“THE SCOREBOARD”
******INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE WEEK 6******
FRIDAY
ATTICA (0-4) AT FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (3-1)
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (2-2) AT SEYMOUR (2-2)
BENTON CENTRAL (1-3) AT TWIN LAKES (3-1)
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (3-1) AT TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (1-3)
BLUFFTON (4-0) AT JAY COUNTY (3-1)
BOONE GROVE (3-1) AT WHEELER (1-3)
BOONVILLE (2-2) AT LINTON-STOCKTON (3-1)
BOWMAN ACADEMY (1-1) AT LAKE STATION (1-3)
BREMEN (3-1) AT JIMTOWN (1-3)
BROWN COUNTY (1-3) AT WEST VIGO (0-4)
CALUMET (1-3) AT HAMMOND MORTON (1-3)
CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (1-3) AT HAGERSTOWN (3-1)
CARROLL (FLORA) (4-0) AT EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (3-1)
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (3-1) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (4-0)
CASCADE (3-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (4-0)
CASTLE (3-1) AT VINCENNES LINCOLN (3-1)
CENTRAL NOBLE (1-3) AT FREMONT (1-3)
CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL (1-3) AT PHALEN ACADEMY (1-2)
CHURUBUSCO (0-4) AT PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (0-4)
CLARKSVILLE (0-4) AT EASTERN GREENE (2-2)
CLINTON CENTRAL (0-3) AT TAYLOR (1-3)
CONNERSVILLE (2-2) AT RUSHVILLE (0-4)
CRAWFORDSVILLE (0-4) AT SOUTHMONT (3-1)
CROWN POINT (4-0) AT PORTAGE (0-4)
CULVER ACADEMY (2-2) AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (4-0)
DANVILLE (3-1) AT TRI-WEST (3-1)
DECATUR CENTRAL (2-2) AT MOORESVILLE (2-2)
DEKALB (2-2) AT COLUMBIA CITY (4-0)
DELTA (4-0) AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (1-3)
EAST CENTRAL (4-0) AT BATESVILLE (4-0)
EASTERN (PEKIN) (1-3) AT CORYDON CENTRAL (0-4)
EDINBURGH (0-4) AT NORTH DAVIESS (3-1)
ELKHART (1-3) AT PENN (3-1)
EVANSVILLE BOSSE (1-3) AT EVANSVILLE NORTH (2-2)
EVANSVILLE HARRISON (0-4) AT EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (4-0)
EVANSVILLE REITZ (4-0) AT EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (0-4)
FISHERS (3-1) AT BROWNSBURG (4-0)
FLOYD CENTRAL (3-1) AT JEFFERSONVILLE (0-4)
FOREST PARK (3-1) AT MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (3-1)
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK (0-4) AT NORTHWESTERN (1-3)
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (0-4) AT FORT WAYNE LUERS (2-2)
FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (0-4) AT FORT WAYNE NORTH (1-3)
FORT WAYNE WAYNE (2-2) AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH (0-4)
FRANKLIN (3-1) AT MARTINSVILLE (2-2)
FRANKLIN CENTRAL (2-2) AT AVON (0-4)
FRANKLIN COUNTY (2-2) AT LAWRENCEBURG (3-1)
GARRETT (2-2) AT EASTSIDE (2-2)
GOSHEN (0-4) AT NORTHRIDGE (3-1)
GREENWOOD (3-1) AT PLAINFIELD (4-0)
HAMILTON HEIGHTS (4-0) AT WESTERN (2-2)
HAMMOND CENTRAL (4-0) AT PIONEER (3-1)
HANCOCK COUNTY (KY.) AT TELL CITY (2-2)
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (3-1) AT ANDERSON (1-3)
HARVEST PREP (OHIO) AT CENTER GROVE (3-1)
HERITAGE (4-0) AT ADAMS CENTRAL (4-0)
HIGHLAND (2-2) AT LOWELL (1-3)
HOBART (3-1) AT ANDREAN (2-2)
HOMESTEAD (2-2) AT FORT WAYNE DWENGER (1-3)
HUNTINGTON NORTH (0-4) AT BELLMONT (0-4)
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (2-2) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (0-4)
INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (4-0) AT COLUMBUS NORTH (2-2)
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (2-2) AT GUERIN CATHOLIC (4-0)
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (4-0) AT HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (3-1)
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE (2-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS RITTER (2-2)
INDIANAPOLIS TECH (0-4) AT RICHMOND (0-4)
INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (2-2) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (2-2)
IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY (0-4) AT FRONTIER (2-2)
JASPER (2-2) AT EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (1-3)
JOHN GLENN (3-1) AT KNOX (4-0)
KANKAKEE VALLEY (1-3) AT HANOVER CENTRAL (4-0)
KNIGHTSTOWN (2-2) AT EASTERN HANCOCK (2-2)
KOKOMO (4-0) AT MARION (2-2)
LAKE CENTRAL (2-2) AT LAPORTE (1-3)
LAKELAND (3-1) AT ANGOLA (0-4)
LAPEL (1-3) AT NORTH DECATUR (3-1)
LAVILLE (4-0) AT CASTON (0-4)
LAWRENCE CENTRAL (1-3) AT PIKE (1-3)
LAWRENCE NORTH (4-0) AT CARMEL (2-2)
LEBANON (1-3) AT FRANKFORT (1-3)
LEO (2-2) AT EAST NOBLE (3-1)
LEWIS CASS (2-2) AT ROCHESTER (3-1)
MADISON (1-3) AT JENNINGS COUNTY (2-2)
MCCUTCHEON (1-3) AT LOGANSPORT (1-3)
MERRILLVILLE (3-1) AT MICHIGAN CITY (2-2)
MILAN (2-2) AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (2-2)
MISHAWAKA (3-1) AT PLYMOUTH (2-2)
MITCHELL (0-4) AT CRAWFORD COUNTY (0-4)
MUNCIE CENTRAL (0-4) AT LAFAYETTE JEFF (2-2)
MUNSTER (1-3) AT EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (0-3)
NEW ALBANY (1-3) AT COLUMBUS EAST (1-3)
NEW CASTLE (1-3) AT YORKTOWN (2-2)
NEW PRAIRIE (3-1) AT SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (3-1)
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (1-3) AT NORTH KNOX (2-2)
NORTH HARRISON (4-0) AT BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (4-0)
NORTH MIAMI (0-4) AT WHITKO (1-3)
NORTH POSEY (4-0) AT HERITAGE HILLS (4-0)
NORTH PUTNAM (0-4) AT CLOVERDALE (2-2)
NORTH WHITE (4-0) AT WES-DEL (1-3)
NORTHFIELD (0-4) AT MANCHESTER (2-2)
NORTHWOOD (3-1) AT WARSAW (4-0)
NORWELL (1-3) AT NEW HAVEN (4-0)
OWEN COUNTY (KY.) AT SWITZERLAND COUNTY (3-1)
OWEN VALLEY (2-2) AT NORTHVIEW (4-0)
PENDLETON HEIGHTS (3-1) AT NEW PALESTINE (2-2)
PERRY CENTRAL (1-3) AT TECUMSEH (0-4)
PERU (4-0) AT MACONAQUAH (3-1)
PROVIDENCE (4-0) AT CHARLESTOWN (2-2)
PURDUE POLYTECHNIC (2-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (3-1)
RENSSELAER CENTRAL (2-2) AT WEST LAFAYETTE (3-1)
RIVER FOREST (3-1) AT GRIFFITH (1-3)
RIVERTON PARKE (1-3) AT NORTH VERMILLION (2-2)
SEEGER (3-1) AT PARKE HERITAGE (2-2)
SHELBYVILLE (3-1) AT GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (4-0)
SHENANDOAH (1-3) AT PARK TUDOR (4-0)
SILVER CREEK (2-2) AT SCOTTSBURG (3-1)
SOUTH ADAMS (2-2) AT MONROE CENTRAL (1-3)
SOUTH BEND ADAMS (1-3) AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN (1-3)
SOUTH BEND CLAY (0-4) AT SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (1-3)
SOUTH BEND RILEY (4-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON (2-2)
SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (1-3) AT HAMMOND NOLL (1-3)
SOUTH DEARBORN (2-2) AT GREENSBURG (0-4)
SOUTH NEWTON (3-1) AT TRI-COUNTY (1-3)
SOUTH PUTNAM (3-1) AT EDGEWOOD (1-3)
SOUTH SPENCER (1-3) AT PIKE CENTRAL (1-3)
SOUTH VERMILLION (3-1) AT COVINGTON (2-2)
SOUTHPORT (0-4) AT BEECH GROVE (1-3)
SOUTHRIDGE (3-1) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (2-2)
SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL AT SOUTH DECATUR (3-1)
SOUTHWOOD (2-2) AT WABASH (0-4)
SPEEDWAY (1-3) AT MONROVIA (3-1)
SPRINGS VALLEY (3-1) AT SALEM (0-4)
SULLIVAN (2-2) AT GREENCASTLE (2-2)
TERRE HAUTE NORTH (0-4) AT BLOOMINGTON NORTH (4-0)
TIPTON (1-3) AT LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (1-3)
TRI (3-1) AT CENTERVILLE (4-0)
TRI-CENTRAL (1-3) AT DELPHI (0-4)
TRITON (2-2) AT CULVER (0-4)
TRITON CENTRAL (3-1) AT INDIAN CREEK (2-2)
UNION CITY (0-4) AT NORTHEASTERN (4-0)
VALPARAISO (3-1) AT CHESTERTON (1-3)
WARREN CENTRAL (2-2) AT BEN DAVIS (3-1)
WASHINGTON (1-3) AT PRINCETON (0-4)
WAWASEE (1-3) AT CONCORD (2-2)
WEST CENTRAL (4-0) AT NORTH NEWTON (0-4)
WEST NOBLE (4-0) AT FAIRFIELD (3-1)
WEST WASHINGTON (3-1) AT PAOLI (3-1)
WESTERN BOONE (3-1) AT NORTH MONTGOMERY (2-2)
WESTFIELD (4-0) AT HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (4-0)
WHITELAND (2-2) AT PERRY MERIDIAN (1-3)
WINAMAC (0-4) AT NORTH JUDSON (2-2)
WINCHESTER (2-2) AT UNION COUNTY (0-4)
WOODLAN (1-3) AT SOUTHERN WELLS (1-3)
ZIONSVILLE (3-1) AT NOBLESVILLE (2-2)
SATURDAY
ALEXANDRIA (4-0) VS. EASTBROOK (3-1)
BLACKFORD (0-4) VS. ELWOOD (0-4)
CLINTON PRAIRIE (4-0) AT SHERIDAN (3-1)
FRANKTON (2-2) VS. MISSISSINEWA (4-0)
MADISON-GRANT (3-1) VS. OAK HILL (3-1)
WHITING (2-2) AT GARY WEST (2-2)
GAMES TO WATCH IN BOLD
******INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL REPORTED SCORES*******
HAMMOND NOLL 3ANDREAN 0
LOWELL 3 GRIFFITH 0
HIGHLAND 3 RIVER FOREST 0
NORTHVIEW 3 GREENCASTLE 0
JENNINGS COUNTY 3 E CENTRAL 0
CLINTON PRAIRIE 3 SHERIDAN 1
SOUTH KNOX 3 LAWRENCEVILLE 0
OAK HILL 3 ELWOOD 0
LOGANSPORT 3 KNOX 1
KOUTS 3 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 0
MORGAN TOWNSHIP 3 WHITING 1
WESTVILLE 3 BOONGROVE 0
AVON 3 PLAINFIELD 1
FT. WAYNE DWENGER 3 EAST NOBLE 0
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 3 GUERIN CATHOLIC 0
COVENANT CHRISTIAN 3 BEN DAVIS 0
ANGOLA 3 WOODLAN 0
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 3 WESTFIELD 0
TRITON CENTRAL 3 ICC 0
NEW PALESTINE 3 PERRY MERIDIAN 1
*******INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS REPORTED SOCCER SCORES*******
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 5 WASHINGTON CATHOLIC 0
TERRE HAUTE NORTH 3 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 1
TRI-WEST 3 LEBANON 1
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 8 PLYMOUTH 0
COLUMBUS EAST 5 JENNINGS COUNTY 0
HERITAGE 12 NEW HAVEN 0
SPEEDWAY 9 RITTER 0
MOORESVILLE 3 DECATUR CENTRAL 0
WOODLAN 0 E. NOBLE 0
TWIN LAKES 5 PERU 1
CULVER COMMUNITY 15 OREGON DAVIS 0
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 3 PRINCETON 0
EAST CENTRAL 13 RUSHVILLE 0
WASHINGTON 3 BOONVILLE 2
LAWRENCEBURG 5 S. DEARBORN 0
PLAINFIELD 2 GREENWOOD 0
MARTINSVILLE 1 FRANKLIN 0
VINCENNES RIVET 10 BLOOMFIELD 0
GLENN 3 KOUTS 0
HARRISON 4 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 0
MCCUTCHEON 1 LAFAYETTE JEFF 1
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 5 HUNTINGTON NORTH 3
BELLMONT 3 FORT WAYNE SNIDER 1
NORTH CENTRAL 8 BEN DAVIS 0
LEO 4 DEKALB 1
HIGHLAND 3 HAMMOND NOLL 2
WHITELAND 5 PERRY MERIDIAN 0
WESTFIELD 0 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 0
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 8 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 0
FISHERS 1 BROWNSBURG 0
JEFFERSONVILLE 3 CHARLESTOWN 1
LAWRENCE NORTH 0 COLUMBUS NORTH 0
NOBLESVILLE 2 ZIONSVILLE 0
CENTER GROVE 3 MOUNT VERNON 2
NEW PAL 3 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 1
BISHOP CHARTARD 5 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 0
*******INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL REPORTED SOCCER SCORES*********
NEW PRAIRIE 6 SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 0
PORTAGE 9 MICHIGAN CITY 0
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 2 ROCHESTER 0
SOUTH KNOX 1 SULLIVAN 1
VALPARAISO 7 MERRILLVILLE 0
LOGANSPORT 6 WESTERN 0
BREMEN 8 GLENN 0
SHAWE MEMORIAL 4 RISING SUN 0
INDIANAPOLIS TECH 1 INDIANAPOLIS HERRON 1
NORTH HARRISON 1 CORYDON CENTRAL 0
SCOTTSBURG 2 SILVER CREEK 0
WOOD MEMORIAL 4 SHOALS 1
MITCHELL 4 HENRYVILLE 0
SOUTH DEARBORN 1 LAWRENCEBURG 0
JAC CEN DEL 10 MILAN 1
COLUMBIA CITY 5 WAWASEE 0
CROWN POINT 2 CHESTERTON 2
LOWELL 4 HIGHLAND 3
LAKE CENTRAL 9 LAPORTE 1
CASTLE 1 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 0
PENDLETON HEIGHTS 6 YORKTOWN 1
FORT WAYNE CARROLL 2 FORT WAYNE NORTHRUP 1
HANOVER CENTRAL 2 KANKAKEE VALLEY 1
HOBART 6 ANDREAN 0
WARSAW 4 HOMESTEAD 0
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 3 NORWELL 0
******INDIANA GIRLS GOLF REPORTED SCORES******
MONROVIA 225 DECATUR CENTRAL 233
********INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY NEWS*******
WEB SITE: https://in.milesplit.com/
*********INDIANA BOYS TENNIS REPORTED SCORES******
TRITON CENTRAL 4 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 1
*******COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE WEEK 3********
THURSDAY, SEPT. 14
BETHUNE-COOKMAN AT MIAMI (FLA.) | 7:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
NAVY AT MEMPHIS | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, SEPT. 15
VIRGINIA AT MARYLAND | 7 P.M. | FS1
ARMY AT UTSA | 7 P.M. | ESPN
UTAH STATE AT AIR FORCE | 8 P.M. | CBSSN
SATURDAY, SEPT. 16
LSU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | 12 P.M. | ESPN
PENN STATE AT ILLINOIS | 12 P.M. | FOX
FLORIDA STATE AT BOSTON COLLEGE | 12 P.M. | ABC
KANSAS STATE AT MISSOURI | 12 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT WISCONSIN | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
LIBERTY AT BUFFALO | 12 P.M. | CBSSN
LOUISVILLE AT INDIANA | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
INDIANA COACH TOM ALLEN MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVLHlwTrO70
WAKE FOREST AT OLD DOMINION | 12 P.M.
LONG ISLAND AT BAYLOR | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
IOWA STATE AT OHIO | 12 P.M.
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT AT KENT STATE | 12 P.M.
NORTH DAKOTA AT BOISE STATE | 12 P.M. | FS1
HOLY CROSS AT YALE | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
CORNELL AT LEHIGH | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
STONEHILL AT GEORGETOWN | 12:30 P.M. | ESPN+
COLUMBIA AT LAFAYETTE | 12:30 P.M. | ESPN+
ST. THOMAS (MINN.) AT HARVARD | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
DAVIDSON AT MARIST | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
PENN AT COLGATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
WEBER STATE AT UTAH | 2 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
VMI AT NC STATE | 2 P.M. | CW NETWORK
UMASS AT EASTERN MICHIGAN | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
NORFOLK STATE AT TEMPLE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
INDIANA STATE AT BALL STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
LAMAR AT SOUTH DAKOTA | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
ROBERT MORRIS AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT NOTRE DAME | 2:30 P.M. | PEACOCK
NOTRE DAME COACH MARCUS FREEMAN MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIjhOALLl3M
ILLINOIS STATE AT EASTERN ILLINOIS | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY AT GRAMBLING | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
STETSON AT MONTANA STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
ALABAMA AT SOUTH FLORIDA | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
SAN DIEGO STATE AT OREGON STATE | 3:30 P.M. | FS1
OKLAHOMA AT TULSA | 3:30 P.M.
WESTERN MICHIGAN AT IOWA | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
NORTHWESTERN AT DUKE | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
VIRGINIA TECH AT RUTGERS | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AT UCONN | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN
EAST CAROLINA AT APPALACHIAN STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
MINNESOTA AT NORTH CAROLINA | 3:30 P.M.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
DRAKE VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN KENTUCKY AT OHIO STATE | 4 P.M. | FOX
UL MONROE AT TEXAS A&M | 4 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
TULANE AT SOUTHERN MISS | 4 P.M. | ESPNU
IDAHO AT CAL | 4 P.M.
UTAH TECH AT NORTHERN ARIZONA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
SE LOUISIANA AT EASTERN WASHINGTON | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY AT PORTLAND STATE | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
BROWN AT BRYANT | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
WILLIAM & MARY AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
PRINCETON AT SAN DIEGO | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
WASHINGTON AT MICHIGAN STATE | 5 P.M. | PEACOCK
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL AT UCLA | 5 P.M.
NORTHERN COLORADO AT WASHINGTON STATE | 5 P.M.
FURMAN AT KENNESAW STATE | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
TOWSON AT MORGAN STATE | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA STATE AT CHARLOTTE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN CAROLINA AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
UNI AT IDAHO STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
GARDNER-WEBB AT TENNESSEE STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
PRESBYTERIAN AT WOFFORD | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
THE CITADEL AT CHATTANOOGA | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
VILLANOVA AT UCF | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN+
TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA | 7 P.M. | ESPN
SAMFORD AT AUBURN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
NORTH TEXAS AT LOUISIANA TECH | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
MURRAY STATE AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTHERN ILLINOIS AT NEBRASKA | 7 P.M. | FS1
VANDERBILT AT UNLV | 7 P.M. | CBSSN
MIAMI (OHIO) AT CINCINNATI | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTH ALABAMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
TARLETON STATE AT TEXAS TECH | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
LOUISIANA AT UAB | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT SMU | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS SOUTHERN AT RICE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
DUQUESNE AT COASTAL CAROLINA | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
STONY BROOK AT ARKANSAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
JAMES MADISON AT TROY | 7 P.M. | NFL NETWORK
SAN JOSE STATE AT TOLEDO | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
ALABAMA A&M AT SOUTHERN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT AUSTIN PEAY | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH ALABAMA AT TENNESSEE TECH | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
HOUSTON CHRISTIAN AT UT MARTIN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT NORTHWESTERN STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
LINDENWOOD AT WESTERN ILLINOIS | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
BOWLING GREEN AT MICHIGAN | 7:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
GEORGIA TECH AT OLE MISS | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
BYU AT ARKANSAS | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2
AKRON AT KENTUCKY | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
SYRACUSE AT PURDUE | 7:30 P.M. | NBC
PURDUE COACH RYAN WALTERS MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zCLXDcuX04
PITT AT WEST VIRGINIA | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT CLEMSON | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
WYOMING AT TEXAS | 8 P.M. | LONGHORN NETWORK
HAWAI’I AT OREGON | 8 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
TCU AT HOUSTON | 8 P.M. | FOX
NEW MEXICO STATE AT NEW MEXICO | 8 P.M. | MOUNTAIN WEST NETWORK
SACRAMENTO STATE AT STANFORD | 8 P.M.
LINCOLN (CA) AT CAL POLY | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
FERRIS STATE AT MONTANA | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
UIW AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
JACKSON STATE AT TEXAS STATE | 8:30 P.M. | ESPN+
COLORADO STATE AT COLORADO | 10 P.M. | ESPN
SOUTHERN UTAH AT UC DAVIS | 10 P.M. | ESPN+
FRESNO STATE AT ARIZONA STATE | 10:30 P.M.
KANSAS AT NEVADA | 10:30 P.M. | CBSSN
UTEP AT ARIZONA | 11 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
********NFL SCHEDULE*******
WEEK 2
THURSDAY
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (THU) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P PRIME VIDEO
SUNDAY
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT BUFFALO BILLS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT DETROIT LIONS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT HOUSTON TEXANS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
CHICAGO BEARS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT TENNESSEE TITANS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
NEW YORK GIANTS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS 1:05P (MST) 4:05P FOX
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS 1:05P (PT) 4:05P FOX
NEW YORK JETS AT DALLAS COWBOYS 3:25P (CT) 4:25P CBS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT DENVER BRONCOS 2:25P (MT) 4:25P CBS
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 8:20P (ET) 8:20P NBC
MONDAY
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (MON) 7:15P (ET) 7:15P ESPN
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ABC
*******MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL*******
SAN FRANCISCO 6 CLEVELAND 5 (10)
ST. LOUIS 1 BALTIMORE 0
CINCINNATI 4 DETROIT 3
TAMPA BAY 5 MINNESOTA 4
NY YANKEES AT BOSTON POSTPONED
SEATTLE 3 LA ANGELS 2
TEXAS 10 TORONTO 0
HOUSTON 6 OAKLAND 2
KANSAS CITY 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1
COLORADO 7 CHICAGO CUBS 3
PITTSBURGH 7 WASHINGTON 6
ATLANTA 4 PHILADELPHIA 1
NY METS 7 ARIZONA 1
MIAMI 2 MILWAUKEE 0
SAN DIEGO 6 LA DODGERS 1
******MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL******
INDIANAPOLIS 5 OMAHA 4
*******WNBA SCORES******
(PLAYOFFS)
CONNECTICUT 90 MINNESOTA 60
LAS VEGAS 87 CHICAGO 59
******MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER******
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
********TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES******
NFLPA RENEWS CALL FOR NATURAL GRASS TO HELP PREVENT INJURIES AFTER RODGERS GETS HURT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The NFL Players Association wants the league to switch all its fields to natural grass, calling it “the easiest decision the NFL can make.”
Executive director Lloyd Howell issued a statement Wednesday morning saying NFL players “overwhelmingly prefer it and the data is clear that grass is simply safer than artificial turf.” Howell said the issue “has been near the top of the players’ list during my team visits and one I have raised with the NFL.”
The players’ union called for the change less than 48 hours after a season-ending injury to four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in his debut with the New York Jets on Monday night.
Howell said in his statement they know there is an investment to making such a change. But he said there’s a bigger cost to the NFL if the league keeps losing its best players to “unnecessary injuries.” He noted the NFL flips surfaces to grass for World Cup or soccer exhibitions.
“But artificial surfaces are acceptable for our own players,” Howell said. “This is worth the investment and it simply needs to change now.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take” that the playing surface is a “complex issue,” and part of the collective bargaining agreement covered the use of science to measure injuries. The league and the union use the same data to gauge injuries.
Goodell noted Rodgers had one of two Achilles tendon injuries in the NFL’s first week, with the other on grass.
“That is where we make decisions, on the basis of science, not because I see an injury that I don’t like,” Goodell said.
“Ultimately, I want our experts to come back and give it to us and that is why we have engaged with this process and actually accelerated the process with the NFLPA to be able to get that kind of data so we can make those kinds of decisions.”
The union has asked for all grass fields for years.
The NFLPA in April pointed to studies from 2012-22 that it says show a significant increase in non-contact injuries on artificial surfaces vs. grass fields. The NFL has defended the use of artificial turf, pointing to 2021 when the numbers for injuries on both surfaces were close.
Rodgers argued for grass all over the league last November while with the Green Bay Packers. He said some artificial surfaces are softer, creating more wobble when the foot hits the ground.
“It’s that wobble that can cause some of these non-contact knee injuries that we’ve seen,” Rodgers said at the time. “I’m not sure if that’s the standard that’s set for that type of surface or it’s the installation of that surface, but a lot of that could be just done away with if we had grass in every stadium.”
Agent Drew Rosenhaus echoed the NFLPA’s demand on social media Wednesday, sharing the union’s post.
“It’s a no brainer,” Rosenhaus wrote. “If the Owners care about their players & want to win, then they will make the switch! I encourage the leaders at the NFL to push for this change. It’s for the good of the players & the game itself.”
A new artificial surface was installed this year at MetLife Stadium. Jets coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday that he didn’t see the surface as being an issue in Rodgers’ injury.
The 39-year-old quarterback got hurt when he was taken down by Bills defender Leonard Floyd.
“If it was a non-contact injury, then I think that would be something to discuss, obviously,” Saleh said. “But that was kind of forceable, I think that was trauma induced. I do know the players prefer grass and there is a lot invested in those young men.”
Bills pass rusher Von Miller blames turf for the ACL injury that has him on the physically unable to perform list to start this season. He joined a campaign to get grass in all NFL stadiums.
Two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes plays on grass in Kansas City and said it’s pretty simple.
“The numbers say that grass is healthier for the players, and I want to play on the surface that keeps me healthy,” Mahomes said.
The Tennessee Titans will debut the NFL’s newest artificial surface Sunday in their home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers after trying, and struggling, to grow grass in Nashville for 24 seasons. The Titans regularly replaced sod in the middle of the field, especially late in seasons.
Their fake turf features coconut husks and cork instead of rubber pellets. The Titans cited NFL data that put Nissan Stadium among the league leaders for games with players having lower-body injuries.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill and two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard both made clear they prefer grass. The Titans played one preseason game on the new surface, and Tennessee beat Virginia on Sept. 2 playing on the new turf.
Mike Vrabel, the Titans’ coach who played 14 NFL seasons in stadiums that featured original artificial turf, said the new field was definitely different. He said Wednesday the technology has really improved and he likes what Tennessee is using.
“I understand that we need to do everything that we can to keep our players safe and understand that sometimes injuries are unavoidable based on, whatever you’re doing and playing professional sports,” Vrabel said.
In the college game at Nissan Stadium, Virginia nose tackle Olasunkonmi Agunloye was carted off at the end of the first quarter after slipping as he celebrated on his way to the sideline.
Volunteers wide receiver Bru McCoy said the surface at Nissan Stadium was bouncy and required some adjustment. But he said he felt fast.
“At times, it felt like it had give,” McCoy said. “At times, it felt like you could really put your foot in the ground. No issues with it.”
JETS’ SALEH WOULD BE ‘SHOCKED’ IF RODGERS DOESN’T PLAY AGAIN AFTER SEASON-ENDING INJURY
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Aaron Rodgers’ season is over. There’s also some doubt as to whether his career might be, too.
Well, not in the mind of New York Jets coach Robert Saleh.
“I haven’t gone down that road with him,” the coach said Wednesday. “I mean, I’d be shocked if this is the way he’s going to go out. But at the same time, for him, he’s working through a whole lot of head space, things that he needs to deal with.
“That will be the last thing I talk to him about.”
But it will surely be a conversation to be had with the 39-year-old quarterback, who tore his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap in his debut with the Jets on Monday night in a 22-16 overtime win over Buffalo.
Saleh said Rodgers is currently going for some medical consultations to determine his next step, which will include surgery.
Rodgers is facing a long, arduous recovery and rehabilitation from the injury. He turns 40 in December and had considered retirement before coming out of a self-reflective darkness retreat in February and saying he intended to continue to play – and wanted it to be with the Jets.
His trade to New York from Green Bay in April raised expectations for a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs in 12 years, to the point there were high hopes for a run at a Super Bowl. Now, Rodgers won’t be able to contribute on the field the rest of this season, but the Jets hope he’ll still help the team end its postseason drought by staying connected to his teammates and coaches.
“It’s important for him, his mental health and healing,” Saleh said. “But his presence, his words, his verbiage, like I’ve said, he’s as much a football coach as he is a player. And just having his presence, his thoughts, his words and his leadership, I think anybody would want that.”
The Jets are turning back to Zach Wilson to replace Rodgers after the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft struggled mightily during his first two seasons – prompting New York to pursue a franchise-lifting signal caller.
Saleh and the Jets insist Wilson has improved since last season, and in large part because of his time the past several months with Rodgers.
“He’s got a lot of self confidence right now,” Saleh said of Wilson. “The easy stuff doesn’t look hard anymore. I mean, he gets back there and he does the fundamental things so well. His footwork is unbelievable.”
Wilson was shaky at times when he replaced Rodgers, finishing 14 of 21 for 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But he’ll get a week of practices – although it’s a bit of a short week after the Monday night game – to take the snaps as the starter and prepare to face the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday.
And the Jets aren’t necessarily expecting him to be a Rodgers replica.
“Nobody does,” Saleh said. “He just needs to be him. Nobody needs to think they need to go all-world now. You just need to be yourself. Just trust that yourself is good enough.”
As for his overall message to his players, who have to deal with trying to move forward after losing Rodgers, Saleh said there really isn’t much more to say.
“Nobody cares that you’ve lost a player,” Saleh said. “And at the end of the day, Sunday’s coming and we’ve got to put our best foot forward and do everything we can to put ourselves in a position to be successful. That’s the harsh part of the business, but I think guys understand that.”
NOTES: S Jordan Whitehead was selected the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after his three-interception performance against the Bills. … Rookie WR Xavier Gipson is the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his 65-yard punt return for a touchdown in overtime won the game for New York. … CB Brandin Echols is back from his one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. … Saleh said DE Carl Lawson (back) should play Sunday after being inactive against the Bills.
NFL PASSING GAMES STRUGGLED IN LEAST PRODUCTIVE OPENING WEEK IN YEARS
NFL passing games struggled to get off the ground in Week 1.
Whether it was because of quarterbacks being rusty from a lack of preseason action, wet weather that impacted several games or improved defense, this was one of the worst opening weekends for passing in years no matter the measurement.
Nineteen of the 32 teams failed to reach even 200 yards of net passing in their openers, the first time that has happened in any week of the season since Week 3 in 2008.
In all, teams combined for just 194.5 net yards passing per game for the lowest total in Week 1 of a season since 2006. The average of 6.3 yards per attempt was the lowest for the opening week since 1996 and the 9.8 yards per completion were the lowest on records that go back to 1940.
It’s a stark reversal from the recent trend that tilted the field to more passing thanks to rules changes and an influx of dynamic quarterbacks. But the drop-off from Week 1 just four years ago was stark with teams throwing for nearly 85 fewer yards per game, and yards per attempt dropping by 1.5 yards per pass.
Four teams failed to reach even 100 yards passing with some notable statistics of futility.
Seattle had minus-8 yards passing and 12 yards of offense in the second half of a loss to the Rams — the fewest in an opener in 24 years. The expansion Browns had minus-7 yards of offense in the 1999 opener against Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow celebrated his new contract by going 14 for 31 for 82 yards in a loss to Cleveland, while getting sacked twice for 15 yards. The 67 net yards passing were the fewest in an opener in the past 30 years — a mark that stook only a few hours.
Because in the night game Sunday, the Giants finished with just 63 net yards passing in a 40-0 loss to Dallas.
The other team that failed to reach 100 yards passing was the Atlanta Falcons, who had 91 in a 24-10 win over Carolina.
One of the few passing bright spots in Week 1 came from Miami, where Tua Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards in a win over the Chargers for the fourth best output ever in Week 1. Only Norm Van Brocklin (554 yards in 1951), Tom Brady (517 in 2011) and Dan Marino (473 in 1994) threw for more in an opener.
Tyreek Hill had 215 of those yards for the third best Week 1 receiving output behind only Frank Clarke (241 in 1962) and Anquan Boldin (217 in 2003).
DEBUT DUDS
Week 1 didn’t go well for the five coaches beginning tenures with new teams.
Denver’s Sean Payton, Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen, Carolina’s Frank Reich, Houston’s DeMeco Ryans and Arizona’s Jonathan Gannon all lost their season openers.
This marked just the third time in NFL history that there were at least five new coaches to begin a season and they all lost in Week 1, according to Sportradar. It also happened in 2018 when first-year coaches went 0-7 and in 2001 when they went 0-6.
Three of those coaches lost with rookie quarterbacks: Bryce Young of the Panthers, C.J. Stroud of the Texans and Anthony Richardson.
Young was the ninth straight No. 1 pick who started the season opener as a rookie and didn’t win. The last victorious one was David Carr on the expansion Texans in 2002, with Kyler Murray getting a tie for the Cardinals in 2019.
Richardson became the fifth rookie QB to record at least one TD passing and rushing, joining Archie Manning (1971), Chris Weinke (2001), Cam Newton (2011) and DeShone Kizer (2017).
CONFERENCE CROSSOVER
The talk before the season was about the discrepancy in quality between the NFC and AFC, with the AFC home to a majority of the top quarterbacks and Super Bowl contenders.
But for one week, the NFC came out on top.
Led by cross-conference wins from last season’s NFC title game participants Philadelphia (25-20 vs. New England) and San Francisco (30-7 over Pittsburgh), the NFC went 4-0 against the AFC. Detroit beat Super Bowl champion Kansas City 21-20 and New Orleans beat Tennessee in the other two interconference games.
This is the third time since the merger that one conference went undefeated in four more games against the other in Week 1 with the NFC also going 4-0 in 2012 and 1989.
SPECIAL TEAMS
It was a big weekend for special teams play capped by Xavier Gipson becoming the third player ever to return a punt for a touchdown in overtime to lead the New York Jets to a 22-16 win over Buffalo.
The only other players to do it were Patrick Peterson, who did it in 2011 for Arizona against the Rams, and Tamarick Vanover, who did it in 1995 for Kansas City against the Chargers.
In other notable special teams performances, the Saints and Titans combined for a Week 1 record eight field goals and San Francisco rookie third-round kicker Jake Moody had a perfect day with three made field goals and three extra points. The last rookie to do that in the opener was Justin Tucker for Baltimore in 2012.
LOSING TIME
New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr got off to a good start with his new team, winning the season opener over Tennessee 16-15. It was a reversal from his the with the Raiders when he went 3-48 when his team scored 16 or fewer points.
That led to many losses over nine years and has Carr in position to set a record he’d rather avoid. Carr has started in losses against 30 of the 32 teams in the NFL. He has never faced the Raiders and won both starts against Carolina.
Carr and the Saints face the Panthers on Monday night when he could become the first QB ever to lose to 31 teams. Oother quarterbacks have lost to 30 teams: Drew Beldsoe, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, Jon Kitna, Carson Palmer, Matt Ryan and Alex Smith.
PANTHERS PLACE GUARD BRADY CHRISTENSEN ON IR; CORNERBACK JAYCEE HORN HAS ‘SERIOUS’ HAMSTRING INJURY
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn and guard Brady Christensen got hurt during the team’s Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Horn has what coach Frank Reich called a “serious” hamstring injury that may require surgery. Reich said Horn is getting a second medical opinion.
The Panthers haven’t decided whether to put Horn on IR, but Reich indicated that is an option.
Horn, a first-round pick in 2021, missed 18 of 34 games in his previous two seasons in the league. Troy Hill likely will see increased playing time with Horn’s injury.
The Panthers placed Christensen on injured reserve with a biceps injury, leaving them without both starting guards for Monday night’s home opener against New Orleans. He will miss at least four weeks.
Carolina already was without guard Austin Corbett, who has not played since tearing an ACL in last year’s regular-season finale. Corbett started the season on IR and is eligible to return in Week 5.
The injuries on the line are a big concern for a team with a rookie quarterback in No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
Second-year guard Cade Mays seems like the obvious replacement for Christensen. Mays started two games last season for the Panthers as a rookie.
Rookie Chandler Zavala started the season opener for Carolina at the other guard spot in place of Corb
CHIEFS’ TRAVIS KELCE (KNEE), CHRIS JONES RETURN TO PRACTICE
Travis Kelce (knee) returned to practice Wednesday in a limited capacity and onetime holdout Chris Jones will also practice and play for Kansas City in Week 2.
Those were the updates Wednesday from Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who added that only running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) will miss the week’s first official practice.
The Chiefs (0-1) play at Jacksonville (1-0) on Sunday.
Kelce, 33, injured his knee at practice on Sept. 5 and was diagnosed with a bone bruise, ultimately missing the season opener, a stunning 21-20 home loss to the Detroit Lions.
An eight-time Pro Bowl tight end, Kelce has totaled 814 catches for 10,344 yards and 69 touchdowns in 144 career games (137 starts) with the Chiefs.
Kelce had previously missed only three games since 2014. He sat out two games when the Chiefs rested many of their starters and missed one game when he had COVID-19 in 2021.
Jones, 29, ended his holdout Monday after agreeing to a new one-year deal. The team didn’t announce financial details with the defensive tackle.
Jones was previously scheduled to make a base salary of $19.5 million this season, the finale of his four-year, $80 million contract signed in 2020.
Jones racked up 15.5 sacks in 17 games last season and earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod, along with his first time as a first-team All-Pro selection. In 107 games (86 starts) for the Chiefs since being drafted in the second round in 2016, Jones has 65 sacks, 12 forced fumbles and 243 total tackles.
BEARS CONSIDERING ‘ALL POSSIBILITIES’ WITH CHASE CLAYPOOL
Chicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool’s Week 1 effort, or lack thereof, has coach Matt Eberflus considering “all possibilities” heading into Week 2.
Replays from Sunday’s season-opening 38-20 home loss to Green Bay show Claypool making several half-hearted attempts to block on running plays.
Claypool, 25, was targeted only twice by quarterback Justin Fields and recorded no catches against the Packers.
On Wednesday, Eberflus was asked if the team is considering deactivating Claypool in favor of Equanimeous St. Brown for Sunday’s road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We’re looking at all possibilities right now,” Eberflus said, per the Chicago Tribune. “I’m not going to talk about who’s going to be up or down for the game for obvious reasons. We’re looking at all things to make our team better.”
Claypool, acquired in a trade last November with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is playing in the final season of his rookie contract.
The 2020 second-round pick has 167 catches for 2,184 yards and 12 touchdowns in 47 games (31 starts) with the Steelers and Bears.
COWBOYS’ PARSONS CALLS GIANTS ‘WRONG’ FOR KEEPING JONES IN DURING BLOWOUT
Micah Parsons criticized the New York Giants for keeping quarterback Daniel Jones in the fourth quarter during a blowout.
“It’s called protecting your guy,” the Dallas Cowboys edge rusher said on his podcast “The Edge with Micah Parsons.”
He added: “I don’t think Daniel Jones should have been in that game in the fourth quarter. I thought they should have protected him and pulled him out, and barring injury, their season would be over without Daniel Jones.”
The Cowboys defeated the Giants 40-0 on opening night. A Tony Pollard rushing touchdown all but secured the win, putting them up 26-0 halfway through the second quarter.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll kept his quarterback in the game into the fourth quarter before replacing him with backup Tyrod Taylor. Jones was sacked seven times, finishing the game with 104 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions.
“I do not agree with Daniel Jones staying out there into that last drive,” Parsons said.
He added: “I thought that was wrong, I thought it was deceiving. That’s your franchise quarterback and he’s still out there with the backup offensive line still getting sacked and hit. I just didn’t understand it.”
The two clubs face off again in Week 10.
********COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS*********
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS: NO. 1 GEORGIA STEPS INTO SEC PLAY, NO. 11 TENNESSEE HEADS TO THE SWAMP
Expect some weirdness this weekend in college football.
With no games matching ranked teams, and what is shaping up to be a monster Saturday on the horizon, you might look at the schedule and think it’s a good time to get a little yard work in. Maybe run some errands.
Be careful.
The season is still young enough that we really don’t know which teams are good and which are headed for disappointing seasons.
This week, for example, as Southeastern Conference play opens, we get our first look at No. 1 Georgia against an opponent that might have a sliver of hope of actually beating the two-time defending national champions.
It’s not so much that you should expect the unexpected as much as we really don’t know what to expect.
No. 11 Tennessee at Florida
The Vols broke a five-game losing streak to the Gators last year, and haven’t won two in a row in the series since 2004. The rivalry seems to be on the verge of flipping back to Tennessee, with Florida still trying to find its groove in Year 2 under coach Billy Napier.
For the Vols, QB Joe Milton is still in the prove-it phase as starting quarterback. The Gators need a bounce back after the Week 1 clunker at Utah.
LINE: Tennessee by 6 1/2. PICK: Tennessee 34-24.
No. 8 Washington at Michigan State
Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies’ offense announced their arrival last season in an emphatic victory against the Spartans. Washington’s offense has been on point through two games this season, with Penix throwing for 859 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Spartans will play without suspended coach Mel Tucker, looking for the type of victory that it hasn’t had since 2021.
LINE: Washington by 16 1/2. PICK: Washington 28-17.
No. 15 Kansas State at Missouri
The defending Big 12 champion Wildcats have rolled through the first two weeks at home and now face what should be a good SEC road test. The Tigers rank 10th in the nation in yards per play allowed at 3.83. K-State has been solid on defense, too, allowing 3.98 yards per play.
LINE Kansas State 4 1/2. PICK: Kansas State 23-17.
Western Kentucky at No. 6 Ohio State
The Buckeyes have committed to Kyle McCord as their starting QB after he was better in Week 2 than in Week 1. Still, the explosive offense Ohio State has become accustomed to has yet to fully arrive.
The Buckeyes might need it this week. QB Austin Reed and the Hilltoppers like to sling it around. WKU WR Malachi Corley, who left the opener after taking a hard hit to the chest and sat out last week, is an NFL talent.
Don’t necessarily put the Buckeyes on upset alert, but they best not mess around.
LINE: Ohio State by 27 1/2. PICK: Ohio State 49-17.
South Carolina at No. 1 Georgia
The Gamecocks are the last team to beat the Bulldogs at home, back in 2020. That seems like a long time ago.
Georgia has the longest overall winning streak in the country at 19 games.
Getting a read on the Bulldogs through the first two games has been near impossible given the competition. News alert: They’re good again.
Facing the Gamecocks should provide a better assessment, though if the South Carolina offensive line that gave up nine sacks to North Carolina shows up in Athens, the ‘Dawgs will feast.
LINE: Georgia by 27 1/2. PICK: Georgia 34-10.
The rest of Saturday’s games matching Top 25 teams against FBS opponents, with lines by FanDuel Sportsbook:
Bowling Green (plus 40 1/2) at No. 2 Michigan
Wolverines have methodically buried their first two overmatched opponents, which hasn’t been a great approach for covering enormous point spreads … MICHIGAN 42-7.
No. 3 Florida State (minus 26 1/2) at Boston College
Seminoles have won four straight and 11 of 12 against BC … FLORIDA STATE 49-17.
Wyoming (plus 28 1/2) at No. 4 Texas
Could the Longhorns be a little sluggish after a big night in Tuscaloosa? … TEXAS 38-14.
No. 7 Penn State (minus 14 1/2) at Illinois
Last time these teams met, they slogged through a record nine OTs that the Illini won 20-18 … PENN STATE 35-17.
Central Michigan (plus 34 1/2) at No. 9 Notre Dame
One last tune-up for the Irish before Ohio State comes to town … NOTRE DAME 42-13.
No. 10 Alabama (minus 31 1/2) at South Florida
The last time Alabama played a road game against a team not from a Power Five conference was 1997 against Tulane … ALABAMA 52-17.
Hawaii at No. 13 Oregon (minus 37 1/2)
After Alabama’s loss, Ducks have the nation’s longest home winning streak at 31 … OREGON 63-20.
No. 14 LSU at Mississippi State (plus 9 1/2)
Bulldogs have remade their offense, moving away from the late Mike Leach’s Air Raid and throwing just 46 passes in two games … MISSISSIPPI STATE 28-23, UPSET SPECIAL.
San Diego State (plus 24 1/2) at No. 16 Oregon State
Aztecs could be a future conference-mate for the Beavers … OREGON STATE 35-16.
Georgia Tech (plus 19 1/2) at No. 17 Mississippi
Rebels beat the Yellow Jackets 42-0 last season … OLE MISS 35-17.
Colorado State at No. 18 Colorado (minus 22 1/2)
Boulder is the place to be: Both ESPN and Fox’s pregame shows will be at CU … COLORADO 35-10.
No. 19 Oklahoma (minus 27 1/2) at Tulsa
Golden Hurricane last beat the Sooners in 1996 and last won at home against OU in 1942 … OKLAHOMA 48-17.
Minnesota (plus 7 1/2) at No. 20 North Carolina
First meeting ever matches Gophers’ ground-and-pound vs. Tar Heels’ star QB Drake Maye … NORTH CAROLINA 26-20.
Northwestern (plus 18 1/2) at No. 21 Duke
Blue Devils have won four straight in the ACC-Big Ten Brainiac Bowl … DUKE 28-13.
Western Michigan (plus 28 1/2) at No. 25 Iowa
Broncos were losing 45-7 at the half to Syracuse last week; Time for an offensive breakout from the Hawkeyes? … IOWA 31-6.
TWITTER REQUESTS
James Madison (plus 2 1/2) at Troy — @MDWDFW: Two of the Sun Belt’s best teams .. JMU 27-23.
Pittsburgh (minus 1 1/2) at West Virginia — @romo2020extra: Backyard Brawl returned last year and Pitt won a wild one; Mountaineers coach Neal Brown could really use this … PITT 26-23.
BYU at Arkansas (minus 8 1/2) — @yehonala04: Razorbacks expected to be without star RB Raheim Sanders (knee) … ARKANSAS 28-17.
Northern Illinois at Nebraska (minus 10 1/2) — @willminich: Cornhuskers’ minus-6 turnover margin is worst in the nation … NEBRASKA 27-13.
South Alabama (plus 7 1/2) at Oklahoma State — @mroberson3: Cowboys looking for seventh straight 3-0 start … OKLAHOMA 23-17.
Fresno State at Arizona State (plus 3) — @ArtWMoore: Bulldogs already have a victory against a Big Ten team, now try to add a Pac-12 … ARIZONA STATE 31-28.
___
RECORD
Last week: Straight-up — 18-6; Against spread — 7-17.
Season: Straight-up — 36-12; Against spread — 16-32.
*********MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL*********
TJ FRIEDL’S 2-RUN TRIPLE AND A SOLID REDS BULLPEN COMBINE FOR 4-3 WIN OVER THE TIGERS
DETROIT (AP) TJ Friedl hit a two-run triple in the second inning and seven Cincinnati relievers combined on five shutout innings as the Reds beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 on Wednesday.
Cincinnati’s bullpen has pitched 11 scoreless innings as the Reds have won the first two games of the series. The Reds (76-71) are tied with Arizona for the final NL wild card.
“It’s getting down to it at this point – every game and every inning matters,” Friedl said. “The bullpen has just been incredible for us all season.”
Reds starter Connor Phillips allowed three runs in four innings in his second career start before the bullpen took over.
“Today wasn’t good, honestly, but the bullpen came in and kicked butt,” Phillips said. “I fell behind a bunch of guys tonight, which I didn’t do in the first outing.”
Daniel Duarte (2-0) pitched the eighth to get the win and Alexis Díaz, who got the win in Tuesday’s 10-inning victory, pitched the ninth for his 36th save.
“I’m proud of all those guys,” said Lucas Sims, who got the last out of the sixth inning after pitching a scoreless seventh on Tuesday. “Every one of them is a professional. They come in, they get their work done, get prepared and we have fun down there.”
Eduardo Rodriguez (11-8) allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Friedl gave the Reds a second-inning lead with a two-out, two-run triple into the right-field corner, but the Tigers tied it in the third on Spencer Torkleson’s 28th homer.
Rodriguez walked Harrison Bader to start the fourth, and Noelvi Marte followed with a single. Friedl beat out a bunt single and Luke Maile grounded into a force at second, scoring Bader.
The Reds made it 4-2 in the fourth with the help of Detroit’s defense. Maile took off as Jonathan India struck out on a 3-2 pitch, and Carson Kelly threw to second. Marte immediately broke for the plate and scored before the Tigers could run down Maile.
“We threw through with the idea that we’re going to come back home with it if Marte goes,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “But Andy (Ibañez) mishandled Carson’s throw a little, so he did the smart thing and made sure we got out of the inning.”
Parker Meadows walked in the bottom of the inning, stole second and scored on Akil Baddoo’s double.
Matt Vierling led off the fifth with a walk and took second on Torkelson’s single. That brought Fernando Cruz out of the Cincinnati bullpen, and he struck out the next two hitters before walking Miguel Cabrera to load the bases.
Sam Moll, the third Reds pitcher of the inning, got Meadows to ground out and end the threat.
The Tigers left two runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings and one each in the eighth and ninth.
“Someone asked me before the series what the secret was to beating them, and I said you had to beat their starters,” Hinch said. “If they can hand the game to their pen, it’s really hard, because they just keep coming at you. They may bend a little, but they make big pitches.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: RHP Tejay Antone, making his fifth appearance after missing two years with a second Tommy John surgery, left the game in the sixth inning with right elbow discomfort.
“We obviously have to get him examined, but it is concerning because of what Tejay has gone through,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It’s still too early to know anything, though.”
UP NEXT
Tigers rookie RHP Reese Olson (3-7, 4.50) will face the Reds on Thursday.
DAVIS HOMERS, WADE HITS WINNING SAC FLY AS GIANTS RALLY PAST GUARDIANS 6-5 IN 10
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied past the Cleveland Guardians 6-5 on Wednesday in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Xzavion Curry (3-4) walked a pair to load the bases with no outs. Wade hit a fly ball to left and Patrick Bailey beat a strong throw from left fielder Steven Kwan, sliding under Bo Naylor’s tag at the plate. The call was upheld upon video review.
“There’s a bunch of fighters in that room and those guys are consistently battling,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “I think we’re going to look at this game at the end of the season and believe that it’s very meaningful.”
J.D. Davis tied the game in the eighth with a towering three-run homer to left off Guardians reliever Eli Morgan.
“It was just a matter of a coin flip if it was going to go out or not,” Davis said. “I knew it was going to be a sac fly, but once Kwan started backing up, backing up, and finally hit the wall, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a three-run home run. Different ballgame right now.’ So I was fortunate.”
Camilo Doval (6-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first win since Aug. 20.
José Ramírez hit his 215th career home run, tying Larry Doby for seventh in Guardians history.
Josh Naylor added an RBI single, as every Cleveland starter had at least one hit.
Luis Matos and Wilmer Flores had RBI singles for the Giants (75-71), who moved within one game of Arizona for the final NL wild card spot. The Diamondbacks were scheduled to play at the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
Cleveland built a 4-0 lead in the first inning on Ramirez’s two-run homer and a throwing error by third baseman Casey Schmitt that led to two more runs.
Matos cut the lead to 4-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the first.
“We had a couple of chances and didn’t expand (the lead),” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “You give a good team free bases and sometimes they make you pay.”
FOR STARTERS
Guardians rookie Logan Allen allowed one run and five hits in five innings. The left-hander struck out five and walked three.
“Happy to get through five,” Allen said. “Happy to kind of settle in there after what was a shaky first inning. Happy with the outing, but tough with the way it ended.”
Fellow rookie southpaw Kyle Harrison was charged with five runs, three earned, in four innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: OF Ramón Laureano returned after missing three games with a jammed left thumb. Laureano went 1 for 5 with a double. … RHP Triston McKenzie (sprained right elbow) was scheduled to make a rehab start for Double-A Akron on Wednesday night.
Giants: Davis started at first base after missing Tuesday’s game with lower back tightness. … Bailey was activated from the 7-day concussion injured list and went 1 for 4. … OF Michael Conforto (strained left hamstring) is expected to return from the 10-day IL at some point next series, according to Kapler. … RHP Cole Waites underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is projected to return to play in 12 to 16 months.
ROSTER MOVE
The Giants optioned C Joey Bart to Triple-A Sacramento.
UP NEXT
Guardians: RHP Lucas Giolito (7-13, 4.89 ERA) opens a three-game home series against Texas on Friday. Giolito is 0-2 in two starts with Cleveland, allowing 13 earned runs in 10 innings. The Rangers hadn’t announced a starter.
Giants: RHP Logan Webb (10-12, 3.40) opens a four-game series at Colorado on Thursday opposite RHP Chase Anderson (0-5, 6.49). Webb pitched six scoreless innings Saturday in a 9-1 win over the Rockies in San Francisco.
PALACIOS HR, STRONG START BY ROM HELPS CARDINALS TRIP FIRST-PLACE ORIOLES 1-0
BALTIMORE (AP) After scoring a combined two runs in successive defeats and uncertain about the status of their hard-hitting first baseman, the Baltimore Orioles are limping into their showdown with Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East.
Richie Palacios homered, rookie Drew Rom and four relievers combined on a three-hitter and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Baltimore 1-0 Wednesday night to trim the Orioles’ lead in the division to two games.
To make matters worse, Baltimore first baseman Ryan Mountcastle was pulled from the game in the third inning with left shoulder discomfort, and afterward he wasn’t too optimistic about bouncing right back.
“It doesn’t feel good,” Mountcastle said, adding that he will likely receive an MRI on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury.
Mountcastle is batting .269 with 18 homers and 67 RBIs. He’s also drawn 24 walks in his last 51 games.
Baltimore has lost two straight and three of four heading into a four-game series against the Rays beginning Thursday night. The Orioles have been in first place since July 19, in part because their longest losing streak since that time has been two.
But Baltimore dropped two of three to St. Louis after losing the final game of a series in Boston – not the kind of momentum it was hoping for heading into its most pivotal series this year.
“Any series is tough, but I still think we played pretty good baseball,” said Kyle Gibson, who allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings. “The last thing we need to do right now is make too much over one loss and losing a series. We’re two games up, and if we play good baseball the last three weeks I think we’ll be fine.”
In a game dominated by strong pitching and tight defense, Palacios provided the lone run with a solo shot over the right-field scoreboard in the fourth inning off Gibson (14-9). It was his fourth homer of the season and third in two nights.
Gunnar Henderson’s two-out triple off Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning gave the Orioles a chance to pull even, but Aaron Hicks popped out.
Making his fifth major league start since being traded from Baltimore to the Cardinals on Aug. 1, Rom allowed two hits over 5 1/3 innings and left with a 1-0 lead. Effectively changing speeds and using both sides of the plate, the lefty struck out six and didn’t give up a hit until Jorge Mateo beat out a grounder with two outs in the fifth.
Rom, selected in the fourth round of the 2018 draft by Baltimore, was part of the multi-player deal that send Jack Flaherty to the Orioles.
“He did a real nice job navigating that lineup,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “Outstanding outing.”
Casey Lawrence got two outs after Rom gave up a one-out double to Anthony Santander in the sixth. Giovanny Gallegos and John King worked an inning apiece before Helsley got three outs to earn his ninth save, the second in two nights.
AL LEAST
The Cardinals finished with a winning record against every team in the AL East, the only division in the majors with every club above .500. St. Louis was 2-1 vs Baltimore, Toronto, Tampa Bay and New York, and 3-0 vs. Boston.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: OF Nolan Gorman was placed on the 10-day injured list after straining his right hamstring on Tuesday night. “Our hope is that this does not end his season,” Marmol said. St. Louis selected the contract of INF Juniel Querecuto from Triple-A Memphis to fill out the roster…. OF Dylan Carlson has decided to undergo season-ending ankle surgery, Marmol said. Carlson, who has been experiencing left ankle discomfort for several months, figured having surgery now would give him a jump on the rehabilitative process heading into the offseason. He finished with a .219 batting average, five HRs and 27 RBIs in 76 games. … … C Willson Contreras was not in the starting lineup after leaving Tuesday night’s game with a bruised right hand. He is day to day, according to Marmol.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: After an off day Thursday, the Cardinals and LH Zach Thompson (5-5, 4.06 ERA) take on the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
Orioles: RH Kyle Bradish (11-6, 3.03) gets the start for Baltimore on Thursday night. He’s 1-2 with a 6.53 ERA in four career starts against the Rays.
ATLANTA BRAVES CLINCH 6TH STRAIGHT NL EAST TITLE, BEAT PHILLIES 4-1 AS STRIDER GETS 17TH WIN
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Crammed into the visitor’s clubhouse, the Atlanta Braves puffed on their championship cigars, showered each other with bubbly, shot-gunned beers and danced in alcohol puddles – until the music briefly paused.
“Turn the music up! Some people want to party!” shouted reliever Kirby Yates.
On his command, the music was cranked to max volume and the NL East title celebration resumed. Yates was the one who closed another division title, so he got to call the shots in the locker room.
And as he surveyed the jubilation around him, and ran his fingers through hair matted by booze, Yates knew there was nowhere else he wanted to be.
“So far,” he said, “it’s the best part about being a baseball player.”
It’s just what the Braves do this time of year.
The Braves clinched their sixth straight NL East title, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Wednesday night behind Spencer Strider’s major league-leading 17th win and Austin Riley’s two-run homer.
“Now the real party starts,” Strider said.
Yates struck out Brandon Marsh to end the game and the players danced in a mob near the mound as Phillies fans booed them off the field.
“Congratulations Atlanta Braves 2023 NL East Champions” flashed on the scoreboard.
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. responded to booing fans by raising both arms and signaling with his hands to bring it on.
“We’ve checked one box,” manager Brian Snitker said.
Atlanta (96-50) clinched in 146 games, its second-quickest clinch in the divisional era. The division title was the Braves’ record 26th, two more than the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees,
The Braves have seemingly made winning the East a rite of September since the 1990s and this year’s team looks loaded enough to win their third World Series since moving from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. Over that span, Atlanta won 11 straight NL East titles from 1995-2005, and the World Series in 1995 and 2021.
Yates earned his fifth save.
Atlanta took special satisfaction in clinching on the same Citizens Bank Park field where the Phillies eliminated them last October in the NL Division Series. The Phillies won that series 3-1 — just as Atlanta won this four-game set.
The Phillies lead the NL wild card and the teams could face each other in October.
For now, September belongs to the Braves.
“Did we want it to be on our field? No,” Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said. “But they’re going to have to do it somewhere. The focus is on us, still. We’re going to keep pushing until the very end.”
Riley, one of many big boppers in the lineup, gave the Braves all the runs they needed when he connected off Cristopher Sánchez (2-4) in the first for his 35th homer.
“I try not to think of moments like that,” Riley said. “You just try and go up there and have a good at-bat. I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself this year to perform in those moments. I was able to put a good swing on there.”
Riley had a sacrifice fly in the third and Kevin Pillar added an RBI double in the fourth for a 4-1 lead.
Sanchez struck out a career-best 10 in 7 1/3 innings but the Phillies have still lost five of seven.
“We’ll bounce back,” manager Rob Thomson said. “This group has been resilient all year.”
Strider (17-5) took it from there and won for the fifth time in six starts, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Strider struck out nine to boost his MLB-best total to 259. He also gave the bullpen some needed rest after a rough first three games in Philly that included Raisel Iglesias surrendering tying homers in the ninth inning in two of them.
That the Braves had the mettle to rebound and win on the road from the crushing blows is just one more reason why they just might be the team to beat in the postseason.
“Let’s get ready for October,” Strider said.
SUPER SLUGGERS
Riley became the third Braves player to reach 35 homers, joining Matt Olson (51) and Acuña (37). The Braves are tied for most players with 35 homers in a season on one team in MLB history.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said it would be a “pleasant surprise” if injured first baseman Rhys Hoskins is able to return in the postseason. Hoskins has tried to remain optimistic that he could play after he tearing his left ACL in spring training. Hoskins has a $12 million, one-year contract and may have played his last game with Philadelphia.
Hoskins will continue to hit off a tee on the trip in St. Louis. Hoskins hit 30 homers with 79 RBIs last season for the NL champions.
UP NEXT
The Braves are off as they head to Florida for a three-game set with the Marlins. The Braves send RHP Bryce Elder (12-4, 3.38 ERA) to the mound. The Marlins have not named a starter.
The Phillies take Thursday off before they open a three-game set in St. Louis. The Phillies send RHP Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.64 ERA) to the mound against Cardinals RHP Zack Thompson (5-5, 4.06 ERA).
MICHAEL MASSEY HOMERS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT GAME, ROYALS BEAT WHITE SOX 7-1
CHICAGO (AP) Michael Massey homered for the second straight game, Salvador Perez had three hits and two RBIs and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 7-1 on Wednesday night.
Four pitchers combined to limit Chicago to one run on five hits while striking out nine. Kansas City won its second straight against Chicago and took the season series 7-6.
Rookie Steven Cruz opened with two scoreless, two-hit innings in his first career start. Fellow rookie Alec Marsh (1-8) followed, allowing one run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings for his first major league victory.
“That was probably the best we’ve seen with him as far as his execution of pitches, the quality the shape of the pitched, the competitiveness,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said.
James McArthur got five outs, and Tucker Davidson tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to preserve the win for Marsh, who pitched in his 14th game. The 25-year-old righty started eight of them since being recalled from Omaha and making his debut June 30.
“To see the things I’ve been working on, to see it come together was amazing” said Marsh, who added teammates “didn’t let up on him” in a postgame celebration.
Massey has six homers and 17 RBIs in 19 career games against the White Sox, a team he rooted for while growing up in the Chicago suburb of Palos Park, Illinois. The 25-year-old infielder has 13 homers this year, his second in the majors, and 17 total so far in his career.
As usual, Massey had group of family and friends cheering him on during the series on the South Side.
“I’ve gone back and forth, like, `If I’m doing it against these guys, what have I got to change against other teams?'” Massey said. “Again, I think it always comes down to just my family’s here and being comfortable with them the whole week.”
Chicago starter Mike Clevinger (7-8) allowed two runs – on Massey’s drive in the second – and six hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out seven and didn’t give up a walk.
“Six innings, two runs, made one mistake,” Chicago manager Pedro Grifol said. “Paid for it with Massey, but overall this is another good start for him.”
Nick Loftin drove in two runs, with a single and double, after entering as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
Loftin, Perez and Bobby Witt, Jr. had RBIs in the seventh for the Royals, whose 46-101 record is the worst in the majors. The White Sox have the fourth-worst mark at 56-90. Both teams have been eliminated from the postseason.
Massey hit Clevinger’s 1-0 fastball into the right-field bullpen in the second to put Kansas City ahead 2-0.
Loftin and Perez each had an RBI single in the seventh as Kansas City scored three-runs off relievers Aaron Bummer and Lane Ramsey to take a 5-0 lead. Witt drove in a run with a sac fly.
Through the first six innings, Chicago advanced only two runners as far as second base.
The White Sox broke through in the seventh. Yoán Moncada led off with a double, then advanced to third on Andrew Vaughn’s infield hit and scored when Witt threw wildly on Yasmani Grandal’s grounder to shortstop.
Loftin and Perez drove in runs in the ninth.
HE EARNED IT
Marsh threw 74 pitches, 50 for strikes.
The Milwaukee native struck out Gavin Sheets to cap a 13-pitch at bat for the first out of the seventh before McArthur took over and got Elvis Andrus to ground into a double-play.
“I think it was the longest at-bat of my career,” Marsh said. “It was a battle the whole time.”
UP NEXT:
Royals: Had not yet named a starter to face Houston RHP Cristian Javier (9-3, 4.78) at Kansas City on Friday.
White Sox: Will send RHP José Ureña (0-5, 8.46) to face Minnesota RHP Kenta Maeda (4-7, 4.65) in Chicago on Thursday to open a four-game series.
KRIS BRYANT HITS ONE OF THE ROCKIES’ FOUR HOMERS IN A 7-3 WIN OVER THE PLAYOFF-CONTENDING CUBS
DENVER (AP) Kris Bryant went deep for the second straight game, one of four home runs by Colorado, and the Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 on Wednesday for their first series win in a month.
Nolan Jones and Elehuris Montero each hit a two-run homer in a four-run fifth, and Ryan McMahon homered and finished with three hits for the Rockies, who took two of three from the playoff-contending Cubs. Colorado hadn’t won a series since taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox from Aug. 18-20.
“We’ve talked about the integrity of the season and integrity of these games, not only for us against them,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Other teams are watching our game. And I’ve told the guys that there’s going to be a time that we’re going to be watching other guys, making sure that so and so is playing their lineup and playing hard and doing everything they can to win.”
Nico Hoerner tied his career best with four hits and Miguel Amaya and Ian Happ each had two hits for Chicago, which dropped the final two games at Colorado to lose ground on NL Central-leading Milwaukee. The Cubs (78-69) continue to hold the second NL wild-card spot after playing 27 games in 27 days.
“We’re at the back end of the season and we went 16-11 in 27 games, so that’s pretty good,” manager David Ross said. “Keep the big picture at hand.”
Ty Blach (3-1) gave up nine hits in five innings but held the Cubs in check, allowing three runs. Gavin Hollowell worked two scoreless innings and Tyler Kinley, the fourth Colorado reliever, got the last five outs for his third save.
“I love being in that situation, so I feel right at home right there because that’s what I want to do,” Kinley said. “I want to pick the guys up and want to get us out of that situation.”
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (7-10) came in 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two career starts against Colorado, including a complete game at Coors Field on Aug. 7, 2018, when he was with Pittsburgh.
He allowed just one hit through three innings before Colorado scored a run in the fourth and took the lead in the fifth.
Jones tied it with a two-run homer, his 16th of the season, and with two outs, left fielder Happ dropped Bryant’s drive to the warning track for an error. Montero homered on the next pitch to put the Rockies ahead 5-3.
Taillon allowed five runs – three earned – in five innings.
“This is a pretty aggressive lineup. I know they’re going to come out swinging and they know I’m around the zone a lot,” Taillon said. “It’s strength on strength. We were executing early in counts and it felt like later I knew they were going to be aggressive and I just wasn’t making the pitches.”
Bryant led off the seventh with his 10th homer and McMahon also hit a solo shot in the seventh, his 22nd.
The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but Kinley induced two flyouts to keep it a four-run lead.
“That was the game right there – bases loaded, one out,” Black said.
Chicago got a run in the first on Cody Bellinger’s sacrifice fly and scored two more in the third when Hoerner and Bellinger led off with singles and Dansby Swanson doubled to drive in Hoerner. Bellinger came home on Seiya Suzuki’s sacrifice fly.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cubs: RHP Marcus Stroman (right hip inflammation) was scheduled to throw a bullpen in Arizona on Wednesday. Stroman has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 2.
UP NEXT
Cubs: LHP Justin Steele (16-3, 2.49 ERA) will open a three-game series at Arizona on Friday night.
Rockies: RHP Chase Anderson (0-5, 6.49) starts his third game since coming off the IL when Colorado hosts San Francisco on Thursday night.
********NBA NEWS*********
REPORTS: NBA PANEL APPROVES NEW POLICY ON RESTING STARS
The NBA Board of Governors on Wednesday approved a new policy that would prevent teams from resting more than one “star” player in a game and setting forth punishment for violating the measure, The Athletic and ESPN reported.
A star is defined as someone who made an All-Star team or All-NBA team in the past three seasons.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver will address the new policy with reporters at 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, per The Athletic.
The new policy also dictates that teams ensure the availability of star players for nationally televised games and in-season tournament games, which will make its debut in 2023-24. Teams must balance games missed on the road vs. home, with the preference leaning toward more home games missed, per the reports.
The penalties for violating the policy are $100,000 for the first, $250,000 for a second, and $1 million more than a previous penalty for subsequent violations.
The policy is a culmination of talks over the past couple of years about cutting down on teams using “load management” to the detriment of fans and the audiences for national TV games, per the report.
For example, the Los Angeles Clippers wouldn’t be able to rest Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the same game.
The NBA has cut down on scheduling back-to-backs in different cities, increasing instances of playing consecutive road games against the same opponent.
******TOP INDIANA RELEASES/NEWS*******
*******COLTS NEWS*******
TRAVEL BAN? COLTS TO ‘TALK ABOUT’ JONATHAN TAYLOR JOINING TEAM TO HOUSTON
Holdout running back Jonathan Taylor could travel with the Indianapolis Colts to Houston this week.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen said the team would discuss whether Taylor is ready to join the team when it hits the road. Taylor is on the physically unable to perform list recovering from an ankle injury that kept him off the field before a meeting with owner Jim Irsay deepened the divide between the Pro Bowl running back and the Colts.
The Colts (0-1) lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 and Steichen wouldn’t say whether Taylor attended the home game.
As for whether he’s in the traveling party or not, Steichen said, “We’ll talk about that.”
NFL Network reported Wednesday that trade talks with the Colts and teams interested in Taylor could pick up this week as injuries and personnel concerns make needs more evident around the league.
Steichen said Wednesday that the Colts haven’t heard from the NFL or NFLPA regarding the legitimacy of Taylor’s ankle injury.
“No, all of those things that happen with that stuff, I’ll keep that internal,” Steichen said.
COACH STEICHEN MID-WEEK PRESS CONFERENCE: https://www.colts.com/video/shane-steichen-mid-week-update-colts-at-texans
*********INDIANS BASEBALL***********
INDIANS RUN RAMPANT IN 5-4 WIN
PAPILLION, Neb. – The Indianapolis Indians stole six bases as a team and staved off a late comeback effort by the Omaha Storm Chasers to even the series at a game apiece on Wednesday night at Werner Park, 5-4.
The Indians (64-74, 31-33) swiped six bases for just the second time this season, matching their season high from June 21 against the Columbus Clippers. The effort also marks the first time since the 2008 season that Indianapolis has stolen six or more bases in multiple games in the same year. Center fielder Matt Gorski was the only man to steal two bases on the night, but outfielders Canaan Smith-Njigba and Henry Davis, shortstop Chris Owings and second baseman Nick Gonzales each swiped one bag apiece.
The Storm Chasers (63-72, 25-38) opened scoring against Indianapolis in the second with an RBI single from third baseman Nate Eaton, but the Indians got two back in the fourth against Omaha starter Andrew Hoffman (L, 2-3) thanks to an RBI fielder’s choice from Gorski and a sacrifice fly from third baseman Domingo Leyba after Gorski stole second and third base on back-to-back pitches.
Owings and Smith-Njigba each supplied run-producing doubles in the middle innings to push the lead to 5-2, but homers from second baseman Devin Mann and catcher Jose Briceño cut the Omaha deficit to one. Right-hander Kyle Nicolas (S, 2) slammed the door in the ninth, though, to finish off a bullpen day highlighted by opener John O’Reilly and bridge-man J.C. Flowers (W, 2-1).
The Indians and Storm Chasers continue their six-game set on Thursday at 7:35 PM ET at Werner Park. Right-hander Max Kranick (0-1, 4.05) gets the ball for the Indians, while the Storm Chasers oppose with fellow righty Max Castillo (5-6, 4.71).
*******INDIANA SWIMMING********
FIVE HOOSIERS MAKE 2023-24 USA SWIMMING NATIONAL TEAM
BLOOMINGTON — Five swimmers with ties to the Indiana swimming and diving program were named to the 2023-24 U.S. National Team, USA Swimming announced this week.
The roster includes two members of IU’s current roster – juniors Mariah Denigan (a member of USA Swimming’s open water team) and Josh Matheny. Indiana Swim Club’s Lilly King, Annie Lazor and Cody Miller are also represented. All four of pool swimmers specialize in breaststroke events.
Denigan, Matheny and King all swam at the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships this summer in Japan, combining for four of Indiana’s nine medals at the competition. King earned silver in the 50-meter breaststroke and was a member of Team USA’s world champion 4×100-meter medley relay. Matheny took a gold and bronze medal for his performances in the men’s 4×100 medley relay and mixed 4×100 medley relay.
********PURDUE FOOTBALL**********
GAME 3 PREP: ROSS-ADE SOLD OUT FOR PRIMETIME MATCHUP VS. SYRACUSE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Fresh off a road victory at Virginia Tech, Purdue Football returns home for another matchup with an ACC opponent. The Boilermakers host Syracuse in front of a sellout crowd under the lights of Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
The matchup will be the first soldout game in the newly-renovated Ross-Ade Stadium, which saw its capacity increased to 61,441 heading into the facility’s 100th season.
The Boilermakers and Orange are meeting for the second straight season, as Syracuse protected its home turf in 2022 to even the all-time series at 1-1. Saturday’s contest wraps up Purdue’s non-conference schedule, while also beginning a three-game homestand. Four of the Boilermakers’ five September games are at home.
The Boilermakers are coming off a 24-17 victory at Virginia Tech, picking up the first win of the Ryan Walters era. Purdue endured a mid-game weather delay that lasted five hours and 27 minutes with kickoff starting at 12:21 p.m. and the game ending at 8:56 p.m. In the victory over the Hokies, Purdue held Virginia Tech to 11 yards for the fewest rush yards allowed in program history; the Boilermakers recorded 9.0 tackles-for-loss, totaling a loss of 54 yards.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
• One of the best tight ends in school history, Tim Stratton (1998-2001) will serve as the honorary game captain on Saturday.
• In 2000, Stratton was named the inaugural recipient of the John Mackey Award, presented to the nation’s best tight end.
• He ended his career with 204 receptions, a school record at the time (now fifth all-time), totaling 2,088 yards (12th all-time, 2nd by a tight end).
• Stratton was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, just the fourth Boilermaker (Bob Hadrick, 1963-64-65; middle guard Chuck Kyle, 1966-67-68; and free safety Rod Woodson, 1984-85-86) to accomplish the feat.
• He played in all 49 Purdue games during his career and caught a pass in all but two of them.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Syracuse enters the contest 2-0 after home victories over Colgate (65-0) and Western Michigan (48-7) to lead the nation in scoring defense.
• Along with the country’s best scoring defense, the Orange rank third nationally in scoring offense (56.5 ppg).
• The offense averages 586.5 ypg (third nationally), while the defense surrenders 212.0 ypg (sixth nationally).
• Garrett Shrader is back at quarterback, while LeQuint Allen has recorded four rushing touchdowns to begin the season. Umari Hatcher leads Syracuse receivers with nine catches for 188 yards.
• Dino Babers is in his eighth season as the Orange’s head coach, arriving at Syracuse after leading Bowling Green to the 2015 MAC Championship.
PURDUE VS. THE ACC
• Throughout program history, Purdue has faced 11 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Purdue is 16-16-2 all-time against ACC teams.
• Purdue has faced Pitt more than any other ACC opponent, holding a 4-3 cushion over the Panthers.
• After beating Virginia Tech, 24-17, on the road in Week 2, the Boilermakers face their second straight ACC opponent with Syracuse.
• Purdue has faced two ACC programs in the same season just once before, during the 1968 campaign against Virginia (Win, 44-6) and Wake Forest (Win, 28-27), both at Ross-Ade Stadium.
THE WALTERS WAY
• With the victory at Virginia Tech, Purdue got a taste of what a Ryan Walters’ defense is capable of, one that led the nation in scoring defense a season ago when he was a coordinator at Illinois.
• The Boilermakers surrendered only 11 rushing yards on 22 carries, the fewest allowed on the road in program history and the seventh-fewest all-time.
• Virginia Tech entered the final drive with -2 rushing yards, in large part thanks to 9.0 tackles-for-loss totaling -54 yards throughout the game.
• The Purdue defense also kept the Hokies off the board in the second half, giving up only 106 yards.
• The defense had three sacks, marking the first time since 2015 that a Purdue defense amassed two or more sacks in each of its first two games of a season.
MAMA, THERE GOES THAT THIENEMAN
• In just his first two games of his career, Dillon Thieneman has already become a leader on the Boilermaker defense.
• He became the first freshman in school history to record an interception in each of his first two games and currently ranks third nationally with his two INTs.
• Thieneman led Purdue in tackles in both games (10 vs. Fresno State, 7 at Virginia Tech).
• In the season opener, the defensive back led the team with 10 tackles, all solo, becoming the third Purdue freshman over the past decade to record at lead double-digit tackles in a game (Ja’Whaun Bentley twice in 2014, Navon Mosley in 2016).
• His first career INT marked just the third time since 1996 that a Purdue true freshman made an interception in their debut (1999 – James Dunnigan vs. UCF, 2016 – Josh Hayes vs. Eastern Kentucky).
• Thieneman earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors following his first collegiate game.
MILLER TIME
• Purdue welcomed back tight end Garrett Miller, as the Boilermaker got the start and recorded a reception on the opening drive at Virginia Tech.
• It was Miller’s first action since Dec. 30, 2021, when he caught a 25-yard pass from Aidan O’Connell to help Purdue beat Tennessee in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
• He missed the entire 2022 campaign after suffering a knee injury in fall camp.
• Miller’s return was his first appearance in a game in 618 days.
OPENING DRIVES
• The Boilermakers have been successful on their opening drives this season, racking up 167 yards on the way to a pair of touchdowns.
• Purdue drove 92 yards on the first drive of 2023, capped off by an 84-yard pass from Hudson Card to Deion Burks.
• Starting the game against Virginia Tech, the Boilermakers marched 75 yards down the field; Card completed 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards, while Devin Mockobee rushed three times for 21 yards with a 15-yard touchdown run serving as the exclamation point.
• Card is 6-of-8 for 144 yards and a touchdown, hitting five different receivers.
MERELY FRESHMEN
• A pair of freshmen have emerged as leaders on both sides of the ball.
• Dillon Thieneman has led the Boilermakers on defense, pacing the team with 17 tackles and two interceptions.
• Thieneman was Purdue’s leading tackler in both games, racking up 10 solo tackles against Fresno State and adding seven in the win over Virginia Tech.
• Redshirt freshman Max Klare is the team’s leader in receptions with 10.
• The tight end caught eight passes for 64 yards in the victory over the Hokies, both team highs and the most receiving yards by a freshman tight end since Brycen Hopkins recorded 80 against Iowa in 2016.
RETURNING LEADERS
• Purdue’s return game has been effective to start the season, as the Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in both kick returns and punt returns.
• Averaging 48 yards per kick return, largely thanks to Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s 98-yard touchdown return vs. Fresno State, Purdue ranks third nationally.
• The Boilermakers average a conference-best 11.4 yards per punt return thanks to the duo of TJ Sheffield (39 yards) and Marquis Wilson (15 yards) leading the way. Andrew Sowinski has served as a punt returner as well.
********PURDUE MEN’S GOLF*********
BOILERMAKERS BATTLE NATION’S TOP TEAMS AT OLYMPIA FIELDS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men’s golf team travels to one of America’s greatest courses to face a loaded field at the Olympia Fields Invitational.
The 54-hole tournament starts Friday and ends Sunday with 15 teams playing 18 holes each day on the difficult North course. The tournament is being played just three weeks after the conclusion of the BMW Championships won by Viktor Hovland. The tournament was the last event before the season-ending Tour Championships.
The field is considered the strongest in college golf this year. Seven of the 15 teams in the field made the NCAA Championships match play finals last May, including defending National Champion Florida. All 15 teams in the field made NCAA Regionals with 11 of the teams reaching Nationals. The last five National Champions are in the field, dating to the 2018 event.
THE FIELD (Golfweek Rankings / final 2023 rankings)
2 Illinois
3 North Carolina
4 Georgia Tech
5 Arizona State
6 Florida
7 Florida State
8 Stanford
10 Pepperdine
15 Texas
17 Alabama
19 Oklahoma State
22 Arizona
35 Baylor
48 Purdue
61 Michigan State
LAST TIME OUT
The Boilermakers held an 18- and 36-hole lead at last week’s Erin Hills Intercollegiate, but couldn’t hold on in the final round, finishing tied for third with a 15-over par 879, just four shots behind champion Chattanooga. The Boilermakers defeated NCAA qualifiers Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Marquette and Augusta and tied No. 17-ranked California. Herman Sekne recorded his ninth career top-5 finish at 1-under par 215, while Nels Surtani placed tied for 12th at 3-over par 219. Playing as an individual, Luke Prall was tied for sixth at even-par 216.
TEAM NOTES
Purdue has advanced to eight of nine possible NCAA Regionals during the Rob Bradley era. However, Purdue’s last appearance in the NCAA Championships came in 2017.
The Kampen-Cosler course will host the NCAA Regional Championships in mid-May for the first time since 2017. The course has undergone a massive renovation with new bunkers, new shaping on ponds and a new clubhouse (in progress) that exceeds a $20 million price tag.
In school history, there have been 16 tournament occurrences of rounds of 276 or better. Fifteen of them have come under Bradley.
Eight of the nine-lowest team season stroke averages have come under Bradley, including last year’s 287.77 – second in school history.
In the final Golfweek team rankings, Purdue has finished in the top 50 six times in 10 years under Bradley. In the previous 14 seasons of the rankings, Purdue finished in the top 50 just five times.
PURDUE LINEUP
Herman Sekne – Senior; Oslo, Norway
A 2023 third-team All-American.
Set school records for rounds in the 60s (14) and stroke average (70.41) a year ago.
Seven top-10 finishes in 10 events a year ago and already has 14 career top-10 finishes, coming in just 28 events. That is the fifth most in school history.
Already career record-holder in rounds in 60s (26) and stroke average (71.66).
Ranked No. 27 in World Amateur Golf Rankings and competed in the Arnold Palmer Cup, Bonallack Trophy and U.S. Amateur this summer.
Nick Dentino – 5th year; Carmel, Indiana
Had a strong summer, advancing to U.S. Amateur match play in mid-August.
Finished last season with two top-10s and a 72.90 stroke average.
Played front nine in 29 in the final round at the Boilermaker Invitational to help Purdue to come-from behind victory.
Will play his 100th career competitive round this weekend (enters with 98).
His eight career top-20s are second most on the squad.
Nels Surtani – Junior; Indianapolis, Indiana
Had a strong sophomore season, ranking second in stroke average (72.90).
Won his second straight Northern Amateur title this summer.
Had 15 rounds of par or better last season (2nd on team); six rounds in the 60s.
Ranked second on the team a year ago in pars made (319) and only had 10 double-bogeys or worse in 540 holes.
Strong start to the year, finishing tied for 12th at Erin Hills, his fourth career top-15 finish.
Luke Prall – Junior; Carmel, Indiana
Had a strong opening week, placing tied for sixth (even par) – his first career top-10 finish. Prall led after 36 holes at Erin Hills.
Advanced to the U.S. Amateur in August.
Won the 2022 Indiana Amateur.
Will be on the counting team for the first time in almost a year (Isleworth Collegiate; Oct. 23-25, 2022).
Sam Easterbrook – Freshman; Tomworth, England
Highly-regarded freshman that should make a big impact during the 2023-24 season.
Had an outstanding scholastic career, winning the 2021 Scottish Boys U-16 Open Championship and finishing second at the English U-18 Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Shot a 1-under par 71 in his first career round, coming at Erin Hills.
Was the stroke-play medalist in the 2022 English Men’s Amateur Championship.
Also reached the match play portion at the 2022 Amateur Championship.
THE COURSE
One of the top courses in the country, Olympia Fields has hosted two U.S. Opens (1928, 2003), two PGA Championships (1925, 1961), a U.S. Amateur (2015) and two BMW Championships (2020, 2023). Known for its massive clubhouse and clock tower, the course is a classic parkland course that can stretch to almost 7,300 yards while playing just par 70. The North course enjoys pleasant terrain that boasts some significant but walkable elevation changes, a winding creek, and its share of trees. The bunkers are deep and penal while the undulated greens are a formidable challenge to navigate when rolling firm and fast.
OLYMPIA FIELDS INVITATIONAL HISTORY
This marks Purdue’s fourth appearance at Olympia Fields under Rob Bradley, finishing tied for eighth in 2016 (874), 12th in 2018 (886) and 10th in 2021 (866). Herman Sekne placed tied for 24th in the 2021 event (215; +5) while Luke Prall was tied for 51st (221; +11) and Nick Dentino was tied for 59th (223; +13).
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Sunny, 74 degrees; S wind 5-10 mph
Saturday: Overcast, 73 degrees; SW wind 5-10 mph
Sunday: Chance of showers, 71 degrees; NNW wind 5-10 mph
LIVE SCORING
Will be available on Golfstat.com.
*********PURDUE VOLLEYBALL**********
BOILERMAKER CHALLENGE ON DECK
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 14
Illinois vs. USC
5:30 p.m. ET | BTN
#17 Purdue vs. UCF
8 p.m. ET | BTN | WSHY 104.3
Friday, September 15
Illinois vs. UCF
5:30 p.m. ET | BTN
#17 Purdue vs. USC
8 p.m. ET | BTN | WSHY 104.3
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 17 Purdue volleyball team enters its final week of non-conference play with the Boilermaker Challenge.
The Boilermakers (5-2), riding a four-match winning streak, will play a pair of opponents that are receiving votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll: vs. UCF (8-1) on Thursday and vs. future Big Ten-member USC (4-4) on Friday. Both matches will air on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. ET.
HAMMER DOWN CANCER: FRIDAY VS. USC
Purdue’s Hammer Down Cancer match takes place Friday. The Boilermakers are auctioning off specialty Hammer Down Cancer uniforms online, which are currently open to fans. Bidding closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday. Click here to bid on a jersey.
The Boilermakers will also be playing in special uniforms, featuring Purdue’s “volt” color in honor of the Hammer Down Cancer efforts.
LAST WEEK AT A GLANCE
Purdue improved to a four-match win streak after taking down SMU 3-1 and #19 Kentucky (3-2).
Chloe Chicoine received Player and Freshman of the Week honors and Taylor Anderson was named Setter of the Week for their performances vs. SMU and #19 Kentucky.
Purdue recorded eight individual season-highs during the match vs. SMU.
The Boilermakers saw some of its most efficient and balanced offenses over the weekend, with a team season-best .346 attack % vs. SMU and a season set-high of .462% vs. #19 Kentucky.
THE DYNAMIC DUO: EVA HUDSON & CHLOE CHICOINE
Purdue is the only Big Ten team to have two players rank in the top-10 in kills per set or points per set:
Kills per set: Chloe Chicoine (4th with 4.10) Eva Hudson (9th with 3.52).
Points per set: Chicoine (4th with 4.50) and Hudson (10th with 3.90).
STATS TO WATCH
Purdue is two matches away from its 1,000th program win.
BIG TEN PLAYER & FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: CHLOE CHICOINE
Led all Big Ten players in Week 3 with her career-high 24 kills vs. #19 Kentucky (24-6-48). The performance also included a career-high 25 points and a career-high .375 attack %.
Named MVP of the Stacey Clark Classic as Purdue posted back-to-back victories with a 3-1 win vs. SMU and a 3-2 win vs. #19 Kentucky.
Hit at a .361 clip vs. SMU (17 kills, just four errors on 36 swings).
Posted a double-double vs. SMU (17 kills, 10 digs).
Averaged 4.89 points per set and 4.56 kills per set.
BIG TEN SETTER OF THE WEEK: TAYLOR ANDERSON
Led the Big Ten with 11.33 assists per set last week.
Anderson is the first setter since Minnesota’s Melanie Shaffmaster to receive Setter of the Week honors as a freshman.
In her first career start, Taylor Anderson registered 56 assists, the most by a Boilermaker since 2019 (Hayley Bush in 5 sets vs. Indiana, 10/9/19), coupled with a career-high six total blocks (1-5) and an errorless 3 kills (.600%). Meanwhile, the last time a Boilermaker has posted as many in a four-setter was in 2017.
Moreover, in her first career start, the freshman guided the team to its most efficient match of the year: .346% vs. SMU.
Guided Purdue to its most efficient set of the season with Purdue’s .462% (16-4-26) hitting % in the third set vs. #19 Kentucky.
Recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 digs and 46 assists vs. #19 Kentucky.
Produced three kills, a career-best (3-0-6, .600%) alongside a career-best five blocks vs. SMU.
Received Stacey Clark Classic All-Tournament Team recognition.
SCOUTING THE UCF KNIGHTS
The matchup vs. Purdue will be UCF’s first battle against a ranked opponent this year.
UCF leads the nation in serving, averaging 2.73 per set and posted 11 aces last week vs. Florida State.
The Knights have seven newcomers on the roster
An efficient offense includes ranking 10th in the nation in hitting % (.327) and 11th in team kills (344). As a team, the Knights average 18.00 points a set while holding opponents to 12.61.
Emily Wilson has led the team in kills and or digs six times this season, including 16 kills vs. Mississippi State.
UCF is on a three-match win streak. Its one loss of the season came in five sets vs. Wake Forest.
SCOUTING THE USC TROJANS
USC is on a three-match win streak and are coming off a 3-1 victory vs. San Diego.
The team is currently receiving votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex poll and have been ranked as high as #22 in the preseason release.
Two conference Player of the Weeks will face off on Friday, with both USC’s Skylar Fields was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Purdue’s Chloe Chicoine selected Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week.
Fields produces two-thirds of the team’s offense with 5.14 kills per set (378 kills) this season, with Kalyah Williams averaging 2.0 kills per set (172 total).
Defensively, Lindsey Miller leads the blocking effort with 1.31 blocks per set and Gala Trubint averaging 3.55 digs per game.
USC is averaging a .250 attack % on the year, while holding opponents to .197%.
**********BUTLER VOLLEYBALL***********
BUTLERVB SET TO TRAVEL BACK TO OHIO FOR THE DAYTON BEAVERCREEK INVITATIONAL
DAYTON, OH. – The Butler volleyball team will head back to Dayton for the Tru by Hilton Beavercreek Invitational this weekend. The Bulldogs will face Wright State on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6 PM and Cincinnati on Friday, Sept. 15 at 2 PM to conclude their non-conference schedule this season.
2023 Tru By Hilton Beavercreek Invitational
Thursday, September 14
Butler vs Wright State – 6 PM
Friday, September 15
Cincinnati vs. Butler – 2 PM
Saturday, September 16
Cincinnati vs Wright State – 2 PM
Bulldog Bits
-The Bulldogs opened the season with a 5-4 record and currently sit seventh in the conference standings.
-As a team, Butler ranks second in the BIG EAST in total kills (454), assists (426) and (551) digs.
-Butler ranks seventh in the nation as a team with 38.00 attacks per set while their 1,330 total attacks rank 25th in the country.
-Mariah Grunze leads the BIG EAST with 371 attacks (10.91 attacks per set), which ranks 23rd in the nation.
-Jaymeson Kinley currently holds a conference-best 181 total digs (5.17 digs per set) this season, which ranks 11th in NCAA.
-Butler has played 26 matches against Wright State with the Bulldogs holding a 15-11 all-time record.
-BU has won the last nine matches against the Raiders with their last loss dating back to 2008.
-Cincinnati leads the all-time series 1-3 against Butler with the Bearcats winning the last matchup in four sets at the 2015 All-American Classic.
-Elise Ward and Cora Taylor were named to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament team last weekend.
-Ward became the first freshman to tally 20 kills in a match since Anna Logan reached the mark with 21 kills in 2015 against Southern Illinois.
-Four Bulldogs tallied digs in the double digits during the match against Morehead State last weekend, including Kinley (19), Abby Maesch (16), Ward (15) and Reese Bates (11).
SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders will look to get back on track after starting the season with a 3-6 record while going 1-2 in all three tournaments. Wright State played some of the top-ranked programs in the nation to open the season falling to No. 21 Washington State (3-0) and No. 4 Louisville (3-1) before sweeping Troy. At the Hampton Invitational, the Raiders lost a five-set thriller against Texas A&M and a four-set match against Bowling Green but swept a Loyola Chicago team that was receiving votes. Wright State most recently played at the Dayton Invitational where they beat Ball State in four sets and dropped two matches against UIC (3-1) and Dayton (3-0).
Head coach Travers Green returns for just his second season with the program. Green helped lead the Raiders to an 18-0 conference record last season earning the 2022 Horizon League Coach of the Year honors.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI: The Bearcats head into the tournament with the best overall record at 6-2. Cincinnati swept Alabama State and Indiana State but fell to Xavier in four sets to open the season 2-1. The following weekend, the Bearcats went undefeated at the Golden Eagle Tournament, knocking off Kennesaw State (3-1), East Tennessee State (3-1), and Tennessee Tech (3-0). Last weekend, Cincinnati split the series 1-1 against South Carolina, dropping the first game in five sets followed by a three-set sweep in the next match.
Jadyn Bauss headlines the Bearcat offense with a team-high 124 kills on the season. Junior Abby Walker, the team leader in blocks, has also been impressive after she hit .556 with 10 kills and no errors in her last game against South Carolina on Saturday.
LEGENDARY LIBERO: The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley has picked up right where she left off totaling a conference-high 181 digs (5.17 digs per set) this season. Kinley is coming off another record-breaking season after her 618 digs and 5.42 digs per set became the best marks in program history. She entered the 2023 season on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team for just the second time in program history and was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 28.
Kinley moved up to sixth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,635 digs last weekend. She is now just two digs away from joining the top five and is currently on pace to become Butler’s all-time career leader in digs this season.
SUPERSTAR SETTER: Setter Cora Taylor has become one of the nation’s top setters, tallying 364 total assists (10.41 assists per set) this season, which is currently tied for the most in the BIG EAST and 10th in the country. The former BIG EAST All-Freshman team selection amassed 992 assists along with 9.36 assists per set, which ranked fifth in the conference last season. She currently sits at 1,356 career assists and is on pace to crack the top 10 of Butler’s all-time career assist leaders this season.
Taylor was named to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament after accumulating 125 assists (11.36 assists per set) along with 34 digs last weekend.
FRESHMAN FIREARM: Freshman Elise Ward showed flashes of excellence last weekend after being named to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament team. Ward reached double figures in kills for all three matches last weekend, totaling a team-high 45 kills (4.50 kills per set) and 25 digs. She capped off her incredible tournament against Morehead State by earning her first double-double with a career-high 20 kills and 15 digs.
Ward became the first Bulldog hitter to record 20 kills in a match as a freshman since Anna Logan had 21 kills against Southern Illinois in 2015.
BULLDOGS ATTACK: As a team, the Bulldogs have begun to click on to start the season. Butler currently ranks seventh in the nation with 38.00 attacks per set while their 1,330 total attacks rank 25th in the country. Junior Mariah Grunze was targeted 371 times (10.91 attacks per set) on offense this season, which ranks 23rd in the nation while the Georgia transfer Abby Maesch has racked up 316 attacks (9.88 attacks per set).
Grunze and Maesch are the only duo in the BIG EAST to each have more than 300 total attacks this season. The pin hitting duo has combined 687 attacks, which is the most in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation.
WATCH THE BULLDOGS: The match between Butler and Wright State will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning on Thursday at 6 PM. Viewers can follow along on the Live Stats for the Bulldogs’ match against Cincinnati on Friday at 2 PM.
UP NEXT: Butler will return home to Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first week of the BIG EAST conference play against Xavier and Creighton.
The Bulldogs will face off against Xavier on Sept. 20 at 6 PM followed by a match against Creighton on Sept. 22 at 6 PM.
*********IUPUI VOLLEYBALL*********
JAGS TAKE DOWN SCREAMING EAGLES, 3-1
INDIANAPOLIS – In the first-ever meeting as Division I opponents, the IUPUI volleyball team (5-5) took down in-state Southern Indiana (4-6) three sets to one. After dropping the first set the Jags roared back, tallying 20 more kills than the visitors to win three straight sets and end its four-game losing streak.
The match started off with a bang, with Morgan Ostrowski hammering a quick set from Grace Purichia for the first point. Following a Jaguar ace, the Screaming Eagles rattled off four straight points to take an early lead, 8-3.
IUPUI would go on a run of its own, cutting the lead to two following a brilliant play from Purichia at the net and a block by Emily Alan and Ava Harris. The teams went back and forth for the next several points leading up to the media timeout.
Following the break, the Jags won six of eight points to take a 19-17 advantage. The Screaming Eagles, however, went on a 3-0 run to retake the lead before a Kate White cross-court kill knotted the set at 20.
Back-to-back long rallies that featured good defense by both squads led to Southern Indiana points, forcing IUPUI head coach Andrew Kroger to call a timeout.
The teams split the next four points after the timeout, leading to set point for the Screaming Eagles. Following the set’s fourth challenge, the visitors were awarded the point to close out the first set, 25-22.
A great solo block from Ostrowski opened set number two. She followed that up with another powerful kill. Long then went off the block for three quick points from the hosts.
Southern Indiana was forced to call a timeout after falling behind 9-4. After the break, the Jags gathered five of the next six tallies to put a stranglehold on the second set, 14-5.
Despite giving up four of the next five points, IUPUI strung together three straight kills to stretch the lead to nine. Southern Indiana cut the IUPUI lead to six, 21-15, before a service error gave the serve back to the hosts. Ostrowski’s third block of the match closed out set two, 25-17, tying the match at one set apiece.
The Jag’s stellar blocking continued into the third set, with both middle blockers—Alan and Ostrowski—registering solo blocks. The Screaming Eagle’s scrappy play kept the score close, with the hosts clinging to a two-point lead, 15-13, at the media timeout.
IUPUI’s middle’s dominance extended to the offensive side of the ball as well, with the final four kills before the break belonging to Alan and Ostrowski.
Three quick points after the break led to a Southern Indiana timeout. Harris tied her career high in kills with a powerful swing down the line to stretch the IUPUI lead to eight, 22-14. Just two points later, the freshman hit one off the block to secure a new career high with 14 kills. Fellow freshman, Kate White, gave her team the lead on her seventh kill of the evening to close out the set 25-17.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair from start to finish, with neither team holding greater than a two-point lead through the media timeout. The visitors reached 15 first, leading to the break, but the Jags tallied five straight to take a 18-15 lead, forcing a timeout from the Screaming Eagles.
After splitting the next four points, Southern Indiana collected two straight tallies to cut the deficit to one. The visitors would go on to tie the set at 21, and the squads halved the next four points before a monster kill by Long gave IUPUI match point. Ostrowski capped her career night with the match-sealing tally, winning 25-23 in the fourth and final set.
Harris ended the evening with a match-high 16 kills. She was followed by a tandem of freshman—White with 10 and Long with nine. Ostrowski also ended with nine kills and a match-and-season-high four blocks, including three solo blocks. Alan followed closely behind, recording three total blocks and seven kills. Setter Grace Purichia also matched a career high of 45 assists.
IUPUI will now travel to Terre Haute, Ind. to face another intrastate foe, Indiana State, on Friday (Sept. 15). The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with first serve set for 6 p.m.
************NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER*************
GAME 8: WAKE FOREST
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The 2023 ACC season will kick off with some Friday Night Lights action at Alumni Stadium. The No. 13 ranked Notre Dame women’s soccer squad will begin its conference journey on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. ET when the Irish host Wake Forest (6-0-1). The Demon Deacons have yet to suffer a loss this season.
In addition, Notre Dame athletics will be giving away a special edition Irish Soccer scarf for the first 100 students in attendance.
ANOTHER ACC SEASON UPON US
Since Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2013, the Irish are 58-34-9 in conference games. Their .619 winning percentage in conference games ranks 4th amongst ACC schools: UNC (.870), Virginia (.684) and Florida State (.626) hold the top three.
Last season, the Irish were one win shy of claiming its second ACC regular-season title, finishing 7-2-1. Notre Dame hosted Duke in its regular-season finale needing a win and settled for a 2-2 draw. As a result, they earned the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament. Notre Dame co-shared a regular-season championship with Clemson in 2016.
The ACC will continue to be a battle of the nation’s elite soccer squads with six ACC teams currently ranked in the top-25.
When it comes to the preseason predicted order of standings in the ACC – ND was picked to finish fourth.
TRENDING
Notre Dame ranks 12th in the country and 4th in the ACC in shots per game with 20.0. Maddie Mercado leads the Irish in this category with 3.7 shots per game, which ranks 33rd in the nation and second in the league.
Mercado has scored twice over the last three games. She now co-leads the team in scoring with three goals.
Speaking of co-leading the team in goals, freshman Meg Mrowicki now has three as well.
Mercado, Mrowicki and Gaetino co-lead the team in points with seven apiece.
Freshman goalkeeper Atlee Olofson made her first career start against Bowling Green and earned her first career shutout and win as well. Olofson made two saves in the contest.
Freshman Morgan Roy was certainly the Irish highlight of the night against Michigan – she almost scored twice in the 2nd half. She had one shot from distance hit off the crossbar – then also had a free kick in which the goalie made a spectacular diving save.
CELEBRATING A ND LEGEND – KATE MARKGRAF
When the Irish jumpstart their ACC campaign on Friday, Sept. 15, they’ll also be hosting Alumni Weekend and one special alumna in particular. Notre Dame will be hosting the Kate Markgraf U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame Celebration. Markgraf will be at the Wake Forest game on Friday night, then the program will host a special Brunch Banquet on Saturday morning.
A three-time All-American, Markgraf was a member of the 1995 national champion squad – the program’s first national title. Markgraf was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 1997. She started in all 96 games of her career, tallying seven goals and 24 assists.
THE DEFENSIVE ANCHOR – GAETINO
What’s been incredible so far this season, has been her ability to be a force on set pieces. In fact, Gaetino is leading the team in scoring with three goals through seven games. She first scored off a corner kick against Ball State on Aug. 20, then got her second against Butler on Aug. 24 off a free kick from Mercado outside the box. The third came via a corner kick against Arkansas as she battled for the ball in the box.
The three goals are already a career best, for she entered the season with two career goals to her name. Two of her goals this season have been game-winners.
A GLANCE AT THE DEFENSE THIS YEAR
What’s been frustrating for the Notre Dame defensive unit this season is that they are only allowing 2.6 shots on goal per match thus far – a lower mark than last year (3.0); however, teams are making the most of their minimal opportunities. The Irish have allowed seven goals through seven matches aka 1.0 goal per match – a slightly higher rate than last year’s 0.7 per match.
The Irish have earned two shutouts this season.
TURNED A “CORNER” THIS SEASON
You can say the Irish have turned a corner in 2023 in terms of scoring off of set pieces, specifically corner kicks. Last season, the Irish ranked 1st in the ACC in corners per game (6.4), but only had 3 goals to show for the 146 total corners taken.
This year has been quite a different story. Out of 47 corners taken, the Irish have scored four goals — 2 from Gaetino, 1 from Fisher and 1 from Ospeck.
Now add in a goal scored off of a free kick from Mercado and the Irish have scored five set-piece goals out of their 16 total goals on the year.
MULTIPLE FRESHMEN STEPPING UP
First, let’s look at 5-8 center midfielder Morgan Roy. The Michigan native started in the season opener and finished off a beautiful goal in the 2nd half. Roy has started all seven games in the midfield and ranks third on the team in shots with 16.
Next is Meg Mrowicki, who has been an absolute force off the bench this season. She co-leads the team in scoring with three goals.
Then there’s Clare Logan who has started all seven games in the backline.
Charlie Codd has started the last two games in the midfield and has seen playing time in all seven games.
Chayse Ying has also subbed into all seven games in the midfield.
GOAL SCORERS FROM ALL OVER
The Irish have tallied 16 goals on the year and it’s come from 8 different players: Last season, 47 of the team’s 56 goals came from Albert, Wingate, Mercado and Van Zanten, with 11 different goal scorers total.
This year, the scoring spread goes as follows: Gaetino (3), Mrowicki (3), Mercado (3), Ospeck (2), Lynch (2 ), Van Zanten, Fisher and Roy.
MORE FROM MERCADO
In a preseason interview with Fighting Irish Media, Mercado said she wants one part of her legacy to be setting the goal for yourself to get better each and every year. And to put that into perspective, last year was Mercado’s best in an Irish uniform. She scored a career best 10 goals up top, which ranked 8th in the ACC and third on the team. She also set a new career high in game-winners with four, which included the 1-0 victory over No. 2 Virginia. Lastly, she tied her career high in assists with four, to total a new career best of 24 points.
With that said, she got goal number one in game one, garnering the first ND goal of the 2023 campaign. And even she would admit, it could have easily been an opening day hat trick for the graduate against Milwaukee.
Mercado netted goal number two, the game-winner, in the 2-1 win at Michigan State. Goal number three was also a game-winner in the 3-0 win at Bowling Green.
BECOMING MORE OF AN OFFENSIVE THREAT
Speaking of expanded roles, look for the growth in sophomore Leah Klenke. Last season, she was named the 7th best freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer and made their Freshman Best XI First Team. She also earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors. She started all 23 games as a freshman at left-back and even added two goals and two assists to her name. This year, Klenke looks to get a little more offensive, starting in the midfield.
Klenke co-leads the team with three assists.
IRISH LYNCH-PIN
Irish fans will have to wait no more to see their hometown girl on the pitch this season. Florida State transfer, national champion, and Granger, Indiana, native, Kristina Lynch has started has played in all seven games, including four starts. Lynch missed all of last season rehabbing an ankle injury sustained in the preseason.
At FSU, she was a two-time NCAA champion (2018 & 2021). She played in 77 games as a Seminole, including 51 starts. She scored a total of 12 goals, with three assists, good for 27 points. Most notable goal at Florida State – scored the game-winning goal in the ACC Championship over North Carolina in 2018.
Against Butler on Aug. 24, Lynch netted her first goal in an Irish uniform. She most recently scored against Bowling Green on Sept. 10, her second goal of the season.
********BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER********
BUTLER WOMEN’S SOCCER HOSTS BALL STATE IN FINAL NON-CONFERENCE MATCH
The Butler women’s soccer team will play its final non-conference match of the season, hosting Ball State in the Sellick Bowl at 7pm on Thursday. The Bulldogs (3-4-1, 0-0-0 BIG EAST) are fresh off a 2-1 upset win over No. 25 TCU, while the Cardinals (2-4-0, 0-0-0 MAC) most recently Austin Peay, 3-0.
Bulldog Bits
(as of 9/10/23)
With five goals, Norah Jacomen ranks 2nd in the BIG EAST and 43rd nationally. Her 11 offensive points also ranks second in the conference.
Norah Jacomen was selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for her performances against Cincinnati and No. 25 TCU.
Butler is 1-2 against ranked or receiving-votes opponents this season. The Bulldogs lost (0-3) to RV Virginia Tech, lost (1-4) to No. 12 Notre Dame, and won (2-1) vs. No. 25 TCU.
Currently ranked teams remaining on the schedule are #21 Xavier (Sept. 21) and #13 Georgetown (Oct. 22).
vs. No. 25 TCU
Norah Jacomen’s goal was her fifth of the season.
Leila Lister’s goal was a career first.
Abigail Isger’s assist was her second of the season and the 16th of her career.
Anna Pierce (3-2-1) notched her third win of the season and the ninth of her career in goal. She made two saves in the effort.
The Matchup
SERIES RECORD: Butler leads, 5-3-1
PREVIOUS MEETING: Sept. 15, 2022 – Indianapolis – Butler 2, Ball State 2
Butler’s last win (3-0) was in 2021 in Muncie, Ind.
Butler won three straight contests in 2007, 2012, and 2021.
Ball State won three straight matches from 2004-2006.
Scouting Ball State
Previous match: vs. Austin Peay W, 3-0
In addition to Austin Peay, Ball State also has a win over Mercyhurst (5-1). The Cardinals have losses to Notre Dame (0-3), Texas Tech (1-4), Loyola-Chicago (1-2), and Vanderbilt (0-1).
Individual Statistics
Offensive standouts for Ball State include:
#5 Avery Fenchel (4g, 1a)
#9 Emily Roper (3g)
#6 Delaney Caldwell (1g, 1a)
#32 Bethany Moser (2-4-0) is the primary keeper for the Cardinals. She has allowed 10 goals (1.83 GAA) and has made 25 saves (.714 SV%).
*********BALL STATE MEN’S GOLF**********
SMITH EARNS BACK-TO-BACK MAC MEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK HONORS
CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the second-straight week, sophomore Carter Smith has been named the Mid-American Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week. Smith also was tabbed the Pridemark Construction Student-Athlete of the Week.
“Carter is playing some good golf right now to earn back-to-back golfer of the week honors,” Ball State head men’s golf coach Mike Fleck said. “It is exciting to see his continued growth and I am looking forward to watching him continue to have success this fall.”
Smith captured the 2023 Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational title by shooting a 54- hole score of 208 (-2) to pace the 75-player field at the Delaware Country Club in Muncie, Indiana.
After shooting an opening-round 71 (+1) Saturday morning, Smith followed with a second-round 69 (-1) to take the lead into the clubhouse entering the final day of competition.
Smith closed the event with a final-round 68 (-2) to win the event by two strokes over teammate Kash Bellar. Smith was the only player in the field to finish the event in red numbers. His effort also helped the Cardinals capture the team title with a score of 859 (+19), 16 strokes ahead of second-place Butler who held a six-stroke lead heading into the final round Sunday.
The Ball State men’s golf team returns to the course at the Badger Invitational (Oct. 1-3) in Madison, Wis.
*********BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER***********
SOCCER HEADS TO BUTLER FOR THURSDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State soccer finishes non-conference play Thursday, when it travels down I-69 to battle in-state rival Butler for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff. The match will be streamed on FloSports.
This will be the ninth time these two schools will meet for soccer, and the second straight match played on Butler’s home pitch. The Cardinals currently trail the Bulldogs 3-5-1 in the all-time series after teams battled to a 2-2 draw at the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl on Sept. 15, 2022.
Prior to the draw, the Bulldogs had won the previous three meetings. Ball State’s last win was a 2-1 victory on Sept. 14, 2006, exactly 17 years to the date of Thursday’s showdown.
SEASON TO DATE:
Ball State enters the week with a 2-4-0 record after celebrating Senior Day last Sunday with a 3-0 shutout of Austin Peay (Sept. 9). The Cardinals got off to a quick start, thanks to a second-minute goal from sophomore Emily Roper, and never took off the presser.
The Cardinals opened the year with a 5-1 win over Mercyhurst (Aug. 17), before facing a gauntlet which included losses at No. 3 Notre Dame (Aug. 20), at Texas Tech (Aug. 24), at Loyola (Sept. 3) and at Vanderbilt (Sept. 7).
BALL STATE SOCCER QUICK HITS:
– Senior forward Avery Fenchel enters Thursday’s match at Butler leading the team and tied for second in the MAC in both points (9) and goals scored (4) this season … She started with her first career hat trick in the season-opener versus Mercyhurst (Aug. 17), added her first career assist at Loyola (Sept. 3) and collected the final goal in the win over Austin Peay (Sept. 10).
– With her four goals this season, Avery Fenchel has moved to sixth in program history with 17 career goals … She registered the second-most goals in a single season in the BSU record book last season, with 11, and scored two her sophomore campaign … She also currently sits eighth in program history with 35 career points (17 goals / 1 assist).
– Sophomore forward Emily Roper jumped into a tie for fourth in the MAC with three goals after tallying her first career brace in last Sunday’s win over Austin Peay (Sept. 10) … Roper, who scored her first goal of the season against Mercyhurst (Aug. 17), leads the team and ranks third in the MAC with nine shots on goal.
– Sophomore forward Delaney Caldwell, junior forward Lexi Fraley, and senior defender Ryann Locante have also scored for the Cardinals this season … Fraley ranks second among active Ball State players with 10 career goals, while Caldwell is third at eight … Locante’s tally in the season-opening win over Mercyhurst (Aug. 17) was the first of her career.
– Sophomore midfielder Tori Monaco and junior defender Maya Millis currently lead the team and are tied for fourth in the MAC with two assists apiece … Monaco notched both of hers in the season-opening win over Mercyhurst (Aug. 17), while Millis’ assists game versus Mercyhurst and Austin Peay.
– Goalkeeper
Bethany Moser
Bethany Moser was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12 after leading the league in goals against average (0.56) and save percentage (.875) last week … She allowed just one goal over 160:49, with it being an 88th-minute tally by Vanderbilt (Sept. 7) … Moser also combined for the shutout win over Austin Peay (Sept. 10), playing the first 70:19 of the match and stopping all three shots she faced.
– For the season, Moser ranks fourth in the MAC with 4.17 saves per match, having collected 25 total saves on the year … The effort also ranks 106th nationally, while her 25 total saves are 140th.
SCOUTING BUTLER:
The Bulldogs (3-4-1) are coming off a 2-1 win against the 25th-ranked TCU (Sept. 10).
Butler’s Norah Jacomen currently leads the team in goals with five. Four other Bulldogs have also scored for Butler.
Leading goalkeeper Anna Pierce has 19 saves on the season, helping the Bulldogs upset TCU with two saves. She has only allowed six goals.
UP NEXT:
After Thursday’s match, the Cardinals open conference play at home against Miami with a 4 p.m. kickoff on September 21.
**********PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S SOCCER*********
IT’S PARTY TIME! ‘DONS HOST PARTY AT THE PITCH AND TRAVEL TO OAKLAND THIS WEEK
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s soccer team will host the fourth annual Party at the Pitch on Thursday (Sept. 14). The party at the Hefner Soccer Complex will start at 5:30 p.m. with food trucks, games, beer tent and more. The match against Robert Morris will start at 7 p.m.
Game Day Information (Thursday)
Who: Robert Morris Colonials
When: Thursday, September 14 | 7 PM
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Hefner Soccer Complex
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Tickets: FREE!
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Robert Morris
Game Day Information (Sunday)
Who: Oakland Golden Grizzlies
When: Sunday, September 17 | 1 PM
Where: Rochester, Mich. | Oakland Soccer Field
Live Stats: Link
Watch: None
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Oakland
Know Your Foes
• Robert Morris is 6-0-2 this season and 5-0-1 on the road. The Colonials have wins over VMI, Hampton, Akron, Saint Francis, Indiana State and Mount St. Mary’s. Lidia Nduka is the team’s leading goal-scorer with seven, all coming off the bench. Renae Mohrbacher has five goals and three assists. Brenna Murray has 28 saves and has played all available minutes in goal.
• Oakland is 2-4-2 this year with wins over Eastern Michigan and Toledo and draws against Northern Illinois and Illinois State. The Golden Grizzlies have not played a game since September 10, a 2-1 win at Toledo. Macey Wierenga has a team-high two goals.
Series Histories
• Purdue Fort Wayne has a 4-1-1 advantage in the all-time series against Robert Morris and is 2-0 against the Colonials in Fort Wayne. This included a 4-2 win in 2017 and 2-0 win in 2022.
• Oakland leads the series against the Mastodons 9-2-1. The Mastodons won the game last season on the road 2-1, getting goals from Bella Reitano and Gigi Ricciardi.
Home Sweet Hefner!
Purdue Fort Wayne is unbeaten at home since October 27, 2021. In that time, they are 8-0-5 at the Hefner Soccer Complex.
Defend The Fort
Purdue Fort Wayne is a top-60 team nationally in shutout percentage. The ‘Dons have four shutouts this year. Samantha Castaneda is in the top-50 among goalkeepers with three shutouts to her name.
No Goals For You
Purdue Fort Wayne had a 350:16 stretch without giving up a goal from August 25-September 7. It was the most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in program history, topping a 297-minute stretch in 2013.
Give Me Some Mo
Morgan Reitano is a top-10 goal scorer in program history.
1. Kristin Macdonald – 25 (2000-03)
2. Lisa Underwood – 23 (2009-11)
3. Shacina Hersey – 21 (2000-03)
4. Anika Apar – 18 (2004-06)
5. Tara O’Toole – 16 (2008-11)
6. Lindsay Williamson – 13 (2002-05)
7. Morgan Reitano – 11 (2019-23)
Kristin Mahoney – 11 (2003-04)
All-Time Leader
Head coach Jason Burr became the program’s all-time leader in wins on August 27 when Purdue Fort Wayne beat Southern Indiana. With the 37th win of his career, he passed Terry Stefankiewicz, who had 36 from 2000-06. One win prior, he passed Margaret Saurin, who had 35 wins from 2007-13.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne dropped a non-league game at Central Michigan 2-1. Malia Velker scored for the ‘Dons.
Coming Up
The Mastodons will return home for a Horizon League contest against Cleveland State on September 21.
*************PURDUE FT. WAYNE CROSS COUNTRY*************
MASTODON XC HEADS TO SHELBYVILLE FOR SECOND MEET
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Mastodon cross country teams will compete in the second meet of the season on Friday (September 15) at the Jaguar Invitational, hosted by IUPUI.
Meet: Jaguar Invitational (5K/8K)
When: Friday, September 15 | 5:15 p.m. (Women’s 5K) | 6:00 p.m. (Men’s 8K)
Where: Blue River Cross Country Course, Shelbyville, Ind.
Field: IUPUI, Butler, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne, UIndy, Thomas More
Live Results: Link
Men’s Preview: In the season’s first meet, the Mastodon men welcomed three new runners to the sub-16 club. Jarred Neff improved his personal record to 15:39.5 with the third-best time in the school’s performers list. Nicholas Mills’ ran his new top time of 15:47.1 and now ranks sixth in school history while Harrison Niswander ran 15:48.4 is now seventh in the school record book. Those three, along with Austin Hall and Kehinde Oladapo, represented Purdue Fort Wayne’s top five at the Mastodon Alumni Opener and all five runners finished in the top 10 of that meet.
Men’s Entries:Andrew Arnos, Colin Gasson, Austin Hall, Jackson Marshall, Kobe Milledge, Jack Mills, Nathan Mills, Nicholas Mills, Jarred Neff, Harrison Niswander, Kehinde Oladapo, Noah Shook, Cory Waldron
Women’s Preview:Madison King was the individual winner at the Mastodon Alumni Opener, the first meet of the season for the ‘Dons. It was her first 5K individual win in her collegiate career and she did it with her personal best time of 17:16.7. King now ranks second all-time in the program’s top 10 list. Brooke Neal is now ninth on that list after running her personal best time of 18:13.5. Riley Tate, Ava Genovese, Lydia Carrell, and Faith Allen also finished in the top ten of the Mastodon Alumni opener.
Women’s Entries:Faith Allen, Grace Auckley, Lydia Carrell, Emma Collison, Ava Genovese, Haylee Hile, Madison King, Brooke Neal, Mercedes Sarver, Riley Tate, Hailey Whiteleather, Madeleine Wisniewski
Up Next: The Mastodons will run again at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh on Sept. 30.
*************EVANSVILLE MEN’S SOCCER****************
MEN’S SOCCER EARNS A POINT IN DRAW AGAINST LINDENWOOD
The University of Evansville men’s soccer team was able to come back from an early second-half deficit to tie the Lindenwood Lions 2-2.
Forward Kai Phillip and winger Nkosi Graham gave the Purple Aces their two goals to earn a point against Lindenwood in a chaotic Wednesday evening matchup. Forward Nacho Diaz Barragan and midfielder David Hernandez led UE in shots with three apiece, while Barragan and midfielder Carlos Barcia put two shots on goal each. Goalkeeper Jacob Madden made two saves while allowing two goals through 90 minutes.
“As opposed to our last game, after Kai scored [the first goal] we kind of took off and tonight we took it for granted in our effort which started to lack a little bit,” said Interim Head Coach Robbe Tarver post-match. “We gave a team like Lindenwood some hope with a soft goal we don’t want to concede ever. But credit to them because they started creating chances and putting pressure on us. And I don’t think we handled that well, which is disappointing because we talk a lot about responding to moments in the game. And we didn’t do that tonight.”
The Aces found themselves up early in the 18th minute as Phillip scored his fourth goal in three games. On a cross from Hernandez, Phillip pulled a turn around a Lions player just outside the penalty arc sending the ball into the top right corner of the net. Evansville had the offensive momentum for a shot Barcia in the 26th minute. But Lindenwood found an opportunity nine minutes later on a broken defensive play from UE, tying the game in the 35th minute. The teams headed into the half break with a goal each and three on-target shots.
The second half began with a trio of corner kicks for the Aces, but it would the Lions who made the next move. Lindenwood made its second goal in the 55th minute, beating Madden on the far right side. Evansville responded quickly with two shots on goal in the following four minutes. Momentum swung between the two teams until UE tied the game back up in the 74th minute. Graham scored his first goal of the year on a header in the goal area thanks to a long cross down in the left corner from defender Nacho Diaz-Carneja. The Aces used the goal to spur four more chances, but couldn’t quite find the net again, earning a point in the 2-2 draw.
Evansville begins Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday evening. UE heads to Des Moines, Iowa to face the Drake Bulldogs for the first MVC game of 2023. Kick-off from Cownie Soccer Complex is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+
*********SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL*********
USI MEN’S BASKETBALL REVEALS 2023-24 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball revealed its 2023-24 non-conference schedule, beginning with a visit to Saint Louis University November 6. The 2023-24 home opener is slated for November 12 when USI hosts Chicago State University for the first of 14 contests at Screaming Eagles Arena this year.
“We are fired up to announce our very challenging schedule,” said USI Head Coach Stan Gouard. “We must be ready to compete at a high level out of the gate as we travel to play against great teams and programs on the road.
“After a long 2022-23 season, we are thrilled to welcome our fans back to Screaming Eagles Arena for the upcoming season to celebrate year two as a Division I program,” continued Gouard. “We look forward to protecting our home court and treating our fans to this great schedule, terrific promotions, and great basketball.”
In addition to the Chicago State home opener, the 2023-24 home non-conference schedule includes Tiffin University (November 14), East/West University (November 28), Bowling Green State University (December 2), Purdue University Ft. Wayne (December 6), and the University of St. Francis (Illinois). The home portion of the Ohio Valley Conference schedule features Tennessee State University (January 4), Tennessee Tech University (January 6), the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (January 18), Morehead State University (January 19), Western Illinois University (January 25), Eastern Illinois University (February 8), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (February 10), Lindenwood University (February 29), and Southeast Missouri State University (March 2).
The Screaming Eagles have a very challenging road slate following the season-opener at St. Louis. USI follows up the trip to Michigan State University (November 9) before starting play in the three-game Blue Devil Challenge with a visit to La Salle University (November 18). The finals two games of the Blue Devil Challenge contain a visit to Bucknell University (November 20) and Duke University (November 24).
Following the first of two three-game homestands, the Eagles make trips to Indiana State University (December 9). The final non-conference game of 2023-24 has USI travelling to Southern Illinois University (December 22) before the holiday break.
In OVC play, this year’s conference road slate includes stopovers at SEMO (December 29), Lindenwood (December 31), SIUE (January 11), Tennessee Tech (February 1), Tennessee State University (February 3); University of Tennessee at Martin (February 15); Little Rock (February 17), Morehead State (February 20), and Western Illinois (February 24).
In the history of the USI Men’s Basketball program, the Eagles are 101-61 all-time versus the 2023-24 opponents. USI also has a 95-61 regular season mark against its upcoming Division I opponents – (0-1 vs. Chicago State; 1-3 vs. Southern Illinois University; 1-3 versus Western Illinois; 25-14 vs. Ft. Wayne; 1-0 vs. Bowling Green; 3-4 vs. SEMO; 3-2 vs. Eastern Illinois; 45-22 vs. SIUE; 4-5 vs. UT Martin; 6-0 vs. Lindenwood; 4-2 vs. Tennessee State; 0-2 Tennessee Tech; 1-1 vs. Little Rock; 0-2 vs. Morehead State). The Eagles will be playing seven teams on the schedule for the first time in history of the program.
*********SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER********
USI VISITS KANSAS CITY IN NON-CONFERENCE FINALE THURSDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer opens a season-long three-match road swing Thursday when the Screaming Eagles travel to take on the University of Kansas City Roos. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Following three straight home games, USI (1-5-2) now hits the road for three straight matches. Thursday is also USI’s final non-conference contest before the start of the Ohio Valley Conference season on September 21 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Southern Indiana is looking to continue its current unbeaten streak, which sits at two games. Last Thursday, USI earned its first win of the season in a 2-0 victory against Austin Peay State University before tying 1-1 with Northern Illinois University on Sunday.
In Sunday’s 1-1 draw, it was a defensive battle most of the match. The Screaming Eagles broke the scoreless contest with a put-back goal from senior midfielder Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio) in the 62nd minute. It was Schone’s first goal of the season and eighth career goal. Northern Illinois tied the game on a penalty kick in the 86th minute. With less than five seconds left, sophomore keeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) turned away a last-second shot by the Huskies to keep the score level.
With her goal on Sunday, Avery Schone has scored at least once in each of her four seasons in a USI uniform. The senior has tallied eight goals and 18 points in her career. Plus, Schone has a shot accuracy of 50 percent in her four seasons.
On the season, freshman forward Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) paces Southern Indiana with a pair of goals. Sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) tops the squad with 11 shots, which is tied for sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Between the posts, Markland is second in the OVC with a 1.30 GAA and sixth with 27 saves. As a team, USI is first in the OVC with a 1.25 goals-against average and fourth with 68 shots. The Screaming Eagles are 44th in the nation in shot accuracy at 54.4 percent.
On Tuesday, Markland was named OVC co-Goalkeeper of the Week. Markland claimed USI’s first honor of the season following her first career win and shutout in Southern Indiana’s 2-0 victory against Austin Peay in addition to her performance on Sunday against Northern Illinois, totaling six saves between the two matches.
The Screaming Eagles’ defense has been stout once again this season, as evidenced by a league-leading 1.25 GAA. What is incredible about the success of USI’s defense this year is the transition to basically a new backline and goalkeeper after graduating several players from 2022 and positional movement for some returning players. This year’s defensive unit is seeking to piggyback off a 2022 season in which USI’s defense surrendered only 12 regular-season goals last year, matching a program best. USI’s defense also recorded seven shutouts and a 0.82 GAA in 2022.
The Kansas City Roos (1-3-3) will be playing in their penultimate non-conference match on Thursday against USI before heading into Summit League play next week. The Roos are coming off back-to-back 1-1 ties against the University of Illinois Chicago and Kansas University. Against the Jayhawks, who have been receiving votes in national polls, Kansas City was outshot by seven, including by four in shots on goal. After surrendering a goal in the 50th minute against the Jayhawks, the Roos answered right back two minutes later with a goal by sophomore midfielder Brianna Castleberry. The score was Castleberry’s only shot of the match despite leading the team with 12 shots on the season.
Much like USI, Kansas City is looking to generate some momentum in offensive scoring with only five goals this season. The Roos average 8.4 shots per game and have put 24 of 59 attempts on target. Individually, junior midfielder Kayda Kamolz leads Kansas City this season with two goals and four points. She has put four of her eight shots on goal. Between the posts, junior keeper Riley Moore has made all seven starts, posting a 1.90 GAA with 35 saves, including five saves last time out against Kansas.
Thursday’s match is the first all-time meeting in the regular season between the two schools. In 2022, the two programs played to a 1-1 tie in a preseason exhibition at USI.
**********SOUTHERN INDIANA VOLLEYBALL**************
EAGLES STRUGGLE IN 3-1 LOSS TO JAGUARS
University of Southern Indiana (4-7) closed out the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 25-17, 25-23) loss to IUPUI (5-5) on Wednesday night at The Jungle. USI will start the Ohio Valley Conference season on Monday against Eastern Illinois University.
The Eagles stood tall in the first set, taking home the 25-22 victory. USI jumped out to an 8-3 lead off four kills from three different players and an ace from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois). Down 17-15, the Jaguars went on a quick 4-0 surge to take their first lead of the match. The Eagles did not falter, regaining the 20-19 lead with the help of a pair of kills from Leah Anderson and a kill from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois). USI closed out the set with a kill from senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) to start the match with a 1-0 advantage. The Eagles were outhit by the Jaguars with 11 kills compared to 12 kills but had just three errors in comparison to eight errors for IUPUI.
A tough offensive outing from USI cost the Eagles the 25-17 second set. The Jaguars stormed out the gates with a 14-5 lead off eight USI offensive errors. Luckily for USI, they were able to regain momentum and cut the deficit to just six after kills from Leah Anderson and Bednar. IUPUI was able to bounce back and extended their lead back to nine until the Eagles took advantage of three Jaguars’ attacking errors to make it 21-15. However, the early deficit was too much to come back from as USI watched IUPUI knot up the match at 1-1. The Jaguars were nearly flawless on both ends, earning 13 kills with just three errors and holding the Eagles to eight kills and forcing nine errors.
USI could not close out the final frame after a big run from IUPUI and would fall, 25-23. The Eagles’ first five points came from multiple Jaguars’ errors until an ace from senior libero/defensive specialist Audrey Crowder (Avon, Indiana) gave USI their first offensive point and a 6-4 advantage. Trailing 15-13, IUPUI unleashed a 6-0 run that took away the Eagles’ lead. Leah Anderson battled back with back-to-back kills to cut the deficit and a kill from junior middle blocker Lauren O’Neill (Covington, Indiana) eventually tied the match at 21 apiece. Even after scoring a kill and an ace, USI watched IUPUI score four of the final six points to claim the 3-1 match victory. The Eagles’ offense could not produce in the deciding frame, earning a match-low seven kills with six errors while on the opposite end, the Jaguars scored 14 kills.
Leah Anderson nabbed a team-high 10 kills and two aces to pair with 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) totaled 26 assists and a team-high 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the 2023 campaign, the most on the team thus far. Also earning double-digit digs was Bednar who ended the night with 10 digs. Leading the match with six blocks was Downing while Bianca Anderson was close behind with four blocks.
As a team, the Eagles had 35 kills, 33 assists, and four aces to go with 57 digs and 12 blocks. The Jaguars totaled 55 kills, 54 assists, and six aces with 64 digs and 12 blocks.
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles start OVC play against undefeated EIU on Monday at 6 p.m. in Charleston, Illinois. Last season, the Panthers took both matches against USI. With EIU and USI being travel partners, they will meet again on September 26 at Screaming Eagles Arena.
*********VALPO VOLLEYBALL**********
VOLLEYBALL SET TO CONCLUDE NONCONFERENCE PLAY THIS WEEKEND
Valparaiso (6-4, 0-0 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Friday, Sept. 15 – vs. SIUE (3-6) – 3:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Sept. 16 – vs. Miami (Ohio) (3-6) – 12:30 p.m. CT | at Purdue Fort Wayne (5-4) – 6 p.m. CT
Next Up For Valpo Volleyball: The Valpo volleyball team closes out nonconference play this weekend with its fourth and final in-season tournament of the 2023 campaign. The Beacons head to the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, where they will face Miami (Ohio) and SIUE in addition to the host Mastodons.
Previously: Valpo posted a 1-2 record last week, falling in three sets to Indiana and four sets to Austin Peay at the Stacheville Challenge before closing the weekend with a four-set win over Lindenwood.
Looking Ahead: Valpo opens Missouri Valley Conference play next week with three home matches in a five-day stretch, hosting Missouri State on Friday, Sept. 22, Southern Illinois the next day and UIC on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Following the Beacons: All three matches this weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Links for the live video and live stats are available via ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Carin Avery: In her 22nd season as head coach at Valparaiso, Carin Avery has won 477 matches (477-232, .673) at the helm of the program and has led Valpo to three league regular season and tournament titles. The program has made seven postseason appearances under Avery, including three NCAA Tournament appearances, and advanced to the championship match of the 2021 NIVC. A two-time Mid-Con Coach of the Year, Avery has coached 60 All-League recipients over her tenure at Valpo, which has spanned three different conferences. She is Valpo’s all-time leader in both victories and winning percentage, and owns a 532-256 (.675) record overall as a head coach.
Series History: SIUE – Valpo is a perfect 4-0 against the Cougars, including a 3-1 win last season on Sept. 2 as part of Valpo’s Popcorn Classic. Mallory Januski had eight kills on .333 hitting in that victory, while Emma Hickey had a match-high 16 digs and Addy Kois posted 25 assists and 11 digs.
Miami (Ohio) – Valpo owns a slight 4-3 edge in the all-time series with the RedHawks, but is 4-0 under Coach Avery against Miami. The last of those meetings came in the second round of the 2018 NIVC on Miami’s home court in Oxford, Ohio, a 3-0 Valpo sweep.
Purdue Fort Wayne – The Mastodons hold a slim 12-11 advantage in the all-time series, but the series is 8-4 Valpo under Coach Avery, including wins in each of the last six meetings. The two squads have not met since 2018, however, when Valpo earned a 3-2 win in Fort Wayne on Sept. 18. That match featured 17 total team blocks for Valpo, tied for sixth-most in a single match in the 25-point era.
Scouting the Opposition: SIUE – The Cougars enter the weekend at 3-6 overall, but most recently went 2-1 at their home tournament, beating Idaho and Milwaukee before losing to Western Illinois. Sydney Hummert leads a balanced offense with 2.36 kills/set, while Priscilla Jones hits .299 with 2.31 kills/set.
Miami (Ohio) – The RedHawks are 3-6 coming into this weekend’s action, going 1-2 last weekend at the Illinois State Invitational with a win over the host Redbirds and losses to Saint Louis and New Mexico State. Ellie Hanson averages a team-best 3.25 kills/set and also paces the back row with 3.16 digs/set.
Purdue Fort Wayne – The Mastodons come into the weekend at 5-4 on the year after a 2-1 weekend last week at the Western New York Invitational, beating Niagara and Canisius and falling to Kent State. Panna Ratkai is averaging an impressive 4.00 kills/set on .240 hitting, while LonDynn Betts leads the defense with 4.16 digs/set.
Valpo Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll: Valpo has been picked to finish in sixth place in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2023, according to preseason polling of the conference’s head coaches. The Beacons accumulated 73 points in the polling to come in at sixth position, outpacing Illinois State by two points. UNI claimed seven of 12 first-place votes and nipped Drake by two points for the top spot in the poll.
Looking Back at Last Season: The Beacons enjoyed another successful season in 2022, finishing the campaign with a 22-11 overall record. Valpo posted a 9-9 mark in MVC play to finish in sixth place in the newly-expanded 12-team conference and won a match at the MVC Tournament for its fourth straight appearance. The Beacons earned an at-large bid to the 2022 NIVC, their third showing in the tournament in the last five seasons. After a record-setting rookie campaign, freshman libero Emma Hickey was named a Second Team All-MVC and MVC All-Freshman Team honoree.
What’s Back: Valpo returns plenty of experience from last year’s squad, as 11 letterwinners are back this year, including four starters plus the libero. In all, 98% of the assists, 89.3% of the digs, 62.7% of the blocks and 60.9% of the kills from last season are back in 2023.
Who’s New: Joining the 11 returnees on this year’s team are six players looking to make an impact in their first season as Valpo. The sextet includes four true freshmen and two transfers – one fifth-year grad transfer and one sophomore.
Capturing Crowns: The Beacons’ triumph in the Popcorn Classic added yet another crown to the program’s trophy case. Valpo has now won 34 in-season tournament titles in head coach Carin Avery’s time at the helm of the program. The team has won at least one tournament in 17 of her seasons, and multiple tournaments 11 times. Those tournament titles have come in 14 different states.
Nonconference Success: One win this weekend at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational would secure a winning record in the nonconference slate for Valpo, a regular feat over the years. In Carin Avery’s 21 seasons at the helm of the Valpo program, the team has ended nonconference play at or above .500 19 times.
An Approaching Milestone: Head coach Carin Avery enters this weekend’s tournament with 477 victories at the helm of the Valpo volleyball program. With two more wins, Avery would become the winningest head coach across any sport in the history of Valpo Athletics, surpassing Valpo Athletics Hall of Famer Emory Bauer, who amassed 478 wins between 28 seasons as head baseball coach, 22 seasons as head football coach and one season as head men’s basketball coach.
All-Tournament Team Honorees: Through three weekends of the 2023 season, Valpo has had five players combine for seven All-Tournament Team selections. Most recently, middles Mallory Januski and Miranda Strongman were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Stacheville Challenge – both earning their second such honor of the season and third of their careers. Januski was previously named to the All-Tournament Team at the Popcorn Classic, where she was joined by MVP outside Bella Ravotto (third career All-Tournament Team; second career MVP) and right side Olivia Blackketter (first career honor). Strongman was previously named to the All-Tournament Team at the EIU Volleyball Invitational, joined by right side Sam Warren (first career honor).
Strong Hitting: Both Januski and Strongman were stellar on the attack over the final two matches last weekend of the Stacheville Challenge to earn their All-Tournament accolades. Januski hit .409 with 22 kills over the last two contests, highlighted by a match-high 12 kills on .458 hitting in the win over Lindenwood. Meanwhile, Strongman swung at a .414 clip with 13 kills over the final two matches, including seven kills on just 11 swings against APSU. On the season, Januski ranks fifth in the Valley with a .356 hitting percentage – just ahead of her program-record .353 season clip last year – while Strongman is hitting .270 on the campaign.
Ravotto’s MVP Contributions: While her numbers for the tournament were strong (team-high 3.30 kills/set, .247, 4.30 digs/set), Bella Ravotto was Tournament MVP of the Popcorn Classic as much for her key contributions as her total stat lines. With the score tied at 18-18 in the second set against EMU, she came up with back-to-back kills and later served out the final four points of the set. Then, trailing 2-1 in the match in set four and with what had been an 11-5 lead cut to 11-10, Ravotto came up with three straight kills for the Beacons to start a stretch which saw Valpo out-score EMU the rest of the match, 29-10. In the win over Oakland, Ravotto came up with a big four-point service run in the second set to turn an 18-15 deficit into a 19-18 lead as Valpo eventually won the frame, 25-22.
Januski Cracks the Record Book: Mallory Januski posted a stellar stat line for the totality of the Popcorn Classic to earn All-Tournament honors, hitting ..434 with 2.40 kills/set and 10 blocks, but it was her performance against Eastern Michigan which stood out. Januski tallied 14 kills on .591 hitting in the win over the Eagles – the third-best hitting percentage in a five-set match in program history- and a team-best five blocks. She saved her best for the decisive set against EMU, as Valpo’s edge was just 4-3 before Januski tallied four kills over the next eight points, part of a 6-2 Beacon spurt which pushed the lead to 10-5 and kicked off a larger 11-3 run to close out the come-from-behind victory.
A Balanced Attack: Last year’s Valpo team was notable for its balance on the attack, and this year’s squad has been no different. Bella Ravotto’s 2.48 kills/set leads the Beacons, but ranks just 20th overall among Valley players. Five regulars are averaging between 1.61 and 2.48 kills/set through the season’s first ten matches.
Coming Up With Kills: Valpo’s last four victories have one common thread – a double-figure edge in the kills department. Most recently, the Beacons closed action at the Stacheville Challenge with a 55-45 advantage in kills in the win over Lindenwood. The Beacons are now 6-0 this season when finishing with more kills than their opponent and have won 31 consecutive matches, dating back to Oct. 30, 2021, when they have bested their opposition in the kills department.
Another 20-Win Campaign: It’s a milestone that has become routine for the program, yet still impressive in its totality – Valpo finished with 22 wins in 2022 and has now won 20 or more matches in 17 of Carin Avery’s 21 seasons as head coach. Even more remarkably, one of the four seasons Valpo didn’t reach 20 wins was the shortened spring 2021 campaign, when the program played just 20 matches total. The Beacons also secured their 19th winning season in Avery’s 21 seasons at the helm.
Top Half Finishes: In addition to the 20-win season, the Beacons also secured a top-half finish in the MVC standings as they finished in sixth place in the 12-team conference. Valpo has now finished in the top-half of the Valley standings in each of its six years in the conference, the only MVC program to accomplish that feat – Illinois State had finished top-half each of the last five years, but dropped out of the top-six in 2022. Going back further, Valpo has posted top-half conference finishes in 20 of Avery’s 21 seasons – as well as qualifying for the conference tournament in each of her 21 seasons – and 29 of the last 30 years overall.
Digging Deep: Valpo continued its long tradition of strong back row play last fall, finishing 10th nationally and leading the MVC with 17.27 digs/set. The program has ranked among the top-30 nationally in digs/set in each of the last 12 seasons, highlighted by the 2017 campaign in which it led the nation with 20.03 digs/set. Other top finishes include third nationally in the spring 2021 season (20.37/set), a fourth-place rank in 2010 and a sixth-place finish in 2015. Since the move to 25-point scoring, only seven teams have averaged more than 20 digs/set over the course of a season, and Valpo is the only program to have done it twice. 2018 saw Valpo lead the nation with 2,613 total digs – a mark which set a program single-season record and a Division I record in the 25-point era.
Hickey Sets New Standards: Emma Hickey made an immediate impact on Valpo’s backcourt and the record books in her rookie season. She set Valpo and MVC freshman record for digs in a season, finishing with 735 total digs, and led the Valley and ranked fourth nationally with 5.70 digs/set. No D-I freshman was within 200 digs of her season total, while it was tied for the second-most digs by a D-I freshman in the last 12 seasons. Her 735 digs are tied for fourth overall on Valpo’s single-season chart and rank sixth in MVC history as well.
Januski Runs the Middle: Senior middle Mallory Januski bided her time behind a pair of All-Conference middles in her first two seasons at Valpo, but given the opportunity in 2022 to run with a starting role, Januski took full advantage. She led Valpo and ranked fourth in the Valley with a .353 hitting percentage, a mark which smashed the program’s single-season record. Januski also ranked seventh in the Valley with 0.98 blocks/set, tallying 122 total blocks — seventh-most by a Valpo player in the 25-point era. That total includes a monster 13-block performance at Murray State, a program record for the 25-point era.
One More Year: Three Valpo players are taking advantage of the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to play a fifth year of collegiate volleyball, but each of the three are at a different point in their Valpo journey. Bella Ravotto has spent all five years at the ARC, while Miranda Strongman is on her second season as a Beacon after playing three seasons at LIU. Most recently, Laura Ilizastigui joined the program as a graduate transfer for this season after spending two years apiece at Chicago State and the College of Southern Idaho.
********U OF INDY MEN’S TENNIS********
ZEUCH REACHES FINALS AT IU-HOSTED UTR TOURNAMENT
BLOOMINTON, Ind. – Held on the campus of Indiana University, the UIndy men’s tennis team took on a two-day Universal Tennis Ranking tournament that featured high level international competition.
Tom Zeuch and Louis Picaud were the two that featured the deepest runs in the tournament, with Picaud fighting his way into the quarterfinals and Zeuch dominating his way towards a finals appearance.
Matthieu Derache, after having a first-round bye, racked up a win in the second round before having his tournament end in the round of 16. Erwan Momo Andre and David Simeonov both won by walkover in their first matches of the tournament, but both suffered losses in the second round.
*********MARIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER********
PARMER NOTCHES FIRST CAREER GOAL IN 2-0 SHUTOUT OVER (RV) UNOH
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s soccer team wrapped up their strong non-conference schedule Wednesday afternoon, coming away with a 2-0 shutout victory against (RV) University of Northwestern Ohio with the help from Olivia Parmer’s brace. Marian’s win improves their season mark to 7-0-1 overall on the year.
The Knights dominated possession in the first half, starting on the attack early with a pair of headers coming from Silvia Quezada and a corner kick from Gretchen Mallin in the first 24 minutes of action. Marian’s efforts paid off early after Olivia Parmer found the ball off of a Kiley Jones header and booted it into back netting for her first career goal and the game’s first of the game.
The two teams went back and forth the remainder of the half with only one shot being fired off from the Racers, but it was blocked by the Marian defense. Possession was fairly even throughout the first 45 minutes, as both sides of the pitch put together three shots but it was the Knights carrying the 1-0 advantage into the locker room at the break.
UNOH came out aggressive to begin the second half with the Racers putting together a pair of corner attempts and a shot that ended high. Katie Koger gave the Knights their first shot of the second half, but was unable to find the goal as the keeper managed to get her hands on it. Marian put together another solid sequence as Laney Harshany fired one high after the corner from Mallin.
Marian continued to find opportunities over the next 14 minutes of play, as they put together four shots with one shot on frame. UNOH tried to keep up with the Marian offense, but their chances came up empty on their four attempts of the half. In the 89th minute, the Knights doubled their lead as Parmer hurdled the keeper to face a wide open net after diving and missing the ball. With a 2-0 lead at hand in the final minute, UNOH ran out of time and the Knights picked up their seventh win.
Mycheala Johnson recorded two saves to pick up the shutout win. Parmer had two shots on the day, scoring on both attempts, while Quezada added three shots. Koger and Harshany had a pair of attempts, and Kaitlyn Lavezzi took one. Jones and Bridget Stratman each recorded an assist in the win.
Marian will be back in action September 23 when they open up Crossroads League play against No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan at St. Vincent Field.
**********MARIAN MEN’S SOCCER************
MARIAN ROLLS PAST IU-NORTHWEST IN DOMINATING 7-0 VICTORY
The Marian men’s soccer team lit up the scoreboard Wednesday night at St. Vincent Field, blowing out IU-Northwest 7-0 in a dominating team win. Seven different players scored for the Knights, and the win brings Marian to 4-0-2 overall on the season.
The Knights headlined the game, dominating possession from the opening kickoff taking six shots in the opening 11 minutes. Marian’s seventh shot of the evening started a scoring streak, with Marian tacking on two goals in a four minute window. The first goal of the night came from Sebastian Gonzalez, who scored in the 13th minute off a pass from Kyle Alb. Kelton Hooker scored around five minutes later after he blasted one past the goalie to give the Knights the 2-0 lead.
Marian kept their attacking going, and in the 31st minute Kent Bailey played a ball to Agon Hoxha who booted one in the back of the net. The scoring was not done for the Knights as Evan Dawdy added a fourth goal on the assist from Keiji Nakamae, extending the Marian lead to 4-0. IU-Northwest put together their first shot attempts of the half, with all coming in the final five minutes. The Marian offense was efficient in the first 45 minutes, posting 18 shots and allowing one three shots for the visiting Redhawks.
The scores kept coming for Marian in the second half, with the Knights adding three more goals to their total. Alan Tenorio scored the first of the half after executing on the penalty kick in the 53rd minute.The Knights continued to pound shots onto the IU-Northwest defense and eventually picked up the 6-0 lead after Kameron Hooker beat the keeper to the ball and put one in. With the 6-0 lead at hand, Marian was not done yet as they added one more goal at the 85:36 mark when Jayden Francis connected with Donovan Doolittle, who scored his first career goal and topped off a 7-0 win for the Knights.
Marian’s offense put together 32 shots on the night, with seven different players scoring. Gonzalez, Kelton Hooker, Hoxha, Kameron Hooker, Doolittle Dawdy, and Tenorio all scored. Alb, Bailey, Nakamae, and Francis each dished out an assist, while Juan Torres grabbed the shutout victory and made one save.
Marian will finish their non-conference schedule Saturday when they make the trip to Campbellsville – Harrodsburg for a 3 p.m. kickoff.
**********MARIAN VOLLEYBALL***********
NO. 25 MT. VERNON NAZARENE OUTLASTS MARIAN IN 5-SET THRILLER
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian volleyball team went to battle against No. 25 Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday night, battling the Cougars until the final set, but a rally in the fifth game did not last as the Knights fell 3-2 on their home floor. Marian falls to 7-5 on the year after the five-set defeat, moving to 1-1 in Crossroads League play.
The Knights pulled out to a lead in the opening set of the evening as a combination of hitters pushed the score to 7-2, but the Cougars came back after the initial shock. Riding a 4-0 run, Mt. Vernon Nazarene took the lead to 10-9, and would gradually build their lead to three points with a 19-16 cushion. Marian slowly rallied back within one point on two occasions with Khori Dryden and Mikayla Christiansen landing kills, however Marian couldn’t force a tie, as the Cougars took control once again and began the match with a 1-0 lead thanks to their 25-21 victory.
After falling behind 1-0, Marian left no doubt with the second set, as a Sydney Schaffer service ace was one of six consecutive points that pushed Marian in front 6-1. Nicole Wilkinson and
Madison Brooks
Madison Brooks scored three consective points with a kill each and a block to regain a six-point cushion after the Cougars clawed within three, and after a timeout the lead swelled to nine with Gabby Fish hammering the hardwood. Marian would gain a double-digit lead in the match with a Logan Smith kill helping the cause, with Jaymison Summers putting away the set-winning kill in a 25-14 game.
With the match tied, the intensity turned up in the third set and the game went back and forth early before a 5-0 run for the Knights created an 8-5 lead. The Knights would hold their lead despite a pair of Mt. Vernon charges, and gradually pushed their lead to five with a pair of kills from Fish aiding the cause. Coming out of a timeout leading 16-11, Marian was able to push in front by six with Fish hammering the ball, put the Cougars made one final push, inching within four. A Wilkinson slam would give the Knights a 23-19 lead, but Marian just came up short in finishing the win, allowing a 4-0 run to see the set come tied. Mt. Vernon would score the final seven of nine rallies in the third set as they took the game 27-25, stealing the potential lead from Marian’s hands.
Marian continued to fight in the fourth set despite blowing their lead in the third, trading punches with the nationally-ranked Cougars as the game teetered out to a 10-10 score. Marian was able to capture some momentum as they built a three-point edge with a 16-13 score on the board, however the Cougars wiped the lead away and went in front 19-18. Dryden and Fish scored back to back points to give Marian the lead, beginning a trend of back and forth play. Marian would take the first set point with a 25-24 lead, but immediately turned it back to MVNU’s serve after a Faith Maloney kill. The set would see six more set point opportunities with Marian having the lead on four of them, with the Knights eventually winning 32-30 on a block from Summers and Brooks.
After exerting their energy to win the fourth, Marian fell flat in the fifth, allowing Mt. Vernon to build a 6-3 lead after starting out to a 3-3 tie. The Cougars took the lead as the team’s exchanged sides of the court, using a 6-0 run to put the game out of reach as they led 12-4 when Marian exhausted their final timeout. The Knights would score two more points, but the rally cry was not enough as the Cougars prevailed 15-6 in the fifth set, winning the match 3-2.
Statistically, Marian had a strong night, landing more kills, digs, and assists than their counterparts. Marian finished the night with a .225 hitting percentage, and were led in kills by Gabby Fish, who tied for a match-high with 17 kills. Christiansen finished with a double-double of 16 kills and 23 digs, and Wilkinson had 11 kills and a team-best five blocks. Logan Smith paced the setters with a commanding 32-assist, 26-dig double-double, while Katie Hardegree had 26 assists. Emma Lyons led the Knights with 27 digs in the defeat.
Marian will go on the road to close their week, traveling to Huntington on Friday and Goshen on Saturday.
*************MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS***********
MARIAN DROPS BATTLE AGAINST NO. 21 HUNTINGTON
The Marian men’s tennis team saw their undefeated start to Crossroads League play come to a screeching halt on Wednesday, as Marian was upended on their home court by No. 21 Huntington 4-3. Marian’s loss drops them to 3-1 on the young conference season.
The Knights were unsuccessful in doubles, as the Foresters took two of the three matches to claim the first point of the match. Marian’s win came from Shadi Al Tori and Ashwin Bhat at No. 2 doubles, as they scored a 6-3 win against Andres Jiminez and Pablo Lopez Real. Huntington would get their first win on the No. 3 court as James Ashworth and Luis Sobanski fell to Mateo Ameller and Facundo Hanni Elias 6-4, and at No. 1 the Foresters claimed the point, with Agustin Agosto and Valentin Mussi scoring a 6-4 win against the Knights’ Andrew Ilett and Jones McNamar.
Trailing entering singles, Marian went to the No. 6 court to get their first point, as Jona Henze defeated Lopez 6-3, 6-2. Huntington returned the favor and landed a win at No. 4 singles with Jan Bartolome falling to Agosto 6-3, 6-2, but the match went back to an even flush as Delgado defeated Elias at No. 1 singles in three sets. Delgado won by a score of 2-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Level at 2-2, Huntington took the advantage and won at No. 5 singles, as Ilett fell to Mussi 7-6 (3), 6-2, giving the Foresters the lead once again. WIth two courts left to finish, Huntington was able to get the clinching point at No. 3 singles, with Sobanski falling to Ameller 6-3, 1-6, 4-6. Ashworth would eventually win at No. 2 singles to score Marian’s third team point of the match, as he defeated Jiminez 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Marian will look to rebound with another tough task on hand on Saturday, as the Knights travel to No. 17 Grace College.
*******SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS******
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
******MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS*******
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Baltimore | 91 | 54 | .628 | – | 43 – 28 | 48 – 26 | 28 – 16 | 20 – 8 | 19 – 10 | 7 – 3 | L 2 |
| Tampa Bay | 90 | 57 | .612 | 2 | 50 – 25 | 40 – 32 | 24 – 16 | 23 – 9 | 16 – 13 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| Toronto | 80 | 66 | .548 | 11.5 | 38 – 33 | 42 – 33 | 12 – 25 | 22 – 10 | 16 – 15 | 6 – 4 | L 3 |
| Boston | 73 | 72 | .503 | 18 | 37 – 37 | 36 – 35 | 21 – 20 | 18 – 11 | 14 – 15 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| NY Yankees | 73 | 72 | .503 | 18 | 39 – 36 | 34 – 36 | 18 – 26 | 17 – 12 | 19 – 13 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 76 | 70 | .521 | – | 43 – 32 | 33 – 38 | 13 – 19 | 26 – 22 | 16 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Cleveland | 69 | 78 | .469 | 7.5 | 36 – 36 | 33 – 42 | 14 – 14 | 22 – 24 | 14 – 15 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| Detroit | 66 | 79 | .455 | 9.5 | 31 – 43 | 35 – 36 | 7 – 25 | 30 – 16 | 10 – 15 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
| Chi White Sox | 56 | 90 | .384 | 20 | 29 – 42 | 27 – 48 | 9 – 19 | 22 – 26 | 12 – 21 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| Kansas City | 46 | 101 | .313 | 30.5 | 26 – 46 | 20 – 55 | 7 – 23 | 17 – 29 | 6 – 19 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Houston | 83 | 64 | .565 | – | 38 – 37 | 45 – 27 | 15 – 15 | 13 – 12 | 30 – 19 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Texas | 81 | 64 | .559 | 1 | 45 – 30 | 36 – 34 | 17 – 11 | 19 – 10 | 23 – 19 | 6 – 4 | W 5 |
| Seattle | 81 | 65 | .555 | 1.5 | 41 – 30 | 40 – 35 | 13 – 18 | 20 – 13 | 26 – 13 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| LA Angels | 68 | 79 | .463 | 15 | 35 – 37 | 33 – 42 | 13 – 16 | 17 – 9 | 19 – 27 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| Oakland | 46 | 100 | .315 | 36.5 | 24 – 47 | 22 – 53 | 8 – 24 | 11 – 14 | 13 – 33 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| X-Atlanta | 96 | 50 | .658 | – | 47 – 25 | 49 – 25 | 30 – 9 | 19 – 9 | 21 – 12 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| Philadelphia | 79 | 67 | .541 | 17 | 43 – 31 | 36 – 36 | 18 – 24 | 15 – 10 | 18 – 15 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| Miami | 75 | 71 | .514 | 21 | 40 – 32 | 35 – 39 | 21 – 22 | 14 – 12 | 14 – 17 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| NY Mets | 67 | 78 | .462 | 28.5 | 37 – 34 | 30 – 44 | 19 – 20 | 12 – 17 | 17 – 14 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| Washington | 65 | 81 | .445 | 31 | 31 – 43 | 34 – 38 | 16 – 29 | 13 – 16 | 15 – 16 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Milwaukee | 81 | 64 | .559 | – | 42 – 29 | 39 – 35 | 14 – 11 | 26 – 16 | 13 – 19 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Chi Cubs | 78 | 69 | .531 | 4 | 41 – 34 | 37 – 35 | 11 – 17 | 28 – 18 | 14 – 13 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
| Cincinnati | 76 | 71 | .517 | 6 | 36 – 39 | 40 – 32 | 13 – 16 | 19 – 27 | 18 – 14 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 68 | 78 | .466 | 13.5 | 36 – 38 | 32 – 40 | 13 – 13 | 21 – 25 | 16 – 15 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| St. Louis | 65 | 81 | .445 | 16.5 | 31 – 40 | 34 – 41 | 13 – 16 | 17 – 25 | 12 – 17 | 7 – 3 | W 2 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 88 | 57 | .607 | – | 48 – 26 | 40 – 31 | 17 – 14 | 19 – 14 | 27 – 14 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Arizona | 76 | 71 | .517 | 13 | 38 – 35 | 38 – 36 | 14 – 17 | 17 – 12 | 27 – 23 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| San Francisco | 75 | 71 | .514 | 13.5 | 43 – 32 | 32 – 39 | 13 – 18 | 20 – 13 | 22 – 14 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| San Diego | 69 | 78 | .469 | 20 | 39 – 36 | 30 – 42 | 16 – 16 | 9 – 20 | 22 – 24 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Colorado | 53 | 92 | .366 | 35 | 31 – 39 | 22 – 53 | 14 – 20 | 13 – 14 | 9 – 32 | 3 – 7 | W 2 |
*******WILD CARD STANDINGS*******
| AL Wild Card Standings | |||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak | |
| Tampa Bay | 90 | 57 | .612 | +8.5 | 50-25 | 40-32 | 7-3 | W 1 | |
| Texas | 81 | 64 | .559 | +0.5 | 45-30 | 36-34 | 6-4 | W 5 | |
| Seattle | 81 | 65 | .555 | – | 41-30 | 40-35 | 4-6 | W 2 | |
| Toronto | 80 | 66 | .548 | 1.0 | 38-33 | 42-33 | 6-4 | L 3 | |
| Boston | 73 | 72 | .503 | 7.5 | 37-37 | 36-35 | 4-6 | L 2 | |
| NY Yankees | 73 | 72 | .503 | 7.5 | 39-36 | 34-36 | 7-3 | W 3 | |
| Cleveland | 69 | 78 | .469 | 12.5 | 36-36 | 33-42 | 3-7 | L 1 | |
| LA Angels | 68 | 79 | .463 | 13.5 | 35-37 | 33-42 | 4-6 | L 2 | |
| Detroit | 66 | 79 | .455 | 14.5 | 31-43 | 35-36 | 5-5 | L 2 | |
| Chi White Sox | 56 | 90 | .384 | 25.0 | 29-42 | 27-48 | 3-7 | L 2 | |
| Oakland | 46 | 100 | .315 | 35.0 | 24-47 | 22-53 | 5-5 | L 1 | |
| Kansas City | 46 | 101 | .313 | 35.5 | 26-46 | 20-55 | 4-6 | W 2 |
| NL Wild Card Standings | |||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Last 10 | Streak | |
| Philadelphia | 79 | 67 | .541 | +3.5 | 43-31 | 36-36 | 4-6 | L 2 | |
| Chi Cubs | 78 | 69 | .531 | +2.0 | 41-34 | 37-35 | 5-5 | L 2 | |
| Cincinnati | 76 | 71 | .517 | – | 36-39 | 40-32 | 6-4 | W 3 | |
| Arizona | 76 | 71 | .517 | – | 38-35 | 38-36 | 6-4 | L 2 | |
| Miami | 75 | 71 | .514 | 0.5 | 40-32 | 35-39 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
| San Francisco | 75 | 71 | .514 | 0.5 | 43-32 | 32-39 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| San Diego | 69 | 78 | .469 | 7.0 | 39-36 | 30-42 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 68 | 78 | .466 | 7.5 | 36-38 | 32-40 | 5-5 | W 2 | |
| NY Mets | 67 | 78 | .462 | 8.0 | 37-34 | 30-44 | 5-5 | W 2 | |
| Washington | 65 | 81 | .445 | 10.5 | 31-43 | 34-38 | 3-7 | L 2 | |
| St. Louis | 65 | 81 | .445 | 10.5 | 31-40 | 34-41 | 7-3 | W 2 | |
| Colorado | 53 | 92 | .366 | 22.0 | 31-39 | 22-53 | 3-7 | W 2 |
*******NFL STANDINGS********
| American Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| New York Jets | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 22 | 16 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Miami Dolphins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 36 | 34 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 20 | 25 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Buffalo Bills | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 16 | 22 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Las Vegas Raiders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 17 | 16 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 20 | 21 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 34 | 36 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Denver Broncos | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 16 | 17 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 24 | 3 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 25 | 9 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 7 | 30 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 3 | 24 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 31 | 21 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Tennessee Titans | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 15 | 16 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Houston Texans | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 9 | 25 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 21 | 31 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| National Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 40 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Washington Commanders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 20 | 16 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 25 | 20 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| New York Giants | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 0 | 40 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Los Angeles Rams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 30 | 13 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 30 | 7 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 16 | 20 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 13 | 30 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 38 | 20 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Detroit Lions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 21 | 20 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 17 | 20 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 20 | 38 | 0-1-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Atlanta Falcons | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 24 | 10 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 20 | 17 | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| New Orleans Saints | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 16 | 15 | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | 1 W | |
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1.0 | 10 | 24 | 0-0-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 L |
*******TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY*******
1903 In an afternoon game called because of unusual darkness, Giants’ pitcher Red Ames, making his major league debut, tosses a five-inning no-hitter against the Cardinals. The right-hander, who will no-hit the Superbas in 1909 before yielding a single with the tenth, has his no-hit bids discounted when a change of rules in 1991 no longer gives credit for no-hitters played in less than nine innings or contests where the first hit occurs in extra innings.
1913 Cubs right-hander Larry Cheney, giving up fourteen hits, earns his 20th victory, blanking the Giants at Chicago’s West Side Grounds, 7-0. The contest marks the first time a team collects that many hits without scoring a run.
1923 Red Sox first baseman George Burns completes an unassisted triple play against the Indians as he gathers in Frank Brower’s line drive, tags Rube Lutzke coming from first, and beats Riggs Stephenson back to second.
1941 With his 6-5 victory over the Giants at Sportsman’s Park, Cardinals’ right-hander Howie Krist finishes the season with a perfect 10-0 record. Spud’s spotless season establishes a National League mark, recording the most wins in a season without a defeat.
1942 The Yankees clinch their 13th American League pennant, beating Cleveland at League Park, 8-3. The Bronx Bombers will finish the season 103-51, nine games ahead of Boston, but lose the World Series to the Cardinals in five games.
1951 Preacher Roe wins his 20th game when the Dodgers beat the Pirates at Forbes Field, 3-1. The 36-year-old southpaw from Viola (AK) will finish the season with a 22-3 record, throwing 19 complete games in his 33 starts.
1951 Browns’ left fielder Bob Nieman hits consecutive dingers off Mickey McDermott, becoming the first rookie to hit home runs in his first two major league at-bats. In his third trip to the plate, the 24-year-old freshman beats out a bunt for a base hit in the team’s 9-6 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
1954 In the Giants’ 1-0 victory over the Redbirds, Willie Mays strokes a first-inning double and scores the game’s lone run. The two-bagger is the Say Hey Kid’s 82nd extra-base hit of the season, breaking the team record established by Mel Ott.
1955 Herb Score whiffs nine batters in the Indians’ 3-2 loss to the Senators at Griffith Stadium to establish a new rookie record for strikeouts in a season, surpassing Grover Cleveland Alexander’s mark of 227 strikeouts set in 1911. The American League Rookie of the Year will finish the campaign with 245 punchouts, not reached again until 1985 when Mets’ right-hander Dwight Gooden strikes out 251 batters.
1968 In a nationally televised game, Denny McLain becomes a thirty-game winner when the Tigers rally for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Oakland 5-4. The Detroit right-hander, who will finish the season 31-6, is the first hurler to accomplish the feat since Dizzy Dean reached the milestone in 1934.
1969 With more than two weeks left in the season, the Orioles clinch the first-ever American League East title when they beat Cleveland at Memorial Stadium, 7-3. The heavily-favored Birds will sweep Minnesota, the AL West Champs, to capture a pennant but lose the World Series in five games to the Amazin’ Mets.
1974 The Nettles, for the second time in their careers, hit home runs in the same game when Graig goes yard in the first frame with Tiger southpaw Mickey Lolich on the mound, and his brother Jim takes Yankee right-hander Pat Dobson deep in the second inning of New York’s 10-7 victory in Detroit. In 1972, the siblings hit round-trippers as opponents in the same contest when Graig’s Indians beat Jim’s Twins at Cleveland Stadium, 5-3.
1975 Playing in his 242nd major league game as a teenager, Brewers shortstop Robin Yount breaks Mel Ott’s forty-seven-year-old record. The youthful infielder was 18 years, two months, and six days old when he debuted with Milwaukee in 1973.
1976 At Memorial Stadium, Dennis Martinez wins his major league debut, pitching 5.2 innings of shutout baseball in relief in the Orioles’ 9-7 victory over the Tigers. The Granada native, who will win 245 games, is the first person from Nicaragua to appear in a major league game.
1978 In the Braves’ 4-0 decision over the Giants, Jim Bouton, who will finish his career with a 62-63 record, notches his last major league win, limiting the opponents to three hits in six innings of work. The victory marks the first time since 1970 that the 39-year-old ‘Bulldog’ has won a game in the big leagues.
1986 At Royals Stadium, Kansas City rookie outfielder Bo Jackson hits his first major league home run. The 475-foot blast hit by the NFL running back is the longest homer ever hit in the ballpark.
1986 Bob Brenly, usually a catcher, ties a major league record by making four errors in one inning playing third base. The Giants infielder makes amends by hitting two homers, including the ninth-inning game-winner that gives San Francisco a 7-6 walk-off victory over Atlanta at Candlestick Park.
1987 The Blue Jays blast a major league record of ten home runs in an 18-3 rout of the Orioles at Exhibition Stadium. Ernie Whitt goes deep three times, Rance Mulliniks and George Bell each hit a pair, and Lloyd Moseby, Rob Ducey, and Fred McGriff go deep once, with Baltimore’s Mike Hart adding one to tie the two-team major league mark of 11.
1987 In the seventh inning of an 18-3 rout of the Orioles at Exhibition Stadium, Kelly Gruber, appearing as a pinch-hitter, makes all three outs by hitting into a double play and then finishing the seven-run frame with a strikeout. In between his at-bats, there are five singles and two home runs.
1987 “What the hell — he couldn’t hit a twenty-run homer.” – CAL RIPKEN SR, the Orioles manager responding to why he ended his son’s consecutive-innings streak.
In an 18-3 Toronto blowout, which features the visitors hitting a major league record ten home runs, Orioles’ manager Cal Ripken Sr. puts Ron Washington at shortstop, ending his son’s record streak at 8,243 consecutive innings, a span of 904 games.
1988 In his first start against his former club, Mike Boddicker beats the Orioles, 4-1, with Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell hitting for the cycle. Last month, Baltimore traded the popular right-hander, who had spent nine years with the club, to Boston for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling.
1990 Mariner Ken Griffey and his son, Junior, become the first father and son to hit homers in the same major league game. Angel hurler Kirk McCaskill gives up the back-to-back blasts.
1991 Baltimore’s Juan Bell’s tenth inning at-bat against Eric Bell is not a ringing success when he flies out to Albert Belle in left field. The Orioles drop the Memorial Stadium contest to the clangorous Cleveland club in 11 innings, 6-5.
1993 Mike Piazza sets the major league record for home runs by a rookie catcher when he hits his 29th round-tripper, a first-inning two-run shot off San Diego’s Doug Brocail over the center field fence at Jack Murphy Stadium. The National League’s eventual Rookie of the Year, who will finish the season with 35, breaks the mark set by Matt Nokes, a freshman backstop for the Tigers in 1987.
1994 Due to the strike, 26 of the 28 MLB team owners vote to cancel the remainder of the season, making baseball the first major professional sport to lose an entire postseason because of a labor dispute. The 232-day work stoppage will result in 948 canceled games, shortening the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
1996 Todd Hundley, the son of former Cubs backstop Randy Hundley, passes Roy Campanella as the all-time leader in homers by a catcher. The 27-year-old All-Star 41st round-tripper of the season, which also establishes the single-season record for the Mets, helps the team come back from a five-run deficit and eventually beat the Braves, 6-5.
1996 Mark McGwire hits his 50th home run off Cleveland hurler Chad Ogea, becoming the 13th player in major league history to reach that plateau. The A’s first baseman gives the milestone ball to his eight-year-old son, Matthew.
1998 At Kauffman Stadium, the Royals become the fifth team in baseball history to score in every inning. The eight innings of consistency lead to a 16-6 win over the A’s.
1998 The Braves clinch their seventh straight division title, taking the NL East crown with a 4-2 victory over Philadelphia at Turner Field. Only seven professional sports franchises have finished first during the regular season at least seven times in a row.
1999 With a 12-2 pounding of the Phillies at the Astrodome, Houston establishes a club record with a twelve-game winning streak. The Astros’ victory also extends Philadelphia’s losing streak to 11 consecutive games.
2002 The Devil Rays, playing the 148th game on the schedule, suffer their 100th defeat, losing to the Blue Jays at the SkyDome, 8-4. Tampa Bay (48-100) becomes the first team to lose 100 games in consecutive seasons since Toronto accomplished the dubious mark for three straight years, starting in 1979.
2002 Barry Bonds ties Hank Aaron for the most 100-RBI seasons by a National League player when he drives in his 100th run of the 11th time. The major league record is 13, shared by Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth.
2002 🇹🇼 Chin-Feng Chen becomes the first Taiwan-born player to appear in the major leagues as he walks and scores as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers against the Rockies. The 24-year-old first baseman-outfielder played for the 1990 Taiwan team, which won the Little League World Series.
2003 Vladimir Guerrero, homering in his final at-bat, hits for ‘Le Carrousel’ at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. The Expos right fielder, facing the Mets southpaw Tom Glavine, doubled (2nd), singled (3rd), tripled (5th), and then completed the sixth cycle in team history by going deep off Dan Wheeler (7th).
2003 Dropping a 7-2 decision to Kansas City at Comerica Park, the Tigers become the first team in 34 years to lose 110 games in a season. The defeat sets a dubious franchise mark for losses in a year, surpassing the 1996 Detroit squad that finished the season with a 53-109 record.
2005 Braves’ center fielder Andruw Jones hits his 50th home run in the eighth inning of a 12-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Curacao native is the first major leaguer to reach the plateau since Alex Rodriguez hit 57 homers playing shortstop for the Rangers in 2002.
2005 On the day his mother passes away, Roger Clemens makes his start as a tribute to his her. The ‘Rocket’ gets the win when the Astros beat the Marlins, 10-2, the score Bess predicted when she told him she wanted him to start that night.
2005 On his way to home plate to score ahead of Tony Graffanino, who homered over the left-field wall, Gabe Kapler ruptures his Achilles tendon while rounding second, and he cannot continue around the bases. After a delay of five minutes, the Red Sox outfielder needs to be carried off the field and replaced in the basepaths by pinch-runner Alejandro Machado to finish the trip around the diamond in Boston’s 5-3 win over Toronto at the Skydome.
2007 Ten-year-old Bosox fan Griffin Whitman is disappointed when Yankees outfielder Shelley Duncan, when asked for an autograph, writes in the boy’s spiral-bound notebook, “RED SOX SUCK!” before signing his name. The 27-year-old flychaser, whose dad is the respected pitching coach of the Cardinals, is surprised by the family’s adverse reaction.
2008 In an Astros home game moved to Milwaukee’s Miller Park due to Hurricane Ike, Carlos Zambrano becomes the first Cub to throw a no-hitter since Milt Pappas threw a hitless game against the Padres in 1972. The Cub right-hander’s 5-0 gem, in which only a fourth-inning walk to Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence’s HBP in the fifth spoils a bid for a perfect game, becomes the first no-no tossed in a neutral-site.
2008 Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, with his eighth-inning thievery in a 7-4 loss to the Braves at Shea Stadium, becomes the first player to have four straight seasons of 50 or more stolen bases playing for a New York area team, which also includes the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants. The accomplishment extends the infielder’s own record, as he is also the only Gotham major leaguer to achieve the feat for three consecutive years.
2011 With their 3-2 loss to St. Louis, the Pirates extend their record streak of consecutive losing seasons to 19 straight years, the longest in American professional sports history. The Bucs, who led the NL Central by a half-game on July 20, have lost 38 of 54 contests since then, leaving the team with a 67-82 won-loss record.
2011 Braves’ fireballer Brandon Beachy establishes the modern franchise record for strikeouts in a season by a rookie pitcher when he whiffs eight batters in 4.1 innings, bringing his total to 160. Irv Young struck out 156 in 1905 when the team played in Boston and was known as the Beaneaters.
2011 After missing fifty contests for a PED infraction in April 2008 while playing for the Giants, Eliezer Alfonzo becomes the first player to be suspended twice under the MLB drug program. The Colorado catcher will appeal the 100-game suspension, having the ban overturned for procedural reasons when the handling of his urine sample doesn’t follow the protocol outlined in baseball’s agreement with the players.
2014 With runners on first and second in the fourth frame of the Pirates’ 7-3 victory over the Cubs, the team turns a 5-4-3 triple play when Josh Harrison fields Matt Szczur’s grounder, and steps on third, forcing Chris Valaika before firing the ball to second to Neil Walker to retire Mike Ott. The second baseman’s relay to first sacker Andrew Lambo completes the first triple killing in the 14-year history of PNC Park.
2014 Jonathan Papelbon grabs his crotch in response to the boos from the Citizens Bank Park crowd after he gives up four runs in the ninth inning of the Phillies’ 5-4 loss to Miami. After he insisted he wasn’t making a vulgar motion toward fans, Major League Baseball suspends the apologetic closer for seven games for the lewd gesture and for bumping umpire Joe West, suspended for pulling on the reliever’s jersey after throwing him out of the game.
2017 After Francisco Lindor ties the game with a ninth-inning two-out, two-strike double, the Indians go on to win their 22nd consecutive game in the next inning when Jay Bruce hits a walk-off double, giving the team a 3-2 victory over the Royals at Progressive Field. The win will be the Tribe’s only walk-off during the longest major league winning streak since the 1916 Giants set the record with 26 straight without a loss.
2019 For the first time since 1908, when recording stats started, a team wins a nine-inning game with just one baserunner when the Diamondbacks beat the Reds, 1-0. The lone run in the Chase Field contest scores when Jarrod Dyson’s sacrifice fly plates Nick Ahmed, who doubled and advanced to third on an error leading off the third inning.
*******FOOTBALL HISTORY*******
September 14, 1930 – The Portsmouth Spartans played their very first NFL game on this date. The Spartans defeated the Newark Tornadoes in their first game by the final score of 13-6. The Portsmouth eleven ended the 1930 season with a record of 5-6-3 but they had a core of players they could build upon and this became evident two years later. The 1932 season ended with the Spartans and the Chicago Bears finishing with identical records at 6-1-4, and previously (since 1920) the League’s champion was determined by the team with the best record.. The NFL decided that a final game to determine a Champ would be played in a special Chicago at Wrigley field on December 18, 1932. This first postseason game in NFL history had some huge twists and turns to make it quite a remarkable story, even besides the fact that a game was going to be played to determine an NFL Champion. The first odd occurence was that Spartans star Earl “Dutch” Clark was unable to play in the game because he had to work. While that may sound crazy to us today but the fact was that professional players of that era did not make enough to make a living all year long. Most had to take off season jobs to make ends meet, even the super stars like Dutch Clark, who worked as the Head Basketball Coach at Colorado College and his hoops team had a game on that December 18 and Dutch couldn’t get off work to make the football game in Chicago. The second crazy thing that happened was that due to a freak late-fall blizzard in Chicago, the game had to be moved inside the Chicago Stadium because Wrigley was covered with deep snow and frozen with dangerous sub-zero temperatures. The playing field had to be modified to play inside, so the game was played on a field only 80 yards long, and some 30 yards narrower than the normal width the teams played on all season. The last item that took place surrounding the game happened on the contest’s only touchdown. Bronko Nagurski threw a scoring jump pass to Red Grange but the Spartans argued that Nagurski did not meet the requirement of legal forward passes in those days of being 5 yards or more behind the line. The play stood and the Bears ended up winning the NFL title by the score of 9-0. The Spartans franchise would become the Lions in 1933 when they moved from Portsmouth, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan after a Detroit radio businessman George A. Richards purchased the rights to the team for $8000. This was a hefty sum at the time but Portsmouth had after all just recently played for a somewhat impromptu first NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, shorthanded of their star player. The Motor City was a risky place to put the team at this point as three previous franchises had failed there but Richards knew the city needed a winner and took the chance. It was well worth his risk as the newly named Detroit Lions team won the NFL Title in 1935 and later in the 1952, 1953 and 1957 seasons. Richards took another chance with his football franchise in 1934 when he scheduled a game on Thanksgiving Day. Though it failed when other cities (save Dallas a few decades later) the Turkey Day game in the Motor City was a huge success. Unfortunately in 1940 Mr. Richards had to sell the franchise due to a declining health issue and a fine from the NFL for draft tampering but his $8000 initial investment turned into a $225,000 sale of the Lions to retail magnet Fred Mandel. The Lions eventually were purchased by the descendants of Henry Ford and are owned by the family to this day.
September 14, 1980 – Dwight Clark plays the game that started his streak of 105 straight with having a reception. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals that day by the score of 24-21 with the assistance of Clark’s 4 receptions for 49 yards. The passes in this game did not come from a quarterback named Montana though as Steve DeBerg was under center for the Niners.
September 14, 1986 – The very first CFL regular season overtime game is played as the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats play to a 21-21 draw..
September 14, 1991 – San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk rushes for an NCAA records 386 yards and scores 7 touchdowns in a 55-34 Aztec victory of Pacific University.
September 14, 2003 – Jamaal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens rushes to an NFL record in a single game as he runs 30 times for 295 yards and 2 scores as his team defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-13.
******NUMBERS IN SPORTS******
July 12, 1945 – Boston Brave outfielder Tommy Holmes, in his Number 1 Uniformwas on a mission during this 1945 MLB season. Going into the game against the Chicago Cubs on this day he had hit safely in a National League record of 37 games. The Cubs beat Boston, 6-1 and put a stop to Holmes’ streak. The record of Tommy H. from 1945 stood all the way to 1978 when Pete Rose (Number 14) sailed past it with 44 games, even though a couple of players reached 31 including Willie Davis (Number 3)in 1969, and Rico Carty (Number 25) in 1970.
July 12, 1946 – Vance Dinges, Number 47 hit the only Philadelphia Phillies pinch hit inside-the-park Home Run in franchise history.
July 12, 1949 – The NFL’s Los Angeles Rams signed Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin to a contract. The Dutchman played for the Rams through the 1957 season. In his last three seasons of 1958 through 1960 he played with the Philadelphia Eagles even winning an NFL Championship with each team, the Rams in 1951 and the Eagles in 1960. He wore Number 25 for his first few years on the Rams and then switched to the number he would wear the remainder of his career, Number 11.
July 12, 1951 – The New York Yankees pitcher known as Allie Reynolds, Number 22 threw a no-hit masterpiece in Cleveland against the Indians, his former team, in a 1-0 Yanks win.
July 12, 1954 – The MLBPA was founded to help players have their rights protected in an organized union.
July 12, 1979 – In one of the most bizarre forfeits of all time, “Disco Demolition Night” at Comiskey Park was the promotion in between the games of a double header between the White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. The promotion was a success in the fact that fans actively participated , however when the crowd went wild and stormed the field destroying the disco records it caused game officials to declare that the White Sox had to forfeit second game of the twin bill. For the promotion local Chicago DJ Steve Dahl promised to blow up disco records in between games. It did not go to plan as midway through the first game records started to fly out of the stands frisbee style on to the playing field causing delays while attendants had to remove them so that players would not get hurt. Police arrested 39 people after the mob stormed the field setting fires that destroyed a batting cage, pulling up bases and other vandalism.
*******TV SPORTS THURSDAY******
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
5:30 a.m. (Friday)
FS2 – AFL Playoffs: Melbourne at Carlton, Semifinal
AUTO RACING
4 p.m.
FS2 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Qualifying, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
6 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR ARCA Menards Series: The Bush’s Beans 200, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
9 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: The UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics, Playoffs – Round of 8, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
5:25 a.m. (Friday)
ESPN2 — Formula 1: Practice, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Marina Bay, Singapore
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
7:30 p.m.
ACCN — Bethune-Cookman at Miami
ESPN — Navy at Memphis
COLLEGE SOCCER (MEN’S)
6 p.m.
PAC-12N — Oregon St. at California
7 p.m.
SECN — Georgia at Alabama
10 p.m.
PAC-12N — Washington at Stanford
COLLEGE SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
9 p.m.
ESPNU — TCU at BYU
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
5:30 p.m.
BTN — Illinois at Southern Cal
8 p.m.
BTN — UCF at Purdue
GOLF
7 a.m.
GOLF — DP World Tour: The BMW PGA Championship, First Round, Wentworth Club – West Course, Surrey, England
2 p.m.
GOLF — Korn Ferry Tour: The Simmons Bank Open For The Snedeker Foundation, First Round, The Grove, College Grove, Tenn.
6 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Fortinet Championship, First Round, Silverado Resort and Spa – North Course, Napa, Calif.
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
5:30 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MLB BASEBALL
1 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Cincinnati at Detroit OR Washington at Pittsburgh (12:30 p.m.)
4 p.m.
MLBN – Regional Coverage: Arizona at NY Mets OR Miami at Milwaukee (2 p.m.)
7 p.m.
FOX — Regional Coverage: NY Yankees at Boston OR Tampa Bay at Baltimore
NFL FOOTBALL
8:15 p.m.
PRIME VIDEO — Minnesota at Philadelphia
TENNIS
8 a.m.
TENNIS — Davis Cup Finals Group Stage: U.S. vs. Netherlands, Australia vs. France, Canada vs. Sweden, Czech Rep. vs. South Korea; San Diego-WTA Quarterfinals
8:30 p.m.
TENNIS — San Diego-WTA, Osaka-WTA Quarterfinals