“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES TUESDAY: https://www.maxpreps.com/in/baseball/scores/?date=4/14/2026 ================================================== INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES TUESDAY: https://www.maxpreps.com/in/softball/scores/?date=4/14/2026 ================================================ INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES NOTRE DAME 6 VALPO 1 BUTLER 8 BALL STATE 5 MIAMI OH 5 PURDUE 3 INDIANA 17 INDIANA STATE 12 COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://d1baseball.com/scores/?date=20260414 ================================================= INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES INDIANA 11 NOTRE DAME 1 IU INDY 1 BUTLER 0 (SUSPENDED) ILLINOIS CHICAGO 6 VALPO 2 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 12 VALPO 4 EVANSVILLE 5 SE MISSOURI ST. 1 COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://d1softball.com/scores/?date=20260414 =================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: https://247sports.com/season/2026-basketball/transferportal/ ================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKEBALL TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/wire/womens-basketball/ ================================================= INDIANA MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-lacrosse/scoreboard ================================================= INDIANA DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-lacrosse/scoreboard ================================================= INDIANA DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-lacrosse/scoreboard ================================================= NBA SCORES/ NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE TUESDAY, APRIL 14 > WINNERS ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS AS NO. 7 SEEDS CHAROLTTE 127 MIAMI 126 OT PORTLAND 114 PHOENIX 110 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 EAST: PHI (7) VS. ORL (8), 7:30 P.M. ET WEST: LAC (9) VS. GSW (10), 10 P.M. ET > LOSERS ARE ELIMINATED FRIDAY, APRIL 17 EAST: 7/8 LOSER VS. 9/10 WINNER, 7:30 P.M. ET WEST: 7/8 LOSER VS. 9/10 WINNER, 10 P.M. ET > WINNERS ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS AS NO. 8 SEEDS > FIRST ROUND THE SCHEDULE FOR THE FIRST ROUND OF THE NBA PLAYOFFS WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE REGULAR SEASON. EASTERN CONFERENCE (1) DETROIT VS. (8) TBD GAME 1: TBD AT DETROIT | SUNDAY APRIL 19 (6:30 ET, NBC/PEACOCK) GAME 2: TBD AT DETROIT | TBD GAME 3: DETROIT AT TBD | TBD GAME 4: DETROIT AT TBD | TBD GAME 5: TBD AT DETROIT* | TBD GAME 6: DETROIT AT TBD* | TBD GAME 7: TBD AT DETROIT* | TBD (2) BOSTON VS. (7) TBD GAME 1: TBD AT BOSTON | SUNDAY APRIL 19 (1 ET, ABC) GAME 2: TBD AT BOSTON | TBD GAME 3: BOSTON AT TBD | TBD GAME 4: BOSTON AT TBD | TBD GAME 5: TBD AT BOSTON* | TBD GAME 6: BOSTON AT TBD* | TBD GAME 7: TBD AT BOSTON* | TBD (3) NEW YORK VS. (6) ATLANTA GAME 1: ATLANTA AT NEW YORK | SATURDAY APRIL 18 (6 ET, PRIME VIDEO) GAME 2: ATLANTA AT NEW YORK | TBD GAME 3: NEW YORK AT ATLANTA | TBD GAME 4: NEW YORK AT ATLANTA | TBD GAME 5: ATLANTA AT NEW YORK | TBD* GAME 6: NEW YORK AT ATLANTA | TBD* GAME 7: ATLANTA AT NEW YORK | TBD* (4) CLEVELAND VS. (5) TORONTO GAME 1: TORONTO AT CLEVELAND | SATURDAY APRIL 18 (1 ET, PRIME VIDEO) GAME 2: TORONTO AT CLEVELAND | TBD GAME 3: CLEVELAND AT TORONTO | TBD GAME 4: CLEVELAND AT TORONTO | TBD GAME 5: TORONTO AT CLEVELAND | TBD* GAME 6: CLEVELAND AT TORONTO | TBD* GAME 7: TORONTO AT CLEVELAND | TBD* WESTERN CONFERENCE (1) OKLAHOMA CITY VS. (8) TBD GAME 1: TBD AT OKLAHOMA CITY | SUNDAY APRIL 19 (3:30 ET, ABC) GAME 2: TBD AT OKLAHOMA CITY | TBD GAME 3: OKLAHOMA CITY AT TBD | TBD GAME 4: OKLAHOMA CITY AT TBD | TBD GAME 5: TBD AT OKLAHOMA CITY | TBD* GAME 6: OKLAHOMA CITY AT TBD | TBD* GAME 7: TBD AT OKLAHOMA CITY | TBD* (2) SAN ANTONIO VS. (7) TBD GAME 1: TBD AT SAN ANTONIO | SUNDAY APRIL 19 (9 ET, NBC/PEACOCK) GAME 2: TBD AT SAN ANTONIO | TBD GAME 3: SAN ANTONIO AT TBD | TBD GAME 4: SAN ANTONIO AT TBD | TBD GAME 5: TBD AT SAN ANTONIO | TBD* GAME 6: SAN ANTONIO AT TBD | TBD* GAME 7: TBD AT SAN ANTONIO | TBD* (3) DENVER VS. (6) MINNESOTA GAME 1: MINNESOTA AT DENVER | SATURDAY APRIL 18 (3:30 ET, PRIME VIDEO) GAME 2: MINNESOTA AT DENVER | TBD GAME 3: DENVER AT MINNESOTA | TBD GAME 4: DENVER AT MINNESOTA | TBD GAME 5: MINNESOTA AT DENVER | TBD* GAME 6: DENVER AT MINNESOTA | TBD* GAME 7: MINNESOTA AT DENVER | TBD* (4) LOS ANGELES VS. (5) HOUSTON GAME 1: HOUSTON AT LOS ANGELES | SATURDAY APRIL 18 (8:30 ET, ABC) GAME 2: HOUSTON AT LOS ANGELES | TBD GAME 3: LOS ANGELES AT HOUSTON | TBD GAME 4: LOS ANGELES AT HOUSTON | TBD GAME 5: HOUSTON AT LOS ANGELES | TBD* GAME 6: LOS ANGELES AT HOUSTON | TBD* GAME 7: HOUSTON AT LOS ANGELES | TBD* * = IF NECESSARY ============================================== NHL SCORES WASHINGTON 2 COLUMBUS 1 BOSTON 4 NEW JERSEY 0 PHILADELPHIA 4 MONTRÉAL 2 CAROLINA 2 NY ISLANDERS 1 MINNESOTA 3 SAN JOSE 2 UTAH 5 WINNIPEG 3 COLORADO 3 CALVARY 1 ST. LOUIS 7 PITTSBURGH 5 VANCOUVER 4 LOS ANGELES 3 OT ============================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ARIZONA 4 BALTIMORE 3 WASHINGTON 5 PITTSBURGH 4 CINCINNATI 2 SAN FRANCISCO 1 DETROIT 2 KANSAS CITY 1 CHICAGO CUBS 10 PHILADELPHIA 4 LA ANGELS 7 NY YANKEES 1 ATLANTA 6 MIAMI 5 TAMPA BAY 8 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 TORONTO 9 MILWAUKEE 7 (10) MINNESOTA 6 BOSTON 0 ST. LOUIS 6 CLEVELAND 5 (10) HOUSTON 7 COLORADO 6 LAS VEGAS 2 TEXAS 1 SAN DIEGO FOUR SEATTLE 1 LA DODGERS 2 NY METS 1 ============================================== MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL OMAHA 6 INDIANAPOLIS 2 LAKE COUNTY 13 FT. WAYNE 4 SOUTH BEND 5 BELOIT 1 ============================================== WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED =============================================== UFL SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ============================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO GAMES SCHEDULED =============================================== MAJOR NATIONAL HEADLINES/RELEASES NFL PANTHERS YET TO PICK UP BRYCE YOUNG’S FIFTH-YEAR OPTION President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan expects the Panthers to pick up the fifth-year option on quarterback Bryce Young before the deadline next month. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft is on hold while No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud, No. 3 pick Will Anderson Jr., No. 5 pick Devon Witherspoon of the Seahawks and Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (8th overall) had the options for 2027 picked up. No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson (Colts) will not have his option exercised by the May 1 deadline. “Obviously, the player’s not in the building yet. So, once Bryce gets in the building, and we’re busy with the draft, it’s offseason,” Morgan said of why Young’s option decision wasn’t made official yet. “So we’ll get that done as soon as he gets back in the building.” Young’s fifth-year option could be a precursor to a long-term contract, Morgan said, pointing to Carolina taking the “long view” on his development. The fifth-year option would guarantee Young’s 2027 salary at $26.5 million. Young had his best season as a pro in 2025, guiding the Panthers to their first NFC South division title in 10 seasons. He had a career-high 23 touchdown passes and threw for 3,011 yards. The Panthers acquired the No. 1 pick from the Chicago Bears prior to the 2023 draft and before Morgan and head coach Dave Canales were in their current positions. NFL REPORTER DIANNA RUSSINI RESIGNS FROM THE ATHLETIC AFTER PHOTOS PUBLISHED OF HER WITH MIKE VRABEL NFL reporter Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic less than a week after published photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet. The New York Post last week published the photos of Vrabel and Russini at the Sedona hotel and said they were taken before the NFL owners meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29. “I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published. When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,” Russini said in a letter sent Tuesday to Athletic Executive Editor Steven Ginsberg and obtained by The Associated Press. “Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.” Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, where she held various roles, including SportsCenter anchor, NFL analyst and insider. She hosted a podcast for The Athletic and made appearances on their video platform. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released statements to the Post after publication of the photos downplaying what the photos depict. Russini said they “don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.” Vrabel told the newspaper: “Those photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.” Vrabel didn’t attend New England’s pre-draft news conference on Monday. The New York Times reported Saturday that the digital outlet was investigating Russini’s conduct. That decision came after Ginsberg previously told the Post that the photos “lacked essential context” and lauded her work with The Athletic. Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player with New England, is preparing for his second season as coach of the Patriots. He was the AP NFL Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 14-3 finish last season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to Seattle. Vrabel previously won the AP NFL Coach of the Year award with Tennessee in 2021. NFL MOCK DRAFT: 2026 NFL MOCK DRAFT … WITH A TWIST! WHAT EVERY TEAM SHOULD DO IN ROUND 1 I know what you’re thinking right now: The world needs another mock draft? Well, the good news is, this ain’t it. While most people are out here trying to figure out what teams are going to do, I don’t roll that way. I like to tell the teams what they SHOULD do — similar to what I do in the fantasy space. I mean, last year I told the Jacksonville Jaguars to stay at No. 5 and draft tight end Tyler Warren, and I don’t want to boast, but that might have worked out better than trading up and selecting Travis Hunter, who missed more than half of the season with an injury. However, the Jags did go to the playoffs, so what do I know? Without further ado, it’s time for my annual Mock Draft … with a Twist, where I advise franchises on which selections to make when the draft kicks off. READ MORE: https://www.nfl.com/news/2026-nfl-mock-draft-with-a-twist-what-every-team-should-do-in-round-1 FIVE-ROUND 2026 NFL MOCK DRAFT: DOLPHINS SNAG RB, TE WITH LEAGUE-HIGH FOUR ROUND 3 PICKS READ MORE: https://www.nfl.com/news/five-round-2026-nfl-mock-draft-dolphins-snag-rb-te-with-league-high-four-round-3-picks ========================================================= COLLEGE FOOTBALL EX-MICHIGAN COACH SHERRONE MOORE GETS PROBATION FOR CONFRONTATION WITH WOMAN WHO DISCLOSED AFFAIR ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was placed on probation Tuesday for 18 months for a confrontation with his executive assistant soon after he was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with her. Moore was facing a possible sentence of up to six months in jail after pleading no contest to trespassing and malicious use of a telecom device. But Judge J. Cedric Simpson ordered no time in custody. He said jail wasn’t warranted, though he warned Moore that “all bets are off” if he violates probation. Simpson, too, said his decision was greatly influenced by the ex-coach’s wife, Kelli. Moore, 40, was fired on Dec. 10 after leading the Wolverines for two seasons, following Jim Harbaugh’s move to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. It was a stunning dismissal at one of college football’s most prestigious programs. Moore was accused that same day of confronting Paige Shiver, with whom he had been having an affair, and blaming her for his firing, even threatening to kill himself with butter knives and kitchen scissors in her apartment. Authorities said she had ended the affair and spoken to school officials about it. By ordering probation, “I would let Ms. Shiver know that this court is not by any means lessening the impact of those events,” the judge said. “Frankly, Mr. Moore, you had no right to do what you did,” he added. “I know that she was placed in fear. It was a traumatic experience that day for you. It was certainly a traumatic experience for her. But you had no right to spread your pain to her.” Shiver did not attend the hearing but released a statement, saying the sentence “does not reflect the harm done to me.” “He broke into my apartment, crying, yelling, enraged, and came at me with knives. I was threatened, and I feared for my life,” she said. Moore was initially charged with felony home invasion, stalking and illegal entry. But Washtenaw County prosecutors agreed to a deal in which he pleaded no contest to two other misdemeanors. Moore spoke briefly in court, thanking his wife for standing by him but not saying anything about Shiver. Defense lawyer Ellen Michaels told the judge that Moore had received counseling and was focused on his family. The judge repeatedly praised Kelli Moore. Simpson said he was especially moved by a letter she wrote in support of her husband. He also noted that she was concerned about Moore’s mental health when she calmly called police on the day of his firing in search of him. “The person, quite frankly Mr. Moore, that is saving you from the full wrath of this court is the one you betrayed,” Simpson said. “I don’t know where your wife Kelli finds her strength.” Moore responded to the judge by nodding, while his wife’s eyes welled with tears in the courtroom’s front row. The judge also cited the “courage” of prosecutors by backing off from the initial charges. “When the charges were filed they were appropriate,” Simpson said. “But as with any case, as more facts become known and as more things happen, the facts and the analysis change.” The plea deal came after Michaels planned to aggressively challenge how police gathered and shared information to get an arrest warrant. She argued that police didn’t disclose that Moore and Shiver had a working relationship that involved calls and text messages. Moore did not harm himself on Dec. 10 and was peacefully arrested in a parking lot away from Shiver’s apartment. When the hearing ended, Moore leaned over a courtroom barrier and hugged his wife. Outside the courthouse, he held a Bible in one hand and her hand with the other. “Sherrone is grateful for this matter to be resolved and he and his wife, Kelli, are ready to move forward with their family and focus on the next chapter,” Michaels said. NCAA DELIVERS REPORT ON IOWA TAMPERING VIOLATIONS The NCAA ruled on Tuesday that Iowa committed tampering violations when head coach Kirk Ferentz and an assistant made impermissible contact with a player in November 2022 before he entered the transfer portal. Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr previously resolved their respective violations in the case. However, the school had argued that one of the penalties it faced — the vacation of team records — was outdated, prompting the need for a hearing with the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions. The hearing panel said Tuesday that the vacation of records penalty was appropriate in this case but did acknowledge that the changing sports landscape requires a regular review of its rules and consequences. “Changes to historical practice — particularly around what violations trigger student-athlete ineligibility and how ineligible competition is penalized — should be made by more traditional governance committees through the governance and legislative process,” the panel said. “The COI is open to reevaluating the violations that trigger ineligibility or how ineligible competition should be penalized, but it would be inappropriate to do so in the context of a single infractions case and outside of the legislative process.” In addition to a vacation of all records in which the player competed, the full list of prescribed penalties includes one year of probation for the Hawkeyes. Iowa’s self-imposed penalties that were accepted by the NCAA included one-game suspensions for Ferentz and Budmayr (served in 2024), a $25,000 fine, a 24-day reduction in recruiting time in 2025, and a two-week ban on football recruiting communication during the 2026 calendar year. “When respected individuals identify their mistakes and take responsibility for them, it sets the standard for appropriate behavior within their programs, universities and, more importantly, across the broader industry,” the panel said. “The panel appreciates the actions taken by Iowa and Ferentz to publicly address his and his staff member’s conduct.” The NCAA did not name the player in question, previously identified as quarterback Cade McNamara. According to the panel, Budmayr made 13 phone calls and sent two text messages to the student-athlete and/or his father, and arranged for a phone call with Ferentz. McNamara, who transferred from Michigan, participated in five games for the Hawkeyes in 2023. Iowa was 4-1 in those contests and finished the season with a 10-4 record. The victories against Utah State, Iowa State, Western Michigan and Michigan State will be vacated. Ferentz, the head coach at Iowa since 1999, will see his career total reduced from 213 wins to 209. ========================================================================= COLLEGE BASKETBALL REPORT: NOTRE DAME ADDS WINTHROP TRANSFER LOGAN DUNCOMB Winthrop transfer Logan Duncomb has committed to Notre Dame, ESPN reported on Tuesday. Duncomb, the Big South Player of the Year, averaged 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds in 32 games (28 starts) last season with the Eagles. He shot a robust 60% percent from the floor in 2025-26. one season after coming off the bench in all 24 games he played with Winthrop. Listed at 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, Duncomb spent his first two seasons (2021-23) at Indiana before transferring to Xavier. He did not play for the Musketeers, however, as he stepped away from the team due to health reasons. BELLARMINE TRANSFER JACK KARASINSKI HEADS TO NORTHWESTERN Bellarmine transfer Jack Karasinski announced on Tuesday over social media that he has committed to Northwestern. Karasinski averaged 21.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 30 games (all starts) this past season with the Knights. The Michigan native began his career at William & Mary and spent two seasons there before transferring to Bellarmine, where he averaged 15.4 points and 2.8 boards in 2024-25. Karasinski’s best highlight last season came against Austin Peay on Feb. 28, when he erupted for a career-high 38 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the floor in a 111-97 win. WEST VIRGINIA LANDS GEORGIA TECH TRANSFER MO SYLLA West Virginia added another top transfer target Tuesday as former Georgia Tech big man Mouhamed Sylla committed to the Mountaineers, per multiple reports. The 6-foot-10 center from Senegal averaged 9.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 16 games (15 starts) in his freshman season with the Yellow Jackets in 2025-26. He shot 57.9% from the field and posted five double-doubles before missing the final 11 games with an ankle injury. A four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, Sylla was ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the transfer portal by 247 Sports. West Virginia coach Ross Hodge received a commitment from Butler transfer Finley Bizjack on Monday. The All-Big East guard averaged 17.1 points and shot 34.9% from 3-point range in 31 starts for the Bulldogs in 2025-26. REPORTS: ARKANSAS LANDS JEREMIAH WILKINSON IN PORTAL Highly coveted guard Jeremiah Wilkinson has committed to Arkansas in the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Tuesday night. The 6-foot-1 Wilkinson led Georgia with 17.4 points per game this season while starting 21 of 31 games. He spent one season at Georgia after playing his freshman year at Cal, where he earned the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year for 2024-25. In 63 career games (35 starts), he has posted 16.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. According to ESPN, Wilkinson received interest in the transfer portal from Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and LSU, among others. With John Calipari’s Razorbacks, he will help fill the void left by SEC Player of the Year Darius Acuff, who is expected to be selected among the first 10 picks of the 2026 NBA Draft. Wilkinson shot 35.7% from 3-point range for the Bulldogs while also averaging 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 31 games (21 starts). He totaled 79 triples along with 49 steals in his sophomore campaign, which ended with a 30-point showing (7-for-15 from deep) in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Louis. ========================================================================= NBA DENI AVDIJA’S LATE HEROICS LIFT BLAZERS PAST SUNS, INTO PLAYOFFS Deni Avdija scored 41 points, and his three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining capped the Portland Trail Blazers’ comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 114-110 victory over the host Phoenix Suns in a play-in game Tuesday. The Trail Blazers ended a four-year playoff drought and will open a best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The Suns will have another chance to make the playoffs on Friday, when they will host the winner of the Wednesday play-in game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers. That winner of the Friday contest will be the No. 8 seed and will meet the defending league champion and No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first game of a seven-game set on Sunday. Jordan Goodwin sank a reserve layup with 32.5 seconds left to put the Suns up 110-109, but he missed a free throw after being fouled on the play. The Blazers rebounded and called timeout to set up Avdija’s drive through the lane. Phoenix’s Jalen Green missed a 3-point attempt with six seconds remaining. On the rebound, Portland’s Matisse Thybulle stole the ball from Goodwin and found Jerami Grant alone for a dunk with six-tenths of a second remaining. Avdija had 14 points in the fourth quarter, and he finished with 12 assists and seven rebounds. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and Grant had 16, including two late 3-pointers as the Blazers finished the game on a 17-5 run. Green scored 35 points, Devin Booker had 22 and Dillon Brooks added 20 for the Suns. The Suns trailed 83-82 entering the fourth quarter but scored the first 11 points for an 10-point edge, extending a longer 24-4 run that began after Avdija made a layup to give the Blazers a 79-69 lead midway through the third quarter. Holiday and Avdija hit 3-pointers as the Blazers closed the deficit to 100-97 with 4:15 left before Donovan Clingan was called for a flagrant-1 foul for pulling Brooks down on Avdija’s make. Grant made a 3-pointer and Shaedon Sharpe hit two free throws with 2:29 left, bringing the Trail Blazers within 105-104 with 2:29 left. Grant’s next trey put the Blazers in front 107-106 before Booker’s free throws gave the Suns a 108-107 lead with 1:34 to go. After a Portland turnover and a Booker miss, Avdija hit a driving lap for a 109-108 lead with 37.3 seconds remaining prior to Goodwin’s layup. LATE OT HEROICS LIFT HORNETS OVER HEAT IN PLAY-IN GAME LaMelo Ball hit a go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left and Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s shot at the buzzer as the Charlotte Hornets beat the visiting Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime on Tuesday to advance in the play-in tournament. Ball scored 30 points and Bridges added 28 for No. 9 seed Charlotte (45-38), which forced overtime when Coby White made one of his five 3-pointers with 10.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Brandon Miller had 23 points for the Hornets and White finished with 19. Moussa Diabate added eight points and 14 rebounds. The Hornets will travel to face the loser of Wednesday’s matchup between the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and No. 8 seed Orlando Magic on Friday for a chance to meet the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Mitchell led 10th-seeded Miami (43-40) with 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 27. Heat center Bam Adebayo exited with a lower-back injury after taking a hard fall early in the second quarter and did not return. Herro scored 23 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 13 points, Kel’el Ware had 12 points and 19 rebounds and Norman Powell chipped in 11. Miami’s season came to an end in a game that featured 17 ties and 16 lead changes. Both teams set the tone early during a physical first quarter that ended with Charlotte leading 26-24. Adebayo walked gingerly to the locker room after being tripped by Ball near the basket with 10:58 left in the second period and the Hornets leading 30-26. Miami outscored the Hornets 28-22 after Adebayo left and took a 54-52 lead into the half. White made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the final 4:05 left of the third quarter to give the Hornets an 89-83 lead. Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel, who led the NBA in made 3-pointers with 273, finished with six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field and 0-of-6 from 3-point range. Ball was 2-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc after finishing second in made 3-pointers this season with 272. The Hornets won despite shooting 32.1% (18 of 56) from 3-point range. ===================================================== MLB MLB ROUNDUP: THREE-RUN 10TH COMPLETES JAYS’ COMEBACK WIN OVER BREWERS Myles Straw’s two-run double capped a three-run 10th inning as the visiting Toronto Blue Jays rallied for a 9-7 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday night, the Brewers’ sixth consecutive defeat. Toronto scored three runs in the ninth to go up 6-4, but the Brewers tied it with two in the bottom half. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s one-out double in the 10th off Grant Anderson (0-1) scored automatic runner Ernie Clement from second to put Toronto up 7-6. Jesse Sanchez was walked intentionally and both runners scored on Straw’s liner to left. Louis Varland (1-1), who relieved with two outs in the ninth and struck out Joey Ortiz to strand the bases loaded, got the win despite allowing a run in the 10th on William Contreras’ RBI single. Varland stranded runners on first and second with a game-ending strikeout of Gary Sanchez. Reds 2, Giants 1 Brady Singer threw six strong innings, Spencer Steer and Sal Stewart hit early home runs and host Cincinnati held on to edge San Francisco, which had more hits, 7-3. Singer (1-1) allowed a two-out, fifth-inning home run to Willy Adames but just five other hits in his six innings. Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan all worked a scoreless inning in relief, with Pagan notching his fifth save after a seven-pitch ninth. The home runs were the only two hits allowed by Giants starter Robbie Ray (2-2) in five innings, during which he labored through 94 pitches. He walked four and struck out six. Diamondbacks 4, Orioles 3 Ildemaro Vargas hit a three-run homer and Merrill Kelly pitched into the sixth inning in his season debut to help Arizona beat host Baltimore. Kelly, a veteran right-hander who was dealing with a back injury since spring training, logged 5 1/3 innings to pick up the pitching victory. He was charged with two runs on five hits. Geraldo Perdomo posted three hits for the Diamondbacks. Jose Fernandez and James McCann both had two hits on Tuesday. Samuel Basallo homered and joined Jeremiah Jackson with two hits for Baltimore. Leody Taveras drove in runs in the third and eighth innings. Tigers 2, Royals 1 Dillon Dingler drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the eighth and host Detroit extended its winning streak to four games by edging Kansas City. The Tigers scored both of their runs in the eighth. Zach McKinstry scored on a wild pitch and Kevin McGonigle scored on Dingler’s second hit of the night. The game featured a pitchers’ duel between the starters. The Royals’ Cole Ragans allowed just one hit and no runs in six innings. Framber Valdez limited the Royals to one run and three hits in seven innings. Both starters thrived on getting ground balls. Valdez’s replacement, Will Vest (1-2), took a different approach. He struck out all three batters he faced. The Tigers’ Kenley Jansen left a runner stranded at third while recording his third save of the season and 479th of his career. He surpassed Lee Smith for third place on the all-time saves list. Cubs 10, Phillies 4 Carson Kelly belted a three-run homer and Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman also drove in three runs apiece, fueling Chicago to a victory at Philadelphia. Michael Busch had two hits and two walks for the Cubs, who banged out 15 hits. Colin Rea (2-0) allowed three runs on four hits with five strikeouts in six innings. His lone misstep was surrendering a three-run homer to Edmundo Sosa in the second. Phillies reliever Tim Mayza (0-1) permitted four runs, three earned, in one-third of an inning. Nationals 5, Pirates 4 CJ Abrams went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, leading Washington to a victory over host Pittsburgh. Brady House added two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who won for the fourth time in five games and evened the four-game set at a win apiece. Luis Garcia Jr. and Daylen Lile each hit an RBI single, Mitchell Parker (1-0) struck out five over two innings of scoreless relief and Gus Varland earned his second save. Pirates starter Mitch Keller (1-1) was unable to continue his stellar start to the season. He surrendered five runs on six hits over four innings. Brandon Lowe and Joey Bart each hit a solo shot, while Marcell Ozuna and Nick Gonzales each added an RBI. Braves 6, Marlins 5 Dominic Smith launched a three-run opposite-field double with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Atlanta to a win over visiting Miami. The rally came against Pete Fairbanks (0-1), who allowed a leadoff single to Drake Baldwin. Two outs later, Mike Yastrzemski singled and Ozzie Albies was hit by a pitch. Smith banged a 2-1 cutter off the left-center-field fence. Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth, striking out two, to earn his third save. Robert Suarez (2-0) allowed a run in the eighth but still earned the win. Miami scored a run in the first on a sacrifice fly from Agustin Ramirez, then added three in the second to take a 4-0 lead. Connor Norby drove in a run with a single, Graham Pauley knocked in a run with a double and Jakob Marsee added an RBI single to complete the Marlins’ fourth three-run inning of the series. Angels 7, Yankees 1 Mike Trout, Jo Adell and Jorge Soler hit consecutive homers in the first inning for Los Angeles, which earned a victory over host New York. The Angels won for the sixth time in their past nine visits to Yankee Stadium and lead the American League with 26 homers. Former Yankee Oswald Peraza had three hits and homered off Weathers in the fourth. Reid Detmers (1-1) allowed four hits and one run over seven-plus innings. Ryan Weathers (0-2) permitted five runs on five hits and two walks in five-plus innings. He gave up a career-high four homers and finished with 10 strikeouts for his third career double-digit strikeout game. New York lost for the sixth time in seven games. Padres 4, Mariners 1 Xander Bogaerts went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Michael King fired six strong innings for his second straight win as San Diego stopped visiting Seattle. King (2-1) allowed four hits and a run, walking two and fanning five in San Diego’s sixth straight win. Its high-leverage bullpen arms took care of matters from there with Mason Miller pitching the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances. Bryan Woo (0-2) took the loss for Seattle, permitting eight hits and three runs over seven innings with a walk and three strikeouts. The result ended the Mariners’ four-game winning streak. Rays 8, White Sox 5 Ben Williamson had two hits and three RBIs and left-hander Shane McClanahan earned his first victory in nearly three years as visiting Tampa Bay defeated Chicago. McClanahan (1-1) sparked the effort, spacing three runs (two earned) and two hits in five innings. After missing the past two seasons due to Tommy John elbow surgery and a nerve issue, McClanahan picked up his first win since June 16, 2023. Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami connected for a two-run home run in the ninth to account for the final margin. In his major league debut, White Sox starter Noah Schultz (0-1) yielded four runs (three earned) and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. Everson Pereira hit a three-run shot in his return from the injured list. Twins 6, Red Sox 0 Byron Buxton collected four hits, including two solo home runs, and Mick Abel pitched seven scoreless innings as Minnesota extended its home winning streak to six games by beating Boston in Minneapolis. Abel (1-2) limited Boston to four hits, struck out 10 and didn’t walk a batter. Taylor Rogers and Cole Sands each tossed one inning of scoreless relief. Buxton, who has three home runs in his last two games, scored four times. Minnesota also received a solo home run from Brooks Lee. Trevor Larnach had two RBIs and Luke Keaschall collected two hits and an RBI. Roman Anthony and Masataka Yoshida each had two hits for Boston, which had six hits. The Red Sox have lost 11 of their first 17 games. Boston starter Sonny Gray (2-1) gave up five runs on nine hits in four innings. Cardinals 6 Guardians 5 (10 innings) Nathan Church brought home Thomas Saggese with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning as host St. Louis came from behind to beat Cleveland. Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt hit a pair of home runs and drove in three runs to set up the rubber game of the series on Wednesday. Riley O’Brien (2-0) picked up the win after throwing a scoreless 10th. Jose Ramirez and Daniel Schneemann hit early solo shots for the Guardians, who got a two-run double from Angel Martinez. Tim Herrin (0-1) took the loss. Astros 7, Rockies 6 Christian Walker recorded three hits and a pair of RBIs and Houston parlayed a six-run third inning into a victory over visiting Colorado, snapping an eight-game skid. Houston took advantage of two fielding errors by Rockies second baseman Willi Castro to chase right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-2) in the third. Yordan Alvarez hit a game-tying two-run double down the right field line and Walker added an RBI fielder’s choice. Cam Smith and Vazquez added RBI singles that pushed the Astros to a 7-3 lead Hunter Goodman recorded his sixth career multi-homer game, with his second blast leading off the fifth and drawing the Rockies to within 7-5. Jake McCarthy delivered a two-run triple to straightaway center, extending Colorado’s lead to 3-0 in the second after Goodman homered in the first. Jordan Beck hit a solo shot in the fourth. Athletics 2, Rangers 1 Jacob Wilson delivered a two-run single, Jeffrey Springs tossed 6 1/3 strong innings and Denzel Clarke robbed a homer as the Athletics recorded a victory over Texas in West Sacramento, Calif. Springs (3-0) allowed one run and three hits to help the A’s win for the sixth time in the past seven games. Mark Leiter Jr. struck out two during a perfect ninth for his second save. Jake Burger had an RBI single for the Rangers, who had won five of their previous seven games. Texas starter MacKenzie Gore (2-1) gave up two runs and three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked a career-high-tying six and struck out five. MONEY AND TECH HAVE CLOSED THE GAP BETWEEN NCAA BASEBALL AND MLB. THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR COACHES PHOENIX (AP) — There was a time in the not-so-distant past that many Major League Baseball teams looked at their college baseball counterparts with a degree of skepticism. There were the metal bats, the shorter schedule and a sense that nothing could replace the seasoning that came with years of grinding through professional baseball’s minor leagues. Not anymore. Thanks to a variety of factors — especially money and technology — the MLB and NCAA versions of baseball have never been more similar. There’s also been more movement between the two versions of the sport in recent years. It’s part of the reason Tony Vitello is now the manager of the San Francisco Giants despite never working or playing for a professional organization before he was hired — a first in MLB history. It’s also a factor in why Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2025 barely one year after finishing a decorated college career at Wake Forest. “The college game has definitely taken a bigger step toward the pro game — mainly because of the almighty dollar,” said Arizona State coach Willie Bloomquist, who played 14 big league seasons. “Essentially what’s happened, the Power 4 Conferences are basically the minor leagues.” Athletics general manager David Forst — who selected Kurtz with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft — said the first baseman’s quick rise through the minors made him realize how good college baseball had become. Kurtz needed just 210 plate appearances in the minors before dominating MLB pitching, batting .290 with 36 homers and 86 RBIs over 117 games in 2025. “There’s no doubt that top-level college baseball is High-A or Double-A now. It’s really close,” Forst said. “I never would have imagined a player like Nick Kurtz coming to the big leagues for us 11 months after he was drafted. “That was unthinkable when I first started doing this. The timeline is squashed because these guys are coming out of college so ready, so physically advanced. Some of them — frankly — don’t need the minor league at-bats they used to need.” One reason the college game has improved so much is an influx of cash. Coaching salaries have exploded over the past few decades: LSU’s Jay Johnson is at the top of the scale at more than $3 million per year while Mississippi State’s Brian O’Connor is second at $2.9 million. Those are outliers, but it’s not uncommon for power conference coaches to make more than $1 million. The highest paid MLB managers make around $8 million per season, but top assistants like pitching and hitting coaches usually make six figures. The advent of NIL money has also made playing college baseball more lucrative, even if payouts lag well behind their football and basketball counterparts. There’s also the fact that top-level NCAA programs are investing in technology. “We have one of the better pitching labs on the West Coast,” Bloomquist said. “I think it would rival a lot of professional organizations. From a data standpoint, it’s all trickled down to the college level.” After retiring as a player, Bloomquist worked in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ front office before getting hired by the Sun Devils. His pitching coach — Jeremy Accardo — spent 18 years in professional baseball as a player and coach. Bloomquist said that MLB teams have become more comfortable trusting NCAA programs to develop professional talent instead of taking the risk of drafting an unproven 18-year-old straight out of high school. He added that it’s probably one of the reasons that MLB felt comfortable cutting 40 minor league affiliates back in 2020. In the 2025 MLB draft, 56 college players were selected in the top 90 picks. “These guys trust (college) programs,” Bloomquist said. “They say, ‘We’ll just watch them in college in three years at a Power 4 program, see how they development and then we’ll go get them.’” Georgia baseball coach Wes Johnson is another coach who has bounced between MLB and NCAA with success at both levels. He was hired as the pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins and had a strong 3 1/2-year run between 2019 and 2022 before going back to the college game. He helped develop 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes as LSU’s pitching coach before landing the head job with the Bulldogs. Johnson said there’s little doubt that the college and pro games have never been more similar, but added that there are still real differences for players and coaches. The biggest is the schedule. In college, the condensed schedule makes all 56 regular-season games feel huge. A three-game losing streak is the end of the world. In professional baseball, it’s just a small bump in the road. “With the Twins, we played 33 spring games, then played 162 in the season and then made the playoffs,” Johnson said. “It’s every day there. That’s the hardest challenge you have when you go from college to the big leagues. We won 101 games in 2019 (in the regular season). That means we only lost 61 games. “But that’s the most I’ve ever lost in my life in one year.” Bloomquist agreed that the schedule is much different. He said age is a factor as well. “There’s a different style in college than there is in professional baseball — to an extent that’s accurate,” Bloomquist said. “There’s an intensity in college, motivating 18 to 20 year olds, as opposed to guys who are making $20 million. Can you relate to those guys in pro ball?” San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman played in college at Cal State Fullerton before becoming a five-time Gold Glove winner the big leagues. Even though there are some differences — like many more native Spanish speakers in professional baseball — he wasn’t worried about Vitello’s transition. “Winning baseball looks the same,” Chapman said. “It’s pitching and defense, knowing how to run the bases and then managing personalities. He has a lot of experience with that. “There will be a learning curve in some areas. You just can’t fully know how to run a Major League clubhouse unless you’ve been in one. But it’s not foreign to him. He’s a baseball guy.” BREWERS’ CHRISTIAN YELICH LIKELY TO MISS AT LEAST A MONTH WITH ADDUCTOR STRAIN MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder/designated hitter Christian Yelich is expected to miss at least a month with an adductor strain. Yelich left in the fifth inning of the Brewers’ 8-6 loss to the Washington Nationals on Sunday with what the team described as tightness in his left hamstring. The Brewers placed him on the injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Monday, and said he had a second-degree adductor strain. The Brewers estimated he would return in mid-to-late May, though Yelich said he didn’t want to put a timeline on it. “I’m just trying to go about it the best I can, do a good job with the rehab and get back out there as quickly as possible,” Yelich said. Milwaukee also selected infielder/outfielder Greg Jones from Triple-A Nashville and transferred left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny to the 60-day injured list. The 34-year-old Yelich was in the lineup as a designated hitter Sunday and said he started to feel something was off while grounding into a fielder’s choice in the first inning. He stayed in the game and grounded out in the third before getting pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth. “After running to first in the first inning, it just kind of felt weird,” Yelich said. “I just thought it was tight, kept going and after my (next) at-bat, I felt like it was weird.” Milwaukee already had outfielder Jackson Chourio and first baseman Andrew Vaughn on the injured list due to hand issues. The Brewers said Tuesday that Chourio is expected to return in early May and Vaughn could come back in mid-May. The Brewers also are playing without starting pitcher Quinn Priester (thoracic outlet) and reliever Jared Koenig (elbow). Milwaukee had lost five straight for its longest skid since 2003 as it prepared to open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. “We’ve had a lot of adversity early,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We’ve faced this before. It just seems different in terms of how it’s kind of piled on us.” Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP and a three-time All-Star, is hitting .314 with one home run, 10 RBIs and three steals in 15 games. Murphy said Gary Sánchez probably will get much of the playing time at designated hitter in Yelich’s absence. Sánchez replaced Yelich in the fifth inning Sunday and hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the seventh. He entered Tuesday with four homers, matching Jake Bauers for the team lead. Yelich is coming off a 2025 season in which he played 150 games – his second-highest total since joining the Brewers in 2018 – after back issues had limited him for multiple years. He said this is the first time he has dealt with a soft-tissue injury. Now, he’s the latest key player missing from Milwaukee’s lineup. “No one’s going to feel bad for us,” Yelich said. “You’ve got to navigate injuries and difficult parts of the season. The guys will be all right. Just kind of hold it down. It’s a really long year. There’s good times and bad times in a season. You’ve got to deal with adversity throughout.” Jones, 28, was batting .317 with a .462 on-base percentage, no homers, seven RBIs and seven steals in 13 games with Triple-A Nashville. He was in the major leagues for six games with Colorado in 2024 and three with the Chicago White Sox last year. ========================================================== NHL NHL ROUNDUP: ALEX OVECHKIN EARNS ASSIST IN POSSIBLE FINALE Alex Ovechkin had an assist in what might have been his final NHL game, Jakob Chychrun scored the go-ahead goal and the Washington Capitals beat the host Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in the season finale for teams on Tuesday. Neither team will be in the playoffs. Chychrun scored on a power play with about four minutes left in regulation. The secondary assist went to Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer who has completed his 21st NHL season and a five-year contract. The 40-year-old left winger, who has scored 929 regular-season goals, said recently he will not decide his future until the offseason. Anthony Beauvillier also scored for the Capitals, who got 27 saves from Clay Stevenson. Boone Jenner scored for the Blue Jackets, and Jet Greaves stopped 19 shots. Bruins 4, Devils 0 Mark Kastelic scored two of Boston’s four first-period goals as the Bruins wrapped up the first Eastern Conference wild card with a shutout of visiting New Jersey. Boston’s Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves in the regular-season finale for both teams. Morgan Geekie and Viktor Arvidsson also lit the lamp for the Bruins, who will meet the Buffalo Sabres in the first playoff round. Sean Kuraly notched two assists, and David Pastrnak had one, securing his fourth consecutive 100-point season. Nico Daws, in his second straight start for the Devils, stopped 22 shots. Mammoth 5, Jets 3 Nick Schmaltz scored twice as Utah held on late to defeat Winnipeg in Salt Lake City and secure the first Western Conference wild-card spot with one game remaining in the regular season. Logan Cooley had a goal and an assist, Alex Kerfoot scored a goal and Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves for the Mammoth, who snapped a two-game skid. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist, Isak Rosen added a goal and Gabe Vilardi had two assists for the Jets, who were eliminated on Monday and finished their season on a three-game losing streak. Eric Comrie made 31 saves. Flyers 4, Canadiens 2 Matvei Michkov had a goal and two assists for Philadelphia in a win against visiting Montreal. Porter Martone and defenseman Oliver Bonk, in his NHL debut, each had a goal and an assist. Samuel Ersson made 27 saves for the Flyers, who won their last three games of the regular season and finished third in the Metropolitan Division. They play the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans scored for the Canadiens, who finished third in the Atlantic Division. Jakub Dobes made 21 saves. Wild 3, Ducks 2 Hunter Haight scored his first NHL goal and Minnesota held on for a win over Anaheim in Saint Paul, Minn. Danila Yurov and Robby Fabbri also scored one goal apiece for Minnesota, which wrapped up its regular season. The Wild will face the Dallas Stars in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt made 35 saves. Mason McTavish scored two goals to lead Anaheim, which also is headed to the postseason. Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal allowed three goals on 20 shots. Hurricanes 2, Islanders 1 Mark Jankowski scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:22 left for Carolina, which tuned up for the playoffs with a win over New York in the regular season finale for both clubs at Elmont, N.Y. Nikolaj Ehlers scored in the first for the Hurricanes, who won the Metropolitan Division and earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Carolina will play the Ottawa Senators in a first-round series beginning this weekend. Brandon Bussi made 28 saves. Bo Horvat scored his 300th career goal for the Islanders, who missed the postseason for a second straight year. David Rittich recorded 19 saves. Avalanche 3, Flames 1 Gabriel Landeskog scored a tiebreaking goal late in the third period, Martin Necas had an assist to reach 100 points for the first time in his career and visiting Colorado beat Calgary. Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon scored goals and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 30 shots. The Avalanche have 119 points, tying the franchise record. MacKinnon notched his NHL-leading 53rd goal, and Cale Makar logged three assists in his return after missing seven games due to an upper-body injury. Blake Coleman had a goal and Dustin Wolf made 36 saves for Calgary. Canucks 4, Kings 3 (OT) Jake DeBrusk scored twice, including the overtime winner, as Vancouver edged visiting Los Angeles. DeBrusk tapped in an Elias Pettersson feed at the side of the net at 2:58 of the extra frame. Elias Pettersson and Zeev Buium also scored for Vancouver, who have won three straight. Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves as the Canucks finished the season 9-27-5 on home ice. Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere each scored and added an assist, Adrian Kempe had the other goal for the Kings and Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots. Los Angeles, currently in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, still has a shot of finishing second or third in the Pacific Division. The Kings wrap up the regular season on Thursday in Calgary. Blues 7, Penguins 5 Jimmy Snuggerud had two goals and two assists to help St. Louis rally for a win against visiting Pittsburgh. Dylan Holloway had two goals and an assist, Logan Mailloux added a goal and an assist, Jake Neighbours produced two assists and Jordan Binnington made 18 saves for the Blues, who rallied from a three-goal deficit to win their third in a row. Avery Hayes scored two goals, Anthony Mantha had a goal and an assist and Kevin Hayes had two assists in the regular-season finale for the Penguins. Stuart Skinner made 17 saves through two periods before Arturs Silovs stopped seven shots in the third for Pittsburgh, which had already clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division. ===================================================== AUTO RACING WEEKLY All Times Eastern NASCAR CUP SERIES AdventHealth 400 Site: Kansas City, Kansas. Track: Kansas Speedway. Race distance: 267 laps, 400.5 miles. Schedule: Saturday, practice, 4 p.m., qualifying, 5:10 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (FOX). Last year: Pole-sitter Kyle Larson remained unchallenged throughout the race while leading 221 of 267 laps in a dominant performance that earned him his 32nd career victory. Last race: Ty Gibbs secured his first career Cup Series win after holding off a late surge from Ryan Blaney in overtime at Bristol. Next race: April 26, Talladega, Alabama. Online: http://www.nascar.com NASCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES Kansas Lottery 300 Site: Kansas City, Kansas. Track: Kansas Speedway. Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles. Schedule: Friday, practice, 7 p.m., qualifying, 8:05 p.m.; Saturday, race, 7 p.m. (CW). Last year: Brandon Jones led 54 laps and captured his seventh career win, beating Connor Zilisch by 2.78 seconds in what was previously a fall playoff race. Last race: Connor Zilisch secured his first O’Reilly series win of the year in Bristol after opting not to pit for fresh tires and holding off a late charge from Kyle Larson. Next race: April 25, Talladega, Alabama. Online: http://www.nascar.com NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES Last race: Christopher Bell earned his eighth career victory, and first since 2017, while fending off a late charge from Chandler Smith at Bristol. Next race: May 1, Fort Worth, Texas. Online: http://www.nascar.com FORMULA 1 Last race: Capitalizing on a free pit stop under a safety car, Kimi Antonelli became the first teenager to win back-to-back races, beating Oscar Piastri by 13.7 seconds. Next race: May 3, Miami. Online: http://www.formula1.com NTT INDYCAR SERIES Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Site: Long Beach, California. Track: Streets of Long Beach. Race distance: 90 laps, 177.12 miles. Schedule: Friday, practice, 6 p.m.; Saturday, practice, 1:30 p.m., qualifying, 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, warmup, 1 p.m., race, 5:30 p.m. (FOX). Last year: Kyle Kirkwood led 46 laps from the pole, capturing his third career series victory by 2.6 seconds over Alex Palou. Last race: Pole-sitter Alex Palou led 79 of 90 laps en route to his second win of the season, finishing more than 13 seconds ahead of second-place for his 21st career victory. Next race: May 9, Indianapolis. Online: http://www.indycar.com NHRA DRAG RACING Next race: April 26, Concord, North Carolina. Online: http://www.nhra.com WORLD OF OUTLAWS WORLD OF OUTLAWS HY-VEE PERKS 40 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SOUTHERN INDIANA SHOWDOWN Next race: April 24-25. Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com ================================================ GOLF JUSTIN ROSE WITHDRAWS FROM RBC HERITAGE AFTER LATEST MASTERS MISS Justin Rose withdrew from the RBC Heritage a day after losing the lead on the back nine at the Masters and settling for a tie for third. Rose, who lost in a playoff to Rory McIlroy at Augusta National last year, surged into the lead with three consecutive birdies to finish his front nine. However, he posted consecutive bogeys at Nos. 11-12 to begin “Amen Corner” while McIlroy vaulted into a lead he would not relinquish. Rose ultimately finished two shots behind McIlroy in a four-way tie for third, with Scottie Scheffler finishing as the runner-up. “Felt like the crowd was amazing to me all week long. They pulled for me all week long,” Rose said after Sunday’s round. “I felt their encouragement and support. At the end, it kind of goes a little flat. It’s more of a sympathy than anything. “But it was still, nonetheless, very beautiful. But, yeah, another little stinger.” On Monday, Rose withdrew from this week’s signature event and was replaced by Michael Thorbjornsen. Rose finished 42nd last year in his eighth appearance at the RBC Heritage, where he hasn’t traditionally played particularly well. His most recent top-10 at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C. came in 2004. Rose is coming off a consistent week at the Masters, where he book-ended a pair of 70s by posting 69s in the second and third rounds. However, it was the 2-over 38 he posted on the back 9 Sunday that prevented him from claiming his first green jacket. “I think just chance that got away obviously,” Rose said when asked about his thoughts walking up the 18th hole. “I was by no means kind of free and clear and was nowhere kind of close to having the job done, but I was right in position.” SERGIO GARCIA APOLOGIZES FOR MELTDOWN AT MASTERS Sergio Garcia apologized on Tuesday for his behavior at the Masters, where he received a code of conduct warning following his meltdown at the second hole on Sunday. Garcia, 46, had little to say to reporters following his final round at Augusta National before opting to open up on social media two days later. “I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday at the Masters tournament. I respect and value everything that the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is to Golf,” wrote Garcia, a 2017 Masters champion. “I regret the way I acted and it has no place in our game. It doesn’t reflect the respect and appreciation I have for the Masters, the patrons, tournament officials and golf fans around the world.” Having already absorbed a bogey on his first hole — the first of five on the day — Garcia lined up for his tee shot on No. 2, found the shot not to his liking as it made a beeline for the fairway bunker and promptly took two heavy swings at the turf in frustration. Apparently not content until his driver had lost its head completely, the Spaniard swung the blunted instrument into a cooling stand a few moments later, then snapped the dangling head of the damaged driver off himself shortly after that. Garcia ultimately finished with the third-highest score among players to make the cut, as his 3-over-par 75 left him at 8 over for the tournament. Only Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark (10 over) and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa (12 over) were worse. JORDAN SPIETH TAKES IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD US OPEN EXEMPTION WITH GOOD FINISH AT THE MASTERS AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jordan Spieth didn’t exactly light up Augusta National on Sunday. His closing round of 4-under 68 included holing a bunker shot from behind the par-5 13th green for eagle, and making a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole. By the end of the round, that led to a tie for 12th. It was his best finish in a major in three years, dating to a tie for fourth in the 2023 Masters. And it came at a good time. Spieth ended last year at No. 80 in the world and has been hovering outside the the top 60 for the last month. Now he hits an important stretch concluding with the PGA Championship, after which the top 60 are exempt into the U.S. Open. Spieth’s 10-year exemption from winning at Chambers Bay ran out last year. He is not yet exempt into the U.S. Open, and while past champions typically get at least one special exemption, age 32 is awfully young to be asking for one. He is playing at the RBC Heritage this week. Still to come are a pair of signature events before the PGA Championship at Aronimink outside Philadelphia. That tie for 12th at the Masters moves him up from No. 61 to No. 52. It can be more difficult to move up than to move down in that area of the rankings. Adam Scott also helped himself with a 70-70 weekend to tie for 24th, only moving two spots, but the Australian is now at No. 51. The U.S. Open is the only major for which Scott is not currently eligible, and getting to Shinnecock Hills would make it 100 consecutive majors for Scott. Would he be in line for a special exemption if he needed to ask for one? The USGA has a history of special exemptions for those who never won a U.S. Open, such as Ben Crenshaw, Nick Price and Phil Mickelson. Mickelson didn’t need one in 2021 after winning the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, but it counts as him accepting one. The busy and lucrative stretch of golf on the PGA Tour Players would have seen this coming last summer when the PGA Tour released the 2026 schedule, but now it’s here and it is busy. The Masters was the start of a six-week run that ends with the PGA Championship and has three signature events in the four weeks in between. The total prize fund is in the neighborhood of $100 million, although by now the top players should be used to $20 million purses. The RBC Heritage is this week, followed by the team event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Two more signature events, at Doral and Quail Hollow, lead into the second major of the year. Whew. “It’s tough. I mean, it’s not how I would prefer to draw it up, I would say,” Justin Thomas said Tuesday. “Majors are kind of what guys will generally build their schedule off of, what they need to do to prepare for a major. It’s also how your legacy in the game is remembered for a lot of people. “Going to very difficult courses into a major I don’t think is probably how it would be drawn up for a lot of guys,” he said. Thomas also said it’s something the Future Competition Committee will consider as it tries to revamp the PGA Tour model. Team USA for the Curtis Cup takes shape The eight-player American team for the Curtis Cup is now halfway completed. Texas Longhorns junior Farah O’Keefe and 17-year-old Asterisk Talley have been added to the team through their world amateur ranking. Three players were chosen off the ranking on Monday. Kiara Romero is No. 1, but she already had secured her spot on the team by winning the Mark H. McCormack medal last year as the top female amateur. O’Keefe is No. 4 and the next highest-ranked American. Megha Ganne would have been next in line at No. 7, but the U.S. Women’s Amateur champion is turning pro before the June 12-14 matches at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. Her spot goes to Talley. The Curtis Cup selection committee also chose Auburn junior Anna Davis. The selection committee will pick the final four players after the NCAA regionals this spring. Cameron Young is on some kind of heater Finally breaking through for his first victory last summer at the Wyndham Championship and then starring for the Americans in the Ryder Cup was sure to set up Cameron Young for a big year. The native New Yorker has been delivering over the last two months. Young tied for seventh at Riviera in the Genesis Championship. He contended at Bay Hill before tying for third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Young captured The Players Championship with his clutch drive on the 18th to beat Matt Fitzpatrick. He tied for third last week at the Masters after holding a two-shot lead on the front nine. During that four-tournament stretch, Young has risen from No. 22 to No. 3 in the world. He has taken over the top spot in the FedEx Cup. And he has earned $6.783 million in the last four starts. The rally worth remembering The difference between getting into the PGA Tour postseason last year was five points. It’s an example that points matter, and why it’s worth remembering Brian Harman at the Masters. Harman had a rough start at Augusta National and was 10-over par through the fourth hole of the second round, headed for a weekend off. But then the former British Open champion ran off four straight birdies, and seven for the round, to shoot 69 and make the cut on the number. He shot 67 in the third round. He closed with a 73 and tied for 33rd. That was worth 35 FedEx Cup points, an amount that might come in handy later this year. Divots The Senior PGA Championship features the debut of 2016 British Open champion Henrik Stenson, who turned 50 on April 5. Stenson was relegated out of LIV Golf last fall after four years. … Michelle Wie West is taking advantage of maternity leave to play in one more U.S. Women’s Open this year at Riviera. She also is playing the Mizuho Americas Open on a sponsor exemption on May 7-10. Wie West is the tournament host in the event that pairs LPGA players with elite juniors. … Gary Woodland will have Tim Tucker on his bag at the RBC Heritage. His regular caddie, Brennan Little, qualified for the Senior PGA Championship. … Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex, who plays on the European tour, will be teammates in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans next week. Stat of the week Six of the 10 players in the last five groups at the Masters failed to break par. Their combined scoring average was 73.1. Final word “I’m not putting a number on it, but I certainly don’t want to stop here.” — Masters champion Rory McIlroy after winning his sixth major. PGA TOUR GOES TO POST-MASTERS STOP AT HILTON HEAD. SENIOR PGA GOES TO FLORIDA GOLF WEEKLY PGA Tour RBC HERITAGE Site: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Course: Harbour Town GL. Yardage: 7,243. Par: 71. Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $3.6 million. Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). Defending champion: Justin Thomas. FedEx Cup leader: Cameron Young. Last week: Rory McIlroy won the Masters. Notes: Rory McIlroy is not playing the RBC Heritage for the second straight year. He has said Harbour Town is not a course that suits him. … Justin Rose, who had the lead on the back nine at the Masters for the second straight year without winning, withdrew on Monday. He was replaced in the field by Michael Thorbjornsen. … The PGA Tour is in a stretch of two majors and three signature events over a six-week period. … Justin Thomas won a year ago with a 20-foot birdie putt in a playoff to beat Andrew Novak. … Cameron Young has finished no worse than seventh in his last four tournaments, including his victory in The Players Championship. … Davis Love III completed a restoration project last fall that mainly returned greens to their original shape without making any major changes. … Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Billy Horschel and Marco Penge received sponsor exemptions. For Finau and Horschel, it’s their third exemption to a signature event this year. Next week: Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/ ___ LPGA Tour JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP Site: Los Angeles. Course: El Caballero CC. Yardage: 6,679. Par: 72. Prize money: $3.75 million. Winner’s share: $562,500. Television: Thursday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel). Defending champion: Ingrid Lindblad. Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda. Last tournament: Lauren Coughlin won the Aramco Championship. Notes: This is the final LPGA stop before its first major of the year next week in Houston at The Chevron Championship. … Three of the top four players in the women’s golf ranking are skipping the $3.75 million event — Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda and Charley Hull. … The field features 15 of the top 25 in the world, including Hyo Joo Kim, the only two-time winner on the LPGA, and Hannah Green, who has won three times worldwide in 2026. … The top two female amateurs in the world are playing, Asterisk Talley and Aphrodite Deng. This is the first start for the 17-year-old Talley since she lost the lead on the back nine at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. … Major champions Allisen Corpus (Southern California), Patty Tavatanakit (UCLA) and Lilia Vu (UCLA) played college golf in Los Angeles. … Lizette Salas is playing for the first time since 2024 after recovering from a back injury. … Alison Lee is playing for the first time following maternity leave in 2025. Next week: The Chevron Championship. Online: https://www.lpga.com/ ___ PGA of America and PGA Tour Champions SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Site: Bradenton, Florida. Course: Concession GC. Yardage:6,936. Par: 72. Prize money: $3 million. Winner’s share: $450,000. Television: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel). Defending champion: Angel Cabrera. Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink. Last tournament: Stewart Cink won the Hoag Classic. Notes: Henrik Stenson makes his Senior PGA Championship debut after turning 50 on April 5. He was relegated from LIV Golf last year. Pat Perez is the other former LIV player in the field. … This is the oldest of the five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule, dating to 1937 when Jock Hutchison won at Augusta National. … Steve Stricker is making his first start of the season and his first official event since his tournament in Wisconsin last June. … The PGA of America has moved its senior major to Concession in an agreement that will keep it there for three years. … The winner of the Senior PGA will earn a spot in the field next month at Aronimink for the PGA Championship. … Among the club professionals who earned a spot in the field are Brennan Little, the caddie for Gary Woodland. … Ten players have won the PGA Championship and Senior PGA. The last one to do that was Raymond Floyd in 1995. … Six former PGA champions are in the field. Next week: Mitsubishi Electric Classic. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions/ ___ LIV Golf League LIV GOLF MEXICO Site: Mexico City. Course: Chapultepec GC. Yardage: 7,443. Par: 71. Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million. Television: Thursday, 3-6 p.m. (FOX Sports app), 6-8 p.m. (FS1); Friday, 2-5 p.m. (FOX), 5-7 p.m. (FOX Sports app); Saturday, 1:30-4 p.m. (FOX), 4-6:30 p.m. (FS1); Sunday, 2-7 p.m. (FS1). Defending champion: Joaquin Niemann. Points leader: Jon Rahm. Last tournament: Bryson DeChambeau won LIV Golf South Africa. Notes: LIV Golf returns to its schedule after a disappointing showing in the Masters, with Tyrrell Hatton finishing in the top 30 (closing 66 to tie for third) and four other players making the 36-hole cut. … Bryson DeChambeau, who made triple bogey on the 18th hole to miss the cut at the Masters, will be going for his third straight LIV Golf victory. Talor Gooch is the only other player to have won two in a row on LIV Golf. … Chapultepec Golf Club previously hosted a World Golf Championship. Among past champions are Dustin Johnson. … The two Mexican players for LIV Golf are Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz. … Joaquin Niemann has only one top 10 in five appearances this year, coming off a year in which he won five times. … Six LIV players are among the top 100 in the world as they try to secure invitations to the PGA Championship next month. … LIV will play its first event in the United States next month. Next tournament: LIV Golf Virginia on May 7-10. Online: https://www.livgolf.com/ ___ Korn Ferry Tour TULUM CHAMPIONSHIP Site: Tulum, Mexico. Course: PGA Riviera Maya. Yardage: 7,272. Par: 72. Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000. Television: None. Defending champion: Bryson Nimmer. Points leader: Ian Holt. Last tournament: Jeremy Gandon won the Lecom Suncoast Classic. Next tournament: Colonial Life Charity Classic on May 14-17. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/ ___ European tour Last week: Rory McIlroy won the Masters. Next week: Volvo China Open. Race to Dubai leader: Patrick Reed. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/ ___ Other tours PGA Tour Americas: ECP Brazil Open, Rio Olympic GC, Rio de Janeiro. Previous winner: Max Moldovan. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/americas Ladies European Tour: Joburg Ladies Open, Randpark GC, Johannesburg. Television: Saturday, 6-9 a.m. (Golf Channel app); Sunday, 6-9 a.m. (Golf Channel). Previous winner: Mimi Rhodes. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/ Japan LPGA: KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open, Kumamoto Kuko CC, Kumamoto, Japan. Defending champion: Shuri Sakuma. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/ Korea LPGA: Nexen Saint Nine Masters, Gaya CC, Gimhae, South Korea. Defending champion: Shinsil Bang. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/ ================================================================== INDIANA HEADLINES/RELEASES COLTS FOOTBALL Free agent safety Nasir Adderley came out of retirement on Tuesday to sign a contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the Colts for Adderley, who announced his retirement from the NFL in March of 2023. Adderley, 28, got the itch to return to the gridiron, however, and he made his intention known over social media in February. He recorded 232 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles in 50 career games (44 starts) with the Los Angeles Chargers (2019-22). He was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Delaware. Adderley joins fellow safeties Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas as new additions for the Colts. ================================================= INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS PAPILLION, Neb. – Esmerlyn Valdez returned to the lineup to extend his on-base streak to 15 games and the Indianapolis Indians put up eight hits against the Omaha Storm Chasers’ seven, but fell, 6-2, on Tuesday afternoon at Werner Park. The Indians (4-12) faced Stephen Kolek, the rehabbing Major League pitcher, and were held scoreless in his 4.0 innings. Noah Davis (L, 1-2) did not give up a hit to the Storm Chasers (8-7) until the third inning. After Nick Loftin’s second hit by pitch of the contest, Kameron Misner hit a double to the left field wall to send Loftin home. A passed ball allowed one more to score, putting the Storm Chasers up, 2-0. In the top of the fifth inning, Alika Williams, who entered the game leading the International League with a .462 batting average, singled to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, his longest since a 12-game run from Aug. 14–27, 2025, with Indianapolis. Three Indians batters reached in the inning but did not score. Misner hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to double the Storm Chasers’ lead, 4-0. They carried their momentum into the next inning, adding two more runs from an Indians throwing error and an RBI single by John Rave. Jose Cuas (W, 1-0) earned the win after a scoreless appearance in the sixth. After a four-pitch walk to Tyler Callihan to open the eighth inning, Omaha pitcher Chazz Martinez left with an apparent injury. Ronny Simon followed with a long double to the warning track to bring Callihan home for the Indians’ first run of the game. Indianapolis did not go down without a fight, as Williams singled into center field with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Enmanuel Valdez ripped a double to the wall to bring Williams home, but Andrew Pérez entered the game to induce the last out of the contest. In his first game since April 1, Enmanuel Valdez went 3-for-4 with one double and two singles, logging his first hits of the season. The Indians look to even the series against Omaha on Wednesday at 12:05 PM ET. LHP Nick Dombkowski (0-1, 8.53) will aim for his first win of the season against RHP Luinder Avila (0-0, 6.00). ================================================= INDY FUEL FORT WAYNE- The Fuel will head to Fort Wayne, Indiana to face the Komets for the last time this regular season. Indy will look to keep the momentum going after their win against Iowa on Sunday. LAST TIME OUT The last time these two teams met was on March 29, 2026 where the Fuel lost 2-1 in a low scoring game. This is the last of twelve meetings this season and the Fuel have lost eight of the eleven games played against Fort Wayne so far. PLAYOFF HUNT The Fuel are still looking for a playoff spot as the season comes to an end. A player to watch is Matt Petgrave, who became the Fuel franchise single season defenseman points leader with 45 after a goal on Sunday. Indy hopes to punch a ticket to the postseason, but they need a strong finish to help their chances. ================================================== INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL Indiana and coach Darian DeVries landed a big-time addition to their frontcourt this evening with the commitment of 7-foot-2, 265-pound center Samet Yigitoglu from SMU. Originally from Turkey, Yigitoglu is 22 years old. He has played two years at SMU and is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining. He immediately gives the Hoosiers a legitimate center who can play and bang in the Big Ten. READ MORE: https://247sports.com/college/indiana/article/big-time-addition-indiana-adds-7-foot-2-265-pound-center-samet-yigitoglu-from-the-transfer-portal-281744660/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRLnuBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeWCm1TyMwF6X1VnmmSybp3KUIErjdaeK_r7zEYvA61aChGFFCms9c5Ddnky0_aem_x3UtB7lxnBNuEFBs-nr9gA ===== Six-foot-11 power forward transfer portal prospect Sebastian Rancik of Colorado has scheduled an Indiana visit, sources tell Peegs.com. Rancik is scheduled to visit Indiana on Thursday. Rancik played two years at Colorado and has two years of college eligibility remaining. READ MORE: https://247sports.com/college/indiana/article/indiana-basketball-recruiting-transfer-portal-prospect-6-foot-11-sophomore-sebastian-rancik-of-colorado-scheduled-to-visit-indiana-281719591/ ===================================================== INDIANA FOOTBALL Indiana football is inching closer to the 2026 season as defending national champions, and the national perception of the Hoosiers seemingly hasn’t changed this offseason. ESPN on Tuesday released its Way-Too-Early Top 25 spring update, tabbing IU as the No. 6 team in the nation. “After stunning the sport and collecting their first national title in 2025, the Hoosiers will have to replace (Fernando) Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, and several key players that coach Curt Cignetti brought with him from James Madison,” wrote ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. “The Hoosiers once again relied on the transfer portal to rebuild their roster. READ MORE: https://247sports.com/college/indiana/article/indiana-football-ranked-no-6-in-espns-way-too-early-top-25-rankings-281737444/ ==================================================== INDIANA BASEBALL TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Offense came in bunches for the Indiana Baseball team (15-21, 6-12 B1G) on Tuesday (April 14) evening in a 17-12 win over Indiana State. After falling behind in the opening inning, IU put up 15 unanswered runs between the second and sixth frames. IU scored five more later in the game to complete a midweek victory in Terre Haute. The Hoosiers slugged six home runs to kick start a busy week of baseball. A windy night at Bob Warn Field provided the boost that IU needed for a massive offensive effort. Five different players hit home runs, led by a pair of long balls from sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie. Batters three through seven in the order combined to go 14-25 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. In total, six different players had multi-hit games. Redshirt junior outfielder Ayden Crouse continues to play well in the absence of sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny. He had three hits including the game-tying home run in the fourth inning. He finished a double short of the cycle after finishing a triple shy of the feat in Sunday’s contest at Maryland. Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian ended short of a cycle by a double as well. Senior southpaw Anthony Gubitosi (W, 1-0) was IU’s best pitcher of the contest, helping to settle the game down after Indiana State plated five in the first inning. He racked up three strikeouts and scattered just one hit in two scoreless frames. Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Evan O’Neill and freshman right-handed pitcher Kellen English each put up zeros in their respective outings. Tuesday’s win was the fifth time that IU has hit six home runs or more in a game under head coach Jeff Mercer. It was also the seventh time that one of his teams has provided 20-or-more hits in a single contest. 10 of the 11 position players recorded at least one hit. It is the first win IU has had while giving up double-digit runs since March 16, 2024 (vs. Belmont). It will be a quick turnaround this week as IU prepares to finish out the midweek slate tomorrow (April 15) against Evansville. First pitch from Bart Kaufman Field is set for 6 p.m. on B1G+. It’s the first of four-straight home games for the Hoosiers. Scoring Recap Bottom First The Sycamores scored five in the first behind a trio of home runs. Caden Miller led off the game with a massive three-run blast to center field. Nick Sutherlin and Caleb Niehaus followed that with a pair of solo shots. Indiana State 5, Indiana 0 Top Second A much-needed response came from the middle of IU’s order. Cooper Malamazian hit a home run to center field before Will Moore got a hold of a two-run shot to left field. Indiana State 5, Indiana 3 Top Third Cole Decker trimmed the deficit to one with a solo blast. Indiana State 5, Indiana 4 Top Fourth Ayden Crouse gave IU the lead with a solo shot. That was followed quickly by a solo shot from Caleb Koskie to take the lead. A pinch hit single from Owen ten Oever plated three more to extend the lead. Indiana 9, Indiana State 5 Top Fifth Koskie’s big day continued with a three-run blast to right field. Indiana 12, Indiana State 5 Top Sixth Crouse tripled into the gap to score Landen Fry from first. A sacrifice fly from Jake Hanley added to the advantage. Decker extended the lead to double digits with an RBI single up the middle. Indiana 15, Indiana State 5 Bottom Sixth Sutherlin hit his second home run of the game with a solo shot to left field. A trio of singles from Jeremy Martinez, Colin Sander and Carter Beck provided three additional runs for the Sycamores. Indiana 15, Indiana State 9 Top Seventh Koskie’s RBI single down the right field line provided insurance in the seventh inning. Indiana 16, Indiana State 9 Bottom Seventh An RBI fielder’s choice shortened the deficit back to six. Indiana 16, Indiana State 10 Top Eighth T.J. Schuyler doubled to the wall in right field to add on to the tally. Indiana 17, Indiana State 10 Bottom Eighth Emil Estrella singled up the middle to score Sander from second. Indiana 17, Indiana State 11 Bottom Ninth John Curl hit his first home run of the season. Indiana 17, Indiana State 12 Top Hoosier Performers #5 Crouse, Ayden 3-5, HR, BB, 4 R, 2 RBI #17 Koskie, Caleb 4-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB #16 Gubitosi, Anthony 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K Inside the Box Score • Six of IU’s nine starters had multi-hit games. Four different players had at least three base knocks. • Between hits, walks and hit-by-pitches, IU reached base 30 times. • Cooper Malamazian and Ayden Crouse each finished a double short of the cycle. Notes to Know • Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie went yard twice for his first career multi-home run game. In the process, he extended his hitting streak to 17-consecutive games. That’s the longest streak by an IU player in a single season since Sam Travis (17 – 2012) during his freshman campaign 14 years ago. Koskie also recorded his second multi-hit game in the proceedings. • IU slugged six home runs in the win over Indiana State – hit by five different players. It’s the fifth time in the head coach Jeff Mercer era that his team has hit six-or-more home runs in a single game. It is the first such occurrence since Feb. 28, 2025 against Mount St. Mary’s. The Hoosiers also produced their seventh 20-plus hit performance under the eighth-year skipper – first since March 7, 2025 (at Penn State). • The five-RBI effort for Koskie – sparked by the three-run home run – was the fifth of his career with four-or-more batted in. In fact, he has as many games in his career with four-plus RBIs (5) as he does with just one (5). Koskie has 11 multi-hit efforts this year and seven multi-hit performances. • Freshman catcher Owen ten Oever pinch hit in a big spot on Tuesday with the bases loaded. He chopped a single up the middle to score a pair of runs. It’s his fifth hit in a pinch hit opportunity this season. In fact, he’s hitting .555 (5-9) when coming in directly off the bench this year. Two of those occasions have produce multi-run hits. Up Next Midweek action continues on Wednesday (April 15) in Bloomington. First pitch against Evansville is set for 6 p.m. and will be available on B1G+ and online via IUHoosiers.com/Audio. ====================================================== INDIANA SOFTBALL TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Offense came in bunches for the Indiana Baseball team (15-21, 6-12 B1G) on Tuesday (April 14) evening in a 17-12 win over Indiana State. After falling behind in the opening inning, IU put up 15 unanswered runs between the second and sixth frames. IU scored five more later in the game to complete a midweek victory in Terre Haute. The Hoosiers slugged six home runs to kick start a busy week of baseball. A windy night at Bob Warn Field provided the boost that IU needed for a massive offensive effort. Five different players hit home runs, led by a pair of long balls from sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie. Batters three through seven in the order combined to go 14-25 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. In total, six different players had multi-hit games. Redshirt junior outfielder Ayden Crouse continues to play well in the absence of sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny. He had three hits including the game-tying home run in the fourth inning. He finished a double short of the cycle after finishing a triple shy of the feat in Sunday’s contest at Maryland. Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian ended short of a cycle by a double as well. Senior southpaw Anthony Gubitosi (W, 1-0) was IU’s best pitcher of the contest, helping to settle the game down after Indiana State plated five in the first inning. He racked up three strikeouts and scattered just one hit in two scoreless frames. Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Evan O’Neill and freshman right-handed pitcher Kellen English each put up zeros in their respective outings. Tuesday’s win was the fifth time that IU has hit six home runs or more in a game under head coach Jeff Mercer. It was also the seventh time that one of his teams has provided 20-or-more hits in a single contest. 10 of the 11 position players recorded at least one hit. It is the first win IU has had while giving up double-digit runs since March 16, 2024 (vs. Belmont). It will be a quick turnaround this week as IU prepares to finish out the midweek slate tomorrow (April 15) against Evansville. First pitch from Bart Kaufman Field is set for 6 p.m. on B1G+. It’s the first of four-straight home games for the Hoosiers. Scoring Recap Bottom First The Sycamores scored five in the first behind a trio of home runs. Caden Miller led off the game with a massive three-run blast to center field. Nick Sutherlin and Caleb Niehaus followed that with a pair of solo shots. Indiana State 5, Indiana 0 Top Second A much-needed response came from the middle of IU’s order. Cooper Malamazian hit a home run to center field before Will Moore got a hold of a two-run shot to left field. Indiana State 5, Indiana 3 Top Third Cole Decker trimmed the deficit to one with a solo blast. Indiana State 5, Indiana 4 Top Fourth Ayden Crouse gave IU the lead with a solo shot. That was followed quickly by a solo shot from Caleb Koskie to take the lead. A pinch hit single from Owen ten Oever plated three more to extend the lead. Indiana 9, Indiana State 5 Top Fifth Koskie’s big day continued with a three-run blast to right field. Indiana 12, Indiana State 5 Top Sixth Crouse tripled into the gap to score Landen Fry from first. A sacrifice fly from Jake Hanley added to the advantage. Decker extended the lead to double digits with an RBI single up the middle. Indiana 15, Indiana State 5 Bottom Sixth Sutherlin hit his second home run of the game with a solo shot to left field. A trio of singles from Jeremy Martinez, Colin Sander and Carter Beck provided three additional runs for the Sycamores. Indiana 15, Indiana State 9 Top Seventh Koskie’s RBI single down the right field line provided insurance in the seventh inning. Indiana 16, Indiana State 9 Bottom Seventh An RBI fielder’s choice shortened the deficit back to six. Indiana 16, Indiana State 10 Top Eighth T.J. Schuyler doubled to the wall in right field to add on to the tally. Indiana 17, Indiana State 10 Bottom Eighth Emil Estrella singled up the middle to score Sander from second. Indiana 17, Indiana State 11 Bottom Ninth John Curl hit his first home run of the season. Indiana 17, Indiana State 12 Top Hoosier Performers #5 Crouse, Ayden 3-5, HR, BB, 4 R, 2 RBI #17 Koskie, Caleb 4-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB #16 Gubitosi, Anthony 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K Inside the Box Score • Six of IU’s nine starters had multi-hit games. Four different players had at least three base knocks. • Between hits, walks and hit-by-pitches, IU reached base 30 times. • Cooper Malamazian and Ayden Crouse each finished a double short of the cycle. Notes to Know • Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie went yard twice for his first career multi-home run game. In the process, he extended his hitting streak to 17-consecutive games. That’s the longest streak by an IU player in a single season since Sam Travis (17 – 2012) during his freshman campaign 14 years ago. Koskie also recorded his second multi-hit game in the proceedings. • IU slugged six home runs in the win over Indiana State – hit by five different players. It’s the fifth time in the head coach Jeff Mercer era that his team has hit six-or-more home runs in a single game. It is the first such occurrence since Feb. 28, 2025 against Mount St. Mary’s. The Hoosiers also produced their seventh 20-plus hit performance under the eighth-year skipper – first since March 7, 2025 (at Penn State). • The five-RBI effort for Koskie – sparked by the three-run home run – was the fifth of his career with four-or-more batted in. In fact, he has as many games in his career with four-plus RBIs (5) as he does with just one (5). Koskie has 11 multi-hit efforts this year and seven multi-hit performances. • Freshman catcher Owen ten Oever pinch hit in a big spot on Tuesday with the bases loaded. He chopped a single up the middle to score a pair of runs. It’s his fifth hit in a pinch hit opportunity this season. In fact, he’s hitting .555 (5-9) when coming in directly off the bench this year. Two of those occasions have produce multi-run hits. Up Next Midweek action continues on Wednesday (April 15) in Bloomington. First pitch against Evansville is set for 6 p.m. and will be available on B1G+ and online via IUHoosiers.com/Audio. ================================================================ INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PHOENIX – Indiana women’s basketball alum Shay Ciezki has signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, the league announced on Tuesday. She will join the team’s training camp, which will begin on April 19. In one of the most impressive single seasons in IU women’s basketball history, Ciezki averaged 228 points per game and scored 708 points while knocking down 79 3-pointers She finished second in a single season in school history while setting the school record for points per game in a single season. She is the second player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball to average a 50/40/90 while scoring 20+ or more (Eva Hodges, William & Mary 2019). The Buffalo, N.Y. native shot 52.6 percent from the floor, 44.6 percent from the 3-point line and 90.8 percent at the free throw line. She scored in double figures in 30 of 31 games played in her senior season, scoring 20 points or more 23 time and had seven 30-point games. In addition, Ciezki is in the Top 10 in the nation in points per game, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. She became the fastest player to 1,000 points in IU history in 2025-26, hitting the career mark in her 60th game played for the program. She sits 30th all-time in scoring (1,097). Ciezki was named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice which led to All-Big Ten honors in 2025-26. She earned a place on the first team from the league’s media and second team from the league’s coaches. PHOENIX – Indiana women’s basketball alum Shay Ciezki has signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, the league announced on Tuesday. She will join the team’s training camp, which will begin on April 19.In one of the most impressive single seasons in IU women’s basketball history, Ciezki averaged 228 points per game and scored 708 points while knocking down 79 3-pointers She finished second in a single season in school history while setting the school record for points per game in a single season. She is the second player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball to average a 50/40/90 while scoring 20+ or more (Eva Hodges, William & Mary 2019). The Buffalo, N.Y. native shot 52.6 percent from the floor, 44.6 percent from the 3-point line and 90.8 percent at the free throw line. She scored in double figures in 30 of 31 games played in her senior season, scoring 20 points or more 23 time and had seven 30-point games. In addition, Ciezki is in the Top 10 in the nation in points per game, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage.She became the fastest player to 1,000 points in IU history in 2025-26, hitting the career mark in her 60th game played for the program. She sits 30th all-time in scoring (1,097). Ciezki was named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice which led to All-Big Ten honors in 2025-26. She earned a place on the first team from the league’s media and second team from the league’s coaches. ====================================================== IU WRESTLING BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Indiana Wrestling head coach Angel Escobedo announced the signing of Connor Barket on Tuesday (April 14). Barket, a transfer from Duke comes to Indiana after spending four years with the Blue Devils. At Duke, he wrestled primarily at heavyweight with a handful of matches at 197 lbs. throughout his four years in Durham and compiled a 62-40 overall record. Barket is a two-time NCAA Qualifier, qualifying as the No. 27 Seed at 285 lbs. in 2025 and was the No. 24 Seed at 285 lbs. in 2026. In 2026, Barket went 1-2 at the tournament, picking up a 9-1 major decision win over No. 25 Alex Semenko (Brown) on the backside of the bracket. He finished on the podium twice in the ACC Championships, taking fifth place in back-to-back years in 2025 and 2026. Barket is returning to his home state as his hometown is West Lafayette, Ind. He was a four-year letterwinner in wrestling and football at West Lafayette High School. He was an Indiana state finalist as a senior in 2022 and was a three-time regional champion as well as a 2022 semi-state champion. At West Lafayette, he went 150-14 in his career and holds the single-season takedown record of 147 in 2022. He was the Indiana State Wrestling Association Triple Crown winner and a USA Wrestling Folkstyle All-American as a junior. ======================================================= PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Athletics and men’s basketball head coach Matt Painter have announced updates to the Purdue men’s basketball coaching and support staff. P.J. Thompson has been elevated to associate head coach, while Kenneth Lowe has been hired as an assistant coach. In addition, Lance Jones and Sterling Carter and have been announced as graduate assistant coaches for the next two seasons. Lowe replaces Terry Johnson, who has left Purdue for other professional opportunities. Thompson, a former Boilermaker point guard who graduated in 2018, has been elevated to associate head coach after previously serving as an assistant coach and director of player development for five seasons. Entering his eighth total season on the Purdue coaching staff, Thompson has played an integral role in player development, recruiting and scouting, helping Purdue maintain its position among the nation’s elite programs. Thompson serves as the Boilermakers’ primary offensive coach, leading Purdue to the nation’s 4th, 7th and top-ranked offense over the last three seasons. In addition, Thompson’s prowess on the recruiting trail has been impressive, helping the Boilermakers land the seventh-ranked recruiting class in the Class of 2026, Purdue’s highest team ranking in almost 20 years. “P.J. is one of the brightest young coaches in all of college basketball and he has had a very impressive start to his coaching career,” Painter said. “He has helped transform our offense into the best offense in the country and he has made a major impact in our recruiting efforts. We are excited that he will continue to gain valuable experience here at Purdue and be a fixture in our program for the foreseeable future.” Returning to Purdue as an assistant coach will be former Boilermaker and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Kenneth Lowe, who just wrapped up his fourth season as an assistant coach at St. Thomas University in Minnesota. Lowe, who was responsible for the Tommies’ defensive strategy, helped St. Thomas into the Division I era with success. Last season, the Tommies finished with a 24-10 overall record, finishing second in the Summit League with a 12-4 record despite having one of the youngest rosters in the country. St. Thomas boasted the league’s second-ranked defense behind champion North Dakota State. During the 2024-25 season, the Tommies lost in the conference championship game to Nebraska-Omaha and finished with another 24-10 record and 12-4 league mark. The squad finished among the top 20 nationally in turnover margin. In his second season during the 2023-24 campaign, St. Thomas finished 17th nationally in scoring defense. Prior to his time at St. Thomas, Lowe spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Miami, Ohio. Previously, he was at Purdue for four seasons from 2014-17. “Kenny brings valuable experience to our coaching staff, both as a former player and assistant coach. At his previous stops, most notably St. Thomas, he has shown an understanding and commitment to coaching at the defensive end and to maximizing player development and improvement. He will be a welcome addition to our program,” Painter said. Painter has also announced that Lance Jones and Sterling Carter will serve as graduate assistants for the next two seasons. Jones played at Purdue for one season in 2023-24, helping the Boilermakers to the National Championship game, the Big Ten regular-season championship and school-record 34 victories. Jones, who was noted as a defensive specialist, averaged 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists while making 80, 3-pointers in his lone season at Purdue. The past two years, Jones has spent time playing professionally both in Spain and Mexico. Carter spent the 2013-14 season with Purdue after playing three seasons at Seattle U. During the 2013-14 season, Carter averaging 4.8 points per game, making 28, 3-pointers. His season was ended abruptly in mid-February when he tore his ACL against Nebraska. Carter is remembered for his career performance in an 82-64 win over Indiana, when he scored 19 points while making 5-of-6 from long range. Carter would play professionally in Germany and has been a high school and AAU coach for several years. “Both Lance and Sterling played big parts in our program in the one year they played here, and we are excited to bring them back. Sterling has been involved in coaching for the last several years and is ready to expand his role into the collegiate ranks. Lance is looking to break into coaching for the first time. They both have outstanding personalities and will be a great fit for us and the relationships they will develop at Purdue,” Painter added. Purdue will welcome back every available scholarship player for the 2026-27 season in addition to one of the most sought-after transfers in the country, Caden Pierce, as well as a highly-regarded incoming freshman class. ======================================================= PURDUE BASEBALL WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – On a night in which the bullpens combined for 14 1/3 scoreless innings, it was Miami (Ohio) that scored twice in the top of the 11th to break a stalemate on the scoreboard, defeating Purdue Baseball 5-3 Tuesday in the first extra-innings game of the season at Alexander Field. Westin Boyle’s two-out home run in the fourth inning, the first of the freshman’s collegiate career, tied the score at 3-3. It remained that way until Dominic Krupinski delivered a bases-loaded RBI single with one out in the top of the 11th. Six of the first seven RedHawks to come to the plate in the 11th inning enjoyed a productive plate appearance. The Boilermakers (25-11) used three pitchers in the frame. Graham Kollen (3 IP, 2 H, K) and Trevor Kester-Johnson (3 IP, H, 2 K) both pitched a season-high three innings of scoreless relief, teaming up with Jake Kramer (2 IP, 2 H, 2 K) to help the Boilermakers post seven consecutive zeros from the fourth through the 10th. Purdue committed three errors for the second time this season, all three coming over the first four innings. An inning-opening error in the top of the third helped Miami (23-12) score a pair of unearned runs. Boyle’s home run was the Boilermakers’ only extra-base hit of the night. Jake Tedesco (1 1/3 IP, 0 H, K), Austin Berggren (3 IP, H, 3 K) and Marc Iozzo (2 IP, H, 0 R, K) teamed up for 6 1/3 innings of two-hit scoreless relief to back up starter Jack Geiser (4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K). Purdue’s first four batters reached base safely in the second inning. Boyle delivered an RBI single with the bases loaded and Zach Zychowski drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. But besides Boyle’s home run, the Boilers only had one base runner advance past first base the rest of the game. Quincy Malbrough made a crowd-pleasing catch sliding towards the tarp in foul territory down the left field line to end the top of the 10th. The RedHawks were threatening after a two-out double and intentional walk. Avery Moore threw out Krupinski at second base from right field to begin the fifth inning, preventing a hustle double. Moore made another strong throw home early in the top of the 11th, forcing Miami to hold the go-ahead run at third base following a leadoff double. Eli Anderson’s two-out single in the seventh inning extended his hit streak at Alexander Field to 12 consecutive games. Sam Flores was kept off base for the first time since the March 21 win vs. Penn State, ending his on-base streak at 14 consecutive games. By posting zeros in the ninth and 10th innings, Kramer extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 14 2/3. He has yet to give up a run at Alexander this season (10 innings). The game was played in front of 2,263 fans, the largest crowd of the season at Alexander Field. Purdue continues its five-game homestand Friday when it opens a three-game Big Ten Conference series vs. Ohio State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET. STREAKS EXTENDED • Eli Anderson: 12-game hit at home • Avery Moore: 11-game on-base; 6-game hit; 5-game on-base at home • Quincy Malbrough: 7-game-hit; 7-game on-base at home; 6-game hit at home • Jackson Bessette: 7-game on-base • Westin Boyle: 6-game on-base • Jake Kramer: 14 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings; 10 consecutive scoreless innings at home ====================================================== NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Logan Duncomb, a 6-10 center graduate transfer from Winthrop University, will officially call South Bend home next season as he is set to join the Irish for the 2026-27 season. The 2026 Big South Conference Player of the Year ranked second in the league in scoring (18.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (8.9 rpg). In fact, Duncomb posted 14 double-doubles and had 14 games with 20 or more points. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native shot an efficient 60.0% from the field while converting 73.5% from the free-throw line. Duncomb broke the single-season record for free throws made (194) and attempted (264). In fact, Duncomb drew 9.5 fouls per 40 minutes, which was the most in Division I last season. To add to his stat line, Duncomb also netted 50 assists, 24 blocks and 26 steals. “We are excited to welcome Logan to Notre Dame. He is a proven, physical presence who dominated this season en route to earning Big South Player of the Year honors. He’s a high motor big who can score in a variety of ways. His toughness, production, & competitiveness are exactly what we want in our program,” Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry explained. Duncomb became the second Eagle in program history to average a double-double in league play, posting 21.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg. In one of his highlight games of the year, Duncomb dropped a career-high 38 points at Presbyterian to go along with his 15 boards. The 38 points were the most by an Eagle in program history for a road game. Duncomb’s stellar senior season wrapped after Winthrop went 23-11, coming one game shy of the NCAA Tournament after losing in the Big South title game. By year’s end, he was named: Big South Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-Big South, Finalist for the Lou Henson Award and Finalist for the Nolan Richardson Award. ======================================================= NOTRE DAME BASEBALL SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team took a 6-1 victory over in-state foe Valparaiso on Tuesday evening at Frank Eck Stadium. Caden Crowell forced the Beacons into stranding the bases loaded and struck out the side in the top of the first inning. Mark Quatrani then used a 424-foot homer to get the Irish on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the opening frame. Crowell kept the Beacons off the scoreboard in the top of the third by closing the inning with a strikeout, and the freshman retired the side in order in the top of the third on two strikeouts and a pop up. The Beacons used a solo home run in the top of the fifth to tie the game up at 1-1. Shane Miranda laced a single into the outfield, and Jamie Zee drew a full-count walk with one out to put two aboard for the Irish in the bottom of the sixth. Noah Coy followed suit with a walk of his own. Mark Quatrani drew a walk to drive in Miranda for a 2-1 Irish lead. Bino Watters then drove in a pair with a solid single to right field as Zee and Coy came in to score for a 4-1 lead. Noah Rooney retired the side in order in the top of the seventh for the Irish. Parker Brzustewicz and Shane Miranda hit back-to-back doubles to add to the Irish lead in the bottom of the seventh. Jamie Zee made it three doubles in a row as Miranda came around to score for a 6-1 Irish advantage. Oisin Lee had a strikeout in a scoreless inning of work on the mound in the eighth, and Will Jaisle capped off the game with a scoreless effort in the ninth to close out the 6-1 Irish win. Shane Miranda went 3-for-3 at the dish with an RBI double and two runs. Bino Watters added a 3-for-5 effort with a double and two RBI. Mark Quatrani went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and a run. Parker Brzustewicz and Jamie Zee each had a double and scored a run while Zee added an RBI. Noah Coy scored once and walked twice, and Mason Barth and Jayce Lee each tallied a hit. Caden Crowell went 3.0 on the mound with a career-best six strikeouts. Eli Thurmond added 2.0 on the bump with three Ks. Noah Rooney earned the win in relief after 2.0 innings of hitless work. Oisin Lee and Will Jaisle each posted a shutout inning down the stretch for the Irish. Notre Dame (17-15) return to ACC action this weekend when they travel to Florida State for a three-game series beginning on Friday, April 17 at 6:00 p.m. ======================================================= NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team (17-26) fell to Indiana in five innings by a score of 11-1 Tuesday evening. Tenley Sweet logged her 10th RBI of the season during the second inning, driving a pitch back up the middle to score Sydny Poeck, who led off the inning with a base hit. The Irish return to Melissa Cook Stadium tomorrow for a matchup against Northwestern. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Attendance to all regular season Notre Dame softball games is free. ====================================================== NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX SOUTH BEND, Ind. — University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse standouts Will Donovan and Josh Yago had their names called on Tuesday night during the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League draft. Donovan is headed to the Boston Cannons and Yago to the Philadelphia Waterdogs. Donovan was taken with the 15th overall pick in the second round while Yago came off the board with the 21st pick in the third round. With the two selections, the Fighting Irish now have had 58 players selected in the history of pro lacrosse drafts. Donovan is the best LSM in the country, locking down the opposition’s top midfielder on a regular basis while creating havoc in passing lanes and being elite on the wings for faceoffs. The senior is a three-time All-American and All-ACC honoree. Donovan played a major role in both national championship teams, helping the Irish win the title in 2023 and 2024. Yago transferred to Notre Dame after graduating from the Air Force and has fit into the offense seamlessly. The attackman leads the Irish in points (32) and assists (12) while tied for the team lead in goals (20). Yago was named the 2025 ASUN Offensive Player of the Year and All-American honorable mention. Donovan, Yago and the Irish wrap up the road portion of its regular-season schedule on Saturday, taking on No. 16/15 Duke in Durham. Faceoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET and the game will be played at Koskinen Stadium. The matchup will air on ESPNU. ===================================================== BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL Eduardo Klafke, who spent the last two seasons at Ole Miss, has signed to join the Butler men’s basketball program for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Klafke, a 6-5 guard, saw action in 70 Ole Miss games over the last two seasons and is a 45-percent shooter from three-point range during his collegiate career. “Eduardo is battle-tested from playing in the SEC the past two years,” said Butler head coach Ronald Nored. “He’s earned the reputation as a shooter but we were also impressed with his ability to drive the ball and his vision in making plays for others. Eduardo will play a significant role for us the next few seasons and we’re excited to get him on campus soon.” As a sophomore during the 2025-26 season, Klafke averaged 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15 minutes per game. He made 12 starts for the Rebels. In the seven games when he played 25 or more minutes, he averaged 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game (all seven of those games came against power conference opponents). He scored a career-best 16 points twice during the campaign (at Texas Feb. 7 and against LSU Feb. 25). Klafke averaged 10 minutes per game as a freshman during the 2024-25 season for an Ole Miss team that won 24 games and advanced to the 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Klafke was ranked No. 120 nationally by On3 in the Class of 2024 and listed as the best player from Brazil in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports. He prepped at the prestigious NBA Academy Latin America and represented Brazil in international competition, playing in U19 games as a 17-year-old. ========================================================= BUTLER BASEBALL INDIANAPOLIS – Butler defeated Ball State 8-5 on Tuesday afternoon in five innings after the game was called due to weather in the Indianapolis area. With the win, Butler improves to 14-22 overall while Ball State slides to 18-18. BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS Matthew Rhaodes tallied two hits. Gavin Gilmore earned a walk and scored a run. Connor Sackett earned a walk, scored a run and tallied an RBI. Aidan Thaxton tallied a hit, two hit by pitches, two runs scored and an RBI. David Ayers recorded a hit. Easton Moore hit a two-run home run. Logan Crock recorded a hit, a walk, a run scored and two RBIs. Simon Linde picked up the win on the mound for BU. HOW IT HAPPENED Ball State got the scoring started in the first with a two-out RBI single. The Cardinals added another in the ensuing at-bat with an RBI single from Kenskey Thomas. BSU added another run before the end of the frame on a wild pitch as the visitors took the 3-0 lead into the bottom of the first. BSU kept Butler off the board in the bottom half of the inning as the visitors’ lead stood at three. With two outs and one on, Moore stepped up to the dish for BU. The junior belted his first home of the season to deep left center, cutting the deficit to one (3-2) for the Dawgs. After a scoreless top of the third, Butler loaded the bases with two outs. Thaxton was hit by a pitch, scoring a run for BU as the score evened at 3-3. In the ensuing at-bat, Butler scratched across another run on a wild pitch as BU took its first lead of the day at 4-3. Ball State responded in the fourth, scoring two runs on an RBI single as the Cardinals retook the lead at 5-4. Crock started the inning reaching first on an error. In the ensuing at-bat, an error from the second baseman allowed Crock to score from first and Gavin reached second on the error as Butler evened the score with no outs in the frame. BU was able to add another on a sac fly to deep center before the Cardinals grabbed the third out of the frame. Butler took the 6-5 lead into the fifth. After keeping BSU off the board in the top of the inning, Butler plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth off an RBI single from Crock that gave the Bulldogs an 8-5 advantage. After the conclusion of the fifth inning, the game was paused due to lightning in the area and was later called. Butler secured the 8-5 five-inning victory. UP NEXT The Bulldogs will return to action this weekend as BU hosts Georgetown for another BIG EAST series. Game one is slated for Friday, April 17 at Bulldog Park with first pitch coming at 3 p.m. A link to live stats and a live stream are available on Butlersports.com. ======================================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL INDIANAPOLIS – The Ball State baseball team fell 8-5 at Butler in a rain-shortened five-inning game on Tuesday afternoon at Bulldog Park. The Cardinals (18-18) plated three runs in the first inning on RBI singles from Brett Griffiths and Kenskey Thomas, and Thomas scored on a wild pitch. After the host Bulldogs (14-22) didn’t score a run in the first inning, they crossed home plate two times in each of the next four innings to claim the win. The game was delayed a little more than two hours into the contest with lightning in the area and soon called off as a regulation game. Ryan Muizelaar brought home DJ Scheumann and Thomas on a bases-loaded single in the fourth to put Ball State ahead 5-4, but the hosts put up two runs in the bottom half of the frame to regain a 6-5 edge. Alex Burden (1-4) allowed four runs in 1.1 innings of work to be hit with the loss. Muizelaar went 2-for-3 at the dish with the two RBI and one run scored as the lone Ball State player with multiple hits on the afternoon. Butler’s Simon Linde (1-0) tossed a scoreless fourth inning to be credited with the win. The Bulldogs got two RBI each from Easton Moore and Logan Crock. Ball State’s game against USI originally scheduled for Wednesday afternoon was canceled due to expected inclement weather, so the next game for the Cardinals will now be Friday night at Kent State. ======================================================== BALL STATE SOFTBALL » THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team closes the non-conference portion of its 2026 Wednesday when it hosts Indiana State for a 2 p.m. first pitch at the Ball State Softball Stadium … From there, the Cardinals travel to Miami for a three-game weekend series … The teams are currently scheduled for a 3 p.m. contest Friday and a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday. » THIS WEEK’S HOME PROMOTIONS: – PICNIC AT THE PARK – With limited concessions availability due to construction at the Ball State Softball Stadium, fans may feel free to bring either a soft-sided cooler, picnic baskets or reusable bags to hold any outside food, non-alcoholic beverages and sealed water bottles … Prohibited items inside the stadium include alcoholic beverages, glass containers, hard-sided coolers, grills, heating elements and cooking equipment. – APRIL 15 / RED OUT – All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear red and help RED OUT the Sycamores. » THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters Wednesday’s outing versus Indiana State with a 1225-1212-4 (.503) overall record dating back to the 1975 season … The Cardinals finished the 2025 campaign with a 33-18 record to reach the 30-win mark for the 17th time in program history and the 12th time in the past 18 seasons. » A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: OFFENSE: The Ball State offense is paced by a trio of Cardinals batting above .340, led by senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck with a .356 average … DeRoeck also ranks fourth in the MAC and 50th nationally with 13 doubles … Senior designated player / pitcher Ella Whitney is second on the squad with a .345 average, while ranking second the MAC and ranking 45th nationally with 47 RBIs … She also leads the squad and is second in the conference with 11 home runs … Junior shortstop Maia Pietrzak is third on the team with her .341 average and has scored a team-leading 32 runs … Overall, Ball State’s offense is sixth in the MAC with a .290 average. PITCHING: On the pitching front, junior Brinkley Kita leads the squad with a 4.04 ERA over 53.2 innings of work … She also boasts a 4-6 record and a team-low .279 opponent’s batting average …Redshirt junior Bridie Murphy leads the squad with 69.0 innings of work, while boasting a 4-5 record and a 4.57 ERA … Ella Whitney is right behind at 56.1 innings, maintaining a 5-5 record and 4.85 ERA … Overall, Ball State’s pitching staff is sixth in the MAC with a 4.68 ERA. DEFENSE: Ball State ranks second in the MAC and 66th nationally with a .970 fielding percentage … The Cardinals have committed just 32 errors on the season, while turning 14 double plays … Toledo (26) and Central Michigan (29) are the only league schools to commit fewer errors the Ball State this season … BSU has also limited opposing teams to 16 stolen bases this season which is tied for 25th nationally … Miami is the next lowest in the conference at 18. » VERSUS INDIANA STATE: Ball State holds a 36-25 lead in the all-time series versus Indiana State after claiming a 5-3 victory in Terre Haute, Indiana, on March 25, 2025 … It was Ball State’s fifth straight win in the series and the first time the teams battled in a non-neutral game since March 29, 2017, when BSU earned a 2-1 (8) road victory …The Cardinals last hosted the Sycamores in an April 6, 2005, doubleheader, with Ball State claiming a 6-5 (9) victory in the opener and a 7-3 (6) win in a daylight-shortened nightcap … The Cardinals hold an 8-5 edge in Muncie, with ISU’s last true road win coming by a 7-0 margin April 10, 2003. BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES: » NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After her solid play on both offense and in the circle at the Cardinal Classic (March 6-8), Ella Whitney was named the D1Softball Mid-Major National Player of the Week … She helped guide the Cardinals to a 4-1 record at the event by driving in 12 RBIs and blasting three home runs, while earning a 2-0 record and 1.85 ERA in the circle … She also finished the tournament with a .471 batting average and four runs scored, while diving in what proved to be the game-winning run versus Bellarmine (March 6) with her second grand slam of the season … She registered a 1.235 slugging percentage and a 1.735 OPS, adding two doubles and one triple to her stat line for 21 total bases. » MORE ON WHITNEY: Including her two seasons at FIU, Whitney owns 29 pitching wins, a 3.92 ERA and 139 strikeouts … She is also a .310 career batter with 143 hits, including 33 doubles, two triples and 26 home runs … Of her 26 career home runs, 21 have come with the Cardinals which tie for 14th in program history … Whitney’s 100th career hit was an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run in a 3-0 shutout over Central Michigan in the 2025 regular season finale … Her 100th career RBI came courtesy of her solo home run in the 15-1 (5) victory over Bellarmine (March 6) earlier this season. » CLIMBING THE BALL STATE CHARTS: Junior Maia Pietrzak enters the week ranked 10th in program history with a .344 (119-for-346) career batting average … Her 100th career hit came in vs. Butler (March 24) when she executed a perfect bunt single to load the bases in the bottom of the third inning … Later in the inning, she would successfully steal home to help the Cardinals tie the score at 5-5 … Pietrzak also singled to open the fifth inning and scored on double one batter later. » ANOTHER MILESTONE MARK FOR PIETRZAK: Maia Pietrzak became just the 16th player in program history to reach 100 career runs scored in the opening game of the March 28 doubleheader at Toledo when she led off the game with a single to right field and scored on a triple from Skylinn Pogue … Pietrzak scored 14 runs her freshman season, while adding 60 her sophomore campaign which are the third-most in a single season in program history … She has already scored 32 runs this season which tie as the 13th-most in the league and raise her career total to 106. » GRAND SLAMS: Sophomore second baseman Addison Zimpleman became the third different Ball State player to hit a grand slam this season in the 6-2 victory over Toledo (March 28) when she took a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right center in the second inning to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run … It was her first multiple base hit and first home run playing for the Cardinals, while she registered five doubles, a triple and seven home runs last season as a freshman at Purdue Fort Wayne. » TAKING THE HIT: A pride point for the offense under the leadership of third-year associate head coach Matt Burns, Ball State batters have been hit by a pitch 38 times so far this season to rank third in the MAC and 24th nationally … Last season, the Cardinals lead the nation by being hit 91 times, which was a BSU single season record topping the previous mark of 55 set in 2015 … The next closest team was St. John’s, which was hit 69 times over 57 games, six more than the 51 games the Cardinals played … Under Burns’ offensive guidance Ball State batters have been hit by 181 pitches over the past two-plus seasons. » WALK THIS WAY: The Cardinals have drawn 145 total walks so far this season, including tying the program’s single game record with 14 walks in the 9-5 victory over Southern Indiana (Feb. 13) … Ball State previously drew 14 walks in a 15-7 (6) victory over Kent State on April 4, 2018 … The team’s 145 walks currently rank fifth in the MAC and 75th nationally, led by 20 from Ella Whitney … In fact, eight Ball State batters have drawn at least 10 walks this season. » THE POGUE FACTOR: Another first-year player for the Cardinals, Skylinn Pogue enters the week ranked second on the squad with 30 runs scored, while tying for fifth on the team with a .309 batting average … Pogue is also tied for the team lead with four triples to tie for third in the MAC and 35th in the country … A two-year starter at Iowa (2023-24), they are the first four triples of Pogue’s collegiate career … She has also collected her first four collegiate doubles this season, while picking up her second and third collegiate home runs. » A NOBLE CAUSE: Redshirt sophomore Allee Noble has worked her way into the lineup, starting 16 of the last 18 games at catcher … During the span, she boasts a .304 average, including 14 hits, two doubles, five RBIs and four runs scored … Mainly a pinch runner as a redshirt freshman in 2025, scoring seven runs, she has recorded her first 18 career hits this season and boasts a .315 average over 21 games, with 20 starts at catcher. » SPENCER BREAKS OUT: Redshirt junior outfielder Grace Spencer had a breakout weekend versus Ohio, including the first two home runs of her collegiate career … Her first blast was a three-run shot to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run in the 7-6 victory to open an April 3 doubleheader versus the Bobcats … She added a two-run shot in the nightcap of the twinbill, while driving in all three BSU runs in the game … Throw in the March 31 game at IU Indy and Spencer produced a team-best .545 batting average during the week, to go along with team highs of six runs scored and eight RBIs. ======================================================= INDIANA STATE BASEBALL TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State was unable to keep pace in a slugfest on Tuesday night at Bob Warn Field as the Sycamores fell at home to visiting Indiana, 17-12, to split the season series against the Hoosiers. Indiana State (18-19) jumped ahead early with a five-run first inning as the Sycamores connected on three home runs in the opening frame off the bats of Caden Miller, Nick Sutherlin, and Caleb Niehaus. The Hoosiers (15-21) responded from there with Indiana connecting on six home runs, including two from Caleb Koskie on their way to scoring in seven consecutive innings to avenge their earlier 5-4 loss to the Sycamores at Bart Kaufman Field back on March 24. Trailing 15-5 after the top of the sixth inning, the Sycamore offense came back to life late in the contest as Nick Sutherlin connected on his second home run of the game to spark a four-run rally. Jeremy Martinez, Colin Sander, and Carter Beck all connected on RBI singles in the frame to pull the Sycamores back to within 15-9. The Hoosiers scored runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to stretch the lead back out, but Indiana State answered both times with Caleb Niehaus connecting on an RBI fielder’s choice in the seventh and Emil Estrella singling home Colin Sander in the eighth. John Curl added to the Sycamores’ run totals with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, but Indiana State was unable to break through to keep the game alive in falling late. Five different Sycamores recorded multi-hit efforts in the game with Nick Sutherlin and Emil Estrella both recording three-hit games on Tuesday night. Sutherlin added a pair of home runs, while Caden Miller tripled and homered in driving in a team-high three RBIs. Colin Sander and Carter Beck both doubled in the loss. Trevor Fenters (0-1) took the loss on the night after surrendering three hits and three runs over 0.1 innings of work. Carson Seeman, Brady Banker, and Jaxon Sparks all helped slow down the Hoosier offense in the game combining for 5.1 innings allowing eight hits and three runs while striking out three. Caleb Koskie provided the big bat for the Hoosiers’ lineup going 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. Altogether, six Indiana players recorded multi-hit games with Ayden Crouse, Cooper Malamazian, Cole Decker, and Will Moore homering in the win. Anthony Gubitosi (1-0) took home the win on Tuesday allowing one hit over 2.0 innings while striking out three. Jacob Vogel was effective late in the contest with 2.0 innings allowing three hits and a run while striking out four. News and Notes Nick Sutherlin recorded his second multi-homer game of the 2026 season and Indiana State’s ninth game where a player hit at least two home runs this year. Nick Sutherlin’s previous two-homer game came back on March 15 against Gonzaga where he connected on a grand slam and a three-run homer in back-to-back innings against the Bulldogs. Indiana State’s five home runs on Tuesday night was one off the Sycamores’ season-high of six home runs recorded on April 2 against UIC. Caleb Niehaus recorded his second home run of the season and first since April 2 against UIC. Caden Miller recorded his fifth home run of the season and first since March 31 against Purdue. John Curl recorded his first home run in an Indiana State uniform as the senior drove the ball over the wall in right center in the ninth inning. John Curl became the 13th different Indiana State player to homer in the 2026 season. Carter Beck extended his on-base streak to 21 games following his 2-for-5 game from the plate on Tuesday night. Caden Miller ran his on-base streak to 16 consecutive games after his 2-for-5 game at the plate. Indiana State splits the season series with Indiana for the fourth consecutive season dating back to 2023. Up Next Indiana State is back on the road this weekend as the Sycamores travel to Nischwitz Stadium and Dayton, Ohio for a three-game series against Wright State spanning April 17-19. All three games will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend, with Sunday’s contest set to be streamed on ESPN+. ======================================================== PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S GOLF LEXINGTON, Ky. – Nick Bellush and Justin Hicks of the Purdue Fort Wayne men’s golf team led the Mastodons at the Bluegrass Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday (April 14), both earning top-30 finishes in the event. Bellush finished with a 73-72-79-224 for 27th place. It was his best placement while competing for the team score in his career. After wrapping up round two to start Tuesday, Bellush had seven pars and three birdies in round three. He birdied hole 13 for the second time, then birdied holes one and four for the first time. Hicks was just one stroke back of Bellush with an 81-69-75-225 for 28th. Hicks finished round two on a four-hole birdie stretch then started his third round with five pars. He also birdied hole four, the 439-yard par-4. Brock Reschly took 62nd place with a 76-80-77-233. In his round on Tuesday, the junior had nine pars and three birdies, including two on the last two holes of the day. He birdied hole eight to end the round, making up for the par-3 that he had only gotten 5s on in the previous two rounds. Julian Dugan shot 78-86-77-241 for 86th place. He had birdies on holes seven and 13 to go with nine pars. Nick Holder was one stroke behind with a 78-85-79-242 for 88th place. He birdied hole nine with nine pars in round three. Kentucky won its own event with an 858. The Mastodons took 14th with a 305-306-308-919. Marquette’s Vinny Cervantes and Kentucky’s Cole Stockard tied for the individual medalist with 213s. The Mastodons are off next week, but will head to Florida the following week for the Horizon League Championship (April 25-27). ====================================================== EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Late home runs from Emma McDonald and Maliyah Wilkins sealed a 5-1 victory for the University of Evansville softball team over Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday afternoon at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium. Wilkins, McDonald, and Niki Bode each recorded two hits in the game. Bode added two runs and a walk. Kate Ridgway had a strong outing in the circle. Tossing all seven innings, Ridgway allowed one run on four hits while striking out seven. She earned her 8th win of the season. Recording four hits in the first inning, the Purple Aces took a 2-0 lead. Brooke Voss and Taylor Howe opened with singles before Voss scored the first run of the day on a Niki Bode single. Bode made it a 2-0 game when she scored on a Morgan Adams fielder’s choice. The score remained 2-0 until the top of the fourth when SEMO cut the lead in half. A solo home run by Raigan Brannon made it a 2-1 game. UE added some important insurance with two home runs in the bottom of the fifth. Emma McDonald’s solo shot made it a 3-1 game. With two outs, Bode reached on her second single of the day to being Maliyah Wilkins to the plate. Wilkins delivered a 2-run home run to deep center field to make it a 5-1 game. From there, Ridgway got the job done allowing two baserunners in the final two innings before finishing with the complete game victory. On Wednesday, the Aces are back home to face Western Kentucky at 5 p.m. ======================================================== VALPO BASEBALL The first five pitchers who took the mound for the Valparaiso University baseball team held Notre Dame to one run through five innings, but host Notre Dame took the lead with three in the sixth and added two in the seventh to beat the Beacons 6-1 on Tuesday at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend. Redshirt sophomore Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) enjoyed a three-hit game including a solo home run to account for the Valpo tally. How It Happened The Beacons used a hit batter, infield single and walk to pack the sacks in the top of the first, but Notre Dame got out of it with a strikeout. Notre Dame’s Mark Quatrani homered to center field with one away in the bottom of the first to start the scoring, putting the hosts ahead by a run. Righty Justin Bultemeier (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) came on to work the second and pitched a shutout frame, getting out of it with a strikeout as the Fighting Irish stranded a pair. Johnny Wholestaff continued to get it done on the mound for the Beacons as Joey Kafka (Mundelein, Ill. / Mundelein) worked a scoreless third, then Hunter Frost (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) and Christian Hack (Oak Forest, Ill. / Tinley Park) combined to get out of trouble in the fourth with no runs across, keeping the deficit at one. A stellar defensive play by Cal Schembra (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) in center field played a key role in the scoreless bottom of the fourth. He recovered from an initial stumble to make a sprawling catch in center, then made a perfect one-hop throw that was scooped by Gavin Bennett (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) at first base to complete the double play. The first base umpire wasn’t looking, so the ruling on the field by the second base umpire was safe, but a challenge and quick review overturned the call to an out at first to complete the double play. Valpo got even in the top of the fifth as Sullivan ripped a 390-foot dinger to center. Hack induced an inning-ending double play to squash a Notre Dame threat in the bottom of the fifth, keeping the score tied at one. Notre Dame took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three times. A bases-loaded walk gave the Fighting Irish the lead, then a two-run single to right made it 4-1. Notre Dame tacked on two in the seventh on a string of four straight hits including three consecutive doubles to make it 6-1, which stood as the final. Inside the Game Sullivan homered for the second straight game after also doing so on Sunday vs. Bradley. Sullivan upped his season home run total to four, all in the last nine games, and his career total to 11. Sullivan matched a season-high with three hits, his third three-hit game of the year. Valpo made big pitches to get out of jams early, but Notre Dame started to take advantage of its base runners late in the game. The Fighting Irish drew 10 walks, accrued 12 hits and stranded 12 on base. The Beacons also had some opportunities as Valpo left 11 on base. Junior Louie Kegerreis (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional) collected two hits, his third multi-hit game in his last four contests. Redshirt senior Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) doubled and was hit by a pitch, stretching his on-base streak to 17, the longest by a Valpo player this season. For what it’s worth, three Beacons had on-base streaks of 17 games or longer last season – Aidan Thaxton (19), Liam Patton (18) and Kevin Denty (17). Up Next The Beacons (9-23) will start a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at UIC on Friday at 6 p.m. at Curtis Granderson Stadium in Chicago. The game will air on ESPN+ with a link to live video and stats available on ValpoAthletics.c ======================================================== VALPO SOFTBALL The Valpo softball team dropped both ends of an MVC doubleheader Tuesday at home against UIC, falling 6-2 in the opener and 12-4 in the nightcap. The Beacons’ scheduled game versus Western Michigan Wednesday afternoon has been canceled due to impending weather. How It Happened – Game One Valpo has chances early on to take the lead, but was unable to take advantage of having runners on first and second with one out in the first inning and second and third with one out in the second inning. UIC took the lead for good in the top of the third, scoring four runs on four hits and a walk. The Beacons got on the board in their next turn at the plate, plating their first run on back-to-back doubles from Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) and Marissa Jackson (Willis, Mich./Huron) to lead off the inning. They had second and third with one out later in the frame with a chance to cut further into the deficit, but again were unable to take advantage of the runners on base. UIC answered with an unearned run in the top of the fourth to return its lead to four runs. Valpo got that run back with a two-out RBI double by Vrastil in the bottom of the inning. For the second straight inning, the Flames plated an unearned run in the fifth, this time closing out the scoring as the Beacons had just one baserunner in the final three innings. How It Happened – Game Two Valpo doubled its first-game output in the opening inning of game two, scoring four runs as Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) had a run-scoring single, Sophia Leitzen (Orfordville, Wis./Brodhead) brought home a run by drawing a bases-loaded walk and Lyna Vasquez (Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View) delivered a two-run double with two outs. When the frame came to a close, the Beacons led 4-0 after tallying three hits and three walks. But the Flames came back with a five-run top of the second, taking advantage of four hits and an error which allowed two UIC runners to score. UIC added four runs in the third, three of which were unearned, and capped the scoring with a three-run top of the fifth to push the game into run-rule territory. Inside the Games Vrastil and Jackson each had multi-hit games in the opener, for Vrastil her team-best 18th multi-hit game of the year and for Jackson her eighth such game. For Vrastil, it was her third game with multiple doubles this season, while Jackson had a pair of doubles as well after entering the game with just one career two-bagger in 88 games. Rodas reached twice in the opener as well, recording a hit and a walk. Cadan Brinkman (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community [Campbell/Wofford]) had her fourth multi-hit game of the season in the nightcap, while Vrastil and Leitzen each reached twice in that game as they both drew a pair of walks. Making just her second start in 2026, Vasquez’s first-inning two-run double in the nightcap was her first hit and first runs driven in of the season. Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) started and took the loss in the opener, falling to 8-10 as she went the first 2.1 innings. Caitlyn Quickle (Leesburg, Ohio/Fairfield Local) did not surrender an earned run in 4.2 innings out of the bullpen behind McDermott. Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) took the loss in the circle in the nightcap in relief, falling to 6-7. Coming off a Belmont series where they committed eight errors, the Beacons’ defense struggled against on Tuesday, as Valpo committed seven errors over the two games, with the Flames scoring seven unearned runs. Next Up With Wednesday’s game canceled, Valpo (16-25, 4-14 MVC) returns to action Friday afternoon with a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader at Dr ======================================================= UINDY SOFTBALL LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The red-hot UIndy softball team continued its ascent of the NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, jumping three spots to No. 4 this week. The Greyhounds are 43-3 on the season and are making their first appearance in the national top five since the 2025 preseason poll.NFCA DII COACHES POLL RKTEAM (1st-place votes)PTSRECPREV1.Saint Leo (15)39936-2-122.Pittsburg State (1)38039-2t33.Cal State San Marcos36538-514.UIndy34543-375.West Texas A&M34436-656.AUM30934-767.Colorado Christian30142-298.North Georgia29733-8t39.Cal State East Bay27131-9810.Southern Arkansas25837-51111.Missouri Southern23436-61012.Francis Marion23037-101313.Angelo State21334-91414.West Florida18132-91515.Oklahoma Christian17933-101216.Montevallo15535-71717.Oklahoma Baptist12634-71618.Lenoir-Rhyne11130-10t1819.McKendree10432-102020.Central Oklahoma9433-10t1821.Franklin Pierce7628-4t2122.UT Tyler7134-82523.Carson-Newman6335-82424.Winona State3737-62325.Concordia3236-12t21 Others receiving votes: East Stroudsburg (11), Shippensburg (5), Biola (3), Arkansas Tech (2), Saginaw Valley State (2), Glenville State (1), West Alabama (1). =========================================================== MARIAN WOMEN’S GOLF Old Hickory, Tenn. – For the third time this spring and fifth time overall this season, the Marian women’s golf team played its way to victory, as the Knights took down No. 1 Keiser in a wire-to-wire victory at the annual Music City Classic. Emma Weiler was the individual champion at the tournament, carding a 212 score to secure her second consecutive victory. Marian began the week with a hot start, firing a two-under 286 as a team, taking a 10-stroke lead over No. 1 Keiser on Monday. As the event continued on Monday, Marian continued to build the lead on the Seahawks, gaining another two strokes after firing a 289 in the second round. Marian finished the tournament on Tuesday with a 294 team score, ending in a week total of 869, 11-shots better than the Seahawks. The team’s win over Keiser is the first of the season, as the Knights earned 20 total victories with their win over the 21-team field. Marian scored victories over 11 ranked teams ranked in the top-25 according to the scoring partner of the NAIA. Individually for the Knights, Marian was led by the tournament champion Emma Weiler, who won her second consecutive tournament with a 54-hole victory. Weiler began the week with a 72 in round one, holding the fourth-best score in the field after Monday’s opening 18 holes. The junior picked up her game in the second set of 18 holes, firing a 70 to move into second overall after first day. On the final day of the tournament, Weiler shot another 70, taking the individual lead to finish the week with a 212 total and her second consecutive win in her junior season. Behind Weiler, both Jordan Adam and Keara Eder made the all-tournament team, as the pair each scored a 219 total to tie for sixth place. Eder scored a 71, 74, and 74 in her three rounds of the tournament, while Adam carded a 75, 71, and 73 to total her 219 score. Maria Kennard tied for 13th in the field with a 223 score, putting up a first-round-best 68 before ending with scores of 74 and 81. Hailey Kirkland rounded out the Marian lineup with a 37th place finish, carding a total of 231 with scores of 75, 79. and 77. Marian will end its regular season at their second NCAA DI event of the season, playing a 36-hole shootout on Saturday in Lebanon in the IU-Indy Spring Invite. ======================================================= MARIAN BASEBALL KOKOMO, Ind. – The Marian baseball team led early on Tuesday, and benefited from an hour rain delay before the last two innings, as a five-run spark in the final two frames fueled the team’s 11-9 comeback victory against IU-Kokomo. The Knights move to 30-11 overall with the non-conference road win. The Knights struck first on Tuesday afternoon, bringing in the first six runs of the game in the first four innings of play. A scoreless first was followed by a one-run second inning, as Tate Bender launched a solo home run, while in the third inning, Brayden Coffey roped an RBI single to knock home Johnny Roeder. The offense kept chopping away in the fourth inning, as a lead-off single from Zach Bale started a hit brigade, with Marian ripping five knocks in the inning. Calvin Miller picked up an RBI single two batters after the Bale hit, and Cole McManus followed with an RBI ground-rule double. Brayden Coffey would finish the inning with a ground-rule double of his own, plating two to give the Knights a 6-0 lead. The defensive effort matched the same as the offense through the first three innings, as Kaeb Stebbins logged three consecutive scoreless innings to open the game. Stebbins stranded a runner in both the first and second innings, and in the third, a two-out single was left aboard with an inning-ending groundout. The freshman returned for a fourth inning of work, but struggled in the frame, as he yielded five hits, including a three-run home run, that helped the Cougars score four runs. Stebbins would be lifted for Mitchell Porter, who nearly closed out of the inning without surrendering the lead, but would give up a two-out, two-run home run, pushing the game to a 6-6 draw. Porter would allow one more run to score in the fifth inning, as the Cougars notched a run on a sacrifice fly to push in front 7-6. The senior cut the damage to run as he left bases loaded in the fifth, and in the sixth, Jack Peine took over, working a quick one-two-three frame in his first outing. Peine followed his first inning with a scoreless second as he stranded a double, keeping the game in check at one run. As the seventh inning ended, the weather came in, as a storm halted the game for over an hour. The break was the best thing for the slumping Marian offense, as they came back to life in the eighth inning with a vengeance. Tate Bender opened the inning with a single, and Aiden Kerr followed with a pinch-hit double. Ty Jarvis would bring home Bender on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, setting up Elijah Kelly, who came on and slammed a pinch-hit, two-run home run to give Marian the lead. Brayden Coffey followed the home run with one of his own, blasting a solo shot against his former team to gift the Knights a 10-7 lead. The lead shrank in the ensuing half inning, as Evan Cooke yielded two runs in an inning of relief. Cooke managed to strike out a pair of batters in the inning as Marian maintained a 10-9 lead. Tate Bender continued a hot day at the plate in the top of the ninth inning, doubling to lead the frame, and racing to third later on a wild pitch. Bender would then score on a balk with two outs, giving the team a two-run cushion. In the final half inning, Aiden Kerr jumped in to close the game, and did so with ease, facing four batters in a scoreless ninth inning, locking down Marian’s 11-9 victory. Bender led the Knights’ offense in their 17-hit game, pushing across four base hits, including a pair of doubles and a home run. Coffey finished the game 3-5 with his home run and a team-best four RBI, and Landon Sarkey and Zach Bale each had 2-5 outings. In total, 10 Knights recorded a base hit in the win. Peine (1-1) earned his first collegiate win with the result, pitching 2.0 scoreless innings. Stebbins finished with 3.1 innings of work, and Aiden Kerr picked up his second collegiate save with his scoreless ninth. Marian plays its final Crossroads League road series this weekend, as they are scheduled for a trip to Grace College on Friday and Saturday. =================================================== MARIAN SOFTBALL Indianapolis, Ind. – In their final regular season match-up against Grace, the Knights split at home, falling in game one and winning in game two. After the double header, the Knights move to 25-12 overall on the season and 17-11 in the Crossroads League. Game 1 | Marian 3-10 Grace After holding the Lancers to three quick outs, holding the Lancers scoreless in the top of the first. The Knights struck first with a homer into center field from Abby Madere to score Delaney Rundle and take the 2-0 lead. Grace pushed back at Marian’s lead with three runs in the top of the second to take the one run lead. After a trio of dry innings, Mallorie Beutel grounded out to shortstop to score Mati Hughes and tie up the game 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Grace countered Marian’s push with a grand slam to take back their lead by four. The Knights fought back with a single from Rundle to get on base, but came up short in the bottom of the sixth. The Lancers made their final push with a sacrifice fly into center field, followed up by a two-run double to extend their lead to seven. Marian attempted a final push with a single from Hughes and a fielder’s choice from Mallorie Beutel, but came up short, leaving Beutel on base. In game one, Mati Hughes and Lily Wendt led the way, each going 2-4 from the plate. Abby Madere led the way in RBIs with two, while Mallorie Beutel had one. Lexi Smith earned the start in game one, pitching the first three innings, then going in as relief for two, striking out four batters in her 27 faced. Alayna Tesnar came in as relief and was the pitcher of record, pitching 1.1 innings and striking out one batter. Lauren Mayer was the final pitcher to go in, facing four batters in her appearance. Game 2 | Marian 7-1 Grace Unlike game one, game two had a pair of dry innings for each team to open up play. The Lancers struck first at the top of the third with a solo home run to center field to take a one-run lead. Delaney Rundle quickly answered with a single to left field to score Mallorie Beutel, followed by Rundle advancing to second on the error from the center field, and Abbey Hofmann scoring on the error, extending the lead 3-1. After holding the game scoreless for the next two innings for both teams, Marian struck again with a double into left field from Mati Hughes to score Rundle. Lily Wendt was able to follow up with a single through the left side, scoring Jaelyn Phillips and Abby Madere. Ally Malone made one last strike with a double into right field to score Wendt and extend the lead to six. Grace attempted a push in the top of the seventh with a single, but Marian’s defense was able to record three straight strikes to take the 7-1 win in game two. Abby Madere led the way in game two, going 2-3 from the plate and driving in one RBI. Delaney Rundle, Mati Hughes, Lily Wendt, and Ally Malone all recorded one RBI as well. In the circle, Macy Coan took the start and her 11th win of the season, pitching all seven innings and striking out four batters. The Knights will be back in action on the road this weekend as they start at Bethel on Friday, April 17th, with game one starting at 3 PM. ====================================================== 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 On April 15 in Baseball History… 1909 – Before an Opening Day crowd of 30,000 at New York, Red Ames pitches a no-hitter for nine innings against the Brooklyn Superbas, surrenders a hit with one out in the tenth, then loses the game 3-0 in the 13th. The Giants outfield has no putouts. 1918 – The A.L. season opens with Babe Ruth pitching a four-hit 7-1 victory over the A’s. Red Sox manager Ed Barrow will start Ruth’s conversion to slugger by working him into 72 games in the outfield and first base. 1947 – Jackie Robinson goes hitless in three trips in his debut but handles 11 chances at first base, a new position for him, in a 5-3 Brooklyn win over the Boston Braves. Coach Clyde Sukeforth, interim manager and the man credited with first scouting Robinson, guides the team to two wins before stepping down. 1954 – Clint Courtney of the Orioles hits the first major league home run in Memorial Stadium. The Birds draw an Opening Day record crowd of 46,354 in a 3-1 afternoon win against the White Sox. 1958 – The San Francisco Giants defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first major league game played at Seals Stadium, with Ruben Gomez pitching an 8-0 shutout. Giants shortstop Daryl Spencer hits the first home run. The Giants set an attendance record for Seals Stadium by drawing 23,192 fans. 1966 – Bob Gibson’s 9-2 win at Forbes Field is the 18th straight for St. Louis in Pittsburgh. St. Louis ties the major league record (set by the Dodgers against the Phillies in 1945-46) for consecutive road wins against one club. 1968 – Three records are smashed when the Astros score an unearned run in the 24th inning to squeeze by the Mets 1-0 after six hours and six minutes. It sets the mark as the longest N.L. game played to completion, the longest major league night game, and the first 23 innings are the longest major league scoreless game. The game ties the A.L.’s longest complete game (A’s 4, Red Sox 1 in 24 innings on September 1, 1906). 1972 – Reggie Jackson sports a mustache as the A’s top the Twins 4-3 in 11 innings. Jackson is reported to be the first major league player with facial hair since Wally Schang in 1914. 1976 – Newly remodeled Yankee Stadium is jammed with 52,613 fans for Opening Day ceremonies. The 1923 Yankee team is honored, and Bob Shawkey, winner of the 1923 Stadium opener, throws out the first ball. The Yankees beat the Twins 11-4 on 14 hits, but the only home runs are two hit by Minnesota’s Dan Ford. 1983 – Detroit pitcher Milt Wilcox is one out away from a perfect game when pinch hitter Jerry Hairston singles, and Wilcox settles for a 6-0 one-hitter over the White Sox. This is only the third time in major league history a perfect bid has been stopped with one out to go. 1987 – Juan Nieves throws the first no-hitter in Brewers history, winning 7-0 against Baltimore. Milwaukee runs its record to 9-0. 1993 – Andre Dawson became the 25th player to hit 400 home runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 4-3. 1993 – Sparky Anderson got his 2,000th victory as a manager in the Detroit Tigers’ 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics. 1997 – The 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breaking the color barrier in baseball is celebrated before 54,047 at Shea Stadium during a game between the Mets and the Dodgers. President Bill Clinton and Jackie’s widow, Rachel Robinson, both speak during the 35-minute presentation, but the surprise of the evening occurs when acting commissioner Bud Selig announces that the number 42 will be retired in perpetuity for every team. On the field, the Mets beat the Dodgers 5-0. 1998 – The first-ever American League-National League doubleheader ends up a good day for New York. The Yankees are forced to come to Shea Stadium after a beam falls into the stands at Yankee Stadium on April 13. The Yankees earn their first victory in Queens in 22 years as they defeat the Angels 6-3. Former Mets star Darryl Strawberry, the all-time home run leader at Shea, adds to his total with a shot into the left field bleachers. In the regularly-scheduled night game, the Mets beat the Cubs 2-1. The Yankees, who played at Shea in 1974-75 while Yankee Stadium was renovated, are the winner in the attendance department (40,743 to 16,012). ========================================================= TV SPORTS TODAY Wednesday, 4/15/26 MLB REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVArizona Diamondbacks vs Baltimore Orioles12:35pmDiamondbacks.TVMASNCleveland Guardians vs St. Louis Cardinals1:15pmGuardians.TVCardinals.TVBoston Red Sox vs Minnesota Twins1:40pmTwins.TVNESNSan Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds6:40pmReds.TVNBCS-BAYKansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers6:40pmMLBNSN-DETRoyals.TVChicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies6:40pmNBCS-PHIMARQLos Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees7:05pmPrimeFanDuel Sports WestYESMiami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves7:15pmMarlins.TVBraves.TVToronto Blue Jays vs Milwaukee Brewers7:40pmSNBrewers.TVTampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox7:40pmRays.TVCHSNColorado Rockies vs Houston Astros8:10pmSCHNRockies.TVTexas Rangers vs Athletics9:40pmRSNMASNSeattle Mariners vs San Diego Padres9:40pmSN-DETPadres.TVNew York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers10:10pmESPNNBA PLAYOFFSTIME ETTVSOFI Play-IN Tournament: Orlando Magic vs Philadelphia 76ers7:30pmPrimeSOFI Play-IN Tournament: Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers10:00pmPrimeNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVBuffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers7:00pmMSGMSG-BUFWashington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs7:30pmTNTMAXEdmonton Oilers vs San Jose Sharks10:00pmTNTMAXSOCCERTIME ETTVUEFA Europa League: Sporting Braga vs Real Betis12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Champions League: Arsenal vs Sporting CP3:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Champions League: Bayern München vs Real Madrid3:00pmParamount+VIXCONCACAF Champions Cup: LA Galaxy vs Toluca9:00pmFS1fuboTVCONCACAF Champions Cup: Seattle Sounders FC vs Tigres UANL10:00pmFS1fuboTV About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” APRIL 14 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” APRIL 15
