THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SUNDAY MARCH 30, 2025

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS STATE FINALS

FINAL | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

ORLEANS 64, CLINTON PRAIRIE 55

BOX SCORE:

CLINTON PRAIRIE (26-3) – Jake McGraw 9-22 5-7 23, Ryan Harshbarger 0-4 0-0 0, Nick Ewing 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Farley 6-14 1-3 16, Nick Curtin 4-5 2-2 10, Evan Smock 2-2 0-0 6, Hunter Haynes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-47 8-12 55.

ORLEANS (25-4) – Rylan Crocker 4-8 5-6 16, Nolan Robbins 0-0 0-0 0, Bryce Jones 6-8 3-4 17, Nate Brown 1-2 0-0 3, Alex DeWitt 10-14 4-6 24, Kagen Russell 0-0 0-0 0, Mason Freed 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 23-36 12-16 64.

3-point shooting: Clinton Prairie 5-19 (Farley 3, Smock 2), Orleans 6-10 (Crocker 3, Jones 2, Brown); Rebounds: Clinton Prairie 17 (McGraw, Curtin 7), Orleans 24 (DeWitt 7); Assists: Clinton Prairie 9 (McGraw 4), Orleans 17 (Brown 7); Turnovers: Clinton Prairie 8, Orleans 14; Total fouls: Clinton Prairie 17, Orleans 12; Fouled out: Farley, Smock.

FINAL | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 
MANCHESTER 59, UNIVERSITY 54

BOX SCORE:

MANCHESTER (26-2) – Aaron Reid 2-4 0-2 5, Ethan Hendrix 7-15 5-6 21, Gavin Betten 9-16 2-3 21, Kaleb Kline 2-2 0-0 5, Tallon Torpy 2-3 0-0 4, Wyatt Prater 1-1 0-0 3, Carter Wagoner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-41 7-11 59.

UNIVERSITY (20-10 – Zien Bland 2-4 2-2 7, Max McComb 6-16 0-0 16, Blake Gray 7-13 0-0 20, Faisal Mohamud 1-9 2-2 4, Cooper Cammack 0-2 0-0 0, Noah Cortez 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Henderson 2-7 3-6 7. Totals: 18-51 7-10 54.

3-point shooting: Manchester 6-12 (Hendrix 2, Reid, Betten, Kline, Prater), University: 11-25 (Gray 6, McComb 4, Bland); Rebounds: Manchester 24 (Betten 10), University 27 (Cammack 7); Assists: Manchester 12 (Betten 5), University 14 (Mohamud 6); Turnovers: Manchester 9, University 8; Total fouls: Manchester 9, University 15.

FINAL | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP  
SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH 56, INDIANAPOLIS CRISPUS ATTUCKS 52 

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (27-3) – Elijah King 7-23 0-0 16, Nick Shrewsberry 5-10 5-6 16, Chase Konieczny 4-12 2-2 10, Ethan Roseman 3-3 0-0 6, Brashaun Woods 3-5 2-3 8, AJ Boone 0-4 0-0 0, Braylen White 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 22-57 9-11 56.

CRISPUS ATTUCKS (22-7) – Chris Hurt 2-8 3-5 8, Imon Cousins 0-1 0-0 0, Kayden English 5-9 3-4 13, Dezmon Briscoe 6-12 5-7 17, Che Brownlow 2-5 0-0 5, Ronsion Thomas 1-1 0-0 2, AJ Jones 3-7 0-0 7. Totals: 19-43 11-16 52.

3-point shooting: SB St. Joseph 3-20 (King 2, Shrewsberry), Crispus Attucks 3-15 (Hurt, Brownlow, Jones; Rebounds: SB St. Joseph 31 (Konieczny 11), Crispus Attucks 26 (Briscoe 11); Assists: SB St. Joseph 11 (Roseman 5), Crispus Attucks 15 (Brownlow 7); Turnovers: SB St. Joseph 8, Crispus Attucks 14; Total fouls: SB St. Joseph 17, Crispus Attucks 12; Fouled out: White.

FINAL | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 
JEFFERSONVILLE 67, FISHERS 66 

FISHERS (30-1) – Cooper Zachary 3-5 0-0 8, Jason Gardner Jr. 5-15 5-7 15, Justin Kirby 7-12 0-0 15, JonAnthony Hall 4-9 1-1 9, Nathan Baker 3-8 0-0 7, Millen McCartney 2-5 0-0 6, Logan Sigler 2-3 1-2 6. Totals: 26-57 7-10 66.

JEFFERSONVILLE (24-5) – Tre Singleton 12-20 2-3 26, Terrence Nord 1-2 0-0 3, Michael Cooper 4-12 6-6 15, Elijah Cheeks 2-3 0-0 4, P.J. Douglas 4-4 0-0 8, Gilly Polk 0-0 0-0 0, Raijon Laird 0-0 0-0 0, Caleb Jones 0-0  0-0 0, Za’Rhon Callhoun 0-0 0-0 0, Shawn Boyd 4-5 0-0 11. Totals: 27-46 8-9 67.

3-point shooting: Fishers 7-22 (McCartney 2, Zachary 2, Kirby, Baker, Sigler), Jeffersonville 5-9 (Boyd 3, Cooper, Nord); Rebounds: Fishers 31 (Hall 7), Jeffersonville 17 (Singleton 5); Assists: Fishers 16 (Gardner, Baker 5), Jeffersonville 13 (Singleton 4); Turnovers: Fishers 11, Jeffersonville 9; Total fouls: Fishers 13, Jeffersonville 14; Fouled out: None.

CENTRAL INDIANA SOFTBALL SCORES

NEW ALBANY 14 BEECH GROVE 13

GUERIN CATHOLIC 3 WESTFIELD 2

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TV SCHEDULE/RESULTS

SATURDAY

FLORIDA 84 TEXAS TECH 79

DUKE 85 ALABAMA 65

SUNDAY

SUNDAY, MARCH 30 (ELITE EIGHT)

(1) HOUSTON VS. (2) TENNESSEE, 2:20 P.M. | CBS

(1) AUBURN VS. (2) MICHIGAN STATE, 5:05 P.M. | CBS

NIT SCORES

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT

SATURDAY

TCU 71 NOTRE DAME 62

TEXAS 67 TENNESSEE 59

UCONN 82 OKLAHOMA 59

USC 67 KANSAS STATE 61

WNIT

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

UCLA 13 PURDUE 12

BUTLER 9 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 6

BUTLER 9 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 8

USC 13 INDIANA 12

PURDUE FT. WAYNE 3 OAKLAND 2

PURDUE FT. WAYNE 6 OAKLAND 5

BALL STATE 5 AKRON 2

VALPARAISO 11 EVANSVILLE 6

ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 4 INDIANA STATE  2

SOUTHERN INDIANA 10 LITTLE ROCK 0

INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD

OHIO STATE 7 INDIANA 1

OHIO STATE 12 INDIANA 4

NOTRE DAME 7 VIRGINIA 2

BUTLER 3 GEORGETOWN 2

NEBRASKA 13 PURDUE 1

ROBERT MORRIS 14 IU INDY 3

ROBERT MORRIS 15 IU INDY 1

BALL STATE 14 BOWLING GREEN 5

BALL STATE 10 BOWLING GREEN 4

VALPARAISO 8 EVANSVILLE 7

DRAKE 1 INDIANA STATE 0

SOUTHERN INDIANA 4 TENNESSEE TECH 3

COLLEGE HOCKEY PLAYOFFS

BOSTON 3 CORNELL 2 (OT)

WESTERN MICHIGAN 2 UMASS 1

INDIANA COLLEGE MEN’S LAX

NOTRE DAME 14 DUKE 7

INDIANA COLLEGE WOMEN’S LAX

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

NBA SCOREBOARD

ORLANDO 121 SACRAMENTO 91

BROOKLYN 115 WASHINGTON 112

MIAMI 118 PHILADELPHIA 95

DALLAS 120 CHICAGO 119

LA LAKERS 134 MEMPHIS 127

BOSTON 121 SAN ANTONIO 111

OKLAHOMA CITY 132 INDIANA 111

NHL SCOREBOARD

TAMPA BAY 5 NY ISLANDERS 3

PHILADELPHIA 7 BUFFALO 4

ST. LOUIS 2 COLORADO 1

NEW JERSEY 5 MINNESOTA 2

VEGAS 3 NASHVILLE 1

TORONTO 3 LOS ANGELES 1

OTTAWA 3 COLUMBUS 2

DETROIT 2 BOSTON 1

EDMONTON 3 CALVARY 2 OT

NY RANGERS 6 SAN JOSE 1

DALLAS 5 SEATTLE 1

MLB SCOREBOARD

NY YANKEES 20 MILWAUKEE 9

LA ANGELS 1 CHICAGO WHIYE SOX 0

ST. LOUIS 5 MINNESOTA 1

BALTIMORE 9 TORONTO 5

PHILADELPHIA 11 WASHINGTON 6

MIAMI 5 PITTSBURGH 4 (12)

COLORADO 2 TAMPA BAY 1

CINCINNATI 3 SAN FRANCISCO 2

KANSAS CITY 4 CLEVELAND 3

TEXAS 4 BOSTON 3

HOUSTON 2 NY METS 1

SAN DIEGO 1 ATLANTA 0

CHICAGO CUBS 4 ARIZONA 3

LA DODGERS 7 DETROIT 3

LAS VEGAS 4 SEATTLE 2

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS AT ST. PAUL PPD

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NEW ENGLAND 2 NY RED BULLS 1

TORONTO 0 VANCOUVER 0

COLORADO 2 CHARLOTTE 0

MIAMI 2 PHILADELPHIA 1

COLUMBUS 2 DC UNITED 1

ATLANTA 4 NEW YORK CITY 3

CINCINNATI 2 NASHVILLE 1

MINNESOTA 2 SALT LAKE 0

DALLAS 2 KANSAS CITY 1

CHICAGO 1 MONTRÉAL 1

SAN JOSE 1 SEATTLE 1

ORLANDO CITY 2 LA GALAXY 1

SAN DIEGO 3 LOS ANGELES 2

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NO. 1 DUKE GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE IN SINKING NO. 2 ALABAMA

NEWARK, N.J. — Duke basketball was 364 days removed from a loss in the Elite Eight to rival North Carolina State.

Most programs would find joy in an Elite Eight run. Not the Blue Devils. That doesn’t live up to the high bar set by their previous coach.

“When we were in the bathroom last year after we lost and I told Coach (Jon Scheyer) I was coming back, we both had a vision,” junior guard Tyrese Proctor said, “and I think just the way we executed and doubled down … I think it shows a lot of resiliency.”

The Blue Devils helped themselves to a top-rated freshman class, and they’ve proceeded to steamroll their way back to the Final Four.

Kon Knueppel had a game-high 21 points with five assists, Cooper Flagg added 16 points and nine rebounds, and No. 1 seed Duke defeated No. 2 Alabama 85-65 to win the NCAA Tournament East Region final on Saturday night.

Duke (35-3) made its 18th Final Four in program history and its first since Scheyer took over for the retired Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils will face either Houston or Tennessee, who will square off in the Midwest Region final on Sunday.

Proctor scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and Khaman Maluach had 14 points, nine rebounds and five dunks for the Blue Devils. They outshot the Crimson Tide 53.6 percent to 35.4 percent from the field while bottling up an Alabama team that made an NCAA Tournament record 25 3-pointers in the Sweet 16.

Flagg, the presumptive No. 1 selection in this June’s NBA draft, made just 6 of 16 shots from the floor but was buoyed by Knueppel and Maluach — also projected lottery picks.

“Each night could be somebody else’s night,” Flagg said. “I think tonight Kon kind of stepped up and had the ball a lot. We ran a lot of actions for him. Tyrese was huge for us.”

Flagg drained a 3-pointer 19 seconds into the game. Duke never surrendered the lead from there.

Alabama (28-9) cut it to 65-58 with 8:03 to play before hitting a scoring drought lasting longer than five minutes. Flagg scored a baseline jumper over Mark Sears to prompt a 13-0 Duke run.

On consecutive possessions, Duke got Sears to travel, then drew an offensive foul off Sears’ elbow. Sears, who knocked down 10 treys in a 34-point showing against BYU on Thursday, finished 2-for-12 from the field for six points with six assists and five turnovers.

Labaron Philon led the Crimson Tide with 16 points, and Grant Nelson and Chris Youngblood each had 10.

“I thought once they went to switching the ball screens, we just weren’t very good,” said coach Nate Oats, who was aiming to take Alabama to its second straight Final Four. “They switched and we kind of went to iso ball. That’s not how we play.”

Down 15-5 early on, Alabama freshman big man Aiden Sherrell knocked down consecutive triples. Soon the Tide drew within 21-17 before missing 11 of their next 12 shots.

Sears started 0-for-3, including an ill-advised layup that Maluach swatted out of play.

“When we would drive, they would build out, and they had a great rim protector at the rim making it hard on us, and they just did a really good job of doing that,” Sears said.

Flagg converted a three-point play with 16 seconds left, but Sears set up Nelson for a buzzer-beating layup to make it 46-37 Duke at the half.

Duke’s lead vacillated between seven and 11 points for much of the second half, and Proctor made consecutive layups for 63-50 lead with roughly 10 minutes to go.

The Blue Devils shot at least 50 percent from the floor for the fourth straight tournament game. They also outrebounded Alabama by 10 in the second half (11 overall), nixing nearly every chance Alabama had to ignite a comeback.

Scheyer was thoroughly impressed with how far his team had come.

“I don’t want to call Elite Eight a failure. Elite Eight is a special thing to be in this game,” Scheyer said. “… A lot of our focus in preseason, summer, during the year has been about winning the mental game, winning the preparation, winning the energy you put into these moments.”

WALTER CLAYTON JR. LEADS FLORIDA PAST TEXAS TECH, ON TO FINAL FOUR

SAN FRANCISCO — Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 30 points, including 11 points in the final 5:24, as top-seeded Florida survived a back-and-forth battle to beat third-seeded Texas Tech 84-79 and advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Chase Center.

Clayton, who was named the regional’s most outstanding player, saved his heroics for down the stretch, including hitting three 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Gators (34-4) erase a 75-66 deficit in the final three minutes.

The victory lifted Florida into its first Final Four since 2014. The Gators will play the winner of the South Regional final between Auburn (31-5), the tournament’s overall top seed, and the region’s No. 2 seed Michigan State (30-6) in the Final Four next Saturday in San Antonio.

It also gave head coach Todd Golden his first trip to the season’s final weekend.

Thomas Haugh added 20 points, including two big 3-pointers during the second-half comeback. He also contributed 11 rebounds. Guard Alijah Martin added 10 points and seven boards.

Forward Darrion Williams led the Red Raiders with 23 points, and JT Toppin added 20, including three straight layups late in the second half as Texas Tech built its nine-point lead.

The Red Raiders were denied their first trip to the Final Four since 2019.

Clayton’s last 3-pointer gave the Gators the lead to stay at 78-77 with 59 seconds left. He found himself surrounded underneath near the basket, dribbled out beyond the arc and drained the shot.

The treys Clayton made down the stretch were the only three he made in eight attempts.

Williams then missed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc for Texas Tech, and on the Red Raiders’ next possession, he missed again with 11.5 seconds left. Will Richard’s two free throws iced it for the Gators.

Haugh started Florida’s comeback with a 3-pointer from the left wing. Haugh went 4 of 6 from deep, and the Gators Florida were 5 of 13 on 3-pointers in the second half.

Texas Tech led by 10 on multiple occasions in the second half, including on Toppin’s jumper on a post-up with 6:38 to play. He then hit a layup on the Red Raiders’ next possession to push the lead back to 10 at 71-61. Florida then got a trey from Clayton on a ball that bounded more than once off the rim, starting a game ending 23-8 run.

REST CAN WAIT AS HOUSTON, TENNESSEE READY TOP DEFENSES IN 1-VS-2 MIDWEST FINAL

INDIANAPOLIS — Closing time for establishments around Lucas Oil Stadium arrived as a half-dozen police vehicles escorted Kelvin Sampson and victorious No. 1 seed Houston through the empty downtown streets, sirens blaring and without caution or concern for anyone with a to-do list when the sun came up five hours later in Indiana.

Sampson and Houston beat Purdue in the last of eight regional semifinal games in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, advancing 62-60 on Milos Uzan’s layup in the final second to send the Cougars into Sunday’s duel of top seeds in the Midwest Region final with No. 2 Tennessee.

With only so much time to prepare on the fast-forward turnaround, Houston didn’t give much thought to preparing for the Vols.

“I didn’t prepare last night. I prepared for bed,” Sampson said Saturday afternoon after a light practice and shootaround. “That’s the only preparation I had. Biggest decision was how many melatonin because it’s hard to sleep. When you get out of something like that, it’s really difficult for me to go to sleep. I was up early this morning with Kellen.”

UH assistant coach Kellen Sampson brought days of his pre-scout work with him to Indianapolis. In waves, the rest of the Cougars staff and players got in on what they hope is a running start to their road to San Antonio and the Final Four next week.

The unsurprising consensus from the Sampsons was that the Cougars have their hands full with another playmaking point guard in Zakai Zeigler, who had 18 points and 10 assists in Tennessee’s win Friday.

Zeigler is the latest in a recent run of lead guard challenges for the Cougars that included Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard, one of the nation’s leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, and Purdue’s Braden Smith, who had 15 assists — including all 11 of the Boilermakers’ field goals — in the second half Friday night.

“Zeigler presents a different kind of front because he uses ball screens probably less than the other two,” Sampson said. “But he impacts the game probably more dynamically with his athleticism and his speed and the different ways that he can get a basket. He can get a rebound and go get a layup. He can get a steal, go get a layup. He can use a ball screen, curl it, force the big to help and throw it behind for a dunk or throw it over for a dunk.

“And I remember when he was a freshman. I don’t know him, but I’m proud of him because of how far he’s come from his freshman year. He’s smart. He’s a veteran. He’s tough. He’s a winner. He’s everything you want your point guard to be. We just lost one last year that reminds me of him, and we have one this year that’s on his way to being that guy, too.”

Sampson is more familiar with Tennessee’s coach, Rick Barnes, a former conference foe when Barnes was coaching at Texas. At that time, Sampson was coaching Oklahoma, a classic archrival of the Longhorns, but their history predates their professional lives. Barnes and Sampson played against each other on the court in college, when Sampson was at Pembroke State University and Barnes played at Lenoir-Rhyne.

“He’s a prankster, jokester, funny as all-get-out. Country boy, little Ricky from Hickory,” Sampson said in a winding retrospective that touched on their time together on Nike coaching junkets and OU-UT golf fundraising outings. “Used to have long hair. We actually played against each other in college. That’s a long time ago. They actually did have seams on the basketball, but not very indented.”

Barnes also looked back at their shared memories fondly on Saturday but in a moment of seriousness, he cautioned that Sampson’s trademark intensity is still there.

“Just as I have gotten to know Kelvin, and through the years, we competed, Texas-Oklahoma, everybody knows what that rivalry is about,” Barnes said Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Vols dispatched Kentucky in a game that was never closer than 12 points in the second half. “But we’ve never let any of that get in the way of our friendship. What makes him — if you knew his pedigree and who he is, he hasn’t changed a bit. He’s the same guy. Highly competitive. Beautiful family. Yesterday it warmed my heart to see him holding his grandson.”

Zeigler enters Sunday in the spotlight matchup with Houston’s floor general, L.J. Cryer, who might’ve dreamt of a few shots going through the net after a 2-of-13 Friday night. Zeigler is one of two Vols — Jahmai Mashack is the other — who are among the four national defensive player of the year finalists.

Mashack figures to see a lot of Milos Uzan, Houston’s junior guard who scored the game-winner and hit a career-best six 3-pointers on the same rims Cryer couldn’t solve.

Zeigler picked up a scouting report after Tennessee beat its SEC rival and immediately recognized the competitiveness in Houston’s defense.

“I would say how aggressive they are and one-on-one defense and ball coverage,” Zeigler said of what stands out about the Cougars. “We hang our hat on defense and so do they. They’re one of the best defenses in the country, but every possession is super aggressive. They feed off of turnovers and feed off of how good they play defense.”

Cryer won a national championship with Baylor as a freshman on this court, and Houston’s leading scorer this season was coming into the regional semifinal after tying a career high with 30 points against Gonzaga.

Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier is right next to Zeigler on Houston’s hard copy of the Vols’ scouting report for Sunday, an All-SEC scorer averaging 22 points in his three NCAA Tournament games.

“He’s tough. He makes tough twos and tough 3s,” Sampson said of Lanier. “He stretches you. He does a great job of ducking in and out of those screens. If you try to shoot the gap, he fades. If you chase him over, he gets in the paint. He’s 6-5 and can shoot over you. He’s a tough matchup.”

Points won’t come easily Sunday.

Houston is No. 1 in Division I with a 38.4 opponent’s field goal percentage; Tennessee is tied for second (38.5) with Duke and George Mason. The Cougars are No. 1 in points allowed per game — 58.5 — and Tennessee is No. 6 (62.9).

As the clock ticks toward Sunday’s afternoon tip-off, Sampson wants the main message to his players to be: Just play — and don’t play like you are trying to get to the Final Four for the first time since 2021.

“These guys are smart, really smart. High basketball IQs and really, really smart people,” Sampson said. “L.J. was the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. What’s your GPA, L.J.? 3.84 or something like that? These guys are — they can do the scout report probably better than I could. But the big thing here is just stay within yourself.

“We’re not going to play harder because it’s the Final Four. I think our kids play as hard as they can anyway. I don’t think I’m going to try to coach better. I try to coach every game to the best of my ability anyway.”

Zeigler, Mashack and Tennessee’s heavily experienced roster remain honed in on Houston. But the Vols have already said their mission is rooted in a goal of getting Tennessee to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

Barnes, who guided Texas to the Final Four in 2023, would be thrilled to get back.

“I think most teams start every year with a goal of getting to this tournament and know that you get here,” Barnes said. “We have seen some of the craziest things happen throughout the history of it, but you all come into it, knowing that you would like to be the last team standing on Monday night.

“I’m proud of these guys because I know how hard they’ve worked. Do we want it all? Yeah, we do. But we’re no different than any other teams left right now. We all put a lot of work in to get there, but every team, we’re going after the same thing. As much as we want it, other teams want it. We realize that and we hope we can be at our best.”

Houston may be without guard Mylik Wilson, who did not practice on Saturday after taking a hard fall in the second half against Purdue. Sampson said medical personnel had no update on Wilson, who averaged 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds this season. He’s considered a game-time decision for the regional final.

STAR FRESHMEN TAKE CENTER STAGE AS AUBURN FACES MICHIGAN STATE

ATLANTA — A pair of veteran-heavy teams in No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Michigan State have a common denominator ahead of Sunday’s matchup in the NCAA Tournament South Region final — a pair of red-hot freshmen.

With both the Spartans and Tigers’ seasons hanging in the balance Friday night, Michigan State’s Jase Richardson and Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford helped guide their teams to Sweet 16 victories over Ole Miss and Michigan, respectively.

Now with a ticket to San Antonio on the line, they’ll square off on the biggest stage of their young careers.

Auburn (31-5) trailed the Wolverines by nine with just over 12 minutes remaining on Friday. But Pettiford scored 15 of his 20 points down the stretch, while Johni Broome (22 points, 16 rebounds) and Denver Jones (20 points) added enough firepower to help the Tigers pull away from pesky Michigan.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl — in search of his second Final Four (2019) — hopes to see the winningest season in program history prolonged, with the help of his savvy 19-year-old star.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a player that has been as good as Tahaad that only started one game,” Pearl said. “I just think that Tahaad feels prepared. He’s got a great stroke, and he’s always played against older players.

“That’s one thing his dad did when he was growing up, is he always played him up even though he was small. He’s been playing guys older than him his whole life. So, what’s the difference in the NCAA Tournament?”

Pettiford is averaging 19.7 points in Auburn’s three tournament wins, while Broome has added 14.7 points and 13 rebounds per game.

Tasked with a matchup against Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo, Pearl and the Tigers understand the challenge of facing off against one of the sport’s best.

“They’ve always been as athletic as anybody in the backcourt,” Pearl said of the Spartans. “Michigan State has elite athletes in the backcourt. Like my athletes, they guard. They can score in multiple ways. … I’m obviously challenging my guards and challenging our athletes, but I think from that standpoint it’s an interesting matchup. Michigan won the Big Ten tournament. But Michigan State won the Big Ten. They are the best team in that league.”

Michigan State (30-6) earned a similar win Friday, using a 14-2 second-half run to grab the lead over Ole Miss. Richardson’s 20 points and Coen Carr’s 15 pushed the Spartans over the finish line.

Son of Jason Richardson — a member of Michigan State’s last national championship team in 2000 and a 14-year NBA pro — Jase knows he has a ways to go before being compared to his father’s legacy, but leading the Spartans to a win on Sunday would help.

“We’re two totally different players,” Jase said. “There’s not as much pressure on me to go out there and try to do things that he did because I know I can’t jump 40 feet in the air. For me, just go out there, play with as much fun, play with joy, and just go out and try to win.”

As for stopping Auburn’s three-headed monster, Izzo alluded to throwing big men Szymon Zapala and Xavier Booker back in the rotation on Sunday after not playing either against Ole Miss. Even at full strength, Izzo is aware of the obstacle ahead.

“Broome is an incredible player, but the other two guys (Pettiford and Jones) can make shots, and they can make shots from a lot of different places. To get 62 of their points, these guys are going to be challenged a little bit,” Izzo said.

“We’re not going to stop them, but we’re going to contain them. If we can do that, we can get some rebounds, we can run, and I think that will be a big part of our game.”

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S NCAA ROUNDUP: AVERY HOWELL PROPELS NO. 1 USC TO ELITE EIGHT

Avery Howell scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half and No. 1 seed Southern California endured the absence of star JuJu Watkins to advance to the Elite Eight with a 67-61 win over No. 5 seed Kansas State in Spokane Region 4 on Saturday in Spokane, Wash.

The win sends USC into Monday’s Elite Eight for a matchup with No. 2 seed UConn, which dominated the second half in an 82-59 rout of No. 3 seed Oklahoma earlier Saturday. The Trojans’ Kennedy Smith finished with 19 points and three steals and Rayah Marshall chipped in 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Trojans (31-3), playing their first full game since Watkins’ season-ending knee injury, trailed by two at halftime after struggling offensively. USC shot just 29.7 percent from the floor in the half — and only 6-of-28 outside of Smith. However, the Trojans forced 16 turnovers and converted them into 18 points, while also limiting Kansas State to 5-of-16 shooting from 3-point range.

The Wildcats (28-8) leaned on Serena Sundell, who scored 22 points. She netted 12 in the second half, while Ayoka Lee notched 10 of her 12 points after intermission, but USC limited the rest of the Kansas State roster to just nine points in the final two quarters.

No. 2 UConn 82, No. 3 Oklahoma 59

Paige Bueckers exploded for 29 of her career-high 40 points in the second half as the Huskies dominated the final 20 minutes to blow out the Sooners in the Spokane Region 4 Sweet 16 matchup in Spokane, Wash.

Bueckers’ 40 points also set the UConn program record for the most in an NCAA Tournament game. The All-American also grabbed six rebounds, swiped three steals and blocked a pair of shots. The win sends UConn to a third straight Elite Eight, where the Huskies will face No. 1 Southern California.

The Huskies (34-3) went on a 16-4 run coming out of intermission, flipping a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead in less than five minutes. Payton Verhulst led Oklahoma with 16 points, while Raegan Beers recorded 10 points and 10 boards.

No. 1 Texas 67, No. 5 Tennessee 59

Madison Booker scored 17 points, capped by two key free throws with 35.1 seconds to play, as the Longhorns outlasted the Lady Volunteers in a Birmingham 3 Region semifinal in Birmingham, Ala.

The Longhorns (34-3) advance to the Elite Eight to square off against No. 2 TCU, a 71-62 winner over No. 3 Notre Dame in the region’s first semifinal, on Monday. Texas, which hasn’t won the national championship since 1986 when it went 34-0, reached the Elite Eight for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

Jordan Lee added 13 points for Texas, with freshmen Jones and Bryanna Preston scoring a dozen each. Ruby Whitehorn led Tennessee (24-10) with 16 points. Zee Spearman had 13 and Samara Spencer scored 12 for the Lady Volunteers, who made only 5 of their 26 3-point shots.

No. 2 TCU 71, No. 3 Notre Dame 62

Hailey Van Lith poured in 26 points, 18 of them in the second half, as the Horned Frogs came from behind to beat the Fighting Irish in Birmingham, Ala., in the other Birmingham 3 Region semifinal.

The Horned Frogs (34-3) advance to the Elite Eight to square off on Monday against No. 1 Texas, which defeated fifth-seeded Tennessee 67-59 in Saturday’s second semifinal. It is TCU’s first trip to an NCAA regional final in program history.

Sedona Prince added 21 points, six rebounds and six blocked shots for the Horned Frogs while Madison Conner hit for 13 points. Liatu King led Notre Dame (28-6) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Hannah Hidalgo added 15 points and Olivia Miles had 10 for the Fighting Irish in the loss.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: THUNDER TOP PACERS TO KEEP 70-WIN SEASON WITHIN REACH

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points as Oklahoma City beat visiting Indiana 132-111 on Saturday night for its ninth consecutive victory, keeping alive the chance to become the third team in NBA history to win 70 games.

The Thunder, who have 62 victories and eight regular-season games remaining, would need to win out to join the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors and 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams finished with 18 points with six assists, Luguentz Dort added 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field with six 3-pointers and Isaiah Joe added 19 off the bench with five 3-pointers.

Tyrese Haliburton led seven Pacers in double-figures with 18 points. Andrew Nembhard added 16, Obi Toppin had 12 and Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner chipped in 11 apiece.

Magic 121, Kings 91

Caleb Houstan’s 6-of-7 3-point shooting off the bench en route to 18 points helped Orlando capitalize on a stifling defensive effort as it cruised past visiting Sacramento.

Orlando, the NBA’s top defense in points allowed coming into Saturday’s matchup, delivered its 18th game holding an opponent to fewer than 100 points this season. The Magic limited the Kings to 42 percent shooting from the floor, including 7-of-28 from 3-point range.

Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 24 points for the Magic, while Franz Wagner added 21. DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points for Sacramento, and Domantas Sabonis had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Nets 115, Wizards 112

Jalen Wilson and Tyrese Martin scored 20 points apiece as visiting Brooklyn snapped a six-game losing streak at the expense of Washington.

Drew Timme had a career-high 19 points and Cameron Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn, which rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second quarter.

AJ Johnson scored 14 of his career-high 20 points in the fourth quarter for Washington, which has lost seven of its last eight games. Colby Jones also scored 20.

Mavericks 120, Bulls 119

Klay Thompson had 20 points and hit two critical free throws with 6.7 seconds left as Dallas won for the fourth time in five games by edging host Chicago.

The Mavericks are also 4-0 when Anthony Davis plays. Davis was 7 of 23 from the floor Saturday and finished with 18 points in 30 minutes. Seven Mavericks players scored in double figures, among them P.J. Washington with 19 points and Kai Jones 15.

Rookie Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 28 points. Coby White and Nikola Vucevic — who hit a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left for the final margin — each had 25.

Heat 118, 76ers 95

Tyler Herro scored 30 points and Alec Burks chipped in 20 as Miami smashed host Philadelphia for its fourth straight win.

Long-range shooting fueled the victory for Miami, which knocked down 20 of 43 shots (46.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Burks made six 3-pointers, while Herro drained five and Haywood Highsmith knocked down three 3-pointers off the bench en route to 13 points. Kel’el Ware also had a productive night for the Heat, shooting 6 of 6 from the field for 13 points to go along with 14 rebounds.

Philadelphia absorbed its seventh straight defeat despite 19 points and 10 assists from Jared Butler. Justin Edwards pitched in with 17 points for the Sixers, while Adem Bona contributed 16 points and 10 boards.

Lakers 134, Grizzlies 127

Austin Reaves had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help Los Angeles Lakers defeat host Memphis and spoil the debut of interim coach Tuomas Iisalo.

Luka Doncic recorded 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who won their second game in three outings and wrapped up a four-game road trip. LeBron James added 25 points, eight dimes and six boards.

Memphis, playing in its first game since firing head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday, was led by Desmond Bane’s 29 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 and Ja Morant recorded 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Celtics 121, Spurs 111

Jayson Tatum hit for 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as visiting Boston easily handled San Antonio while producing its season-best eighth straight victory.

The Celtics dominated San Antonio throughout, leading by 12 points at halftime, by 17 late in the third quarter and 94-81 and heading into the final period. Jrue Holiday added 21 points for Boston, which also got 15 points and 16 rebounds off the bench from Luke Kornet, 14 points from Jaylen Brown and 13 from Derrick White.

Reserve Keldon Johnson paced San Antonio with 23 points. Stephon Castle added 22 points, Jeremy Sochan had 18, Devin Vassell 14, Harrison Barnes 13 and Chris Paul 12 for the Spurs.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: LEON DRAISAITL’S 51ST GOAL LIFTS OILERS IN OT

Leon Draisaitl’s second goal of the night — his 51st of the season — in a three-point game was the overtime winner to give the host Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

Viktor Arvidsson also scored for the Oilers, who snapped a two-game skid. Goaltender Calvin Pickard made 26 saves for Edmonton, who are even with the Los Angeles Kings in points for second place in the Pacific Division but have played one more game.

Draisaitl, the first NHL player to score 50 goals this season, returned after missing four games due to injury, but Edmonton was without fellow superstar Connor McDavid for a fourth consecutive outing. No. 1 goaltender Stuart Skinner and defenseman Mattias Ekholm are also out.

Yegor Sharangovich and Brayden Pachal each scored goals, with Pachal also collecting one assist for the Flames. Calgary is seven points outside a playoff position but has three games in hand on the St. Louis Blues, who hold the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. Goalie Dustin Wolf stopped 26 shots.

Stars 5, Kraken 1

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, while Jason Robertson added one of each as Dallas clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs by beating host Seattle.

Rantanen scored an empty-net goal to earn his first three-point game since coming to Dallas at the trade deadline It was his fourth straight game with a point, and Robertson notched his third consecutive multi-point game. Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist, while Mason Marchment and Wyatt Johnston scored as well. Jake Oettinger stopped 35 shots.

Eeli Tolvanen scored off assists from Jared McCann and Andre Burakovsky, but it was far from enough as Seattle lost for the fourth time in five games. Joey Daccord finished with 16 saves.

Golden Knights 3, Predators 1

Reilly Smith broke a third-period deadlock and Vegas ran its winning streak to six games with a road victory over Nashville.

Jack Eichel and Brett Howden also scored for the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights, who have only two regulation-time defeats in 15 games (11-2-2). Goaltender Adin Hill made 23 saves in a solid goaltending battle that capped his team’s perfect three-game road trip.

Ryan O’Reilly replied for the Predators, who have only two wins in nine outings. Goalie Justus Annunen stopped 26 shots for Nashville, which has been eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention.

Rangers 6, Sharks 1

Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox scored two goals apiece for visiting New York, which moved into the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot by routing San Jose.

Jonny Brodzinski and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Rangers, who won for just the second time in seven games (2-4-1). Goalie Jonathan Quick carried a shutout deep into the third and finished with 21 saves.

Cam Lund scored his first NHL goal in his second game with 2:14 left for the league-worst Sharks, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Alexander Georgiev, who opened his career by spending five seasons with the Rangers, recorded 27 saves.

Lightning 5, Islanders 3

Nikita Kucherov registered a goal and three assists as Tampa Bay rode a three-goal first period en route to a sweep of their three-game homestand in a win against New York.

Kucherov, Nick Perbix and Brayden Point all potted first-period goals for the Lightning. Point added his team-high 38th tally in the second period off a pass from Kucherov, whose three points gave him 11 on the red-hot homestand and 109 overall. Backup Jonas Johansson made his first start since March 13 and stopped 35 shots.

In dropping their fourth straight (0-2-2), the Islanders hurt their wild-card playoff chances and sit three points back of the New York Rangers, who hold the second wild-card spot. Ryan Pulock, Marc Gatcomb and Tony DeAngelo each scored, while goalie Ilya Sorokin made 19 saves.

Blues 2, Avalanche 1

Pavel Buchnevich scored a tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and surging St. Louis beat Colorado in Denver.

Zack Bolduc also scored, Robert Thomas had two assists and Jordan Binnington turned away 28 shots for St. Louis, which has won nine in a row — the longest current streak in the NHL.

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and Mackenzie Blackwood had 25 saves for Colorado, which had its 11-game home winning streak snapped. MacKinnon’s goal extended his home point streak to 24 games.

Maple Leafs 3, Kings 1

John Tavares’ first of two third-period goals broke a tie and Toronto rallied with three goals in the period for a win over host Los Angeles.

Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who won for the second time in four games (2-1-1). Anthony Stolarz stopped 35 shots.

Alex Laferriere scored for the Kings, who lost their second straight. Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves.

Devils 5, Wild 2

Nico Hischier scored a hat trick to lift New Jersey to a win over Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minn.

Paul Cotter and Tomas Tatar also scored for New Jersey, which bounced back from a shutout loss one night earlier. Jesper Bratt had two assists. Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom turned aside 22 of 24 shots to earn the win.

Marcus Foligno had a goal and an assist for Minnesota. Ryan Hartman also scored a goal. Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson allowed five goals on 33 shots.

Senators 3, Blue Jackets 2

Jake Sanderson scored the eventual game-winner as Ottawa topped visiting Columbus to win for the ninth time in its last 12 games (9-3-0).

Ridly Greig scored and added an assist, and Drake Batherson also tallied for the Senators. Linus Ullmark made 29 saves, and Shane Pinto added a pair of helpers as the Senators moved to 21-10-2 on home ice this season.

Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko responded for Columbus, while Zach Werenski added a pair of assists. Daniil Tarasov stopped 24 shots for the Blue Jackets, who won just three of their last 12 games (3-8-1).

Flyers 7, Sabres 4

Ryan Poehling had two goals and one assist and Matvei Michkov also had two goals to help Philadelphia beat visiting Buffalo.

Noah Cates had a goal and two assists, Tyson Foerster had a goal and an assist, Jakob Pelletier scored a goal while Owen Tippett, Bobby Brink and Travis Konecny had two assists for the Flyers, who have won their first two games under interim coach Brad Shaw. Samuel Ersson made 17 saves for Philadelphia.

Jack Quinn had two goals and an assist, JJ Peterka had a goal and an assist, Alex Tuch had a goal and Ryan McLeod had three assists for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves for the Sabres.

Red Wings 2, Bruins 1

Marco Kasper scored an unassisted goal in the first period and Lucas Raymond scored in the second as host Detroit edged slumping Boston.

Cam Talbot made 20 saves as the Red Wings won for just the fourth time in their last 15 games.

Morgan Geekie scored the Boston goal and Jeremy Swayman stopped 20 shots. The Bruins have lost eight straight and 16 of their last 19. It’s the longest slide for Boston since the 2009-10 season.

NFL NEWS

BILLS, CB CHRISTIAN BENFORD REACH 4-YEAR, $76M EXTENSION

Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford reached agreement on a four-year, $76 million extension, his agents told multiple media outlets on Saturday.

Benford, 24, was entering the final season of his rookie deal. He is now under contract through the 2029 campaign.

The Bills have been busy with contract extensions, including NFL MVP Josh Allen (six years, $330 million), defensive end Greg Rousseau (four years, $80 million), wide receiver Khalil Shakir (four years, $53 million) and linebacker Terrel Bernard (four years, $42 million).

Benford recorded 64 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack in 15 games (all starts) last season.

He has 142 tackles, five interceptions, four forced fumbles and one sack in 39 career games (34 starts) since being selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

REPORT: COWBOYS STAR MICAH PARSONS SEEKS $200M EXTENSION

Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons is seeking a $200 million contract extension, The Dallas Morning News reported.

That total would serve as the largest deal ever for a non-quarterback in NFL history.

Conversations between Parsons’ representation and members of the Cowboys’ front office were conducted at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. It’s been quiet on the front since then, per the report.

Sizable contracts for non-quarterbacks are nothing new this offseason.

Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby signed a three-year, $106.5 million deal, only to be trumped by Cleveland Browns standout defensive end Myles Garrett inking a four-year, $160 million. Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase reeled in a four-year, $161 million pact.

Those contracts are the largest in terms of annual average value for a non-quarterback.

Parsons, 25, recorded 12 sacks, 43 tackles and two forced fumbles in 13 games (all starts) last season.

A Pro Bowl selection in each of his first four seasons in the league, Parsons has totaled 256 tackles (63 for loss), 112 quarterback hits, 52.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 63 career games (all starts).

GOLF NEWS

STEVE ALLAN’S 7-UNDER-PAR 65 GRABS GALLERI CLASSIC LEAD

Australia’s Steve Allan fired a 7-under-par 65 on Saturday at Mission Hills Country Club to seize a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Galleri Classic in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The 51-year-old Allan, who got in the field because Steve Stricker withdrew Monday due to a bad back, matched his lowest Champions Tour score to put himself into position for his first title on this tour. Allan credited countryman Cameron Percy, who shared the first-round lead, with helping him this week.

“Nice to be really striking the ball well,” Allan said. “I had a good first round last week but, as the wind picked up, and it wasn’t even that windy. I struggled with it last week and had a little adjustment this week. I got a tip from Cameron Percy the other day, which helped, and I’ve been hitting the ball really well. So even though the wind was picking up, I was a bit more confident than I was last week.”

Alln holds a one-shot edge over Tag Ridings, who tied the tournament record for lowest 18-hole score as he produced a 9-under 63. That equaled the mark set last year by Ricardo Gonzalez. Neither Allan nor Ridings have status on the Champions Tour, so they have extra incentive Sunday.

“It’s a big boost of confidence (to shoot a 63),” said Ridings, who earned a spot via Tuesday’s open qualifier. “But, more than confidence out here, you need status. I’m here to do something good tomorrow and work that out. … Every step of the ladder is a big deal.”

The 50-year-old Ridings, playing his second Tour event, climbed one shot ahead of New Zealand’s Steven Alker, Australia’s Percy and Jason Caron. They’re all at 8-under-par as Alker, the reigning Charles Schwab Cup champion, matched Allan’s 65.

First-round co-leader Bernhard Langer dropped four shots off the pace as he followed his first-round 67 — equaling his age — with a 1-under 71. Miguel Angel Jimenez delivered the day’s third 7-under 65 to recover from his first-round 73 and pull within four shots of the lead.

“I finished almost like a pure black horse instead of a donkey,” Jimenez said.

Defending champion Retief Goosen of South Africa is tied for 16th at 4 under.

Rocco Mediate and Mark Calcavecchia withdrew in the second round due to injury, the tour announced.

LILIA VU UP 2 SHOTS ENTERING FINAL ROUND AT FORD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lilia Vu overcame a double bogey and two other bogeys to shoot a four-under-par 68 on Saturday and maintain a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the Ford Championship in Chandler, Ariz.

On a windy day at Whirlwind Golf Club’s Cattail Course, Vu – who had played a pair of bogey-free rounds – bogeyed the par-3 6th hole and par-4 9th hole, then endured a double bogey on the par-4 14th hole. To her credit, however, she recovered to birdie the next three holes as she seeks her sixth win on the LPGA Tour.

“I think I didn’t think too much about that double bogey,” said Vu, who notched eight birdies in the third round and set a new 54-hole scoring record at the event with her three-day total of 198. “Obviously I was upset with it, but I know where my game is at, and that’s not going to really knock me down. My caddie actually said on the hole after, all I have to do is get you on the green, and whatever happens happens.”

England’s Charley Hull remained two shots off the field, firing a 68 despite a pair of bogeys, including one on the troublesome 14th hole. Like Vu, she also rebounded and was able to birdie two of her last three holes. Sitting at 16-under 200, she finished with six birdies on the day.

“Hit a really nice shot into I think it was the 14th hole,” said Hull, who opened her day with a bogey on the par-4 first hole. “It was about 20 feet right of the pin, but it was just a very tricky putt and then three-whacked that. But it is what it is and it ain’t what ain’t what it ain’t as players. But nice to finish with a birdie.”

Ayaka Furue of Japan (67 on Saturday) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark (69) are tied for third, three shots off the lead at 15-under 201.

Furue collected four birdies apiece on the front nine and back nine, but also a trio of bogeys on Nos. 3, 10 and 14.

Madsen also ran into trouble, though not on the 14th hole. She bogeyed back-to-back holes on the par-5 7th and par-4 8th, but regrouped after a talk with her caddie.

“Well, I tried for a very long time not to get angry, and then my caddie was like, just let it out, so I did that after 8,” Madsen said. “Then I kind of tried to reset from there.”

Five players – China’s Yahui Zhang (65 on Saturday), South Korea’s Haeran Ryu (66) and Hyo Joo Kim (67), Allisen Corpuz (67) and Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul (70) are tied for fifth at 14-under 202.

Defending champion and World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who was tied for second after two rounds, faltered with a 73 — her worst round since a third-round 75 at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open. With three bogeys — including two of her last three holes — and only two birdies, she is tied for 19th at 11-under 205.

AUTO RACING NEWS

CHRISTOPHER BELL ON POLE AFTER HIS ‘BEST QUALIFYING SESSION’ EVER AT MARTINSVILLE

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Christopher Bell put forth an early challenge at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday with a lap that stood up against all comers in qualifying for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 (3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 17th driver to make a run during time trials, Bell navigated the venerable 0.526-mile track in 19.718 seconds (96.034 mph) and waited as the 21 drivers who followed took their respective shots at the standard he set.

No one was up to the task, and Bell had his first Busch Light pole award of the season in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota — also his first at Martinsville and the 14th of his career.

Chase Elliott came closest to matching Bell’s lap. The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet covered the distance in 19.735 seconds (95.951 mph), just 0.003 seconds faster than teammate and third-place qualifier Alex Bowman (95.937 mph).

Despite turning the second-fastest lap in Saturday afternoon’s practice, Bell wasn’t optimistic about his chances for the pole.

“I was kind of down in the dumps after practice (because of the position in the qualifying order),” Bell said. “But that was definitely the best qualifying session I’ve ever felt out of my car at Martinsville. It was just easy.

“I went out there and the car just had so much grip,” Bell continued. “I’m really proud of this (No.) 20 team. They’ve been working hard on this Martinsville package. We’ll see what happens (Sunday), but obviously, starting up front will be a big help.”

Kyle Larson, last Sunday’s winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway, qualified fourth at 95.854 mph. Bell’s teammate, five-time Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin, was fifth at 95.840 mph.

Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick and defending race winner William Byron filled out the rest of the top 10 on the grid.

Casey Mears, whose No. 66 Ford failed inspection twice before qualifying, will start 37th in his first Cup Series race since 2019.

TOP INDIANA HEADLINES

INDIANA PACERS

GAME REWIND: PACERS 111, THUNDER 132

As the Pacers hold the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, they traveled to Oklahoma City to challenge the league-leading Thunder on their home court. Oklahoma City delivered a strong second half to defeat the Pacers, 132-111.

Tyrese Haliburton was active on both ends to open the contest – he connected on both of his tries from long range and grabbed two steals in the first five minutes of action. Indiana captured an early lead midway through the first quarter, and led 13-9 with seven minutes to play in the first quarter.

An 11-0 Thunder run got Oklahoma City back in the game and back into the lead. Haliburton answered with his third 3-pointer of the evening to give Indiana the advantage with under two minutes to play in the first period. The back-and-forth blows continued down the stretch of the first quarter with the Thunder winning the frame, 29-27.

Isaiah Joe recorded a strong half for Oklahoma City as he recorded 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander notched 15 points, but made just three of his 11 field goal attempts. Gilgeous-Alexander attempted 10 free throws in the first half of play.

The Thunder recorded a 10-0 run late in the second quarter to enter halftime with a 12-point advantage over the Pacers, 61-49.

Oklahoma City outscored Indiana 32-22 in the second frame, and held the Pacers to under 40% shooting from the field, including under 30% shooting from 3-point range through the first half. Haliburton’s 11-point first half led Indiana in scoring as he was the lone double figure scorer for the Blue and Gold entering the break.

The Thunder kept their momentum in the third quarter, notching 41 points as they outscored Indiana by 10 in the frame. Oklahoma City’s advantage had ballooned to 22 points by the beginning of the fourth quarter after recording 60% shooting in the third period.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring prowess was on full display in the final frame of play. He’d already recorded eight points in the frame by the 8-minute mark of the fourth quarter, raising his total to 30 points in the contest.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 45 points in the last meeting between the Pacers and the Thunder. He recorded 33 total on Saturday as Oklahoma City defeated Indiana for its ninth consecutive win.

Haliburton led Indiana with 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes. Nembhard followed with 16 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. After finishing the first half with just one double-figure scorer, the Pacers ended the game with six.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists led the Thunder. Luguentz Dort tacked on another 22 points and five rebounds, and Joe recorded 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting off Oklahoma City’s bench.

Indiana’s bench outscored the Thunder’s reserves, 48-41, on a night without Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin missed the contest due to calf soreness.

The Pacers travel back to Indianapolis for a Monday matchup with the Sacramento Kings as the two clubs jostle for playoff positioning in their respective conferences.

Inside the Numbers

Indiana shot 33% from 3-point range, but Oklahoma City knocked down 47.2% of its long-range attempts.

The Thunder won the battle on the boards, 47-43.

Nine players out of the 13 Pacers that logged minutes recorded either a block or a steal.

The Pacers committed 13 turnovers, but only allowed 10 Thunder points off those turnovers.

INDY ELEVEN

RECAP-IND 2:3 COS

Indianapolis- Indy Eleven scored first and last, but came up short in a 3-2 setback to defending USLC champion Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in front of 10,202 fans on a rainy night at Carroll Stadium.

Former Switchbacks forward Maalique Foster put the Boys in Blue in front in the 19th minute with his 21st career goal in USL Championship play.  Defender Aedan Stanley played a beautiful cross from the left side across the area to Foster on the right side of the box and Foster buried it just inside the near post with his left foot to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Colorado Springs substitute Marco Micaletto tied it up four minutes after entering in the 43rd minute so the teams were tied at half, 1-1.

The Boys in Blue came out strong in the second half when midfielder Oliver Brynéus, who made his first start, led forward Edward Kizza into the area in the 49th minute, but Kizza’s quick strike caromed off the near post.

Micaletto then gave his team the lead with his second goal in the 62nd.  Justin Dhillon added an insurance goal two minutes later for the defending champions to make it 3-1.

The Boys in Blue kept fighting, with defender Ben Ofeimu getting a scoring opportunity in the 78th minute.

In the eighth and final minute of stoppage time, captain Aodhan Quinn earned a free kick and then converted it by splitting the wall and curling it inside the near post for his his second goal of the season and the 56th of his USLC career to narrow the margin to 3-2.

The Boys in Blue return home next Saturday vs. North Carolina FC at 7 pm at Carroll Stadium in its “Kick for a Cause” match with partner Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana.  Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Season, Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here.  For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.

Indy Eleven Quotes

Coach Sean McAuley

• Talking about losing players to injury:“In the USL, if you lose players it becomes really difficult.  But, I’m pleased with everyone who stepped in because during the season we’ll need everybody.” 
• Fighting while down a goal:“It’s not game over for us because we’ll always fight until the end, but it’s quite difficult when you’re playing a good team (the champions).”
• “I think our effort and commitment was there which we pride ourselves on, I think we just may need to work on the final ball.”

Jack Blake

• “We wanted to reward the fans, which is disappointing. Definitely a lot to reflect on, but we’ve got a strong group, mentally, and we’ll bounce back and be ready for next week.” 
• “It’s the tiny details that can make a big difference.”

Aodhan Quinn

• “I don’t think there’s any fault in the effort, the character in the group is great so I don’t think that’ll ever be a question. We just gave up some soft goals, and if you give up three goals at home, it’s going to be tough to win. So, I think if we fix those little mistakes, we’ll give each other a better chance.” 
• “We need to make this place (Carroll Stadium) a hard place for teams to come, so if we can get that first win next week that’ll be great.” 
• “The sky’s the limit, the character of the group is unbelievable, everyone gets along really well, a lot of good guys. We’re very hard to break down, we obviously gave up three goals today, but we’re organized, compact, have strength on the counter, and can play on the ball a bit.”  
• “We have a lot of room to grow but I think we’re very good.”
• 2025 USL Championship
  Indy Eleven 2:3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
• Sat., Mar. 29, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
• Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.
• Attendance: 10,202
• Weather:  Rain, 71 degrees

Score­­	1	2	F
Indy Eleven	1	1	2
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC	1	2	3

• Scoring Summary
• IND – Maalique Foster 19’
• COS – Marco Micaletto (Matt Real) 43’
• COS – Marco Micaletto (Quenzi Huerman) 62’
• COS – Justin Dhillon 64’
• IND – Aodhan Quinn 90’+8
• Discipline Summary
• COS – Charlie Adams (caution) 7’
• IND – James Murphy (caution) 53’
• COS – Akeem Ward (caution) 59’

Indy Eleven line-up:  Hunter Sulte, Aedan Stanley, James Musa, Pat Hogan, Ben Ofeimu, Aodhan Quinn (captain), James Murphy, Oliver Brynéus (Elvis Amoh 65’), Jack Blake, Maalique Foster (Logan Neidlinger (90’+1), Edward Kizza.

Indy Eleven Subs not used:  Josh O’Brien, Finn McRobb, Cam Lindley,Reice Charles-Cook, Bruno Rendon, Ryan Hunsucker, Maverick McCoy.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC line-up:  Abraham Romero, Matt Real, Matt Mahoney, Garven Metusala (Juan Tejada 76’), Akeem Ward (Duke Lacroix 62’), Anthony Fontana, Charlie Adams (Marco Micaletto 39’), Zach Zandi, Justin Dhillon (Steven Echevarria 84’), Jonas Fjeldberg (Herbert Endeley 62’), Quenzi Huerman (Yosuke Hanya 62’).

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC subs not used:  Christian Herrera.

Stat	IND	COS
Shots	16	14
Shots on Target	5	4
Corner Kicks	11	8
Offsides	1	0
Fouls	12	11
Saves	1	3

INDY FUEL

FUEL SHUT OUT FOR SECOND NIGHT IN A ROW

GLENS FALLS- Despite outshooting Adirondack 31-20 and being the only team to earn power plays in the game, the Fuel fell to Adirondack for the second night in a row. This time special teams were the difference makers with Smith’s shorthanded goal in the first period to put the Thunder up 1-0 and win the game. 

1ST PERIOD

The game started with some fast action on the net by Spencer Cox and Nathan Burke but nothing to write on the score sheet until Indy got the first power play of the game at 13:20 for a delay of game call on Adirondack.

However, the momentum was short lived as a shorthanded goal by Smith at 14:01 gave the Thunder the lead. Friedmann assisted it.

The Fuel battled back while the chippiness increased between these two teams who have played their last two games agaist each other.

Colin Bilek rang the crossbar twice in what could’ve been the equalizer in the first period.

Adirondack’s Reid sat for high sticking drawn by Jesse Tucker near the end of the period at 17:46 but the Thunder killed it off. 

Indy outshot the Thunder 7-6, yet were outscored 1-0.

2ND PERIOD

Indy again got off to a hot start with shots by Bannister, Martin and Spodniak but The Thunder’s Welsch made all the saves.

Ryan Ouellette, in net for the Fuel, was faced with lots of pressure in the slot by Adirondack.

Tensions started to bubble over as Burke and Wheeler each earned five minutes for fighting at 17:34. 

Time expired soon after and Indy again outshot Adirondack 13-4 in the period but could not score. 

3RD PERIOD 

Ouellette made a few big saves on breakaway attempts from the Thunder trying to extend their lead early in the period. 

Indy had a late power play as Fox headed to the box for hooking at 15:08. The Fuel were unable to tie up the game though. 

Ouellette was pulled in favor of the extra attacker at 18:52 once the Fuel gained control of the puck.

Lemos and Hausinger had the best shots within that minute, but Welsch made all the saves and time expired on the Saturday night game.

Indy has been shut out for two games straight against the Thunder and head back home to host the Toledo Walleye on Tuesday.

INDIANA TRACK

INDIANA TRACK AND FIELD COMPLETES SPLIT WEEKEND IN BATTLE ON THE BAYOU

BATON ROUGE, La. – Indiana track and field concluded their competition in The Battle on the Bayou at Bernie Moore Stadium on Saturday (March 29) with several personal bests and high finishes across the weekend.

In Baton Rouge, Hannah Alexander (51.19m/167-11) started the day’s competition with a new personal best in the discus throw, moving into the top 15 in school history. On the men’s side, Dane Sebert (52.37m/171-10) cracked the top 20 in school history as he finished sixth overall in the event.

On the track, the men’s 4×100 (Novo Onovwerosuoke, Tamer Saleh, Otto De St Jeor, Trelee Banks) relay team opened the outdoor season with a faster mark than any time ran a season ago. The quartet ran a time of 39.63 to place third overall to start the days track events.

Veronica Hargrave (2:06.17; PR) and Amelia Dodds (2:06.47) followed in the 800-meter run, finishing fourth and seventh respectively.

Trelee Banks finished the day with a personal best time in the 100-meter sprint. His time was in the top ten in Division one and second best among Big Ten competition at the time.

The Hoosiers will be back in action on Friday, April 11 as they travel to Tuscaloosa to compete in the Crimson Tide Invitational.

INDIANA BASEBALL

BIG LEAD SLIPS AWAY IN BLOOMINGTON

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Despite a nine-run lead heading into the sixth inning, the Indiana Baseball team (15-13, 6-6 B1G) couldn’t find a way to close out the series victory. USC scored 10 unanswered runs to snatch the weekend series away from the Hoosiers on Saturday (March 29) afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field.

USC third baseman and pitcher Ethan Hedges had two home runs and five RBIs before recording the final three outs and the save. He had a massive offensive weekend and helped kick start the USC rally with three big hits in three different innings. Center fielder Brayden Dowd struck the final blow with a two-run home run in the ninth to cap off USC’s 13-12 comeback victory in Bloomington.

Already without the services of right-handed pitchers Drew Buhr and Jackson Yarberry, IU’s bullpen was stretched thin even further when starting pitcher Ben Grable could make it through just three innings. After walking the bases loaded in the sixth, USC struck on IU miscues for four runs and the comeback was on. The Trojans were down to their final two outs before Dowd’s home run gave them their first lead since the first inning.

IU’s offense put up 12 runs in the first four innings but fell quiet from there. The home team went four full innings without a base hit before freshman designated hitter Hogan Denny got a two-out single in the ninth inning. IU’s four home runs – two of which came from redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson – were not enough on Saturday afternoon.

The defeat hands IU its first home Big Ten series defeat since dropping a three-game set vs. Illinois last season (March 22-24, 2024). The Hoosiers will have to forget about this one in a hurry as top-25 Louisville comes to town on Tuesday (April 1) for a nationally-televised contest on the Big Ten Network (6:00 p.m.)

Scoring Recap

Top First

Ethan Hedges got the scoring starting with a solo home run, his third blast of the weekend.

USC 1, Indiana 0

Bottom First

Devin Taylor quickly tied up the game with a solo shot to left field, his 46th home run in his career. Cooper Malamazian added a second run when he walked on a full count with the bases loaded. Will Moore added a pair of runs with a two-run single up the middle.

Indiana 4, USC 1

Bottom Second

Korbyn Dickerson broke out of his mini-slump with a big two-run blast over the fence in right-center field. It was his 12th home run of the season.

Indiana 6, USC 1

Top Third

Hedges continued his big weekend, bringing a run back for USC with a RBI single up the middle.

Indiana 6, USC 2

Top Fourth

Abbrie Covarrubias smoked a solo home run to cut into the lead.

Indiana 6, USC 3

Bottom Fourth

The Hoosiers broke out for a big inning in the fourth. T.J. Schuyler on a groundball from Andrew Wiggins that resulted in a USC error. Dickerson hit a three-run home run to blow the game open before Tyler Cerny smashed a two-run blast of his own.

Indiana 12, USC 3

Top Sixth

The Trojans got a crooked number of their own in the sixth. With the bases loaded, Brayden Dowd was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Hedges drove one home with a RBI sacrifice fly to center field. Adrian Lopez added to the damage with a two-run double.

Indiana 12, USC 7

Top Seventh

USC got one back on a throwing error from Cerny as he tried to make a force out at second base.

Indiana 12, USC 8

Top Eighth

Hedges hit his second home run of the game to close the gap to just two runs. The Trojans pulled within one when Bryce Grudzielanek laced a single into left field.

Indiana 12, USC 11

Top Ninth

USC took the lead for good on a two-run blast from Dowd.

USC 13, Indiana 12

Top Hoosier Performers

#20 Dickerson, Korbyn

3-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI

#5 Taylor, Devin

2-3, HR, 3 R, RBI

#8 Cerny, Tyler

1-5, HR, 2 RBI

Inside the Box Score

• IU allowed more than 10 hits in all three games of the series.

• The pitching staff allowed eight walks.

• The Hoosiers hit four home runs on the day – including two from Korbyn Dickerson.

• IU allowed 10 runs in the final five innings. IU’s offense had one hit in that same stretch.

Notes to Know

• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor hit his 46th career home run with a solo blast in the first inning. He bolsters his firm grasp on fourth place in program history and inches closer to the all-time Indiana home run record. He’s now one away from tying the all-time mark and two from taking full control of the crown.

• Taylor’s multi-hit day took him to 191 for his career. He just needs nine base knocks to become the 25th player in program history with 200 base hits. His junior counterpart Tyler Cerny is nearing the same milestone and isn’t far behind with 173 career base hits.

• Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson had two home runs in the defeat to USC. He’s the only IU player with multiple multi-home run contests this season. He also had his team leading 15th multi-hit game of the year. This was the third game this season in which Dickerson has had at least five RBIs.

Up Next

Louisville comes to town on Tuesday (April 1) for a midweek matchup at Bart Kaufman Field. The Big Ten Network will carry the game at 6:00 p.m. It can also be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.

INDIANA SWIMMING

INDIANA WINS THREE TITLES ON FINAL NIGHT OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Zalán Sárkány was the first Hoosier to embrace Jassen Yep out of the pool.

Within an hour, Sárkány and Yep had both won national titles at the 2025 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, and both set the No. 3-fastest times ever in their events. By the end of the night, Carson Tyler won IU another NCAA title on platform – clinching Indiana’s sweep of the diving events.

Indiana’s Saturday night ended with a third place national finish, the program’s best finish since 2019. The Hoosiers scored a program record 431 points, placing close behind champion Texas (466) and Cal (441).

During the week, Indiana set 10 program records, six Big Ten records and captured the American record in the 200-yard medley relay at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. Seventeen Hoosiers totaled 50 All-America honors, tying 1974’s program record.

IU captured three NCAA titles on the final night to bring its meet total to five – its best haul since 1973, the last time the program won the team national title.

1973 was also the last time Indiana had won the 1,650-yard freestyle before Sárkány made history Saturday night. The junior Arizona State transfer defended his 2024 mile title with a wire-to-wire victory in the distance freestyle event. Sárkány won the event by nearly five seconds as his 14:21.29 set a Big Ten and program record and made him the fastest non-American in the event. He also set program records in the 500 free (4:09.22) and 400 IM (3:40.64) this week.

Yep out-touched Penn senior Matt Fallon by over half a second with his 1:48.30, dropping over a second off the personal best he set in prelims. The fifth-year athlete that started his collegiate career as a walk-on had only scored at one NCAA Championships prior, in 2024, when he placed 12th in the 200 breast, ends his career as Indiana’s fastest swimmer in the event by 1.5 seconds.

Indiana’s three-event diving sweep is the second in NCAA history and first since Miami first completed the feat in 1997. Senior Quinn Henninger’s first-career title on the 1-meter springboard Thursday was followed up by his classmate Tyler defending his championships in both the 3-meter and platform events.

With his victory Saturday, Tyler became the first diver to win three consecutive NCAA platform titles and joined Duke’s Nick McCrory (4) and Miami’s Tyce Routson (3) as the only divers to win three championships on the tower. Tyler completes his collegiate career a five-time champion.

Indiana diving eclipsed 100 points for the third consecutive season, totaling 117 points from the well – an amount that would have finished 10th in the swimming and diving team standings. The next-best diving program produced 60 points. Tyler scored 49 points on his own.

Over the last three seasons, Indiana divers won seven of the nine available national championships, capturing the 3-meter and platform titles all three years. In that span, Hoosier divers combined for 13 medals and 342 points.

“What a great way for Carson and Quinn to finish their careers,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “The two of them in the finals helping the team to a third place finish while sweeping all diving events was so special.

“I am so proud of this entire team – the way they dive, the way they carry themselves, the way they support each other. They are such great representatives of IU.”

“Tonight was a fantastic end to a magical season,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said,” “With three individual national champions in Zalán Sárkány, Jassen Yap and Carson Tyler. Although we came up short for the national title, I have never been prouder of a group of men.”

PROGRAM RECORDS (Team)

               NEW    Previous

Points  431       427 (1969)

All-America Honors   50          Tied 1974

Relay Podiums             5/5        4/5 (Four times – last in 2024)

PROGRAM RECORDS (Events)

Event   Time    Athlete(s)         Note

50 Freestyle    18.86   Finn Brooks    

100 Freestyle  41.14   Matt King         

500 Freestyle  4:09.22             Zalán Sárkány              

1,650 Freestyle            14:21.29           Zalán Sárkány               Big Ten Record

No. 3 All-Time

200 Breaststroke         1:48.30             Jassen Yep       Big Ten Record

No. 3 All-Time

200 IM 1:39.42             Owen McDonald         Big Ten Record

400 IM 3:40.64             Zalán Sárkány               Tied Program Record

200 Freestyle Relay   1:14.67             Brooks, King, Lee, Smiley       Big Ten Record

400 Freestyle Relay   2:45.08             McDonald, King, Smiley, Miroslaw   Big Ten Record

200 Medley Relay       1:20.92             Barr, Benzing, Brooks, King   American Record, Big Ten Record

MEDAL TRACKER

Quinn Henninger – 1-meter (champion), 3-meter (silver)

Owen McDonald – 200 IM (bronze)

Zalán Sárkány – 1,650 freestyle (champion)

Carson Tyler – 3-meter (champion), platform (champion)

Jassen Yep – 200 breaststroke (champion)

RESULTS (SATURDAY)

1,650 FREESTYLE

1. Zalán Sárkány – 14:21.29 (NCAA Champion, All-America, Big Ten Record, Program Record, Career Best)

100 BACKSTROKE

6. Owen McDonald – 1:37.59 (All-America)

10. Kai van Westering – 1:38.29 (Second-team All-America, Career Best)

100 FREESTYLE

8. Matt King – 41.28 (All-America)

200 BREASTSTROKE

1. Jassen Yep – 1:48.30 (NCAA Champion, Big Ten Record, Program Record, Career Best)

5. Caspar Corbeau – 1:50.04 (All-America)

14. Josh Matheny – 1:51.61 (Second-team All-America)

PLATFORM DIVING

1. Carson Tyler – 480.45 (NCAA Champion, All-America)

7. Quinn Henninger – 390.50 (All-America)

10. Maxwell Weinrich – 387.40 (Second-team All-America)

400 FREESTYLE RELAY

5. Owen McDonald, Matt King, Drew Smiley, Rafael Miroslaw – 2:45.08 (All-America, Big Ten Record, Program Record)

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS

Luke Barr – 200 medley relay, 200 IM*, 100 breaststroke*

Brian Benzing – 200 medley relay, 100 breaststroke*

Finn Brooks – 200 medley relay, 50 free*, 200 freestyle relay, 100 butterfly*, 100 breaststroke, 400 medley relay

Caspar Corbeau – 100 breaststroke , 200 breaststroke

Tomer Frankel – 800 freestyle relay, 100 butterfly*, 400 medley relay

Quinn Henninger – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform

Matt King – 200 medley relay, 50 free*, 400 medley relay, 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay

Mikkel Lee – 200 freestyle relay

Josh Matheny – 100 breaststroke*, 200 breaststroke*

Owen McDonald – 800 freestyle relay, 200 IM, 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay, 200 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay

Rafael Miroslaw – 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle*, 400 freestyle relay

Zalán Sárkány – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle

Dylan Smiley – 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay

Carson Tyler – 1-meter*, 3-meter, platform

Maxwell Weinrich – 3-meter, platform*

Kai van Westering – 800 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke*, 200 backstroke*

Jassen Yep – 100 breaststroke*, 200 breaststroke

INDIANA SOFTBALL

INDIANA DROPS DOUBLEHEADER AT NO. 18 OHIO STATE

COLUMBUS, Ohio ––– Indiana fell in both of their games of the doubleheader at No. 18 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon.

The Hoosiers dropped the first game, 7-1 and lost 12-4 in the second.

Indiana is now 22-10 overall with a 2-5 Big Ten record.

GAME 1: OHIO STATE 7, INDIANA 1

GAME 2: OHIO STATE 12, INDIANA 4 (F/5)

KEY MOMENTS

• Indiana and Ohio State were in a defensive battle to start game one until Ohio State hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the third to go up 2-0.

• The Hoosiers responded to make it a 2-1 game in the top of the fourth when Brianna Copeland crushed a solo home run over the center field wall to cut into the lead and make it a 2-1 game.

• The Buckeyes closed out the first game with two more home runs to get to 7-1. Ohio State’s Taylor Cruse and Reagan Milliken hit a 3 and 2-run home run, respectively, in the fourth and fifth innings.

• In game two, Indiana opened the scoring. Avery Parker hit a double off the left field wall and then later scored on an Ohio State error to put the Hoosiers up 1-0.

• Ohio State quickly took the lead back with a 4-run first inning.

• With two RBI singles and two bases loaded walks, the Buckeyes pulled ahead 8-1 through two innings.

• Taylor Minnick hit a solo home run in the third and Josie Bird hit a 2-run home run in the fourth for the Hoosiers to cut into the lead and make it an 8-4 game after the top of the fourth inning.

• The Buckeyes used three-straight home runs to warrant a mercy rule through five innings for a 12-4 final.

NOTABLES

• Bird’s home run was the first of her career.

• Parker went 2-for-3 in game two.

• Minnick’s home run was her ninth of the season.

• This was the first series between Indiana and Ohio State since 2023.

UP NEXT

Indiana will be off on Sunday and resume the series on Monday with a 7 p.m. game against the Buckeyes.

PURDUE SOFTBALL

PURDUE FALLS IN FIVE TO NO. 20 NEBRASKA

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Boilers (17-15, 2-6 Big Ten) fell to No. 20 Nebraska (25-8, 5-1 Big Ten) 13-1 in five innings on Saturday afternoon.

Julia Gossett and Kylie Franks earned the only two hits of the game, both infield singles. The Boilers used three pitchers throughout the game against the Huskers.

BOILER BITS (at #20 Nebraska)

Offensive Highlights:

Julia Gossett: 1-for-2

Kylie Franks: 1-for-1

Maura Condon: SF

Pitching Breakdown:

Madi Elish (L, 6-4): 1.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 12 BF

Kendall Klochack: 2.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 11 BF,

Kadyn Camper: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 BF

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a scoreless first inning on both sides, the Huskers put up seven unanswered runs in the second off two different Purdue pitchers.

The Huskers continued to add on in the bottom of the third with a solo home run from the leadoff batter as well as another solo shot later in the inning. The fourth added four more runs with another homer, and a single up the middle.

In the top of the fifth, the Boilers built an inning, putting two runners aboard after Jordyn Ramos reached on a fielding error, and Kylie Franks earned an infield single. Ramos came around to score on a pinch-hit sacrifice fly from Maura Condon, to put the Boilers lone run on the board. 

On the mound, Madi Elish takes the loss, moving to 6-4 on the year.

UP NEXT

The Boilers take on the Huskers again tomorrow, Mar. 30, with a 6:00 p.m. ET start time. The series will close out with a single game on Monday, Mar. 31 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

NOTRE DAME FALLS TO TCU IN SWEET 16

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Notre Dame’s season came to a close on Saturday after the No. 3 seed Irish (28-6) fell in the Sweet 16 to No. 2 seed TCU (34-3), 71-62.

In what was her final collegiate game, Liatu King led Notre Dame with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Hannah Hidalgo had 15 and 4 steals. Olivia Miles also hit double-figures with 10 points, including a pair of triples.

As was the case in November when TCU beat Notre Dame in the Cayman Islands Classic, the Irish struggled to stop Hailey Van Lith (26 points) and Sedona Prince (21 points). The Horned Frogs shot 50 percent from the floor (22-24) and outrebounded Notre Dame 38-32.

In addition to King, Saturday was the final collegiate game for Irish seniors Sonia Citron, Liza Karlen and Maddy Westbeld. Miles remains undecided about next season.

NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL

NOTRE DAME STIFLES #22 VIRGINIA TO TAKE SERIES

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Wet and sloppy conditions couldn’t slow down the Notre Dame offense Saturday, as the Irish offense exploded for seven runs on eight hits to beat 22nd-ranked Virginia 7-2 to secure the first series of the year for the Irish. Notre Dame is now 16-19 on the season and 4-7 in conference play with four wins against ranked opponents.

Micaela Kastor was phenomenal in relief for a second-straight game. The junior tallied 4 hitless innings today, striking out seven and suffocating the Cavaliers attempt at a comeback. Kastor has 7.1 inning scoreless innings against Virginia over the past two days.

After allowing an early run in the first, Notre Dame responded with three runs in the bottom of the second. Caroline O’Brien notched her first career extra-base hit with a triple into right that scored Rachel Allen and Jane Kronenberger. Sydny Poeck then had a productive at-bat, hitting a ground ball to second that scored O’Brien from third for the third run of the inning.

The Irish got three more in the bottom of the fourth. After Emily Tran scored on a throwing error, Rachel Allen looped a fly ball that dropped in between the shortstop and left fielder to score Addison Amaral and Kaia Cortes. After going 2/3 on the day, the Irish backstop now has back-to-back multi hit games. Notre Dame led 7-2 after four.

Kastor did her thing after that, getting five strikeouts in the final three innings. One of the top strikeout pitchers in the ACC, Kastor now has 78 punch outs on the season, a team-high.

With her single in the fourth inning, Poeck extended her on-base streak to 15, which is among the best in the nation. The left fielder has found success after moving to the leadoff position.

Shannon Becker made her fourth start of the year and her first at home. She went three innings, only allowing two runs and no walks. The senior has a 2.76 ERA in four appearances at Melissa Cook Stadium this season.

Notre Dame will go for the sweep against Virginia tomorrow at 11 a.m. after game two of the doubleheader was moved due to inclement weather. Admission is free and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

BUTLER WOMEN’S LAX

LATHAM STAYS HOT IN SATURDAY’S LOSS AT VILLANOVA

The Butler women’s lacrosse team headed east for the first time this season to face Villanova. Elise Latham scored her third hat trick of the season, but Bulldogs would eventually fall to the Wildcats 18-6.

Villanova came out firing to start the game scoring the first four goals. A free position goal by Makenna Evans broke up the scoring in the first quarter to bring the score to 4-1. Elise Latham and Emma Palmer then added two goals in the second quarter, but the Wildcats continued to put on the pressure heading into the half up 14-3.

In the second half, Latham would net two more goals, but the Bulldogs would ultimately lose 18-6.

Inside the Box Score

Elise Latham secured her third hat trick of the season tying for the game-high on four shots

Makenna Evans netted her sixth goal of the season

Olivia DiCarlo padded the stats with a pair of caused turnovers to go with a ground ball and draw control

Alyssa Lentz reached the double-digits in saves for the fourth time this season after collecting 10 saves to go with four ground balls

Up Next

Butler will be back in action next week with two games at home against UConn on Wednesday, Apr. 2 at noon, and UC Davis on Sunday, Apr. 6 at noon.

BUTLER BASEBALL

BUTLER SWEEPS SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER VS. NIU

The Bulldogs moved to 9-17 on the year after recording a pair of wins over Northern Illinois on Saturday. Nate Rosser pitched a complete game in the seven-inning opener leading Butler to a 9-6 win and a Jack Bello walk-off  in game two broke an 8-8 tie to give BU the lead in the weekend series.

Rosser was fantastic in game one throwing 116 pitches over seven innings. He struck out four and didn’t issue a walk. Butler scored at least one run in each inning to earn the 9-6 win. Jack Moroknek went 2-for-4 from the dish with a team-best three RBI’s. Tommy Townsend homered to end the game with two RBIs and Danny Barbero doubled to match him with two RBI’s.

Game two was intense with the two teams deadlocked at 8-8 in the ninth inning. NIU would pitch around Moroknek in the ninth which put Jack Bello in the batter’s box. Bello belted a ball to the fence in left allowing Moroknek to come all the way around and score from first.

Moroknek hit a 446-foot home run in the contest and would lead the offensive charge with three RBI’s. AJ Solomon was solid as well with a 2-for-4 day and two RBI.

Marcus Goodpaster did a great job on the mound, tossing 6.1 innings. He struck out eight and only walked one. Tate Foxson came in late and earned the win.

The two teams will return to Bulldog Park tomorrow for a single game. First pitch has been moved up to noon.

BUTLER SOFTBALL

FURIOUS RALLY CLINCHES SERIES SWEEP

INDIANAPOLIS – Georgetown was two outs away from a no-hit victory when the bottom half of Butler’s lineup staged an exciting come back. The Hoyas (8-18, 0-12 BIG EAST) had a 2-0 lead with one out in the seventh inning, but the Bulldogs (20-11, 9-3 BIG EAST) rattled off four straight hits, producing a walk-off, 3-2, win and clinching their second BIG EAST series sweep of the season.

Game 3: Butler 3, Georgetown 2 (7 innings)

Georgetown took advantage of an error and a double in the top of the first to take an early, 1-0 lead. In the fourth, the Hoyas advanced a runner to third and went up, 2-0, with an RBI single.

In the bottom of the seventh, with one out, Olivia Moxley broke the no-hitter and kicked off a Butler rally with a single up the middle. Alona Boydston, in a pinch-hitting role, blasted a second single down the left field line. She advanced to second with a stole base. Sydney Carter battled back from two early strikes and, on her seventh pitch, hit a double past the left fielder to the wall. Two Bulldogs scored, and Carter advanced to third on the throw. Leigh Vande Hei then stepped up and hit a single up the middle, allowing Carter to cross the plate for the walk-off win.

Katie Petran (5-4) picked up a complete-game victory in the circle for Butler. In 7.0 innings, she allowed two runs on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Bulldog Bits

Sydney Carter’s double was her second this season and the 15th of her career.

Paxton Law’s stolen base was her fifth this season.

Katie Petran pitched her second complete-game victory of the season. It was her fifth win of the season and the 20th of her career.

Up Next

Butler hosts Indiana State for a midweek contest on Tuesday, April 1. Next weekend, Apr. 4-6, the Bulldogs travel to UConn.

IU INDY SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL FALLS TO ROBERT MORRIS IN GAME 2 & 3

INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indy softball team fell in back-to-back games to Robert Morris on Saturday, March 29, moving the Jags to 4-5 in the Horizon League.

Alexa Holman got the start in the opening game of the doubleheader for the Jags. Robert Morris got things going in the top of the first inning with a two-run homer, putting the Colonials in the lead, 2-0. The Jags wouldn’t be down for long as Molly Kable hit a two RBI single up the middle scoring Kendal Calvert and Morgan Gilbert.

The Colonials struck again in the second inning off another two-run homerun extending their lead back to two, 4-2. Callie Dickerson relieved Holman in the third inning but Robert Morris wouldn’t stop there as they extended their lead to 9-2 with a fielder’s choice and a pair of singles.

Isabelle Wagener relieved Dickerson in the fourth, closing out the final two innings. The fourth inning saw an additional three runs come across the board for the Colonials as they scored off a Jags’ throwing error, a double to right field, and a sacrifice fly pushing their lead to double digits, 12-2.

In the final inning, Robert Morris added to their score with their third two-run homerun of the game moving the score to 14-2. IU Indy scored one additional run off a Morgan Gilbert single down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth moving the final score to 14-3.

Holman (L, 4-6) took the loss after going two innings while allowing six runs.

In the final game of the series, IU Indy fell again in a 15-1 loss to Robert Morris.

Lily Roush got the nod for game three as the Jags looked to rally back from game two. The Colonials wasted no time as they placed nine runs on the board in the first inning. Roush was relieved by Holman after giving up four runs. Holman got two outs before she was replaced by Waggner, who got the Jags out of the first inning. IU Indy responded with a Kennedy Cowan RBI on a fielding error that scored Kendal Calvert.

Robert Morris continued to push runs across the board in the second inning after a throwing error by IU Indy to second base, 10-1. The Colonials got the third inning rolling off a homer to left center, extending their lead to 12-1. Claire Stillwell came in to relieve Waggner after she tossed 1.2 innings. Robert Morris scored an additional three runs in the fourth with a single to right and a double to left center, 15-1. Kaylen Garland closed out the game for the Jags, tossing a scoreless fifth inning.

Lily Roush (L, 3-7) received the loss after allowing four runs on two hits and two walks.

With the two losses, IU Indy moves to 10-20 and 4-5 in conference play. The Jaguars hit the road next week as they travel to Green Bay for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 4. First pitch is set for 3:00 PM ET.

BALL STATE BASEBALL

BASEBALL SECURES SERIES WIN AT AKRON WITH 5-2 DECISION IN GAME TWO

AKRON, Ohio – The Ball State baseball team won 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Akron to clinch the series win over the Zips at Skeeles Field.

The Cardinals (19-10, 7-2 Mid-American Conference) fell 11-5 in the nightcap of the twinbill to Akron (7-20, 1-11 MAC) but secured their third straight MAC series to begin the conference campaign with the results of the first game of the day.

Game 1: Ball State 5, Akron 2

Jacob Hartlaub worked eight innings of one-run ball, and Dylan Grego went 3-for-4 with a double, home run and three RBI to lead the Cardinals to victory.

Grego got things going with a double in the first frame to score Alex Richter before Richter drove in himself on a solo homer in the third to give the visitors a 2-0 edge. Grego extended the advantage on a two-run shot in the sixth inning to make the score 4-0 in Ball State’s favor.

Akron plated single tallies in the sixth and ninth frames around an RBI single by Clay Jacobs that brought in Blake Bevis.

Hartlaub (4-2) struck out three and had a career-high in innings pitched to pick up the win. Owen Quinn pitched the ninth to finish out the win for the Cardinals.

Akron’s Jared Schaeffer (0-5) surrendered five runs in seven innings to be hit with the loss.

Game 2: Akron 11, Ball State 5

Akron scored five runs in the second inning and the first 10 of the game on its way to its first MAC win of the year.

The Cardinals had four runs in the sixth frame on back-to-back home runs from Dylan Grego (three-run shot) and Nick Husovsky (solo), but the Zips limited the damage on their home field.

Richter hit an RBI single in the seventh to score Korbin Griffin for the day’s final offense.

Ball State’s Connor Hutchinson (1-2) allowed five runs in 1.1 innings of work to suffer the loss, while Akron’s Jack Kelley (1-1) got the win with 5.2 frames of four-run ball.

Up Next

The Cardinals are scheduled to host Bellarmine at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

NO. 14 BALL STATE UPSETS NO. 10 MCKENDREE IN FOUR

MUNCIE, Ind. – No. 14 Ball State men’s volleyball pulled off their first top 10 upset of the season, beating No. 10 McKendree 3-1 (25-13, 24-26, 25-23, 25-23) at home on Saturday (Mar. 29) for senior night.

The Cardinals (17-9, 9-4 MIVA) opened senior night with a lineup of familiar faces, including seniors Rajé Alleyne, Vanis Buckholz, Rodney Wallace, Tinaishe Ndavazocheva, Lukas Machado and Xander Pink. In an aggressive first set, Ball State immediately jumped ahead 4-0 over the Bearcats (15-7, 10-3 MIVA). Offense remained strong, flying past the visitors at a .727 clip and closing the frame 25-13. Patrick Rogers led the Cardinals in the opening point, adding seven kills at an impressive .875 hitting percentage.

It was a closer start to the second set as the two teams battled back and forth through a 19-19 tie. McKendree was able to pull ahead with the lead, and in extra points the Bearcats evened the match with a 26-24 second frame.

Set three was another point for point battle with Ball State leading 15-14 at the media timeout. From there, the Cardinals were able to put together enough points to build a 21-16 lead and force a Bearcat timeout. McKendree came back and answered with three, closing the gap to 21-19. It was a fight to 25, but the Cardinals were able to maintain the advantage and close the set 25-23.

The Cardinals went into the fourth set leading the match 2-1. McKendree took the first significant lead of the frame, pacing the Cardinals at 11-8. Ball State fought back to tie the set at 12-12, remaining even through 22-22. A kill from Ndavazocheva and a Bearcat error erased the tie, putting the Cardinals at set point. McKendree responded with a kill to make the score 23-24, but a kill from Rogers completed the Ball State upset at 25-23.

Rogers led the Cardinals in their victory, hitting a .424 with 20 kills. Ndavazocheva was also a major impact for the home team, adding 15 kills at a .433 clip and an ace. At the net, Ndavazocheva led the team with five block assists and one block solo.

Setter, Peter Zurawski directed the offense, tabbing 49 assists on the night. Zurawski also led the team in digs with eight.

Ball State will return to the road for a trip to Columbus, Ohio next Thursday (Apr. 3) to take on the No. 17 Buckeyes. The Cardinals will end the week in Fort Wayne on Saturday (Apr. 5) when they take on the Mastodons.

BALL STATE SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL SCORES SATURDAY SWEEP AT BOWLING GREEN

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – – It was another big day for the Ball State softball offense which combined for 24 total runs in a doubleheader sweep of Bowling Green, by scores of 14-5 and 10-4, Saturday afternoon at Meserve Field.

The Cardinals (21-8; 6-2 Mid-American Conference) set the tone early in the day, starting with a two-run blast from redshirt junior center fielder Hayley Urban in the top of the second inning in the opener. Two batters later, redshirt senior catcher McKayla Timmons smashed her 12th home run of the season and the BSU offense took control from there.

However, it was junior pitcher Ella Whitney who provided what proved to the biggest blast in the first game, as she smashed a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left center for a three-run home run to push the Cardinals ahead 6-0. She would add two more RBI on a double to open the scoring in BSU’s eight-run seventh, helping the Cardinals claim the 14-5 victory.

Along with her offensive numbers, Whitney picked up her MAC-leading 12th pitching victory by limiting the Falcons (12-20; 4-4 MAC) offense to just five hits and five runs over her 7.0 innings of work. She also tied her season high with six strikeouts.

Overall, 11 different Cardinals scored at least one run in the opener, while five tallied at least one RBI. Along with Whitney’s game-high five RBI, Urban and redshirt junior second baseman McKenna Mulholland each collected three.

After closing out the opener with an eight-run seventh, the Cardinals opened the nightcap with four first inning runs to take early control of the contest. Senior left fielder Kara Gunter started the scoring with a bases loaded single, driving in two runs while an error on the play plated another and allowed her to move to third. That was crucial, as Gunter would cross the plate for the fourth run of the inning on a wild pitch.

Gunter picked up two more RBI in the top of the second with a two-run single to left field, while adding another RBI single to left in the fourth to give her five RBIs in the game and Ball State a 9-3 edge. BSU’s other two runs during the span came from a two-run single to left from Urban who ended her day with five total RBI.

Senior first baseman Kaitlyn Gibson would close out the scoring for the Cardinals with a sac fly in the top of the fourth, giving BSU a 10-3 edge at the time. BGSU would only get one more run, however, as the Cardinals went on to win the game 10-4.

Freshman Breanna Severino earned the pitching victory in the nightcap, holding Bowling Green to six hits and four runs, only two of which were earned, over her 7.0 innings of work. She also struck out five batters in the contest.

NOTES:

– Timmons reached base safely once again in both games Saturday, raising her streak of reaching base safely to 55 games spanning the last two seasons … She went 1-for-2 in the opener, courtesy of her home run, and drew a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch … In the nightcap, Timmons opened the game with a double down the left field line.

– Overall, 13 different Cardinals scored at least one run on the day, led by four each from Timmons and Mulholland … Six different Ball State players added RBIs over the course of the day, with five each from Gunter, Urban and Whitney.

– With its 24 runs on the day, the Ball State offense is now averaging 7.79 runs per game … The Cardinals entered the weekend ranked 16th nationally in scoring at 7.58 runs per game … Looking at just MAC games, and the Cardinals are averaging 9.63 runs per game … Ball State has scored at least 10 runs in four of its eight league games.

– Whitney also reached base in both game for the Cardinals Saturday, raising her streak of reaching base safely to 16 games … She went 2-for-3 in the opener with a walk, while being hit by a pitch in her lone plate appearance in the nightcap.

– Along with leading the league in wins at 12, Whitney is second among all MAC pitchers with a 2.22 ERA, while her .228 opponent’s batting average is fourth and her 47 total strikeouts are fifth.

UP NEXT:

The Ball State softball team returns home Tuesday, when it hosts Northern Illinois in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the Ball State Softball Stadium.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

SYCAMORES SPLIT SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER AT UIC; SECURE 21ST CONSECUTIVE MVC SERIES WIN

CHICAGO, Ill. – Indiana State split the Saturday doubleheader with UIC as the Sycamores topped the Flames in the opening contest, 13-7, before falling in the nightcap 4-2 at Les Miller Field at Curtis Granderson Stadium.

The Sycamores (13-14, 4-2) powered their way to the opening win behind homers from Carter Beck, Miguel Cantu, Jeremy Martinez, and Carlos Pena on their way to securing the series win over UIC (6-20, 2-4). The Saturday win marked Indiana State’s 21st consecutive MVC series win dating back to the end of the 2022 season.

Game One: Indiana State 13, UIC 7

Carter Beck started the game off with a bang connecting on a solo home run and Miguel Cantu, Jeremy Martinez, and Carlos Pena also went deep as Indiana State secured the series win with the 13-7 victory in Saturday’s opener.

The Sycamores connected on 17 hits in the contest highlighted by three-hit games from Cantu, Jackson Taylor, and Martinez as Indiana State pounded the ball in the opening game of the day against the UIC pitching staff. Zach Henderson and Nomar Garcia (two) added doubles in the Indiana State win.

Indiana State seized control of the game early thanks to Beck’s leadoff solo home run and an error in the top of the third inning on Taylor’s single to center field allowed three runs to score as the Sycamores went up 5-1.

UIC rallied back in the middle frames on AJ Taylor’s two-run home run in the sixth, but Cantu and Martinez responded with two-run shots in the top of the seventh inning, and Pena added a solo home run in the eighth as the Sycamores secured the win against the Flames.

Ty Brooks (2-2) picked up the win as the freshman right-hander went 5.2 innings allowing six hits and four runs (three earned), while striking out four. Carson Seeman was effective with 2.1 shutout innings, while Zac Laird closed out the ninth in the conference win.

Luke Nowak had four of UIC’s 10 hits in the opening game of the day, while Taylor drove in four RBIs to provide the offense for the Flames.

Brandon Bak (0-2) took the loss on the mound allowing seven hits and six runs (four earned), while striking out a pair. Kendall Lyons surrendered five runs and six hits in 3.1 innings of relief, while Zak Gould allowed two more runs over the final 2.1 innings on the mound.

How They Scored

Carter Beck led off the game with a solo home run over the wall in right center to give Indiana State the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

UIC answered in the bottom of the frame to tie it up at 1-1 as Luke Nowak scored on a Sycamore error.

The Sycamores retook the lead in the top of the second inning as Andrew Ortiz crossed the plate on Nomar Garcia’s RBI grounder to give Indiana State the 2-1 advantage.

The Sycamores added to the lead in the top of the third as UIC misplayed Jackson Taylor’s single to center field and the ball went all the way to the wall allowing Miguel Cantu, Andrew Ortiz, and Taylor to score, making it a 5-1 ballgame.

It was 6-1 Sycamores after the top of the fourth as Garcia scored on Eli Gipson’s RBI sacrifice fly.

UIC took one back in the bottom of the fourth as Colin Husko scored on James Harris’ sacrifice fly to cut the lead down to 6-2.

Gipson connected on his second sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning as Jeremy Martinez tagged up and scored making it a 7-2 contest.

AJ Taylor took two back for the Flames in the bottom of the sixth as the UIC shortstop connected on a two-run home run down the left field line scoring Lucas Smith to cut the Indiana State lead down to 7-4.

Cantu and Martinez connected on a pair of two-run home runs in the top of the seventh inning with Cantu’s shot bringing home Garis, while Taylor crossed on Martinez’s home run to make it an 11-4 ballgame.

Carlos Pena added a solo home run off the buildings beyond the right field wall in the top of the eighth stretching the lead to 12-4.

The lead reached 13-4 as Martinez singled home Zach Henderson in the top of the ninth.

UIC rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning with Smith’s RBI double the big hit in the frame to provide the final 13-7 scoring margin.

Game Two: UIC 4, Indiana State 2

Indiana State starting pitcher Breyllin Suriel (0-3) carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Flames’ bats came to life late in the contest to secure the 4-2 win in the series finale.

James Harris broke the no-hit bid in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to left field, while UIC took advantage of Indiana State errors late in the contest in securing the final game of the series.

Carter Beck drove in Indiana State’s first run of the game with an RBI double in the top of the third inning, but he was thrown out attempting to take third on the play to end the Sycamore rally early.

Suriel went 6.1 innings on the mound allowing two hits and three runs (one earned) while striking out a season-high nine batters, before running into trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning.

UIC took advantage of an errant throw on a double play ball allowing Colin Husko to score on the play to tie the game up at 2-2. Three batters later, AJ Taylor scored on a sacrifice fly giving the Flames the 3-2 lead.

The Flames added insurance late in the game on Terrick Thompson-Allen’s sacrifice bunt bringing home Luke Nowak ahead of the throw to provide the final scoring margin.

Carter Beck, Keegan Garis, and Jeremy Martinez all connected on hits in the Sycamores’ loss as Indiana State left 12 runners on base in the contest.

Colby Morse, Aaron Moss, Zac Laird, and Jack Armstrong all saw time in relief in the contest.

Tommy Egan (1-1) picked up the win for the Flames throwing 2.1 scoreless innings to close out the game.

How They Scored

Indiana State took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning as Carter Beck connected on an RBI double to left center driving home Sean McGurk for the opening run of the contest.

James Harris connected on UIC’s first hit of the game with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game up at 1-1.

The Sycamores retook the lead in the top of the seventh on Keegan Garis’ RBI single to left center with Beck coming around to score on the play making it a 2-1 game.

An Indiana State error in the bottom of the seventh led to Colin Husko touching the plate to tie the game up at 2-2.

DJ Butler connected on the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly to left scoring AJ Taylor to give UIC the 3-2 lead.

The Flames added insurance in the bottom of the eighth as Terrick Thompson-Allen dropped down a sacrifice bunt scoring Luke Nowak to provide the final 4-2 margin.

News & Notes

Saturday’s opening game marked the fifth time Indiana State had multiple home runs in the same inning as Miguel Cantu and Jeremy Martinez both connected on two-run shots in the top of the seventh inning.

Breyllin Suriel worked a season-best 6.1 innings and posted a team-high nine strikeouts in the final game of the weekend series.

Carlos Pena ran his on-base streak to 21 consecutive games after reaching base safely in both contests.

Up Next

Indiana State remains on the road next week as the Sycamores travel to Edwardsville, Ill. for a Tuesday evening contest at SIUE. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET.

INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL

SYCAMORE SOFTBALL FALLS TO DRAKE ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON

DES MOINES, Iowa – Indiana State softball dropped a Saturday afternoon rubber game against Drake, 1-0.

Madison Poulson started off her three-hit day in the top of the first but was stranded at third base. The game was a stalemate with solid defense and pitching once again, but it was the Sycamores that threatened again in the fifth inning.

Poulson singled and stole second, then Morgan Goodrich moved her to third base. But Drake’s pitcher recorded a strikeout and forced a groundout to prevent Indiana State from crossing the plate.

Lauren Sackett entered the game to relieve Hailey Griffin in the bottom of the fifth and kept the Drake Bulldogs at bay just as her counterpart. Sackett in the bottom of the sixth struck out the side to force the game into the seventh inning still tied at zero.

Drake drew back-to-back walks in the bottom of the seventh, threatening to score with runners on first and second with one out. A pinch-hit single loaded the bases, then a sacrifice fly to left field allowed the runner on third to cross the plate, ending the game 1-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Poulson ended the day 3-for-4, her seventh multi-hit game of the season and first with three knocks. Goodrich, Brailey Mills, Peyton Simmons, and Luci Kapelka each recorded a hit.

Griffin tossed 4.0 innings with four hits, no runs, three strikeouts, and a walk while Sackett (1-10) pitched 2.2 innings recording a hit, one run (earned), four strikeouts, and three walks.

Up Next

The Sycamores return to action on Tuesday, April 1 at Butler for a single nonconference game beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL

MASTODONS SWEEP SERIES FROM OAKLAND

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team defeated Oakland 3-2 (10 innings) and 6-5 on Saturday (March 29) at Mastodon Field. The doubleheader sweep capped a three-game sweep of the Golden Grizzlies.

Game One – Mastodons 3, Oakland 2 (10 innings)

The Mastodons won game one in walk-off fashion for the second consecutive game. This time it was Nick Hockemeyer with a walk-off pinch hit single in the bottom of the 10th inning. It scored Grant Sawa who started the inning with a walk.

Zane Danielson earned a no-decision in the contest but was strong. He went 5.0 innings, giving up just one unearned run with nine strikeouts. Trent Murphy threw the final four innings to get the win. They combined for 12 strikeouts in the game. Murphy is now 1-0 after earning his first collegiate win.

Justin Osterhouse got the scoring going in the fourth inning with a solo shot. It would be his first of two home runs on the day. Sawa knocked in a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to score Camden Karczewski.

Murphy earned a big out in the seventh when Mike McGann came to the plate with two outs and two on. McGann hit a dribbler up the first base foul line that started foul, and then rolled back into fair territory and resulted in an unassisted groundout. Murphy proceeded to not give up a hit in the final three innings.

Blake Sehlke got the loss for Oakland.

Osterhouse finished the game with three walks in addition to his home run.

Game Two – Mastodons 6, Oakland 5

Osterhouse’s second home run of the day, this time a two-run shot in the sixth inning, ended up being the difference in the nightcap. It came right after Oakland had taken the lead at 5-4 thanks to a four-run top of the sixth. Osterhouse came to the plate with one out and Brooks Sailors on first. Osterhouse deposited the ball over the wall in right center to put the ‘Dons ahead. Osterhouse has six home runs on the season.

From there on out it was the Carson Caudill show. He entered the game with a runner on second and no outs the next half inning. Caudill picked off the runner and gave up only one hit in three innings of work for the save. Aidan Pearson threw 0.2 of an inning to get the win. Gavin Walters earned a no decision after allowing four runs in 5.1 innings of work.

Sailors and Osterhouse both scored twice in the game. The ‘Dons had 11 hits with all nine starters recording at least one. Karczewski had a home run.

Ethan Glassman got the loss for Oakland. McGann finished with three hits in the second game.

The Mastodons are 6-20 (5-4 Horizon League). Oakland falls to 7-23 (2-7 Horizon League). The ‘Dons host Central Michigan on Tuesday.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK

NOAH MORRIS SETS SCHOOL RECORD AT INDIANA STATE

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s track and field team completed their second weekend of the outdoor season on Saturday (March 29) at Indiana State’s Pacesetter Sports Invitational.

Freshman Noah Morris set the 200 meter dash school record, running the event in 21.44. The time sits second in Horizon League standings. Jonas Morris’s time of 21.70 ranks fourth against league competition. Freshman Darius Atkins set a personal record in the event (23.13).

The Mastodon 4×100 meter relay squad of Jonas Morris, Noah Morris, Jaylin Springer and Ezra Lewellen took first at Indiana State. Their time of 41.76 owns first in the HL.

All four ‘Dons in the hammer throw set personal records at the Pacesetter Invitational. Hunter Crew’s mark of 50.46 meters is first in Horizon League standings. Owen Kaufman threw for 48.02 meters, placing third in the league. Freshman Josiah Bird tossed 45.31 meters and Caden Bird threw 41.89 meters in the event.

Brevin Miller’s personal-record javelin mark of 53.07 meters rests at the top of the HL. Luca Merita owns fifth place in the Horizon League standings after her first collegiate javelin competition, throwing 44.52 meters.

Freshman Logan Teichman placed third in the league with his 15.19 meter shot put toss.

Senior Lewellen’s time of 10.80 in the 100 meters sits fourth in HL standings. Springer (11.05) and Atkins (11.18) both set personal records in the event.

Freshman Damien Keys cleared 6.91 meters in the long jump, the mark ranks fourth in the Horizon League.

Colten Gasson completed the fourth quickest 3000 meter steeplechase in the league (9:51.59).

Sam Dunnett set a 1500 meter personal record at Indiana State, running 3:53.48 to sit fifth in the HL.

Freshman Ambrose English ran a 57.25 in his first collegiate 400 meter hurdles, placing fifth in the Horizon League.

Troy Golden completed the fifth quickest 400 meter dash in the league (51.22).

Denton Jacobs threw a personal record 41.83 meter mark in the discus.

The Mastodons will be traveling to Michigan State’s Spartan Invite and High Point’s VertKlasse Meeting on Friday (April 4).

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

SIXTH INNING RALLY SINKS ACES BASEBALL AGAINST VALPARAISO

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team grabbed an early lead but couldn’t hold off a comeback from the Valparaiso Beacons in the 11-6 loss.

The Purple Aces had all the offense in the first five innings on Saturday, but without scoring between the fourth and ninth innings, it was Valparaiso who was victorious in the second game of the weekend. UE left fielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS) had the hottest bat for Evansville against the Beacons’ starter, RHP Harry Deliyannis. The sophomore batter went 3-of-4 from the plate with a double and a home run for a third of the Aces hits on Saturday.

“Coming off of our great performance last night, we didn’t capitalize and win a series today,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll following the loss. “We didn’t do enough in all three aspects of the game, and you have to give credit to Valpo’s starter. It’ll be a big game tomorrow in the rubber match.”

It was a quick start to the second game of the series as UE starter Kevin Reed (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville HS) struck out three batters in two innings of work. Evansville began the scoring on Saturday in the bottom of the second as Longmeier hit his second home run of the season to lead off the inning. The Aces’ next three batters all reached first base with right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) scoring on a double from third baseman Drew Howard (Ferdinand, Ind. / Forest Park HS) to double UE’s lead.

Evansville added one more run in the bottom of the second as center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) had an RBI single up the middle to score Howard. The Aces held onto their three-run lead through the third and the top of the fourth as the Beacons threatened in the top of the third with the bases loaded.

UE tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth with two singles to start the inning from Howard and second baseman Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo. / Blue Springs HS). Howard then scored his second run of the afternoon on a sacrifice fly from Rumsey to center field. Valparaiso’s bats began to get going in the fifth with their first hit of the game.

But it was the sixth inning where the Beacons took over the game, scoring six runs on four hits, two errors, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Valpo tied up the game after loading up the bases with a double, an error, and a wild pitch. The Beacons then took over the lead from Evansville with a two-run homer before the Aces’ defense got out of the sixth.

UE’s offense went cold over the next three innings as Longmeier was the only batter to record a hit until the bottom of the ninth. In the final third of the gam,e Valparaiso added five more runs to make it 11 to 4 going into the last frame. Evansville began the bottom of the ninth with a batter at first as pinch hitter Evan Waggoner (Bedford, Ind. / North Bedford Lawrence HS) was hit by a pitch. Pinch runner Mason McCue (Bourbonnais, Ill. / Bishop McNamara HS) went to second right after as McConnell grounded out to second.

A walk to Rumsey put two on base for the Aces, and both runners quickly advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. UE added a run when shortstop Brodie Peart (Markham, Ontario) had an infield ground out to score McCue. Rumsey also scored a run for Evansville on a wild pitch with two outs on the board. The Aces had another walk to get a runner back on base, but a fly out in the next at-bat ended the game in the Beacons’ favor.

UE will look to take the series on Sunday afternoon. It will be another noon first pitch for Evansville, with inclement weather expected in the late afternoon and early evening.

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

SCREAMING EAGLES ROCK TROJANS, 10-0

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana junior right-hander Blake Kimball and junior leftfielder Hunter Miller led the Screaming Eagles to a 10-0 victory Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 11-15 overall and 3-2 in the OVC after the second game of the series, while Little Rock goes to 10-17, 1-4 in the OVC.

Kimball (3-3) was dominating on the mound and posted his third win of the season. The junior right-hander threw eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, while tying a season-high five strikeouts. The eight-shutout innings were the most by a USI starter since 2019 when Sammy Barnett threw a nine-inning shutout on the road at McKendree University.

Miller, who was a late substitution into the starting lineup due to an injury to sophomore second baseman Anthony Umbach, went five-for-five with two runs scored and two RBIs.

The Eagles took command of the game early with a five-run second inning to lead, 5-0. Junior catcher Micajah Wall and senior centerfielder Khi Holiday highlighted the frame with a two-run double and a two-run single, respectively.

The score would remain 5-0 until the seventh when Miller scored on an RBI double by sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd to give USI a 6-0 advantage. USI pushed the lead to 7-0 when Miller struck again, driving in junior first baseman Kannon Coakley with an RBI single.

USI finished the scoring in the eighth, posting three more runs, two coming on RBI singles by sophomore second baseman Parker Martin and Miller for the 10-0 final score.

At the plate as a team, USI had six players with two or more hits. Junior designed hitter Cole Kitchens’ single in the second inning increased his hitting streak to a team-best 15 games. 

Up Next for the Eagles:

The Eagles and the Trojans conclude the series Sunday with a new start time of NOON. The first pitch was moved up due to the forecast of storms Sunday afternoon.

VALPO BASEBALL

DELIYANNIS DELIVERS STRONG SHOWING AS VALPO EVENS SERIES IN EVANSVILLE

Evansville started the day by unveiling its 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and NCAA Regional banners, but it was the Valparaiso University baseball team that was all smiles when the day ended, as right-handed pitcher Harry Deliyannis (Bloomington, Ind. / Bloomington North) hurled eight strong innings to lift the Beacons to an 11-6 victory over the defending conference tournament champion Purple Aces on Saturday afternoon at Braun Stadium. The Beacons did not have a hit until the fifth and trailed 4-0 through five, but a six-run sixth turned the game on its head, starting a sequence of 11 unanswered runs for the guests.

How It Happened

Neither team scored in the opening inning including a strong first frame for Deliyannis. Charlie Longmeier led off the Evansville second with a solo home run, then UE tacked on two unearned runs in that frame and held a 3-0 lead through two.

Valpo left the maximum in the top of the third as the Beacons worked three walks, but walked away empty handed.

The Purple Aces added a run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth to increase the lead to 4-0.

Senior Kade Reinertson (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) clubbed a double to left center for Valpo’s first hit of the game with two outs in the top of the fifth, but he was stranded at third. 

Valpo turned the game around in the top of the sixth by scoring six times to take the lead. A two-run double by Patrick Ilitch (Detroit, Mich. / University Liggett) cut into the UE edge and made it 4-2. Aidan Thaxton (Chicago, Ill. / St. Ignatius College Prep) drove in a run and the tying tally scored on a wild pitch. Then, Reinertson greeted the new Evansville pitcher with a go-ahead, two-run homer, capping a big inning and giving Valpo a 6-4 lead.

Deliyannis remained in the game and cruised through a 1-2-3 sixth.

Valpo manufactured a run in the seventh, as the first two batters of the inning were hit by a pitch before Ilitch laid down a sac bunt and Thaxton lifted a sac fly.

Deliyannis faced the minimum for the third straight inning in the seventh, including a strikeout to wrap up the frame, keeping Valpo in front 7-4.

Valpo made it eight unanswered runs as Connor Giusti (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd) stroked a run-scoring single up the middle to boost the lead to 8-4 in the eighth.

Deliyannis finished out a strong outing with a scoreless bottom of the eighth, working around a one-out double to keep the four-run lead intact.

Ilitch and Thaxton ripped consecutive two-baggers to begin the top of the ninth, lifting the Valpo lead to five at 9-4. Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) kept the offensive outpouring going with a two-run homer to cap the Valpo scoring, making it 11 unanswered runs.

Righty Ryan Kruse (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) was summoned from the bullpen to work the final frame. Evansville scored twice in the bottom of the ninth, but Kruse preserved the victory.

Inside the Game

Reinertson’s home run was the fourth of his career and his second this season.

Sullivan’s home run was his second of the season.

Deliyannis’ final line featured eight innings while scattering nine hits, allowing four runs (two earned), striking out six and walking none.

This marked the third straight outing Deliyannis recorded five or more strikeouts. The eight innings exceeded his previous longest start of the season, which was six innings last week at Indiana State. This represented his first walk-free performance of the year.

Over the last three weekends, Valpo has wins over the defending Big Ten regular-season champs, the defending MVC regular-season champs and the defending MVC Tournament champs.

Six of Valpo’s nine hits went for extra bases.

Ilitch had two doubles on Saturday after entering the game with two career doubles, both in 2023. He became the second Beacon with a two-double game this season, joining Sullivan on Feb. 23 at Memphis.

This marked the fifth time this season that Valpo posted a double-figure run total.

The Beacons have already exceeded their conference road win total from last season.

The 11 runs were the most scored by Valpo in a head-to-head matchup with Evansville since a 15-7 victory in the 1980 Heartland Collegiate Conference Tournament.

Up Next

The Beacons (6-16, 2-3) will conclude the weekend series on Sunday at noon. Please note that the game will start earlier than originally scheduled due to the weather forecast. The game will air on ESPN+ with links to live video and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com.

INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES

UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/

MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

“SPORTS EXTRA”

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

March 30

1966 — The Koufax-Drysdale holdout ended. The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signings. Sandy Koufax got $120,000 and Don Drysdale $105,000, making them the highest paid teammates in history.

1978 — The Boston Red Sox acquire pitcher Dennis Eckersley and catcher Fred Kendall from the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Rick Wise and Mike Paxton, catcher Bo Diaz and infielder Ted Cox.

1992 — The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox made a trade. The Cubs sent outfielder George Bell to the White Sox for outfielder Sammy Sosa and pitcher Ken Patterson.

2001 — Pitcher Dwight Gooden announces his retirement. The four-time All-Star and Cy Young Award winner posted a 194-112 record with a 3.51 ERA and 2293 strikeouts in 16 seasons.

2004 — The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays opened the season in Japan with Tampa Bay posting an 8-3 victory behind the pitching of Victor Zambrano and the hitting of Tino Martinez. Martinez had three hits including the 300th homer of his career.

2008 — Nationals Park opens for action with the host Nationals beating the Braves, 3 – 2.

2019 — In a very rare occurrence, position players take the mound for both teams in the Dodgers’ 18 – 5 win over the Diamondbacks.

2023 — For the first time ever, all 30 teams are active on Opening Day as no rainouts affect the schedule.

_____

March 31

1961 — The Pacific Coast League’s proposal to use a designated hitter for the pitcher was rejected by the Professional Baseball Rules Committee by a vote of 8-1.

1968 — Seattle, the American League’s second new team, announced its nickname — the Pilots.

1994 — The Chicago White Sox assign NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Double-A Birmingham Barons of the Southern League.

1995 — Major league baseball players end their strike when Federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of U.S. District Court in Manhattan rules against the owners in the labor dispute.

1996 — The Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 in 12 innings in major league baseball’s season opener, the first major league game played in March.

1998 — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks looked like expansion teams in their first games. The Devil Rays fell behind 11-0 in an 11-6 loss to Detroit at Tropicana Field, and the Diamondbacks dropped a 9-2 decision to the Colorado Rockies at Bank One Ballpark. Milwaukee dropped a 2-1 decision at Atlanta in the Brewers’ first game since becoming the only team to switch leagues this century.

2001 — The Pittsburgh Pirates move into PNC Park, losing to the New York Mets, 4 – 3, in an exhibition game.

2003 — The Cincinnati Reds played their first regular season game at the Great American Ballpark. The Pittsburgh Pirates spoiled the day with a 10-1 win.

2008 — The Chicago Cubs unveil a statue of Ernie Banks outside of Wrigley Field.

2009 — The Detroit Tigers cut DH Gary Sheffield, who is one home run shy of 500 for his career.

2013 — The Houston Astros, coming off consecutive 100-loss seasons, made an impressive debut in the American League, trouncing the Texas Rangers 8-2 in the major league opener. Having switched from the National League to the AL in the offseason, the Astros earned their first opening day victory since 2006 and the 4,000th regular-season win in franchise history.

April 1

1931 — Pitcher Virne Mitchell, 17, signed with the Chattanooga club of Tennessee, becoming the first woman to play for an otherwise all-male baseball team.

1942 — Major league owners decide not to allow furloughed players in the military to play.

1969 — The Seattle Pilots trade minor league OF Lou Piniella to the Kansas City Royals. Piniella will go on to win American League Rookie of the Year.

1970 — An investment group headed by Bud Selig bought the Seattle pilots for $10.8 million.

1972 — The first collective players strike in major league history began. The strike lasted 12 days and canceled 86 games.

1988 — For the first time since 1956, the Special Veterans Committee does not elect anyone to the Hall of Fame.

1989 — A. Bartlett Giamatti took over as baseball commissioner.

1996 — Longtime umpire John McSherry collapses and dies from a heart attack on Opening Day at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium, in the 1st inning of a game between the Reds and Expos. The game is cancelled.

2001 — The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 8-1 when the major league baseball season opened in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2008 — The New York Yankees set a major league record by winning their 11th straight home opener.

2013 — Bryce Harper homered in his first two at-bats, Stephen Strasburg retired 19 batters in a row and the defending NL East champion Washington Nationals opened the season with a 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. Harper, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, hit solo shots over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center field off Ricky Nolasco in the first and fourth innings.

2013 — Clayton Kershaw launched his first career home run to break a scoreless tie in the eighth inning, then finished off a four-hitter that led the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Francisco Giants 4-0 on opening day. Kershaw became the first pitcher in the majors to homer on opening day since Joe Magrane of St. Louis in 1988. He was the first pitcher to throw a shutout and hit a home run in an opener since Bob Lemon for Cleveland in 1953.

2018 — Three days after starting at DH on Opening Day in his major league debut, Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani makes his debut on the mound, pitching 6 innings in leading the Angels to a 7 – 4 win over the Athletics.

2024 — Ronel Blanco of the Astros throws the earliest no-hitter in major league history in terms of calendar date as he defeats the Blue Jays, 10 – 0. He walks the first batter of the game, George Springer, but retires the next 26 batters in a row before walking Springer again with two outs in the 9th. He then gets Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground out to second to end the game, which is also the first career win for Houston manager Joe Espada.

_____

April 2

1931 — Virne Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell, the first woman in professional baseball, pitched against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game in Chattanooga. Babe Ruth waved wildly at the first two pitches and took a third strike. Lou Gehrig timed his swing to miss three straight pitches. Tony Lazzeri, after trying to bunt, walked and Mitchell left the game.

1952 — Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin of the New York Giants broke his ankle in an exhibition game. Irvin played just 46 games that season.

1976 — The Oakland Athletics trade two key members from their recent World Series championship teams, sending OF Reggie Jackson and P Ken Holtzman to the Baltimore Orioles.

1984 — The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 for their first opening-day defeat in 10 years.

1995 — The longest strike in major league history comes to an end. Having the first 23 days of this major league season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players’ March 31st unconditional offer to return to work. The players’ decision to return to work is made after a US District Court issued an injunction restoring terms and conditions of the expired agreement. Teams will play 144-game schedules. The strike had begun on August 12, 1994.

1996 — St. Francis of Illinois pummeled Robert Morris 71-1, with Robert Morris coach Gerald McNamara ending the after four innings.

1997 — For the first time, the salary of one player — Albert Belle — exceeded the payroll of an entire team — the Pittsburgh Pirates. Belle, the game’s highest-paid player for 1997 at $10 million, made $928,333 more than the whole Pirates payroll of $9,071,667.

1998 — By hitting a home run at Bank One Ballpark, Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums.

2001 — For the first time in major league history, a Japanese position player participates in a regular season game. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, hitless in his first three at-bats, singles in the 7th inning to ignite a two-run rally, and bunts for another single in the 8th in his debut at Safeco Field. He will go on the be both the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP this year.

2001 — Roger Clemens became the AL strikeout king, getting five to pass Walter Johnson as the Yankees beat Kansas City 7-3 in their season opener. Clemens fanned Joe Randa for his 3,509th career strikeout.

2003 — Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 300 home runs, connecting for a three-run drive in the Texas Rangers’ 11-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels. Rodriguez at 27 years, 249 days old, surpassed Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (27 years, 328 days).

2003 — The Detroit Tigers became the first team to have four pitchers make their major league debuts in the same game — Jeremy Bonderman, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling and Matt Roney. The Tigers lost 8-1 to the Minnesota Twins.

2007 — Tampa Bay’s Elijah Dukes homered in his first big league at-bat in a 9-5 loss to the New York Yankees.

2008 — Kevin Youkilis plays his 194th consecutive error-free game at first base, breaking Steve Garvey’s 23-year-old major league record.

2010 — The Minnesota Twins open their new ballpark, Target Field, with an 8 – 4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game.

2011 — Ichiro Suzuki breaks the franchise hit record for the Seattle Mariners in the Mariners’ 6 – 2 win over Oakland. Ten years to the day after his first major league hit, Ichiro collects safety number 2,248, passing Edgar Martinez, with an infield single that drives in the winning run in the 9th.

2011 — Ian Kinsler of Texas became the first major leaguer with leadoff homers in each of his team’s first two games. Kinsler hit the first of four homers by the Rangers in a 12-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

2012 — Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a $127.5 million, six-year contract, the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history.

2017 — Madison Bumgarner hit two homers but the Arizona Diamondbacks scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off new San Francisco closer Mark Melancon to beat the Giants 6-5 in a wild season opener. Bumgarner retired his first 16 batters and became the first pitcher to hit two home runs on opening day. He struck out 11 with no walks in seven innings.

2019 — Returning to Washington, D.C. for the first time since signing a record free agent contract with the Phillies in the spring, Bryce Harper is back. He collects 3 hits, including a 458-foot two-run homer to lead the Phillies to an 8 – 2 win over the Nationals.

2021 — Commissioner Rob Manfred announces that the 2021 All-Star Game will not be staged in Atlanta, GA, as planned, but will be moved to another location to be determined, in response to the state of Georgia’s adoption of rules aimed at restricting the voting rights of African-Americans. This follows only two days after President Joe Biden stated he supported such a move, given the discriminatory nature of Georgia’s law.

_____

April 3

1923 — In Chicago, Ill., two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 in damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to their reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.

1966 — The New York Mets sign University of Southern California star P Tom Seaver to his first contract.

1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But commissioner Bowie Kuhn would not allow it and ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.

1985 — A major league owners’ proposal is agreed to by the Players Association. The American and National leagues playoff formats are changed to best-of-sevens.

1987 — The Chicago Cubs trade starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers. Eckersley will emerge as the game’s dominant closer, saving 291 games over the next eight seasons.

1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.

1989 — Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners makes his major league debut.

1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.

1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.

1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener away from the United States and Canada.

2000 — A new major league record for Opening Day is set with five players having multiple home run games.

2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major-league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.

2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.

2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major-leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Royals 11-2.

2005 — In his first outing for the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as New York open the major league season with a 9 – 2 win.

2006 — Seattle Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, the first catcher from Japan to start a major league game, hits a home run for his first hit.

2015 — MLB suspends P Ervin Santana, who signed the largest free agent contract in Twins history this off-season, for 80 games for testing positive to the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

March 30

1940 — Indiana routs Kansas 60-42 for the NCAA basketball championship.

1943 — Ken Sailors scores 16 points to lead Wyoming to a 56-43 victory over Georgetown in the NCAA basketball championship.

1976 — Paul Silas of the Boston Celtics joins Bill Russell and Bill Bridges as the third player in NBA history to collect 10,000 career rebounds before scoring 10,000 career points.

1979 — Robert Parish of Golden State becomes the first Warrior in 10 years (since Nate Thurmond) to get at least 30 points and 30 rebounds in a game. Parish scores 30 points and grabs 32 rebounds in a 114-98 win over the New York Knicks.

1980 — San Antonio’s Larry Kenon scores 51 points and George Gervin adds 37 to lead the Spurs to a 144-124 win over Detroit in the final game of the regular season. Gervin wins the scoring title with a 33.1 points per game and becomes the fifth player to win at least three consecutive scoring titles, joining George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Wilt Chamberlain and Bob McAdoo.

1981 — Sophomore guard Isiah Thomas scores 23 points to lead Indiana to a 63-50 victory over North Carolina to win the NCAA basketball title.

1987 — Keith Smart’s 16-foot jump shot gives Indiana a 74-73 victory over Syracuse for the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

1990 — Jack Nicklaus makes his debut on the Senior PGA Tour with a 71 (-1) in the first round of The Tradition at Desert Mountain; wins event by 4 strokes over Gary Player.

1995 — Maine beats Michigan 4-3 in triple overtime, the longest hockey game in NCAA tournament history, to advance to the NCAA title game.

2001 — Michael Phelps becomes the youngest American swimmer to set a world record, winning the 200-meter butterfly in the USA Swimming Championships in 1 minute, 54.92 seconds. Phelps, 15, breaks the record of 1:55.18 set by Olympic gold medalist Tom Malchow in June.

2007 — American Ryan Lochte pulls off a stunning upset in the 200-meter backstroke, beating the supposedly invincible Aaron Peirsol with a world-record time of 1:54.32. Lochte erases Peirsol’s old mark of 1:54.44 to give Peirsol his first international loss in the 200 since the Sydney Olympics seven years ago.

2007 — Kobe Bryant scores 53 points for his eighth 50-point performance of the season as the Los Angeles Lakers lost to Houston 107-104 in overtime.

2008 — The Boston Celtics hold Miami to an NBA-record low 17 field goals, coasting to an 88-62 victory. The previous record for fewest field goals in a game came against Miami in April 1999, when Chicago managed only 18.

2013 — Syracuse shuts down Marquette with a 55-39 win in the East regional final and reached the Final Four for the first time in a decade. The Golden Eagles’ 39 points are a record low for a team in an NCAA tournament regional final since the shot clock was introduced in 1986. The 94 combined points was also a record low for a regional final.

2014 — Aaron Harrison makes a 3-pointer from about 24 feet with 2.3 seconds left to lift Kentucky to a 75-72 win over Michigan and the program’s 16th trip to the Final Four. Eighth-seeded Kentucky is the first all-freshman starting lineup to make the Final Four since the Fab Five at Michigan in 1992.

2014 — Shabazz Napier scores 17 of his 25 points in the second half, and UConn beats Michigan State 60-54 to return to the Final Four a year after the Huskies were barred from the NCAA tournament. The Huskies rally from a nine-point second-half deficit to become the first No. 7 seed to reach the Final Four since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

2020 — International Olympic Committee announces postponed 2020 Summer Olympic Games will be held July 23-August 8 in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

_____

March 31

1923 — The Ottawa Senators of the NHL completes a two-game sweep of the WCHL’s Edmonton Eskimos with a 1-0 victory to win the Stanley Cup for the third time in four years. Harry “Punch” Broadbent scores the goal.

1931 — Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and seven others die in a plane crash in a wheat field near Bazaar, Kansas. During his 13 years at Notre Dame, the 43-year-old coach, led the “Fighting Irish” to 105 victories, 12 losses, five ties and three national championships.

1968 — The American League’s new franchise in Seattle chooses Pilots as its nickname.

1973 — The Philadelphia Flyers tie an NHL record for most goals in one period, scoring eight goals in the second period of a 10-2 win over the New York Islanders.

1973 — Ken Norton scores a stunning upset by winning a 12-round split decision over Muhammad Ali to win the NABF heavyweight title. Norton, a 5-1 underdog, breaks Ali’s jaw in the first round.

1975 — UCLA beats Kentucky 92-85 for its 10th NCAA basketball title under head coach John Wooden. Wooden finishes with a 620-147 career record after announcing his retirement two days earlier.

1976 — Cleveland Cavaliers beat Jazz to clinch club’s first ever NBA playoff berth.

1980 — Larry Holmes scores a TKO in the eighth round over Leroy Jones to retain his WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

1980 — Mike Weaver knocks out John Tate in the 15th round to win the WBA heavyweight title in Knoxville, Tenn.

1982 — NBA and NBAPA reach 4-year agreement on return for minimum & maximum payrolls, the first of its kind in team sports.

1984 — Mike Bossy becomes first player in NHL history to record 7 straight 50 goal seasons.

1985 — Old Dominion beats Georgia in the 4th NCAAW National Championship.

1986 — Freshman center Pervis Ellison hits two free throws with 27 seconds left to seal Louisville’s 72-69 victory over Duke in the NCAA basketball championship.

1990 — 20-year old C Joe Sakic becomes the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season

1991 — Tennessee edges Virginia 70-67 in overtime for its third NCAA women’s basketball title. It’s the first overtime in the NCAA’s 10-year history.

1991 — Amy Alcott wins the Dinah Shore golf tournament with a record eight-shot victory over Dottie Mochrie.

1994 — Chicago White Sox assigns former NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons of Class AA Southern League.

1995 — Major league baseball players end their strike.

1997 — Martina Hingis becomes the youngest No. 1 player in tennis history. The 16-year-old Swiss sensation, who claimed her fifth title of 1997 at the Lipton Championships on March 29, supplants Steffi Graf in the WTA Tour rankings.

1998 — Expansion clubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks both suffer losses in their MLB debuts.

2002 — UConn women’s basketball team beat Oklahoma, 82-70; Huskies conclude perfect season (39-0).

2002 — Andre Agassi wins his 700th career match and captures his second straight Key Biscayne Title.

2005 — Tarence Kinsey hits a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to lift South Carolina to a 60-57 victory over Saint Joseph’s for the NIT championship.

2012 — Ray Whitney passes 1,000 career points with a goal and assist in Phoenix’s 4-0 victory over Anaheim.

2013 — In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NCAA women’s tournament, sixth-seeded Louisville stuns defending national champion Baylor in the regional semifinals, 82-81. It’s the end of a remarkable college career for Baylor’s Brittney Griner, a record-setting 6-foot-8 post player who ended up as the second-highest scoring player in NCAA history.

2013 — Pete Weber ties Earl Anthony by winning his 10th major Professional Bowlers Association title with a 224-179 win over Australian Jason Belmonte in the Tournament of Champions.

2017 — UConn’s record 111-game winning streak comes to a startling end when Mississippi State pulls off perhaps the biggest upset in women’s basketball history, shocking the Huskies 66-64 on Morgan William’s overtime buzzer beater in the national semifinals.

2018 — Anthony Joshua beats Joseph Parker by unanimous decision to become a three-belt world heavyweight boxing champion. Joshua adds Parker’s WBO belt to his WBA and IBF titles, and moves within one belt of becoming the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.

_____

April 1

1930 — American golfer Bobby Jones starts his Grand Slam season by winning the Southeastern Open.

1938 — Joe Louis knocks out Harry Thomas in the fifth round in Chicago to retain his world heavyweight title.

1940 — Governor Herbert Lehman of New York signs the Dunnigal bill, which legalizes pari-mutuel wagering and outlaws bookmakers at the state’s racetracks.

1954 — Detroit Red Wings right wing Gordie Howe scores 2 goals and an assist, and sets a Stanley Cup playoff record for fastest goal from the start of a game (:09).

1972 — The first collective player’s strike in major league history begins at 12:01 a.m. The strike lasts 12 days and cancels 86 games.

1973 — Boston’s John Havlicek connects on 24 field goals and finishes with 54 points the Celtics defeat Atlanta, 134-109, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

1978 — NY Islanders RW Mike Bossy becomes first NHL rookie to score 50 goals in a season.

1981 — Edmonton C Wayne Gretzky has an assist (his 103rd) to break Bobby Orr’s 10-year mark for most assists in a single NHL season.

1984 — Southern Cal beats Tennessee 72-61 for the NCAA women’s basketball title.

1985 — Villanova shocks Georgetown with a 66-64 victory to win the NCAA basketball title. The Wildcats, led by Dwayne McClain’s 17 points, shot 79 percent from the field, making 22 of 28 shots, and added 22 of 27 free throws.

1989 — Jim McAllister of Glassboro State hits four home runs and drives in nine runs in four at-bats in a 21-5 five-inning rout of Delaware State.

1990 — Betsy King holds on for a two-stroke victory over Kathy Postlewait to win the LPGA Dinah Shore tournament.

1991 — Duke ends years of frustration with a 72-65 victory over Kansas for its first national title in five championship game appearances and nine trips to the Final Four.

1992 — A week before the Stanley Cup playoffs are set to begin, the NHL players strike for the first time in the league’s 75-year history. The strike lasts 10 days.

1996 — Kentucky wins its first national title in 18 years with a 76-67 victory over Syracuse.

1999 — Detroit Pistons G Joe Dumars becomes 10th player in NBA history to play 1,000 games with the same team.

1999 — Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th pro game.

2000 — Michelle Kwan wins her third World Figure Skating title by pushing through all seven triple jumps. The triple toe-triple toe lifts Kwan above Russians Irina Slutskaya and last year’s champion, Maria Butyrskaya.

2001 — 20th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Notre Dame beats Purdue, 68-66.

2002 — With Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter leading the way, Maryland wins its first national championship with a 64-52 victory over Indiana.

2007 — Morgan Pressel becomes the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history with a game well beyond her 18 years, closing with a 3-under 69 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Pressel plays her final 25 holes over Mission Hills without a bogey as Suzann Pettersen blew a four-shot lead with four holes to play.

2007 — American super swimmer Michael Phelps smashes his own world record in the 400m individual medley (4:06.22) to win his record 7th gold medal at the World Championships.

2011 — Jarome Iginla scores his second goal of the game with 5:03 left to reach 1,000 points and help Calgary rally to beat St. Louis 3-2.

2016 — Golden State Warriors consecutive home winning streak ends at 54 games.

2018 — Arike Ogunbowale hits a 3-pointer with a tenth of a second left to give Notre Dame a 61-58 win over Mississippi State and its first women’s national championship since 2001. Notre Dame, trailing 30-17 at halftime, pulls off the biggest comeback in title game history, rallying from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and a five-point deficit in the final 1:58.

2020 — All England Lawn Tennis Club cancels Wimbledon for the first time since World War II because of the COVID-19 pandemic; entire grass-court season abandoned.

April 2

1939 — Ralph Guldahl beats Sam Snead by one stroke to capture the Masters golf tournament.

1969 — Toronto center Forbes Kennedy sets a Stanley Cup playoff record for most penalties in one game with 8.

1978 — Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova wins her first WTA Tour Championship.

1980 — Wayne Gretzky becomes the youngest player to reach 50 goals at 19 years and 2 months of age.

1983 — New York Islander Mike Bossy becomes the first player to score 60 or more goals in three consecutive seasons.

1984 — Georgetown, led by junior center Patrick Ewing and freshman forward Reggie Williams, beats Houston 84-75 to win the NCAA championship in Seattle. Houston becomes the second team to lose in two consecutive finals.

1985 — Edmonton C Wayne Gretzky sets an NHL record with his 34th career hat trick.

1986 — The 3-point field goal, at 19 feet, 9 inches, is adopted by the NCAA.

1989 — 8th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Auburn, 76-60.

1990 — UNLV pounds Duke 103-73 to win its first NCAA championship and extend the Blue Devils’ streak to eight Final Four appearances without a title. The Runnin’ Rebels become the first team to score more than 100 points in a championship game and the 30-point margin is the largest ever.

1995 — Connecticut caps an unbeaten season by defeating Tennessee 70-64 for the NCAA women’s championship. The Huskies, 35-0, become the winningest basketball team for one season in Division I.

2000 — Connecticut wins its second women’s national championship with a 71-52 victory over Tennessee. The top-ranked Huskies beat No. 2 Tennessee for the second time in three meetings this season.

2001 — New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens becomes American League all-time strikeout leader.

2001 — Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has 2 hits and becomes first Japanese position player to play in a regular season MLB game.

2001 — 63rd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Duke beats Arizona, 82-72.

2003 — At 27 years, 249 days Texas Rangers infielder Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest MLB player to hit 300 home runs.

2005 — Bubba Stewart becomes first African-American to win a major motor sports event when he takes out the Monster Energy AMA Supercross C’ship event in Irving, Texas.

2007 — The Florida Gators keep their stranglehold on the college basketball world with an 84-75 victory over Ohio State for their second straight national championship. The Gators are the first team to repeat since Duke in 1991-92.

2010 — Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million.

2011 — The Detroit Red Wings clinch their 20th straight playoff berth with a 4-3 victory over Nashville. The Red Wings extend the longest active playoff streak among North America’s four major professional sports and extend their NHL record with 11 straight seasons with 100 points.

2012 — Doron Lamb scores 22 points as Kentucky wins its eighth men’s national championship, holding off Kansas for a 67-59 victory.

2013 — Shoni Schimmel scores 24 points and giant-slaying Louisville claims another big upset, beating second-seeded Tennessee 86-78 and earning the school’s second trip to the Women’s Final Four.

2014 — The Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-102 to give the Lakers their 50th loss of the season. The last time the Lakers had 50 or more losses was 1974-75 (30-52).

2016 — Villanova advances to the national championship game with the biggest margin of victory in Final Four history, overwhelming Oklahoma in a resounding 95-51 victory. The margin topped 34-point Final Four wins by Cincinnati over Oregon State in 1962 and Michigan State over Penn in 1979.

2017 — 36th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: South Carolina defeats Mississippi State, 67-55.

2018 — Pernilla Lindberg makes a 30-foot birdie putt on the eighth extra hole to win the ANA Inspiration for her first professional victory. Lindberg finishes off Inbee Park on the par-4 10th, the fourth playoff hole at Mission Hills.

2018 — Villanova wins its second men’s national championship in three years after a 79-62 victory over Michigan. Donte DiVincenzo comes off the bench to score 31 points for the Wildcats. Villanova wins all six games by double digits over this tournament run, joining Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) in that company.

2019 — OKC guard Russell Westbrook becomes 2nd player in NBA history to have 20+ points, rebounds and assists in a game; records 20-20-21 in 119-103 win over LA Lakers.

2023 — Caitlin Clark scores 41 points in the Final Four for Iowa against South Carolina.

_____

April 3

1923 — “Black Sox” sue White Sox (unsuccessfully) for back salary.

1930 — The Montreal Canadiens win the NHL Stanley Cup with a two-game sweep of the Boston Bruins.

1933 — Ken Doraty’s overtime goal gives the Toronto Maple Leafs and 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins in semifinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The goal comes at one hour, 44 minutes and 46 seconds of the overtime beyond the one-hour regulation game.

1966 — P Tom Seaver signs with the NY Mets.

1975 — Bobby Fischer stripped of world chess title for refusing to defend it, title awarded to Russian Anatoly Karpov.

1977 — Jean Ratelle of the Boston Bruins scores his 1,000th point with an assist in a 7-4 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1982 — Buffalo’s Gil Perrault scores his 1,000th point with an assist in a 5-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

1983 — 2nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: USC beats Louisiana Tech, 69-67.

1987 — Chicago Cubs trade Dennis Eckersley to Oakland A’s.

1988 — Louisiana Tech wins the NCAA women’s basketball championship with a 56-54 come-from-behind victory over Auburn.

1988 — Amy Alcott shoots a 1-under 71 to win the Dinah Shore by two shots over Colleen Walker.

1988 — Mario Lemieux wins NHL scoring title, stopping Gretzky’s 7 year streak.

1989 — Michigan beats Seton Hall 80-79 in overtime to win the NCAA basketball championship. Rumeal Robinson hits two free throws with three seconds left for the Wolverines. It’s the first time that a first-year coach, Steve Fisher, wins the national title.

1991 — Bo Jackson signs 1-year contract with Chicago White Sox.

1993 — For the first time in its 157-year history, the Grand National steeplechase is declared void because of a false start. Esha Ness crosses the line first, but most of the jockeys are unaware a false start is called and the majority of the 39-horse field continue the 4½-mile race around the Aintree course even though nine stay behind at the start line.

1994 — Charlotte Smith’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gives North Carolina a 60-59 victory over Louisiana Tech in the NCAA women’s basketball championship game.

1995 — UCLA wins its first national basketball championship in 20 years and record 11th NCAA title, keeping Arkansas from repeating with an 89-78 victory.

1996 — St Francis Fighting Saints scores college baseball run record with 71.

2000 — 62nd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Michigan State beats Florida, 89-76.

2004 — St. Louis clinches its 25th consecutive NHL playoff berth, the longest in major league sports, with a 4-1 win over Nashville.

2006 — Joakim Noah dominates UCLA with 16 points, nine rebounds and a record seven blocks to key a 73-57 blowout for Florida’s first national title in men’s basketball.

2006 — Steve Yzerman scores his final NHL goal (#692).

2007 — After a nine-year title drought, Tennessee and coach Pat Summitt are NCAA champions. The Lady Vols capture an elusive seventh national title, beating Rutgers 59-46.

2010 — Bernard Hopkins wins a brutal unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr. in their long-delayed rematch, emphatically avenging his loss in the famed champions’ first fight nearly 17 years earlier.

2012 — Brittney Griner scores 26 points and grabs 13 rebounds to help Baylor finish off an undefeated season with an 80-61 win over Notre Dame in the women’s national championship game. Baylor becomes the first team in NCAA history to win 40 games.

2017 — Justin Jackson delivers the go-ahead three-point play and North Carolina scores the last eight points for a 71-65 win over Gonzaga and an NCAA title that heartbreakingly eluded the Tar Heels last year. It’s an ugly game, filled with 44 fouls and 52 free throws. Carolina was down 2 with 1:40 left when Jackson took a pass under the bucket from Theo Pinson, made a layup and got fouled. The free throw made it 66-65, and after a Gonzaga miss on the other end, Isaiah Hicks made a shot to help North Carolina start pulling away to the school’s sixth title.

2019 — San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is ejected after an NBA record low 63 seconds in the Spurs 113-85 loss in Denver; receives 2 technical fouls in a verbal confrontation with a referee.

_____

April 4

1921 — The NHL champion Ottawa Senators beat the Pacific Coast Hockey Association champion Vancouver Millionaires 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup 3 games to 2.

1937 — Byron Nelson shoots a 283 to win the Masters by two strokes over Ralph Guldahl.

1938 — Henry Picard beats Ralph Guldahl and Harry Cooper by two strokes to capture the Masters.

1959 — France beats Wales, 11-3 at Stade Colombes to win the Five Nations Rugby Championship outright for the first time.

1974 — Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s home-run record by hitting his 714th.

1983 — Lorenzo Charles scores on a dunk after Derek Whittenburg’s 35-foot desperation shot falls short to give North Carolina State a 54-52 triumph over Houston in the NCAA championship.

1985 — Tulane University cancels its basketball season.

1986 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky breaks his own NHL single-season points record with three assists to increase his total to 214. He scored 212 points in 1981-82.

1987 — New York’s Denis Potvin, the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history, scores his 1,000th point.

1988 — Danny Manning scores 31 points and grabs 18 rebounds as Kansas wins its second NCAA championship with an 83-79 victory over Oklahoma.

1989 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays final NBA game.

1989 — NY Yankee Tommy John ties record of playing 26 seasons.

1993 — Sheryl Swoopes shatters the women’s championship game record by scoring 47 points to lead Texas Tech to an 84-82 victory over Ohio State.

1993 — Mario Andretti, at 53, wins the Valvoline 200 in Phoenix to become the oldest driver to win an Indy car race and the first driver to win a race in four different decades.

1994 — Arkansas wins its first men’s national championship with a 76-72 victory over Duke, depriving the Blue Devils of a third title in four years.

1997 — Anaheim Ducks clinch their 1st-ever playoff berth.

1997 — Braves officially open Turner Field.

1998 — Mark McGwire ties Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games. McGwire launches a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego

2001 — Hideo Nomo becomes the fourth pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore.

2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs becomes the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati.

2004 — Carolina’s Brad Fast beat Florida goalie Roberto Luongo with a wrist shot to tie the game at 6-6 late in the third period. It’s the final tie game in NHL history.

2005 — North Carolina defeats Illinois to win the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship. Sean May has 26 points and the Tar Heels don’t allow a basket over the final 2 1/2 minutes to defeat Illinois 75-70.

2006 — 25th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Maryland beats Duke, 78-75 OT.

2011 — Kemba Walker scores 16 points and Alex Oriakhi has 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Connecticut to a 53-41 win over Butler in the men’s NCAA championship game. g 2015 — The United States defends their women’s world hockey championship with a 7-5 win over Canada.

2016 — Kris Jenkins hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Villanova to the national title with a 77-74 victory over North Carolina — one of the wildest finishes in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Jenkins’ shot comes moments after Marcus Paige hit a double-clutch 3 from beyond the arc to tie the game at 74 with 4.7 seconds left.

2021 — 39th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Stanford Cardinal defeat Arizona Wildcats, 54–53.

TV SPORTS SUNDAY

MLB REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Philadelphia at Washington	1:35pm	NBCS-PHI MASN
Milwaukee at NY Yankees	1:35pm	YES FanDuel Sports WI
Baltimore at Toronto	1:37pm	MASN2 Sportsnet
Pittsburgh at Miami	1:40pm	ATTSN-PIT FanDuel Sports FL
San Francisco at Cincinnati	1:40pm	NBCS-BAY FanDuel Sports Ohio
Cleveland at Kansas City	2:10pm	CleGuardians.TV FanDuel Sports SW
LA Angels at Chi. White Sox	2:10pm	FanDuel Sports West NBCS-CHI
Minnesota at St. Louis	2:15pm	Twins.TV FanDuel Sports MW
Boston at Texas	2:35pm	NESN RSN
Chi. Cubs at Arizona	4:10pm	DBacks.TV MARQ
Athletics at Seattle	4:10pm	NBCS-CA ROOT
Atlanta at San Diego	7:10pm	ESPN
NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Los Angeles Clippers vs Cleveland Cavaliers	3:30pm	FanDuel Sports SoCal FanDuel Sports Ohio
Portland Trail Blazers vs New York Knicks	6:00pm	NBATV MSG Rip City
Detroit Pistons vs Minnesota Timberwolves	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports DET FanDuel Sports North
Charlotte Hornets vs New Orleans Pelicans	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports CHA GCSN
Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs	7:00pm	NBCS-BAY FanDuel Sports SW
Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports WI FanDuel Sports ATL
Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers	7:30pm	Sportsnet NBCS-PHI
Houston Rockets vs Phoenix Suns	9:00pm	NBATV SCHN AFSN
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers	1:00pm	NHLN Scripps Sportsnet
Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals	3:00pm	ESPN+ MSG-BUF MNT
Vancouver Canucks vs Winnipeg Jets	6:00pm	ESPN+ Sportsnet
Utah Hockey Club vs Chicago Blackhawks	4:00pm	ESPN+ Utah16 CHSN
Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins	5:00pm	ESPN+ ATTSN-PIT Sportsnet
New York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes	5:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South MSGSN
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Anaheim Ducks	8:00pm	ESPN+ Victory+ Sportsnet
San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings	10:00pm	ESPN
MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
NCAA Elite Eight: (2) Tennessee vs (1) Houston	2:20pm	CBS Paramount+
NCAA Elite Eight: (2) Michigan State vs (1) Auburn	5:05pm	CBS Paramount+
NCAA HOCKEY	TIME ET	TV
NCAA Tournament	4:30pm	ESPN2
NCAA Tournament	7:00pm	ESPN2
NCAA BASEBALL	TIME ET	TV
California at Louisville	12:00pm	ACCN
Texas at Missouri	2:00pm	SECN
Tennessee at South Carolina	5:00pm	SECN
Virginia Tech at Wake Forest	5:00pm	ACCN
NCAA SOFTBALL	TIME ET	TV
Georgia at Alabama	12:00pm	ESPN2
Florida at Auburn	12:00pm	SECN
Georgia at Alabama	2:00pm	ESPN2
MOTORSPORTS	TIME ET	TV
NASCAR Cup: Cook Out 400	3:00pm	FS1
FIGURE SKATING	TIME ET	TV
World Championships	1:00pm	NBC
LACROSSE	TIME ET	TV
NLL: Halifax at Georgia	4:00pm	ESPNU
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
PGA Tour: Houston Open	1:00pm	GOLF
PGA Tour: Houston Open	3:00pm	NBC
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Serie A: Cagliari vs Monza	6:30am	Paramount+
La Liga: Getafe vs Villarreal	8:00am	ESPN+
FA Cup: Preston North End vs Aston Villa	8:30am	ESPN+
Serie A: Fiorentina vs Atalanta	9:00am	Paramount+
Ligue 1: Toulouse vs Brest	9:00am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Bundesliga: Freiburg vs Union Berlin	9:30am	ESPN+
La Liga: Barcelona vs Girona	10:15am	ESPN+
Ligue 1: Angers SCO vs Rennes	11:15am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Ligue 1: Auxerre vs Montpellier	11:15am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Ligue 1: Le Havre vs Nantes	11:15am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz 05	11:30am	ESPN+
FA Cup: AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City	11:30am	ESPN+
Serie A: Internazionale vs Udinese	12:00pm	Paramount+
La Liga: Athletic Club vs Osasuna	12:30pm	ESPN+
La Liga: Valencia vs Mallorca	12:30pm	ESPN+
Serie A: Napoli vs Milan	2:45pm	Paramount+
Ligue 1: Lille vs Lens	2:45pm	Fanatiz beIN Sports
La Liga: Real Betis vs Sevilla	3:00pm	ESPN+
NWSL: Chicago Red Stars vs Racing Louisville FC	4:00pm	CBSSN fuboTV
MLS: Portland Timbers vs Houston Dynamo	7:00pm	MLS Season Pass
Liga MX: Santos Laguna vs Atlético San Luis	7:00pm	VIX
NWSL: Angel City vs Seattle Reign	8:00pm	CBSSN Paramount+
Liga MX: León vs Pumas UNAM	9:00pm	VIX