CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
CATHEDRAL 7 CARMEL 4
SOUTH ADAMS 8 NORTHEASTERN 3
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 10 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 9 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 2
FRANKTON 11 TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN 1
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 5 FRANKFORT 4
ANDERSON 10 COWAN 0
ANDERSON 4 COWAN 3
WESTERN 16 HAGERSTOWN 2
KOKOMO 16 MUNCIE CENTRAL 4
BLACKFORD 5 EASTERN HANCOCK 2
NORTH CENTRAL 8 AVON 3
COLUMBUS NORTH 11 CHESTERTON 3
GREENFIELD CENTRAL 6 MADISON 4
IRVINGTON PREP 8 CRISPUS ATTUCKS 1
PERRY MERIDIAN 5 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 4
JEFFERSONVILLE 14 WESTFIELD 4
BATESVILLE 13 N. DECATUR 0
NORTHEASTERN 8 S. ADAMS 7
MOUNT VERNON 12 NORTHVIEW 4
BLACKFORD 11 EASTERN HANCOCK 8
FRANKFORT 5 HAMILTON HEIGHTS 2
AVON 9 CROWN POINT 6
KOKOMO 16 MUNCIE CENTRAL 4
SHENANDOAH 2 BLUE RIVER 0
HAGERSTOWN 8 CASCADE 1
SILVER CREEK 10 MOUNT VERNON 0
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/BASEBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/20/2023
SECTIONAL BRACKETS:
CENTRAL INDIANA SOFTBALL SCORES
BISHOP CHATARD 10 BREBEUF 4
RONCALLI 11 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 0
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/SOFTBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/20/2023
SECTIONAL BRACKETS:
NBA PLAYOFFS
DENVER 119 LA LAKERS 108
WNBA
WINGS 85 DREAM 78
ACES 105 STORM 64
NHL PLAYOFFS
FLORIDA 2 CAROLINA 1 OT
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
CLEVELAND AT NY METS POSTPONED
TEXAS 11 COLORADO 5
WASHINGTON 5 DETROIT 2
NY YANKEES 7 CINCINNATI 4 (10)
TAMPA BAY 8 MILWAUKEE 4
SEATTLE 7 ATLANTA 3
BOSTON 4 SAN DIEGO 2
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 KANSAS CITY 1
BALTIMORE 6 TORONTO 5 (10)
HOUSTON 3 OAKLAND 2
MINNESOTA 6 LA ANGELS 2
PHILADELPHIA 12 CHICAGO CUBS 3
ARIZONA 4 PITTSBURGH 3
MIAMI 1 SAN FRANCISCO 0
ST. LOUIS 6 LA DODGERS 5
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
IOWA 2 INDIANAPOLIS 1
IOWA 1 INDIANAPOLIS 0
SOUTH BEND 3 BELOIT 2
FORT WAYNE 5 DAYTON 1
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
ST. JOHN’S 14 BUTLER 4
INDIANA 6 MICHIGAN STATE 5
NEBRASKA 6 PURDUE 4
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 9 MILWAUKEE 3
KENT STATE 11 BALL STATE 5
INDIANA STATE 9 MISSOURI STATE 5
INDIANA STATE 14 MISSOURI STATE 4
ILLINOIS STATE 10 VALPARAISO 3
EVANSVILLE 2 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 1
SOUTHERN INDIANA 8 TENNESSEE TECH 6
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD: http://hosted.stats.com/golf/final.asp?tour=PGA
NCAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT REGIONALS
NORMAN REGIONAL (NORMAN, OKLAHOMA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: NO. 1 OKLAHOMA 11, HOFSTRA 0 (5)
GAME 2: MISSOURI 5, CALIFORNIA 1 (8)
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 1 OKLAHOMA 11, MISSOURI 0 (6 INNINGS)
GAME 4: CALIFORNIA 7, HOFSTRA 0 (HOFSTRA ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: CALIFORNIA VS. MISSOURI, 8 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 1 OKLAHOMA VS. WINNER GAME 5, 2 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
CLEMSON REGIONAL (CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA).
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: NO. 16 CLEMSON 17, UNC GREENSBORO 2 (5)
GAME 2: AUBURN 12, CAL STATE FULLERTON 2
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 16 CLEMSON 7, AUBURN 0
GAME 4: CAL STATE FULLERTON 5, UNC GREENSBORO 0 (UNC GREENSBORO ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: AUBURN 5, CAL STATE FULLERTON 0 (CAL STATE FULLERTON ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 16 CLEMSON VS. AUBURN, NOON, ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 2:30 P.M., ESPN+
DURHAM REGIONAL (DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: NO. 8 DUKE 2, GEORGE MASON 1
GAME 2: CHARLOTTE 7, CAMPBELL 2
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 8 DUKE 5, CHARLOTTE 0
GAME 4: CAMPBELL 7, GEORGE MASON 1 (GEORGE MASON ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: CHARLOTTE 6, CAMPBELL 4 (CAMPBELL ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 8 DUKE VS. CHARLOTTE, NOON, ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 2:30 P.M., ESPN+
STANFORD REGIONAL (STANFORD, CALIFORNIA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: FLORIDA 3, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 2
GAME 2: NO. 9 STANFORD 1, LONG BEACH STATE 0
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 9 STANFORD 8, FLORIDA 0
GAME 4: LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 2, LONG BEACH STATE 1 (LONG BEACH STATE ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: LOYOLA MARYMOUNT VS. FLORIDA, 10 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 9 STANFORD VS. WINNER GAME 5, 4 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 6:30 P.M., ESPN+
TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL (TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: MIDDLE TENNESSEE 8, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 0
GAME 2: NO. 5 ALABAMA 5, LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY 0
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 5 ALABAMA 12, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 5
GAME 4: CENTRAL ARKANSAS 15, LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY 0 (5 INNINGS)
GAME 5: MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 0 (CENTRAL ARKANSAS ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 5 ALABAMA VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE, 2 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
EVANSTON REGIONAL (EVANSTON, ILLINOIS)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: KENTUCKY 9, MIAMI (OHIO) 1 (6)
GAME 2: NO. 12 NORTHWESTERN 2, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 12 NORTHWESTERN 10, KENTUCKY 8
GAME 4: MIAMI (OHIO) 4, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0 (EASTERN ILLINOIS ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: MIAMI (OHIO) 9, KENTUCKY 0 (KENTUCKY ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 12 NORTHWESTERN VS. MIAMI (OHIO), 4 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 6:30 P.M., ESPN+
AUSTIN REGIONAL (AUSTIN, TEXAS)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: NO. 13 TEXAS 8, SETON HALL 0 (5)
GAME 2: TEXAS A&M 2, TEXAS STATE 1 (8)
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 13 TEXAS 2, TEXAS A&M 1
GAME 4: TEXAS STATE 4, SETON HALL 3 (SETON HALL ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: TEXAS STATE VS. TEXAS A&M, 8 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 13 TEXAS VS. WINNER GAME 5, 2 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL (KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: INDIANA 4, LOUISVILLE 3
GAME 2: NO. 4 TENNESSEE 12, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 0
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 4 TENNESSEE 9, INDIANA 1 (5 INNINGS)
GAME 4: NORTHERN KENTUCKY VS. LOUISVILLE, 3:30 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 5: WINNER GAME 4 VS. INDIANA, 6 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 4 TENNESSEE VS. WINNER GAME 5, 2 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL (TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE 9, MARIST 0 (5)
GAME 2: UCF 6, SOUTH CAROLINA 1
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE 5, UCF 1
GAME 4: SOUTH CAROLINA 2, MARIST 1 (MARIST ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: SOUTH CAROLINA 10, UCF 1 (UCF ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE VS. SOUTH CAROLINA, 4 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 6:30 P.M., ESPN+
ATHENS REGIONAL (ATHENS, GEORGIA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: VIRGINIA TECH 6, BOSTON UNIVERSITY 1
GAME 2: NO. 14 GEORGIA 12, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 0 (12)
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 14 GEORGIA 8, VIRGINIA TECH 3
GAME 4: BOSTON UNIVERSITY 8, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 0 (NC CENTRAL ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: VIRGINIA TECH 9, BOSTON UNIVERSITY 0 (5 INNINGS) (BU ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 14 GEORGIA VS. VIRGINIA TECH, NOON, ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 2:30 P.M., ESPN+
FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL (FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: OREGON 5, NOTRE DAME 4
GAME 2: NO. 11 ARKANSAS 11, HARVARD 0 (5)
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: OREGON 10, NO. 11 ARKANSAS 4
GAME 4: NOTRE DAME 5, HARVARD 2 (HARVARD ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: NO. 11 ARKANSAS 5, NOTRE DAME 0 (NOTRE DAME ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: OREGON VS. NO. 11 ARKANSAS, 2 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
STILLWATER REGIONAL (STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: NO. 6 OKLAHOMA STATE 9, UMBC 0
GAME 2: WICHITA STATE 6, NEBRASKA 5
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 6 OKLAHOMA STATE 6, WICHITA STATE 0
GAME 4: NEBRASKA 3, UMBC 2 (UMBC ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: NEBRASKA VS. WICHITA STATE, 8 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 6 OKLAHOMA STATE VS. WINNER GAME 5, 4 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 6:30 P.M., ESPN+
SEATTLE REGIONAL (SEATTLE, WASHINGTON)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: MCNEESE 5, MINNESOTA 4 (13)
GAME 2: NO. 7 WASHINGTON 10, NORTHERN COLORADO 2
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 7 WASHINGTON 3, MCNEESE 1
GAME 4: MINNESOTA 4, NORTHERN COLORADO 0 (NORTHERN COLORADO ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: MINNESOTA VS. MCNEESE, 10 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 7 WASHINGTON VS. WINNER GAME 5, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 7 P.M., ESPN+
BATON ROUGE REGIONAL (BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: LOUISIANA 5, OMAHA 0
GAME 2: NO. 10 LSU 12, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 2
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 10 LSU 4, LOUISIANA 0
GAME 4: OMAHA 3, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 0 (PRAIRIE VIEW A&M ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: LOUISIANA 9, OMAHA 0 (5 INNINGS) (OMAHA ELIMINATED)
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 10 LSU VS. LOUISIANA, 2 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
SALT LAKE CITY REGIONAL (SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: OLE MISS 3, BAYLOR 0
GAME 2: NO. 15 UTAH 11, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 9
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: NO. 15 UTAH 7, OLE MISS 1
GAME 4: BAYLOR 13, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 9 (9 INNINGS) (SOUTHERN ILLINOIS ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: BAYLOR 4 VS. OLE MISS, 11 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: NO. 15 UTAH VS. WINNER GAME 5, 2 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 4:30 P.M., ESPN+
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL (LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA)
FRIDAY:
GAME 1: GRAND CANYON 3, NO. 2 UCLA 2
GAME 2: SAN DIEGO STATE 7, LIBERTY 0
SATURDAY:
GAME 3: SAN DIEGO STATE 6, GRAND CANYON 0
GAME 4: LIBERTY 2, NO. 2 UCLA 1 (UCLA ELIMINATED)
GAME 5: LIBERTY VS. GRAND CANYON, 10 P.M., ESPN+
SUNDAY:
GAME 6: SAN DIEGO STATE VS. WINNER GAME 5, 6 P.M., ESPN+
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY): REMATCH GAME 6, 8:30 P.M., ESPN+
BEST OF THREE SERIES
THURSDAY, MAY 25 THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 28
USFL SCORES
SHOWBOATS 22 MAULERS 0
STALLIONS 27 PANTHERS 13
TOP NATIONAL NEWS
NBA PLAYOFFS/NEWS
NUGGETS ON BRINK OF NBA FINALS WITH 119-108 WIN OVER LAKERS IN GAME 3
LOS ANGELES (AP) Nikola Jokic was far from his usual dominant self while mired in foul trouble, and Jamal Murray cooled off after his scorching first half. The Denver Nuggets’ big early lead disappeared entirely in the fourth quarter of Game 3, and the Lakers’ home crowd was in a frenzy.
The Nuggets weathered every setback and calmly, methodically took control with a poise worthy of champions.
With one more victory, they’ll finally get the chance to play for their first rings.
Murray scored 37 points, Jokic added 24 points and eight assists and the Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half against his former team for the top-seeded Nuggets, who have never been this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league. Denver is making its fifth straight playoff appearance, and the ultimate stage is now just one win away.
“I learn a lot about this team every time we play,” Caldwell-Pope said. “We have that dog mentality where no matter if we’re up, down, we’re going to continue to fight and play our game, and do it at a high level. We’re going to continue to do that for the rest of these games.”
Denver blew a 14-point lead in Game 3, but made a decisive 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to snap the Lakers’ nine-game home winning streak since March 26, including seven straight victories since the regular season ended. The Nuggets excelled down the stretch with Murray and Jokic repeatedly running a two-man pick-and-roll game suggested by “Coach Jokic,” according to coach Michael Malone.
“This group is capable of doing great things, and they believe,” Malone said. “Belief is a very powerful thing.”
No team has rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit in NBA history. Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.
“I can’t speak for the guys right now because I don’t know what’s going through all their minds, but I still (believe),” said LeBron James, who had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. “So it’s time to go right back home and start to refuel and start the treatment process and recovery process and get ready for Monday. My mindset is always locked in.”
Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who hadn’t lost three straight games since early February. Los Angeles’ prolonged, desperate surge ever since the trade deadline has finally run out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets, who have won five consecutive playoff games.
“They’ve been at the top of the food chain for a reason, and have a plethora of guys that can hurt you, as was on full display tonight,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “But you know, circumstances are what they are. Difficult, but not impossible.”
James hit three 3-pointers after starting the series 0 for 13 from distance, and Austin Reaves added 23 points and seven rebounds. But Rui Hachimura was the only other Lakers scorer to crack double figures with 13 points, and they couldn’t counter the Nuggets’ balanced effort down the stretch.
“Our backs have been against the wall (for) probably about the last two months, maybe more than that since the trade deadline,” Reaves said. “Swinging, throwing punches to fight to get to this opportunity. … We can either come out Monday and go home, or we can fight for another day. And with the group of guys that we’ve got, I know what that answer will be.”
Jokic’s streak of four consecutive triple-doubles ended in a fairly quiet game for the two-time MVP, who got his fourth foul in the third quarter. But Murray scored 17 points in a dynamic first quarter following his 23-point fourth quarter two nights ago, and he had 30 points by halftime of Game 3.
Bruce Brown scored 15 points and hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch for the Nuggets before Jokic all but iced it on a 3-pointer with 3:17 to play.
The Lakers’ passionate fans turned out in force for the 17-time champion franchise’s first conference finals games at home since 2010. Los Angeles tried desperately to get back in the series, with James playing 43 minutes after spraining his left ankle in Game 2 on top of his already sore right foot.
But the Nuggets’ flight to the coast didn’t cool off Murray in the slightest: The Canadian guard poured in 17 points in the first quarter and had 26 midway through the second. Reaves racked up 15 points, three assists and three rebounds in the second quarter alone to keep LA in it.
Hachimura’s 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Lakers their first lead since the opening minutes, but the Nuggets took charge again in a rally highlighted by Brown’s 3-pointer with 7:02 to play, after which he taunted the Lakers’ bench with Los Angeles’ own “Freeze” 3-point celebration.
D’Angelo Russell had another rough game for the Lakers, scoring three points on 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. The Lakers’ biggest addition in their trade deadline transformation has just 21 points in the series.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon had seven points in 32 minutes. … Michael Porter Jr. had 14 points and 10 rebounds, capped by a 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds.
Lakers: Backup C Mo Bamba missed his ninth consecutive game with a sore left ankle. The team is hopeful Bamba can play at some point in this series. … Fans near courtside included Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Andy Garcia, Dyan Cannon, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, LA Kings captain Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty, and Khalil Mack, Derwin James and Sebastian Joseph-Day from the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense.
NHL PLAYOFFS
TKACHUK SCORES ANOTHER OT WINNER, LIFTING PANTHERS TO 2-0 SERIES LEAD VS HURRICANES
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Matthew Tkachuk finished off a second straight overtime win – this time needing only a few minutes instead of four extra periods – then pointed again toward the door along the boards that led to the locker room.
He skated over as Florida Panthers teammates joined him, then motioned to lead them off the ice.
It was time to celebrate the latest big moment in a growing list of them this postseason for a team that needed a late push just to make the playoffs, but now stands just two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final.
Tkachuk finished a feed from Sam Reinhart at the 1:51 mark of overtime to help the Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 on Saturday night, taking a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference final.
It marked an eighth straight road win in these playoffs and helped Florida improve to 6-0 in overtime in the postseason.
“We’re a confident group no matter where we’re playing,” forward Sam Bennett said.
There certainly is no reason to feel otherwise, not as they close in on their first Stanley Cup Final since 1996 – also the last time they made it to the East final.
The Panthers rallied from a 3-1 first-round deficit to stun Boston after the Bruins’ record-setting regular season, then blew past Toronto in a five-game second-round series. Now they’ve won the first two games on the road for the second straight series, this time against the team that had the league’s second-best regular-season record.
The Panthers took the series opener in epic fashion, beating the Hurricanes on Tkachuk’s goal with 12.7 seconds left in the fourth OT early Friday to end the sixth-longest game in NHL postseason history – along with the longest game in the history of each franchise.
The hours since had become what Panthers coach Paul Maurice called “a race to recover” with both teams paying a “huge cost.”
This time, Tkachuk came through on the power play much quicker as Florida pressed an advantage with Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin lost his stick. Bennett sent a pass to the left side for Reinhart, who zipped the puck across to Tkachuk for the easy finish against a sprawled-out Antti Raanta in what amounted to a 2-on-0 opportunity.
Then came his point to the exit, which he did after players started gathering to celebrate with him after Game 1. Only this time, it was a much shorter skate being on the same end of the ice.
“Let’s get out of here, it’s been a lot of hockey the last two games,” Tkachuk said of the message, adding: “It’s just great to end it early. Great pass to start by (Bennett) and a great pass by (Reinhart) to make it really, really easy for me, so it was awesome.”
It marked Tkachuk’s third overtime winner in the playoffs, which includes a Game 5 road win in the Boston upset.
Aleksander Barkov added a highlight-reel goal for Florida in the second period, while Sergei Bobrovsky again befuddled Carolina with 37 stops.
Jalen Chatfield scored Carolina’s lone goal on a deflection in the opening minutes, while Raanta finished with 24 saves.
Carolina is in the Eastern Conference final for the second time during a five-year playoff run, but the Hurricanes have now lost 10 straight games in this round going back to 2009.
“We’ve been through this,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s not new to us. We’ve been kicked in the teeth a lot these last few years and we’ve always responded, so I’m pretty sure we will the next game.”
They’re running out of time to recover. Florida has home-ice advantage for the next two games, starting Monday with Game 3.
SWEET MOVE
Barkov’s goal came after he got loose and alone with Raanta after Florida had won a battle along the boards and got the puck to its captain.
Barkov started to slide the puck between his legs, freezing Raanta for a potential flip toward the net. But Barkov pulled the puck back forward and under his left skate and smoothly backhanded it into the net at 7:43 of the second to tie it at 1-1.
“He’s the least showboating player I’ve ever coached by far,” Maurice said.“But he pulle d that move because that was the only move that was going to work. … So when it went through his legs, he decided it wasn’t going to go and made the best move he could. I’ve never seen that.”
STRONG IN NET
Florida stuck with its Game 1 lineup, including Bobrovsky after his 60-save performance. The Hurricanes swapped goaltenders after Frederik Andersen’s heavy workload and started Raanta, who started the first five games of the postseason and had gone 19-3-3 during the regular season.
Bobrovsky held up against Carolina’s withering start and made multiple big stops all night. His best might have been when he made it across the crease in time to get to Teuvo Teravainen’s backdoor attempt with his blocker after Martin Necas’ quick feed in the second.
It was Raanta’s first start since Game 5 against the New York Islanders on April 25.
MORE ON TKACHUK
Tkachuk joins Anaheim’s Corey Perry (2017), Montreal’s Maurice Richard (1951) and Boston’s Mel Hill (1939) as players with three overtime goals in a single postseason.
He also joined Richard and Hill in scoring OT goals in the first two games of a single series.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUND-UP
Aaron Judge collected four hits, reached base five times and hit a tiebreaking two-strike single with one out in the 10th inning as the visiting New York Yankees rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday afternoon.
Judge lined an 0-2 pitch from Ian Gibaut (3-1) over third baseman Nick Senzel to plate the go-ahead run. Anthony Rizzo, who hit a tying single in New York’s three-run fifth, padded the lead with a two-run homer down the right field line for his 24th career homer in Cincinnati.
Judge posted his seventh career four-hit game and fifth since the start of last season. Clay Holmes (2-2) struck out Jonathan India on a check swing with a runner on first to send the game to extra innings. Ryan Weber pitched a perfect 10th for his second career save.
Jake Fraley and Spencer Steer hit RBI singles before Luke Maile hit a two-run homer in the fourth to give Cincinnati a 4-1 lead. The Reds have lost five of their last six games.
Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5 (10 innings)
Visiting Baltimore scored on a poor throw by third baseman Matt Chapman in the 10th inning to defeat Toronto.
Adam Frazier sacrificed automatic runner Ryan Mountcastle to third with Yimi Garcia (1-1) pitching in the 10th. Mountcastle scored when Chapman’s throw home hit him on Austin Hays’ grounder to third. Ryan O’Hearn had four RBIs for Baltimore, including a three-run home run that tied the game in the eighth.
George Springer hit a two-run homer for Toronto and Danny Jansen added a solo shot. Toronto starter Alek Manoah allowed two runs, six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. He was forced to leave the game when Jays manager John Schneider went out to the mound without realizing it was the second visit of the inning.
Phillies 12, Cubs 3
Kyle Schwarber’s grand slam highlighted a six-run first and Aaron Nola allowed two runs while striking out 10 over seven innings as Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak with a rout of visiting Chicago.
Kody Clemens (2-for-4) added a two-run shot in the first. Nola (4-3) allowed only a two-run, sixth-inning homer to Dansby Swanson, plus three other hits and one walk, while lasting seven innings for a second consecutive outing.
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (0-3) was charged with eight runs (six earned) while giving up six hits and three walks in just 2 1/3 innings, as Chicago lost for the 18th time in 26 games. Christopher Morel extended his hitting streak to 10 games since making his debut on May 9.
White Sox 5, Royals 1
Lucas Giolito pitched six strong innings to lead host Chicago to a win over Kansas City.
Giolito (3-3) turned in his eighth consecutive start of at least six innings, surrendering a run on six hits and a walk, fanning four. Jake Burger provided the big hit, a bases-clearing double to the wall in right center, expanding the White Sox’s lead to 5-1 in the sixth.
Kansas City starter Jordan Lyles (0-8) went five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks, striking out five. Over 10 starts, Lyles has a career-worst eight consecutive losses, and his 7.15 ERA is the highest in the majors among starters. Salvador Perez had three hits off Giolito, including his fifth homer off the veteran righty.
Rangers 11, Rockies 5
Corey Seager homered for the first time since returning from the injured list and Jon Gray turned in a solid start as Texas rolled to a victory over Colorado in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers finished the day with 15 hits, including three-hit games by Seager, Marcus Semien and Nathaniel Lowe. Gray (4-1), who pitched with the Rockies from 2015-21, allowed one run on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts over five innings.
Colorado starter Kyle Freeland (4-5) was charged with eight runs (five earned) on nine hits with no strikeouts in just two innings. The Rockies scored one run in the fourth inning, three in the eighth and one in the ninth. Harold Castro drove in two runs while Jurickson Profar had three hits.
Nationals 5, Tigers 2
Lane Thomas’ go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning lifted host Washington over Detroit to snap a four-game losing streak.
Thomas went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Patrick Corbin pitched six strong innings for the Nationals. Jeimer Candelario went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs.
Spencer Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Tigers, who head into Sunday’s rubber match having dropped two of their past three contests. Jonathan Schoop also had two hits for Detroit.
Diamondbacks 4, Pirates 3
Pavin Smith’s go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh lifted visiting Arizona to a win over Pittsburgh.
Ketel Marte also homered and Corbin Carroll added an RBI single for the Diamondbacks. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt gave up three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, while Kyle Nelson (4-1) pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Miguel Castro pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a three-run triple for the Pirates, who had won three of four. Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller gave up two runs and three hits in six innings, with eight strikeouts and no walks. Robert Stephenson (0-2) allowed two runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Marlins 1, Giants 0
Jon Berti broke a scoreless tie with an eighth-inning single, Braxton Garrett combined with three relievers on a three-hit shutout and Miami squared its three-game series with host San Francisco at a game apiece with a victory.
The game’s only run was unearned as the result of a fielding error by Giants third baseman J.D. Davis to open the eighth. It allowed Garrett Hampson to reach base, from where he advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Xavier Edwards. Berti then lashed his hit off Tyler Rogers (0-4) into right field.
The outcome was decided by the bullpens after Garrett and Giants ace Logan Webb matched zeroes into the seventh inning. Garrett allowed a single to Thairo Estrada, the Giants’ first batter of the game, but no others in 6 1/3 innings. Webb was nearly as good, limiting the Marlins to four hits in six innings.
Astros 3, Athletics 2
Yordan Alvarez cracked a tiebreaking home run leading off the eighth inning and Houston claimed its series against visiting Oakland with a victory.
Alvarez smacked his 10th homer of the season by driving a 3-1 slider from Oakland reliever Richard Lovelady (0-2) 392 feet into the right field seats. Astros closer Ryan Pressly secured the victory, the sixth in a row by Houston, with his eighth save.
Astros rookie right-hander Hunter Brown was exceptional, recording a career-high nine strikeouts, with Oakland’s Ryan Noda serving as the thorn in his side. Noda scored one of the Athletics’ runs and drove in the other with a sacrifice fly.
Rays 8, Brewers 4
Yandy Diaz belted a three-run home run and Zach Eflin struck out eight in seven innings as Tampa Bay defeated Milwaukee in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Diaz returned to the lineup after missing four games due to left groin tightness, and the Tampa Bay first baseman extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a three-hit game. Eflin (6-1) surrendered two home runs and yielded three runs, but gave the Rays a strong seven innings. He allowed four hits.
Harold Ramirez and Christian Bethancourt also homered for the Rays, who have won the first two games in the three-game series. Brewers left-hander Eric Lauer (4-5) allowed three home runs and six runs in three-plus innings.
Mariners 7, Braves 3
Logan Gilbert pitched six strong innings, retiring 15 in a row at one point, and visiting Seattle ended a three-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta.
Gilbert (2-2) allowed two runs on four hits, with one walk and nine strikeouts, as he improved his career road record to 15-3. The Seattle offense was led by Eugenio Suarez, who was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBIs.
Atlanta opener Jesse Chavez pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed one hit and one walk while recording three strikeouts. But replacement Michael Tonkin (3-2) was tagged for five runs (two earned) on six hits in his two innings. Matt Olson had a two-run homer for the Braves.
Cardinals 6, Dodgers 5
Nolan Gorman hit the decisive three-run homer in the eighth inning to lift St. Louis over visiting Los Angeles.
Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings. Reliever Ryan Helsley (2-2) got the victory and Giovanny Gallegos snuffed the Dodgers’ ninth-inning rally to earn his fourth save.
J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer for the Dodgers, who suffered just their fifth loss in 21 games. Los Angeles starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. Victor Gonzalez (1-1) took the loss after allowing Gorman’s eighth-inning homer.
BIG TEN ANNOUNCES 2023 BASEBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced Saturday the bracket for the 2023 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, scheduled for May 23-28 at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb.
The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will determine the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Maryland, which won outright its second-straight Big Ten Championship on Saturday, has earned the No. 1 seed.
The tournament begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT when No. 3 seed Iowa (39-13) takes on No. 6 seed Michigan (26-26). No. 2 seed Indiana (40-16) faces No. 7 seed Illinois (25-25) at 2 p.m. followed by top-seeded Maryland (37-19) versus No. 8 seed Michigan State (32-20) at 6 p.m. No. 4 seed Nebraska (31-21-1) encounters No. 5 seed Rutgers (33-21) on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Big Ten Network will broadcast every game of the tournament.
MEN’S GOLF
KOEPKA A TOUGH CUSTOMER ON A TOUGH DAY TO LEAD PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) Brooks Koepka has his health back, along with his swagger. Now he gets another chance to restore his reputation as golf’s toughest customer in the toughest championships.
Oak Hill was every bit of that on a rainy Saturday in the PGA Championship, and Koepka was up to the task. With three big birdies over the last seven holes, Koepka had a 4-under 66 – the low round at Oak Hill for the second straight day – to build a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners.
“I like it when it’s difficult. Today was super difficult,” Koepka said. And then with the slightest grin he added, “I’ll take 4 under.”
Now he has to finish it off, just like he did with such great poise when he won back-to-back in the U.S. Open (2017-18) and then back-to-back in the PGA Championship (2018-19), earning the rank of “Major Brooks.”
This is his second straight 54-hole lead in a major. He was two ahead at the Masters until playing it safe in the final round and closing with a 75 as Jon Rahm tracked him down and beat him by four shots.
“I know what I did,” Koepka said. “I promise I won’t show up like that tomorrow.”
It wasn’t just the Masters.
Koepka was two behind Dustin Johnson going into the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park when he boldly said, “When I’ve been in this position before, I’ve capitalized. He’s only won one. I’m playing good. I don’t know, we’ll see.” And then he shot 74 and tied for 29th.
A year later, he played in the final group with Phil Mickelson at Kiawah Island in the PGA Championship, played the par 5s in 4 over and shot 74 to finish second.
Koepka has looked so strong that he has made only two bogeys the last two rounds, as pivotal as his 10 birdies on an Oak Hill course that’s a brute even in pleasant weather. Only nine players broke par on Saturday. He was more than 6 1/2 strokes better than the average score.
The last player to have the low score in the second and third rounds of a major championship was Tiger Woods in the 1997 Masters, which he won by a record 12 shots.
Koepka, who was at 6-under 204, won’t have it that easy.
Conners played Oak Hill like a U.S. Open – that’s what this PGA Championship feels like – by opening with two birdies and 13 pars that kept him in front for so much of the wet, grueling day. And then one swing changed everything.
He was in a bunker right of the 16th fairway when he hit the ball so thin that it disappeared into the lip of the soggy turf. Conners wasn’t sure where it went, looking up as if it had bounced out toward the fairway.
It was plugged deep in the sod, and Conners had to drop it in gnarly rough on top of a mound framing the bunker. He did well to advance that toward the green into more thick grass and took double bogey.
“Wish I could have that one back,” he said.
Conners, in control for so long, settled himself for two tough pars for a 70.
Hovland overcame mistakes early with three birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn. But then the Norwegian failed to take advantage of the scoring stretch – Nos. 13, 14 and 15 – and took bogey from the bunker on the 18th hole for a 70.
He will be in the final group of a major for the second time. Hovland was tied with Rory McIlroy in the British Open at St. Andrews last summer and closed with a 74.
Missing from all this activity was Scottie Scheffler, the No. 2 player in the world, who started with two straight bogeys and didn’t make a birdie – his only one of the round – until the 14th hole. He shot a 73, but is still very much in the mix.
“I didn’t shoot myself out of it on a day where the conditions were tough and I didn’t have my best stuff,” Scheffler said. “I hung in there pretty good and didn’t post the number I wanted to, but I’m still only four back going into tomorrow. And if I go out and have a great round, I think I’ll have a decent chance.”
So is Bryson DeChambeau, who played with Koepka and took double bogey on the sixth hole for the second straight day. He ground out a 70 and was three shots behind.
McIlroy was about like the weather – promising and then bleak – during a wild round that ended with a par save for a 69. He was among only seven players under still under par, but still five shots behind the four-time major champion Koepka.
Asked if there was a 65 at Oak Hill, McIlroy said he would have to keep mistakes off his card.
“I have to believe that there is a score like that out there because … I’m going to have to shoot something like that to have a chance to win,” he said.
Oak Hill was already difficult. And then rain began at the start of play. It never really let up except for a brief burst of sunshine and shadows, and then the showers returned. Fairways were framed by umbrellas. The rough was thick and wet. McIlroy was among players who wore their caps backward to keep rain from dripping off the bill.
Koepka motored along, and he was particularly sharp with the putter on the back nine. He holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 12th and made one from 18 feet on the par-5 13th. The real boost came on the 17th, when he rolled one in from just outside 45 feet.
“Felt like it was a bit more aggressive today,” Koepka said of his putting. “Especially on the back nine, and putts started banging in the back of the hole.”
And then came Conners’ blunder on the 16th, Hovland’s bogey on the 18th, and Koepka was all by himself atop the leaderboard as he chases a fifth major, and a third PGA Championship. Since the PGA switched to stroke play, only Jack Nicklaus (five) and Tiger Woods (four) have won the Wanamaker Trophy at least three times.
“That would be pretty special to be in a category with them,” Koepka said.
Also at stake: A victory moves him to No. 2 in the Ryder Cup standings. Because Koepka plays for LIV Golf, he can only earn Ryder Cup points in the majors.
Justin Rose joined Scheffler at 2-under 208, still very much in range. And no one appears to be having more fun than California club pro Michael Block. He had another round of 70 and tied for eighth, the first club pro to be in the top 10 after 54 holes since 1990 at Shoal Creek.
NASCAR NEWS
SUAREZ, BUESCHER EARN FRONT ROW STARTS FOR NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE AFTER HEAT WINS
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher will start on the front row for Sunday night’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway after winning their respective 60-lap heats.
Suarez beat out Joey Logano in the first heat at the .625-mile renovated track on a night in which NASCAR experimented with its wet weather tire package for the first time on the Cup Series cars following a light, but steady rain. Buescher won the second heat after leading all 60 laps as drivers started on slick tires before NASCAR had them switch to the wet weather tires for the second half of the race after some drizzle.
Joey Logano and Austin Dillon will start on the second row, while Chase Briscoe and William Byron will be on the third row.
The 21 drivers who qualified for the 200-lap All-Star race by virtue of their past accomplishments were divided into two heats as part of a unique format for this year’s race. They will be joined Sunday night by the top two finishers from the All-Star Open, which precedes the actual All-Star race, and the top fan vote getter.
Suarez, driving the No. 99 Chevy, passed Chase Elliott on lap 27 and led the rest of the way in heat one.
“It was fun to go through the transitions and learn about the tire and learn about the track,” said Suarez, who has never won an All-Star race. “I’m proud of our team and we have had a lot of speed lately.”
Buescher has not won an All-Star race, either, but dominated the second heat despite the mid-race change in tires.
“I think we are in a good place for tomorrow,” Buescher said.
There were no crashes in either of the heats as drivers were careful to save their cars for Sunday night.
NASCAR used the heats as a way to experiment with their wet weather tire package, something they’ve wanted to do for some time.
They threw a caution flag halfway through the first heat requiring a non-competition pit stop, and all but one of the drivers radioed in that they were wanted to stick with the wet weather setup for the remainder of the race.
“I felt like we had more grip with the wet weather tires,” Suarez said.
Logano said the drivers could have raced on the slick tires because the track wasn’t that wet, but he said he understands the decision and NASCAR taking advantage of the opportunity to see how they performed.
“I thought it went pretty good,” Christopher Bell said of the wet weather tire experiment.
Like many Cup drivers, Bell ran the Truck Series race earlier in the day and said he learned something about the track.
“This place is very unique,” Bell said. “There are a lot of patches that you can manipulate your car to get it to do certain things.”
North Wilkesboro, which hasn’t hosted a Cup Series event since 1996, was restored with help of Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith and Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. for NASCAR’s 75th year anniversary season.
“It’s character,” Buescher said of the asphalt track, which hasn’t been paved in more than three decades. “There are patches everywhere, there are cracks in the track, the aprons rub. It’s a little bit of everything.”
Although it will be a non-points exhibition race, Logano said drivers will be geared up Sunday night.
“There’s a million dollars on the line and I’m coming in relaxed for that,” Logano said. “It matters to me. I know points matter as well, but there are not many races where you can race for a million bucks and you probably need to take that pretty serious.”
HORSE RACING
BAFFERT BACK FROM BAN, WINS PREAKNESS WITH NATIONAL TREASURE AFTER ANOTHER HORSE EUTHANIZED
BALTIMORE (AP) Bob Baffert choked back tears and his voice cracked while he tried to juggle the conflicting feelings of seeing one of his horses win the Preakness Stakes hours after another was euthanized on the same track.
“This business is twists and turns, ups and downs,” the Hall of Fame trainer said. “To win this – losing that horse today really hurt. … It’s been a very emotional day.”
National Treasure won the Preakness on Saturday in Baffert’s return to the Triple Crown trail following a suspension, ending Kentucky Derby champion Mage’s Triple Crown bid in the race Baffert has now captured more than any other trainer. But the joy was tempered by the agony of another 3-year-old colt, Havnameltdown, injuring his left front leg in an undercard race and being put down.
“When he got hurt, it’s just the most sickening feeling a trainer can have,” Baffert said. “It put a damper on the afternoon.”
It also put the sport squarely back in a familiar spot, two weeks after seven horses died in a 10-day span at Churchill Downs leading up to the Derby.
National Treasure did not run in the Derby at Churchill Downs, where Baffert has been barred the past two years because of a suspension stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed drug test that led to a disqualification in that race. Medina Spirit was Baffert’s most recent Preakness horse, finishing third.
The 5-2 second choice Saturday, National Treasure came through, delivering Baffert a record-breaking eighth victory in the Preakness and his 17th in a Triple Crown race, also the most among trainers. National Treasure held off hard-charging Blazing Sevens down the stretch to win the 1 3/16-mile, $1.65 million race by a head in 1:55.12.
“He fought the whole way,” said jockey John Velazquez, who won the Preakness for the first time in his 13th try. “He put up a really good fight. … That’s what champions do.”
National Treasure paid $7.80 to win, $4 to place and $2.60 to show. Blazing Sevens paid $5 to place and $2.80 to show.
Mage finished third after going off as the 7-5 favorite, paying $2.40 to show. Despite the smallest Preakness field since 1986, horses at the lead went much slower than in the Derby, which did not benefit Mage’s running style of closing late and passing tired rivals down the stretch.
“Slow, very slow,” Mage’s trainer, Gustavo Delgado Sr., said.
Mage’s defeat means there will not be a Triple Crown winner for a fifth consecutive year since Baffert’s Justify in 2018.
Baffert became the face of the sport after his American Pharoah ended a 37-year Triple Crown drought in 2015. Since Medina Spirit was DQed from the Derby, though, Baffert has turned into a polarizing figure. In addition to his Churchill Downs punishment, he was forced to miss the Preakness and Belmont last year because of a related suspension in Kentucky that Maryland and New York honored.
On Saturday, he was back at a major race – and, thanks to National Treasure, back in the winner’s circle.
“You can’t do it without the group of owners I have that have stuck by me through all of this negative, all this bad stuff that’s happened to me in the last few years,” Baffert said. “Days like this, it’s not really vindication. It’s just, I feel like we have a moment where we can enjoy it.”
Even that wasn’t simple, given the somber scene earlier in the day, when Havnameltdown stumbled and unseated jockey Luis Saez.
While Saez was being attended to, black barriers were propped up on the dirt track while the horse was euthanized. All the while, 2Pac’s “California Love” blared from the infield speakers at what is intended as an annual daylong celebration of thoroughbred racing.
“It felt like a knife to my heart when I saw it,” Velazquez said. “It’s devastating when you see it. When a horse suffers something like this – and the jockey on top of it – you feel it.”
Saez went to the hospital but was conscious, and his agent said X-rays were negative.
While expressing concern for Saez, Baffert said he was still grieving about Havnameltdown.
“We’re still sad about that horse, and we will be for a while,” he said.
While horse racing deaths in the U.S. are at their lowest level since they began being tracked in 2009, adding another at the track hosting a Triple Crown race will only intensify the internal and external scrutiny of the industry. Those inside it have said they accept the realities of on-track deaths of horses while also acknowledging more work needs to be done to prevent as many as possible.
In that vein, new national medication and doping rules are set to go into effect on Monday. The federally mandated Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which already regulated racetrack safety and other measures, will oversee drug testing requirements for horses that should standardize the sport nationwide for the first time.
MEN’S SOCCER
MAN CITY’S TREBLE BID UP AND RUNNING AFTER WINNING ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
(AP) — Manchester City’s bid for a treble of major trophies is up and running.
The first was secured on Saturday without City even playing as the team clinched a third successive English Premier League title – and a ninth top-flight crown in its 143-year history – thanks to another slip-up by second-placed Arsenal.
Arsenal losing at Nottingham Forest 1-0 capped an end-of-season meltdown for the once long-time leader and left City with an unassailable four-point lead.
City players watched the game at the club’s training ground and celebrated loudly when the final whistle was blown at the City Ground – and on Arsenal’s imploding title bid. They will get their hands on the league trophy after their match against Chelsea on Sunday.
“Always give your best. Always believe. It pays off,” tweeted Erling Haaland, City’s star striker. “C’MON CITY!”
Just don’t expect the celebrations to last too long.
Pep Guardiola’s squad has its sights on becoming just the second team – after Manchester United in 1999 – to capture the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble, and still has two finals to play.
The FA Cup final against Man United is on June 3 at Wembley Stadium followed by a meeting with Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10.
City is enjoying a period of domestic dominance rarely seen in English soccer.
That’s five league titles in six years – a feat last achieved in England by United from 1996-2001 – and seven in a 12-season spell that began with Sergio Aguero’s storied stoppage-time goal to win the league in 2012. Under Guardiola, City has raised the standards in the Premier League to such an extent that rivals need to reach at least 90 points just to challenge them.
“The Premier League is without doubt the most demanding and competitive league in the world,” City captain Ilkay Gundogan said, “so that tells you everything about what an achievement this is.
“That quality and consistency helps sum up what Manchester City stand for and ensures the club will continue to strive for success going forward.”
It’s the first time City has won three leagues in a row and comes while the Abu Dhabi-owned club is facing an unprecedented slew of charges from the Premier League for allegedly breaking financial rules from 2009-18 and a subsequent failure to co-operate with an investigation.
Those charges – 115 in total – cast a shadow over City’s achievements under its Abu Dhabi ownership, though it could be years before a verdict is reached by an independent disciplinary commission.
What isn’t up for debate is the quality City has produced in its now-familiar end-of-season burst of victories that piled the pressure on Arsenal, which has the unwanted distinction this season of being the team to have led the league for a record number of days without eventually winning it (248 days).
While City has finished like a train by winning 11 straight games, Arsenal – owning the youngest squad in the league under inexperienced coach Mikel Arteta – has buckled with a first top-flight title since 2004 in sight, losing three of its last five games.
Arteta congratulated City and said his team “didn’t have enough” to compete with the defending champion.
“One team in six seasons has beaten Manchester City to the title,” Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale said. “But it was our own doing, individual errors in games we should have won. We were in a position to win those games.”
Forest was safe from relegation after its win.
MAN UNITED CLOSE
Manchester United is on the brink of a return to the Champions League. Liverpool is almost certain to miss out.
The race for the final two Champions League qualification places behind Man City and Arsenal is nearly over after United beat Bournemouth 1-0 away and Liverpool could only draw 1-1 at home to Aston Villa.
That left fifth-placed Liverpool three points behind both Newcastle in third and United in fourth. While Liverpool has only one game to play – at already-relegated Southampton – Newcastle and United have two and need only a point each to secure top-four finishes.
Newcastle could get over the line as early as Monday in a home game against Leicester, before finishing at Chelsea. United still has Chelsea and Fulham to play at home.
Casemiro scored from an acrobatic overhead kick in the eighth minute for the only goal at Bournemouth.
A Brazilian was Liverpool’s scorer, too. Roberto Firmino marked his last game at Anfield for the club with the 89th-minute equalizer against Villa. Jacob Ramsey put Villa ahead in the 27th, soon after Ollie Watkins missed a penalty for the visitors.
MINA SAVES EVERTON
Yerry Mina headed in Everton’s latest recorded Premier League goal – in the ninth minute of stoppage time – in potentially a big moment in the relegation fight.
It earned Everton a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton and moved the team two points clear of the bottom three, currently occupied by already-relegated Southampton as well as Leicester and Leeds.
Leeds and Leicester have two games left and Everton just one – Bournemouth at home next weekend.
Everton is seeking to preserve its 69-year stay in the top-flight.
Fulham drew at home to Crystal Palace 2-2 in the day’s other league game.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
ROSENQVIST PACES EPIC, HISTORIC FIRST DAY OF QUALIFYING AT INDY
Felix Rosenqvist led a historic day of qualifying Saturday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, turning the third-fastest four-lap qualifying run in history to lead the 12 drivers who will compete for the NTT P1 Award on Sunday.
Rosenqvist’s second run of the day, at 4:42 p.m. ET, featured a four-lap average speed of 233.947 mph in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Only Arie Luyendyk’s all-time record run of 236.986 in 1996 and Scott Dixon’s pole run of 234.048 last year were faster.
The Swede’s first attempt, at 11:55 a.m., clocked in at 233.099.
“Super proud of the whole team for executing,” Rosenqvist said. “That last run we did was just phenomenal. Almost in a 234 average. That was pretty mind-blowing how we found so much speed. We weren’t super happy on our first run, so we had two or three reasons to think we were going to go quicker. We kind of put them all together. Wow, what a run.
“Yeah, just a fun time to be in Arrow McLaren right now. Everything kind of resets for tomorrow, but we’re definitely feeling good right now.”
SEE: Qualifying Results | Qualifying Format
Rosenqvist’s teammate Alexander Rossi was second at 233.528 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou was third at 233.398 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.
Rinus VeeKay was fourth at 233.395 in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing, with six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon fifth at 233.375 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, making his final NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in this race, was sixth at 233.347 in the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Arrow McLaren put all four of its cars in the top eight today, while Chip Ganassi Racing put its four in the top 10.
Katherine Legge made history with her qualifying run in the No. 44 Hendrickson Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, turning the fastest single qualifying lap and four-lap qualifying average by a female driver in Indy 500 history. Her fastest lap of 231.627 broke the record of 230.201 set by Simona de Silvestro in 2021, and her four-lap average of 231.070 eclipsed the mark of 229.439 set by Sarah Fisher in 2002 and secured the final locked-in starting spot of the day, 30th.
While positions 13-30 were locked into the field today, PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying continues Sunday with the dramatic Firestone Fast Six runs for the NTT P1 Award and the pressure of making the 33-car field in Last Chance Qualifying.
The 12 fastest drivers from today will participate in Top 12 Qualifying from 2-3 p.m. ET (live, Peacock and INDYCAR Radio Network), with the six fastest from that session competing for the pole in Firestone Fast Six Qualifying from 5:15-5:45 p.m. In between those two sessions, the four slowest drivers from today will compete for the final three spots in the field in Last Chance Qualifying from 4-5 p.m. NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network will broadcast the last two sessions live from 4-6 p.m.
Participants in Top 12 Qualifying are Rosenqvist, Rossi, Palou, VeeKay, Dixon, Kanaan, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato (233.322 mph today, No. 11 Deloitte Honda), Pato O’Ward (233.252, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet), Santino Ferrucci (233.147, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet), reigning “500” winner Marcus Ericsson (233.030, No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda), rookie Benjamin Pedersen (232.739, No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties) and reigning series champion Will Power (232.719, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet).
Last Chance Qualifying will feature Rahal Letterman Lanigan drivers Christian Lundgaard (231.056, No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda), Jack Harvey (230.098, No. 30 PeopleReady Honda) and Graham Rahal (228.526, No. 15 United Rentals Honda), and rookie Sting Ray Robb (229.955, No. 51 biohaven Honda).
On-track action Sunday starts with Top 12 Qualifying Practice from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., followed by Last Chance Qualifying practice from 12:30-1:30 p.m., with coverage of both sessions on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
History was made almost as quickly as the 34 cars circled the 2.5-mile oval today under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.
Besides Rosenqvist’s epic run and Legge’s history-making laps, Pedersen’s four-lap average was the second-fastest ever by a rookie, topped only by the 233.100 turned by Tony Stewart in 1996. The first lap of Pedersen’s run, 233.297, was the fastest ever by an Indy 500 rookie.
The number of qualifying attempts in a single day was the final record to fall on a frantic day of nearly non-stop attempts during the six-hour, 50-minute session. There were 84 qualifying attempts today, shattering the mark of 73 set in 2019.
Five drivers endured the pressure of four qualifying attempts in one day: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda), Lundgaard, David Malukas (No. 18 HMD Trucking Honda), Rahal and Robb.
Public gates open at 10 a.m. Sunday at IMS.
The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).
INDIANS BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS – Despite a duo of pitching duels, the first of which featured a major league matchup of Kyle Hendricks and Vince Velasquez, the Indianapolis Indians were swept by the Iowa Cubs in Saturday night’s doubleheader at Victory Field, 2-1 and 1-0.
Neither Hendricks (W, 2-1) or Velasquez disappointed as headliners of the twin bill. The Indians (20-23) struck first in the fourth inning against the 2016 World Series champion, but Hendricks limited additional damage with six strikeouts across 6.0 innings. Velasquez, making the first start of his rehab assignment, tossed 4.2 scoreless frames.
After Velasquez exited the game, the I-Cubs (25-16) scored in consecutive innings to hand Cody Bolton (L, 1-1) the loss in the seventh. The Indians had two runners on with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Manuel Rodríguez (S, 7) set down the next three batters – two via strikeout – to end the threat.
The incredible pitching on both sides continued in the nightcap. Wesneski (W, 1-0), making his first Triple-A start of the season, held the Indians without a hit through his 5.0-inning outing en route to a combined one-hitter with Chris Clarke (S, 1). Canaan Smith-Njigba broke up the no-hit bid with a double in the sixth inning.
Caleb Smith (L, 2-4) tossed 6.0 one-run innings in relief after J.C. Flowers opened the game. The lone I-Cubs run came via an RBI single by Sergio Alcantara in the sixth.
Indianapolis and Iowa conclude their six-game set on Sunday afternoon in a 1:35 PM ET first pitch as the Indians will try and clinch a series split. In a rematch of the series opener, RHP Ben Brown (1-1, 4.91) will take the mound for Iowa against RHP Quinn Priester (4-3, 4.66).
INDY ELEVEN
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (Saturday, May 20, 2023) – Hosting the first of back-to-back home games on Saturday night, the Indy Eleven hosted the Colorado Springs Switchbacks for the first and only time this season. A first-time shot from Bryam Rebellon in the 16th minute would be the difference maker as Indy Eleven went on to earn all three points on Saturday night.
Getting the Boys in Blue on the board first, Sebastian Guenzatti left a ball for Bryam Rebellon who hit it first time past a diving Christian Herrera.
Following Indy’s 16th minute goal, Colorado Springs would fire multiple shots at Yannik Oettl, with only one ending up on frame. Although the Switchbacks controlled the possession in the first half (39%-61%), Indy would weather the storm, taking a one-goal lead into the locker room. Earning four straight corner kicks to start the second half, Indy would be denied multiple times by Herrera. Getting loose from a Colorado Springs defender, Sebastian Guenzatti would nearly double Indy’s lead, but his ball would hit the frame and go wide.
Things would get physical in the second half with both teams earning a combined five yellow cards, including a physical altercation in the 88th minute between Adrian Diz Pe and Oskar Agren. Taking on a barrage of chances from Colorado Springs, Indy would hold off the Switchbacks and go on to earn all three points at home.
Next up, the Boys in Blue host rival Louisville City 7:00 p.m. ET Saturday for Racing Indy Night. Fans can purchase a $13 Racing Indy ticket for May 27th and add on a limited-edition kit, scarf, trivia entry or all three! Purchase your tickets here.
Single-game tickets for all home games at IUPUI Carroll Stadium along with prorated Season Ticket Memberships, specially-priced group tickets and an increased portfolio of hospitality options are available for purchase now via indyeleven.com/tickets or by calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).
USL Championship Regular Season
Indy Eleven 1:0 Colorado Springs Switchbacks
Saturday, May 20, 2023
Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
Indy Eleven: 3W-4L-3D, 11 pts
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC : 5W-5L-1D, 16 pts
Scoring Summary:
IND – Bryam Rebellon 16’
Discipline Summary:
IND – Gustavo Rissi (caution) 22’
IND – Jack Blake (caution) 34’
IND – Macauley King (caution) 44’
COS – Devon Williams (caution) 52’
COS – Duke Lacroix (caution) 59’
IND – Martinez (caution) 82’
IND – Diz Pe (caution) 88’
COS – Agren (caution) 88’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2):
Yannik Oettl; Younes Boudadi, Gustavo Rissi, Macauley King, Adrian Diz Pe, Bryam Rebellon (Jesus Vazquez 19’), Cam Lindley, Jack Blake, Aodhan Quinn, Douglas Martinez (Juan Tejada 81’), Sebastian Guenzatti (Solomon Asante 71’)
Indy Subs: Tim Trilk, Mechack Jerome, Harrison Robledo, Roberto Molina
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC line-up (4-2-3-1): Patrick Seagrist (Marco Rios 79’), Duke Lacroix, Matt Mahoney, Oskar Agren, Drew Skundrich, Devon Williams, Tyreek Magee (Aaron Wheeler 67’), Jairo, Henriquez, Deshane Beckford, Maalique Foster
Colorado Springs Subs: Jay Chapman, Dillon Clarke, Steven Echevarria, Joe Kuzminsky, James Ockford
INDIANA FEVER
Indiana Fever at New York Liberty
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Barclays Center | 2 p.m. ET
Broadcast Information
Indiana Fever Facebook
Pat Boylan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)
The Indiana Fever look to record its first win of the season when they take on the New York Liberty at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday at Barclays Center. The Fever opened up 2023 with a 70-61 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Despite strong comeback efforts and impressive performances by rookie center Aliyah Boston and guard Kelsey Mitchell, it was an 8-2 run for the Sun in the end of the fourth quarter that kept the Fever from starting off the year with a win.
Mitchell is on track to return as a force this season as she added a team-high 20 points to her career point total on Friday. With 2,448 points in her Fever career, Mitchell trails Katie Douglas (2,564) by only 116 points to move into second all-time in franchise history. On Friday, Mitchell finished with 11 of her 20 total points while shooting 4-of-7 from the field in the second quarter alone.
This year’s No. 1 overall draft pick Boston neared a double-double on Friday in her regular-season debut as she recorded 15 points and nine rebounds. Second-year forward NaLyssa Smith, who averaged 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds in the 2022 season, also added nine rebounds against Connecticut to start the year.
The New York Liberty head into the 2023 season with a new identity after going 16-20 in the 2022 regular season before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs.
New York is also entering Sunday’s matchup 0-1 on the season after falling to the Washington Mystics, 80-64, on Friday. Sabrina Ionescu was the leading scorer for the Liberty as she contributed 18 points along with eight rebounds. On May 15, the Liberty announced that the team and Ionescu agreed to a multi-year extension through the 2025 season after she led the Liberty to the 2022 playoffs. The WNBA All-Star has averaged 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds in her 69 WNBA game appearances.
The debuts from the newest Liberty frontcourt additions were also spoiled in Friday night’s loss. Breanna Stewart opened the regular season with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Jonquel Jones finished with only five points, five rebounds and three assists.
Veteran guard Betnijah Laney pitched in 10 points.
Projected Starters (2022 Statistics)
Indiana Fever
Center – Aliyah Boston (15.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
Forward – NaLyssa Smith (6.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Guard – Victoria Vivians (3.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 3.0 spg)
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell (20.0 ppg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 rpg)
Guard – Erica Wheeler (0.0 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.0 rpg)
New York Liberty
Guard – Courtney Vandersloot (8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 6.0 apg)
Guard – Sabrina Ionescu (18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Guard/Forward – Betnijah Laney (10.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Forward – Breanna Stewart (12.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Center – Jonquel Jones (5.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg)
INJURY REPORT:
Indiana: No injuries
New York: Nyara Sabally – OUT (Right Knee), Marine Johannès – NWT (Overseas Commitment)
INDIANA SOFTBALL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Indiana (43-17) fell, 9-1, in five innings against No. 4 Tennessee in game two of the NCAA Knoxville Regional at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
KEY MOMENTS
Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year Taryn Kern hit a solo shot to center field in the top of the first to put the Hoosiers on the scoreboard early. Tennessee responded in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of home runs to take a 3-1 lead.
The Lady Vols tacked on two more in the bottom of the second on a Kiki Milloy 2-run home run. The Hoosiers would load the bases in the top of the third, but rain would send the game into a five-hour delay. Resuming at 7:14 p.m. ET, Tennessee would end the inning on a strikeout.
A short rain delay ensued in the bottom of the fourth as the Hoosiers went three up, three down in their half of the frame. Tennessee tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fourth and retired the side in the top of the fifth to issue the run-rule.
NOTEABLES
Kern tied the Big Ten record for most home runs by a freshman with 23.
INDIANA BASEBALL
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The eight one-run victory of the season for the Indiana baseball program locked up a second place finish in the Big Ten as the Hoosiers claimed a 6-5 victory over Michigan State on Saturday (May 20) inside McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
Indiana posted its first 40-win regular season since the 2013 team won 40 regular season games. The Hoosiers won 40 overall games in 2018, with 37 coming in the regular season. It is the ninth time an Indiana team won 40-plus games in a single season.
Michigan State (32-20, 12-12 B1G) opened the scoring for the first time on the weekend with a single run in the first inning. Indiana (40-16, 16-8 B1G) pulled even with a run in the third inning. The Hoosiers scored twice in the fifth, once in the sixth and twice more in the eighth inning. The Spartans added single runs in the fifth and sixth, before a two-run ninth made it a one-run victory.
Freshman Devin Taylor posted his fourth multi-home run game of the season – third in Big Ten play – and moved into No. 3 on the all-time Big Ten freshman home run charts with his 15th and 16th of the season in the finale. He also reached the 10-home run mark in B1G play, just the sixth Hoosier to reach double figures in conference play. His three RBIs moved his season total 56, which ranks No. 6 on the rookie charts at IU.
In all, Taylor was 3-for-4 with one walk, three RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore Carter Mathison had two hits, two runs scored and one RBI. He hit his ninth home run of the season and added one walk. Freshman Tyler Cerny doubled, scored one run, and plated one RBI. Seniors Phillip Glasser and Peter Serruto also collected RBIs in the contest.
Senior Ty Bothwell allowed two runs over 4 1/3 innings in the start. He scattered five hits and one walk to go along with two strikeouts. Sophomore Luke Hayden (2-0) picked up the win in relief with 1 2/3 innings of one-run work. He struck out one and scattered three hits and one walk. Freshman Connor Foley (3) earned the save with eight strikeouts in three innings of work. He allowed two runs on three hits with three walks.
Jack Frank and Mitch Jebb each posted three-hit games on the afternoon as Frank scored two runs and Jebb drove in a pair of RBIs. Brock Vradenburg drove in a pair of RBIs with a double. Ryan Szczepaniak (1-3) took the loss with two runs allowed on three hits in one inning.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Jack Frank singled to start the inning and moved to second on a balk. A groundout moved the runner to third and Mitch Jebb singled up the middle to plate the first run.
at Michigan State 1, Indiana 0
Top Third
Devin Taylor hit a solo home run to right-center field.
Indiana 1, at Michigan State 1
Top Fifth
A leadoff home run from Taylor was followed by a double from Tyler Cerny and a base hit from Peter Serruto to put runners on the corners. Phillip Galsser’s sacrifice fly plated the second run of the frame.
Indiana 3, at Michigan State 1
Bottom Fifth
Casey Mayes singled and stole second base to start the inning and came in to score on a Frank base hit. With the bases loaded, Jebb singled to score one and Hunter Jessee threw out the second runner at the plate.
Indiana 3, at Michigan State 2
Top Sixth
Carter Mathison hit a solo home run.
Indiana 4, at Michigan State 2
Bottom Sixth
A pair of singles started the frame and Dillon Kark grounded into a double play to push the run across.
Indiana 4, at Michigan State 3
Top Eighth
Singles from Brock Tibbitts and Mathison started the inning and Taylor singled to collect the first RBI of the frame. Cerny then reached on a fielder’s choice to collect an RBI.
Indiana 6, at Michigan State 3
Bottom Ninth
Singles from Greg Ziegler and Frank put runners on the corners with no outs. Brock Vradenburg doubled with one out to plate two runs. After an intentional walk put two runners on base, Connor Foley punched out the final two hitters.
Indiana 6, at Michigan State 5
Up Next
The Big Ten Tournament will begin on Tuesday May (23) at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, where No. 2-seed Indiana will begin play at 2 p.m. Each game of the Tournament will be carried on the Big Ten Network and Indiana Sports Radio Network.
PURDUE BASEBALL
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball connected for four doubles as part of an 11-hit attack, but Nebraska used the long ball to overcome a two-run deficit to take the rubber game of the series 6-4 in Saturday’s regular-season finale at Alexander Field.
The Boilermakers (24-29, 11-13 B1G) dropped their first home series of the season. They were eliminated from Big Ten Tournament contention late Friday when Michigan State defeated Indiana to clinch the final bid. The Cornhuskers (31-21-1, 15-9) will be the No. 4 seed at next week’s tournament in Omaha.
Down to its final out of the season, singles by seniors CJ Valdez and Paul Toetz helped Purdue bring the go-ahead run to the plate before Kyle Perry was able to close out the game. Valdez and Toetz both had seven hits in their final series at Alexander. Toetz went 3-for-4 Saturday to finish the season with a team-high .335 average. He also led the squad with 10 home runs and 52 RBI, making him the Boilermakers’ first team triple crown winner since Kyle Wood in 2015.
Couper Cornblum and Sam Franco joined Valdez and Toetz with doubles Saturday. Cornblum also had seven hits in the series. He finished his first season as a Boilermaker riding a 20-game on-base streak and 13-game hit streak at Alexander Field.
Senior Jake Parr drove in Purdue’s first run of the day with an RBI single in a three-run third inning. He finished his career riding a 27-game on-base streak and nine-game hit streak at home.
NOTABLE STREAKS EXTENDED SATURDAY
• Jake Parr (1-for-4, RBI, R) – 27-game on-base; 19-game on-base in Big Ten play; 17-game on-base at Home; 9-game hit at Home
• Couper Cornblum (2-for-4, 2B, R) – 20-game on-base; 13-game hit at Home; 13-game on-base in Big Ten play.
Senior Evan Albrecht made the defensive play of the game in his 206th career and final game as a Boilermaker. With runners on the corners and one out in the seventh inning and Max Anderson – the Big Ten’s leading hitter — at the plate, Albrecht made a bare-handed pick and started an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. The five-year starter received a big standing ovation when he was lifted for a curtain call in the eighth inning.
Jackson Dannelley got out of that jam and went on to work 2 2/3 innings of one-hit relief.
Four Nebraska relievers combined for 6 2/3 innings of quality relief, surrendering just an unearned run in the ninth inning. They did not issue a walk after consecutive bases-loaded walks to Jo Stevens and Franco in the third inning.
Charlie Fischer hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the fourth inning. It was the Huskers’ 94th of the season, officially establishing a program record after they had matched the benchmark Thursday. Anderson’s leadoff homer in the sixth inning accounted for the go-ahead run.
Before the game, Purdue recognized nine seniors for their contributions to the program during the annual Senior Day ceremony. The Boilermakers are slated to return a number of experienced players for the 2024 campaign, headlined by the weekend rotation of Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski. They became Purdue’s first trio since 2009 to comprise the pitching rotation for every weekend of Big Ten play.
BUTLER BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS – Tied 4-4 after six innings, game three of the final BIG EAST series of the season for both Butler and St. John’s was broken open when the Red Storm scored 10 runs in the game’s final three innings. The final score at Bulldog Park was 14-4 in favor of the visitors. Fifteen Bulldog seniors were recognized for their contributions to Butler Baseball with Senior Day festivities prior to the first pitch.
St. John’s opened the scoring right out of the gate. With one runner on, in the top of the first, the Johnnies used back-to-back singles to score the first run of the game. In the home-half of the inning, Joey Urban reached base on an error and then scored on a Carter Dorighi double. Xavier Carter reached on a second Red Storm error, pushing Dorighi to third, and Dorighi tagged home after Scott Jones hit into a fielder’s choice. Butler led, 2-1, after one complete.
The Bulldogs added a third run in the second inning when Ryan O’Halloran (2-4, 2B, R) doubled and, during the next at bat, crossed the plate on an errant throw to second by St. John’s catcher, Jimmy Keenan.
In the third, the Red Storm plated three, first on a double paired with a sacrifice fly, and then on a two-run homer by Keenan. St. John’s held a 4-3 lead going into the fourth.
Butler tied the game at four when Jake DeFries (2-4, 2B, 2 SB, R) hit a double to right field and later scored after Red Storm left fielder Paul Orban misplayed a single by Urban. The score remained 4-4 through six complete innings.
St. John’s scored three runs in the seventh inning, three in the eighth, and four in the ninth to put the game away.
Tyler Roche picked up the win for St. John’s, while Butler’s Clay Holzworth was tagged with the loss.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team honored 10 seniors for Senior Day on Saturday for the final game of the 2023 regular season against Kent State. Ryan Peltier, Decker Scheffler, and Matthew Rivera (2) each hit a home run as the Cardinals fell to the Golden Flashes 11-5.
Prior to the game BSU recognized Casey Bargo, Justin Conant, Andrew Wilhite, Logan Flood, CJ Horn, Trennor O’Donnell, Ty Weatherly, Adam Tellier, Peltier, and Rivera.
With the loss, Ball State fell to 33-21 overall and 19-11 in MAC play, while Kent State improved to 40-14 overall and 24-6 in league action.
Kent State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on three hits.
Peltier produced a one-out home run to right field. Scheffler made it back-to-back home runs with a solo blast to right field. The Cardinals cut the deficit to 3-2 after one inning of play.
Rivera led off the bottom of the second with a solo home run to right center. Ball State tied the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the second.
The Golden Flashes scored four runs in the top of the third, three coming on a three-run homer from Michael McNamara. Kent State took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the third. The Golden Flashes scored one run on two hits in the top of the fifth inning and extended their lead to 8-3. Kent State extended its lead to 11-3 with three runs on three hits in the top of the sixth.
CJ Horn drew a four-pitch walk with two outs and got things started for the Cardinals in the bottom of the sixth. Rivera blasted a two-run homer to left field. BSU cut the KSU lead to 11-5.
Casey Bargo got the start on the hill for Ball State. He got the loss and fell to 1-2 on the season. He struck out two batters. He gave up six earned runs on five hits. Logan Schulfer added 2 1/3 in relief with three strikeouts. He surrendered two runs, one earned, on one hit. Brady Owens went a 1/3 of an inning with one strikeout. Jacob Hartlaub added a perfect inning of relief with two strikeouts. Blake Bevis added two innings of scoreless relief with two strikeouts.
Eric Chalus started the game for the Golden Flashes and went three innings. He struck out four batters and gave up three earned runs. Richie Dell picked up the win and improved to 2-4 on the season. He surrendered two earned runs on three hits. Ciaran Caughey went 2 1/3 innings in relief and struck out three batters. Mitchell Scott closed out the game with an inning of relief and struck out the side.
The Cardinals return to action for the MAC Tournament on Wednesday, May 24. First pitch between Ball State and Central Michigan is scheduled for 6 p.m.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
BOSTON, Mass. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (30-22) fell 8-4 in the final game of the Boston College (34-17) series and final game of the regular season at Fenway Park on Friday, May 19.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles took an early 2-0 lead on a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. The Irish offense was slow to start, but a lead-off double from Zack Prajzner in the fourth would give the Irish an offensive spark with their first hit of the day.
Prajzner scored on an RBI single from Martinez to bring it within one heading into the fifth. The Eagles would record six runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead 8-1 and after a scoreless seventh for both squads, the Irish would tack on two runs in the eighth.
After a walk and two hit-by-pitches, it was bases loaded in the eighth with Prajzner up to the plate. Prajzner reached via a walk to score Kmet and make it an 8-2 ballgame. The Irish would cap off the eighth with one more run as Moreno scored on a wild pitch to close the inning 8-3.
Nick Juaire pinch hit in the ninth and in his one at bat, he launched it to deep right field for his first home run of the season to bring it within four at 8-4 in the final inning.
Jackson Dennies started on the mound for the Irish, pitching 5.0 innings and recording six strikeouts while giving up two runs on four hits. Caden Spivey, Ryan Lynch, Carter Bosch, and Matt Bedford all saw action on the hill for the Irish.
UP NEXT
The Irish will compete next in the ACC Tournament starting Tuesday, May 23 in Durham, North Carolina. Seeding will be announced this Sunday with game times to follow. Stay tuned to und.com and ND Baseball on social media for further updates.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Notre Dame softball team’s 2023 campaign came to an end at Bogle Park Saturday night. After eliminating Harvard earlier in the evening, the Fighting Irish dropped the day’s finale 5-0 to the host Arkansas Razorbacks. Notre Dame ends the season 30-19-1 overall, having qualified for their 24th consecutive NCAA Regional, and 27th in program history.
Freshman Micaela Kastor manned the circle for the Irish. Kastor worked a complete game, her third of the season as she allowed six hits, five earned runs and struck out four of an Arkansas lineup that finished second in the Southeastern Conference in batting average.
Lexi Orozco led the offense, going 2-for-3 with two singles. Joley Mitchell added another single as the Irish offense couldn’t get on track against first team All-SEC selection Chenise Delce.
How It Happened
Arkansas played the untraditional role of the visiting team at Bogle Park, and wasted no time getting on the board. A lead-off single followed by a fielder’s choice and two hit batters loaded the bases with two outs. A walk brought in the first run of the game.
The Razorbacks kept the pressure on in the second, this time using the bats. A single up the middle and another single back to center field brought in another run to double up the lead at 2-0 after an inning and a half.
The teams exchanged zeroes for the next four innings before Arkansas added insurance in the seventh. A called ball on a check swing put a runner on with a walk. A ground ball back up the middle led to a fielder’s choice as the runner from first was off on the pitch and beat the throw to second before the relay was too slow at first to put two on. Rylin Hedgecock left the yard for the 21st time on the season as the three-run homer put Arkansas up 5-0.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 3 Notre Dame travels to Annapolis, Maryland, for an NCAA Championship Quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 Johns Hopkins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 21 at Navy – Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
GAME DETAILS
Location: Annapolis, Maryland | Navy – Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Schedule: May 21 — 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Live Stats: UND.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
POSTSEASON SUCCESS
• Notre Dame has now made the NCAA Championship field in 16 of the last 17 tournaments.
• Notre Dame has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship in the 11 of the last 13 NCAA Tournaments.
• Notre Dame is 17-11 over its last 12 NCAA Championship appearances.
• Notre Dame owns a 22-25 record in its 26 trips to the NCAA Championship.
• This is the 14th time overall and 13th time in the last 15 seasons that the Irish have earned one of the eight national seeds for the NCAA Championship.
• The Irish are 9-3 in games played at Arlotta Stadium in NCAA Championships play.
• Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Championship final weekend in 2001, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015 and played in the title game in 2010 and 2014.
THE JOHNS HOPKINS SERIES
• Sunday will mark the seventh meeting between the Irish and the Blue Jays, all coming in the NCAA Championships.
• Notre Dame trails Johns Hopkins in the series with a record of 2-4.
• The first Irish win came in the quarterfinal of the 2001 NCAA Championships, sending Notre Dame to its first semifinal appearance in program history. The Irish won the contest by a final score of 13-9 in Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland.
• The most recent matchup between the two sides happened in the first round of the 2019 tournament, as the Irish turned in a dominant performance in a 16-9 victory at Arlotta Stadium.
PAT KAVANAGH: TEWAARATON FINALIST
• Pat Kavanagh has been named a 2023 Tewaaraton Finalist, marking the second time in his career he has earned the distinction.
• The senior enters the postseason second in the country in points per game (5.54) despite facing some of the best defenders in the country week in and week out.
• The senior has 72 points on the season off 23 goals and 49 assists.
• Kavanagh’s average of 3.77 assists per game ranks first in the country.
• The attackman also ranks second on the team in ground balls (35), trailing only Irish FOGO Will Lynch. He is also tied for sixth on the team in caused turnovers with nine.
• Kavanagh has had a pair of monster performances against teams currently ranked in the national polls, tying his own ND record for points in a game with 10 (4G, 6A) against Michigan and posting eight (3G, 5A) in the win over then No. 1 Duke.
• The senior also has delivered in some of the biggest moments, scoring the game winner against No. 4 Maryland in triple OT to snap the Terrapins’ 22-game home win streak.
• Kavanagh is currently playing his best lacrosse of the season, as he has posted 48 points over his last eight games, coming against some of the top teams in the country.
RECORD-SETTING FIRST ROUND WIN
• The Irish set or matched a number of postseason program records in the 20-7 opening round win over Utah.
• Notre Dame’s 20 goals were the most the team has ever scored in an NCAA Tournament game and the 13-goal win marked the largest margin of victory for NCAA action.
• Jake Taylor tied the program record for goals in an NCAA Tourney game with five.
• Pat Kavanagh tied two NCAA postseason ND records, as he finished with seven points and four assists.
STRONG STARTS
• The Irish have wasted no time jumping on opponents early in games this season, outscoring the opposition by a combined score of 62-28 in first quarters.
• Notre Dame has scored on its first possession in eight of its 13 games this season
• Eric Dobson has scored Notre Dame’s opening goal in five games this season.
• Chris Kavanagh and Eric Dobson have thrived in first quarters, as each have a team-high 11 goals in the opening 15 minutes of play.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
• The Irish enter the weekend allowing just 9.62 goals per game, leading the ACC and ranking fifth in the country, despite playing seven games against opponents that are in the top 10 in goals scored per game.
• Notre Dame leads the ACC and ranks fifth in the country in caused turnovers per game this season, averaging 10.31.
• The Irish have recorded at least 10 caused turnovers in nine of 13 games this season.
• ND recorded a season-high 14 caused turnovers in the win over No. 10/9 Ohio State.
ENTENMANN IS ELITE
• Senior Liam Entenmann has cemented his status as the top goalies in the country with his play in 2023, being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Goalie of the Year and USA Lacrosse Magazine First Team All-American.
• Entenmann leads the ACC and ranks fourth in the country in goals against average, allowing just 9.44 goals per game.
• The senior has a save percentage of .569 (156 saves, 118 goals allowed), ranking fifth in the country.
• Entnemann has made double-digit saves in each of the last 11 games, including a season-high 16 in the win over No. 1 Duke.
• Entenmann currently ranks fourth on the ND all-time saves list with 508 in his career.
• He has been named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week three times this season following his performances in wins over No. 4 Maryland, No. 10/9 Ohio State and No. 15/14 UNC.
SHARING IS CARING
• Notre Dame’s ball movement has been dizzying at times this season, as the Irish have dished out 117 assists this season.
• ND ranks fifth in the country in assists per game, averaging 9.0.
• Pat Kavanagh leads the Irish in assists per game (3.77) and ranks first in the nation.
• Seventeen different players have recorded at least one assist this season.
• Pat Kavanagh is the program’s all-time career assist leader, tallying 132 in his career.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD DEPTH
• Despite the Kavanagh brothers earning much of the national headlines, the Irish midfield units have been very productive in 2023.
• The starting midfield trio of Eric Dobson, Quinn McCahon and Reilly Gray have combined for 55 goals in 2023.
• Dobson leads the group with 27 goals, while Gray has 16 and McCahon has added 12.
• The second midfield has combined for 25 goals, as Jack Simmons and Brian Tevlin have scored 10 and Bryce Walker has chipped in six.
CASHING IN ON THE EMO
• For the second-straight season, Notre Dame has the top extra-man offense in the country.
• The Irish enter the weekend 20-for-32 (.625) on the EMO through this season, leading the ACC and ranking first in the country.
• Chris Kavanagh is 12th in the nation in EMO goals with seven.
• The Irish EMO unit cashed in on 21-of-31 chances (.677) during the 2022 season.
FITTING RIGHT IN
• Notre Dame welcomed four transfers to the 2023 roster and each player made has made significant contributions.
• Chris Fake and Chris Conlin have each earned starts as defensemen in every game this season, combining for 26 caused turnovers and 53 ground balls.
• Brian Tevlin and Jack Simmons have played major minutes in the midfield, as Simmons has 10 goals and eight assists while Tevlin has 10 goals and four assists while adding 31 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers.
• Tevlin has also traded his short stick in for a long stick on the Irish man-down unit at times this season.
STATEMENT WINS
In 11 wins on the season, the Irish have handed opponents their worst loss of the season in nine of them:
• Marquette – 21-10 (11 goals)
• Cleveland St. – 18-8 (10)
• Georgetown – 15-8 (7)
• Ohio St. – 16-3 (13)
• Michigan – 18-8 (10)
• Syracuse – 20-12 (8)
• Duke – 17-12 (5)
• UNC – 18-9 (9)
• Utah – 20-7 (13)
THE BROTHERS KAVANAGH
• Pat Kavanagh became the fourth Tewaaraton Finalist in program history in 2021 and his brother Chris joined the 2022 squad as an attackman.
• The two brothers have combined for 126 points this season, Pat totaling 72 (23G, 49A) and Chris recording 54 (40G, 14A).
• Chris and Pat became the first set of ND teammates to each record eight or more points in the same game in program history, each posting eight, in the win over Cleveland State.
• The brothers have linked up on 27 goals during their career, with one assisting the other’s goal.
• Pat led the team during the 2022 season in points (64) and assists (39). He was second in goals (24), caused turnovers (12) and ground balls (39) while Chris was second in points (33) and assists (11) while tied for third in goals (22).
• In just 12 games in the 2022 season, Pat became the all-time single-season ND assist record holder with 39, breaking his own record from the 2021 season.
• Pat owns the single-game points record at ND, recording 10 points in a game three times in his career, twice against Syracuse and this season again against Michigan.
• The brothers also excel in the ground ball aspect of the game, combining for 68 on the season.
CORRIGAN ALL-TIME DI PROGRAM WINS LEADER
• With the win over No. 1 Duke on April 10, 2021, Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Corrigan broke the NCAA record for most wins at a DI program with 311, passing Bob Shillinglaw (Delaware).
• Corrigan became just the third coach in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse history to reach the 300-win mark at a single school with the win over Marquette on April 10, 2019.
• Corrigan is one of just four active Division I coaches to reach the 300-win mark in his career.
• Corrigan has an overall record of 340-174 in his 37 seasons of coaching.
• The head coach is 330-159 in his 35 seasons at Notre Dame.
• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Indiana State closed out the 2023 regular season in dominant fashion as the Sycamores swept Saturday’s doubleheader over Missouri State by scores of 9-5 and 14-4 at Hammons Field.
The Sycamores (38-14, 24-3 MVC) completed the weekend sweep over Missouri State (31-21, 18-9 MVC) on their way to locking in the top overall seed in next week’s Missouri Valley Baseball Championships held at Bob Warn Field. The Championships run from May 23-27 with tickets now on sale at GoSycamores.com.
Indiana State was locked in to start both games on Saturday afternoon as ISU jumped out to early leads in both games and limited Missouri State rallies in the pair of wins. The Sycamores’ sweep over Missouri State was ISU’s first since 2016 and first in Springfield since 2005.
The Sycamores won every MVC weekend series in the 2023 season marking the first season ISU accomplished the feat in program history. Indiana State’s six-game lead in the MVC standings also marked the Valley’s largest gap between the top two teams since Wichita State won the 1998 regular season by eight games.
Mike Sears, Keegan Watson, Luis Hernandez, Adam Pottinger, and Connor Hicks all homered to power the Indiana State offense as the Sycamores recorded double-digit hits in all three games over the weekend. Connor Fenlong (9-2) and Lane Miller (6-0) recorded the wins on the mound for ISU.
Game One: Indiana State 9, Missouri State 5
Mike Sears, Keegan Watson, and Luis Hernandez all homered as the Sycamores beat Missouri State at its own game in Saturday’s opener as ISU powered past the Bears at Hammons Field, 9-5.
Facing the Valley’s leader in home runs, the Sycamores took control of the game early on Sears’ two-run shot to left field to spark the offense. Watson added a two-run shot of his own in the fourth inning, while Hernandez connected on a solo blast in the sixth to make it an 8-1 ballgame late in the contest.
Missouri State mounted a late rally with Jake McCutcheon connecting on a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the eighth to bring the Bears back to within 8-5. However, Zach Davidson (S, 1) went the final 1.1 innings with three strikeouts to secure the series win over Bears.
Watson finished 3-for-4 from the plate with a double and home run to pace a Sycamore offense that connected on 12 hits in the win. Randal Diaz, Hernandez, Miguel Rivera, and Sears also added multi-hit games in the win. Diaz also posted his first career multi-steal game with a pair of swipes in the contest.
Connor Fenlong (9-2) took the win after going 3.0 innings in his final start of the regular season. The redshirt senior allowed three hits and one unearned run in taking his Valley-leading ninth win of the year.
Simon Gregersen went 4.0 innings in relief allowing three hits and a run while striking out five to highlight the bullpen. Cameron Holycross, Brennyn Cutts, and Davidson closed out the game on the mound.
Will Duff tripled, while Taeg Gollert and McCutcheon both doubled to highlight the Missouri State offense.
Hayden Minton (5-2) took the loss after going 3.1 innings allowing five hits and four runs while striking out five. Scott Youngbrandt, Miles Halligan, and Reed Metz closed out the game on the mound.
How They Scored
Mike Sears connected on a two-run home run and Randal Diaz added an RBI single in the top of the second inning as Indiana State went ahead 3-0 early.
Nick Rodriguez put the Bears on the scoreboard with an RBI single in the bottom of the third scoring Izzy Lopez to make it a 3-1 game.
Keegan Watson continued his hot start to the weekend with a two-run blast over the left field wall scoring Sears to give ISU the 5-1 lead in the top of the fourth.
Miguel Rivera and Watson both recorded RBI singles in the top of the fifth to put the Sycamores ahead 7-1.
Luis Hernandez made it an 8-1 ballgame in the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run to left.
Lopez brought home Will Duff with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut the ISU lead down to 8-2.
Jake McCutcheon connected on a pinch-hit two-RBI double and a third run came around to score on an ISU error to make it an 8-5 game in the bottom of the eighth.
Parker Stinson added insurance for the Sycamores late with an RBI sacrifice fly to left field in the top of the ninth scoring Hernandez to provide the final 9-5 margin.
Game Two: Indiana State 14, Missouri State 4
Adam Pottinger and Connor Hicks both homered and Lane Miller went into the seventh inning on the mound as Indiana State completed the series sweep over Missouri State on Saturday afternoon with the 14-4 win.
The Sycamores scored four runs in the top of the first inning and added three more in the fourth to seize control early in the contest. ISU added six runs over the final three innings with Hicks driving in three RBIs late as the contest was never in doubt in the Sycamore win.
Parker Stinson had his second four-RBI game of the series to highlight his three-hit game, while Joe Kido scored three runs as ISU connected on 14 hits in the win. All nine Sycamores in the starting lineup reached base with eight scoring runs in a dominant offensive display to close out the series.
Miller (6-0) remained undefeated on the mound as the redshirt senior went 6.0 innings allowing six hits and three runs while walking two and striking out five. Kyle Cortner went 2.0 innings of two-hit relief, while Jacob Pruitt closed out the game for ISU in the ninth.
Cam Cratic and Jake McCutcheon had two-hit games for Missouri State as the Bears were swept at home for second time in Valley play this season. Taeg Gollert and McCutcheon both homered in the loss.
Jake Eddington (4-2) took the loss going 3.0 innings allowing six hits and six runs (four earned), while striking out four. Tyler Tscherter, Corbin Bassham, Trey Ziegenbein, and Garrett Ferguson all saw time on the mound in the contest.
How They Scored
Parker Stinson connected on a two-run double, and Alex Marx added an RBI single as the Sycamores scored four runs in the top of the first to take the early lead.
ISU stretched the lead out to 7-0 in the top of the fourth inning as two runs scored on an MSU error, while Joe Kido scored on Stinson’s sacrifice fly.
Jake McCutcheon put Missouri State on the board with a two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the margin to 7-2.
The Sycamores made it 8-2 in the top of the fifth as Adam Pottinger scored on another MSU error.
Taeg Gollert cut the margin to 8-3 with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.
Adam Pottinger went opposite field for a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to stretch the Sycamore lead back to 9-3.
Connor Hicks added a pinch-hit solo home run in the top of the eighth to give Indiana State the 10-3 lead.
Mason Hull scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth for Missouri State’s final run of the contest.
The Sycamores scored four more runs in the top of the ninth with Kido, Hicks (two) and Stinson all driving in RBIs in the frame to provide the final 14-4 margin.
News & Notes
Indiana State earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament held at Bob Warn Field on May 23-27, 2023.
The Sycamores finished MVC play with a 24-3 overall record-breaking ISU’s previous best 23 wins set back in the 1998 season.
The Sycamores’ six-game lead in the MVC standings over Missouri State (18-9) marked the largest gap between the top two teams since the 1998 season when Wichita State won the regular season by eight games.
ISU’s 24 wins in MVC play tied for the third most in Valley history with Wichita State (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000).
The Sycamores were the first MVC team to break the 20-win mark in conference games since the 2007 season (Wichita State, 20-4).
Indiana State won all nine MVC regular season series marking the first time in program history the Sycamores went the entire season winning all their conference weekends. ISU has won 10 consecutive conference series dating back to the end of the 2022 season.
Indiana State went 21-7 in true road games in the 2023 season following the three-game series sweep.
ISU closed out the regular season winning 30 of their last 33 contests since March 25.
ISU’s sweep over Missouri State marked the first time the Sycamores took all three games over the Bears since 2016. It was ISU’s first sweep in Springfield since 2005.
Mike Sears continued his assault on the record books as the Sycamore third baseman connected on his team-leading 18th home run in the first game. According to current records on hand, he trails only Boi Rodriguez’s 20 home runs set back in 1985.
Adam Pottinger reached base safely in both games on Saturday to run his on-base streak to 28 consecutive games. His on-base streak is the third-longest in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era trailing only Romero Harris (31, 2018) and Andy DeJesus, 2015).
After not getting hit by a pitch on Thursday night, Indiana State was plunked four times on Saturday afternoon giving ISU a Missouri Valley-leading 98 HBPs in the 2023 season.
Connor Hicks’ solo home run in the second game was his first collegiate home run in the Sycamore Blue & White.
Up Next
Indiana State is locked in as the No. 1 overall seed in next week’s Missouri Valley Championships. The Sycamores have earned a bye through the first round and are scheduled to start the postseason on Wednesday, May 24, at 4 p.m. ISU will face the lowest seed to advance through Tuesday’s first round in the winner’s bracket.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
FRANKLIN, Wis. – Braedon Blackford, Grant Thoroman and Ben Higgins each drove in two runs in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 9-3 Horizon League baseball victory at Milwaukee on Saturday (May 20).
The win gave the Mastodons the series win to close out the regular season. The ‘Dons won 3-of-4 games on the week to go into the postseason on a high note. Purdue Fort Wayne will be the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League Championship next week. The ‘Dons will play the No. 3 seed Northern Kentucky on Wednesday (May 24) at 4 p.m. Wright State will serve as host for the event.
Purdue Fort Wayne opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the fifth inning thanks to a two-out, two-RBI Blackford double.
Jacob Myer started for the ‘Dons and put up zero after zero. He struck out six and allowed four hits and no runs in 5.0 innings. Myer is now 1-5 with the win. JD Deany entered for the ‘Dons in the sixth and was just as good. Deany struck out five in 3.0 innings of work, giving up only one hit and no runs.
Myer, Deany and Kevin Fee combined to record 12 strikeouts. They brought the Mastodon pitching staff’s strikeout total on the season to 403, setting a new single season record for strikeouts. They passed the 398 the 2015 team recorded.
It was a 2-0 game until the seventh when the ‘Dons put five runs on the board. Thoroman had a two-RBI double. Higgins and Tyler Nelson each added an RBI in the frame.
The ‘Dons scored two more in the eighth. Blackford walked and scored in the inning. Blackford finished his day with two hits, two walks, two RBIs and two runs.
Mike Sullivan (0-2) took the loss in relief for Milwaukee. The Panthers scored all three of their runs in the ninth.
The ‘Dons improve to 13-42 (8-22 Horizon League). Milwaukee falls to 23-30 (11-18 Horizon League).
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
CHICAGO, Ill. – University of Evansville junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse blasted a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning, and junior closer Nate Hardman slammed the door shut in the bottom half of the frame to earn his 10th save of the year to help the Purple Aces rally past the UIC Flames, 2-1, on Saturday at Curtis Granderson Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. With the win, the Purple Aces earn a first-day bye in next week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and UE will open tournament play on Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. central against No. 3 Southern Illinois.
“What a ballgame!” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “Today had the feel of a tournament game from the start, and it was a great win by just finding a way to get the job done. I thought that all three of our pitchers did a great job of executing today on the mound, and what a special at-bat by Kip in the ninth inning.
“We had to earn that first-round tournament bye, winning a tough Valley series on the road.”
UIC struck first on Saturday with a run in the first inning, but then both starters – UE’s Jarrett Blunt and UIC’s Jeff Zack – went to work and kept both offenses at bay. Blunt was spectacular, as he went a career-high 7.0 innings in just his fourth start of the season. Blunt allowed just the single run in the first inning, and five hits total, while striking out seven men for UE. It was needed, because Zack baffled the Evansville offense all day, holding UE to a pair of doubles and a walk in 8.0 shutout innings.
The game would remain 1-0 until the top of the ninth inning, when Evansville got a little luck prior to Fougerousse’s big blow. Graduate outfielder Eric Roberts led off the inning with a high fly ball to left-center field that the center fielder couldn’t handle, and it kicked away to allow Roberts to advance all the way to third base.
After a strikeout by UIC closer Reece Lawler (0-1), Fougerousse drove a 2-2 pitch deep over the left-field wall for his 12th home run of the year to give UE a 2-1 lead. It marked the second ninth-inning, game-winning home run in the last month for Fougerousse, who also had a game-winning grand slam at Murray State on April 22. Hardman then came out of the UE bullpen and worked around a single and error to strike out the final two men he faced to nail down his 10th save of the year, and make a winner out of reliever Shane Harris (5-2), who worked a scoreless eighth inning for UE.
Fougerousse had two of UE’s four hits on the day, with a double and home run. Fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug also doubled for UE, while junior shortstop Simon Scherry had a bunt single in the ninth inning.
With the victory, Evansville finishes the regular-season with a 33-22 overall record and 15-12 MVC record, as the Purple Aces finished tied with Southern Illinois for third place in the Valley standings. Evansville and SIU will now square off on Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. central time in the third game of the 2023 MVC Tournament in Terre Haute, Indiana. Every game of the MVC Tournament can be seen live on ESPN+, with every UE game also being available in the Tri-State area on the radio on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball concluded the 2023 regular season and a three-game series with Tennessee Tech University by holding on to win, 8-6, Saturday afternoon in Cookeville, Tennessee. USI watched its record go 17-37 overall and 8-15 in the OVC, while TTU is 19-32, 10-14 OVC.
The victory wrapped up an Ohio Valley Conference Championship berth for the Screaming Eagles, who will be the eighth seed in the tournament which is slated for May 24-27 at Mt. Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. USI will play fifth-seeded Eastern Illinois
University in the first-round game at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
USI jumped out in front early during the series finale with a pair of runs in the second inning. Senior catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) put the Screaming Eagles up 1-0 with his fifth home run of the season and the 25th of his career.
The USI Eagles followed McNew’s homer with a second run when freshman third baseman Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) singled in junior designated hitter Parker Stroh (Grand Forks, North Dakota).
USI followed the two-run second with a five-run fifth, scoring five times on four hits, two walks, and an error to extend the lead to 7-0. The 7-0 margin lasted until the bottom of the sixth when the Golden Eagles closed the gap to 7-1.
After allowing the sixth-inning tally, USI pushed the lead back to seven, 8-1, when junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) scored on a ground out by junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan). TTU bounced back to cut the USI advantage to 8-4 with a three-run seventh.
The Golden Eagles made a game with it in the ninth, scoring a pair of runs on a two-run homer, cutting the gap to 8-6, and proceeded to put another pair of runners on with one out against USI sophomore right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana). Seebold settled down to get the final two Golden Eagles to preserve the 8-6 victory.
Seebold posted his first save of the season, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk. He also struck out two in three innings of work.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) gave USI a great start and posted his second win of the year. Hutson (2-7) allowed one run on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five in 5.2 innings of work.
Up Next for the Post-Season Eagles:
The Screaming Eagles’ first opponent in a NCAA Division I post-season is the Panthers of EIU. USI took the series in April, taking two of games (W 26-6; L 12-22; W 15-8) and scoring 53 runs in the three contests.
EIU (33-18, 13-11 OVC) enters the post-season on a seven-game winning streak and has won11 of 14.
The winner of the USI-EIU contest would advance to play fourth-seeded Southeast Missouri State University (26-29, 14-10 OVC) at 4 p.m. The first two rounds of the OVC Championship on Wednesday (May 24) are single-elimination before the double-elimination portion begins on Thursday (May 25).
In addition to USI, EIU, and SEMO, the OVC Championship field includes top-seeded Morehead State University (34-19, 16-7 OVC); second-seeded University of Arkansas at Little Rock (30-21, 14-8 OVC); third-seeded University of Tennessee at Martin (22-33, 14-10 OVC); sixth-seeded TTU; and seventh-seeded Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (26-27, 9-15 OVC).
VALPO BASEBALL
The Valparaiso University baseball team recognized a trio of seniors prior to Saturday’s Senior Day contest, a 10-3 setback to Illinois State to close out the regular season at Emory G. Bauer Field. Pitchers Bobby Nowak (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central [Kankakee]) and Nathan Chasey (Ames, Iowa / Gilbert [Indian Hills CC]) along with catcher Jake Skrine (Longmont, Colo. / Mead [Indiana]) comprised the senior class. Numerous former Valpo baseball players were in attendance as part of an event hosted by Valpo’s alumni office.
How It Happened
Illinois State scored the game’s first run on a wild pickoff throw in the top of the first.
Valpo leveled the score when Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) drove in a run with a ground ball that followed a Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) ground-rule double in the third.
Daniel Pacella led off the fourth with a solo home run to put Illinois State ahead 2-1. The Redbirds got two more in that inning to build up a three-run advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth, Skrine lifted a fly ball that was dropped by the Illinois State right fielder. Skrine reached second safely and was credited with a sacrifice fly and an RBI since Schmack was tagging and scored from third.
Illinois State added two in the seventh to expand the lead to 6-2.
A run-scoring single by Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) in the eighth reduced the deficit to three, but Illinois State poured on four insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
Inside the Game
Schmack led the way with three hits, while Nolan Tucker (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central), Matt Olive (Minneapolis, Minn. / Blake School) and Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) notched two apiece.
Schmack doubled twice, lifting his team-high double total to 15.
Schmack also picked up his 11th stolen base of the season,
Valpo wrapped up the regular season with its highest overall and MVC-only win total since joining the league. The Beacons also boasted their best MVC-only winning percentage since joining the conference.
Up Next
Eighth-seeded Valpo (20-25, 10-17 MVC) will take on fifth-seeded Murray State on Tuesday night at 5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET to open up the double-elimination Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, hosted by Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with links to live video and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com.
U OF I BASEBALL
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A date with the super-regional in on deck for the University of Indianapolis baseball team as they cleaned house at the Midwest Regional 2, picking up a massive 11-1 victory over the No. 25-ranked and third seeded Maryville Saints, making it back-to-back-to-back victories over ranked opposition for the Greyhounds. The Hounds will now travel to the super-regional at the No. 6-ranked Quincy Hawks for a three-game set to see who will be going to Cary, N.C.
The Greyhounds become just the second seven-seed to ever reach the super-regional, the only other being Charleston in 2019.
Outside of the history made by the Hounds, Drew Donaldson etched his name as the new run-scored king in the UIndy record book, scoring in the first inning. He upended a record held by Andy Henderson that was set in 1997 with 75. Donaldson now is the sole holder of first, with 77 and a change to add onto at Quincy.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It’s as if history continues to repeat itself as the Hounds were fiery in the first inning, crossing four runs to set the tone for the contest. A Donaldson right-field single and a Caleb Vaughn walk set the table for Isaac Bair to drive in the first of the game. The history books continued to alter after that with Vaughn grabbing his 43rd stolen base of the year, inducing an error from the catcher allowing him to score. Nick Lukac laid the hammer down to finish the frame, smashing ball over the right field wall to make it 4-0.
From that point, Brady Ware went to work. The grad student from Poway, Calif. was locked in for his start, going scoreless through the first four. The Saints were able to eat into the Hounds lead with a RBI double in top of the fifth, but that was the only mistake on Ware’s day. He would go clean the next two frames, ending his day with seven innings pitched on five hits and nine punchies.
The Hounds rewarded Ware’s excellence and more with a seven-spot in the seventh, mimicking their seven-run seventh from the day prior. A Ware single started the party with one run scoring via a Brandon DeWitt fielder’s choice. Vaughn carried the torch just two at bats after with a double into left that scored two and made it 7-1. Even though it wasn’t raining, it continued to pour on the Saints with Bair adding two more RBIs to his day with a hot shot into centerfield. Zack Williams was the man to make it a multi-dinger day for the Hounds with a missile over the right field wall.
The combo of Austin Bestul and Wyatt Phillips were more than enough to shut down a dejected Saints squad in the eighth and ninth. With a ground ball to shortstop, the Hounds punched their ticket to the NCAA Super-Regional.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Bair continues to rake, going 2-4 with three ribbies to lead the Hounds
– The Hounds limited the free passes, giving out only three in the game.
– After his work today, Williams is batting .452 with a 1.226 OPS in his 33 games played.
HOUND BYTES
Head Coach Al Ready after defeating Maryville in back-to-back games…
“I told the fellas back in the early going of the season after losing to Maryville that we would probably see them again. I have to tip my cap to Pat Evers, he’s done a really good job with that bunch, they were a really good ballclub, but the Hounds got hot down the stretch. The name on the front of the jersey didn’t matter, we just got hot. We were going to beat anybody.”
Ready after Donaldson’s success…
“There’s a direct correlation between Drew Donaldson’s success and his work ethic. That’s the thing you have to take away from this. You don’t just roll out of bed and do those things; you have to work at it. I have to give Drew all of the credit, he get’s more swings that probably anybody.”
Donaldson after his record…
“It feels great to have any record to my name. I can’t score without the guys behind me, Caleb, Teddy and Mook who are all hitting behind me. I score because of them. They are the ones bringing me in, I just happen to be on base.”
UP NEXT
The Hounds are on the road to Quincy, Ill., for the NCAA Midwest Super-Regional which begins on Friday, May 26. Stayed tuned to UIndyAthletics.com and on social media for further information.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
SPORTS EXTRA
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 34 | 13 | .723 | – | 21 – 3 | 13 – 10 | 10 – 7 | 9 – 1 | 4 – 2 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| Baltimore | 30 | 16 | .652 | 3.5 | 15 – 8 | 15 – 8 | 8 – 6 | 10 – 3 | 7 – 4 | 7 – 3 | W 2 |
| NY Yankees | 28 | 20 | .583 | 6.5 | 16 – 10 | 12 – 10 | 9 – 8 | 7 – 6 | 6 – 4 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Boston | 26 | 20 | .565 | 7.5 | 15 – 11 | 11 – 9 | 7 – 7 | 7 – 2 | 5 – 2 | 5 – 5 | W 4 |
| Toronto | 25 | 21 | .543 | 8.5 | 13 – 8 | 12 – 13 | 5 – 11 | 8 – 2 | 5 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 25 | 21 | .543 | – | 14 – 8 | 11 – 13 | 5 – 5 | 10 – 6 | 3 – 2 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Detroit | 20 | 23 | .465 | 3.5 | 10 – 10 | 10 – 13 | 2 – 14 | 4 – 2 | 3 – 3 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Cleveland | 20 | 24 | .455 | 4 | 9 – 12 | 11 – 12 | 3 – 6 | 5 – 7 | 8 – 5 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Chi White Sox | 18 | 29 | .383 | 7.5 | 11 – 13 | 7 – 16 | 2 – 11 | 8 – 7 | 3 – 4 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| Kansas City | 14 | 33 | .298 | 11.5 | 6 – 17 | 8 – 16 | 2 – 5 | 4 – 9 | 3 – 9 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 28 | 17 | .622 | – | 15 – 8 | 13 – 9 | 4 – 3 | 5 – 1 | 11 – 5 | 7 – 3 | W 2 |
| Houston | 26 | 19 | .578 | 2 | 13 – 11 | 13 – 8 | 4 – 2 | 6 – 7 | 6 – 5 | 9 – 1 | W 6 |
| LA Angels | 24 | 23 | .511 | 5 | 11 – 10 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 9 | 4 – 4 | 9 – 7 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Seattle | 22 | 23 | .489 | 6 | 10 – 12 | 12 – 11 | 2 – 4 | 5 – 5 | 7 – 5 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Oakland | 10 | 37 | .213 | 19 | 5 – 20 | 5 – 17 | 1 – 9 | 3 – 3 | 4 – 15 | 2 – 8 | L 3 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 28 | 17 | .622 | – | 11 – 10 | 17 – 7 | 10 – 3 | 6 – 0 | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Miami | 24 | 22 | .522 | 4.5 | 14 – 11 | 10 – 11 | 8 – 12 | 5 – 4 | 7 – 4 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| NY Mets | 23 | 23 | .500 | 5.5 | 10 – 9 | 13 – 14 | 9 – 8 | 1 – 5 | 7 – 6 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| Philadelphia | 21 | 24 | .467 | 7 | 12 – 8 | 9 – 16 | 1 – 2 | 5 – 4 | 5 – 8 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Washington | 19 | 27 | .413 | 9.5 | 9 – 15 | 10 – 12 | 5 – 8 | 4 – 3 | 5 – 5 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Milwaukee | 24 | 21 | .533 | – | 13 – 8 | 11 – 13 | 3 – 0 | 5 – 4 | 6 – 10 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 24 | 21 | .533 | – | 11 – 10 | 13 – 11 | 2 – 1 | 7 – 4 | 7 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Chi Cubs | 20 | 25 | .444 | 4 | 11 – 11 | 9 – 14 | 4 – 8 | 3 – 5 | 5 – 5 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| St. Louis | 20 | 27 | .426 | 5 | 10 – 15 | 10 – 12 | 0 – 3 | 7 – 6 | 6 – 10 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| Cincinnati | 19 | 26 | .422 | 5 | 12 – 11 | 7 – 15 | 7 – 9 | 3 – 6 | 2 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 29 | 18 | .617 | – | 17 – 7 | 12 – 11 | 4 – 2 | 11 – 8 | 12 – 7 | 7 – 3 | L 1 |
| Arizona | 26 | 20 | .565 | 2.5 | 14 – 10 | 12 – 10 | 4 – 5 | 5 – 3 | 12 – 9 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| San Francisco | 21 | 24 | .467 | 7 | 14 – 11 | 7 – 13 | 8 – 7 | 5 – 2 | 2 – 7 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| San Diego | 20 | 26 | .435 | 8.5 | 11 – 15 | 9 – 11 | 5 – 5 | 4 – 6 | 9 – 9 | 1 – 9 | L 4 |
| Colorado | 19 | 27 | .413 | 9.5 | 10 – 12 | 9 – 15 | 6 – 8 | 8 – 7 | 3 – 6 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1907 After the Giants’ 3-0 loss to the Cubs that drops New York out of first place, the players need to form a protective ring around umpires Hank O’Day and Bob Emslie. Pinkerton guards fire shots in the air, trying to disperse unruly fans who have spilled onto the Polo Grounds field.
1919 The Giants trade outfielder Jim Thorpe to the Braves for hurler Pat Ragan, who will pitch in only seven games for New York. The former Olympian, who appeared in only two games with his former team this year, will play 60 games for Boston before retiring at the end of the campaign, compiling a career .252 batting average during his six seasons in the major leagues.
1925 At Navin Field, the Tigers and Senators tie a nine-inning major league record, turning a combined nine double plays. Washington puts their twin killings to better use when they beat Detroit, 6-2.
1926 Earl Sheely ties a big-league record with seven consecutive extra-base hits. After doubling in his last three at-bats at Fenway Park yesterday, the White Sox first baseman collects three doubles and a home run in today’s 8-7 loss to Boston.
1927 For the second consecutive day, an umpire at Ebbets Field is the target of fan abuse. Arbitrator Frank Wilson needs a police escort after the Robins (Dodgers) drop a twin bill to Cubs.
1930 Babe Ruth hits three home runs, connecting in the first, third, and eighth inning of the Yankees’ 15-7 loss to the A’s at Shibe Park. The trio of round-trippers marks the first time the 35-year-old ‘Sultan of Swat’ has gone yard three times in a regular-season game, having accomplished the feat in the 1926 and 1928 World Series.
1943 At Comiskey Park, it takes only one hour and twenty-nine minutes for the White Sox to defeat the Senators, 1-0. The 89-minute contest is the quickest nine-inning game ever played in the American League.
1947 Yankee GM Larry MacPhail fines Joe DiMaggio $100 and penalizes four teammates to a lesser degree for not fulfilling contract requirements to do promotional duties. The New York outfielder had reneged on a promise to pose for a Signal Corps photograph featuring soldiers wearing new Army uniforms.
1952 The Dodgers score a major league record fifteen first-inning runs en route to a 19-1 rout over the Reds at Ebbets Field. After Ewell Blackwell retires the first batter, the next 19 Brooklyn batters reached base (10 hits, seven walks, and two HBP), including Captain Pee Wee Reese getting to first base three times during the frame.
1952 Joe Nuxhall, best known for signing with Cincinnati in 1944 after obtaining the permission of his parents and high school principal, returns to the Reds seven years after pitching two-thirds of an inning in his major league debut as a 15-year-old. The southpaw gives up just one hit in the final three frames of the team’s 19-1 loss to Brooklyn at Ebbets Field.
1956 The White Sox trade future Hall of Fame third baseman George Kell with right-handers Mike Fornieles and Connie Johnson and left fielder Bob Nieman to the Orioles for first baseman/outfielder Dave Philley and hurler Jim Wilson. The deal pays immediate dividends for Baltimore when Kell and Nieman become part of the team’s everyday lineup, and Johnson steps into the Birds’ starting rotation.
1957 Reaffirming their decision to bar females from the Fenway Park’s male-only press box, Boston baseball writers deny a seat to Doris O’Donnell, a feature writer following the Indians.
1959 In the face of growing pressure to expand, baseball owners declined to add new teams to the major leagues at a meeting at John Galbreath’s Ohio farm. Given the lack of expansion plans, Commissioner Ford Frick, at a later date, will announce that MLB will “favorably consider an application for major league status within the present baseball structure by an acceptable group of eight clubs which would qualify under ten specifications.”
1962 On the day he is released by New York, right-hander Robin Roberts will pitch two scoreless innings for the Orioles at Cleveland Stadium after signing as a free agent with the Birds. The 35-year-old future Hall of Famer, who never appeared in a game wearing a Yankee uniform, will compile a 42-36 record during his four seasons with the Birds.
1963 Jim Maloney ties a major league record shared by Max Surkont (1953 Braves) and Johnny Podres (1962 Dodgers) when he strikes out eight consecutive batters, beginning with the last out in the first inning of the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Milwaukee at County Stadium. The Cincinnati right-hander also equals the franchise mark with 16 strikeouts in one game, established by Noodles Hahn in 1901.
1969 The Mets are at .500 at the latest point of the season in team history. Tom Seaver throws a three-hitter, blanking the Braves at Atlanta Stadium, 5-0, improving the team’s win-loss record to 18-18.
1981 In the first round of the NE Regional in the NCAA Tournament at New Haven’s Yale Field, future major leaguers Ron Darling and St. John’s Frank Viola hook up in possibly the greatest college baseball game ever played. After being held hitless for eleven innings by the Bulldogs, the Redmen scored the contest’s lone run on a double steal in the top of the 12th inning after both hurlers had thrown 11 scoreless innings.
1986 Rafael Ramirez strokes four doubles in seven trips to the plate. The infielder’s quartet of two-baggers helps the Braves edge the Cubs in 13 innings at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, 9-8.
1988 Bobby Doerr, often referred to as the silent captain of the team by teammate Ted Williams, has his jersey #1 retired by the Red Sox, the organization he spent 14 years as a player and for many seasons after his retirement in 1951 for which he served as a coach and scout. The nine-time All-Star second baseman became the first player in club history to hit for the cycle twice (1944, 1947) and led the team in his only World Series appearance, hitting .409 (9-for-22) against the Cardinals in the 1946 Fall Classic.
1992 Manager Buck Rodgers and eleven others are injured when the Angels’ team bus goes out of control on the New Jersey Turnpike and crashes into trees. The 53-year-old skipper is seriously injured and will miss nearly 90 games.
1996 In a 12-10 defeat of the Pirates, Larry Walker sets a Rockies’ club record with 13 total bases. The right fielder drives in six runs with a pair of two-run homers, a triple, and a double.
1997 Roger Clemens, en route to 354 career victories, picks up his 200th win when he tosses eight innings in the Blue Jays’ 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium. The 34-year-old ‘Rocket’ becomes the first player to reach the milestone wearing a Blue Jays uniform.
1997 Cleveland slugger Jim Thome, not known for his speed, steals his only base of the season. The Indians’ first baseman’s swipe of home plate in the top of the fourth inning will prove to be the game’s only run in the Tribe’s 1-0 victory over Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium
1998 Professional baseball returns to Bridgeport (CT) for the first time in nearly half a century when the hometown Bluefish beat the Newport Bears in front of a sold-out crowd in their new Ballpark at Harbors Yards. The Atlantic League club is the first pro team to play in the Park City since the Bees of Colonial League suspended play after the 1950 season.
2000 Major League Baseball has its first six grand-slam day in less than a year after establishing the mark with five, with Garret Anderson (Angels), J.T. Snow (Giants), Brian Hunter (Phillies), Jason Giambi (A’s), and Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green (Dodgers) all contributing to the record. The NL also set a league record, blasting four of the six base-loaded homers.
2004 In a 5-3 Tampa Bay victory over Cleveland at Tropicana Field, Jose Cruz Jr. ties a franchise record, accumulating ten total bases. The Devil Rays’ right fielder’s 4-for-4 performance includes three doubles and a home run.
2004 In his return to Texas, Alex Rodriguez is roundly booed by the patrons when he comes to bat in the first inning at the Ballpark in Arlington. The Ranger fans continue to show their displeasure when the Yankees’ third baseman drives Joaquin Benoit’s 2-1 pitch over the fence.
2005 At the Ballpark in Arlington, the Rangers establish two team records when the club hits four homers in one inning and eight times altogether, routing the Astros, 18-3, in a Lone Star interleague game. Rod Barajas, Hank Blalock, Laynce Nix, and Mark Teixeira go deep in the team’s eight-run second inning, with Kevin Mench, Richard Hidalgo, and David Dellucci, who connects twice, also contributing to the franchise mark.
2005 Before their interleague game with the Athletics, the Giants pay homage to Juan Marichal by dedicating a nine-foot bronze statue outside SBC Park. The ‘Dominican Dandy,’ a San Francisco hurler from 1960 to 1973, joins Willie Mays and Willie McCovey as the third player to be honored.
2005 When Dae-Sung Koo bats against Randy Johnson, Mike Piazza confides to David Wright in the dugout, “If he gets a hit, I’ll donate a million dollars to charity.” The Korean reliever, who was afraid to stand in the batter’s box in a previous game, promptly hits a 91-mph fastball to the wall in center for a double, causing the Mets catcher to remark he’ll be making a significant donation to a charity over the next 20 years.
2008 “It’s been a lot of negative stuff going on around here and I’ve been feeling some of that and I was just expressing how I felt at the time, but it wasn’t anything to do with race. I wasn’t trying to bring race into it. I probably should have thought more about what I was going to say.” – Willie Randolph, former Mets manager.
Willie Randolph apologizes for his negative remarks concerning SNY’s coverage of him as the Mets skipper. The first black major league manager hired in New York had brought up race when asked about how the team’s TV network portrayed him.
2009 The Twins enjoy a six-run and a seven-run inning when they trounce the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, 20-1. Joe Mauer leads the Minnesota offense with a grand slam and two doubles, driving in a career-high six runs.
2009 Albert Pujols’s first-inning blast off Sean Marshall in the Cardinals’ 3-1 victory over the Cubs knocks out the letter “I” on the Big Mac Land sign at Busch Stadium. During any game, if a Cardinal player hits a home run into Big Mac Land, built in the left-field stands (section 272) as a tribute to Mark McGwire, everyone at the game is entitled to redeem their ticket for a free Big Mac at all participating restaurants in the fast-food chain.
2009 During a five-hour rain delay at Bright House Field in Clearwater (FL), UConn and South Florida players entertain the fans, and mostly themselves, with an impromptu dance-off. When the play resumes tomorrow, sixth-seeded Connecticut will advance to the semifinal round of the Big East Championship with a 4-2 victory over the No. 2-ranked USF Bulls.
2012 Caleb Lloyd catches both home run balls hit in consecutive at-bats, just three pitches apart, by starter Mike Leake and shortstop Zack Cozart during the fourth inning of the Reds’ 4-1 victory over Atlanta at Great American Ball Park. The 20-year-old college junior keeps neither giving the infielder’s ball to a friend who helped get the tickets to the game and, at the request of the Reds, gives the pitcher, who hit his first career round-tripper, the other in exchange for a tour of the clubhouse and an autographed bat and ball.
2012 Rockies starter Jamie Moyer extends his major league record when he starts at the newly opened Marlins Park, having pitched in 50 major league ballparks. The 49-year-old southpaw started his career with a victory for Philadelphia at Wrigley Field in 1986.
2013 Mike Trout becomes the youngest player in American League history to hit for the cycle when he goes 4-for-5 in the Angels’ 12-0 rout of the Mariners. The 21-year-old ‘Millville Meteor’ beats out an infield single in the third, triples in the fourth, doubles in the sixth, and goes deep in the eighth, becoming the sixth player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
2014 The A’s manage only one hit, Brandon Moss’ fourth-inning solo shot, but the homer proves to be the difference in their 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. Oakland is the first American League team to win with a home run as its only hit since Jim Thome’s solo shot in 2006 gave the White Sox a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals at U.S. Cellular Field.
2021 With White Sox runners on first and second and no outs in the top of the ninth inning, Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman induces Andrew Vaughn to hit into an inning-ending 5-4-3 triple play, keeping the score knotted at 1-1. Gleyber Torres, accounting for New York’s only run with a seventh-inning homer, ends the game in the bottom of the frame with a walk-off single, plating Aaron Judge.
TV SATURDAY
| BOWLING | TIME ET | TV |
| PBA: Super Slam Cup | 2:00pm | FOX |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Championship | 10:00am | ESPN |
| PGA Championship | 1:00pm | CBS |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| NY Yankees at Cincinnati | 11:35am | Peacock YES Bally Sports |
| Seattle at Atlanta | 1:30pm | Bally Sports Root Sports |
| Chi. Cubs at Philadelphia | 1:35pm | MARQ NBCS-PHI |
| Detroit at Washington | 1:35pm | Bally Sports MASN/2 |
| Arizona at Pittsburgh | 1:35pm | Bally Sports |
| Baltimore at Toronto | 1:37pm | Sportsnet MASN/2 |
| Milwaukkee at Tampa Bay | 1:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Kansas City at Chi. White Sox | 2:10pm | Bally Sports Root Sports |
| Oakland at Houston | 2:10pm | NBCS-CA ATTSN-SW |
| LA Dodgers at St. Louis | 2:15pm | Bally Sports Spectrum |
| Colorado at Texas | 2:35pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-RM |
| Miami at San Francisco | 4:05pm | Bally Sports NBCS-BAY |
| Minnesota at LA Angels | 4:07pm | Bally Sports |
| Boston at San Diego | 4:10pm | NESN Bally Sports |
| Cleveland at NY Mets | 7:00pm | ESPN Bally Sports SNY |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| Formula One: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | 9:00am | ESPN |
| NASCAR Cup: All-Star Open | 5:30pm | FS1 |
| NASCAR Cup: All-Star Race | 8:00pm | FS1 |
| NBA PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| East Finals Game 3: Boston at Miami | 8:30pm | TNT |
| NHL PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| West Finals Game 2: Dallas at Vegas | 3:00pm | ABC |
| RUGBY | TIME ET | TV |
| MLR: Dallas at Rugby ATL | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| RODEO | TIME ET | TV |
| PBR: Race For The World Championship | 12:00pm | CBS |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Serie A: Lecce vs Spezia | 6:30am | Paramount+ |
| Ligue 1: Ajaccio vs Rennes | 7:00am | beIN Sports |
| La Liga: Rayo Vallecano vs Espanyol | 8:00am | ESPN+ |
| EPL: West Ham United vs Leeds United | 8:30am | USA |
| EPL: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton | 9:00am | Peacock |
| Ligue 1: Reims vs Angers SCO | 9:00am | beIN Sports |
| Ligue 1: Nice vs Toulouse | 9:00am | beIN Sports |
| Ligue 1: Brest vs Clermont | 9:00am | beIN Sports |
| Ligue 1: Troyes vs Strasbourg | 9:00am | beIN Sports |
| Serie A: Torino vs Fiorentina | 9:00am | Paramount+ |
| Bundesliga: Mainz 05 vs Stuttgart | 9:30am | ESPN+ |
| La Liga: Atlético Madrid vs Osasuna | 10:15am | ESPN+ |
| EPL: Manchester City vs Chelsea | 11:00am | USA |
| Ligue 1: Lorient vs Lens | 11:05am | beIN Sports |
| Bundesliga: Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund | 11:30am | ESPN+ |
| Serie A: Napoli vs Internazionale | 12:00pm | Paramount+ |
| La Liga: Valencia vs Real Madrid | 12:30pm | ESPN+ |
| La Liga: Getafe vs Elche | 12:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia M’gladbach | 1:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Belgrano vs Talleres Córdoba | 2:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Ligue 1: Auxerre vs PSG | 2:45pm | beIN Sports |
| Serie A: Udinese vs Lazio | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| La Liga: Sevilla vs Real Betis | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Brasileirão: Flamengo vs Corinthians | 3:00pm | Paraomunt+ |
| NWSL: Portland Thorns vs Chicago Red Stars | 5:00pm | Paraomunt+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Sarmiento vs Huracán | 5:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Colón vs Barracas Central | 5:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Grêmio vs Internacional | 5:30pm | Paraomunt+ |
| NWSL: OL Reign vs NJ/NY Gotham FC | 6:00pm | Paraomunt+ |
| Argentina Primera División: River Plate vs Platense | 7:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Liga MX: América vs Guadalajara | 10:00pm | Univision |
| TRACK & FIELD | TIME ET | TV |
| Bermuda Games | 2:00pm | NBC |
| USFL | TIME ET | TV |
| New Orleans vs Philadelphia | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| New Jersey vs Houston | 4:00pm | FOX |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Chicago vs Phoenix | 4:00pm | ESPN |