT MATCH PLAY
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy advanced to the knockout stage, Jon Rahm failed to join them and Kurt Kitayama and Mackenzie Hughes won playoffs on Friday at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas.
On the third and final day of the group stage, Scheffler and McIlroy were among 12 of the 16 group winners to finish with a perfect 3-0-0 mark. Scheffler, the event’s defending champion, beat Tom Kim of South Korea 3-and-2 to win Group 1. McIlroy of Northern Ireland beat Keegan Bradley by the same score to lock up Group 3.
“I’m not overthinking things,” Scheffler said. “I haven’t thought about last year once this week. Just glad to get through my group and focus on (Saturday).”
Sixty-four players began the event at Austin Country Club in 16 round-robin groups. Each golfer played a match against the other three in the group, and only the winner moved on to the 16-man, single-elimination knockout stage that begins Saturday.
Joining No. 1 seed Scheffler and No. 3 McIlroy in the bracket are No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 5 Max Homa, No. 6 Xander Schauffele, No. 13 Sam Burns, No. 15 Cam Young, No. 19 Kitayama, No. 22 Billy Horschel, No. 32 Jason Day of Australia, No. 43 J.T. Poston, No. 46 Lucas Herbert of Australia, No. 50 Hughes of Canada, No. 56 Andrew Putnam, No. 59 Matt Kuchar and No. 61 J.J. Spaun.
Group 10 concluded with a three-way tie at 2-1-0 featuring Kitayama, Tony Finau and Poland’s Adrian Meronk. The ensuing playoff began at the par-4 first hole, where Finau committed a double bogey to drop out and Kitayama and Meronk advanced with pars. At the par-4 second, Kitayama made birdie and Meronk couldn’t match it.
“I just haven’t really been in a playoff like that, winner goes on type of thing,” said Kitayama, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month for his first PGA Tour title. “So whenever you get uncomfortable like that, you try and go back on the things that help you gain a little more comfortability.”
It was a similar story in Group 12, where Hughes and Taylor Montgomery tied at 2-1-0 after Montgomery beat Hughes 6-and-4 in Friday’s scheduled match. Hughes got revenge by birdieing the first playoff hole while Montgomery bogeyed.
Horschel blitzed No. 2 seed Rahm 5-and-4 to finish Group 2 action 2-0-1. That was enough to beat Rickie Fowler, who finished that group 2-1-0, and Rahm, who had lost to Fowler as well as Horschel.
Kuchar, the oldest player in the field at 44, dominated Si Woo Kim of South Korea 7-and-6 Friday. That not only allowed Kuchar to lock up Group 8 at 2-0-1, but also marked his 36th match victory at the WGC-Match Play, tying Tiger Woods’ tournament record.
“There’s 300 more records, I’m sure, to go,” Kuchar said, “but it’s a fun one to be able to say you’ve kind of got something you tied Tiger with.”
Homa advanced when Hideki Matsuyama of Japan conceded their Friday match, withdrawing with a neck injury.
The knockout stage will begin Saturday with the Round of 16:
–Scottie Scheffler vs. J.T. Poston
–Jason Day vs. Matt Kuchar
–Max Homa vs. Mackenzie Hughes
–Sam Burns vs. Patrick Cantlay
–Billy Horschel vs. Cam Young
–Kurt Kitayama vs. Andrew Putnam
–Xander Schauffele vs. J.J. Spaun
–Rory McIlroy vs. Lucas Herbert
WOMEN’S GOLF
EAGLES FLY IN SECOND ROUND AT LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP
Canada’s Maddie Szeryk and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn each carded an eagle on Friday while moving into a tie for first with South Korea’s Jenny Shin at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Gold Canyon, Ariz.
Szeryk and Jutanugarn each shot 7-under-par 65 in the second round at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, leaving them at 12-under 132. Shin posted a 67 on Friday to also sit at 12 under.
Lilia Vu holds sole possession of fourth place at 11 under following a 66.
Alison Lee (69 on Friday) and South Korea’s Narin An (67) are tied for fifth at 10 under.
Annie Park (65), South Korea’s Jin Young Ko (65) and Eun-Hee Ji (66), France’s Celine Boutier (66), Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen (66), China’s Ruoning Yin (67) and Xiaowen Yin (67) and England’s Georgia Hall (67) share seventh place at 9 under.
Szeryk, starting on the back nine, made eagle on the par-4 14th hole to leave her 4 under through five holes on the day. She gave back one stroke on her lone bogey of the day, at the par-3 17th hole, before adding four birdies on the front nine.
“I’m on such a high,” Szeryk said. “My goal for the week was to get to double digits and I’m past it, so, I’m like, OK, great. Just to go out tomorrow and have another good day.”
Jutanugarn’s bogey-free round featured three consecutive birdies surrounding the turn plus an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole, which she said might’ve been a bit of a lucky break.
“It’s actually a really good drive off the tee and then it gets on the cart path and I just have to drop from there,” Jutanugarn said. “And then it’s not a very good shot on the second shot, but pretty lucky as the ball bounced up all the way like to the back of the green and I just made the putt. It was fun.”
Shin had two bogeys surrounding a birdie and a par to begin her round on the back nine before she rediscovered her form. She reeled off five consecutive birdies before the turn, then added one birdie and eight pars on the front nine.
“I’m happy to be where I am,” Shin said.
She added of the conditions, “I actually thought it was really difficult. I was expecting no wind teeing off in the morning and the wind picked up as soon as we were on the range and never stopped. It was swirling. I couldn’t really tell which direction it was coming from.
“Really tough, but right in the middle I gave myself pretty good opportunities with the short clubs in. Made a few putts outside of the green today, so that helped tremendously.”
Defending tournament champion Leona Maguire of Ireland is tied for 32nd at 6 under following a 68 on Friday.
SPORTS EXTRA
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 x-Milwaukee | 53 | 20 | .726 | — | 30-7 | 23-13 | 8-5 | 30-15 | 8-2 | 3 W | ||
| 2 x-Boston | 51 | 23 | .689 | 2.5 | 27-9 | 24-14 | 9-4 | 30-16 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 3 x-Philadelphia | 49 | 24 | .671 | 4.0 | 26-11 | 23-13 | 7-6 | 30-16 | 8-2 | 1 L | ||
| 4 Cleveland | 47 | 28 | .627 | 7.0 | 29-8 | 18-20 | 12-3 | 31-15 | 8-2 | 3 W | ||
| 5 New York | 42 | 33 | .560 | 12.0 | 20-17 | 22-16 | 8-8 | 28-19 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 6 Miami | 40 | 34 | .541 | 13.5 | 25-13 | 15-21 | 9-5 | 21-24 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 7 Brooklyn | 39 | 34 | .534 | 14.0 | 19-16 | 20-18 | 7-8 | 26-20 | 4-6 | 5 L | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 36 | 37 | .493 | 17.0 | 20-15 | 16-22 | 7-8 | 22-23 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 9 Toronto | 36 | 38 | .486 | 17.5 | 24-14 | 12-24 | 4-9 | 21-23 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Chicago | 35 | 38 | .479 | 18.0 | 20-17 | 15-21 | 6-8 | 25-23 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 11 Indiana | 33 | 41 | .446 | 20.5 | 19-17 | 14-24 | 7-6 | 23-23 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 12 Washington | 33 | 41 | .446 | 20.5 | 17-19 | 16-22 | 7-6 | 19-26 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| 13 Orlando | 31 | 43 | .419 | 22.5 | 18-19 | 13-24 | 6-8 | 17-28 | 4-6 | 2 W | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 24 | 51 | .320 | 30.0 | 12-24 | 12-27 | 7-9 | 14-34 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Detroit | 16 | 58 | .216 | 37.5 | 9-29 | 7-29 | 1-12 | 7-39 | 1-9 | 5 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 xy-Denver | 49 | 24 | .671 | — | 30-6 | 19-18 | 10-5 | 32-13 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 2 xy-Memphis | 46 | 27 | .630 | 3.0 | 32-5 | 14-22 | 13-2 | 28-19 | 8-2 | 5 W | ||
| 3 Sacramento | 44 | 29 | .603 | 5.0 | 22-15 | 22-14 | 9-6 | 28-15 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 4 LA Clippers | 39 | 35 | .527 | 10.5 | 20-17 | 19-18 | 7-7 | 23-22 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 5 Phoenix | 38 | 35 | .521 | 11.0 | 23-12 | 15-23 | 9-5 | 24-20 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 6 Golden State | 39 | 36 | .520 | 11.0 | 30-7 | 9-29 | 6-9 | 25-20 | 5-5 | 3 W | ||
| 7 Minnesota | 37 | 37 | .500 | 12.5 | 21-17 | 16-20 | 8-7 | 25-20 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 8 LA Lakers | 37 | 37 | .500 | 12.5 | 21-17 | 16-20 | 5-9 | 22-24 | 7-3 | 3 W | ||
| 9 New Orleans | 36 | 37 | .493 | 13.0 | 24-13 | 12-24 | 10-5 | 24-20 | 5-5 | 3 W | ||
| 10 Oklahoma City | 36 | 38 | .486 | 13.5 | 22-15 | 14-23 | 7-7 | 22-25 | 6-4 | 2 L | ||
| 11 Dallas | 36 | 38 | .486 | 13.5 | 22-16 | 14-22 | 9-6 | 27-23 | 3-7 | 3 L | ||
| 12 Utah | 35 | 38 | .479 | 14.0 | 22-15 | 13-23 | 5-9 | 22-23 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 13 Portland | 32 | 41 | .438 | 17.0 | 17-19 | 15-22 | 6-8 | 22-21 | 3-7 | 1 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 19 | 55 | .257 | 30.5 | 13-25 | 6-30 | 2-13 | 7-38 | 3-7 | 3 L | ||
| 15 Houston | 18 | 56 | .243 | 31.5 | 12-26 | 6-30 | 4-12 | 11-39 | 3-7 | 4 L | ||
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 x-Boston Bruins | 71 | 55 | 11 | 5 | 115 | 53 | 269 | 153 | 29-3-3 | 26-8-2 | 7-3-0 | |
| 2 x-Carolina Hurricanes | 70 | 46 | 16 | 8 | 100 | 42 | 233 | 181 | 24-9-2 | 22-7-6 | 6-4-0 | |
| 3 New Jersey Devils | 72 | 45 | 19 | 8 | 98 | 43 | 251 | 198 | 19-13-4 | 26-6-4 | 4-4-2 | |
| 4 Toronto Maple Leafs | 71 | 43 | 19 | 9 | 95 | 42 | 245 | 196 | 25-7-5 | 18-12-4 | 6-3-1 | |
| 5 New York Rangers | 72 | 42 | 20 | 10 | 94 | 38 | 243 | 195 | 21-12-4 | 21-8-6 | 7-2-1 | |
| 6 Tampa Bay Lightning | 73 | 42 | 25 | 6 | 90 | 39 | 252 | 228 | 25-7-5 | 17-18-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 New York Islanders | 73 | 37 | 27 | 9 | 83 | 37 | 219 | 203 | 21-12-3 | 16-15-6 | 6-2-2 | |
| 8 Pittsburgh Penguins | 72 | 35 | 27 | 10 | 80 | 34 | 231 | 233 | 19-11-5 | 16-16-5 | 4-5-1 | |
| 9 Florida Panthers | 72 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 79 | 34 | 252 | 247 | 21-11-4 | 15-18-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 10 Washington Capitals | 73 | 34 | 31 | 8 | 76 | 32 | 233 | 227 | 17-14-5 | 17-17-3 | 4-4-2 | |
| 11 Ottawa Senators | 72 | 35 | 32 | 5 | 75 | 33 | 228 | 233 | 20-13-3 | 15-19-2 | 3-6-1 | |
| 12 Buffalo Sabres | 71 | 34 | 31 | 6 | 74 | 33 | 256 | 267 | 14-20-3 | 20-11-3 | 2-6-2 | |
| 13 Detroit Red Wings | 71 | 31 | 31 | 9 | 71 | 28 | 209 | 235 | 17-15-4 | 14-16-5 | 3-7-0 | |
| 14 Philadelphia Flyers | 71 | 27 | 32 | 12 | 66 | 25 | 192 | 236 | 15-16-5 | 12-16-7 | 4-4-2 | |
| 15 Montreal Canadiens | 72 | 28 | 38 | 6 | 62 | 24 | 203 | 268 | 15-17-3 | 13-21-3 | 2-6-2 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 71 | 23 | 41 | 7 | 53 | 22 | 194 | 277 | 14-20-2 | 9-21-5 | 3-6-1 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Vegas Golden Knights | 72 | 45 | 21 | 6 | 96 | 41 | 238 | 202 | 22-14-1 | 23-7-5 | 8-2-0 | |
| 2 Dallas Stars | 72 | 39 | 19 | 14 | 92 | 36 | 250 | 201 | 18-9-9 | 21-10-5 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 Los Angeles Kings | 71 | 41 | 20 | 10 | 92 | 35 | 247 | 229 | 23-9-4 | 18-11-6 | 8-0-2 | |
| 4 Minnesota Wild | 72 | 41 | 22 | 9 | 91 | 34 | 216 | 197 | 22-11-3 | 19-11-6 | 6-1-3 | |
| 5 Colorado Avalanche | 71 | 42 | 23 | 6 | 90 | 37 | 236 | 197 | 20-12-5 | 22-11-1 | 8-2-0 | |
| 6 Edmonton Oilers | 72 | 41 | 23 | 8 | 90 | 41 | 283 | 242 | 20-12-5 | 21-11-3 | 8-2-0 | |
| 7 Seattle Kraken | 71 | 39 | 24 | 8 | 86 | 39 | 246 | 229 | 16-15-4 | 23-9-4 | 5-3-2 | |
| 8 Winnipeg Jets | 73 | 41 | 29 | 3 | 85 | 40 | 220 | 205 | 22-12-2 | 19-17-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 9 Nashville Predators | 70 | 36 | 26 | 8 | 80 | 31 | 200 | 206 | 18-12-4 | 18-14-4 | 5-3-2 | |
| 10 Calgary Flames | 73 | 32 | 26 | 15 | 79 | 30 | 230 | 228 | 16-15-4 | 16-11-11 | 5-3-2 | |
| 11 St. Louis Blues | 71 | 32 | 33 | 6 | 70 | 29 | 224 | 258 | 15-16-5 | 17-17-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 71 | 32 | 34 | 5 | 69 | 27 | 243 | 264 | 17-18-1 | 15-16-4 | 8-2-0 | |
| 13 Arizona Coyotes | 73 | 27 | 34 | 12 | 66 | 24 | 204 | 253 | 20-11-3 | 7-23-9 | 6-2-2 | |
| 14 Anaheim Ducks | 72 | 23 | 39 | 10 | 56 | 20 | 186 | 291 | 12-20-3 | 11-19-7 | 3-5-2 | |
| 15 Chicago Blackhawks | 71 | 24 | 41 | 6 | 54 | 22 | 176 | 255 | 14-18-3 | 10-23-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 16 San Jose Sharks | 72 | 19 | 38 | 15 | 53 | 18 | 206 | 281 | 6-20-10 | 13-18-5 | 1-6-3 | |
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the divisional playoff format. The top three teams from each division make up the first six spots. The two remaining teams with the highest points, regardless of division, qualify for the final two wild card spots.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1910 Hugh Chalmers, the president of the Chalmers Motor Car Company of Detroit, announces his Model 30, one of the most luxurious autos of its day, will be awarded to the player with the highest batting average this season. Nap Lajoie goes 8-for-9, beating out seven bunts, when Browns’ Red Corriden purposely plays deep at third base, raising the Indian infielder’s final average to .384 to surpass Ty Cobb for the controversial batting title.
1914 Babe Ruth makes the first start of his professional career when he defeats the world champion Philadelphia Athletics, 6-2, in an exhibition game played in Wilmington (NC). The 19-year-old International League left-hander tosses a complete game, allowing 13 hits and four walks.
starnews Remembering the Day the Bambino Came to the Port City
1934 For the third time in six days, track and field Olympian medalist (javelin, hurdles, high jump) Babe Didrikson takes the mound to face a major leaguer team. The Orleans Pelicans’ hurler pitches two scoreless innings against the Indians, lining out in her only at-bat.
1935 The Cubs sell 32-year-old right-hander Pat Malone to the Yankees. The former 20-game winner (1929, 1930) will go 12-4 in 1936 but will post only a 19-13 record in his three-year tenure with the Bronx Bombers.
1945 Tryouts are granted to pitcher Terris McDuffie and first baseman Dave Thomas when a group of blacks appears at the Dodger offices in Brooklyn. The two players will work out at Ebbets Field in front of Branch Rickey on April 7.
1959 Infielder Bill White and third baseman Ray Jablonski are traded to the Cardinals by the Giants in exchange for pitching prospect Don Choate and right-hander Sam Jones. Although southpaw ‘Toothpick Sam’ will have three solid seasons in San Francisco, including a 20-win season, the Redbirds’ new first baseman will become a perennial All-Star and Gold Glover during his eight-year tenure in St. Louis.
1962 The Cubs, who haven’t had a manager since 1960, tap Elvin Tappe to be the team’s first head coach of the campaign after he posted a 42–54 record last year, the best by far of the four who led the club as members of Chicago’s college of coaches. When he gets off to a 4–16 start as the skipper, the 35-year-old veteran returns to the bench, playing 26 games as a backup catcher for the ninth-place team.
1963 The Reds sell journeyman pitcher Johnny Klippstein to the Phillies. After going 7-7 over two seasons with Philadelphia, the 37-year-old box salesman will help the Twins win the pennant in 1965, posting a 9-3 record.
1981 The Phillies trade Bob Walk to the Braves for outfielder Gary Matthews. The team’s new center fielder provides outstanding defense and has three solid seasons at the plate for Philadelphia, with Atlanta’s new right-hander compiling a 12-13 record with a 4.85 ERA during his three-year tenure with the club.
1985 The news is terrible for the Cubs when Circuit Court Judge Richard L. Curry rules that the existing laws banning night games are constitutional. The Chicago’s west-side club brought suit after giving up a home playoff game last season due to Wrigley’s lack of lights.
1989 The Pirates and Indians swap shortstops with Jay Bell going to the Steel City and Felix Fermin joining the Tribe. Pittsburgh’s new slick infielder will serve as the team’s starting shortstop for the next eight seasons, winning a Gold Glove in 1993.
1997 The Indians send Kenny Lofton (.317, 14, 67) and Alan Embree (3-1, 2.79) to the Braves for Marquis Grissom (.262, 10, 57) and David Justice (.337, 30, 88). The deal saves $5.8 million in salaries for Atlanta and helps the team sign hurlers Greg Maddux ($57.5 million, five-year) and Tom Glavine ($34 million, four-year).
2006 Acknowledging he may never play again, Jeff Bagwell announces he will start the season on the disabled list and seek consultation to determine if removing bone spurs from his shoulder would help prolong his career. The 37-year-old first baseman must stay on the injured list all season for the Astros to collect $15.6 million of the $17 million guaranteed contract from an insurance claim filed in January.
2008 In Japan’s Tokyo Dome, the Red Sox beat the A’s, 6-5, in the earliest major league opener ever played. Manny Ramirez’s tenth inning double gives Hideki Okajima the victory, who used to pitch in this stadium for the hometown Yomiuri Giants.
2008 Miguel Cabrera (.320, 34, 119), acquired by the Tigers in a trade at the winter meetings with the Marlins, agrees to a $152.3 million, eight-year deal to play with the team. The All-Star third baseman, who had previously agreed to an $11.3 million, one-year contract in January, will compile a .326 batting average and hit 270 home runs during the span of the deal.
BASEBALL’S BEST
JIM BOTTOMLEY
When scout Charley Barrett invited Jim Bottomley to try out with the Cardinals in 1920, there was just one problem. Bottomley, an Illinois native, didn’t know where the old Cardinal Field was located.
So his taxi driver – sensing Bottomley’s uncertainty in the unfamiliar city – took him for a joy ride around St. Louis and watched as his cab fare gradually climbed.
From that moment on, it was smoother sailing for Bottomley as he adjusted to life in the Gateway City.
In his 11-year tenure with the Cardinals organization, he made an indelible mark on the team, city and their fans – with one of his most memorable moments coming in 1928, when he was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player.
In 1928, Bottomley batted .325 and posted league-leading numbers in home runs (31), RBIs (136) and triples (20). His efforts propelled the Cardinals to the National League pennant.
From 1926-31, “Sunny Jim,” as he was often referred to for his light-hearted disposition, led the Cardinals to the World Series four times (1926, 1928, 1930-31) with his stellar regular season stats. From 1924-29, he posted 100 or more regular season RBIs and batted .300 or better from 1927-31.
Of the four World Series appearances, the Cardinals won it all twice: in 1926 against the Yankees and in 1931 against the Philadelphia Athletics, creating a mini-dynasty.
“Jim Bottomley was a morale man, a winner, the guy who held early St. Louis championship clubs together,” Hall of Famer Bill Terry said in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Another notable moment in Bottomley’s career came on Sept. 16, 1924, when he established a major league record for driving in 12 runs in a nine inning game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The record would stand alone for 69 years before being matched by fellow Cardinal Mark Whiten in 1993.
And his talent didn’t end at the plate.
“I noticed one thing that day, and that was that Bottomley could field,” former St. Louis manager and Hall of Famer Branch Rickey said of the first time he saw Bottomley play. “By the sinews of Joshua how he could field! His reach from wrist to ankle was sublime.”
Bottomley was elected to Hall of Fame in 1974. He passed away on Dec. 11, 1959.
LOU BOUDREAU
Lou Boudreau did it all in baseball – he played, managed and broadcast. He was an excellent defensive shortstop and a gifted hitter. After one game in 1938 and 53 games in 1939, Boudreau became the Indians regular shortstop in 1940, hitting .295, driving in 101 runs and leading the AL in fielding percentage for the first of eight seasons.
In 1942, the Indians shocked the baseball world by hiring their 24-year-old shortstop as a player-manager. Boudreau would continue in that role through 1950.
In 1946, he devised the “Williams Shift,” sometimes known as the “Boudreau Shift,” placing all of the infielders on the right side of second base and leaving only the left-fielder across the diamond in an attempt to stop the pull-hitting Ted Williams.
Few players or managers ever had a better season than Boudreau did in 1948. “That year, Lou Boudreau was the greatest shortstop and leader I have ever seen,” said Hall of Famer Bill McKechnie, a coach with the club. The Indians went 97-58 while Boudreau hit .355 with 106 RBI, a career-high 18 home runs, a .453 on-base percentage and struck out only nine times in 560 at-bats.
The Indians and the Red Sox finished the regular season tied, necessitating a one-game playoff at Fenway Park, in which Boudreau went 4-for-4, homering twice. The Indians went on to beat the Braves in the World Series, and Boudreau picked up the AL Most Valuable Player Award.
Boudreau moved to the Red Sox for the 1951 season, and was a player manager for the club in 1952, his final season as a player. He managed the Sox for two more seasons, before taking over the Kansas City Athletics from 1955-57.
In 1958, he moved to the radio booth for WGN and the Chicago Cubs. In 1960, he was involved in a most unusual “trade,” switching places with Cubs manager Charlie Grimm.
Grimm went up to the radio booth, while Boudreau took over as manager. In 1961, he was back on the airwaves, where he remained with the Cubs until 1988.
“He had terrific instincts and was a great competitor,” said his Hall of Fame teammate Bob Feller. “As a player-manager, he became so good that he went as far as calling pitches from shortstop. He was always thinking, always in the game.”
Boudreau was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970. He passed away on Aug. 10, 2001.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW
1922 AMERICAN LEAGUE
Off the field…
On March 20th, at Norfolk, Virginia, the U.S.S. Langely was commissioned as the first United States Naval Aircraft Carrier. Originally a coaler christened the Jupiter, the mammoth vessel was refurbished for the purpose of conducting experiments in the new idea of seaborne aviation. At the outbreak of World War II, Langley was anchored off Cavite, Philippine Islands and was ordered to proceed to Balikpapan, Borneo, and Darv, in Australia, where she assisted the RAAF in running antisubmarine patrols out of Darwin. She was then assigned to American-British-Dutch-Australian forces assembling in Indonesia to challenge the Japanese thrust in that direction. Early in the morning of February 27th, 1942, Langley rendezvoused with her usual antisubmarine screen of Navy destroyers as nine twin-engine enemy bombers attacked her. The first and second Japanese strikes were unsuccessful; but during the third Langley took five hits igniting several planes on the flight deck. After an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish the flames, the order to abandon ship was passed. The escorting destroyers fired nine four-inch shells and two torpedoes into the old tender to insure her sinking and she went down about seventy-five miles south of Tjilatjap with a loss of sixteen.
In the American League…
During a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers at League Park II on June 3rd, Cleveland Indians first baseman Stuffy McInnis committed his first error in an astounding one-hundred sixty-three games and one-thousand six-hundred twenty-five chances.
On April 30th, in just his fourth career start, Chicago White Sox pitcher Charlie Robertson pitches the fifth perfect game in Major League history. Chicago tops the Detroit Tigers, 2–0, at Navin Field in Detroit.
Chicago and Boston combined to set an American League record with thirty-five singles (Chicago, twenty-one and Boston, fourteen) during a 19-11 White Sox victory on August 15th.
In the National League…
Ten Pittsburgh Pirates collected two or more hits (twenty-two total) on August 7th to rally over the seventh place Philadelphia Phillies 17-10. The Phils were headed for a storybook comeback (after scoring six runs in two 2/3 innings), but the Buccos added eight of their own in the fourth to take the lead. The following day Pittsburgh set a Major League record with forty-six hits during a doubleheader against Philadelphia.
On August 25th, the Chicago Cubs managed to edge out the Philadelphia Phillies 26-23 in one of the worst combined pitching performances in baseball history. The game itself featured fifty-one hits, twenty-one walks, and nine errors with the Phillies stranding sixteen men on base and the Cubs leaving nine.
Rogers Hornsby completed the season with a .401 average making him the first .400-hitter in the National League since Ed Delahanty in 1899. He also set a National League record with two-hundred fifty hits, another with one-hundred two extra-base hits and was awarded the Triple Crown with one-hundred fifty-two runs batted in and forty-two home runs.
Around the League…
For the first time since 1900, there were no playing managers in the National League. It would be 1930 before the American League would follow suite and bench all of its managers.
Following a lawsuit brought by the Federal League’s Baltimore franchise, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 9-0 that professional baseball (on any level) was not considered an interstate business.
In an effort to curb the rise of home run hitting (one-thousand fifty-four in the major leagues, up from nine-hundred thirty-six), several American League owners proposed a new zoning system that called for a minimum distance of three-hundred feet for a round-tripper to be “official”. Although that motion was denied, another action that required all teams to furnish two uniforms per player was passed and at the National League meeting Charles Ebbets proposed the addition of numbers on players’ sleeves or caps.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
THE BEST
GEORGE ALLEN
In 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams from 1966 through 1970 and the Washington Redskins from 1971 through 1977, George Allen compiled a 116-47-5 regular season record as a head coach.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Allen had the reputation of being a coach who could transform perpetual losing teams into winners. The Rams, prior to Allen taking the reins in 1966, had experienced seven straight losing seasons, including a 4-10 record in 1965. In Allen’s first year, the team posted an 8-6 mark, and then won the NFL’s Coastal Division with an excellent 11-1-2 record in 1967. That year, Allen was a virtually-unanimous NFL Coach of the Year choice. Allen moved to the Redskins in 1971 to lead a team that had had only one winning season in 15 years. Adopting the “Future Is Now” theme, he made numerous trades, sacrificing future draft choices for veterans who could help immediately. In his 12 seasons in the NFL, he made 131 trades, 81 of them coming during his Washington tenure.
Allen never had a losing season in seven years with the Redskins. The 1971 team finished second in the NFC’s Eastern Division with a surprising 9-4-1 record. The next year the team marched to an 11-3-0 record, an NFC championship victory over Dallas and a Super Bowl VII appearance against the Miami Dolphins. Three times in the next four years, Washington had 10-4 seasons and wild-card berths in the post-season playoffs.
Allen, who was born April 29, 1918, attended Alma College, Marquette University, and the University of Michigan before starting his coaching career at Morningside College in 1948. He moved to Whittier College in 1951 to begin a six-year tenure. Allen’s first pro coaching experience was as an assistant to Sid Gillman with the Rams in 1957. A year later, he joined the Chicago Bears as a defensive assistant. In a rare move, he was presented a game ball following the 1963 NFL Championship Game in which his defense recorded five defensive turnovers.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
3 – 11 – 33 – 32
March 25, 1937 – Shocking breaking news of the day was the discovery that Quaker Oats paid Babe Ruth, Number 3 of the New York Yankees an amazing sum of $25,000 for an endorsement of their product. Remember in this era the average American averaged about $975.00 per year in wages and the average price of a brand new car rolling off of the lot was about $760.
March 25, 1937 – Number 3 of the Montreal Maroons, star defenseman, Lionel Conacher missed the shot on the very first Stanley Cup playoff penalty shot. The Maroons would fall to the New York Rangers who would end up losing the finals to the Detroit Red Wings.
March 25, 1961 – At the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship the Bearcats of Cincinnati defeated cross state rival Ohio State, 70-65 in OT. The Buckeyes’ future Hall of Fame forward Jerry Lucas, Number 11 is Most Outstanding Player for second straight year.
March 25, 1967 – NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship had the John Wooden led UCLA Bruins knocking off the University of Dayton, 79-64. Bruins center Lew Alcindor, Number 33 wins the MOP. We know that he would eventually change his name to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.March 25, 1972 – NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship it once again was UCLA a winner this time over Florida, 81-76. 6th straight title for Bruins; future Hall of Fame center Bill Walton, Number 32 tournament MOP