“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES https://www.maxpreps.com/in/baseball/scores/?date=4/3/2026 ========================================================== INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES https://www.maxpreps.com/in/softball/scores/?date=4/3/2026 ========================================================== NCAA TOURNAMENT MEN’S SCHEDULE/SCORES SATURDAY, APRIL 4 (FINAL FOUR) (2) UCONN VS. (3) ILLINOIS, 6:09 P.M. | TBS/TNT/TRUTV (1) MICHIGAN VS. (1) ARIZONA, 8:49 P.M. | TBS/TNT/TRUTV ==== MONDAY, APRIL 6 (NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP) UCONN / ILLINOIS VS. MICHIGAN / ARIZONA, 8:50 P.M. | TBS/TNT/TRUTV =========================================================== MEN’S NIT SCORES SUNDAY APRIL 5 TULSA VS. AUBURN 8:00 ========================================================== NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FRIDAY APRIL 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 62 UCONN 48 UCLA 51 TEXAS 44 CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY APRIL 5 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. UCLA 3:30 ========================================================== WOMEN’S NIT SATURDAY APRIL 4 ILLINOIS STATE VS. MARSHALL 3:00 ========================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7 NOTRE DAME 3 BUTLER 7 VILLANOVA 5 PURDUE 6 ILLINOIS 1 INDIANA 11 RUTGERS 0 WASHINGTON 6 VALPARAISO 0 MIAMI OHIO 20 BALL STATE 4 BRADLEY 5 EVANSVILLE 2 INDIANA STATE 10 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 3 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 9 SOUTHERN INDIANA 7 SOUTHERN INDIANA 7 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 6 ========================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES FLORIDA STATE 10 NOTRE DAME 0 CREIGHTON 7 BUTLER 0 WISCONSIN 3 PURDUE 0 UCLA 5 INDIANA 4 DETROIT MERCY 11 IU INDY 3 IU INDY 18 DETROIT MERCY 12 BALL STATE 7 OHIO 6 OHIO 6 BALL STATE 3 NORTHERN IOWA 5 EVANSVILLE 2 EVANSVILLE 10 NORTHERN IOWA 7 ILLINOIS STATE 9 VALPARAISO 2 VALPARAISO 7 ILLINOIS STATE 1 SOUTHERN INDIANA 6 MOREHEAD STATE 2 ========================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES FROZEN FOUR THURSDAY, APRIL 9 WISCONSIN VS. NORTH DAKOTA 5:00 DENVER VS. MICHIGAN 8:30 ========================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES #20 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 3 QUEENS 1 #15 PENN STATE 3 CHARLESTOWN 0 #3 LONG BEACH STATE 3 #13 UC SAN DIEGO 1 #2 HAWAII 3 #5 UC IRVINE 2 #10 BYU 3 VANGUARD 0 #4 USC 3 #14 STANFORD 0 ========================================================== DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES #2 NORTH CAROLINA 19 #25 VIRGINIA 4 #14 STONY BROOK 19 TOWSON 7 #11 CLEMSON 17 CALIFORNIA 8 ========================================================== NBA SCORES CHARLOTTE 129 INDIANA 108 PHILADELPHIA 115 MINNESOTA 103 ATLANTA 141 BROOKLYN 107 NEW YORK 136 CHICAGO 96 TORONTO 128 MEMPHIS 96 BOSTON 133 MILWAUKEE 101 HOUSTON 140 UTAH 106 ORLANDO 138 DALLAS 127 SACRAMENTO 117 NEW ORLEANS 113 ========================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES OSCEOLA 123 MOTOR CITY 116 GREENSBORO 118 CAPITAL CITY 108 STOCKTON 107 RIPS ANY 95 SOUTH BAY 112 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 97 ========================================================== NHL SCORES PHILADELPHIA 4 NY ISLANDERS 1 ST. LOUIS 6 ANAHEIM 2 ========================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL LA DODGERS 13 WASHINGTON 6 DETROIT 4 ST. LOUIS 0 NY YANKEES 8 MIAMI 2 BOSTON 5 SAN DIEGO 2 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 TORONTO 4 (10) CINCINNATI 5 TEXAS 3 MINNESOTA 10 TAMPA BAY 4 PHILADELPHIA 10 COLORADO 1 CLEVELAND 4 CHICAGO CUBS 1 PITTSBURGH 5 BALTIMORE 4 SEATTLE 3 LA ANGELS 1 (10) LAS VEGAS 11 HOUSTON 4 ATLANTA 2 ARIZONA 0 NY METS 10 SAN FRANCISCO 3 MILWAUKEE AT KANSAS CITY POSTPONED ========================================================== MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL INDIANAPOLIS 11 COLUMBUS 10 GREAT LAKES 2 FT. WAYNE 1 QUAD CITIES AT SOUTH BEND POSTPONED ========================================================== WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES DALLAS 3 GRAND RAPIDS 1 SAN DIEGO 3 COLUMBUS 0 ========================================================== UFL SCORES DEFENDERS 44 AVIATORS 26 ========================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NO. 1S MICHIGAN, ARIZONA ANTICIPATE REAL TOURNAMENT TEST INDIANAPOLIS — On the weekend the Fab Five is reunited and Michigan celebrates the anniversary of its only men’s basketball national title in 1989, Dusty May can’t help but feel momentum moving the Wolverines closer to tipoff in the Final Four. The former Indiana University manager for Bob Knight has Michigan (35-3) hitting a peak at the right time with only Arizona (36-2) between the Wolverines and their eighth national championship game appearance. “It’s really cool just to be back here in a full-circle moment,” May said Friday, roughly 36 hours before Michigan takes the court at Lucas Oil Stadium. Basketball news The Wolverines waltzed through the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region in Chicago, taking the regional final from Tennessee in a landslide, 95-62. Michigan’s trail of victims all allowed 90-plus points, 25-plus field goals, 19-plus assists and 10-plus 3-pointers with Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg (21.0 points per game) leading six Wolverines averaging double figures during the NCAA Tournament. “He’s obviously an elite talent,” Lloyd said of Lendeborg. “You put the skill with those physical tools, and looks like to me he’s got that alpha dog in him. Dusty has done an incredible job just putting him in positions to utilize all his skills. There’s probably not one way to guard him. … I’m sure that guy, that’s going to be a household name in basketball for a long time.” Lloyd said Friday he plans to be a household name in Tucson for a long time. He signed a contract extension through 2031 in the wake of interest from another college basketball powerhouse — this time North Carolina, last year Villanova — with a coaching vacancy. Arizona set a single-season program record with 36 wins. The Wildcats won the Big 12 and, like Big Ten regular-season champ Michigan, haven’t had to sweat much in the NCAA Tournament with an average margin of victory of 20.5. This is the first matchup since the NCAA Tournament became a 64-team field in 1985 in which Final Four opponents won four prior games by at least 10 points. “I feel like we’ve been tested,” Arizona senior point guard Jaden Bradley said. “Big 12 play, Big 12 tournament. I think it’s going to go down to the wire. It’s definitely going to be a full 40 (minutes).” Illinois, Arizona and Michigan have been in the top six in offensive efficiency rating all season. NCAA hockey content The Wildcats are making their fifth Final Four appearance — their first since 2001 — and are back near the site of their 1997 national title celebration at the RCA Dome. Freshman forward Koa Peat was named West Region Most Outstanding Player, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds 2.5 assists in wins over Arkansas and Purdue last week. In a Final Four dominated by transfers and international talent searches, Peat is an anomaly Lloyd applauds. “Koa is special,” Lloyd said. “And I know you guys hear it, but you got to hear it again. Four state championships at the same high school. Didn’t go to a prep school. Four gold medals with USA Basketball. No one in FIBA history has ever done that. And helped lead Arizona to a Final Four.” Classmate Brayden Burries scored 23 points against Arkansas in the Sweet 16, the second-most points scored by an Arizona freshman in an NCAA Tournament game. The pair combined for 1,105 points this season. The player most responsible for carrying the Arizona flag on the roster is Bradley, who was named Big 12 Player of the Year. He was a third-team All-American and a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. Bradley’s matchup with Michigan’s backcourt brings intrigue in a game where most of the Xs and Os are fixed on big men. He’ll likely get plenty of time against Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau, who has three consecutive games with seven-plus assists and overcame an allergic reaction and late departure from Ann Arbor to practice Friday. But Arizona takes pride in its team defense. “I think their physicality stands out and the way that they play and they sustain physicality for 40 minutes,” Michigan freshman guard Trey McKenney said of Arizona. The Wildcats are not the typical college offense, a point made by Michigan’s 7-foot-4 center Aday Mara this week. They typically are aiming to shoot a higher volume of free throws, not 3-pointers. The Wildcats have attempted only 53 total 3-pointers in four NCAA Tournament games and shot 43.4%; Arizona made an average of 19.7 free throws per game this season. Michigan made 27 free throws in the Midwest Region final win. Arizona’s defense gave Big 12 foes fits all season with 7-foot-2 Motiejus Krivas roaming between the blocks. But Lloyd views Lendeborg as a unicorn. Not because of just his scoring, but because of his unselfish play. NCAA hockey content “It took him a while,” May said of Lendeborg reaching his current comfort zone. “And I think our guys have constantly reminded him. He’s so unselfish. He’s so — I don’t know how to say it. He wants to be one of the guys. They’ve encouraged him to be more aggressive, to shoot more, to hunt some more individual accolades all year, and he simply refused because he didn’t care about any of those things. “It’s allowed us to have a real selfless group, and it’s improved our environment because he’s been so unselfish but he still has no idea how good he is.” A grad student who had 150 career games under his belt before joining the Wolverines, Lendeborg spent two seasons at Arizona Western College and two at UAB. He’s also a unique talent because of range — 10 3-pointers in the past three games — and length (7-foot-4 wingspan). If the Wildcats control the lane and force Michigan to launch from deep, they expect positive results. Opponents are shooting 27.9% from 3-point range against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. ILLINOIS BASKS IN FINAL FOUR MOMENT, INTENT ON CLIPPING UCONN INDIANAPOLIS — Forgive Brad Underwood if he takes an extra beat to appreciate the novelty of his weekend surroundings as Illinois returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. Ready and waiting, perhaps unimpressed by the pomp and circumstance on the periphery of a third trip to the Final Four in four years, stand UConn and head coach Dan Hurley. And that’s the piece of the Fighting Illini itinerary in Indy that Underwood finds painfully familiar. UConn demolished Illinois 74-61 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28 and waylaid the Illini in the 2024 Elite Eight in Boston, a blowout by every measure that is memorable for the Huskies’ 30-0 run and 77-52 final score. Only senior forward Alex Karaban remains from UConn’s previous tournament win over Illinois and the teams are changed in major ways since the November game. But in the days since Illinois defeated No. 9 seed Iowa to win the South, Underwood found a couple of common denominators comparing his losses to UConn’s 19-point comeback to defeat East No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday. “I look at one guy — well, two. I look at Danny (Hurley) and then I look at Karaban,” he said. “Their culture is, I think this is their third Final Four. You understand why they’re here. It’s never — things have to go right in a 19-point comeback, and they did. But there was no quit. There was no lay-down. We’ve talked a lot about that.” UConn (33-5) tournament breakout star Tarris Reed Jr. was coming off of an injury when the teams played earlier this season and All-American Keaton Wagler was a non-factor for Illinois (28-8), serving in a vastly different catch-and-shoot role as a spot-up sniper on the baseline. These days, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year handles the ball on every possession and gets the offense going as a point guard or point forward. The Most Outstanding Player in the South Region, Wagler had 25 against the Hawkeyes and his best game of the year came in the state. He poured in 46 points on Jan. 24 at Purdue in a national coming-out party that featured 9-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. He led Illinois in scoring 19 times this season. “It does give you a lot of confidence when they put that much trust in you,” Wagler said. Wagler leads the Illini in scoring (17.9) and assists (4.3), ranks third in rebounding (5.0) and drew praise from UConn for not being a superstar in one sense that you “never see him take bad shots.” Wagler played only 14 minutes in the loss to UConn. Hurley stressed to his newbies in the locker room, which happens to include Indiana kid and Elite Eight hero Braylon Mullins, that the Huskies aren’t here to hang a Final Four banner. The participants in the national semifinals receive watches in swag bags this week. Hurley couldn’t care less about the timepiece. The treasure Hurley wants the Huskies to focus on can’t be dug up until Monday night, and only after winning twice in the Final Four. He said Friday he’s even willing to embrace the criticism received since he went eyebrow-to-eyebrow with referee Roger Ayers, risking a technical or ejection in the moments after Mullins had his “One Shining Moment” against Duke. “I’m not a victim. I’ve done everything. I did what I did,” Hurley said. “We don’t allow victims in our program, and I’m not a 53-year-old man sitting up here like I’m some victim. I don’t want to waste a lot of time with it because it takes away from the team. But for me, the way I view what we’re going into in the game, when some people, again, view it as a game, just my family, how I was raised in the sport, where I’m from in Jersey, we look at it more like a battle.” Underwood has attended the Final Four regularly during his 39 years in coaching — hundreds of college head coaches, assistants, eager recent grads, are in attendance again this weekend — which culminated in his first trip to the Final Four this week. He’s been openly emotional about the realization of the dream walking around Lucas Oil Stadium and stepping on the elevated court with a fist pump for friends, family and Illini fans in attendance at Friday morning’s practice. It was No. 112 for Illinois since the journey began in October and a blatant reminder to Underwood his time for reflection isn’t here just yet. “I’m 62 years old. I was a kid. I grew up watching this event,” Underwood said. “You’re the kid that’s in your driveway shooting hoops and you’re going to hit the game winner in the National Championship game. I never got to do that. It’s been well-documented my journey has been a little bit different than a lot of people, 26 years to become a head coach and some different paths to get here. You watch it, and you dream. I say this all the time: There’s no bigger dreamer than me. You get here, and there’s a moment of reflection when we got here. … There’s never a moment lost not thinking about the next game, thinking about maximizing the opportunity. And there will be more time for reflection after this is over.” Karaban has won titles as a complementary piece to the likes of Stephon Castle, Cam Spencer and Donovan Clingan. He enters Saturday’s national semifinal as the second-leading scorer (13.2 points per game) to Reed (14.7) with guards Solo Ball (12.9) and Mullins (11.9) capable of leading the team in scoring on a given night. Karaban had only five points against Duke but assisted on Mullins’ buzzer-beater and averaged 22 points in three 2026 NCAA Tournament games before he was tracking Cameron Boozer around the court in the Elite Eight. Wagler, who turned 19 in February, ascended sharply since he last saw UConn and is projected to be a lottery pick if he opts to depart Illinois — the only major college program that recruited him out of Mission Northwest High School in Kansas — after one season. He was still having a few pinch-me moments in the Illinois locker room adorned with player photos and team logos, even asking aloud if he’s able to take some of the mementos when Illinois departs the Final Four. Because the Fighting Illini are in Indy for banners and rings, too, but Underwood doesn’t mind a few smiles and fun along the path. “So there’s a lot of excitement, but there’s a lot of gratitude for where we are,” Illinois senior Ben Humrichous said. “And what gratitude I think does for us and this team is adds an extra energy and effort to each of our moments, even just a focus in our preparation and commitment to our process. For me and a lot of our — for our team, it’s just gratitude, thankful for the moment. So we want to celebrate the success, but then even approaching the game with the respect that it deserves because of the culmination of the efforts up to this point.” DUKE FRESHMAN FORWARD CAMERON BOOZER NAMED THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEN’S NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR Cameron Boozer was at the center of everything for Duke this season. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward proved tough enough to score through physical play. Rangy enough to space the floor and shoot from outside. Deft enough as a passer to find teammates, whether against constant double teams coming for him as the top name on every scouting report or while running the entire offense from up top. “You just want to affect winning in whatever way you can,” Boozer said. The high-end NBA prospect did that all season for a team that won 35 games, reached No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll, claimed the top overall seed for March Madness and reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Now he’s The Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of the year, only the fifth freshman to earn the honor and the second in a row for a Duke program that keeps adding to the longest list of winners in the country. “It just goes to show more about what our team has done, just because I think that really helps awards like this, having great team success,” Boozer told the AP. “It’s really just not me.” Boozer, named unanimous first-team AP all-American last month, received 59 of 61 votes from AP Top 25 voters in results released Friday. BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, another potential top NBA pick, received the other two votes after averaging a national-best 25.5 points per game. A short list Boozer, son of Duke and longtime NBA player Carlos Boozer, ranked averaged 22.5 points (ninth in Division I) and 10.2 rebounds (12th) while finishing tied for the national lead with 22 double-doubles. He also averaged 4.1 assists while posting efficient shooting numbers at 55.6% overall and 39.1% from 3-point range. He joins fellow Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg last year, another Duke player in Zion Williamson (2019), Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas star Kevin Durant (2007) as freshmen to win the AP award. Each went No. 1 or No. 2 in the NBA draft that year. “I’m very grateful just that I’m even in those (NBA) conversations,” Boozer said. “I think a lot of people dream of being where I am. Sometimes you’ve got to take a step back and just remember that once upon a time, you were a kid dreaming to be here. So I think it’s very special.” His coaches think the same of him. “We’ve been fortunate enough the last two years to have two of the best freshmen to ever play in college basketball back to back,” Duke associate head coach and former Blue Devils player Chris Carrawell said. “And Cam is right up there. Boozer is Duke’s ninth AP winner, each coming from a different player. UCLA is the next closest with five winners, though that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1967 and 1969) and Bill Walton (1972 and 1973) as two-time selections. UCLA, Ohio State and Duke rival North Carolina are the only other programs with as many as three different players to win the award. Big-game successes Boozer arrived at Duke alongside twin brother Cayden after the two led Miami’s Columbus High to four straight state championships. By late February, the Blue Devils were starting a four-week reign atop the AP Top 25 that would carry to March Madness. Boozer — who said he looks at winning as a skill — routinely posted top performances in Duke’s biggest games, including during a rugged nonconference slate. He matched a season high with 35 points in a November win against Arkansas. He followed with 29 points against defending national champion Florida. He also had big performances at Michigan State (18 points, 15 rebounds) and flirted with a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) in a February win against Michigan. Along the way, he pushed through bumps and shoves. He closed Sunday’s season-ending loss to UConn with 27 points and his right eye swollen from a first-half blow. “There’s no agenda other than figuring out a way to win,” Wolverines coach Dusty May said. “I’ve seen him play a number of times this year where there’s six guys in the paint, and it’s not as if he’s jumping 40, 50 inches off the floor. His desire to rebound the ball, to set physical screens, to play to his advantages, is as impressive as any freshman that I can recall.” Managing pressure The other challenge was managing the scrutiny that comes from expectations for greatness. A missed shot. A turnover. The 3-for-17 shooting while battling rising frustration and Virginia shot-blocker Ugonna Onyenso in the ACC title game. “He does a great job of flushing it and not letting it dwell on him too much,” Cayden said. “That’s something he’s always been able to do since we were younger. Obviously I talk to him when he needs me to. And I sometimes just understood that, hey, he’s going through something, give him some space for a little bit and he’ll figure it out.” Cameron said getting away for time alone and putting down the phone helps. He points to prayer and even a recent effort to read more. The rest of the time, though, he’ll throw himself into becoming a better player. There’s comfort in that routine, the results yet to fail him. “I think just being prepared alleviates pressure,” Cameron said. “Being ready for a game, watching film, working out, knowing you put your time in, being confident in yourself — I think all that takes away a lot of the pressure that people talk about. At the end of the day, pressure really is what you put on yourself.” ARIZONA’S TOMMY LLOYD AGREES TO EXTENSION AMID STATUS AS POTENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR UNC JOB INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Friday he’s remaining with the Wildcats after being mentioned as a potential candidate to fill the coaching vacancy at blueblood program North Carolina. “I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple days.” The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn’t release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday. Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (36-2) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001, including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis. Lloyd praised UNC as “a first-class organization” and said he appreciated “the way they’ve handled this.” “Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said. “I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger. But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean, it’s a 1 of 1. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.” Lloyd’s comments came a day before the Wildcats (36-2) were set to face Michigan in Saturday night’s national semifinals in a matchup of the two 1-seeds in Indianapolis. Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he’ll “never respond to any job speculation.” “I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.” =============================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SOUTH CAROLINA ENDS UCONN’S PERFECT SEASON, ADVANCES TO TITLE GAME PHOENIX — Ta’Niya Latson had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead a balanced South Carolina attack, and the Gamecocks stunned undefeated and top-seeded UConn 62-48 in the NCAA Women’s Final Four on Friday. “I knew I had to impact the game in any way I could,” Latson said. “I wanted this win. Whether that was rebounding, scoring, assisting, I was going to do what I had to do. The balls were coming my way, so I had to grab ’em and snag ’em.” Agot Makeer scored 14 points, Joyce Edwards had 11 and Tessa Johnson added 10 for the Gamecocks (36-3), who avenged an 82-59 loss to the Huskies in the 2025 national championship game. Games The Gamecocks will play for their fourth national championship and third in five seasons on Sunday against UCLA, which beat Texas 51-44 in the second semifinal. South Carolina completed a 38-0 season with an 87-75 victory over Iowa in the 2024 title game. “This is my why,” Latson said. “This is why I came to South Carolina.” National player of the year Sarah Strong had 12 points and 12 rebounds, Ashlynn Shade scored 10 points and Azzi Fudd had eight points and five assists for the Huskies (38-1), who had a 54-game winning streak broken. Strong’s 3-pointer, her first points in the second half, closed the deficit to 51-47 with 4:39 remaining, but South Carolina scored the next 11 points to pull away. Strong shot 4 of 16 from the field against a sticky South Carolina defense that pressured the perimeter. Fudd was 3 of 15. The Gamecocks limited UConn to 31.1% shooting and outshot the Huskies 45.8% to 22.6% in the second half. “Yeah, I just thought that we made it real difficult for them to get clean looks,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “We made them put the ball on the floor. That’s disruption to UConn, because they’re a passing team, they like to assist. They did get 15 assists on 19 field goals. If they’re allowed to play that way throughout an entire game, they win. “I thought our players just locked in once we built a little lead, and we got suggestions from coaches as to should we change our defense, start switching everything.” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said, “I think, and we do this a lot, the more defensive pressure you try to put on the other team’s best player, you are hoping that there is a level of frustration a little bit and it starts to affect the way they play.” Latson made six free throws in the final 1:45 and UConn missed 11 of its last 12 field-goal attempts. Auriemma and Staley were seen having a heated exchange on the sideline as the clock wound down, but neither offered much additional clarity on the situation following the game. “You can ask Geno the question, he’s the one that initiated the conversation,” Staley said in the postgame presser. “I don’t want what happened to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.” Auriemma told ESPN that Staley “rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referees some names you don’t wanna hear.” After the Huskies held a 26-24 halftime lead, the Gamecocks opened the second half on a 12-2 run for a 12-point lead, the largest deficit UConn had faced all year. All but one of the Huskies’ wins were by at least 10 points. Latson made a pair of free throws for a 40-30 lead with 3:09 left in the third. Consecutive 3-pointers by Kayleigh Heckel, Blanca Quinonez and Fudd brought UConn within 40-39 with 1:10 left in the quarter, but the Huskies were never closer. The Huskies had made 1 of 11 3-point tires before that and finished 6 of 21. The Gamecocks led 44-39 after three. UCLA TOPS TEXAS TO AVENGE ONLY LOSS, WILL PLAY FOR 1ST TITLE PHOENIX — Lauren Betts had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and her blocked shot with 18.1 seconds remaining helped UCLA avenge its only loss of the season on the biggest stage in a 51-44 victory over Texas in an NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinal on Friday. Kiki Rice had 11 points and Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens added 10 apiece for the Bruins (36-1), who won their 30th straight and will play for their first NCAA title against fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina on Sunday. “Quite frankly, we didn’t play to our best offensively,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I remember after the Iowa game when we won the Big Ten championship tournament, I told our team that you cannot fall in love with pretty offense and think that it’s going to be like this every game. I told them there’s going to be a game in the NCAA Tournament that you’re going to have to just grind it out and do it with your defense.” Betts had her 14th double-double of the season and doubled her point total from the first meeting, when she had eight points and seven rebounds in a 76-65 loss to Texas in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 26. She averages 17.2 points a game. “This is something that we’ve all dreamt of being in the position,” Betts said. “We’re all very thankful. We expected to be here.” Kyla Oldacre had 11 points and was the Longhorns’ only-double digit scorer on a night when Texas shot only 30.8% from the field. Longhorns leading scorer Madison Booker (19.3 ppg) scored only six points due to 3-of-23 shooting from the field. “Honestly, every shot I took I thought was going in,” Booker said. “I can’t pinpoint it. It was surprising I couldn’t get out of that funk.” Betts put UCLA up 42-30 with 6:11 left, and her jumper with three minutes to go made the lead 47-37 before Texas closed. The Longhorns scored seven straight points capped by Jordan Lee’s driving layup to make it 47-44 with 1:02 left before Betts blocked Booker’s driving layup in the waning seconds. “The entire game, the coaches are just continuously telling me sprint back, sprint back, sprint back,” Betts said. “My job today was help in any way I can inside the paint. As soon as I saw her getting downhill, I’m like, all right, please block this, just don’t let her score. I was in a good position. I trust my work and my defense.” Booker said she slipped on the play, adding, “That’s not what we wanted.” Rice made four free throws around a Texas missed shot in the last 13.3 seconds for the final margin. Rori Harmon had eight points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Longhorns (35-4), who had won 12 in a row. Harmon shot 4 of 11 from the floor. Booker made the first field goal of the game 37 seconds in and did not score again until her jumper with 5:48 left in the fourth cut the Bruins’ lead to 42-32. The Longhorns had held their previous NCAA Tournament opponents to an average of 49.5 points per game and had outscored them by an average of 35.5 points. Neither team shot well in a lethargic first half, which ended with UCLA leading 20-17. Texas was 8 of 32 from the field and the Bruins were 9 of 24. Texas did not break 20 points until Oldacre made a layup with 5:54 remaining in the third quarter. “I thought (UCLA) played very hard,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “Aggressive. Played a lot like the way we like to play. In our locker room, we felt like we let one get away. “This will haunt me until the day I die. We couldn’t make a shot tonight. We had plenty of good looks. It’s part of the cruelty that is the game sometimes.” ==================================================================== NBA NBA ROUNDUP: COOPER FLAGG’S 51 POINTS AREN’T ENOUGH FOR MAVS VS. MAGIC Franz Wagner went for 18 points in just 17 minutes, Wendell Carter Jr. led the way with 28 and the Orlando Magic used balanced scoring to easily overcome Cooper Flagg’s historic 51 in a 138-127 triumph over the host Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. Desmond Bane chipped in with 27 points and Tristan da Silva and Jalen Suggs added 19 apiece for the Magic, who kept pace in a tightly bunched competition for the final two automatic Eastern Conference playoff spots and top three play-in berths. Flagg, 19, became the first teenager in NBA history to produce a 50-point game. The rookie shot 19-for-30 for the Mavericks, who lost for the eighth time in the past nine games. NBA game highlights The 51 points by Flagg surpassed the 49 he put up against Charlotte in January. He also had a 42-point game at Utah in December, giving him the three highest-scoring games this year among rookies. Hornets 129, Pacers 108 Brandon Miller scored 22 points and Charlotte had plenty of offensive sources in a victory against visiting Indiana. The Hornets have won eight of their past 10 games to remain in the chase for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference and a guaranteed playoff berth. Kon Knueppel poured in 20 points, Miles Bridges tallied 19 points and LaMelo Ball cranked out 18 points and nine assists for the Hornets, who shot 24 of 49 (49%) on 3-point attempts. Pascal Siakam’s 30 points on 13-for-24 shooting led Indiana. Quenton Jackson posted 16 points for the Pacers, who had won three of their previous five but were denied reaching their second three-game winning streak of the season. Knicks 136, Bulls 96 OG Anunoby shot 7 of 10 from beyond the arc and had a game-high 31 points and Mitchell Robinson added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the host New York jumped out to a 20-1 lead against Chicago and never looked back. Jalen Brunson had 17 points and 10 assists for the Knicks, who reached 50 wins for the third straight season. New York shot 52.7% from the field, 89.3% from the free-throw line and scored 28 points off 16 Bulls turnovers. Collin Sexton hit four 3-pointers in the first half and scored a team-high 19 points off the bench for Chicago, which has struggled on the road, losing seven straight. The Bulls have lost six straight overall. Hawks 141, Nets 107 CJ McCollum scored 25 points as surging Atlanta never trailed and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a victory over Brooklyn in New York. The Hawks improved to 18-2 in their past 20 games and earned their third win over the Nets in the surge. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 for the Hawks, who led by double digits most of the way and for the entire second half after scoring the game’s first 10 points. Jalen Johnson contributed 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the Hawks’ fourth straight win. Games The Nets moved within a half-game of the Washington Wizards for the league’s worst record ahead of a matchup between the teams on Sunday in Brooklyn. Nic Claxton led the Nets with 16 points. Raptors 128, Grizzlies 96 RJ Barrett scored 25 points, Collin Murray-Bowles added 19 and Brandon Ingram contributed 17 points and seven rebounds to guide visiting Toronto past Memphis. The Raptors snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the seventh time in the past eight games. GG Jackson put up a season-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, but the Grizzlies lost their third straight and fell for the eighth time in the past nine games. Rockets 140, Jazz 106 Kevin Durant scored 25 points to pace six in double figures as Houston extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over visiting Utah. Amen Thompson paired 21 points with eight rebounds while Alperen Sengun added 19 points and five assists for the Rockets, who led wire to wire and by as many as 37 points. Cody Williams posted 27 points and 11 rebounds for Utah, while Brice Sensabaugh scored 20. Kyle Filipowski added 17 points and seven rebounds as the Jazz lost their eighth game in a row. Celtics 133, Bucks 101 Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Jayson Tatum added 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to lead Boston to a dominant victory at Milwaukee. The Celtics registered their second win in a row and fifth in the past six contests. Six Celtics scored at least 13 points, including Neemias Queta with 19 and Derrick White with 17. Payton Pritchard supplied 16 points and six assists off the bench. The Bucks dropped their second straight game and sixth in the past seven. Taurean Prince led Milwaukee with 18 points off the bench, while AJ Green tallied 15. 76ers 115, Timberwolves 103 Paul George scored 23 points and Kelly Oubre capped a 21-point effort with a pair of clutch 3-pointers as Philadelphia topped visiting Minnesota. The 76ers overcame an ugly first half to win for the eighth time in 11 games. The Timberwolves allowed 74 points after intermission to wrap up a 1-2 road trip. Joel Embiid contributed 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Philadelphia. Julius Randle and Bones Hyland led Minnesota with 21 points apiece. Anthony Edwards, back from a one-game absence, was held to eight points on 3-of-15 shooting. Kings 117, Pelicans 113 Dylan Cardwell made a pair of emphatic blocks in the waning moments to cap a stretch of clutch defensive plays as Sacramento sent visiting New Orleans to a seventh consecutive loss. Sacramento held a two-point lead when Zion Williamson attacked the rim off the dribble with 10.7 seconds left. Cardwell, who had five fouls, risked a disqualifying whistle to meet Williamson at the basket and deliver a stiff rejection. Cardwell later blocked Jeremiah Fears to seal the win. Cardwell’s five-block, eight-rebound, six-point performance complemented the tone-setting offensive play of Maxime Raynaud, who scored 28 points, and Nique Clifford, who finished with 23. For the Pelicans, Fears poured in 28 points off the bench. ================================================================ NHL DALLAS STARS’ ARENA INVESTIGATING 4 FANS FOR APPARENTLY CELEBRATING WITH A NAZI SALUTE DALLAS (AP) — The home arena of the Dallas Stars has launched an investigation into a video that apparently shows four fans celebrating a goal with a Nazi salute. A spokesperson for the American Airlines Center told WFAA-TV in Dallas that the arena has “zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination.” “We strongly denounce the actions that appear to be depicted in the video footage and are conducting an internal investigation,” the spokesperson said. “All fans and attendees are expected to adhere to AAC and, as applicable, NBA or NHL Codes of Conduct when attending events.” A Stars fan, Courtney Ripley, told the television station she took a 12-second video at a game against Toronto in late December. It shows four fans reacting to a goal by appearing to raise and extend their right arms with a straightened right hand facing downward. The video gained traction this week on several social media platforms. A Stars spokesperson told ESPN on Thursday that the team is “fully aligned with the arena’s statement and working with them to find out exactly what happened.” Fan codes of conduct are prominent throughout the NHL. Every team has a scripted segment that is shared on their video boards, through their public address system or both, telling fans about their respective codes of conduct. The NHL also has a multipoint fan code of conduct that opens by stating, “The best hockey experiences happen in environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful.” The NHL said possible punishments for violating the code of conduct include ejection, suspension or a lifetime ban from future events. BLUES BOOST PLAYOFF HOPES WITH 4-GOAL WIN AT DUCKS Robert Thomas scored once in a three-point game and Dylan Holloway tallied twice to lead the visiting St. Louis Blues to a 6-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Pius Suter and Colton Parayko both scored once and added an assist for the Blues (32-31-12, 76 points), who are three points outside of a playoff spot with seven games remaining. Jonatan Berggren also scored, while Jake Neighbours and Philip Broberg both collected a pair of assists and goaltender Joel Hofer made 25 saves. Ryan Poehling collected one goal and one assist and Jeffrey Viel tallied once for the Ducks (41-30-5, 87 points), who lost their hold on the top spot in the Pacific Division. Games Goalie Lukas Dostal stopped 23 shots for Anaheim, which is winless in four games (0-3-1). Berggren’s goal late in the first period sent the Blues off to victory. With the score tied 2-2, he set up in the slot after a glaring turnover and buried the chance with 76 seconds remaining in the back-and-forth opening frame. Suter made it a 4-2 game with a tap-in tally set up by Neighbours and Tyler Tucker at 3:08 of the second period. Parayko extended the Blues lead at 16:50 of the middle frame by converting a wrist shot from the top of the right circle for his second goal of the season. Holloway added another power-play goal, ripping home a one-timer from the right circle set up by Thomas’s pass 82 seconds into the third period for his second of the game to make it a 6-2 score. Before that, the clubs were in a see-saw affair. The Ducks received a sought-after quick start when Poehling opened the scoring at 1:51 by redirecting Mason MacTavish’s long shot. Thomas responded to tie the clash at 5:24, chipping a shot from in tight upon being sprung on a breakaway by Broberg. With his assist, Broberg’s point streak reached a career-best seven games. Holloway put the Blues ahead just past the midway point of the opening frame, finding the mark from the top of the right circle for the power-play goal. Then it was Anaheim’s turn to erase a deficit, tying the clash when Viel redirected Poehling’s cross-ice pass at 16:01 of the frame. FLYERS INCH NEAR PLAYOFF POSITION WITH DOMINANT WIN OVER ISLANDERS Matvei Michkov had a goal and two assists for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-1 win against the New York Islanders on Friday in Elmont, N.Y. Alex Bump and Travis Sanheim each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers (38-26-12, 88 points), who pulled to within a point of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Dan Vladar made 20 saves. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored and Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves for New York (42-30-5, 89 points), which has lost three straight. It was all Philadelphia in the first period, outshooting New York 12-2 and holding a 24-5 advantage in shot attempts. The Islanders didn’t record their first shot on goal until there were less than seven minutes remaining in the period. Philadelphia finally capitalized to take a 1-0 lead at the 13:54 mark. Owen Tippett poked the puck away from Ryan Pulock inside the Flyers blue line to create a 2-on-1 with Sanheim. The duo engaged in a give-and-go and Tippett finished it off, receiving a feed on his forehand to draw Sorokin over and then sliding a backhand past the netminder’s right skate. Bump made it 2-0 67 seconds later, beating Sorokin with a wrist shot from near the left wall. That prompted Islanders coach Patrick Roy to call his timeout and settle his group. New York came out pushing early in the second period, but it was the Flyers who found the back of the net first to extend their lead to 3-0. After Bump pressured Brayden Schenn into a turnover in the Islanders’ zone, Michkov got to the puck for a poke shot that missed and hit the end boards. He then recovered it and banked it off Sorokin’s backside 2:52 into the middle period. Pageau cut it to 3-1 at 15:37. He was uncovered coming into the slot to receive a pass from Mathew Barzal and put it inside the left post. Michkov fed Sanheim at the top of the left circle for a snap shot that went far side to make it 4-1 at 9:16 of the third period. ================================================================ MLB MLB ROUNDUP: KONNOR GRIFFIN SHINES IN DEBUT AS PIRATES TOP ORIOLES Konnor Griffin, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, doubled and drove in a run in his major league debut, propelling the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles in their home opener on Friday. Griffin, 19, recorded his first major league hit and RBI and scored his first career run during a four-run second inning for Pittsburgh, which won its third in a row and moved above the .500 mark for the first time since Aug. 4, 2024. Griffin roped his double into the left-center gap off Orioles starter Kyle Bradish (0-2) on his first career at-bat to drive in Ryan O’Hearn. Griffin came around to score when Jared Triolo, who led the Pirates with two hits, singled to right field. Griffin walked his second time up in the fourth and went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. Griffin became the first teenage position player to appear in a big-league game since Juan Soto in 2018 and the first Pirate since Aramis Ramirez in 1998. Bradish gave up four runs on six hits in four innings. In six innings, Pirates starter Mitch Keller (1-0) allowed two runs on six hits. Dodgers 13, Nationals 6 Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run after a slow start and added four RBIs as Los Angeles unleashed a stagnant offense for a victory in Washington’s home opener. Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages hit home runs and added two RBIs each in the Dodgers’ first road game of the season. Emmet Sheehan (1-0) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas (0-2) surrendered 11 runs on 11 hits across 4 1/3 innings. CJ Abrams hit a home run and drove in four runs for Washington, which dropped its third straight after a 3-1 start. Yankees 8, Marlins 2 Aaron Judge hit a home run in his first Yankee Stadium at-bat of the season and drove in three runs as New York, in its home opener, downed Miami. Ben Rice added a home run and a two-run double for the Yankees, who improved to 6-1. Will Warren (1-0) allowed two runs, on solo homers by Xavier Edwards and Owen Caissie, among four hits in 5 2/3 innings. Marlins starter Eury Perez (0-1) allowed four runs on two hits in four innings, issuing a career-worst six walks. Miami had just one at-bat with a runner in scoring position. Red Sox 5, Padres 2 Willson Contreras and Marcelo Mayer both homered in the sixth inning, propelling Boston to a home-opening win over San Diego. Boston banged out nine hits and received a solid six-inning start from Sonny Gray (1-0) en route to breaking a five-game losing skid. Mayer highlighted his 2-for-2 day with a two-out, two-run homer to cap Boston’s three-run sixth. He also hit a leadoff double and scored the opening run in the third. Gavin Sheets went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run for the Padres. Boston College grad Michael King (0-1) allowed four runs in a 5 2/3-inning start. Tigers 4, Cardinals 0 Framber Valdez pitched six scoreless innings, Dillon Dingler blasted a two-run homer and Detroit blanked St. Louis in its home opener. Valdez (1-0), one of the top free agent signings of the offseason, allowed three hits and two walks while striking out five. Riley Greene had two hits, a run and an RBI while Javier Baez added two hits and an RBI. Michael McGreevy (0-1) gave up three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Cardinals, who had won four of their first six games, were held to five hits. Mariners 3, Angels 1 (10 innings) Cole Young broke a scoreless tie with a 10th-inning triple as Seattle spoiled Los Angeles’ home opener with a win in Anaheim, Calif. Josh Naylor added a two-run single off Brent Suter (0-1). Four Mariners pitchers — Bryan Woo, Matt Brash, Andres Munoz and Gabe Speier — combined on a one-hitter. Munoz (1-1) struck out the side in the ninth to earn the victory. Speier worked the 10th for the save, giving up a sacrifice fly to Jorge Soler. Woo and the Angels’ Reid Detmers were locked in a pitchers’ duel into the seventh inning. Woo went seven innings, giving up one hit with one walk and six strikeouts, while Detmers allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings, with four walks and four strikeouts. Braves 2, Diamondbacks 0 Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson hit back-to-back homers off Paul Sewald to break a scoreless tie in the ninth inning, and Atlanta beat Arizona in Phoenix. Albies, leading off the inning, put the Braves ahead by depositing an 0-1 fastball from Sewald (0-1) over the right field wall. Olson followed three pitches later with a 426-foot blast to left-center. Robert Suarez (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth and Raisel Iglesias retired the D-backs in order in the ninth for his first save. Atlanta out-hit Arizona 6-2 in a game that featured a pitchers’ duel between the Braves’ Grant Holmes and the Diamondbacks’ Eduardo Rodriguez. Holmes allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, while Rodriguez gave up four hits over seven shutout innings. Phillies 10, Rockies 1 Brandon Marsh hit a three-run home run and Trea Turner had two hits in a seven-run first inning as Philadelphia routed Colorado in the Rockies’ home opener at Denver. Bryce Harper homered and doubled, Kyle Schwarber also went deep and Turner finished with three hits. Aaron Nola (1-0) allowed just one run over 6 1/3 innings and struck out nine as the Phillies earned their third victory in a row. Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen (0-1) gave up nine runs on 12 hits over three innings. Reds 5, Rangers 3 Tyler Stephenson belted a two-run homer in the ninth inning, helping Cincinnati spoil Texas’ home opener with a victory in Arlington, Texas. Spencer Steer launched a two-run homer in the second and had a double to lead off the ninth. Stephenson then deposited a 3-2 sinker from Chris Martin (1-1) over the wall in right-center to give the Reds a 5-3 lead. Texas’ Danny Jansen ripped a two-run double and Wyatt Langford added an RBI double. Stephenson’s first homer of the season made a winner out of Tony Santillan (1-0), who retired the side in order in the eighth, and Emilio Pagan secured his second save. Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz homered to lead off the sixth. White Sox 5, Blue Jays 4 (10 innings) Tristan Peters knocked in the winning run with a two-out single as Chicago prevailed in its home opener, defeating Toronto. After the Blue Jays took a lead in the top of the 10th on an error by Miguel Vargas, the White Sox won the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning in part because of an error by replacement catcher Tyler Heineman. Sean Burke allowed one run on four hits over six innings for Chicago. Former White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits over 4 1/3 innings for Toronto. Guardians 4, Cubs 1 Rookie Chase DeLauter belted a two-run, two-out homer off Hunter Harvey in the seventh inning, three batters after Gabriel Arias hit a go-ahead solo shot, as Cleveland beat visiting Chicago. DeLauter, who singled home Cleveland’s first run in the fifth to knot the score, tied Shea Langeliers of the Athletics for the major league lead with five home runs. He went 3-for-4 in his initial regular season home game, having made his debut in the 2025 postseason. Connor Brogdon (2-0) earned the win with a perfect seventh, while Cade Smith worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya had back-to-back doubles in the third, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. Cubs starter Cade Horton was forced to leave in the second with right forearm discomfort and will go on the injured list. Twins 10, Rays 4 Tristan Gray belted his first career grand slam and drove in five runs, and Minnesota pulled away for a win over Tampa Bay in Minneapolis. Gray’s blast highlighted a seven-run seventh inning for the Twins, who won their home opener after playing their first six games on the road. Josh Bell and Royce Lewis drove in two runs apiece. Nick Fortes doubled and drove in two runs to lead Tampa Bay at the plate. Junior Caminero and Ben Williamson tallied two hits apiece. Athletics 11, Astros 4 Lawrence Butler went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs and Max Muncy finished 3-for-4 with a blast and drove in three as the Athletics rolled over Houston in the home opener at West Sacramento, Calif. Tyler Soderstrom had two hits and two RBIs and Jack Wilson also had two hits as the Athletics posted 13 hits. All 11 A’s runs scored with two outs. Jeffrey Springs (1-0) gave up one run and two hits in six innings. Yainer Diaz and Nick Allen had two hits apiece for the Astros, who had a five-game winning streak halted. Cristian Javier (0-1) allowed six runs on six hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. Mets 10, Giants 3 Francisco Alvarez belted two home runs, Marcus Semien hit the first for his new team and New York overcame the loss of Juan Soto to post a victory over host San Francisco. Nolan McLean (1-0) combined with four relievers on a five-hitter for the Mets, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Soto left due to right calf tightness after being forced out at home plate during New York’s two-run first inning. Bichette and Semien had RBI hits in the first off Giants starter Tyler Mahle (0-2), allowing McLean to pitch with a lead during his entire 5 1/3-inning stint. Mahle was pulled after five innings, having allowed five runs and eight hits. Luis Arraez and Willy Adames each had an RBI hit for San Francisco. ===================================================================== GOLF LAUREN COUGHLIN BUILDS 5-SHOT LEAD AT ARAMCO CHAMPIONSHIP Lauren Coughlin was one of just two players to break 70 on a windy Friday at the Aramco Championship in Las Vegas, and she opened a five-shot lead at the tournament’s midpoint. The University of Virginia product carded a 3-under-par 69 at Shadow Creek Golf Course, leaving her at 8-under 136. Ireland’s Leona Maguire shot 71 in the second round to end in a tie for second with South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim, the world’s third-ranked player, who had a 73 on Friday. Both are at 3 under. First-round co-leader Miyu Yamashita of Japan (second-round 75), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (70) and world No. 3 Nelly Korda (74) are tied for fourth at 2 under. Canada’s Anna Huang (71), Japan’s Akie Iwai (71), Angel Yin (71) and Jing Yan (75) are all at 1 under, sharing seventh place. Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, who was tied atop the leaderboard with Coughlin and Yamashita following the first round, stumbled to a 78 and is tied for 15th at 1 over. The inaugural Aramco Championship, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, features a purse of $4 million and replaces the T-Mobile Match Play on the schedule. Coughlin’s round featured six birdies and three bogeys. After a bogey at No. 6, Coughlin began a run that featured four birdies and two pars. “From there I kind of started to play really, really good,” she said. It was really difficult out there. The wind was kind of swirling at times and a lot of crosswinds, is it hurting or helping. Very difficult. The greens firmed up as they do in the afternoon, especially with the wind.” Coughlin recorded both of her LPGA Tour wins in 2024. She currently has the largest lead of her career after any round since her victory at the Women’s Scottish Open two years ago. “There is a lot of golf to be played. As you can see, you can make big numbers really easily. So just try to stick to what I’ve been doing the last two days and see what happens.” Maguire had three birdies and three bogeys on the day before she birdied the par-5 18th hole. “Going out, I think we knew it was going to be tough,” Maguire said. “Obviously a lot windier, different wind than we got all week as well, which made some holes play quite a bit longer. We knew we were going to get the firmer end of the greens this afternoon, so just a case of staying extremely patient.” Kim logged a double bogey on the par-4 sixth hole in an up-and-down round that began and ended with a birdie. ROBERT MACINTYRE LEAPS OUT TO 4-SHOT LEAD AT VALERO TEXAS OPEN Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre opened up a four-shot lead at the midway point of the Valero Texas Open on Friday at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course. MacIntyre shot the round of the week so far, an 8-under-par 64, to climb to 14-under 130 through two rounds. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is his closest competitor after he shot a second consecutive 67 to get to 10 under par. Bud Cauley (second-round 66), Kevin Roy (68), Tony Finau (69) and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (66) are tied for third at 9 under. MacIntyre started on the back nine and went 4 under through a three-hole stretch at Nos. 14-16. He set himself up for an 8-foot eagle putt at the par-5 14th, then knocked in two more putts inside 8 feet for birdies at the next two holes. The World No. 11 finished his round with four birdies on the final five holes. He made just one bogey against seven birdies. Asked what was working for him Friday, MacIntyre was frank. “Yeah, everything,” MacIntyre said. “I mean, I’ve been driving the ball nice. Got a new Titleist driver in the bag. Iron play today was exceptional I would say. Hit a pure wedge shot on 17, I thought it was absolutely dynamite there. Approach play, hitting the number, hitting the targets. Got to finish off with good putting. Overall, just really solid.” MacIntyre and Aberg were part of the same group in the first two rounds. “We’re good friends obviously from the Ryder Cup and stuff. We get on really well,” MacIntyre said. “It’s good to play with good players and you can kind of build in a round. It was good to see him play well, and obviously myself.” To wit, Aberg had a near-spotless outing until he bogeyed his final hole, the par-4 ninth. After making four birdies over his first 14 holes, Aberg had a 120-yard approach shot at No. 13, a par-4. His ball took two hops and dropped for an eagle. “For me, golf is about putting yourself in situations where you can win tournaments,” Aberg said. “I feel like I haven’t really done that very well the last 12 months or so, but starting to see it now, which has been really nice. Starting to get back into that level, which is really nice for me to see. So I’m looking forward to one more shot at it this week.” While MacIntyre and Aberg are each seeking a third PGA Tour win, Finau is vying for his seventh. The difference is he hasn’t triumphed since April 2023, and he has yet to be invited to next week’s Masters — something only a victory in Texas can change. Finau ended his round with a bang, sinking a 34 1/2-foot eagle putt at the par-5 18th. He made an even longer eagle putt at No. 14 on Thursday, from 41 1/2 feet. “It was nice to make an eagle on the last,” Finau said Friday. “I hit a really good drive, pushed my second shot a little, got lucky, covered the water and was able to roll that one in. Sometimes those are the small little breaks that you need to be towards the top of the leaderboard.” When play was suspended due to darkness Friday evening, only one player remained on the course. Luke Clanton’s playing partners chose to play their final hole, No. 9, but Clanton will return Saturday morning to complete his round. He sits on the cut line at 2 under par and needs par or better to make the weekend. Jordan Spieth shot consecutive 71s to sit at 2 under. Mark Hubbard, the first-round leader following a 7-under 65, stumbled to a 77 Friday and will also make the cut right on the number. Those on the wrong side include Russell Henley (1 under), Max Homa (1 under), South Korea’s Tom Kim (even), Austria’s Sepp Straka (even), Rickie Fowler (1 over) and France’s Matthieu Pavon (4 over). =================================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES INDIANA PACERS GAME REWIND: PACERS 108, HORNETS 129 The top 3-point shooting team in the NBA lit it up from deep on Friday night, as the Charlotte Hornets (42-36) made 24 threes in a 129-108 win over the Indiana Pacers (18-59) at Spectrum Center. With the loss, the Pacers finish 2-2 against the Hornets this season. Just five games remain on Indiana’s schedule. The Hornets shot 47.9 percent from the field and 49 percent from 3-point range. The Pacers shot 46.2 percent as a team, and went 15-for-36 (41.7 percent) from three. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 30 points on 13-for-24 shooting, Quenton Jackson scored 16 points, and Kobe Brown and Jay Huff added 12 points each. Brandon Miller topped the Hornets with 22 points, while rookie Kon Knueppel scored 20 points, Miles Bridges had 19 points and six rebounds, and LaMelo Ball logged 18 points and nine assists. Ball led the Hornets’ 3-point shooting brigade with five made 3-pointers, Miller and Sion James made four each, and Knueppel and Bridges hit three apiece. The Pacers were missing seven players Friday due to injuries, including Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell and Jarace Walker, among others not sidelined with season-ending ailments. The Hornets drained 14 3-pointers in the first half to build a 69-50 lead over the Pacers by intermission. James and Ball each hit four 3-pointers for the Hornets before halftime. In the first quarter, the Hornets shot 46 percent and made seven 3-pointers to go up 38-24. Four different players made a 3-pointer for the Hornets in the frame, as they led the Pacers by as many as 20 points. Charlotte could hardly miss off the tip, using a 24-2 run over a five-minute span — where Ball and James hit two 3-pointers each and Knueppel scored seven points — to take a 31-11 lead with 4:57 left on the clock. Out of a timeout, the Pacers answered with a 13-6 run thanks to an and-one by Siakam and 3-pointers by Ethan Thompson and Taelon Peter, but Indiana still trailed by 14 points at the end of the first quarter after Coby White and Pat Connaughton each hit a pair of free throws for the Hornets. The teams largely traded baskets to start the second quarter until a 13-5 Pacers run, anchored by five points from Huff, narrowed the deficit to 49-42 with 5:46 left in the half. Charlotte’s offense then kicked back into gear, as Ball hit two 3-pointers, and Josh Green, James and Brandon Miller also each added threes, in the final 3:15 of the second quarter to help put the Hornets ahead 69-50 at halftime. Neither team mustered more than a 4-0 run in the third quarter, as the Pacers outscored the Hornets 32-31 in the period by shooting 61.9 percent. Eight different players recorded a basket for the Pacers in the period, while Miller scored 10 points for the Hornets. Despite the uptick in scoring from Indiana, the Pacers trailed 100-82 going into the final frame. Siakam scored Indiana’s first 12 points of the fourth quarter, but the Hornets answered every shot during that span, including two 3-pointers by Bridges and one by Ball, to lead 114-91 with eight minutes left. The Pacers trailed by double digits the rest of the way as their two-game winning streak was snapped. Indiana will conclude its three-game road trip on Sunday at the Cleveland Cavaliers before hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. Inside the Numbers Pascal Siakam has scored 30 or more points six times this season. Siakam scored 14 points in the fourth quarter on 6-for-8 shooting. The Hornets have made 24 or more 3-pointers six times this season. On the boards, the Hornets outrebounded the Pacers 31-28. Indiana had 11 turnovers to Charlotte’s nine. The Pacers outscored the Hornets 56-42 in the paint. Charlotte has won 16 of its last 21 games. Stat of the Night The Hornets made 24 3-pointers in the game, which is the most given up by the Pacers this season. ================================================================ INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS INDIANS COMPLETE SEVEN-RUN COMEBACK OVER CLIPPERS COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Indianapolis Indians scored eight runs in the seventh inning and Alika Williams delivered a go-ahead single in the ninth inning as they defeated the Columbus Clippers, 11-10, for the club’s first win of 2026. The seven-run come-from-behind victory ties Indy’s second-largest since 2005, last overcoming a seven-run deficit in a 10-9 win vs. Louisville on Sept. 1, 2024. The Indianapolis (1-6) offense ignited in the seventh, plating eight to take a 10-9 lead, the most runs the club has scored in an inning since an eight-run eighth frame on Sept. 10, 2024, in a 13-3 win vs. Rochester. Trailing, 9-2, the first four batters reached in the seventh with Billy Cook drawing a bases-loaded walk to start the scoring. Endy Rodríguez brought another home with a sacrifice fly, with Esmerlyn Valdez and Ronny Simon hitting singles to keep the line moving. Simon’s hit scored Tyler Callihan and kept the bases loaded, as Rafael Flores Jr. belted a three-run double into the left center field for a one-run game, 9-8. Termarr Johnson carried the Indians to the summit, scoring Flores on a single to tie the game at 9-9, stealing second base and advancing to third when Kody Huff’s throwout attempt went into center field. Davis Wendzel then put the Indians on top with an RBI groundout to score Johnson. The Clippers (5-2) were not done and loaded the bases with three straight singles off Evan Sisk (W, 1-0) to begin the eighth inning. Sisk induced a double play from Huff, which scored a run for a 10-10 tie. With the roller coaster of a game evened at double digits, Johnson and Williams went on to plant the flag in the ninth. Johnson pulled an act of déjà vu, drawing a walk, stealing second and advancing to third on another throwing error by the catcher, Huff. Following a walk from Wendzel, Williams punched a go-ahead single to right field as Johnson scored his second consecutive go-ahead run, this time for an 11-10 advantage. Sisk then sealed the game, recording the final three outs after covering the eighth inning. Nick Dombkowski started for the Indians, allowing two runs across 4.0 innings and was followed by Jarod Bayless who allowed six over 2.0 frames. Michael Darrell-Hicks gave way to Sisk with a scoreless inning, who tossed 2.0 innings of one-run ball to complete the win. After Clippers starter Rorik Maltrud allowed just two runs across 5.2 innings, the Indy offense tagged major league rehabber Evan Gaddis and former Indian Colin Holderman for eight runs in the seventh inning, with four earned going to each pitcher. Tanner Burns (L, 1-1) allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth. The Indians and Clippers continue with the fifth game of this week’s six-game set at Huntington Park on Saturday at 4:05 PM ET. RHP Antwone Kelly (0-1, 10.13) will make his second start of the season for Indianapolis while Clippers LHP Ryan Webb (0-1, 4.5) starts for the home team. ================================================================ INDY FUEL FUEL FALL IN FINAL REGULAR SEASON MEETING WITH BISON BLOOMINGTON- After a 15-minute tornado warning delay, the Fuel and Bison faced off for a key playoff race matchup. Special teams was the difference of the game, as Indy allowed three power play goals in the 4-3 loss. 1ST PERIOD The Fuel headed to the power play early, as Bloomington’s Ayden MacDonald sat for hooking just 1:34 into the first. 17 seconds after the Bison’s penalty kill, Riku Ishida netted his 10th of the season. He was assisted by Chongmin Lee and Ayden MacDonald. Quickly after the Bloomington goal, Jadon Joseph and Cullen Ferguson headed to the box for roughing. After the four-on-four expired, Chris Cameron headed to the box for slashing. Bloomington capitalized on the power play, as Riku Ishida netted his 2nd of the night. Shane Ott and Kyle Jackson claimed the assists. Two minutes after the Bloomington power play goal, Tyler Paquette sat for tripping. The Fuel were able to kill off the penalty kill. After another delay due to an issue with the Fuel’s bench, the period ended as Bloomington outshot the Fuel 11-6. 2ND PERIOD Indy got on the board with a goal by Jesse Tucker less than five minutes into the second period. Tyler Weiss and Eric Martin earned the assists. Nothing else was noted on the scoresheet. Indy heavily outshot the Bison 15-4 in the period. 3RD PERIOD Despite the strong second period for the Fuel, Indy was sent to the penalty kill. Dustin Manz went to the box for holding the stick, less than three minutes into the third. Thirteen seconds into the penalty kill, Chongmin Lee scores Bloomington’s second power play goal of the night. Ayden MacDonald and Kyle Jackson added assists to the goal. Less than two minutes after Bloomington extended their lead, the Fuel cut it back. Ryan Gaginer netted one past Dryden McKay, assisted by Jason Ahearn and Matt Petgrave. The Fuel got their second power play opportunity of the game just 7:56 into the third as Brandon Yeamans went to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct. With 49 seconds left on the power play, Ryan Gaginer headed to the box for interference. Bloomington netted their third power-play goal of the night, off the stick of Lou-Félix Denis. Nikita Sedov and Grant Porter assisted Denis’ 13th of the season. Shortly after Bloomington’s fourth goal of the game, Sullivan Mack sat for hooking. However, the Fuel were unable to capitalize on special teams, going 0/4. Around the two-minute mark, Owen Flores was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. The Fuel had a brief, seven second, power play as Nikita Sedov went to the box for delay of game. The Fuel fell to the Bison 4-3, despite outshooting them 37-23. Indy is back home tomorrow for Fan Appreciation Night against the Kalamazoo Wings. ================================================================ INDY ELEVEN IND V PIT PREVIEW Indy Eleven vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Sat., April 4, 2026 | 7:00 pmCarroll Stadium | Indianapolis Follow Live Watch: WISH-TV, ESPN+, Greg Rakestraw & Dan Kapsalis In-game updates: IndyElevenStats: #INDvPIT MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com 2026 USL Championship Records Indy Eleven: 1-1-1 (0), 4 pts, #8 in Eastern Conference Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: 2-2-0 (-2), 6 pts, #7 in Eastern Conference Setting the Scene Indy Eleven resumes USL Championship play against defending champion Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday at 7 pm at Carroll Stadium. The match will be televised on WISH-TV and ESPN+ with Greg Rakestraw & Dan Kapsalis calling the action. IND PIT 3 Games 4 4 Goals 7 15 SOT 14 4 Assists 2 4 Goals Conceded 9 13 Shots Faced 19 0 Clean Sheets 0 Series Indy trails 6-7-4 | GF 17, GA 20 Recent Meetings Oct. 11, 2025 L, 2-1 Away June 14, 2025 W, 1-0 Home August 31, 2024 D, 1-1 Home June 1, 2024 W, 2-1 Away July 26, 2023 W, 3-1 Away April 19, 2023 D, 1-1 Home Last Meeting at Carroll Stadium Indianapolis – Jack Blake netted the decisive goal in the first half off a smooth sequence with Aodhan Quinn to give Indy Eleven a hard-fought 1-0 win over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on June 14. The game-winning goal came in the second minute of added time after a forced turnover by Finn McRobb. McRobb quickly pushed the ball to Aodhan Quinn, who threaded a pass in front of the goal. Blake controlled the ball with a quick double touch before slotting a left-footed shot into the goal. It was Blake’s 35th career strike in the USL Championship regular season. Quinn, who has continued to dominate in the midfield, recorded his fifth assist of the season. The veteran midfielder is tied for third all-time in the league with 55 career assists, and has 111 total goal contributions (56 goals, 55 assists), ranking 22nd. Defensively, the Boys in Blue were solid. Goalkeeper Hunter Sulte opened the match with an early clearance and earned his 10th clean sheet with Indy Eleven. Ben Ofeimu and Elvis Amoh each recorded key defensive saves in the first half to deny Pittsburgh inside the box. Defender Pat Hogan added a crucial block in the 30th minute to keep the clean sheet intact. Indy controlled much of the first-half possession and nearly broke through in the 17th minute when Amoh fired a shot from inside the box that was then deflected, leading to a right-footed strike from Blake that went just wide. Moments later, Quinn tested Pittsburgh keeper Eric Dick with a strong effort inside the box. Pittsburgh pushed late but was denied by a key defensive stop from Quinn after a dangerous shot inside the box. USL Championship Indy Eleven 1:0 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Sat., June 14, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis Weather: Partly Cloudy, 76 degrees Attendance: 9,207 Scoring Summary IND – Jack Blake (Aodhan Quinn) 45+2′ Indy Eleven Line-Up: Hunter Sulte, James Musa, Pat Hogan, Ben Ofeimu, Finn McRobb (Hayden White 69’), James Murphy (Brem Soumaoro 77’), Bruno Rendon, Aodhan Quinn (Elliot Collier 84’), Cam Lindley, Jack Blake (Maalique Foster 69’), Elvis Amoh (Edward Kizza 69’). Indy Eleven Subs Not Used: Reice Charles-Cook, Josh O’Brien. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Eric Dick, Guillaume Vacter, Sean Suber, Illal Osumanu (Beto Ydrach 27’), Luke Biasi (Jorge Garcia 80’), Jackson Walti (Bertin Jacquesson 80’), Robbie Mertz, Bradley Sample (Charles Ahl 45’), Perrin Barnes (Junior Etou 80’), Augi Williams, Danny Griffin. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Subs Not Used: Aidan O’Toole, Jacob Randolph. Blake is Back Indy Eleven midfielder Jack Blake made his first appearance of 2026 and scored a goal, but it wasn’t enough as the Boys in Blue fell 2-1 to Union Omaha in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round action at Carroll Stadium. Blake entered in the 67th minute with his team playing down a man after goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook was issued a red card in the 59th. In the 93rd minute, Blake chipped a left-footed ball from outside the area to the corner of the six to Bruno Rendon, but his shot was stopped. Thirty seconds later, midfielder Josh O’Brien started the scoring sequence with a cross from the right side that was deflected into the edge of the area, where defender Logan Neidlinger volleyed it on goal. Union Omaha goalkeeper Cole Jensen made the save, but the rebound came out to Blake, who buried it with his left foot. 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round Indy Eleven 1:2 Union Omaha Tue., Mar. 31, 2026 – 7:00 p.m. ET Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis Weather: Cloudy, 81 degrees Scoring Summary OMA – Samuel Owusu (Diego Gutierrez) 75’ OMA – Kempes Tekiela (Adrian Billhardt) 83’ IND – Jack Blake 90+3’ Discipline Summary OMA – Brent Kallman (caution) 50’ IND – Reice Charles-Cook (ejection) 59’ Indy Eleven Line-Up: Reice Charles-Cook (ejection 59’), Alejandro Mitrano, Hesron Barry, Makel Rasheed, Logan Neidlinger, Mikah Thomas (Bruno Rendon 67’), Noble Okello (Aodhan Quinn 45’), Cam Lindley (captain) (Josh O’Brien 45’), Allen Gavilanes (Eric Dick 61’), Kian Williams (Jack Blake 67’), Edward Kizza. Indy Eleven Subs Not Used: Anthony Herbert, Loïc Mesanvi. Indy Eleven USL Era (2018-) Goals (All Competitions) Jack Blake 26 2023- Tyler Pasher 24 2018-20 Sebastian Guenzatti 16 2023-24 Manuel Arteaga 15 2021-22 Aodhan Quinn 13 2023- Stéfano Pinho-13 (2022-23) Ayoze-13 (2018-22) Indy Eleven Appearances (All Competitions) 1. Ayoze-126 (2018-22) 2. Cam Lindley-119 (2020, 2023-) 3. Brad Ring-115 (2014-18) 4. Karl Ouimette-108 (2018-22) 5. Jack Blake-101 (2023-) 5. Don Smart-101 (2014-17) Aodhan Quinn USL Championship All-Time Rankings Games Started | 279 | 1st Assists | 61 | 2nd Minutes | 24,468 | 2nd Appearances | 293 | 3rd Most Seasons with a Goal in USL Championship History Dane Kelly – 12 Augi Williams – 11* T-3. Aodhan Quinn – 10* T-3. Alex Dixon – 10 T-3. Enzo Martinez – 10 Most USLC Regular Seasons with 10 Assists Aodhan Quinn – 3 (2018-OC, 2021-PHX, 2025-IND) Kenardo Forbes – 2 (2022-PIT, 2023-PIT) Antoine Hoppenot – 2 (2018-RNO; 2022-DET) USL Championship Regular Season Goal Contributions Dane Kelly 132 (106 goals, 26 assists) Enzo Martinez 131 (78 goals, 53 assists) Aodhan Quinn 118 (57 goals, 61 assists) USL Championship Regular Season 50 Goals & 50 Assists Enzo Martinez – 78 goals, 53 assists Aodhan Quinn – 57 goals, 61 assists Solomon Asante – 52 goals, 58 assists USL Championship Assists in Consecutive Games Streaks Aodhan Quinn (PHX) 5 2021 Aodhan Quinn (OC) 4 2018 Aodhan Quinn (IND) 4 May 3-28, 2025 USL Championship Regular Season Shutout % (min. 30) Eric Dick 37.2% (32 Clean Sheets, 86 Games Played) 2026 USL Championship Stats Individual Category Player Rank Total Chances Created-Aodhan Quinn T2, 10 Goals-Bruno Rendon T6, 2 Blocks-Aodhan Quinn T7, 4 Shots-Charlie Sharp T8, 8 Bruno Rendon T16, 7 Crosses-Aodhan Quinn T9, 21 Cam Lindley T19, 16 Shots on Target-Bruno Rendon T10, 4 Charlie Sharp T10, 4 Aerial Duels Won-Noble Okello T10, 14 Assists-Lindley, O’Brien T11, 1 Rendon, Thomas T11, 1 Team Category Rank Total Goals Conceded-T8, 4 Shots-T11, 45 Team Highs/Lows Single-Match Highs Shots: 17 | Mar. 8 at BKN, Mar. 21 vs. DET SOT: 7 | Mar. 21 vs. DET Possession: 42.5% | Mar. 8 at BKN Corners: 5 | Mar. 8 at BKN, Mar. 21 vs. DET Single-Match Lows Shots: 10 | Mar. 28 at HFD SOT: 4 | Mar. 8 at BKN, Mar. 28 at HFD Possession: 29% | Mar. 21 vs. DET Corners: 2 | Mar. 28 at HFD Opponent Highs Shots: 18 | Mar. 21 vs. DET SOT: 5 | Mar. 8 at BKN Possession: 71% | Mar. 21 vs. DET Corners: 11 | Mar. 21 vs. DET Opponent Lows Shots: 10 | Mar. 28 at HFD SOT: 3 | Mar. 28 at HFD Possession: 57.5% | Mar. 8 at BKN Corners: 5 | Mar. 8 at BKN, Mar. 28 at HFD Coach Sean McAuley Head coach Sean McAuley earned the USLC “Coach of the Month” in May 2024 and he was nominated for USLC Midseason “Coach of the Year” after leading his team to a 12-match unbeaten streak in a two-month span from April 17-June 15. The Sheffield, England, native led Indy Eleven to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals with four straight victories, including a 2-1 triumph at MLS-side Atlanta United on July 9. In 2025, Indy Eleven continued its run of Cup success under McAuley with a 4-0-3 record in cup play. The Boys in Blue won their U.S. Open Cup Third Round match vs. Miami FC on Hayden’s White’s stoppage-time goal from Cam Lindley. In the Round of 32, Indy Eleven played MLS Supporters Shield winner Philadelphia Union to a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes, before falling in penalty kicks. In the franchise’s first appearance in the USL Cup, the Boys in Blue won their group with an undefeated record that included a victory in PK’s (7-6) vs. Birmingham Legion FC and a 2-1 triumph over eventual USL-C finalist FC Tulsa. McAuley is in his third season in Indy after previously serving as interim head coach/assistant at MLS-side Minnesota United FC. McAuley helped Minnesota to playoff appearances in his first three seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2020. In 2015, he hoisted the MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers. McAuley began his playing career with Manchester United and played for Portland Timbers and the Scottish U-21 National Team. ALL: 35-30-18 (.530) | USOC: 6-2-1 | USL Cup: 3-0-2 | USLC: 26-27-15 2026 Roster Breakdown Goalkeepers (3): Reice Charles-Cook, Eric Dick, Ryan Hunsucker Defenders (9): Hesron Barry, Paco Craig, Anthony Herbert, Pat Hogan, Alejandro Mitrano, Josh O’Brien, Makel Rasheed, Mikah Thomas, Hayden White Midfielders (6): Jack Blake, Allen Gavilanes, Cam Lindley, Logan Neidlinger, Noble Okello, Aodhan Quinn Forwards (6): Edward Kizza, Loic Mesanvi, Bruno Rendon, Charlie Sharp, Dylan Sing, Kian Williams Newcomers (13) USL-C (6): Paco Craig (North Carolina), Eric Dick (Pittsburgh), Allen Gavilanes (Miami), Anthony Herbert (Las Vegas), Alejandro Mitrano (Miami), Noble Okello (Phoenix) USL League One (1): Makel Rasheed (South Georgia Tormenta) MLS NEXT Pro (5): Hesron Barry (New England), Loic Mesanvi (Minnesota), Charlie Sharp (Toronto), Dylan Sing (Charlotte), Mikah Thomas (Charlotte) Canadian Premier League (1): Kian Williams (Valour FC) Player Transactions Mar. 16, 2026: Signed GK Ryan Hunsucker to Academy Contract. Mar. 12, 2026: Acquired D Mikah Thomas on loan from Charlotte Mar. 2, 2026: Signed F Loic Mesanvi from Minnesota United (MLS) Jan. 21, 2026: Signed D Paco Craig from North Carolina (USL-C) Jan. 20, 2026: Signed D Hesron Barry from New England (MLSN) Jan. 15, 2026: Signed M Noble Okello from Phoenix (USL-C) Jan. 12, 2026: Signed F Kian Williams from Valour FC (CPL) Jan. 8, 2026: Signed D Alejandro Mitrano from Miami (USL-C) Jan. 7, 2026: Signed D Anthony Herbert from Las Vegas (USL-C) Dec. 18 2025: Signed M Allen Gavilanes from Miami (USL-C) Dec. 11, 2025: Signed D Makel Rasheed from South Georgia Tormenta (USL League One) Dec. 9, 2025: Signed GK Eric Dick from Pittsburgh (USL-C) Dec. 4, 2025: Signed F Dylan Sing from Charlotte FC (MLS) Dec. 2, 2025: Signed F Charlie Sharp from Toronto FC (MLS) Nov. 26, 2025: Announced 10 players returning from 2025: M Jack Blake, GK Reice Charles-Cook, D Pat Hogan, F Edward Kizza, M Cam Lindley, M Logan Neidlinger, D Josh O’Brien, M Aodhan Quinn, F Bruno Rendon, and D Hayden White. ====================================================================== INDIANA SOFTBALL HOOSIERS FALL SHORT IN WESTWOOD LOS ANGELES, Calif. ––– Despite leading through five innings, Indiana lost in a 5-4 battle at No. 9 UCLA on Friday night (April 3) in Easton Stadium. A 3-run UCLA bomb in the sixth inning proved to be the difference and propelled the Bruins’ comeback. With the loss, Indiana is now 27-8 on the season and 7-3 in the Big Ten. GAME 1: No. 9 UCLA 5, INDIANA 4 *UCLA leads the series, 1-0 KEY MOMENTS • Indiana’s defense set the tone early, as it ended the first inning with a 6-4-3 double play to keep the score at 0-0. • After a scoreless first two innings, Aly VanBrandt broke the tie with a double to left field to score Jada Ellison and Cassidy Kettleman and put IU up 2-0. • Megan Grant and the Bruins countered in the bottom of the inning as she doubled to help bring home one run and make it a 2-1 game. • Alex Cooper doubled to left center and scored Alli Gavin to give Indiana an insurance run in the top of the fifth. • After a bases loaded walk to score one for UCLA and cut the lead down to 3-2, Brooke Mannon struck out Bri Alejandre and pitched to a groundout to escape the jam and keep the lead. • Rylee Slimp hit a 3-run home run over the right center wall to put UCLA up 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth. • Indiana was able to score one run on the game’s final play, before the double play concluded the action. NOTABLES • Tonight’s game was the first regular season contest as conference opponents between both softball programs. • Indiana used four pitchers tonight and each allowed no more than two runs. • Taylor Hess threw three-straight strikeouts spanning from the third to fourth innings. • Six different Hoosiers registered a hit. UP NEXT Indiana will be back in Easton Stadium tomorrow night for a 9 p.m. game (ET) against the Bruins. ================================================================= INDIANA BASEBALL HOOSIERS SET TONE IN WEEKEND OPENER BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (11-18, 4-9 B1G) put up one of the best performances of the head coach Jeff Mercer era on Friday (April 3) evening. A dominant display from graduate student Tony Neubeck on the mound and a variety of two-out hitting helped spark an 11-0 (F/7) run-rule victory over Rutgers (15-14, 4-6 B1G) to start the month of April. Neubeck (W, 3-3) was in command from the jump. He forced early contact to collect outs in quick succession while mixing all of his pitches for strikes. He allowed just three hits over six scoreless innings while striking out eight batters. Over his last five starts, he has 39 strikeouts to just seven walks. In all three Big Ten appearances at Bart Kaufman Field, Neubeck has produced a quality start on a Friday. His offense helped alleviate some stress off his plate with six runs in the first four innings. Home runs from sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley (two-run), sophomore third baseman Will Moore (three-run) and sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny (two-run) was more than enough for the veteran southpaw. All nine players in IU’s order produced a hit. Denny finished just a triple short of the cycle after hitting a ball to the warning track in his final at-bat. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel needed just 11 pitches to close out the final inning of work. It was his seventh-straight scoreless outing and helped finish off IU’s first shutout win of the year. The win was the first shutout of a Big Ten team since blanking Iowa, 5-0, in last year’s Big Ten Tournament (May 22, 2025). IU has won all three Friday games at home in conference play this season. IU will go for the series tomorrow (April 4) evening in Bloomington. First pitch will be moved back to the evening with official word to be released soon. The game will be streamed on B1G+. Scoring Recap Bottom Third Jake Hanley opened the scoring with a two-run home run to right field. Indiana 2, Rutgers 0 Bottom Fourth Will Moore broke out in a big way with a three-run blast to left-center field. An RBI single from Jake Hanley extended the lead in the inning. Indiana 6, Rutgers 0 Bottom Sixth Hogan Denny launched a no-doubt, two-run home run over the scoreboard. Brayden Ricketts was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the inning to score another run. Cooper Malamazian would score on a wild pitch before an RBI single from Cole Decker put the run-rule into effect. Indiana 11, Rutgers 0 Top Hoosier Performers #29 Neubeck, Tony 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 K, 0 BB #2 Denny, Hogan 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R #34 Hanley, Jake 2-3, HR, 3 RBI Inside the Box Score • All nine players in the IU order provided at least one hit. Hogan Denny and Jake Hanley each had multiple hits. • IU’s two-man pitching staff didn’t walk a single batter and struck out 10 Rutgers’ batters. • Three players went deep in the game, all for multiple runs. Notes to Know • Graduate student left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck produced his third quality start in three outings at Bart Kaufman Field this year. In the three Big Ten games at home on the year, Neubeck has worked 18.0 innings while allowing just four runs. He’s walked two batters in those games compared to 25 strikeouts. • For the first time since May 15, 2022 (vs. Minnesota – W, 12-0), IU worked a shutout of a Big Ten opponent while also scoring 10-or-more runs. It was the 15th shutout of the Jeff Mercer era (since 2019) and the first at Bart Kaufman Field since an 8-0 win over Purdue last year (May 9, 2025). • All three home runs on Friday night came from its deep sophomore class. It’s the third time in their careers that three different members of that recruiting class all hit a home run in the same game. The production came from the bats of first baseman Jake Hanley, outfielder Hogan Denny and third baseman Will Moore in the win over Rutgers. • Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie returned to the lineup on Friday and provided another hit to his season tally. He’s now riding a 10-game hitting streak, by far the longest of his young career. Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker pushed his team-best reached base streak to 14-straight games. Up Next The middle game of this weekend’s series is set for Saturday (April 4) evening in Bloomington. First pitch will be moved back to tomorrow night and will be available on B1G+ and online via IUHoosiers.com/Audio. =============================================================== PURDUE BASEBALL ROGERS LAYS OUT FOR CAPTIVATING CATCH IN GAME 1 WIN WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Brandon Rogers sacrificed his body while making a run-saving catch at the wall in center field to end the top of the sixth, helping Cole Van Assen take a no-hitter into the seventh inning as Purdue Baseball defeated Illinois 6-1 Friday at Alexander Field. The Boilermakers (20-9, 8-5 Big Ten) registered their 20th win of the season while winning for the seventh time in their last eight home games. April 3 represents the third-earliest date on the calendar that Purdue has reached the 20-win mark. Only the 2025 (March 25) and 2012 (March 31) teams achieved the benchmark earlier in a year. The Boilermakers scored in the first inning and led throughout on a day in which Van Assen posted six consecutive zeros to begin the game. A leadoff single from Illinois (14-14, 6-7 Big Ten) cleanup hitter AJ Putty in the top of the seventh ended Van Assen’s no-hit bid. Rogers’ fearlessness while making a diving catch in sixth inning had the greatest impact on the game. With runners on second and third and two outs, Rogers ran down a rocket off the bat of Jack Zebig. He dove into the bottom of the center field wall, with his head and shoulder hitting the unpadded bottom of the fence. Rogers remarkably held onto the ball while being injured on the play. After receiving medical attention from athletic trainer Kayla Wincko along with a wellness check from the Purdue coaching staff and his teammates, Rogers was able to get to his feet and eventually walk-off the field under his own power. He was lifted in favor of a pinch hitter when his spot in the lineup came up in the bottom half of the frame. After being examined for a concussion, Rogers was able to remain in the dugout for the remainder of the game. Avery Moore (3-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI) and Sam Flores (3-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R) continued their hot hitting while combining for five of the Boilermakers’ six RBI. Moore delivered a two-out RBI single in the first inning and a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the fifth to put Purdue in front 5-0. Flores doubled in front of Moore’s RBI single in the first inning, improved to 12-for-17 with runners in scoring in Big Ten play with an RBI single in the fifth, and hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Moore is 7-for-19 with four extra-base hits and eight RBI over the last four games since returning to the starting lineup. STREAKS EXTENDED • Sam Flores – 8-game hit; 5-game hit in Big Ten play • Aaron Manias – 8-game on-base; 5-game on-base in Big Ten play • Westin Boyle – 9-game on-base at home • Dylan Drake – 8-game hit at home • Eli Anderson – 8-game hit at home • Avery Moore – 5-game on-base in Big Ten play An RBI ground out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning denied Purdue of its first shutout in Big Ten play since May 2024 at Michigan. Thomas Howard backed up Van Assen yet again as the first man out of the bullpen on a Friday. Howard induced an inning-ending double play ball to Flores at third base to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning. The Illini’s first two batters reached base safely the following frame, but Howard regrouped and retired the 2-3-4 batters in order. Van Assen gave up just the one hit vs. 22 batters faced. Purdue’s ace enjoyed a quality start for the second Friday in a row, working six scoreless innings for the second time in his collegiate career. He retired 13 of 14 batters during his finest stretch, working all three of his 1-2-3 innings during that stretch. Dylan Drake and Westin Boyle teamed up to turn a nifty inning-ending 4-6-3 double play in the first inning, with Boyle executing a 360-degree spin while serving as the keystone at the second base bag. Illinois had a runner at third with no outs in the third inning, but Van Assen pitched over the leadoff walk and throwing error on a failed pickoff. A strikeout and a foul pop up allowed Purdue to return its infield to normal depth and Boyle made a nice pick on an in-between hop on a sharp grounder to shortstop. Van Assen went on to retire nine in a row. Purdue’s first four batters of the fourth inning all put the first pitch of their at-bats in play. Aaron Manias and Avery Moore connected for consecutive singles. CJ Richmond was initially called out at first on a 4-6-3 double play, but the ruling at first was overturned by a video review. Jackson Bessette made the extra out count when he executed a squeeze bunt to score Manias on the first pitch of his at-bat. Manias was 2-for-2 with two hit by pitch to raise hit team-leading on-base percentage to .519. Rogers’ career-best 21-game on-base streak came to an end when he had to leave the game due to injury. Rogers was robbed of a hit on a diving play by Illinois third baseman Kyle Schupmann in the first inning. In what proved to be his final plate appearance, Rogers bunted with Eli Anderson at first base. Flores followed with his RBI single up the middle. Purdue ended a six-game home losing streak vs. Illinois that dated back to April 2021. The series continues Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The start time was moved back from the originally scheduled 2 p.m. due to rain in the forecast. =================================================================== PURDUE SOFTBALL WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Boilermakers (25-11, 5-5 Big Ten) fell short to the Wisconsin Badgers (20-11, 6-4 Big Ten) on Friday afternoon at Bittinger Field. In the second inning Wisconsin plated all three of their runs, while Perez worked five scoreless frames in relief after. BOILER BITS Offensive Highlights Moriah Polar: 1-for-3 Maura Condon: 1-for-2 Kylie Franks: 1-for-2 Pitching Breakdown Brianna Fontenot: (L, 8-4) 2.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 14 BF Brooke Perez: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 21 BF Wisconsin threatened early, loading the bases to open the game, but the Boilermakers’ defense did not allow any runs in the first. The Boilermakers broke up the perfect game in the fourth when Moriah Polar recorded the first hit of the game for the Boilers. Polar is the first player for the Boilermakers to have a 70-hit season since Andie Varsho in 2014. In the fourth inning, Perez delivered a key strikeout to strand a Badger runner, continuing her scoreless relief effort in the circle. Maura Condon recorded Purdue’s second hit during the fifth, and Kylie Franks posted another in the sixth. The game remained steady through the seventh when Brooke Perez recorded another strikeout, leaving the Badgers scoreless since their three runs in the third. Though the Boilers had runners on in the fourth and the sixth, they were unable to break through, giving Wisconsin its sixth win in conference play. For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball). ================================================================= NOTRE DAME BASEBALL RALEIGH, N.C. – The Notre Dame baseball team was stopped short in a 7-3 final at NC State on Friday night at Doak Field at Dail Park. Noah Coy hit a one-out single and moved to second on an errant throw on a pick-off attempt. Mark Quatrani then got the Irish on the scoreboard with a double down the right field line for the quick 1-0 lead. Jack Radel retired the Wolfpack in order in the first, and the junior righty responded after a home run by NC State by striking out three of the next four batters as the game was knotted up at 1-1 through two complete. Radel and the defense forced the Wolfpack into stranding runners on the corners in the bottom of the third. NC State plated a run in the bottom of the fourth before the Irish turned a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. The Irish drew even in top of the fifth as Bino Watters delivered a clutch two-out single to left field to drive in Drew Berkland from third base. Jack Radel, meanwhile, used a pair of fastballs to strike out back-to-back batters in the bottom of the fifth to flip the game over to the sixth. Radel then struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth to reach double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season and fourth time in his career. The Wolfpack, however, scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to go ahead 5-2. Jayce Lee gave the Irish a spark with a solo home run to lead off the top of the eighth to make it a 5-3 game. NC State countered with a pair in the bottom half of the inning to gain a 7-3 lead. The Irish comeback was unable to come to fruition in the 7-3 final on Friday night. Noah Coy went 2-for-4 at the dish with a run and a walk, and Dylan Passo added a 2-for-4 effort at the plate. Jayce Lee belted a solo home run and walked once. Mark Quatrani had a double and drove in a run, and Jamie Zee notched a double and a walk. Mason Barth and Bino Watters each had a hit while Drew Berkland walked once and scored a run. Jack Radel went 6.1 innings on the mound and shouldered the loss. Radel struck out 10 on the night, marking his third double-digit strikeout effort of the season and fourth of his career. Eli Thurmond went one-third of an inning, and Aiden Zerr added 1.1 on the bump for the Irish. Notre Dame (15-11, 6-8 ACC) closes out the series against the Wolfpack with a Saturday contest starting at 1:00 p.m. ET. ================================================================= NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of Notre Dame softball team fell Friday night, 0-10 in five innings to No. 6/10 Florida State. The Irish are now 16-21 on the year and 5-9 in ACC play. Tenley Sweet logged a double in the third inning, her third double of the season. The Irish also drew two walks, one each from Ava Zachary and Caroline O’Brien. Notre Dame will look to salvage the series finale tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on ACC Network. ================================================================= BUTLER BASEBALL PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Butler came from behind to defeat Villanova 7-5 on Friday afternoon with a four-run ninth inning. With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 10-20 overall and 2-0 in BIG EAST play while the Wildcats slide to 10-16 and 0-2 in conference action. BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS Logan Crock recorded a hit and an RBI. Matthew Rhoades tallied a hit and a run scored. Gavin Gilmore recorded a home run, three RBIs and a walk. Will White went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run. Logan Baker recorded a home run. Gunnar Duncan tallied a hit and a run scored. Danny Gavin scored a run and earned a walk. Max Winders tossed six innings, allowing eight hits and four earned runs while punching out three. Alex Kanipe earned the win on the mound, tossing one inning allowing only one hit and one run while punching out two. Brock Buckley earned the save on the mound for BU, tossing one inning, allowing no hits and no runs. HOW IT HAPPENED The first frame was scoreless for both sides. Villanova got on the board first in the second with a solo home run from Collin Quintano. Butler responded in the third with an RBI single from Crock as the Dawgs evened the score at 1-1. The fourth was scoreless for both sides. In the fifth, an RBI triple from the Wildcats gave the home side a 2-1 advantage. Butler was able to battle back, retaking the lead with the help of a two-run home run from Gilmore in the top of the sixth as BU took the 3-2 lead into the bottom half of the inning. Villanova responded with an RBI triple in the bottom half of the sixth as the Wildcats took back the lead at 4-3. The seventh was scoreless for both sides. In the eighth, VU put together a two-out rally behind a double and an intentional walk. An error from the Butler defense allowed Villanova to score a run as the home side took the 5-3 lead. Butler entered the ninth down two and started the frame with a leadoff walk from Ayers. In the ensuing at-bat, White belted a two-run home run to deep right field, evening the score at 5-5. After the homer, Baker stepped up to the dish and hit a solo shot to left field, giving Butler the 6-5 advantage. Butler wasn’t done yet as the Dawgs were able to load the bases with two outs. A walk allowed BU to scratch another run across before the home side grabbed the final out of the inning as the Dawgs took the 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth. The Bulldogs were able to fend off the Wildcats’ comeback efforts in the bottom of the ninth as Butler secured the series victory, with a 7-5 win. UP NEXT Butler and Villanova will return to action tomorrow for game three of the series. First pitch is slated for 12:05 p.m. at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth and fans can stream the game live on ESPN+. ===================================================================== BUTLER SOFTBALL INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler softball team was unable to get on the board in game three of a BIG EAST series with Creighton as the Bluejays (20-20, 9-3 BIG EAST) scored runs in three separate innings en route to a 7-0 win. The Bulldogs (17-12, 9-3 BIG EAST), who took game two of the series on Thursday, are now tied with Creighton at second place in the BIG EAST standings, just behind Providence (15-3, 7-2 BIG EAST). Creighton scored one run in the first, on a sacrifice fly, and then added three in the fourth on a walk and three hits. The Bluejays added their final three runs in the sixth using three singles and back-to-back doubles. Makena Alexander, Kayla Preiss, and Alona Boydston were the three Bulldogs who produced a hit in the contest. Maren Berger (1-3) started in the circle for Butler and took the loss. In 5.0 innings, she allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks. Alyx Johnson (1.0-IP, 3R, 5H, K) and Kate Murray (1.0-IP, H) each provided one inning of relief. Up Next Butler will travel to Bloomington, Ind., to play the Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday, April 8. The Bulldogs will then host UConn for a three-game BIG EAST series from Friday-Sunday, April 10-12. ==================================================================== IU INDY SOFTBALL DETROIT – The IU Indy Jaguars split a Horizon League doubleheader at Detroit Mercy on Friday afternoon, falling 11-3 in six innings in game one before bouncing back with an 18-12 win in a high-scoring second game. In the opener, the Jaguars struck first behind a solo home run from Paige McPhearson in the first inning and added another run in the second on an RBI single from Adeline Blackwell. However, Detroit Mercy responded with a four-run second inning and never looked back, adding three runs in the fourth and continuing to build separation late. McPhearson and Callie Dickerson each homered for IU Indy, but the Titans totaled 11 runs on 11 hits to secure the run-rule victory in game one. Blackwell totaled two hits in game one to lead the Jags at the plate. IU Indy’s offense erupted in game two, plating 18 runs on 15 hits to even the series. The Jaguars used a three-run third inning to take control early and broke the game open with a four-run fifth that included a homer from Dickerson and a three-run blast from Ana Powell. Despite building a large lead, the Jaguars had to withstand an 11-run sixth inning from Detroit Mercy that briefly gave the lead to the Titans at 12-11. IU Indy answered in the seventh, scoring seven runs to regain control and secure the win. Piper Stephens and Alexa Holman each totaled three hits in game two while Dickerson and Powell each added three RBI. Clara Phariss earned the win in the circle for the Jags. IU Indy and Detroit Mercy will close out the three-game series with a single game tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. ==================================================================== BALL STATE SOFTBALL Ball State and Ohio split a doubleheader Friday afternoon at the Ball State Softball Complex, with Ohio limiting Cardinal bats in the second game after teams combined for 13 runs on 14 hits in game one. Ball State (15-16, 3-8 MAC) won the opening game 7-6 and the Bobcats (23-13, 6-5 MAC) earned a 6-3 win in a game delayed 64 minutes by lightning. Ohio led 6-1 at the time of the suspension, but Ball State staged a post-suspension rally that nearly brought the tying run to the plate. Addison Zimpleman walked to open the Cardinals’ final half-inning, then first-game hero Grace Spencer lifted a two-run homer to centerfield for her second round-tripper in two games. Paige Kelly’s speed earned an infield single with no outs for Ball State, but the Bobcats retired three final Ball State hitters to quell the rally and secure the split. Spencer was the Cardinals’ hitting star for both games, totaling seven RBI out of Ball State’s 10 total runs. Put in perspective, the senior outfielder who batted eighth for the Cardinals had two career RBI over 70 games played entering the day. In the opener, Spencer’s first career homer was a three-run shot to right field that gave Ball State a 7-5 advantage in the fifth inning, and erased an early deficit. Ashlee Lovett and Grace Gray scored in front of her. Ohio had built a 4-1 lead, and led 5-3, before the Cardinals struck for four runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Paige Kelly scored on Ella Whitney’s sacrifice fly to pull within 5-4 in the fourth and set the stage for Spencer’s dramatic drive in the fifth. Bridie Murphy (4-3) collected the win for Ball State while pitching six innings in the victory. Ohio put two runners on base to start the seventh inning, when Murphy gave way to Brinkley Kita. A sacrifice bunt by the Bobcats put runners at second and third, but consecutive fly balls ended the contest as Kita earned her first save. Kita remained in the circle for Ball State in game two, but the Bobcat bats staked Ohio to their lead. Ohio used a double and three homers to score two runs in the second, three in the sixth and another in the seventh before the game was delayed by lightning, with none out following Colleen Bare’s leadoff homer. Following the resumption in play, Ohio sandwiched a walk between three outs as Ball State readied for its late rally. Game three of the series will be played on Saturday, already moved up to 11 a.m., to account for more inclement weather crossing East Central Indiana. ================================================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL OXFORD, Ohio – The Ball State baseball team couldn’t keep up with Miami and fell 20-4 to the RedHawks on Friday afternoon at McKie Field. The Cardinals (15-14, 10-4 Mid-American Conference) got a solo home run from Ryan Muizelaar in the fourth inning and a two-run triple by John Colligan and RBI single by Jack Bakus in the seventh, but the RedHawks (19-10, 9-5 MAC) plated two runs each in the first and second frames and six in the third to build a 10-0 advantage early. Eight more runs in the fifth created more separation for Miami. Bakus had two hits in the final frame of the seven-inning game, while Gavin Balius posted a pair of hits as well including a double. Kendric Sorgius tallied a pinch hit double. The hosts were led offensively by Tommy Harrison who hit a grand slam among his three hits for seven RBI and three runs scored. Starting pitcher Clayton Burke (4-1) struck out four and went the distance to earn the win. Ball State starter Zach Kwasny (2-1) produced three strikeouts but allowed four runs in 1.1 innings pitched to suffer the loss. Saturday’s series finale has been moved up to a 10 a.m. start time. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE BASEBALL TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Mason Roell sparked the offense with a leadoff home run, Carter Beck connected on a grand slam, and Carson Seeman went 4.2 innings in shutout relief as Indiana State topped UIC 10-3 on Friday night at Bob Warn Field. Game Time Update: Saturday’s game time will be determined following weather evaluation in the morning and will be announced on both GoSycamores.com and the Indiana State Baseball social media channels. The Sycamores (16-14, 6-2) rallied back from a 3-1 second inning deficit with Carter Beck’s third grand slam of the 2026 season as Indiana State seized control of the game against UIC (8-19-1, 2-6) starter Brandon Bak (1-4). Indiana State added to the lead on Caleb Niehaus’ two-run single in the bottom of the third and Mason Roell added a late RBI single in the eighth inning as the Sycamores secured the series win over the Flames. Carson Seeman (3-0) entered the contest with Indiana State trailing 3-1 after starter Owen Roberts left the bases loaded in the second inning as UIC rallied early. Colin Husko put UIC on the board with an RBI single and Ashton Kampa connected on a sacrifice fly, before Jake Busson drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Flames ahead. Seeman promptly retired Will Flanigan on strikes to end the Flames’ rally. After Carter Beck connected on the two-out grand slam to right field in the bottom of the second to swing the edge back to the Sycamores, Seeman got to work retiring the first six batters he faced before surrendering a two-out Ashton Kampa double in the fourth. The Indiana State right-hander retired the next batter he faced on the way to retiring his final eight batters, striking out Vidal Colon to open the seventh before giving the ball over to Spencer Johnsen. The Indiana State left-hander took it the rest of the way allowing just a single and a walk in the eighth, before retiring the Flames in order in the ninth to close out the Sycamore win. Caleb Niehaus went 3-for-3 from the plate with a triple, two RBIs, and two runs scored, while Emil Estrella added a three-hit day at the plate with a double in the Sycamores’ win. Mason Roell and Jeremy Martinez both finished with multi-hit contests. Carson Seeman worked 4.2 innings allowing one hit while striking out three in his third win of the season. Spencer Johnsen went 2.2 innings allowing one hit while striking out three in relief, while Owen Roberts worked the first 1.2 in the start. Brandon Bak took the loss for the Flames allowing nine hits and eight runs (seven earned) while walking three and striking out two in 2.1 innings. Jared Lessman pitched 4.0 shutout innings in relief with six strikeouts, while Payton Barton and Charlie Taczy closed out the final 1.2 innings. How They Scored Mason Roell helped the Sycamores take the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as the Indiana State third baseman connected on a leadoff solo home run. UIC plated three runs in the top of the second inning as Colin Huski connected on an RBI single through the right side and Ashton Kampa connected on a sacrifice fly scoring Kale Jensen, before Jake Busson drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Flames ahead 3-1. The Sycamores retook the lead in the bottom of the second as Carter Beck connected on a grand slam over the wall in right field scoring Caleb Niehaus, Colin Sander, and Jeremy Martiez to put Indiana State ahead 5-3. Indiana State added to the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Caleb Niehaus connected on a two-run single to center scoring Nick Sutherlin and Jeremy Martinez, before Colin Sander scored on Nomar Garcia’s fielder’s choice to make it an 8-3 lead. The Sycamores plated their final two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as Caleb Niehaus tripled and came around to score on a UIC error, before Mason Roell singled in Nomar Garcia to provide the final 10-3 scoring margin. News and Notes Carter Beck extended his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games on Friday night as the junior outfielder connected on the second inning grand slam. Carter Beck’s multi-hit game streak came to an end on Friday night after being held to just one hit for the first time since his hitting streak began back on March 15 against Gonzaga. Mason Roell homered for the second consecutive game and sixth time over the last six games as the sophomore third baseman took the overall Indiana State home run lead with his eighth blast of the season. Mason Roell is on a seven-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 contests, 12 of his last 14 dating back to March 7 against Western Kentucky. All nine Sycamores in the starting lineup reached base safely on Friday night. Caleb Niehaus continued his hot streak at the plate going 3-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Niehaus has posted an 8-for-13 line at the plate with two doubles, a triple, a home run, and 11 RBIs while scoring five runs this week. Emil Estrella added a three-hit game on Friday night, while Mason Roell and Jeremy Martinez had multi-hit contests. Carter Beck’s second-inning grand slam marked his third grand slam of the 2026 season and Indiana State’s seventh overall as a team. Carter Beck joins Emil Estrella in sitting tied for the team lead with three grand slams apiece in 2026. Carson Seeman worked a career-high 4.2 innings in relief on Friday night as the senior right-hander allowed just one hit and struck out three in picking up his third win of the season. Spencer Johnsen tied his season-high with three strikeouts on Friday night, marking his fourth game in 2026 with three strikeouts. Up Next Indiana State is scheduled to continue the series against UIC on Saturday. Game time will be determined and announced on Saturday morning following an evaluation of the weather. The game will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend. ================================================================== PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team defeated Queens in four sets (25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24) on Friday night (April 3) to complete the season sweep over the Lions. The Mastodons hit 10 service aces for just the second time this season, along with a hitting percentage over .400 in three of the four sets in the contest. The ‘Dons started off round two firing, hitting five service aces and a .625 hitting percentage in the frame. Purdue Fort Wayne used an early 11-1 scoring stretch, fueled by three aces from Vincent Spadoni and three kills by Ethan Skalski. The Mastodons cruised through the remainder of the set, taking the opening frame 25-17. Queens opened the second set with a 9-3 run, including a stretch of four unanswered points. Despite the ‘Dons hitting .462 in the set, The Lions’ match-high .417 hitting percentage held off any attempt for a 25-22 set equalizer. The Lions scored an early five unanswered in the third set, owning a 9-4 lead. Purdue Fort Wayne responded with a 9-2 run, leaning on another three kills from Skalski. The Mastodons put Queens away with a 7-2 run, finishing the frame at 25-20. The ‘Dons threatened to run away with the final set early, owning a 13-6 lead following a 10-2 Purdue Fort Wayne run. The Lions used scoring surges of 8-2 and 6-1 to even the score at 24-24. The Mastodons were able to end the match shortly after, winning 26-24 after two Queens errors. Freshmen Skalski (19) and Spadoni (15) led the match in kills. Spadoni also added four service aces. Joaquin Jones notched 42 assists in his first career start. No. 20 Purdue Fort Wayne climbs to 11-10 on the year, 6-8 in MIVA play. Queens falls to 6-19 for the season, 1-15 in MIVA play. The ‘Dons finish out regular season MIVA play by hosting No. 9 Loyola Chicago (April 9) and No. 16 Lewis (April 11) at the Gates Sports Center. ================================================================ SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball battled back to win the nightcap and earned a doubleheader split with SIU Edwardsville Friday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI dropped the opener, 9-7, but bounced back to win the nightcap, 7-6. Following the two games Friday, USI is 19-13 this season and 4-5 in the OVC, while SIUE is 16-15, 8-1 OVC. Game 1: USI could not dig itself out of an early 6-0 hole and lost the opening game, 9-7. SIUE built a 6-0 lead through the first three-and-a-half frames before USI could get on the board. The Screaming Eagles outscored the Cougars, 7-3, in the final five-and-a-half frames, but could not overcome leaving 10 runners on base between the fifth and the ninth innings. Graduate rightfielder Noah Foster led USI at the plate during the opening game, going five-for-five with three runs scored and a RBI. Senior shortstop Clayton Slack and senior catcher Micajah Wall followed with three hits each. On the bump, junior right-hander Ryan Weller started and took the loss for the Screaming Eagles. Weller (2-2) allowed six runs, five earned, on five hits and five walks, while striking out three in 3.1 innings of work. Game 2: USI senior designated hitter Micajah Wall broke a tie with a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh and the Screaming Eagles held on to win the nightcap, 7-6. The Screaming Eagles had leads of 2-0 and 5-2 early in the contest, but the Cougars fought back to tie the games both times. Wall would break the 5-5 tie for good in the seventh, hitting a towering drive over the left field wall for a 7-5 advantage. The Cougars would attempt a comeback in the ninth, loading the bases with one out and pulling to within one run, 7-6. USI senior right-hander Andres Gonzalez closed the door on the victory to earn his second save of the season. Junior right-hander Levin East posted his team-best fifth save of the season in relief. East threw 3.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and one walk, while striking out four. At the plate, junior catcher Drue Saenz led USI by going four-for-four with three runs scored, while Wall finished the nightcap by going three-for-four with three runs scored and two RBIs on the home run. The home run was Wall’s third of the season. Up Next for the Screaming Eagles: The Screaming Eagles finish their four-game homestand Monday when Bellarmine visits the USI Baseball Field for a 3 p.m. contest. USI hits the road for five games after the homestand, beginning at Butler Tuesday; continuing with a three-game set at Eastern Illinois April 10-12; and concluding at Ball State April 15. Bellarmine is 12-17 overall this spring and was finishing a homestand with Lipscomb University at home this weekend after press time. The Knights are 7-4 since defeating USI on March 18, 3-2. USI leads the all-time series with Bellarmine, 89-79, and is the series since moving to Division I, 6-3. =================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball struck early with runs in each of the first three innings on Friday afternoon at USI Softball Field to claim a 6-2 victory in the series finale over Morehead State University. USI Softball improved to 11-21 overall and 8-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference with Friday’s win, snapping a six-game skid. Morehead State dropped to 4-25 on the season with a 3-12 record in conference play. The Screaming Eagles got the offense going early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning off a pair of RBI singles from freshman infielder Jadyn Tinsley and sophomore designated player Grace Huffman. USI tacked on another run in the second inning to grab a 3-0 advantage. USI doubled its lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the third inning. The first run of the frame came on a bases-loaded walk to sophomore third baseman Jordan Mackey. In the next two at-bats, USI’s slap-hitting outfielders, freshman Katelyn Marx and senior Caroline Stapleton, each put the ball in play and drove in a run to add insurance to the Screaming Eagles’ lead. Stapleton finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Marx also posted two hits and had an RBI. Tinsley led the USI offense with three hits and notched an RBI. USI totaled eight hits in the game. Meanwhile, sophomore pitcher Kylie Witthaus was in a groove in the circle following the early run support from the offense. Witthaus kept Morehead State hitless until the fifth inning. Despite Morehead State scratching across a run in the fifth and sixth innings, Witthaus finished off her second-straight complete game to improve to 3-6 on the season. The left-hander struck out three and allowed only four hits. Morehead State used three pitchers in the contest. Starting pitcher Rylie Burney (0-6) was charged with the loss after surrendering three runs in two innings of work. The Screaming Eagles begin a two-week road swing in Ohio Valley Conference play next week, traveling to Tennessee Tech University for a three-game set on Saturday and Sunday. The series starts with a Noon doubleheader on Saturday, followed by the finale at Noon on Sunday. Coverage and live stat links for next week’s series are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com. ==================================================================== VALPO BASEBALL The Valparaiso University baseball team fell 6-0 to host Washington on Friday night in Seattle. The four Beacon hits came from two players as redshirt freshman Javin Gauthier (De Pere, Wis. / De Pere) and sophomore Michael Kuska (Pontiac, Ill. / Pontiac Township) notched two hits apiece, with Gauthier’s double accounting for the one Valpo extra-base knock of the night. How It Happened Washington got on the board in the bottom of the first, pushing across an unearned run for the game’s first tally. A bloop double down the right-field line drove in a run in the bottom of the second to extend the Huskies lead to 2-0. Washington scored three more in the bottom of the fifth, all unearned as a muffed catch error on a play at the plate extended the inning, and later a run-scoring single made it 4-0 and a double steal with runners at the corners extended the lead to five. Valpo starting pitcher Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) left after five innings in which he was charged with five runs but only one was earned. He struck out four and walked just one. The Beacons brought Ryan Kruse (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) into the game to work a scoreless sixth, then Joey Kafka (Mundelein, Ill. / Mundelein) followed suit in the seventh, using an around-the-horn double play to get out of the inning. The Huskies added a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth, accounting for the final score. That inning ended on a nice play by George Betevis (Hanover Park, Ill. / Bartlett), making a running catch while ramming into the fence in deep right center. Inside the Game Washington pitching posted high strikeout numbers for the second consecutive night, once against fanning 17 Beacons. This marked the first time Valpo was shut out since May 3 of last season in Game 2 of a doubleheader vs. UIC. Up Next The Beacons (7-19) and Huskies will close out the series on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on B1G+. =================================================================== SMALL INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/ MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/ INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/ EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/ WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/ FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/ ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/ ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/ DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/ HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/ MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/ HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/ OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/ IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/ IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/ PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/ INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/ ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/ GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/ HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/ VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index ========================================================= “SPORTS EXTRA” ========================================================= TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY APRIL 4 1911 Hugh Chalmers, an auto manufacturer, introduces and sponsors the Most Valuable Player award. The first winners, selected by a vote of one baseball writer representing each franchise in the league, will be Tigers outfielder Ty Cobb and Cubs pitcher Frank Schulte. Library of Congress – Benjamin K. Edwards Collection 1918 The Phillies trade infielder Bert Niehoff (.255, 2, 42) and send cash to the Cardinals for rookie right-hander Mule Watson. Niehoff will play just one more season before retiring, while Watson will pitch two seasons with Philadelphia, posting a 7-11 record before being traded to the Braves. 1948 Before an exhibition game in Orlando, with an ambulance driving the two participants, accompanied by a doctor and a pair of nurses, to the starting line, 84-year-old A’s manager Connie Mack challenges Clark Griffith, the 78-year-old owner of the Senators, to a foot race. The sprint from third base to home plate will end in a tie, which Commissioner Happy Chandler, who officiated the affair, describes as “a dead heat.” 1966 On the nationally-televised Hullabaloo, a program that showcases rock and roll groups, host Soupy Sales and his two sons, Tony and Hunt, perform Meet the Mets, with the unlikely tune accompanied by go-go dancers halfway through the song. The Sales’ children were featured on the program as guest musicians, appearing with their rock-and-roll band, Tony and the Tigers. 1968 Due to the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, most major league teams postponed their Opening Day games for five days, resuming after the reverend’s funeral. Surprisingly, at first, the Dodgers are the notable exception, even though the Phillies, their opponents on April 9, say they will forfeit rather than play on the national day of mourning. 1971 The Phillies dedicated the newly constructed Veterans Stadium, a name selected by the Philadelphia City Council to honor United States veterans of all wars. The new ballpark will be harshly criticized for its upper deck’s height and for many of its seats being so distant from the field that it is difficult to enjoy the game without binoculars. 1974 On Opening Day in Cincinnati, Hank Aaron, in front of a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium, tied Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record of 714 by hitting a first-inning two-run homer off Jack Billingham. The Atlanta front office had considered keeping ‘Hammerin’ Hank’ on the bench during road games so the slugger could try to equal the mark in front of the hometown fans, but commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put the outfielder into the lineup for at least two of the three games against the Reds. 1978 The Expos reveal their new mascot, Souki, an odd-looking character wearing an Expos uniform below a giant baseball head with antennae. The Mr. Met-like figure, whose rights sell for $50, will be released after one season, having proven unpopular with fans due to his strange looks and quirky behavior. 1988 In a 10-6 victory over the Expos, Kevin McReynolds and Darryl Strawberry each hit a pair of home runs, helping the Mets establish an Opening Day record with six homers. The ‘Strawman’s’ second shot, estimated at 525 feet, hits above the dome’s light rim and is believed to be the longest dinger ever stroked at Olympic Stadium. 1988 Blue Jay designated hitter George Bell becomes the first player to hit three home runs on Opening Day, helping Toronto defeat Kansas City at Royals Stadium, 5-3. The second, fourth, and eighth-inning round-trippers are all given up by Bret Saberhagen. 1989 Tommy John ties a record on Opening Day, playing in his 26th major league season. The 46-year-old veteran Yankee hurler beats the Twins, 4-2, for his 287th win, putting him 19th overall in career victories. 1994 On Opening Day at Wrigley Field, in the Cubs’ 12-8 loss to New York, Tuffy Rhodes, who had hit only five round-trippers in his first 280 major league at-bats, blasts three home runs on Opening Day, becoming the first player to homer in his first three at-bats of the season. The three solo round-trippers, all off Mets right-hander Dwight Gooden, will account for nearly half of the outfielder’s total for the year when he finishes the campaign with only eight round-trippers. 1994 First Lady Hillary Clinton becomes the first wife of a sitting president to throw the season’s ceremonial first pitch before the Cubs’ 12-8 Opening Day loss to the Mets at Wrigley Field. Bill’s spouse then joins Harry Caray in the broadcast booth and sings “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” with the beloved announcer during the seventh-inning stretch. 1994 A total of 56,706 fans attend the game at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day game at Yankee Stadium, making it the largest crowd ever at the new Yankee Stadium. The Bronx Bombers do not disappoint the faithful when Jimmy Key beats Kevin Brown and the Rangers, 5-3. 1994 In the inaugural game played at Jacobs Field, President Bill Clinton throws out the first ball, and ‘El Presidente’ Dennis Martinez throws the first pitch when the Indians defeat the Mariners in 11 innings, 4-3. With Bob Feller, the author of the only Opening Day no-hitter game in major league history, in attendance, Mariner southpaw Randy Johnson holds the Tribe hitless for the first seven innings. 1994 Eddie Murray becomes baseball’s all-time leader in games played at first base, covering the bag in 2,369 major league contests to surpass the mark set by Jake Beckley, a Hall of Famer whose career spanned from 1888 to 1907. After the top of the first inning, the 38-year-old Indian infielder carries the bag off the field, keeping it as a souvenir. 1998 En route to shattering the single-season mark for home runs, Mark McGwire homers in his fourth consecutive game to tie Willie Mays’ 1971 mark for most homers to start a season. Big Mac’s sixth-inning three-run Busch Stadium blast helps the Cardinals beat the Padres, 8-6. 1999 Opening Day starts in Mexico, making it the first time baseball’s first pitch comes outside the U.S. or Canada when the Rockies defeat the National League’s defending champs Padres, 8-2. Darryl Kile goes 6â…“ innings to win the Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey contest. 2000 At Safeco Field, Darren Lewis plays right field in Boston’s 2-0 victory over Seattle. The 32-year-old outfielder is the 13th different Red Sox player to start in that position on Opening Day over the past thirteen years. 2001 Hideo Nomo, throwing the earliest no-hitter in major league history, blanks the Orioles, 3-0 at Camden Yards in his first start in a Red Sox uniform. Second baseman Mike Lansing makes an outstanding play with one out in the ninth to preserve the Japanese-born hurler’s second career no-hitter. 2001 For the first time since June 7, 1995, the Indians do not have a sellout crowd at Jacobs Field. The streak of 455 consecutive full-house games, a major league record, will be broken by the Boston Red Sox in 2008. 2001 Vinny Castilla launches the longest home run at Tropicana Field when he hits a Joey Hamilton pitch 478 feet over the domed stadium’s left-field fence. The Devil Rays’ third baseman’s third-inning three-run blast is not enough to overcome the three round-trippers clobbered by Carlos Delgado in the team’s 11-8 loss to the Blue Jays. 2003 The Coneheads stage a reunion at Shea Stadium as David Cone returns to the mound after taking a year off and hurls an impressive five innings of shutout ball in the Mets’ 4-0 victory over the Expos. In memory of one of the founders of this unique group, which the friends started in 1988 based on an SNL skit, his buddies hang a banner featuring a picture of Scott Saber, killed during the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, wearing his Conehead. 2003 At Cincinnati’s new Great American Ball Park, Sammy Sosa becomes the first Latin American player and the 18th to hit 500 career home runs. ‘Slammin’ Sammy’ reaches the milestone in the seventh inning when he drives a Scott Sullivan 1-2 pitch into the right-field seats. 2005 Dmitri Young becomes the third major leaguer to hit three home runs on Opening Day, joining George Bell (Blue Jays, 1988) and Tuffy Rhodes (Cubs, 1994). The 31-year-old Tiger DH’s hat trick contributes to the team’s 11-2 rout of the Royals at Comerica Park. 2006 Kansas City voters approve a $250 million proposal to renovate Kauffman Stadium. The facelift of the 35-year-old Royals’ home will include the addition of dugout suites, new clubhouses, an exclusive restaurant, and the replacement of the orange seats throughout the stadium with new blue seats. 2006 Rain postpones a Padres home game for the first time since May 12, 1998, a span of 635 consecutive home games, mostly played at Qualcomm Stadium. The 16th rainout in the franchise’s 38-year history becomes the first washout at the club’s new home, Petco Park, which opened two seasons ago. 2007 Tuffy Rhodes becomes the first non-Japanese player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to drive in a thousand runs. Only two of the 28 players who have reached the milestone have accomplished the feat in fewer games. 2008 Carried by his momentum, trying to avoid the pitch, Astros catcher J.R. Towles does a handstand at home plate after getting hit above the knee during the second inning in Houston’s 4-3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. In his next at-bat, the 24-year-old backstop from Crosby (TX) hits a two-run homer, a feat he accomplishes standing on his feet. 2008 With fans chanting “Robbie, Robbie” before the home opener against Boston, the Blue Jays honor Roberto Alomar by inducting their former All-Star second baseman into the Toronto Level of Excellence. After the team plays a video montage of his career highlights in a darkened Rogers Centre, the dramatic pregame ceremony continues when a spotlight shines on second base, revealing the honoree. 2008 The Blue Jays announce reaching agreements with outfielder Alex Rios (.297, 24, 85) and second baseman Aaron Hill (.291, 17, 78) before their home opener. With the contract extension that begins next season, the 26-year-old Toronto fly-catcher will earn nearly $70 million over the next seven years, the second richest deal in franchise history, and the club’s newly signed infielder, also 26, inks a four-year contract worth $12 million. 2012 Joey Votto and the Reds agree to the longest guaranteed contract in major league history, a $251.5 million, 12-year deal. Second, only to A-Rod’s $275 million and $252 million pacts with the Rangers and Yankees, the dollar amount easily surpasses Ken Griffey Jr.’s nine-year, $116.5 million deal signed in 2000 as the richest in franchise history. 2014 Charlie Blackmon ties a team record established by Andres Galarraga in 1995, collecting six hits in the Rockies’ 12-2 rout of Arizona in the team’s home opener at Coors Field. The 27-year-old platoon outfielder is the first major leaguer to collect three doubles, two singles, and a home run in a major league game. 2016 The Dodgers hand the Padres the worst Opening Day shutout loss since at least 1913, and most likely in the game’s history, blanking the Friars at Petco Park, 15-0. The contest marked both skippers’ managerial debut, with LA’s Dave Roberts and San Diego’s Padres Andy Green piloting their first major league game. 2016 Although Felix Hernandez limits the Rangers to just one hit, the Mariners’ right-hander loses for the first time on Opening Day, snapping a streak of six victories to start his team’s season. Seattle had the opportunity to become the first franchise in modern baseball history to win ten consecutive season openers, but sloppy defense allowed three fifth-inning runs in the club’s 3-2 defeat to Texas at Globe Life Park. 2016 Trevor Story becomes the first player to hit two home runs in his first regular-season game on Opening Day and the fifth rookie to accomplish the feat in his major league debut. The 23-year-old Rockies shortstop hit both round-trippers off Diamondbacks’ ace Zack Greinke, a three-run home run in the third and a solo shot in the following frame of the team’s 10-5 victory over Arizona at Chase Field. 2017 Stephen Piscotty’s dangerous journey around the base paths ends when he crosses the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring the Cardinals’ only run in the team’s 2-1 loss to the Cubs at Busch Stadium. After reaching first due to being hit by a pitch, the outfielder, attempting to take second on a wild pitch, gets nailed in the elbow by the catcher’s throw, and he is struck on the helmet, sliding into home plate with an errant throw by the second baseman. 2021 In his major league debut, southpaw-swinging Akil Baddoo hits the first pitch he sees for a home run, becoming the ninth player in Tiger history to homer in his first at-bat. The 22-year-old rookie outfielder joins Hack Miller (1944), Sam Vico (1948), Gates Brown (1963), Bill Rowan (1964), Gene Lamont (1970), Reggie Sanders (1974), Daniel Norris (2015), and Sergio Alcantara (2020), with only Vico also going deep on the first pitch to accomplish the feat. 2021 Angels’ right-hander Shohei Ohtani hits and pitches in the same game for the first time in his major league career, striking out seven White Sox players over 4.2 innings and blasting a 451-foot home run on the first pitch he sees in the opening frame. The 25-year-old Oshu (JP) native, the first hurler to bat second in the lineup since 1903, becomes the first starter to go yard against an American League opponent since the final day of the 1972 season, the Junior Circuit’s last day without a designated hitter. ========================================================= TV SPORTS TODAY Saturday, 4/4/26 MLB REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVSt. Louis Cardinals vs Detroit Tigers1:10pmCardinals.TVSN-DETToronto Blue Jays vs Chicago White Sox2:10pmSNCHSNBaltimore Orioles vs Pittsburgh Pirates4:05pmMASNSN-PITLos Angeles Dodgers vs Washington Nationals4:05pmNationals.TVSNLAHouston Astros vs Athletics4:05pmNBCS-CASCHNMilwaukee Brewers vs Kansas City Royals4:10pmFS1FOX OneSan Diego Padres vs Boston Red Sox4:10pmNESNPadres.TVMiami Marlins vs New York Yankees7:05pmYESMarlins.TVCincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers7:05pmReds.TVRSNTampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins4:10pmTwins.TVRays.TVChicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians7:15pmFOXFOX OneAtlanta Braves vs Arizona Diamondbacks7:15pmFOXFOX OnePhiladelphia Phillies vs Colorado Rockies8:10pmRockies.TVNBCS-PHINew York Mets vs San Francisco Giants9:05pmSNYNBCS-BAYSeattle Mariners vs Los Angeles Angels9:38pmPeacockROOTFanDuel Sports WestNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVWashington Wizards vs Miami Heat3:00pmFanDuel Sports SunMNMTSan Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets3:00pmPrimeKENSDetroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers7:00pmNBATVFanDuel Sports DETNBCS-PHINHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVDetroit Red Wings vs New York Rangers12:30pmABCESPN UnlimitedMinnesota Wild vs Ottawa Senators1:00pmSNFanDuel Sports NorthColorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars3:00pmABCESPN UnlimitedBoston Bruins vs Tampa Bay Lightning5:00pmNESNFanDuel Sports SunFlorida Panthers vs Pittsburgh Penguins5:00pmScrippsSN-PITMontreal Canadiens vs New Jersey Devils7:00pmMSGSNBuffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals7:00pmMNMTMSG-BUFNew York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes7:00pmMSGSNFanDuel Sports SouthWinnipeg Jets vs Columbus Blue Jackets7:00pmSNFanDuel Sports OhioUtah Mammoth vs Vancouver Canucks7:00pmUtah16SNToronto Maple Leafs vs Los Angeles Kings7:00pmSNFanDuel Sports WestVegas Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers10:00pmScrippsSNCalgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks10:00pmSNVictory+Nashville Predators vs San Jose Sharks10:00pmFanDuel Sports NSHNBCS-CAChicago Blackhawks vs Seattle Kraken10:00pmCHSNKONGMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVFinal Four: 3 Illinois vs 2 UConn6:00pmTBSTNTMAXFinal Four: 1 Michigan vs 1 Arizona8:30pmTBSTNTMAXGOLFTIME ETTVPGA Tour: Valero Texas Open1:00pmGOLFPGA Tour: Valero Texas Open3:30pmNBCLPGA Tour: Aramco Championship5:00pmGOLFUFLTIME ETTVLouisville Kings vs Orlando Storm8:00pmESPNMOTORSPORTSTIME ETTVO’Reilly: North Carolina Education Lottery 2502:30pmCWBOWLINGTIME ETTVPBA Tour: US vs. the World2:00pmCBSSOCCERTIME ETTVFA Cup: Manchester City vs Liverpool7:45amESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Real Sociedad vs Levante8:00amESPN+fuboTVSerie A: Sassuolo vs Cagliari9:00amParamount+fuboTVBundesliga: Freiburg vs Bayern München9:30amESPN+fuboTVBundesliga: Borussia M’gladbach vs Heidenheim9:30amESPN+fuboTVBundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg9:30amESPN+fuboTVBundesliga: Hamburger SV vs Augsburg9:30amESPN+fuboTVBundesliga: Hoffenheim vs Mainz 059:30amESPN+fuboTVBundesliga: Werder Bremen vs RB Leipzig9:30amESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Mallorca vs Real Madrid10:15amESPN+fuboTVLigue 1: Strasbourg vs Nice11:00amFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVSerie A: Verona vs Fiorentina12:00pmParamount+fuboTVFA Cup: Chelsea vs Port Vale12:15pmESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Real Betis vs Espanyol12:30pmESPN+fuboTVBundesliga: Stuttgart vs Borussia Dortmund12:30pmESPN+fuboTVMLS: Toronto FC vs Colorado Rapids1:00pmMLS Season PassLigue 1: Brest vs Rennes1:00pmFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVSerie A: Lazio vs Parma2:45pmParamount+fuboTVFA Cup: Southampton vs Arsenal3:00pmESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona3:00pmESPN+fuboTVLigue 1: Lille vs Lens3:05pmFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVMLS: New England vs CF Montréal4:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Real Salt Lake vs Sporting KC4:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: Monterrey vs Atlético San Luis7:00pmVIXLiga MX: Querétaro vs Toluca7:00pmVIXMLS: Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Charlotte vs Philadelphia Union7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: DC United vs Dallas7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Inter Miami vs Austin7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: New York City vs St. Louis City7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: New York RB vs Cincinnati7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Chicago Fire vs Nashville SC8:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Houston Dynamo vs Seattle Sounders FC8:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: León vs Atlas9:00pmVIXMLS: Los Angeles FC vs Orlando City SC9:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: LA Galaxy vs Minnesota United10:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers10:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: SJ Earthquakes vs San Diego10:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: Santos Laguna vs América11:00pmVIXCOLLEGE BASEBALLTIME ETTVLSU at Tennessee6:00pmESPN2Mississippi at Florida7:30pmSECNMississippi at Florida9:00pmESPN2COLLEGE SOFTBALLTIME ETTVMississippi St. at Florida11:30amSECNGeorgia at Texas A&M1:30pmSECNNotre Dame at Florida St.2:00pmACCNLSU at Missouri3:30pmSECNGardner-Webb at S.C.-Upstate4:00pmESPNUSouth Carolina at Tennessee5:30pmSECNTexas at Alabama6:00pmESPNClemson at Virginia Tech6:00pmACCN Sunday, 4/5/26 MLB REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVSan Diego Padres vs Boston Red Sox1:35pmNESNPadres.TVMiami Marlins vs New York Yankees1:35pmYESMarlins.TVBaltimore Orioles vs Pittsburgh Pirates1:35pmMASNSN-PITLos Angeles Dodgers vs Washington Nationals1:35pmNationals.TVSNLAChicago Cubs vs Cleveland Guardians1:40pmMARQGuardians.TVToronto Blue Jays vs Chicago White Sox2:10pmSNCHSNTampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins2:10pmTwins.TVRays.TVMilwaukee Brewers vs Kansas City Royals2:10pmPeacockBrewers.TVRoyals.TVCincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers2:35pmReds.TVRSNPhiladelphia Phillies vs Colorado Rockies3:10pmRockies.TVNBCS-PHIHouston Astros vs Athletics4:05pmNBCS-CASCHNNew York Mets vs San Francisco Giants4:05pmSNYNBCS-BAYSeattle Mariners vs Los Angeles Angels4:07pmROOTFanDuel Sports WestAtlanta Braves vs Arizona Diamondbacks4:10pmBraves.TVDiamondbacks.TVSt. Louis Cardinals vs Detroit Tigers7:20pmPeacockCardinals.TVSN-DETNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVWashington Wizards vs Brooklyn Nets3:30pmYESMNMTPhoenix Suns vs Chicago Bulls3:30pmAFSNCHSNMemphis Grizzlies vs Milwaukee Bucks3:30pmFanDuel Sports MILFanDuel Sports MEMToronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics3:30pmNBATVSNNBCS-BOSIndiana Pacers vs Cleveland Cavaliers6:00pmFanDuel Sports INDFanDuel Sports OhioCharlotte Hornets vs Minnesota Timberwolves7:00pmFanDuel Sports CHAFanDuel Sports NorthOrlando Magic vs New Orleans Pelicans7:00pmFanDuel Sports FLGCSNUtah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder7:00pmKJZZFanDuel Sports OKC<Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks7:30pmNBCPeacockLos Angeles Clippers vs Sacramento Kings9:00pmFanDuel Sports SoCalKENSHouston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors10:00pmNBCPeacockNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVMinnesota Wild vs Detroit Red Wings1:00pmTNTMAXFlorida Panthers vs Pittsburgh Penguins3:00pmScrippsSN-PITBoston Bruins vs Philadelphia Flyers3:30pmTNTMAXCarolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators5:00pmSNFanDuel Sports SouthWashington Capitals vs New York Rangers7:00pmESPNESPN UnlimitedNew Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens7:00pmMSGSNSNSt. Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche9:30pmALTFanDuel Sports MWCOLLEGE BASEBALLTIME ETTVMissouri at Kentucky1:00pmSECNSouthern Cal at UCLA6:00pmBTNCOLLEGE SOFTBALLTIME ETTVMichigan at Northwestern2:30pmBTNAuburn at Arkansas4:00pmSECNGOLFTIME ETTVPGA Tour: Texas Open1:00pmGOLFPGA Tour: Texas Open2:30pmNBCLPGA Tour: Aramco Championship5:00pmGOLFUFLTIME ETTVBirmingham Stallions vs Houston Gamblers12:00pmESPN2SOCCERTIME ETTVLa Liga: Getafe vs Athletic Club8:00amESPN+fuboTVSerie A: Cremonese vs Bologna9:00amParamount+fuboTVLigue 1: Angers SCO vs Olympique Lyonnais9:00amFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVBundesliga: Union Berlin vs St. Pauli9:30amESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Valencia vs Celta de Vigo10:15amESPN+fuboTVLigue 1: Le Havre vs Auxerre11:15amFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVLigue 1: Lorient vs Paris11:15amFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVLigue 1: Metz vs Nantes11:15amFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVBundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt vs Köln11:30amESPN+fuboTVFA Cup: West Ham United vs Leeds United11:30amESPN+fuboTVSerie A: Pisa vs Torino12:00pmParamount+fuboTVLa Liga: Real Oviedo vs Sevilla12:30pmESPN+fuboTVBundesliga: Stuttgart vs Borussia Dortmund12:30pmESPN+fuboTVSerie A: Internazionale vs Roma2:45pmParamount+fuboTVLigue 1: Monaco vs Olympique Marseille2:45pmFanatizbeIN SportsfuboTVLa Liga: Deportivo Alavés vs Osasuna3:00pmESPN+fuboTVLiga MX: Guadalajara vs Pumas UNAM10:07pmPrime About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” APRIL 3 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” APRIL 4
