“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA HS BASEBALL STATE FINALS FRIDAY, JUNE 19 CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 4:30 PM ET | GUERIN CATHOLIC (27-3-1) VS. ANDREAN (30-3) CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 8 PM ET | NORTHEAST DUBOIS (23-5) VS. KOUTS (31-1) SATURDAY, JUNE 20 CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 4:30 PM ET | EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (29-3) VS. BLUFFTON (19-10) CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 8 PM ET | BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (25-6) VS. LAKE CENTRAL (27-8) PREVIEW: HTTPS://WWW.IHSAA.ORG/SITES/DEFAULT/FILES/DOCUMENTS/2025-26%20BASEBALL%20PREVIEW.PDF ==================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WHITE SOX 5, YANKEES 1 ROYALS 14, CARDINALS 6 BLUE JAYS 4, RED SOX 3 METS 6, PHILLIES 4 GUARDIANS 4, BREWERS 2 TWINS 9, RANGERS 3 MARINERS 3, ORIOLES 0 =================================== MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL INDIANAPOLIS 11 IOWA 8 FT. WAYNE 4 SOUTH BEND 3 FT. WAYNE 5 SOUTH BEND 2 =================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES TV SCHEDULE: MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME 1 | OKLAHOMA VS. NORTH CAROLINA, JUNE 20 ON ESPN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME 2 | OKLAHOMA VS. NORTH CAROLINA, 2:30 P.M. SUNDAY, JUNE 21 ON ABC CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME 3 | 7 P.M. MONDAY, JUNE 22 ON ESPN (IF NECESSARY) =================================== WNBA DREAM 108 FEVER 101 =============================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO GAMES SCHEDULED =============================== WORLD CUP STAGE FIXTURES THURSDAY, 18 JUNE 2026 CZECHIA 1 SOUTH AFRICA 1 SWITZERLAND 4 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 1 CANADA 6 QUTAR 0 MEXICO 1 SOUTH KOREA 0 FRIDAY, 19 JUNE 2026 BRAZIL V HAITI – GROUP C – PHILADELPHIA STADIUM SCOTLAND V MOROCCO – GROUP C – BOSTON STADIUM TÜRKIYE V PARAGUAY – GROUP D – SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA STADIUM USA V AUSTRALIA – GROUP D – SEATTLE STADIUM SATURDAY, 20 JUNE 2026 GERMANY V CÔTE D’IVOIRE – GROUP E – TORONTO STADIUM ECUADOR V CURAÇAO – GROUP E – KANSAS CITY STADIUM NETHERLANDS V SWEDEN – GROUP F – HOUSTON STADIUM TUNISIA V JAPAN – GROUP F – ESTADIO MONTERREY SUNDAY, 21 JUNE 2026 URUGUAY V CABO VERDE – GROUP H – MIAMI STADIUM SPAIN V SAUDI ARABIA – GROUP H – ATLANTA STADIUM BELGIUM V IR IRAN – GROUP G – LOS ANGELES STADIUM NEW ZEALAND V EGYPT – GROUP G – BC PLACE VANCOUVER MONDAY, 22 JUNE 2026 NORWAY V SENEGAL – GROUP I – NEW YORK NEW JERSEY STADIUM FRANCE V IRAQ – GROUP I – PHILADELPHIA STADIUM ARGENTINA V AUSTRIA – GROUP J – DALLAS STADIUM JORDAN V ALGERIA – GROUP J – SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA STADIUM TUESDAY, 23 JUNE 2026 ENGLAND V GHANA – GROUP L – BOSTON STADIUM PANAMA V CROATIA – GROUP L – TORONTO STADIUM PORTUGAL V UZBEKISTAN – GROUP K – HOUSTON STADIUM COLOMBIA V CONGO DR – GROUP K – ESTADIO GUADALAJARA WEDNESDAY, 24 JUNE 2026 SCOTLAND V BRAZIL – GROUP C – MIAMI STADIUM MOROCCO V HAITI – GROUP C – ATLANTA STADIUM SWITZERLAND V CANADA – GROUP B – BC PLACE VANCOUVER BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA V QATAR – GROUP B – SEATTLE STADIUM CZECHIA V MEXICO – GROUP A – MEXICO CITY STADIUM SOUTH AFRICA V KOREA REPUBLIC – GROUP A – ESTADIO MONTERREY THURSDAY, 25 JUNE 2026 CURAÇAO V CÔTE D’IVOIRE – GROUP E – PHILADELPHIA STADIUM ECUADOR V GERMANY – GROUP E – NEW YORK NEW JERSEY STADIUM JAPAN V SWEDEN – GROUP F – DALLAS STADIUM TUNISIA V NETHERLANDS – GROUP F – KANSAS CITY STADIUM TÜRKIYE V USA – GROUP D – LOS ANGELES STADIUM PARAGUAY V AUSTRALIA – GROUP D – SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA STADIUM FRIDAY, 26 JUNE 2026 NORWAY V FRANCE – GROUP I – BOSTON STADIUM SENEGAL V IRAQ – GROUP I – TORONTO STADIUM EGYPT V IR IRAN – GROUP G – SEATTLE STADIUM NEW ZEALAND V BELGIUM – GROUP G – BC PLACE VANCOUVER CABO VERDE V SAUDI ARABIA – GROUP H – HOUSTON STADIUM URUGUAY V SPAIN – GROUP H – ESTADIO GUADALAJARA SATURDAY, 27 JUNE 2026 PANAMA V ENGLAND – GROUP L – NEW YORK NEW JERSEY STADIUM CROATIA V GHANA – GROUP L – PHILADELPHIA STADIUM ALGERIA V AUSTRIA – GROUP J – KANSAS CITY STADIUM JORDAN V ARGENTINA – GROUP J – DALLAS STADIUM COLOMBIA V PORTUGAL – GROUP K – MIAMI STADIUM CONGO DR V UZBEKISTAN – GROUP K – ATLANTA STADIUM =============================== MAJOR NATIONAL HEADLINES/RELEASES COLLEGE SPORTS COLLEGE SPORTS BILL CLEARS KEY SENATE HURDLE DESPITE SEC, BIG TEN OPPOSITION WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill that top lawmakers and athletic leaders have described as the best chance to stabilize college sports cleared a key vote in the Senate on Thursday with bipartisan support after weeks of input from schools, conferences and athletes. The bipartisan Protect College Sports Act aims to regulate payments to players, limit them to one free transfer over their careers and create a rule to restrict coaches from changing jobs during a season. It advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee on a 19-9 vote Thursday and now heads to the full Senate for consideration. The legislation is the product of months of negotiations between Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top lawmakers on the Senate Commerce Committee, and comes as lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are grappling with whether it’s time for them to intervene in college sports. “The greatest risk facing college athletics today is not any single controversy, court decision, or headline. The greatest threat to college sports is inaction,” Cruz said in opening remarks. Bill moves forward without Big Ten and SEC support The committee vote advancing the bill — which included Senate Majority Leader John Thune voting in favor — followed endorsements from several athletic conferences, the NFL and its players union, and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The Olympic committee backed the revised measure after lawmakers added additional protections for women’s and Olympic sports. Yet the two most powerful conferences in college sports — the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference — are not supporting it. In a joint statement released Thursday morning, the two conferences wrote that “revisions are needed to secure our support for the bill.” “What we did today was say we’re not going to let the most powerful, richest conferences dictate to the rest of America what’s going to happen to 500,000 athletes,” Cantwell said after the committee vote. Earlier this month, the Congressional Black Caucus also urged the Senate to suspend action on the bill in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that effectively disabled a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. Democratic Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, a member of the CBC, voted against the legislation Thursday. Support and opposition for the bill does not fall neatly along party lines, reflecting the national reach of SEC and Big Ten schools and broader divisions in Congress. While President Donald Trump has backed the bill, multiple Republicans opposed the legislation Thursday, while several Democrat supported it. Some of the senators who voted against the bill represent states that are home to prominent SEC and Big Ten programs, including Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, and Republican Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Roger Wicker of Mississippi. “We still are trying to get some changes that the Big Ten would like to see,” Peters told The Associated Press late Wednesday. A long road ahead Clearing the committee is just the first step in a long process. Passage through the Senate is far from guaranteed, as leaders already have a packed schedule and a dwindling number of legislative days left before the November election. The bill would need to clear a 60-vote threshold in the 53-47 Republican-controlled chamber. The bill will also still need to clear the House. Earlier this year, House Republican leadership had been working toward a vote on its own college sports bill, known as the SCORE Act, before the Congressional Black Caucus announced its unanimous opposition. Still, supporters on Thursday touted the committee action as a massive step forward. “Today we are proving that we are resilient in keeping this product moving,” Cantwell said. ===================================== COLLEGE FOOTBALL BRENDAN SORSBY DROPS LAWSUIT AGAINST NCAA AFTER GETTING AN INJUNCTION TO PLAY DESPITE GAMBLING Brendan Sorsby has dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA, making the quarterback ineligible again and ending his college career because of gambling. The expected motion for dismissal of the suit was filed Thursday by the 99th District Court in Lubbock County. That was three days after Texas Tech said he wouldn’t play this fall, and exactly a month after Sorsby filed his lawsuit that set off a legal saga that rattled college sports. That Texas court issued a temporary injunction June 8 that made the transfer quarterback eligible to play even after admitting that he placed bets on his own team while at Indiana as a freshman four years ago. Those were among thousands of impermissible bets he made while in college. Sorsby had to be ineligible for NCAA play to be able to apply for the NFL’s supplemental draft. The submission deadline for that rarely used draft is Monday, and the 22-year-old quarterback tentatively plans to work out for NFL teams on July 10. The injunction last week by Judge Ken Curry had prevented the NCAA from enforcing its ruling that the quarterback was ineligible to play what would have been his final college season. Sorsby transferred to reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech in January after the past two seasons at Cincinnati. Cody Campbell, the billionaire booster who is chairman of the Texas Tech regents, announced in an open letter Monday night that Sorsby would not be part of the team this fall. He wrote that the decision was made with Sorsby and his family, with the draft deadline and ongoing legal process among the key factors. That letter came on the same day the NCAA and Big 12 Conference had filings in separate courts related to the case. Sorsby already faced a two-game suspension as part of the temporary injunction. The continued legal wrangling made uncertain what his status could be for Tech’s remaining games. The temporary injunction had cleared the way for Sorsby, after the first two games, to play despite being declared ineligible after he admitted making thousands of bets worth at least $90,000 while at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. Those included at least 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there in 2022, though none on the games in which he played for the Hoosiers that season. ===== TEXAS A&M ADDS 5-STAR LB KADEN HENDERSON TO NO. 1 2027 CLASS Texas A&M landed the commitment of five-star linebacker Kaden Henderson on Thursday, making him the third player ranked No. 1 at his position to join the Aggies’ Class of 2027. The 247Sports composite ranks Henderson as the No. 22 overall player for 2027, the latest high-impact prospect to commit to the nation’s top-ranked class. The Aggies’ 2026 class was ranked No. 10 overall. Henderson, who is 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds, plays at Tampa Jesuit in Florida. He chose Texas A&M over LSU and Notre Dame and announced his decision live on “The Pat McAfee Show.” The Aggies now have six five-star prospects in its class. The others are tackles Mark Matthews and Kennedy Brown, safeties Kamarui Dorsey and JayQuan Snell, and cornerback Raylaun Henry. Matthews and Dorsey also are ranked No. 1 at their positions. Texas A&M has 23 commitments in the 2027 class. Ten of the players are ranked in the top 60 in the nation by the 247Sports composite. Like Henderson, Matthews is from Florida. Brown and Snell are Texans, Dorsey comes from Georgia and Henry plays in Baltimore. As a junior, Henderson was limited to about half of Tampa Jesuit’s games because of injuries. He still managed 49 tackles (13 for loss), nine sacks and two forced fumbles, according to On3. ===== SAM HOUSTON PREVIEW: HTTPS://COLLEGEFOOTBALLNEWS.COM/COLLEGE-FOOTBALL/SAM-HOUSTON-FOOTBALL-PREVIEW-2026 OKLAHOMA STATE PREVIEW: HTTPS://COLLEGEFOOTBALLNEWS.COM/COLLEGE-FOOTBALL/OKLAHOMA-STATE-FOOTBALL-PREVIEW-2026 TULSA PREVIEW: HTTPS://COLLEGEFOOTBALLNEWS.COM/COLLEGE-FOOTBALL/TULSA-FOOTBALL-PREVIEW-2026 BOWLING GREEN PREVIEW: HTTPS://COLLEGEFOOTBALLNEWS.COM/COLLEGE-FOOTBALL/BOWLING-GREEN-FOOTBALL-PREVIEW-2026 MARYLAND PREVIEW: HTTPS://COLLEGEFOOTBALLNEWS.COM/COLLEGE-FOOTBALL/MARYLAND-FOOTBALL-PREVIEW-2026 2026 TOP TRASNFER TEAM RANKINGS: HTTPS://247SPORTS.COM/SEASON/2026-FOOTBALL/TRANSFERTEAMRANKINGS 2026 BIG TEN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW, PREDICTIONS, TOP TRANSFERS: HTTPS://WWW.ESPN.COM/COLLEGE-FOOTBALL/STORY/_/ID/49073551/2026-BIG-TEN-COLLEGE-FOOTBALL-PREVIEW-PREDICTIONS-TOP-TRANSFERS-MORE ================================ NFL CHARGERS’ JUSTIN HERBERT ADJUSTING FOOTWORK DURING OFFSEASON PROGRAM EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — New Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel wanted to change Justin Herbert’s footwork, so he has taken the football out of his star quarterback’s hands for parts of the offseason program. While it might seem counterintuitive, McDaniel believes Herbert can better focus on learning those adjustments when not throwing. “To change it, and in one offseason, make it something that’s in the unconscious that you’re not thinking about where you have to think about a lot of other things, you really have to take an intentional attack on it. So I think he understood the extreme measures,” McDaniel said. McDaniel is teaching Herbert to lead with his non-dominant left foot, with the right-handed passer having put his right foot forward when first handling the football in each of his previous six seasons in the NFL. McDaniel initially took notice of the off-foot technique as an assistant to Kyle Shanahan with Houston in 2007. Brett Favre had been using it throughout his Hall of Fame career, and Tom Brady adopted it for the 2007 season when he threw 50 touchdowns passes, setting a then single-season league record that has since been broken. Shanahan, who was the Texans quarterbacks coach at the time, and McDaniel extensively studied the possible benefits in the approach before adopting it, including when they continued worked together in Washington and San Francisco. McDaniel also took it to Miami when he was the Dolphins head coach for four seasons until being fired in January, leading the left-handed Tua Tagovailoa to start with his right foot forward. “You have your pros and cons for anything that you do from a technique perspective, but having the non-throwing-hand foot forward, there was some advantages that I kind of lean toward. By the time we got to Washington (in 2010), we started training quarterbacks that way,” McDaniel said. With McDaniel installing a quicker passing game that emphasizes allowing receivers to accumulate yards after catch, the tweak in footwork is intended to maximize the timing Herbert needs to get the most out of those opportunities. “I kind of look at it like you’re trying to find the margins where you can improve, and you have a quarterback of high achievement like Justin, who wants to make gains in this game. You find the most margin that you can improve upon, and identifying that, and it being shorter time throws and footwork, there’s a necessity to really focus on footwork from the ground up,” McDaniel said. That meant asking Herbert to spend portions of organized team activities working with a large green exercise ball instead of a football. He also ceded throws in 7-on-7s and other periods to backups Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei, leaving Herbert to simulate drop-backs. McDaniel’s aim was to put the emphasis on process rather than result. “It’s as simple as where your focus is, and when you don’t watch a ball go, you don’t attribute any emotions toward, ‘Oh, that was a good throw. Oh, that was a bad throw.’ You only can really lean into one thing, and that’s the footwork that you’re doing. And if you make that the end-all, be-all — at the quarterback position, you have 900 things to think about — and in a short period of time, you can really master it to where you’re not thinking about it at all,” McDaniel said. Herbert was receptive to the request to change his footwork, having spent his college career at Oregon operating in a neutral stance with his feet placed evenly. As for the reduction in passing, Herbert accepted it, a minor surprise given his past insistence on getting lots of extra throws in before and after practices. Herbert said the new approach is as much about making sure his arm is fresh when the Chargers get to the stretch run of the season as mastering the new footwork. “I’ve thrown a lot of footballs, and it’s May and June, and I didn’t think it was as necessary to throw as much now. I’m doing everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down, and the throws, they’ll be there,” Herbert said. ================================= MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL MLB OWNERS PROPOSE BANNING HIGH SCHOOL SIGNINGS, ADDING AN INTERNATIONAL DRAFT NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball owners proposed banning high school from signing with major league teams, raising the age for international amateurs and slashing the money spent on signing bonuses in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday. The amateur draft for players residing in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico would be cut from 20 rounds to 12 beginning in 2027 under the proposal Major League Baseball made during a bargaining session with the players’ association. An identical 12-round draft would be started for international prospects, a proposal the union has rejected in the past. Starting in 2028, a prospect for the amateur draft would have to be at least 20 years old by the Sept. 1 of his signing year and two years removed from the graduating year of his high school class. Since the amateur draft started in 1965, high schoolers have been eligible along with college players who are in or have just finished their junior years. Raising signing ages would likely lead to players being older when they become eligible for free agency, which currently requires six years of major league service. MLB cited increased revenue in college baseball as reasoning. “Expanded scholarships, NIL opportunities, revenue sharing and significant investments in facilities and player development have made college baseball an increasingly important pathway that is producing major league-ready talent at an accelerated rate,” MLB said in a statement. “By creating a draft system centered around college-aged players and making most college players eligible one year earlier, more players will benefit from both a college education and an elite development environment while reaching professional baseball — and ultimately the major leagues — more quickly.” MLB said it will not seek to reduce the 120 minor league teams in the top four levels when it negotiates new professional development licenses in 2030 to replace expiring 10-year deals. For international amateurs, the age to sign would be raised to 18 on the Sept. 1 of their signing year, up from 17. Each separate draft would have $200 million in signing pools in 2027. There would be hard caps for each draft. Teams would be able to trade draft picks but a club couldn’t trade its first-round pick in consecutive drafts. A team couldn’t acquire more than three additional selections among the first three rounds. Spending on signing bonuses for players eligible for the 2025 amateur draft totaled about $402 million. Teams have spent about $193 million on signing bonus for international amateurs in 2026. The current signing period starts Jan. 15 each year, but the initial international draft would be no earlier than Sept. 2027. MLB proposed eliminating competitive balance round picks that began in 2023 and cutting the draft lottery that started in 2023 from the top six picks to four. Bargaining began May 13 and the sides exchanged initial proposals two weeks later as management proposed a salary cap for the first time since 1994, which resulted in a 7 1/2-month strike and the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years. ===== REPORT: MLB SAYS FAREWELL TO HOME RUN DERBY CLOCK Time has expired on the Home Run Derby clock. The annual power-hitting display, set to be contested July 13 in Philadelphia during All-Star Game festivities, will revert to its previous format when the number of swings, and not a set time, determined each player’s turn in the competition, The Athletic reported Thursday. A sport that famously does not adhere to a clock to determine a winner, had embraced the time factor in recent years. The Home Run Derby went to a clock in 2015, while a pitch clock, introduced in 2023, has been credited for speeding up game times. When the Home Run Derby clock was introduced in 2015, competitors were supposed to have five minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. But approaching inclement weather forced the reduction of time to four minutes per turn and that time limit was adopted permanently in 2016. While the clock added a sense of urgency to the proceedings, the passage of time has shown that change is inevitable. This season’s eight-person competition will require competitors to hit as many home runs as possible in 20 swings over the first round. It will be reduced to 15 swings over the final two rounds. If a competitor hits a home run on his final swing of a round, he can continue until a swing does not produce a homer. The first round will reduce the field to four competitors and change into a bracket-style competition for the semifinals where the top home-run hitter faces the one who hits the fourth most home runs. The second and third finishers also will square off in a head-to-head duel with the winners of the semifinals meeting in the finals. Netflix is set to broadcast the Home Run Derby for the first time this season after the event had a long run on ESPN. The Cincinnati Reds’ Dave Parker won the first Home Run Derby in 1985, while Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners is the defending champion. ===== MLB ROUNDUP: ANDREW BENINTENDI SLAM LIFTS WHITE SOX OVER YANKEES Pinch hitter Andrew Benintendi belted a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning as the visiting Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 5-1 on Thursday. Chicago earned its first win at Yankee Stadium since June 8, 2023, ending a nine-game road skid vs. New York. In the finale of a three-game series, the White Sox pieced together the winning rally in the eighth against Fernando Cruz (4-2), Tim Hill and Camilo Doval. Benintendi, who once played for the Yankees, batted for Randal Grichuk and snapped a 1-1 tie by lifting Doval’s first-pitch sinker into the right-center-field seats. The American League Central-leading White Sox got a double from Sam Antonacci and had two batters hit by pitches to set up Benintendi’s blast. After Chicago opener Bryan Hudson allowed a hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings, bulk reliever Sean Burke (4-4) struck out eight while giving up one run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings. MLB news Ryan McMahon homered as the Yankees had their four-game winning streak end while losing for just the sixth time in the past 21 games. Royals 14, Cardinals 6 Bobby Witt Jr. homered and was one of seven Kansas City players with at least two hits — but later exited with right knee discomfort — while Salvador Perez’s solo shot made him the all-time home run leader at Kauffman Stadium as the host Royals beat St. Louis. The star shortstop injured himself going into the hole to field Jordan Walker’s RBI infield single in the fourth. Witt finished the inning but was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the frame. Witt’s departure overshadowed a potent night for the Royals, who set season highs for runs and hits (17), while posting eight doubles, including a club-record five during their six-run second inning. Meanwhile, Perez had three hits and his 137th homer at home — a 385-foot shot to left in the sixth inning — broke George Brett’s record to give Kansas City a 12-4 lead. Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt each had three hits while Jose Fermin added two with two RBIs for the Cardinals, who recorded 13 hits but stranded 15 runners. Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 3 Brandon Valenzuela’s two-out double against Aroldis Chapman drove in Ernie Clement with the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and visiting Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Boston. Valenzuela’s double came after the Red Sox tied the game on back-to-back home runs by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin in the eighth. Both home runs came against Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage, who allowed three runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out six without a walk. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes each hit a solo home run against Boston starter Sonny Gray, who gave up three runs on six hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked one. Mets 6, Phillies 4 Juan Soto homered twice and Marcus Semien drove in a pair of insurance runs as visiting New York beat Philadelphia in the first matchup of the season between the rivals. The Mets also received big efforts from Carson Benge (3-for-5) and A.J. Ewing (2-for-3, RBI). Huascar Brazoban (4-1) pitched a scoreless inning in relief for the win, and Devin Williams allowed a two-out run in the ninth before closing out his 11th save. Alec Bohm finished with two hits and two RBIs for the Phillies. Jose Alvarado (3-2) yielded three runs in his lone inning. Trea Turner (right calf contusion) left after getting hit by a pitch. Guardians 4, Brewers 2 Cleveland broke a tie in the seventh inning to rally for a win against host Milwaukee, earning a victory for just the third time in the past nine games. Starting pitcher Parker Messick (7-3) gave up two runs on four hits and three walks, and struck out nine over six innings for the Guardians. Starter Shane Drohan went five innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks for the Brewers, who had won three straight. Cleveland took its first lead of the game in the seventh inning off reliever Grant Anderson (1-3). Travis Bazzana ripped a fastball into the seats in right field to put the visitors ahead 3-2. Twins 9, Rangers 3 Trevor Larnach went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, and Minnesota cruised to a win over host Texas. Brooks Lee added a three-run homer for Minnesota, which completed a three-game sweep over the Rangers. Ryan Kreidler hit a two-run homer, and Victor Caratini finished 3-for-4. Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue each hit a solo home run for Texas. Josh Smith doubled for the Rangers’ only other extra-base hit. Mariners 3, Orioles 0 Bryan Woo (6-5) pitched seven-plus scoreless innings as host Seattle defeated Baltimore. Woo allowed three hits, walked one and fanned nine. The Mariners did all their damage with a two-out rally in the first inning off Orioles starter Shane Baz (4-7), using a run-scoring double from Cole Young and a two-run single from Colt Emerson to take a 3-0 lead. Baz overcame the shaky start to last seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out nine. ================================ NBA BYU’S AJ DYBANTSA, DUKE’S CAMERON BOOZER, UNC’S CALEB WILSON HEADLINE FORWARDS IN NBA DRAFT AJ Dybantsa’s tantalizing skill has long made him the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. The BYU standout met all expectations in becoming a first-team Associated Press All-American. He’s the headliner among a forward group that features fellow freshmen Cameron Boozer of Duke and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. That trio, along with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, form the top tier of overall prospects. Here’s a look at top forwards entering first round of the draft Tuesday night: AJ Dybantsa, BYU STRENGTHS: Dybantsa averaged a national-best 25.5 points with his ability to create his own shot and get to the foul line. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists and shot 51%, packaged in a sturdy 6-foot-9, 217-pound frame. He scored a BYU freshman-record 43 points against Utah and broke Kevin Durant’s freshman Big 12 Tournament record with 40 points against Kansas State. He also led the country in free throws (229) and attempts (296), getting to the line at least 10 times in 15 games. Synergy rated him as “Excellent” as the ball handler in pick-and-roll scenarios (87th percentile, 27% of total possessions) and post-ups (94th, 10.9%). He also popped against top-10 foes by averaging 26.9 points in seven games, including 35 points in a loss to Final Four-bound Arizona and a near triple-double (29 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists) in an upset of sixth-ranked Iowa State. CONCERNS: His 3-point shot needs refinement. He hit 33.1%, including a final-month slide of 18 for 66 (27.3%) in 12 games. He also must cut down mistakes after averaging 3.1 turnovers. Cameron Boozer, Duke STRENGTHS: The 6-8, 253-pound son of former Duke and NBA player Carlos Boozer was a steady interior presence and the fifth freshman selected as AP men’s national player of the year. He averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, routinely finishing through contact (55.6% field goals, 78.9% free throws) that sometimes left him scratched and wounded. He shot 39.1% on 3s, with Synergy rating him as “Excellent” against man defense (94th percentile), on post-ups (86th) and spot-up shots (95th). He’s a strong passer (4.1 assists) out of double teams and could initiate Duke’s offense up top, notably assisting on Isaiah Evans’ late 3-pointer to beat Florida. CONCERNS: Boozer isn’t an explosive athlete, relying more on strength and positioning than playing above the rim. His struggles against Virginia elite rim protector Ugonna Onyenso in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game (season-low 13 points, 3-for-17 shooting, four shots blocked) illustrated challenges that could await when he has to finish over bigger and longer defenders. The athleticism question could also show in handling defensive switches onto quicker players. Caleb Wilson, UNC STRENGTHS: He has explosive athleticism, a go-go-go motor, a 7-foot wingspan and a spotlight-embracing personality. The 6-foot-9, 211-pound freshman averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds while thriving at the rim and in transition, becoming a second-team AP All-American. Notably, Wilson stood out against Kansas with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals while showing a soft touch on multiple fading turnarounds. He also stepped up against rival Duke and fellow top pro prospect Cameron Boozer, scoring 17 of his 23 points before halftime to keep the Tar Heels close before they won on Seth Trimble’s last-second 3-pointer. Wilson was leading the country in dunks (66) when he suffered a broken left hand in mid-February, then he broke his right thumb in practice when he was on the verge of returning in March. CONCERNS: He’ll have to add strength to handle physical play and extend his range (25.9% on 3s). He also could improve his consistency when it comes to defensive focus, even after averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.5 steals. Nate Ament, Tennessee STRENGTHS: The 6-10, 211-pound freshman offers an intriguing blend of versatility and fluid athleticism as a lottery prospect. He was the No. 2 scorer (16.7) and a quality passer for a team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight. A strong monthlong run in the Southeastern Conference (22.8 points on 45.2% shooting with 39.1% on 3s from Jan. 10 to Feb. 20) illustrated his long-term potential. He also had 17 of his 27 points after halftime to rally the Volunteers past Auburn in the SEC Tournament. CONCERNS: He’ll need to get stronger. He leans heavily on his jumper — spot-up shots accounting for nearly 19% of his possessions, according to Synergy — and must fill in his game. Others of note: — YAXEL LENDEBORG: The first-team AP All-American helped Michigan win its first NCAA title since 1989. He has a strong frame (6-9, 241) and a better than 7-3 wingspan. He shot 37.2% from 3-point range at career-high volume after hitting at 34.9% through two seasons at UAB. He showed tough competitiveness by gritting his way through ankle and knee injuries in the Final Four and NCAA title game. He’s older (23) but the potential lottery pick could be an immediate contributor. — MOREZ JOHNSON JR.: Another member of Michigan’s title run, the 6-9, 251-pound sophomore could go in the late lottery after averaging 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. His versatility could have him work at forward or as a small-ball 5-man with his better than 7-3 wingspan (ninth among 75 players measured at the combine). He has particularly thrived as a cutter, in post-ups and in finishing at the rim. — KARIM LOPEZ: The 6-8, 222-pound native of Mexico has spent two seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League’s “Next Stars” developmental program that produced lottery picks LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Alex Sarr in recent years. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last year with versatility, athleticism and a nearly 7-foot wingspan. — ALLEN GRAVES: The 6-8, 226-pound Graves was the West Coast Conference’s freshman of the year for Santa Clara’s NCAA Tournament team. He averaged 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds while playing just 22.6 minutes, showing range (41.3% on 3s) and defensive potential (0.9 blocks. 1.9 steals). — KOA PEAT: The 6-7, 245-pound Arizona freshman scored primarily in transition, on post-ups or as the roller in pick-and-rolls. He tied for fifth at the combine in standing vertical leap (34.5 inches) but has didn’t show much range (seven made 3s) while his jumper rated as “Below Average” (27th percentile) by Synergy. — JOSHUA JEFFERSON: The second-team AP All-American from Iowa State has a strong frame (6-8, 246). The senior averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists with the ability initiate offense and facilitate open looks. — ALEX KARABAN: The 6-7, 225-pound redshirt senior from UConn could be a late first-rounder with range (career 37.4% on 3s) and plus length (6-11 wingspan). He’s also a winner; UConn won two NCAA titles and played for a third with him as a full-time starter. ================================= NHL SHARKS ACQUIRE MICHAEL KESSELRING, SWAP 1ST-ROUND PICKS WITH SABRES The San Jose Sharks acquired defenseman Michael Kesselring and the No. 27 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the No. 20 selection. San Jose has eight selections in the upcoming draft on June 26-27 in Buffalo, including the No. 2 overall pick. Kesselring, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, recorded two assists and averaged 13:24 of ice time in 34 games this past season with the Sabres. “Michael has a big frame with solid two-way ability,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said. “He is a responsible player in the defensive zone with a well-rounded offensive game and will be a good upgrade for us patrolling the blue line. We’re happy to have him be a part of the organization.” Kesselring, 26, has totaled 55 points (12 goals, 43 assists) in 190 games split between the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth and Sabres. He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Kesselring was traded by the Oilers to the Coyotes on March 2, 2023, and again by the then-Utah Hockey Club to the Sabres on June 26, 2025. ===== F PIERRE-EDOUARD BELLEMARE RETIRES AFTER 700 GAMES Forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare officially has retired after 700 NHL games over 10 seasons with five teams. Bellemare, who last suited up for the Seattle Kraken in 2023-24, played the most games by a French-born player in league history. He recorded 138 points (64 goals, 74 assists) and a plus-22 rating with the Philadelphia Flyers (2014-17), Vegas Golden Knights (2017-19), Colorado Avalanche (2019-21), Tampa Bay Lightning (2021-23) and Kraken. Vegas selected Bellemare with its 12th pick in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Bellemare, 41, also tallied five goals and 10 assists in 85 postseason games. His teams twice fell in the Stanley Cup Final: the Golden Knights lost to the Washington Capitals in 2018, and the Lightning lost to the Avalanche in 2022. ===== BRUINS RETIRING PATRICE BERGERON’S NO. 37 NEXT SEASON The Boston Bruins will honor former captain Patrice Bergeron by retiring the forward’s No. 37 next season. The date and time of the number retirement ceremony will be shared at a later date, the team said Thursday. Bergeron, 40, played his entire 19-season career with Boston (2003-04, 2005-23), winning a Stanley Cup in 2011 and collecting the Selke Trophy six times as the NHL’s top defensive forward. “Patrice was the kind of rare, generational talent that every team wanted,” said Jeremy M. Jacobs, Bruins owner and governor. “He was a deftly skilled playmaker and the undeniable greatest defensive forward in the NHL’s history. But it was the leadership he provided on the ice and in the locker room that made him truly stand apart and an all-time legend of the Boston Bruins.” Bergeron also won the 2012-13 King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian work and the 2020-21 Mark Messier Leadership Award. The Quebec native ranks third in Bruins history in games (1,294), points (1,040) and goals (427) and fourth in assists (613). He was a second-round draft pick by Boston in 2003. “To have my number retired by the Boston Bruins is an honor that is difficult to put into words,” Bergeron said. “When I arrived in Boston as an 18-year-old, I could never have imagined receiving this recognition one day. I have always believed that any success I had was only possible because of the people around me. I was fortunate to play alongside incredible teammates, learn from outstanding coaches and staff and be supported by an organization that believed in me from the very beginning. “I am especially grateful to my family for the sacrifices they made that allowed me to pursue my dream. This honor belongs to all of them as much as it belongs to me. To Bruins fans across New England, thank you for welcoming a young French Canadian and making this place feel like home. Every time I stepped onto the ice, I felt the privilege and responsibility that comes with wearing the Spoked-B, and I always tried to represent this organization and community the right way. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be connected to the history of the Boston Bruins. To know that No. 37 will forever be part of that history is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.” Bergeron’s number will be the 14th to be retired by the Bruins. “Throughout his 20 years with the Boston Bruins, Patrice Bergeron was the ultimate professional, demonstrating a unique blend of leadership, integrity, humility and class,” Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs said. “Patrice consistently set the standard on and off the ice, becoming one of the best players in the game while demonstrating for the next generation what it meant to be a Bruin. As one of the greatest to ever wear the Black and Gold, it is only fitting that his No. 37 makes its way to the Garden rafters.” ===== NHL CLEARS MIKE BABCOCK FOR RETURN TO COACHING The NHL issued a statement Thursday clearing Mike Babcock to return to coaching following an investigation into his brief 2023 stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets. “The League has completed its review of Mike Babcock’s tenure in Columbus, and of certain alleged conduct associated therewith,” read the statement. “Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favorable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment in the League.” The Edmonton Oilers reportedly are interested in hiring Babcock, 63, to fill their coaching vacancy. Earlier this month, the NHL Players’ Association asked the league to conduct an investigation into Babcock’s time in Columbus before allowing the Oilers to move forward. The Blue Jackets hired Babcock on July 1, 2023 for what would have been his first NHL head coaching gig since leading the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2015-19. In September 2023, reports emerged that some players felt Babcock invaded their privacy by asking to see their cellphone camera rolls in one-on-one meetings. Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner and the late Johnny Gaudreau confirmed that Babcock had asked to see photos but said they were not pressured to do so and understood it to be in the spirit of getting to know one another. Babcock reportedly also showed players photos from his phone. However, younger players reportedly felt uncomfortable with Babcock’s approach, and he already had a reputation for controversial motivational tactics while with the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings (2005-15). Babcock resigned on Sept. 17, 2023 before the season began, so the NHL did not investigate the claims at the time. Babcock has a 700-418-164 career record (19 ties) as head coach of the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002-04), Red Wings and Maple Leafs. He led Detroit to the 2008 Stanley Cup title. ===== CAPITALS COACH SPENCER CARBERY SIGNS MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery signed a multi-year contract extension on Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Carbery, 44, just completed his third season in the nation’s capital and has compiled a 134-83-29 record. The Capitals made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons and he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s Coach of the Year in 2024-25. “We are pleased to extend Spencer to a new multi-year contract,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. “Since joining our organization, Spencer has played an important role in the development of many of our young players while also earning the respect and trust of our veteran leaders. His communication skills, strong relationship-building, and ability to connect with players at every stage of their careers have made him a great leader of our club. “In addition, he has helped foster a positive and accountable culture within our team, creating an environment where players can grow and succeed. We have been extremely impressed with his commitment, professionalism, and passion for coaching, and we are excited to see him continue building on that success.” Last season, Washington went 43-30-9 (95 points) and finished three points behind the third-place Philadelphia Flyers in the Metropolitan Division and four points out of the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. Carbery was an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs for two seasons before being hired by the Capitals on May 30, 2023. ================================ GOLF IAN POULTER, LEE WESTWOOD PAY FINES, BUT RYDER CUP STILL ELUSIVE Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have settled their outstanding large fines with the DP World Tour, according to a Thursday report from GolfWeek, but the pair still wouldn’t be eligible to serve as Ryder Cup captains. “Under our current regulations, even if they were to rejoin as members, neither can serve as a Captain or Vice Captain in the Ryder Cup,” a DP World Tour spokesman confirmed to GolfWeek. The duo participated in the first LIV event in 2022, initiating a series of absences from the DP World Tour, during which neither officially resigned until the next season. This series of absences led to multiple fines, and in Poulter’s case, he confirmed it was around $1.1 million. Given the similarity of the violations, Westwood’s fine is estimated to be roughly the same. Poulter had previously rejected the notion of paying any fines whatsoever, also brushing off the possibility that LIV Golf funder PIF should pay any amount either. “If I personally wouldn’t pay the fines myself, why would I certainly put my business partner in that position?” Poulter said in December 2024. LIV Golf’s uncertain future has led both golfers to reconsider their previous stance and pay the fines, according to the DP World Tour. Yet the fines won’t solve all ills. Each would have to serve multi-week suspensions before resuming play (thought to be in excess of two months), and neither could captain the Ryder Cup after a 2017 bylaw was established that said anyone who abandons their membership becomes ineligible to serve in a leadership role for the premier event. ===== US OPEN SETUP STYMIES FIELD BEFORE CONDITIONS CHANGE WITH THE WIND Players who started their first round at the U.S. Open in the afternoon wave may not know what the morning crowd was griping about. Rory McIlroy stepped off the course at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club proud to have posted a 1-under-par 69, one off the lead at the time. “I think with the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score,” the Northern Irishman said. Yet when play was suspended due to darkness Thursday in Southampton, N.Y. Wyndham Clark held a four-shot lead on the pack at 6 under par. He saved par from a greenside bunker at the par-3 seventh, his third-to-last hole, before heading inside. Play was suspended early Thursday morning due to persistent fog, delaying the round for two hours. But there would be no stoppage of play due to wind gusts off Long Island’s Peconic Bay. Whipping wind is what ratchets up the difficulty of this course, and the USGA laid its plans around that fact entering the week. Without much wind in the later hours, however, the USGA’s setup was softer than the U.S. Open’s reputation calls for after winds howled for those in the morning wave. “I would say when I got my tee times on Tuesday, I was like, ‘Oh, could be a tough draw,’” Clark said. “That two-hour fog delay was very helpful, and it was really nice (that the wind) laid down. So it definitely helped those last six, seven holes we played.” Per the USGA and Elias Sports Bureau, the scoring average for players with morning tee times was 73.87 at the par-70 course. The late wave’s collective average at one point stood nearly a full stroke lower — 72.88 — and was expected to remain in that ballpark before play was halted. McIlroy and his peers understood the governing body’s moves for the first round, which included softer-than-usual greens and a few easier pin locations. “The greens are pretty slow and quite receptive,” McIlroy said. “I think they need to be at this point. It’s a challenging golf course already, and you put 30-mile-an-hour winds on top of it, it tests the best players in the world pretty well. “Yeah, I think they were prudent with the course setup, and they made sure to — I think especially with starting with 156 (players) the first two days, you just want to get everyone around without too much issue.” Keegan Bradley added, “The USGA did a great job setting the course up because, if the greens were any faster or firmer, we might not be playing right now.” McIlroy was eager to relay that when he eagled the par-5 fifth hole, he had 194 yards to the pin for his second shot and had to club down to a mere pitching wedge. “I was trying to pitch the ball like 180, and I ended up pitching the ball like 190,” he said. “I carried that pitching wedge 190 yards. It just shows how strong the wind is out there.” Keith Mitchell, who posted an even-par 70 along with Bradley, was an example of someone who got a taste of Shinnecock Hills before and after the winds died down. After his tee time was delayed to around 11:20 a.m., Mitchell started his day on the back nine, opened with a double bogey and went out in 6-over-par 41. But in the afternoon he turned it around and posted a 6-under 29 on Shinnecock’s front nine, featuring an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole after his approach shot settled softly to 13 feet. That second-nine surge brought him to an even-par 70 he won’t soon forget. “If you hit the fairway, you had a chance. I didn’t do that very often on the back nine,” Mitchell said. “… The greens are so effectively small, like, if you hit the target, you’re going to have a 15- to 20-footer. Fortunately, I just hit some really, really good shots on the back nine.” ===== YAN LIU TAKES EARLY LEAD AT MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC Yan Liu of China sank seven birdies on her way to a 6-under-par 66 and earned the first-round lead at the Meijer LPGA Classic on Thursday in Belmont, Mich. Liu leads by one stroke over Jessica Porvasnik and Australia’s Cassie Porter. All three women are searching for their first wins on the LPGA Tour. Liu had a front-nine burst with four birdies and a bogey across a five-hole stretch (Nos. 4-8) at Blythefield Country Club. She added birdies at Nos. 14, 15 and 18 and finished the day at 14 of 18 greens in regulation while never landing in the sand. “I just very focus (on) my process today,” Liu said. “Because it’s very windy, a lot of thing out of my control so I just do what I can control.” Liu, 28, tied for fourth at the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, but that was her best finish of the year. Porvasnik, meanwhile, is a mere No. 284 in the world rankings and had made just seven starts in her second year on tour. She put herself in contention with six birdies and a single bogey while finding 15 of 18 greens in regulation. Porvasnik, 30, said she swapped in a new set of irons before playing this week. “Kind of really helped. I was a little skeptical going in, but, yeah, after day like today I was like oooh, this might pretty good,” she said. At just 23, Porter is a promising prospect who made the LPGA Tour last year and already has four career top-10s to her name. She played the back nine first on Thursday and rolled in birdies at Nos. 12, 14 and 15 before her lone bogey came at No. 16. She rebounded with birdies at both the 18th and first holes and added one more on her way in. Porter also found 15 of 18 greens in regulation. Porter’s only win on the developmental Epson Tour happened to come in the state of Michigan in 2024. “To be honest I just love it here,” Porter said. “I mean, I had an awesome pro-am group (Wednesday) and I have some great host families, so I’ve spent a lot time here even in off weeks, which is awesome. Big fan of the lake life too, and the river life.” Jennifer Kupcho birdied her final hole to make it an eight-way tie two behind at 4-under 68. A massive group at 3-under 69 included South Koreans In Gee Chun and Jin Young Ko and rising star Lottie Woad of England. Defending champion Carlota Ciganda of Spain shot an even-par 72. World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand opened with a 2-over 74. =================================== INDIANA SPORTS NEWS AND HEADLINES INDIANA FEVER Angel Reese scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on Thursday, leading the Atlanta Dream to a 108-101 victory over the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis. Jordin Canada added 18 points while Naz Hillmon and Allisha Gray each scored 17 points for the Dream (10-4), who won their fourth game in five tries. Rhyne Howard chipped in 16 points and six assists for Atlanta, which eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second straight contest. Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell each led Indiana (9-6) with 26 points, and Aliyah Boston contributed 23 points and eight rebounds. Sophie Cunningham scored 12 off the bench for the Fever, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Atlanta took the first double-digit lead of the game in the opening minute of the second half as Gray’s three-point play made it 61-51. Five minutes later, Reese’s layup extended the margin to 13 before Indiana cut its deficit to 87-78 entering the final quarter. After Hillmon’s trey gave the Dream a 93-84 lead, Mitchell scored seven straight to begin a 9-0 Indiana run, tying the game at 93 apiece with 5:08 remaining. Reese and Mitchell then traded baskets before Gray’s four straight points gave the Dream a 99-95 lead with 2:09 left. Makayla Timpson’s free throws cut Atlanta’s lead in half, but Howard’s back-to-back baskets extended the margin to six with 48.2 seconds remaining. Reese’s three-point play put the Dream ahead 106-99 with 23.1 seconds left, icing the outcome. Indiana matched its largest lead of the first quarter when Mitchell’s jumper gave the Fever a 26-21 edge. Following a three-point play by Reese, Mitchell closed the first with a triple to give Indiana a 29-24 edge after 10 minutes. There, the Dream began the second on a 10-2 run, taking a 34-31 advantage on Hillmon’s 3-pointer. After Cunningham’s layup gave the Fever a 38-37 lead, Isobel Borlase’s layup and Gray’s triple put the Dream ahead by four with 5:12 remaining in the first half. Gray’s back-to-back layups and Borlase’s three-point play accounted for a 7-0 Atlanta run to give the Dream a nine-point lead. Led by 10 first-half points apiece from Gray and Howard, the Dream held a 58-49 halftime lead. Clark’s 17 paced the Fever before the break. ================================== INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS Keiner Delgado, Jhostynxon Garcia and Dominic Fletcher teed off on the Iowa Cubs pitching staff to combine for eight RBI, with one home run each, as the Indianapolis Indians emerged victorious, 11-8, on Thursday night at Principal Park. Khristian Curtis (W, 2-0), coming off a dominant Triple-A debut, ran into early trouble on the mound. Jonathan Long took him deep in the second inning for a 1-0 Iowa lead, and a wild pitch in the third allowed Christian Bethancourt to trot home from third base. The Indians defense got the club back in the game, stealing two runs from the I-Cubs in the fourth. Back-to-back outfield assists cut down Iowa baserunners at home plate as catcher Joey Bart swiped them out just in time. With the momentum on Indianapolis’ side, Keiner Delgado hammered his first Triple-A home run in the next inning to put the Indians on the board, 2-1. The 24-year-old starters, Curtis and Iowa’s Will Sanders, kept it a close game until the sixth inning, when Enmanuel Valdez knotted up the contest with an RBI triple off Yosver Zulueta (L, 0-1). The Indians proceeded to surge ahead with seven hits, including two long balls, to end the frame with an 8-2 Indianapolis lead. 12 Indians batters filed through the batter’s box before Iowa could collect three outs. Iowa immediately pulled out its own tape measure to climb back within one in the bottom of the inning. The I-Cubs sent nine hitters to the plate and launched three home runs to make it an 8-7 ball game. Indianapolis ultimately broke away, 11-7, with RBI doubles from Fletcher and Valdez in the seventh and eighth innings. Iowa tacked on one more run in the ninth with a sac fly from Triantos, but Long struck out to end the contest, 11-8. The six-game series between the Indians and I-Cubs continues Friday night starting at 8:08 PM ET. Indianapolis will look for a win behind LHP Hunter Barco (2-5, 4.13) as Iowa sends RHP Vince Velasquez (1-1, 5.87) to the mound. ================================== INDY ELEVEN Indy Eleven at Lexington SC in Prinx Tires USL CupSat., June 20, 2026 | 7:00 pmLexington SC Stadium | Lexington, Ky. Follow LiveWatch: ESPN+In-game updates: IndyElevenStats: #LEXvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com Setting the SceneIndy Eleven faces Lexington SC for the second time in four weeks, this time in Prinx Tires USL Cup group play on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+. SeriesIndy Eleven leads 1-0-1 | GF 4, GA 2 Previous MeetingsMay 23, 2026 W, 3-1 HomeMar. 22, 2025 D, 1-1 Away Last Month in IndyOn the eve of the Indianapolis 500, Indy Eleven took an early lead, temporarily let up on the gas, but accelerated in the final half hour to race across the finish line with a 3-1 victory over visiting Lexington SC, extending its unbeaten streak at Carroll Stadium to eight games (7-0-1). The Boys in Blue played a man up for the final 87 minutes and used their personnel advantage to unleash threatening counterattacks. After Lexington equalized just after halftime, the hosts finished impressively with two goals in a five-minute span to take a 3-1 lead with 15 minutes left. Midfielder Cam Lindley became the franchise leader in appearances with his 127th in five seasons with the Boys in Blue. In just the third minute, Lexington defender Javain Brown responded to a hard foul by striking Bruno Rendón in the face, earning the fastest red card in the USL Championship this season. Just ten minutes later, Edward Kizza rolled Rendón through on goal on the right side of the box and Indy Eleven’s top scorer on the season (seven goals in all competitions) fired a first-time shot into the bottom left corner for his third consecutive game with a goal for a 1-0 Boys in Blue lead. In the 71st minute with the match tied, midfielder Jack Blake’s cross found the foot of defender Josh O’Brien for the game-winning goal. It is O’Brien’s second goal this season and the 26th career assist for Blake (in addition to 44 goals). Five minutes later, a header by super-sub Dylan Sing — his second goal of the season — put the game on ice for Indy Eleven. Captain Aodhan Quinn created the goal with a well-placed cross for his 63rd career assist (T-2nd all-time). Indy Eleven 3:1 Lexington SCSat., May 23, 2026 – 7:00 p.m.Carroll Stadium | IndianapolisWeather: Cloudy, 70 degrees Scoring SummaryIND – Bruno Rendón (Edward Kizza) 13’LEX – Aaron Molloy (Blaine Ferri) 51’IND – Josh O’Brien (Jack Blake) 71’IND – Dylan Sing (Aodhan Quinn) 76’ Discipline SummaryLEX – Javain Brown (ejection) 3’IND – Bruno Rendón (caution) 4’LEX – Xavier Zengue (caution) 32’LEX – Aaron Molloy (caution) 56’LEX – Phillip Goodrum (caution) 80’IND – Aodhan Quinn (caution) 90’ Indy Eleven Lineup: Eric Dick, Aodhan Quinn (captain), Paco Craig, Anthony Herbert, Logan Neidlinger (Makel Rasheed 79’), Jack Blake, Cam Lindley, Josh O’Brien, Loïc Mesanvi (Dylan Sing 66’), Edward Kizza (Hesron Barry 55’) (Alejandro Mitrano 78’), Bruno Rendón. Indy Eleven Subs not used: Kian Williams, Noble Okello, Reice Charles-Cook. Lexington SC Lineup: Oliver Semmle, Javain Brown, Arturo Ordóñez, Kendall Burks, Xavier Zengue (Jonathan Lewis 57’), Aaron Molloy (captain), Blaine Ferri (Alfredo Midence 77’), Marcus Epps (Tarik Scott 77’), Nick Firmino, Latif Blessing (Joe Hafferty 7’), Phillip Goodrum. Lexington SC Subs not used: Malik Henry-Scott, Milo Yosef, Marqes Muir, Trenton Kutch, Garrett Addams. Craig, O’Brien named to USL Cup “Team of the Round”Defender Paco Craig and midfielder Josh O’Brien have been selected to the Prinx Tires USL Cup “Team of the Round” for Round 3 after leading Indy Eleven to a 2-0 victory over Forward Madison FC on June 6 at Carroll Stadium. Craig and O’Brien scored goals six minutes apart in the second half. In the 48th minute, midfielder Cam Lindley played a free kick into the area that forward Bruno Rendon headed across the goal to Craig who headed it home for his first Boys in Blue goal. Rendon is the all-time leader in goal contributions (15) in the Prinx Tires USL Cup with 11 goals and four assists in 16 appearances in the three years of the event. Six minutes later, defender Alejandro Mitrano broke into the left side of the penalty area and cut back a cross for midfielder Jack Blake for a first-time shot on target, with the rebound caroming to O’Brien for a calm finish from 10 yards. It is O’Brien’s third goal in all competitions in 2026. In his first season with Indy Eleven, Craig is fifth in the USL-C in clearances (77) and seventh in aerial duels won (43). He has started all 11 USL-C matches, ranking third on the team in duels won (55) and interceptions (8), and tied for fourth in blocks (4). The five-time All-USL selection is the USL-C all-time leader in aerial duels won (752) and clearances (1,030), and he is fourth in blocks (175), duels won (1,277), and interceptions (337), tied for 12th in games started (236), 15th in minutes (20,923), and 22nd in tackles won (204). The 23-year-old O’Brien is in his third season with the Boys in Blue. He leads the team with 12 tackles won and is tied for second in goals in all competitions (3) and USL-C play (2), and duels won (55). O’Brien scored the game-winning goal vs. Lexington SC on May 23 and he had a goal at Birmingham Legion FC in April, adding a successful penalty kick in the shootout victory at Fort Wayne FC on May 16. He set up both goals in Indy Eleven’s 2-1 win over Detroit City FC on March 21, including an assist on Bruno Rendon’s game winner. Eight different Boys in Blue players and Coach Sean McAuley have earned “Team of the Week/Round” honors this season. Boys in Blue Extend Unbeaten Streak to FiveIndy Eleven is 4-0-1 in its last five matches in all competitions after a 2-0 win vs. Forward Madison FC in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. For much of the first half, Indy Eleven peppered Forward Madison, recording 12 shots with five on target. The Boys in Blue threatened immediately after halftime. In the 48th minute, Cam Lindley floated an inswinging free kick toward the back post. Bruno Rendón got under the cross on the right side of the box and headed the ball back toward the crowded six, where Paco Craig towered above a host of bodies to score his first goal of the season on a header. Just six minutes later, the Boys in Blue were back on the attack. Kian Williams drove down the right sideline and played a through ball to Alejandro Mitrano as he was entering the box. Mitrano made a first-time cutback pass to Jack Blake, whose sliding shot from 12 feet out was parried back into the middle of the box by Madison goalkeeper Tenzing Mansing. Josh O’Brien arrived and put away the rebound for his third goal in all competitions in 2026. Throughout the rest of the second half, the Boys in Blue continued to look as threatening as the lightning visible in the distance over north Indianapolis. Indy Eleven had nine shots on target in the second half. The Indy Eleven defense stood strong, helping Reice Charles-Cook record his second clean sheet in his fourth start of the season. Rendón, who was a finalist for USL-C’s May “Player of the Month” award, was threatening all night long and recorded the game’s only assist. Although his four-game goal-scoring streak ended, he nearly scored midway through the first half. Blake played him through on a quickly taken free kick in the 34th minute, but a last-second sliding tackle deflected his shot off target. Rendón still leads all players with 11 goals in the three-year history of the USL Cup, four more than any other player. 15-year-old forward Tyler Lowden made his Indy Eleven debut with four minutes to go, becoming the youngest player to play for the First Team in franchise history. The Greenwood native signed a USL Academy contract on May 29.The Boys in Blue are 1-1-1 in USL Cup Group 4 play with one group game remaining at Lexington SC on June 20. Prinx Tires USL Cup Group 4Indy Eleven 2:0 Forward Madison FCSat., June 6, 2026 – 7:00 p.m.Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis Scoring SummaryIND – Paco Craig (Bruno Rendón) 48’IND – Josh O’Brien 54’ Discipline SummaryMAD – Roman Torres (caution) 12’IND – Aodhan Quinn (caution) 21’MAD – Jaylen Shannon (caution) 47’MAD – Geni Kanyane (caution) 50’MAD – Kerfalla Toure (caution) 58’IND – Josh O’Brien (caution) 68’ Indy Eleven Lineup: Reice Charles-Cook, Aodhan Quinn (captain) (Alejandro Mitrano 36’), Makel Rasheed, Paco Craig, Logan Neidlinger, Jack Blake, Cam Lindley (Mohamed Omar 61’), Josh O’Brien, Kian Williams (Tyler Lowden 86’), Edward Kizza (Dylan Sing 61’), Bruno Rendón (Hesron Barry 86’). Indy Eleven Subs not used: Eric Dick, Loic Mesanvi. Boys in Blue Win Shootout at Fort Wayne in USL CupIndy Eleven goalkeeper Eric Dick made a diving save and Jack Blake, captain Aodhan Quinn, and Josh O’Brien converted their penalty kicks to give the Boys in Blue a 3-1 shootout victory in Prinx Tires USL Cup play at Fort Wayne FC on May 16. Fort Wayne made its first penalty to take a 1-0 lead in PKs, but Blake responded to tie it, then Quinn made it 2-1, setting the stage for Dick’s stop. O’Brien was successful to make it 3-1, and the next Fort Wayne attempt was off target to end it. Regulation play was tied at 2-2, with Quinn putting Indy Eleven on top in the 26th minute. He stole an errant pass 30 yards from the goal and knifed diagonally through the defense and got a deflection back inside the area. Quinn chipped a left-footed shot from outside the six that Fort Wayne goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe stopped, but the rebound came back to Quinn and he reacted quickly to bury it into the left side of the net to put his team up 1-0. With the match even at 1-1 in the 64th minute, Blake and forward Bruno Rendon teamed up to put the Boys in Blue back in front. Forward Loïc Mesanvi started the sequence outside the corner of the area, playing it diagonally back to Blake. Blake took one touch and played an exquisite ball to the edge of the six, where Rendon volleyed it down just inside the far post for a 2-1 lead. The goal is Rendon’s team-best sixth in all competitions in 2026, and he now has 11 goals in USL Cup play in three seasons–four more than anyone else in the history of the event! Prinx Tires USL Cup Group 4Indy Eleven 2(3):2(1) Fort Wayne FCSat., May 16, 2026 – 7:30 p.m.Ruoff Mortgage Stadium | Fort Wayne, Ind. Scoring SummaryIND – Aodhan Quinn 26’FW – Taig Healy 33’IND – Bruno Rendón (Jack Blake) 64’FW – Jack Thomas (Kabiru Gafar) 90’+1 Penalty Kicks ConvertedIND – Jack Blake, Aodhan Quinn, Josh O’BrienFW – Lilian Ricol Discipline SummaryIND – Jack Blake (caution) 15’IND – Logan Neidlinger (caution) 39’FW – Ian Abbey (caution) 44’FW – Jeremy Garay (caution) 45’+1IND – Paco Craig (caution) 68’FW – Jack Thomas (caution) 79’FW – Tiago Dias (caution) 83’ Indy Eleven Lineup: Eric Dick, Aodhan Quinn (captain), Paco Craig, Anthony Herbert, Logan Neidlinger (Makel Rasheed 78’), Jack Blake, Cam Lindley, Josh O’Brien, Edward Kizza (Noble Okello 74’), Loïc Mesanvi (Kian Williams 90’+2), Bruno Rendón (Dylan Sing (90’+2). Indy Eleven Subs not used: Reice Charles-Cook, Alejandro Mitrano, Hesron Barry. Winning Streak Snapped at PittsburghIndy Eleven had its three-game USL Championship winning streak snapped in second-half stoppage time at Eastern Conference rival Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 1-0, last Saturday. The Boys in Blue started quickly, earning a free kick in the seventh minute. Captain Cam Lindley played a ball outside the corner of the six that Bruno Rendon headed to the edge of the six that defender Paco Craig headed down, but Pittsburgh keeper Nico Campuzano made a diving save. Indy Eleven defender Alejandro Mitrano started the next scoring opportunity in the 20th minute with quick left-footed steal that turned into a transition with three passes getting the ball to Rendon on the right side. At the edge of the box, Rendon played it across to midfielder Jack Blake on the left for a fierce volley that was over the bar. In the 25th minute, Boys in Blue goalkeeper Eric Dick made a diving save on a shot by Eliot Goldthorp. In the 37th, Dick again thwarted Goldthorp when he tried to go near post. Dick finished the match with five saves. In the 43rd off a long Logan Neidlinger throw-in, Mitrano headed an attempted clearance from distance inside the box toward the top right corner, but Campuzano went high to grab it under the crossbar. In his first USL-C start of the season, Mitrano finished with a team-high seven crosses and added five passes in the final third, two shots, a tackle won and a successful dribble. The match was still scoreless in the 61st minute when the Boys in Blue played an impressive transition up the left side from Mitrano to Blake to forward Edward Kizza, who turned and played an exquisite ball to a speeding Loïc Mesanvi inside the left edge of the area for a left-footed strike that just missed wide. Indy Eleven 0:1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SCSat., June 13, 2026 – 7:00 p.m.F.N.B. Stadium | Pittsburgh, Pa.Weather: Sunny, 81 degrees Scoring SummaryPIT – Lasse Kelp (Perrin Barnes) 90’+2 Discipline SummaryPIT – Perrin Barnes (caution) 10’IND – Cam Lindley (caution) 21’IND – Paco Craig (caution) 56’PIT – Owen Mikoy (caution) 62’IND – Logan Neidlinger (caution) 90’+5PIT – Albert Dikwa (caution) 90’+6 Indy Eleven Lineup: Eric Dick, Alejandro Mitrano (Mohamed Omar 82’), Makel Rasheed, Paco Craig (Hesron Barry 72’), Logan Neidlinger, Jack Blake, Cam Lindley (captain), Josh O’Brien, Loïc Mesanvi, Edward Kizza (Noble Okello 72’), Bruno Rendón. Indy Eleven Subs not used: Charlie Sharp, Kian Williams, Dylan Sing, Reice Charles-Cook. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Lineup: Nico Campuzano, Lasse Kelp, Owen Mikoy, Victor Souza (Junior Etou 90’+4), Perrin Barnes, Charles Ahl, Danny Griffin (captain), Robbie Mertz, Eliot Goldthorp (Trevor Amann 77’), Max Viera, Albert Dikwa. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Subs not used: Brigham Larsen, Jorge Garcia, Warren Agostoni, Mike Sheridan, Aldair Flowers, Jackson Walti. Indy Eleven Appearances (All Competitions)1. Cam Lindley 130 2020, 2023-2. Ayoze 126 2018-223. Brad Ring 115 2014-184. Jack Blake 112 2023-5. Karl Ouimette 108 2018-226. Don Smart 101 2014-17 Indy Eleven Goals (All Competitions)1. Jack Blake 28 2023-2. Eamon Zayed 27 2016-173. Tyler Pasher 24 2018-20 Indy Eleven USL Era (2018-) Goals (All Competitions)1. Jack Blake 28 2023-2. Tyler Pasher 24 2018-203. Sebastian Guenzatti 16 2023-244. Manuel Arteaga 15 2021-225. Aodhan Quinn 14 2023- Paco Craig USL Championship All-Time RankingsAerial Duels Won | 752 | 1stClearances | 1,030 | 1stBlocks | 175 | 4thDuels Won | 1,277 | 4thInterceptions | 337 | 4thGames Started | 236 | T 12thMinutes | 20,941 | 15th USL Championship Regular Season Shutout % (min. 30)6. Eric Dick 35.1% 33 Clean Sheets, 94 Games Played Aodhan Quinn USL Championship All-Time RankingsMinutes | 25,068 | 2ndGames Started | 286 | 1stAssists | 64 | 2ndAppearances | 300 | 2ndTackles Won | 210 | 18th USL Championship Regular Season Goal Contributions1. Dane Kelly 132 (106 goals, 26 assists)2. Enzo Martinez 131 (78 goals, 53 assists)3. Aodhan Quinn 121 (57 goals, 64 assists) Most USLC Regular Seasons with 10 Assists1. Aodhan Quinn – 3 (2018-OC, 2021-PHX, 2025-IND)2. Kenardo Forbes – 2 (2022-PIT, 2023-PIT)2. Antoine Hoppenot – 2 (2018-RNO; 2022-DET) 2026 USL Championship StatsIndividualCategory Player Rank TotalChances Created Aodhan Quinn T3 27Clearances Paco Craig 5 77Saves Eric Dick 6 33Goals Bruno Rendon T6 6Aerial Duels Won Paco Craig 7 43Bruno Rendon 14 36Noble Okello T19 30Assists Aodhan Quinn T7 3Crosses Aodhan Quinn T7 61Cam Lindley 18 49Shots on Target Bruno Rendon T7 12Duels Won Bruno Rendon T17 65Shots Bruno Rendon T20 18 TeamCategory Rank TotalGoals, Second Half T3 12Goals Conceded 5 12Shots 10 146 Team Leaders (USL Championship stats)Stat Player #Goals-Bruno Rendon, 6Assists-Aodhan Quinn 3Shots-Bruno Rendon, 18Shots on Target-Bruno Rendon, 12Chances Created-Aodhan Quinn, 27Crosses-Aodhan Quinn, 61Fouls Won-Jack Blake, 19Duels Won-Bruno Rendon, 65Aerial Duels Won-Paco Craig, 43Clearances-Paco Craig, 77Blocks-Aodhan Quinn, 7Interceptions-Cam Lindley, 10Minutes-Eric Dick, Cam Lindley, Josh O’Brien, 990 USL Career Regular Season Individual Rankings Penalties Converted (attempted)1. Aodhan Quinn – 25 (28)T5. Jack Blake – 15 (17) GoalsT23. Aodhan Quinn – 57 40 GoalsJack Blake – 44 20 GoalsEdward Kizza – 21 Assists2. Aodhan Quinn – 64T19. Cam Lindley – 32 Goals+Assists3. Aodhan Quinn – 121 (57 goals, 64 assists) 20 AssistsJack Blake – 26 60 Goals+AssistsJack Blake – 70 (44 goals, 26 assists) 30 Goals+AssistsCam Lindley – 37 (5 goals, 32 assists) 20 Goals+AssistsEdward Kizza – 24 (21 goals, 3 assists) Clean SheetsT14. Eric Dick – 33 SavesT23. Eric Dick – 278 20,000 Minutes2. Aodhan Quinn – 25,06815. Paco Craig – 20,941 15,000 MinutesJack Blake – 15,190Cam Lindley – 15,132 200 AppearancesPaco Craig – 248Jack Blake – 207 150 AppearancesCam Lindley – 199 100 AppearancesEdward Kizza – 118Pat Hogan – 107 Games Started1. Aodhan Quinn – 28614. Paco Craig – 236 150 Games StartedJack Blake – 177Cam Lindley – 172 Team Highs/Lows Single-Match HighsShots: 26 | May 9 vs. JAXSOT: 9 | May 9 vs. JAXPossession: 54.2% | May 9 vs. JAXCorners: 12 | May 9 vs. JAX Single-Match LowsShots: 7 | May 30 vs. RISOT: 2 | May 30 vs. RI, June 13 at PITPossession: 29% | Mar. 21 vs. DETCorners: 2 | Mar. 28 at HFD, Apr. 4 vs. PIT, Apr. 19 at BHM Opponent HighsShots: 20 | May 30 vs. RISOT: 8 | Apr. 4 vs. PITPossession: 71% | Mar. 21 vs. DETCorners: 11 | Mar. 21 vs. DET Opponent LowsShots: 6 | May 9 vs. JAXSOT: 1 | May 9 vs. JAXPossession: 45.8% | May 9 vs. JAXCorners: 2 | May 9 vs. JAX, May 16 at FW (Prinx Tires USL Cup) Coach Sean McAuleySean McAuley was named to the USL-C “Team of the Week” for Week 12 of 2026. His team is undefeated in league matches at Carroll Stadium since August 30, 2025 (8-0-1). McAuley earned USLC “Coach of the Month” in May 2024 and was nominated for USLC Midseason “Coach of the Year” after leading his team to a 12-match unbeaten streak (4/17-6/15). The Sheffield, England, native led Indy Eleven to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals with four straight victories, including a 2-1 triumph at MLS-side Atlanta United on July 9. In 2025, Indy Eleven continued its run of Cup success under McAuley with a 4-0-3 record in cup play. The Boys in Blue won their U.S. Open Cup Third Round match vs. Miami FC on Hayden’s White’s stoppage-time goal from Cam Lindley. ALL: 40-33-21 (.537) | US Open Cup: 6-2-1 | USL Cup: 4-1-3 | USL Championship: 30-29-17 2026 Roster Breakdown (6/5/26)Goalkeepers (3): Reice Charles-Cook, Eric Dick, Ryan Hunsucker Defenders (8): Hesron Barry, Paco Craig, Anthony Herbert, Pat Hogan, Alejandro Mitrano, Josh O’Brien, Makel Rasheed, Hayden White Midfielders (6): Jack Blake, Cam Lindley, Logan Neidlinger, Noble Okello, Mohamed Omar, Aodhan Quinn Forwards (7): Edward Kizza, Tyler Lowden, Loic Mesanvi, Bruno Rendon, Charlie Sharp, Dylan Sing, Kian Williams On Loan (1): Allen Gavilanes Newcomers (13)USL-C (7): Paco Craig (North Carolina), Eric Dick (Pittsburgh), Allen Gavilanes (Miami), Anthony Herbert (Las Vegas),Alejandro Mitrano (Miami), Noble Okello (Phoenix), Mohamed Omar (San Antonio)USL League One (1): Makel Rasheed (South Georgia Tormenta)MLS NEXT Pro (4): Hesron Barry (New England), Loic Mesanvi (Minnesota), Charlie Sharp (Toronto), Dylan Sing (Charlotte)Canadian Premier League (1): Kian Williams (Valour FC) Player TransactionsJune 5, 2026: D Mikah Thomas recalled by Charlotte FC May 29, 2026: Signed F Tyler Lowden to USL Academy Contract. May 15, 2026: Loaned M Allen Gavilanes to Union Omaha (USL League One) Apr. 9, 2026: Signed M Mohamed Omar from San Antonio (USL-C) Mar. 16, 2026: Signed GK Ryan Hunsucker to USL Academy Contract. Mar. 12, 2026: Acquired D Mikah Thomas on loan from Charlotte Mar. 2, 2026: Signed F Loic Mesanvi from Minnesota United (MLS) Jan. 21, 2026: Signed D Paco Craig from North Carolina (USL-C) Jan. 20, 2026: Signed D Hesron Barry from New England (MLSN) Jan. 15, 2026: Signed M Noble Okello from Phoenix (USL-C) Jan. 12, 2026: Signed F Kian Williams from Valour FC (CPL) Jan. 8, 2026: Signed D Alejandro Mitrano from Miami (USL-C) Jan. 7, 2026: Signed D Anthony Herbert from Las Vegas (USL-C) Dec. 18 2025: Signed M Allen Gavilanes from Miami (USL-C) Dec. 11, 2025: Signed D Makel Rasheed from South Georgia Tormenta (USL League One) Dec. 9, 2025: Signed GK Eric Dick from Pittsburgh (USL-C) Dec. 4, 2025: Signed F Dylan Sing from Charlotte FC (MLS) Dec. 2, 2025: Signed F Charlie Sharp from Toronto FC (MLS) Nov. 26, 2025: Announced 10 players returning from 2025: M Jack Blake, GK Reice Charles-Cook, D Pat Hogan, F Edward Kizza, M Cam Lindley, M Logan Neidlinger, D Josh O’Brien, M Aodhan Quinn, F Bruno Rendon, and D Hayden White. =========================================== FISHERS FREIGHT FISHERS- The Fishers Freight are proud to announce defensive lineman Savio Frazier has re-signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Frazier, a Hampton, Georgia native, completed his collegiate career at Miami University in Ohio in 2024, where he played 14 games and seven starts. The six-foot, 295-pound defensive lineman recorded 24 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks to be named the team’s defensive newcomer of the year in 2024. The 23-year-old previously played three seasons at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. Over 33 games, he made 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He originally signed with the Stampeders on Nov. 19, 2025, and was released on May 13 before joining the Freight and returning to Calgary this week. ========================================= INDIANA BASEBALL OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Mike Smith, one of the greatest players to ever wear an Indiana uniform, had his named etched into baseball history on Thursday (June 18) afternoon. The former shortstop was elected to the Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2026, the first IU player to be added to the illustrious group of players and coaches. An Ohio native, Smith was one of the most electric players in the entire country during the early 1990’s. He was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 1992, the first of four IU athletes to ever be honored with the award. During his outstanding senior season, he won the nation’s triple crown with a .490 batting average, 27 home runs and 95 RBIs. All three of those marks are still single-season records in the team’s record books. Over 30 years after leaving Bloomington, Smith is still top-10 in program history in hits (270), games played (219), home runs (47), triples (16), RBIs (185) and runs scored (202). He was named the 1992 National Player of the Year (NCBWA, Sporting News) and was a fifth round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in that summer’s MLB Draft. Smith, and the rest of the 2026 cohort, will be honored February 10-11, 2026, in Overland Park, Kansas at the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. ================================= NOTRE DAME TRACK SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame’s Sophie Novak was named the Great Lakes Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year by USTFCCA on Thursday afternoon. Sophie Novak earned First-Team All-American honors at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In Eugene, she finished as the runner-up in the 3000m steeplechase finals with a time of 9:26.53. The second-place finish complements an outstanding season that saw her claim another ACC title in the 3000m Steeplechase. She also spent most of the spring as the national leader in the event, with her best performance coming at the 2026 Bryan Clay Invitational, where she ran 9:24.95. ================================= INDIANA STATE TRACK EUGENE, Ore. – Indiana State had a pair of freshman throwers climb the program charts Thursday evening at the USATF U20 Championships, with Ben Brown and Theo Thurmond both producing career-best efforts in the discus for the Blue and White. Thurmond, the MVC runner-up in the event, earned a top-10 finish with his mark of 55.82m (183-1). Brown, who finished fifth in the event at the MVC Championships, had a career-best toss of 54.58m (179-1) to place 14th in the field. Both Sycamore freshman moved up the program top-10 charts, with Thurmond ranking sixth and Brown sitting in ninth in program history in the discus with their performances at Hayward Field. Thursday’s performance caps a memorable freshman season for Thurmond, who closed his first year as a Sycamore in style. In addition to his career-best toss of 55.82m (183-1), he also had a throw of 54.82m (179-10) at the USATF U20 Championships. Thurmond carded a top-30 finish in the discus at the NCAA East First Round in May with a throw of 53.67m (176-1), ranking sixth among all freshmen in an NCAA East qualifying region which includes most of the SEC, Big Ten and ACC. He was also runner-up in the discus at the MVC Outdoor Championships with a top mark of 54.39m (178-5). Thurmond finished the 2026 outdoor season with the top discus and hammer throw marks on the team. Brown’s career-best mark in Thursday’s competition continued his rapid rise up the Sycamore ranks. His two best performances in the discus came in his last two meets, with his marks of 54.58m (179-1) at the USATF U20 Championships and 53.06m (174-1) at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Brown’s MVC Championships performance in the discus earned him a top-five finish in the conference in the event, and had represented a five-meter PR from his previous best prior to resetting his best mark at the USATF U20 Championships. Up Next Ben Brown’s season continues Friday evening with the shot put at 7 p.m., while Kieran Barnewall will compete in the 110m hurdles at the Canada U20 Championships Saturday evening starting at 6:02 p.m. ================================ EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Head Coach Ben Wierzba and the University of Evansville women’s basketball team have announced the addition of nine newcomers to the roster ahead of the 2026-27 season. The newcomers join four returning players set to hit the floor this season for Wierzba’s first at the helm of the Aces. Siena McNitt · G · Garden City, Mich. · Schoolcraft College McNitt joins the Aces after two seasons at Schoolcraft College, where she was an All-Conference and All-Region selection. McNitt helped lead the Ocelots to a 33-2 record, the Great Lakes District C championship, and an appearance in the NJCAA DII Women’s Basketball Championship in 2025-26, earning Regional Tournament MVP honors. As a freshman at Schoolcraft, McNitt helped the Ocelots to a 28-6 record, the Great Lakes District B championship, and an appearance in the NJCAA DII Women’s Basketball Championship and was a Second Team All-Conference pick. Coach Wierzba on McNitt – “Siena is a leader and a winner. She can push the ball and make plays in transition.” Sammi Holzmeyer · G · Newburgh, Ind. · Evansville Christian HS A local product, Holzmeyer stays home to join the Aces after a high school career that saw her help Evansville Christian to sectional and regional championships in 2025-26. In 2024-25, Holzmeyer set the Evansville Christian HS record with five three-pointers made in a 19-point performance. A standout on the track and in cross country as well, Holzmeyer a part of the 4×800 relay school record on the track and ranks second in school history with a time of 21:30 in cross country. Coach Wierzba on Holzmeyer – “Sammi is a great teammate and hard worker. She will fit right in with our team.” Nori Jamison · G · Nashville, Tenn. · Ensworth School Jamison comes to UE by way of Nashville, where she as a standout prep performer at The Ensworth School. A five-year letterwinner, Jamison helped Ensworth to a state championship in 2022 and a state runner-up finish in 2023. A two-time All-Region selection and two-time Power Games MVP, Jamison eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career. As a senior last season, Jamison averaged 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds per game. Coach Wierzba on Jamison – “Nori has a high basketball IQ and knows how to play the game. She is a very mature player.” Maria Serrano · F · Madrid, Spain · Patrocinio San José Serrano joins the Aces from Madrid, Spain, having most recently played for Real Canoe in the Spanish LF Challenge. Serrano helped her team to the Spanish U16 Basketball Championship and attended Colegio Patrocinio de San José in Madrid. Coach Wierzba on Serrano – “Maria has good size. She can run the floor and finish and can protect the paint on defense.” Marina Artero · F · Fontanilles, Spain · Louisiana Artero arrives in Evansville after spending the 2025-26 season at Louisiana, where Played in 31 games while making 19 starts for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Prior to her time in Louisiana, Artero spent two seasons at Saint Francis (Pa.). In 2024-25, Artero Played in all 30 games and made 25 starts as a sophomore, averaging 2.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. As a freshman in 2023-24, Artero played in all 30 games and made 20 starts, leading the team and ranking second in the NEC with 5.5 rebounds per game. Coach Wierzba on Artero – “Marina brings some experience to our team, having started and played at the DI level. She brings a different level of physicality to our team.” Kelyn Johnson · G · Portland, Ore. · Benson Polytechnic HS Johnson comes to Evansville from Portland, Oregon, where she was a standout on the hardwood at Benson Polytechnic High School. Johnson was a Second Team All-League selection as a junior and senior and helped her team to a runner-up finish in the OSAA State Basketball Tournament as a sophomore, a third-place finish as a junior, and a fourth-place finish as a senior. During her senior campaign, Johnson averaged 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals per game. Coach Wierzba on Johnson – “Kelyn is a big, versatile guard who can shoot the ball and space the floor. She will help our team in a variety of ways.” Jordan Scott · G · Newburgh, Ind. · Wabash Valley College Scott comes back home to Evansville after spending the 2025-26 season at Wabash Valley College, where she played in 27 games with 26 starts for the Warriors. Scott finished the season third on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while leading the Warriors with three assists per game and 2.3 steals per game. She scored in double figures 18 times over the course of the season, including three 20-point performances. A product of Castle High School, Scott was a two-time All-SIAC First Team selection. Coach Wierzba on Scott – “Jordan has the ability to score the ball in different ways. She will provide a spark to our backcourt.” Casey O’Connell · F · Fort Myers, Fla. · Miami Country Day O’Connell comes to UE by way of Florida, where she attended powerhouse Miami Country Day School as a senior and helped the team to a state championship. Prior to enrolling at Miami Country Day, she attended Canterbury High School in Fort Myers, where she averaged 20.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore and 16.3 points and 7 rebounds per game as a junior. In 2024, O’Connell was named Class 3A District Player of the Year and was an All-Area First Team selection in 2025. Coach Wierzba on O’Connell – “Casey can really shoot the ball and spread the floor. She gives us good skill and size.” Jayden Scott · G · Newburgh, Ind. · Castle HS Scott stays home after a standout prep career at Castle High School, where she was a two-time All-SIAC First selection and a two-time All-State Honorable Mention pick. Scott helped the Knights to a SIAC championship. A member of Castle’s 1,000-point club, Scott averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and two steals per game as a senior. Coach Wierzba on Scott – “Jayden can impact the game on both sides of the ball. Her length and athleticism allows her to play multiple positions on the floor.” ================================== VALPO TRACK Valparaiso University track & field rising junior Ferdinand Rosa (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico / American Military Academy) represented his home territory on a national stage last weekend as Rosa took part in Campeonato Nacional FAPUR 2026 at Manuel Gonzalez Track in Puerto Rico. “It felt a little weird since I hadn’t competed in Puerto Rico in two or three years because I had a big injury last year with my hamstring,” Rosa said. “I basically didn’t run last year. This whole year was a perseverance year and overcoming that. It felt great being back home and having the opportunity to run at a national level. I almost made an international meet with my time, but was a little off. It was an amazing experience.” Rosa ran the 800 and finished fourth, just off a podium finish with a time of 1:53.66 in the tactical race. “I recently moved to that event,” Rosa said. “I’ve always been a 400 runner. Two and a half months ago, my coaches saw a great potential for me in the 800, and I switched it up. I did very well and almost had the school record in the 400, but in the 800 I’ve been improving way better. I’ve been adapting to that event, which is different for the body. I matched my PR, but the way that I ran the race, I even split both laps, which is not ideal for an 800. I was a little trapped throughout the race and had to do a slingshot to try to position myself in the top three.” Rosa has continued a tradition of Puerto Rican runners at Valpo that started with Ignacio Veloz Bonilla and continued with rising senior Alejandro Chaves and Rosa. “I did not expect that I would be studying in the U.S., I thought I would be studying here in Puerto Rico,” Rosa said. “Coach (Vincent) Walker knows that runners from Puerto Rico have the ability to come to the States and compete. I’m grateful to wear the brown and gold, and I can’t wait to do it for two or possibly three more years. The coaches have put a lot of trust in me, and (assistant coach Ricardo) Torres was with me at nationals. Next year is going to be a big year having a full year on the 800 and being able to show the potential that Coach Walker and Coach Torres have told me that I have.” ====================================== 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 1846 – At the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, NJ, the New York Ball Club defeats the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, 23 – 1 (some sources say 21 – 1). Alexander Cartwright serves as the umpire, which is curious, as Cartwright is one of the Knickerbockers’ best players. 1871 – After six innings of play at Troy, NY‚ the ball becomes ripped. The umpire decides that it is unfit and calls for another. The Kekiongas‚ winning at the time, 6 – 3‚ refuse to allow another ball to be used and refuse to continue to the game because of the reputation of the Haymakers using illegal balls in the past. The umpire (Isaac Leroy or Ed Tighe, depending on the source), after five full minutes of ordering Fort Wayne back on the field, calls the game a 9 – 0 forfeit in favor of the Haymakers. 1877 – Unable to pay the required league fees, the owners of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, in last place in the National League, throw in the towel, disbanding the club. A new ownership group will be constituted by June 23rd, and will reprise and complete the team’s season, although the five other clubs will decide afterwards not to recognize either team’s games as official. For their part, historians will ignore that decision and make Cincinnati’s stats part of the official record. 1893 – Piggy Ward reaches base for the 17th consecutive plate appearance, an all-time major league record. Ward was traded in the middle of the streak. 1900 – In a great pitching duel, Clark Griffith of the Chicago Orphans and Rube Waddell of the Pittsburgh Pirates match shutouts during 13 innings, before Griffith’s double in the bottom of the 14th drives in the only run. Waddell strikes out 12. 1903 – Lou Gehrig is born in New York City. Gehrig will make his major league debut with the New York Yankees in 1923. He will become the Yankees’ everyday first baseman, replacing Wally Pipp and set a record for the longest consecutive games played streak while combining with Babe Ruth to form one of the greatest run-producing tandems of all time. 1913 – Wilbur Good hits the first pinch-hit home run in Chicago Cubs history, off Grover Alexander in the 8th inning, in a 2 – 1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. 1924 – With the Giants playing the Braves in Boston, the home team mixes up its batting order at the start of the game. After the leadoff batter grounds out, Ray Powell comes to the plate one spot early and also grounds out. The Giants point that out to Umpire Hank O’Day and he declares the proper batter, Les Mann, out and the inning over (in fact, Mann was properly out, but Powell should have been called to bat again, as his out was erased). The Giants beat the Braves, 4 – 1. 1927: Jack Scott of the Philadelphia Phillies performs an ironman feat by pitching two complete games in a doubleheader, beating the Cincinnati Reds, 3 – 1, before losing, 3 – 0. Scott is the last pitcher in major league history to complete two games on the same day. Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates ends his 23-game hitting streak, a day after his extra-base hit streak was stopped at 14 games to set a National League record. Waner, just in his second season, will lead the NL with a .380 batting average, 237 hits, and 131 RBI. His brother Lloyd will gather 223 hits for a .355 BA in his rookie year. The Waners pace the 1927 Pirates to a team BA of .305. 1938 – Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Vander Meer extends his string of hitless innings to 21 2/3 against the Boston Bees. Vander Meer, coming off two straight no-hitters, sees the streak come to an end when he gives up a single to Debs Garms in the 4th inning. 1941 – Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hits in his 32nd consecutive game, en route to his 56-game hitting streak, going 3 for 3, including a home run, against the Chicago White Sox. 1942: Paul Waner reaches the exclusive 3000 hit club with a single off Rip Sewell. Waner, playing for the Boston Braves, collects the milestone hit against his former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who win the game, 7 – 6, in 11 innings. For the first and only time in a career that will span 1,787 contests, Joe DiMaggio strikes out three times in a game. Indians hurler Mel Harder does the deed in the Tribe’s 5 – 4 victory over the Yankees at Cleveland Stadium. 1952 – Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a 5 – 0 no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field. 1954 – The Washington Senators sign a 17-year-old Idaho kid named Harmon Killebrew. 1955: Ted Williams, held hitless for three straight games, blasts a pair of towering home runs as the Red Sox overpower Cleveland, 11 – 8. The Associated Press reports: “Williams leaned into a fastball by rookie fireballer Herb Score for a 450-foot drive into the dead centerfield bleachers in the 5th inning to end a hitless string at ten official times at bat. In the 8th inning, he connected again for a 430-foot drive into the right field stands off the veteran Bob Feller.” Dale Long goes 4 for 4 with two homers and three RBI as Pittsburgh defeats Cincinnati, 5 – 2. Long’s teammate, rookie Roberto Clemente, starts off the 1st and 3rd innings with singles and hits a two-run, 9th-inning home run off former Montreal teammate Joe Black. 1961 – New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris hits a 9th-inning home run off Kansas City’s Jim Archer, his 25th of the year, putting him seven games ahead of Babe Ruth’s pace in 1927. After the game, A’s owner Charlie Finley makes his first managerial change, replacing the recently-hired Joe Gordon by Hank Bauer. 1962 – Bob Aspromonte celebrates his 24th birthday with two hits and two runs scored as the Colts subdue the Giants, 6 – 4. Hal Smith homers and Dick Farrell escapes a bases-loaded jam in the 9th to save it for Dave Giusti. 1963 – Gates Brown of the Detroit Tigers becomes the eleventh player in American League history to hit a home run in his first at-bat in a 9 – 2 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. 1971 – At Shea Stadium, the Mets defeat the Phillies, 6 – 5, in 15 innings. Ken Singleton homers in the 14th inning to re-tie the game and Donn Clendenon homers in the 15th to win it. 1972: The United States Supreme Court rules against former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood, who had sued Major League Baseball over the reserve clause after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. The ruling upholds baseball’s antitrust exemption, which was originally granted in 1922. With a double, home run and three RBI, Roberto Clemente passes Hall of Fame third baseman Pie Traynor on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ all-time RBI list, bringing his career total to 1,275, still 200 shy of all-time leader Honus Wagner. Clemente’s 5th-inning RBI double off Don Sutton ties Traynor’s mark and puts Pittsburgh up by two, en route to a 13 – 3 rout of the Dodgers. Mike Strahler then gives up an 8th-inning, two-run laser into Three Rivers Stadium’s left field seats. Willie Stargell, will ultimately eclipse both Clemente’s final total of 1,305 RBI and Wagner’s long-standing mark of 1,475. 1973: Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds and Willie Davis of the Los Angeles Dodgers both collect their 2,000th hits. It is a single for Rose against the San Francisco Giants and a home run for Davis against the Atlanta Braves. Tampico’s Silvano Quezada drops a 4 – 1 decision to the Mexico City Tigers, ending a Mexican League record run of 16 straight victories, dating back to April 8th. 1974 – Steve Busby of the Kansas City Royals pitches his second no-hitter in 14 months, a 2 – 0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Busby strikes out three batters and walks George Scott to lead off the 2nd inning for the Brewers’ only baserunner. 1977: The Cleveland Indians fire Frank Robinson, the first black manager in major league history, and replace him with coach Jeff Torborg. In 2002, the roles will be reversed when Robinson succeeds Torborg as manager of the Montreal Expos. Carl Yastrzemski (2), Bernie Carbo (2), and George Scott (1) of the Boston Red Sox combine for five home runs in an 11 – 1 triumph over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. The five home runs give the Red Sox a major league record 16 in three games. Boston hit six homers on June 17th and five on June 18th, also against the Yankees. The Yankees hit no homers in the three-game series. 1979 – At Yankee Stadium, 36,211 fans show up to witness the return of Billy Martin as Yankees manager in a 5 – 4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Martin was named to replace Bob Lemon the previous day, and begins his second stint as Yankee skipper a season earlier than previously announced. 1988 – Bert Blyleven wins his 250th career game as Minnesota beats Seattle, 3 – 1. Jeff Reardon posts his 20th save, giving him seven straight 20-save seasons. 1989 – Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets records his 100th victory, 5 – 3, over Montreal. His 100-37 career record is second only to Whitey Ford’s 100-36 start. 1990 – Gary Carter plays in his 1,862nd career game as a catcher to break the National League mark set by Al Lopez. 1994 – The Detroit Tigers hit at least one home run in their 25th consecutive game when Mickey Tettleton goes deep against the Toronto Blue Jays. 2001 – Ellis Burks of the Cleveland Indians hits three home runs in a 10 – 9 loss to Minnesota. 2007 – Jong-beom Lee, considered by some to be the best all-around position player in the history of the Korea Baseball Organization, is sent to the minor leagues as the 37-year-old is hitting under the Mendoza Line. His manager reports that he had asked Lee to retire before he would go into decline but Lee had refused. 2009: Marcus Thames hits a pair of two-run home runs as Detroit beats Milwaukee, 10 – 4, in a rain-shortened game that ends with one out in the bottom of the 7th, after being delayed for more than two hours in the 4th. Zach Miner picks up the win in relief in the wild game in which video replay reviews deprive Dusty Ryan of an apparent home run in the 1st but grant one to Miguel Cabrera two innings later. In the first contest of a doubleheader, Levi Maxwell of the Winston-Salem Dash no-hits the Wilmington Blue Rocks in a seven-inning game. It is the first Carolina League no-hitter in three years and the first for a Winston-Salem team since 2001. 2010: The Twins have to fight all game to end up 13 – 10 winners over the Phillies. Trailing by five runs after eight innings, they score five runs in the 9th, one in the 10th and three more in the 11th to win the game. Delmon Young delivers the game-winning hit with an infield single in the 11th; other highlights include a pinch homer by Jim Thome in the 9th and another by Drew Butera in the 10th, the first long ball of the rookie’s career. Joe Mauer hits a homer of his own in the 9th, a two-run shot against Phillies closer Brad Lidge that ties the game at 9-all. To celebrate the ongoing 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Marlins give away 15,000 vuvuzelas, the loud plastic trumpets whose drone has dominated soccer broadcasts for the past week, for their game against the Rays. The Rays emerge with an ear-shattering, 11-inning, 9 – 8 victory in which James Shields has to make the first relief appearance of his career for Tampa Bay. The Rays draw a team-record 12 walks in a game that features 16 different pitchers. Kevin Millwood, signed in the off-season to be the Orioles’ ace, finally records his first win of the year for the last-place team, after eight straight defeats. It’s a hard slog, as the O’s prevail, 5 – 4, over San Diego and Millwood needs the help of three relievers, including Alfredo Simon, who picks up the save in his return from the disabled list. 2011: The Marlins lose again, this time 2 – 1 to the Rays, when James Shields pitches a complete game. Before what turns out to be the team’s 18th loss in its last 19 games, Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez announces his resignation. Bench coach Brandon Hyde is at the helm for today’s loss. The Cardinals beat the Royals, 4 – 3, on Skip Schumaker’s walk-off home run in the 9th inning, but are more concerned about a wrist injury sustained by All-Star 1B Albert Pujols in the 6th inning as he attempts to make a tag on Wilson Betemit. Pujols’ glove hand slams into Betemit and he falls to the ground in pain with what is first diagnosed as a sprained wrist. Tests conducted the next day will reveal a fracture, but Pujols will only be out until July 6th. 2012: Joel Peralta of the Rays enters a game against the Nationals in relief of David Price in the 8th inning, but is ejected before throwing a pitch for having pine tar on his glove. It is Nats manager Davey Johnson, Peralta’s former skipper, who advises umpire Tim Tschida to check the pitcher’s glove, giving rise to suspicion that the hurler may have been a habitual offender in this respect. The ejection comes with an automatic ten-game suspension. The Rays still manage to win the game, 5 – 4. Asdrubal Cabrera hits a walk-off two-run homer off fireballer Aroldis Chapman in the 10th inning to give Cleveland a come-from-behind 3 – 2 win over the Reds. Nick Hagadone had put the Reds ahead in the top of the inning with a pair of wild pitches that allowed Chris Heisey to score. The win puts the Indians back in first place in the AL Central. Phillies rookie 2B Freddy Galvis is suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a synthetic steroid. 2013 – The Rangers finally get a win from a starting pitcher this month, as Justin Grimm is the winner in today’s 9 – 4 defeat of the A’s. The win comes by the skin of its teeth though, as Grimm is trailing 3 – 2 when he leaves after five innings, having just given up a three-run homer to Chris Young. However, his teammates rally for a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, and the bullpen preserves the lead until the end of the game. The Rangers had gone 17 straight games since Derek Holland had last won as a starter on May 31st, setting an unenviable team record. 2014 – The Blue Jays may be in first place in the AL East, but the New York Yankees remain a nemesis. Today, the Jays lose their 16th straight game at New Yankee Stadium, 6 – 4, a streak dating back to 2012. David Phelps is the winner as the Yanks complete a three-game sweep that brings them to within a game and a half of Toronto. 2015: Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees joins the 3,000 hit club with a 1st-inning homer off Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. He becomes the 29th member of the club, and the third to do so with a long ball, after Wade Boggs and his former teammate Derek Jeter, who had been the last player to collect the milestone hit in 2011. A moment of silence is held in all Italian ballparks to mark the death of Giulio Glorioso, who led the Italian Baseball League ten times in both wins and strikeouts, as well as twice in batting average. Glorioso won four pitching Triple Crowns and was an inaugural member of the Italian Baseball Hall of Fame. 2016 – In one of the rare highlights for the Braves this season, Julio Teheran pitches a one-hitter for a 6 – 0 win as the Braves complete a three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field. Michael Conforto’s 3rd-inning single is the only baserunner for New York, while the resurgent Freddie Freeman matches a career-high with four hits for Atlanta. 2017 – Rookie 1B Cody Bellinger hits a pair of homers in the Dodgers’ 10 – 6 win over the Mets. In doing so, he overtakes both Wally Berger (in 1930) and Gary Sanchez (in 2016), who had hit 20 homers in their first 51 major league games, as he now has 21 long balls. That total leads the National League even though Bellinger spent the first three weeks of the season in the minors. 2019 – One day after fouling a bunted ball in his face during batting practice and breaking his nose, Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Nationals against the Phillies sporting a prominent black eye. He still stymies the opposition with seven scoreless innings in a 2 – 0 win. “Trust me, this thing looks a lot worse than it actually feels,” he explains to journalists. 2022 – Rookie OF Jack Suwinski has a career game as he homers three times, including a game-ending shot off Tyler Rogers leading off the bottom of the 9th, to lead the Pirates to a 4 – 3 win over San Francisco. 2023: Luis Arraez has his third five-hit game this month, lifting the Marlins to an 11 – 0 win over the Blue Jays. His performance raises his batting average to an even .400 after 67 games. The Marlins are 11 games above .500 for the first time since 2009. Playing his first game in ten months, Joey Votto homers and hits a two-run single to lead the Reds to their ninth straight win, 5 – 4 over the Rockies. It vaults them in first place in the NL Central, in front of Milwaukee. Births[edit] 1857 – Frank McLaughlin, infielder (d. 1917) 1867 – Tom Terrell, catcher/outfielder (d. 1893) 1872 – George Leitner, pitcher (d. 1960) 1874 – Harry Atkinson, outfielder (d. 1953) 1876 – John Hinton, infielder (d. 1920) 1884 – Eddie Cicotte, pitcher (d. 1969) 1887 – Dan Adams, pitcher (d. 1964) 1892 – Harry Daubert, pinch hitter (d. 1944) 1892 – Adam Williams, infielder 1903 – Lou Gehrig, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1941) 1906 – Buck Stanton, outfielder (d. 1992) 1908 – Bill Swift, pitcher (d. 1969) 1909 – Bob Asbjornson, catcher (d. 1970) 1910 – Porter Moss, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1944) 1912 – Red Anderson, pitcher (d. 1972) 1912 – Don Gutteridge, infielder, manager (d. 2008) 1913 – Lou Chapman, writer (d. 2004) 1913 – Red Hale, infielder (d. 1979) 1917 – Charlie Parks, catcher (d. 1987) 1918 – Conklyn Meriwether, minor league player (d. 1996) 1918 – Archie Ware, infielder; All-Star (d. 1990) 1920 – Tomás Quiñones, pitcher (d. 1980) 1922 – George Burpo, pitcher (d. 2015) 1922 – Jim Darden, college coach (d. 1994) 1924 – Jim Blackburn, pitcher (d. 1969) 1927 – Tatsuo Tanaka, NPB pitcher (d. 2019) 1928 – John Connelly, college coach (d. 2013) 1929 – Don Ferrarese, pitcher (d. 2024) 1929 – Takashi Kusaka, NPB outfielder (d. 2010) 1929 – Ray Nemec, researcher (d. 2015) 1931 – Hank Mason, pitcher (d. 2020) 1933 – Tatsuo Nakajima, NPB outfielder 1933 – Isao Wada, NPB pitcher 1934 – Phillip Brown, minor league pitcher (d. 2015) 1935 – Chet Boak, infielder (d. 1983) 1937 – Larry Miller, pitcher (d. 2018) 1938 – Bob Aspromonte, infielder 1940 – Isao Harimoto, NPB outfielder; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame 1943 – Ross Mersinger, minor league pitcher (d. 2015) 1944 – Hisatoshi Ito, NPB pitcher 1945 – Shiro Hanzawa, NPB pitcher 1946 – Luis Isaac, coach (d. 2026) 1946 – Ozzie Osborn, pitcher 1948 – Noriyoshi Yabe, NPB infielder 1949 – Jerry Reuss, pitcher; All-Star 1950 – Rudy Arroyo, pitcher 1950 – Fernando Gonzalez, infielder 1950 – Duane Kuiper, infielder 1950 – Jim Slaton, pitcher; All-Star 1953 – Koichi Hada, NPB infielder 1954 – Johnnie LeMaster, infielder 1954 – Tatsuo Omiya, NPB catcher 1955 – Keith Van De Keere, Canadian national team pitcher 1957 – Bob Gibson, pitcher 1958 – Butch Davis, outfielder 1961 – Steve Stanicek, designated hitter 1962 – Kazuhito Nishimoto, NPB pitcher 1962 – Craig Smajstrla, infielder 1967 – Hector Miyauchi, NPB outfielder 1968 – Ryoji Nakamura, NPB infielder 1971 – Satoru Komoto, Japanese national team coach 1972 – Kazuhiro Wada, NPB outfielder 1973 – Yeong-soo Kang, KBO outfielder 1973 – Yu Sugimoto, NPB pitcher 1973 – Yasuhiko Yabuta, pitcher 1974 – Doug Mientkiewicz, infielder 1975 – Willis Roberts, pitcher 1976 – Miguel Gómez, minor league pitcher 1976 – Dustan Mohr, outfielder 1976 – Alex Prieto, infielder 1977 – Bruce Chen, pitcher 1977 – Luis Sánchez, Mexican national team pitcher 1978 – Dewis Navarro, Italian Baseball League catcher 1978 – Claudio Vargas, pitcher 1979 – Martin Almstetter, Bundesliga pitcher 1979 – Olivier Berrebi, Division Elite pitcher 1979 – Hyun-sam Myung, South Korean women’s national team pitcher 1981 – Daisuke Sakai, NPB pitcher 1981 – Val Majewski, outfielder 1981 – Brooks McNiven, minor league pitcher 1981 – Yoshiyuki Ohtsuka, minor league infielder 1981 – José Yepez, catcher 1982 – Matthew Blackmore, Division Elite pitcher 1982 – Dusty Brown, catcher 1982 – Jeff Urgelles, coach 1983 – Björn Henrichs, Hoofdklasse infielder 1983 – Akihiro Maeda, NPB catcher 1984 – Keisuke Hayasaka, NPB infielder 1984 – Francisco Plasencia, minor league outfielder 1984 – Frank Viola III, minor league pitcher 1985 – Blake Parker, pitcher 1985 – Douglas Pickens, minor league catcher 1985 – P.J. Zocchi, minor league player 1987 – Richard Martinez, minor league player 1987 – Collin McHugh, pitcher 1988 – Daniel Bibona, minor league pitcher 1988 – Jacob deGrom, pitcher; All-Star 1988 – Anel De Los Santos, minor league catcher 1988 – Devin Mesoraco, catcher; All-Star 1989 – Alí Castillo, minor league infielder 1990 – Hirohito Shimai, NPB outfielder 1990 – Logan Verrett, pitcher 1990 – T.J. Zarewicz, minor league pitcher and manager 1991 – Wilmer Dominguez, minor league catcher 1991 – Tyler Heineman, catcher 1991 – Suguru Iwazaki, NPB pitcher 1991 – Masato Kiyashiki, NPB catcher 1991 – Christian Villanueva, infielder 1992 – Jesse Aussems, Hoofdklasse infielder 1992 – Austin Brice, pitcher 1992 – Jack Reinheimer, infielder 1992 – Oscar Taveras, outfielder (d. 2014) 1993 – Armando Araiza, minor league catcher 1993 – Belarmino Campos, minor league infielder 1993 – Ye-il Seo, KBO infielder 1994 – Ismael Cabrera, minor league pitcher 1994 – Niroshan Sriyarathna, Sri Lankan national team infielder 1995 – Aldo Koutsoyanopulos, Serie A1 player 1995 – Hez Randolph, minor league coach 1995 – Cody Sedlock, pitcher 1995 – Brian Van Gaever, Hoofdklasse pitcher 1995 – Jiří Vavruša, Extraliga pitcher 1997 – Casey Legumina, pitcher 1997 – Manami Soeda, Japanese national team infielder 1998 – Cody Bolton, pitcher 1998 – Raymond Figueredo, Cuban league pitcher 1998 – Yudai Furukawa, NPB catcher 1998 – Tin-Ching Nip, Hong Kong national team infielder 1998 – Yik-Shun Yiu, Hong Kong national team pitcher 2003 – Frank Mozzicato, minor league pitcher 2003 – Luke Shahin, Palestinian national team catcher 2003 – Jonah Tong, pitcher 2004 – Wan Nazirul, Malaysian national team pitcher 2005 – Muhammad Abdelfattah, Palestinian national team pitcher Deaths[edit] 1904 – Marshall Quinton, catcher/outfielder (b. 1852) 1909 – George Dovey, owner (b. 1862) 1913 – Eddie Quick, pitcher (b. 1881) 1916 – John Dodge, infielder (b. 1893) 1920 – Ed Barry, pitcher (b. 1882) 1928 – Jake Weimer, pitcher (b. 1873) 1930 – Lew McCarty, catcher (b. 1888) 1932 – Alonzo Breitenstein, pitcher (b. 1857) 1932 – Charlie Getzein, pitcher (b. 1864) 1940 – Ed Pabst, outfielder (b. 1867) 1942 – Frank Irons, USA national team outfielder (b. 1886) 1943 – Art Goodwin, pitcher (b. 1877) 1945 – Bob Gandy, outfielder (b. 1893) 1951 – Wally Gerber, infielder (b. 1891) 1952 – Dick Crutcher, pitcher (b. 1889) 1955 – Eli Juran, infielder (b. 1902) 1956 – John Monroe, infielder (b. 1897) 1971 – Eugene Bremer, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1916) 1971 – Bert Graham, infielder (b. 1886) 1971 – Jack White, infielder (b. 1905) 1974 – Hap Morse, infielder (b. 1886) 1975 – Hook Mylin, college coach (b. 1894) 1976 – Prince Oana, pitcher/outfielder (b. 1910) 1982 – Samuel Burris, pitcher (b. 1919) 1986 – Jerry Nason, writer (b. 1909) 1987 – Carl Cooper, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1916) 1991 – Pete Rambo, pitcher (b. 1906) 1993 – Alex Hooks, infielder (b. 1906) 1997 – Pat Rigby, scout (b. 1940) 2009 – Red Boucher, founder/manager of Alaska Goldpanners (b. 1921) 2009 – Shiro Miyamoto, NPB pitcher (b. 1952) 2011 – Shaye Ramont, minor league pitcher (b. 1960) 2013 – Gene Freese, infielder (b. 1934) 2013 – Danny Kravitz, catcher (b. 1930) 2014 – Bill Renna, outfielder (b. 1924) 2015 – Giulio Glorioso, Serie A1 pitcher (b. 1931) 2015 – Len Matarazzo, pitcher (b. 1928) 2018 – Don Mason, infielder (b. 1944) 2018 – Toshiharu Usami, NPB pitcher (b. 1947) 2020 – Jim Mitchell (b. 1933) 2023 – Doug Deutsch, scout (b. 1941) 2023 – George Frazier, pitcher (b. 1954) 2025 – Jim Bethke, pitcher (b. 1946) ============================================== TV SPORTS TODAY (All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Friday, June 19 AUTO RACING 3 p.m. FS2 — Indy NXT Series: Practice, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 4 p.m. FS2 — NTT IndyCar Series: Practice, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 7 p.m. FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race at San Diego, Naval base Coronado, San Diego GOLF 6:30 a.m. NBCSN — PGA Tour: U.S. Open, Second Round, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y. 3 p.m. GOLF — LPGA Tour: Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Second Round, Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Mich. MLB BASEBALL 7 p.m. MLBN — Regional Coverage: Milwaukee at Atlanta (7:15 p.m.) OR Washington at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m.) 8:10 p.m. APPLE TV — St. Louis at Kansas City 9:40 p.m. APPLE TV — Minnesota at Arizona 10 p.m. MLBN — Regional Coverage: Boston at Seattle (10:10 p.m.) OR L.A. Angels at Athletics (joined in progress) (9:40 p.m.) NBA BASKETBALL 8:30 p.m. ABC — NBA Finals: New York at San Antonio, Game 7 (if necessary) SOCCER (MEN’S) 3 p.m. FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: U.S. vs. Australia, Group D, Seattle 6 p.m. FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Scotland vs. Morocco, Group C, Foxborough, Mass. 8:30 p.m. FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Brazil vs. Haiti, Group C, Philadelphia 11 p.m. FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Turkey vs. Paraguay, Group D, Santa Clara, Calif. SOFTBALL 9 p.m. ESPN2 — Athletes Unlimited: Spark at Cascade WNBA BASKETBALL 7:30 p.m. ION — Washington at New York 10 p.m. ION — Minnesota at Golden State _____ Saturday, June 20 AUTO RACING 10 a.m. FS1 — Indy NXT Series: Qualifying, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 11 a.m. FS1 — NTT IndyCar Series: Practice, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 12:30 p.m. FS1 — Indy NXT Series: Grand Prix at Road America – Race 1, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 1 p.m. NBCSN — Pro Motocross Championship: High Point National, High Point Raceway, Mt. Morris, Pa. 2 p.m. FS1 — NTT IndyCar Series: Qualifying, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 5 p.m. CW — NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: United Rentals Driven to Serve 250, Naval base Coronado, San Diego COLLEGE BASEBALL 7 p.m. ESPN — Men’s College World Series – Finals: TBD, Game 1, Omaha, Neb. GOLF 10 a.m. USA — PGA Tour: U.S. Open, Third Round, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y. Noon NBC — PGA Tour: U.S. Open, Third Round, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y. 3 p.m. GOLF — LPGA Tour: Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Third Round, Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Mich. LACROSSE (MEN’S) 9 p.m. ESPN2 — PLL: Maryland at New York MILB BASEBALL 7 p.m. MLBN — Triple-A: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Columbus MLB BASEBALL 1:30 p.m. MLBN — Regional Coverage: Cincinnati at N.Y. Yankees (1:35 p.m.) OR Toronto at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m.) 4:30 p.m. MLBN — Regional Coverage: Milwaukee at Atlanta (joined in progress) (4:10 p.m.) OR San Diego at Texas (joined in progress) (4:05 p.m.) 7 p.m. FOX — Regional Coverage: Cleveland at Houston (7:15 p.m.) OR N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia (7:15 p.m.) 10 p.m. MLBN — Regional Coverage: Baltimore at L.A. Dodgers (10:10 p.m.) OR Boston at Seattle (10:10 p.m.) SOCCER (MEN’S) 1 p.m. FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Netherlands vs. Sweden, Group F, Houston 4 p.m. FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Germany vs. Ivory Coast, Group E, Toronto 8 p.m. FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Ecuador vs. Curacao, Group E, Kansas City, Mo. Midnight FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Tunisia vs. Japan, Group F, Monterrey, Mexico SOFTBALL Noon ESPN — Athletes Unlimited: Blaze at Bandits WNBA BASKETBALL 1 p.m. ABC — Indiana at Atlanta 3 p.m. ABC — Seattle at Phoenix 8 p.m. CBS — Chicago at Dallas _____ Sunday, June 21 AUTO RACING 11 a.m. FS1 — NTT IndyCar Series: Warmup, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. Noon FS1 — Indy NXT Series: Grand Prix at Road America – Race 2, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 2 p.m. FOX — NTT IndyCar Series: Xpel Grand Prix at Road America, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. 3:30 p.m. TNT — NASCAR Cup Series: Anduril 250, Naval base Coronado, San Diego COLLEGE BASEBALL 2:30 p.m. ABC — Men’s College World Series – Finals: TBD, Game 2, Omaha, Neb. ESPNU — Men’s College World Series – Finals: TBD, Game 2, Omaha, Neb. (Altcast Placeholder) GOLF 9 a.m. USA — PGA Tour: U.S. Open, Final Round, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y. 11 a.m. GOLF — LPGA Tour: Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Final Round, Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Mich. Noon NBC — PGA Tour: U.S. Open, Final Round, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y. 2 p.m. CBS — LPGA Tour: Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Final Round, Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Mich. MLB BASEBALL 1:30 p.m. MLBN — Regional Coverage: Chicago White Sox at Detroit (1:40 p.m.) OR Washington at Tampa Bay (1:40 p.m.) 3 p.m. NBCSN — Minnesota at Arizona (3:15 p.m.) PEACOCK — Minnesota at Arizona (3:15 p.m.) 7 p.m. NBC — N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia (7:20 p.m.) PEACOCK — N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia (7:20 p.m.) RUGBY (MEN’S) 8 p.m. ESPN2 — MLR Playoffs: TBD, Championship SOCCER (MEN’S) Noon FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia, Group H, Atlanta 3 p.m. FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Belgium vs. Iran, Group G, Inglewood, Calif. 6 p.m. FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Uruguay vs. Cape Verde, Group H, Miami Gardens, Fla. 9 p.m. FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: New Zealand vs. Egypt, Group G, Vancouver, British Columbia SOFTBALL 12:30 p.m. ESPN — Athletes Unlimited: Spark at Cascade 8 p.m. MLBN — Athletes Unlimited: Blaze at Bandits WNBA BASKETBALL 4 p.m. CBS — Golden State at Las Vegas 6 p.m. NBATV — Washington at Minnesota 8 p.m. ESPN — New York at Los Angeles About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” THURSDAY JUNE 18, 2026
