“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA BOYS REGIONAL MATCH-UPS NORTHERN HOSTS MICHIGAN CITY CLASS 3A | 4 PM CT | EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (14-12) VS. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM CT | CHESTERTON (22-4) VS. CROWN POINT (22-1) LOGANSPORT CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | WEST LAFAYETTE (22-4) VS. NEW HAVEN (19-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (18-8) VS. HOMESTEAD (19-6) HUNTINGTON NORTH CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (14-11) VS. TRI-COUNTY (15-10) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS (14-11) VS. BREMEN (22-4) NEW CASTLE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | DELTA (15-10) VS. FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN (20-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE SNIDER (19-7) VS. CARMEL (18-5) NORTH JUDSON-SAN PIERRE CLASS 1A | 4 PM CT | TRITON (22-3) VS. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (18-7) CLASS 2A | 7 PM CT | WESTVIEW (24-1) VS. GARY 21ST CENTURY (17-6) LAPEL CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | MONROE CENTRAL (20-4) VS. SOUTHWOOD (22-3) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BLACKFORD (20-6) VS. LAPEL (20-5) PLYMOUTH CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | COLUMBIA CITY (22-4) VS. HANOVER CENTRAL (12-14) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | NORTHRIDGE (24-1) VS. SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (21-4) FRANKFORT CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | ROSSVILLE (20-5) VS. NORTH VERMILLION (15-11) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BENTON CENTRAL (11-14) VS. OAK HILL (24-1) SOUTHERN HOSTS SOUTHPORT CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) (24-3) VS. PIKE (23-3) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | LAWRENCE CENTRAL (14-11) VS. DECATUR CENTRAL (19-6) SEYMOUR CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | SOUTH DECATUR (18-6) VS. HAUSER (24-2) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PAOLI (26-0) VS. LINTON-STOCKTON (23-4) GREENCASTLE CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | NORTHVIEW (21-5) VS. RONCALLI (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | COLUMBUS NORTH (14-10) VS. TERRE HAUTE NORTH VIGO (23-3) WASHINGTON CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | BARR-REEVE (24-1) VS. WEST WASHINGTON (20-6) CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | NORTHEAST DUBOIS (17-8) VS. BLOOMFIELD (18-8) GREENFIELD-CENTRAL CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (18-7) VS. GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (11-14) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (14-12) VS. TRITON CENTRAL (22-3) SOUTHRIDGE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | EVANSVILLE BOSSE (17-8) VS. PRINCETON COMMUNITY (22-3) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | NEW ALBANY (21-5) VS. CASTLE (9-16) MARTINSVILLE CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PARKE HERITAGE (23-4) VS. CENTERVILLE (24-2) CLASS 3A | 7 PM ET | BREBEUF JESUIT (18-6) VS. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (21-5) CHARLESTOWN CLASS 2A | 1 PM ET | AUSTIN (16-8) VS. FOREST PARK (13-13) CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | SILVER CREEK (27-1) VS. BATESVILLE (20-4) ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES UMASS 87 #20 MIAMI OHIO 83 #10 VIRGINIA 81 NC STATE 74 #13 ST. JOHN’S 85 PROVIDENCE 72 #7 IOWA STATE 75 #16 TEXAS TECH 53 #23 WISCONSIN 85 WASHINGTON 82 MIAMI FLORIDA 78 #24 LOUISVILLE 73 #2 ARIZONA 81 CENTRAL FLORIDA 59 #25 TENNESSEE 72 AUBURN 62 #18 PURDUE 81 NORTHWESTERN 68 #6 UCONN 93 XAVIER 68 #1 DUKE 80 FLORIDA STATE 79 #5 HOUSTON 73 BYU 66 CLEMSON 80 #19 NORTH CAROLINA 79 #14 KANSAS 78 TCU 73 GEORGE WASHINGTON 66 FORDHAM 62 OHIO STATE 72 IOWA 69 KENTUCKY 78 MISSOURI 72 TOLEDO 77 BOWLING GREEN 76 ST. BONAVENTURE 63 GEORGE MASON 57 ALABAMA A&M 85 TEXAS SOUTHERN 74 OT SETON HALL 72 CREIGHTON 61 UTAH STATE 80 UNLV 60 AKRON 73 BUFFALO 70 DUQUESNE 67 RHODE ISLAND 61 NEVADA 84 GRAND CANYON 80 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 88 NORFOLK STATE 82 KENT STATE 86 OHIO 75 LOUISIANA TECH 80 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 69 OLE MISS 76 GEORGIA 72 CHARLOTTE 74 TULANE 60 SOUTHERN 84 ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF 81 DAVIDSON 64 LOYALA ILLINOIS 59 OT KENNESAW STATE 96 WESTERN KENTUCKY 87 TEXAS ARLINGTON 69 SOUTHERN UTAH 63 UCLA 72 RUTGERS 59 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 80 UC DAVIS 70 SAN DIEGO STATE 71 COLORADO STATE 62 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 83 MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE 76 OT GEORGETOWN 78 VILLANOVA 64 NORTH TEXAS 74 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 70 OKLAHOMA 83 TEXAS A&M 63 UTAH TECH 80 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 74 CAL STATE FULLERTON 82 UC DAVIS 70 NEW MEXICO 93 SAN JOSE STATE 77 ================================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED =============================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES #4 GEORGIA TECH 10 #11 CLEMSON 0 WICHITA STATE 27 BUTLER 3 BYU 5 CINCINNATI 2 ILLINOIS STATE 7 WESTERN ILLINOIS 6 MOREHEAD STATE 8 WESTERN CAROLINA 5 UMASS LOWELL 7 PEPPERDINE 6 ============================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES BELLARMINE 7 IU INDY 4 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 9 UTAH 4 ST. MARY’S 10 MONTANA 2 ST. MARY’S 8 MONTANA 6 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES #10 BALL STATE 3 #16 OHIO STATE 1 #1 UCLA 3 #14 LEWIS 0 #5 USC 25 CONCORDIA IRVINE 17 #2 LONG BEACH STATE 25 JESSUP 13 ================================================================ DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES #8 SYRACUSE 17 AIR FORCE 11 #7 OHIO STATE 6 #13 DENVER 4 ================================================================= DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES #1 NORTH CAROLINA 20 CALIFORNIA 3 #15 SYRACUSE 9 #4 NORTHWESTERN 6 #18 PENN STATE 19 USC 8 ================================================================= NBA SCORES DETROIT 131 PHILADELPHIA 109 ORLANDO 136 WASHINGTON 131 OT PHOENIX 123 INDIANA 108 ATLANTA 100 APRIL AND 97 MIAMI 112 MILWAUKEE 105 DALLAS 120 MEMPHIS 112 DENVER 136 SAN ANTONIO 131 OKLAHOMA CITY 104 BOSTON 102 LA LAKERS 142 CHICAGO 130 ================================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES RAPTORS 124 WESTCHESTER 120 WINDY CITY 124 VALLEY 116 AUSTIN 122 TEXAS 119 SAN DIEGO 126 RIP CITY 115 ================================================================== NHL SCORES TORONTO 6 ANAHEIM 4 CALGARY 5 NEW JERSEY 4 ST. LOUIS 3 CAROLINA 1 TAMPA BAY 4 DETROIT 1 WASHINGTON 2 BUFFALO 1 FLORIDA 2 COLUMBUS 1 OT SAN JOSE 4 BOSTON 2 NY RANGERS 6 WINNIPEG 3 PHILADELPHIA 3 MINNESOTA 2 DALLAS 7 EDMONTON 2 CHICAGO 3 UTAH 2 OT VEGAS 6 PITTSBURGH 2 COLORADO 5 SEATTLE 1 VANCOUVER 4 NASHVILLE 3 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PHILADELPHIA 8 TORONTO 5 MINNESOTA 8 BOSTON 5 NY YANKEES 4 DETROIT 3 ST. LOUIS 3 NY METS 1 TEXAS 7 LAS VEGAS 6 CHICAGO CUBS 7 SEATTLE 4 COLORADO 13 ARIZONA 2 PITTSBURGH 5 ATLANTA 2 WASHINGTON 3 HOUSTON 2 LA DODGERS 9 CINCINNATI 5 CLEVELAND 1 MILWAUKEE 0 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3 SAN FRANCISCO 3 KANSAS CITY 10 SAN DIEGO 1 ================================================================== WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ================================================================= WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES INDY IGNITE 3 ORLANDO 0 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO MATCHES SCHEDULED ================================================================= NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES NFL NFL FREE AGENCY: PANTHERS, 49ERS, PATRIOTS, JETS AND RAMS ARE EARLY WINNERS Winning free agency doesn’t guarantee success. It’s still a good start. NFL teams have committed billions of dollars in free agency, hoping the players they’ve added can help them win a Super Bowl. Some of the more aggressive teams — the Raiders and Titans — would be happy if new players just make them more competitive after futile seasons. There have been several surprises, including a voided blockbuster trade that sent star edge rusher Maxx Crosby back to the Raiders. Here’s some early winners and losers: WINNERS: Carolina Panthers The NFC South champion Panthers added edge rusher Jaelan Phillips ($120 million) and linebacker Devin Lloyd ($45 million), two of the best players available at their positions. Phillips and Lloyd join interior lineman Derrick Brown and cornerback Jaycee Horn to give Carolina top players at each level on defense. The Panthers lost defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, running back Rico Dowdle and center Cade Mays. WINNERS: San Francisco 49ers The 49ers snagged six-time Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans from Tampa Bay on a three-year deal that could be worth $60.4 million but only includes $16.3 million guaranteed over one year, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details weren’t public. San Francisco also acquired defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa from Dallas for a third-round pick; added swing tackle Vederian Lowe and center Brett Toth; and re-signed tight end Jake Tonges and kicker Eddy Piniero. The 32-year-old Evans can still be an elite player in coach Kyle Shanahan’s system, giving Brock Purdy a top target. The Niners lost wideout Kendrick Bourne. WINNERS: New England Patriots An excellent offseason last year helped the Patriots win 10 more games and reach the Super Bowl. They’ve followed up with another strong spending spree, adding wideout Romeo Doubs ($70 million), guard Alijah Vera-Tucker ($42 million), Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard ($9 million), edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones ($39.5 million), fullback Reggie Gilliam, tight end Julian Hill, safety Mike Brown and linebacker K.J. Britt. They traded center Garrett Bradbury and lost defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga, tight end Austin Hooper and safety Jaylinn Hawkins. WINNERS: New York Jets Geno Smith is back in New York and the Jets strengthened their defense by acquiring veteran safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat in other trades and signing two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis and edge rusher Joseph Ossai ($34.5 million). They also signed defensive tackle David Onyemata, edge Kingsley Enagbare, safety Dane Belton and cornerback Nashon Wright, giving Aaron Glenn several new players to bolster the defense. Left guard Dylan Parham fills a vacancy on the offensive line and backup tackle Max Mitchell returns. The Jets lost linebacker Quincy Williams, guards Vera-Tucker and John Simpson and kicker Nick Folk. WINNERS: Los Angeles Rams After trading for cornerback Trent McDuffie, the Rams signed cornerback Jaylen Watson and re-signed safety Kam Curl to further boost the secondary. Tight end Tyler Higbee returns to provide depth and long snapper Joe Cardona arrives to help on special teams. LOSERS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers They lost Evans not over money but because he wanted a new challenge and views the 49ers as closer to winning. The defense lost a pair of starters in cornerback Jamel Dean and defensive lineman Logan Hall. The Buccaneers signed Robinson to improve the defensive line, linebacker Alex Anzalone, running back Kenneth Gainwell and backup quarterback Jake Browning. LOSERS: Philadelphia Eagles The two-time defending NFC East champions make this list because they lost three starters on defense: Phillips, linebacker Nakobe Dean, safety Reed Blankenship. The Eagles signed cornerback Riq Woolen and tight end Johnny Mundt and re-signed tight end Grant Calcaterra. They gave defensive tackle Jordan Davis a contract extension and have to extend several young stars on a defense that dominated Kansas City in the Super Bowl two years ago. Philadelphia can’t pay everyone, and general manager Howie Roseman always finds a way to compensate for losing talented players. LOSERS: Jacksonville Jaguars The AFC South champions lost Lloyd, running back Travis Etienne and cornerback Greg Newsome. They’ve signed backup running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. and retained cornerback Montaric Brown and linebacker Dennis Gardeck. The Jaguars have more work to do in the offseason. VIKINGS SIGN FORMER NO. 1 PICK QB KYLER MURRAY TO 1-YEAR DEAL Former No. 1 overall pick quarterback Kyler Murray has agreed to a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. The signing was announced by the team Thursday the day after Murray was officially released by the Arizona Cardinals, for whom he played his first seven NFL seasons. He confirmed the news with a post on his X account of him in Vikings gear with the caption, “Skol.” With Arizona owing Murray $36.8 million for the 2026 season despite his release, the dual-threat quarterback will reportedly receive $1.3 million from Minnesota, the league-minimum contract for veterans of seven-plus seasons. The deal includes a no-tag clause, several reports said, meaning the Vikings cannot place the franchise tag on Murray after the 2026 season. Murray was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and made the Pro Bowl in his second and third seasons but has largely struggled when on the field in the four seasons since. He played a career-low five games in 2025, ending the season on injured reserve with a foot injury, throwing for 962 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions with a career-low 173 rushing yards and one rushing score. He’s played a full regular season just once in the last five years (2024). In 87 career games (all starts), Murray has a 38-48-1 record, completing 67.1% of his passes for 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions with 3,193 rushing yards and 32 scores. Murray has played in just one playoff game, throwing two interceptions with no touchdowns in a 34-11 wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. In Minnesota, he’ll battle incumbent starter J.J. McCarthy for the QB1 gig this upcoming season. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, also battled injuries last season in his first action after missing the entire 2024 season with a torn meniscus. McCarthy made 10 starts in 2025, completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. He also ran for 181 yards and four touchdowns. REPORTS: BENGALS SIGNING DT JONATHAN ALLEN TO 2-YEAR, $26M DEAL The Cincinnati Bengals are set to sign defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to a two-year, $26 million contract, according to multiple reports Thursday. The deal could be worth up to $28 million with incentives for the two-time Pro Bowl selection, ESPN reported. Allen, 31, started all 17 games for the Minnesota Vikings last season and had 68 tackles with 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits and one fumble recovery. The Vikings released Allen on Wednesday, the first day of the new league year, for salary cap considerations. Last offseason, the former Washington Commanders standout signed a three-year, $51 million contract with $31 million guaranteed. Allen joins new Bengals edge rusher Boye Mafe, who left the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent and signed a three-year contract in Cincinnati valued at a reported $60 million. Allen has 469 career tackles with 45.5 sacks, 67 tackles for loss, 129 QB hits, one interception, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 126 regular-season games (125 starts). He played his first eight seasons with the Commanders. Washington selected Allen with the 17th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 and 2022. REPORT: EAGLES SIGN CB JONATHAN JONES TO 1-YEAR DEAL The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing in veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones on a one-year deal, NFL Network reported Thursday. Jones, 32, shifts from the NFC East rival Washington Commanders to the Eagles, one day after Philadelphia signed former Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen from the Seattle Seahawks. Jones spent one year with Washington after nine seasons with the New England Patriots, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He had five pass breakups, one sack and 41 tackles in 12 appearances (seven starts) for the Commanders. Through 144 career games (78 starts), Jones has 11 interceptions — though none since a four-interception campaign in 2022 — as well as 477 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 62 pass breakups and 10 forced fumbles. REPORT: CHARGERS TO RE-SIGN LB DENZEL PERRYMAN ON 1-YEAR DEAL The Los Angeles Chargers are set to re-sign linebacker Denzel Perryman to a one-year deal, NFL Network reported Thursday. Financial terms were not reported. Perryman, 33, started his career with the Chargers in 2015 when the team still played in San Diego. He made the move to Los Angeles and was with the franchise through the 2020 season before two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and one with the Houston Texans. Perryman returned to the Chargers in 2024 and has played in 21 games (all starts) over the past two seasons. He was limited to 10 games last season because of injury and a suspension and also played in the team’s 16-3 playoff loss to the New England Patriots. In 11 career seasons, Perryman has 764 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks with four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five interceptions in 129 games (109 starts) since he was a second-round draft pick out of Miami. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021. ==================================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL BIG TEN TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: DONOVAN DENT’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE LIFTS UCLA Tyler Bilodeau scored 21 points and Donovan Dent recorded the first triple-double in Big Ten tournament history, leading sixth-seeded UCLA to a 72-59 victory over 14th-seeded Rutgers in the third round of the Big Ten Conference tournament at Chicago on Thursday. Dent finished with 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds while becoming the fifth player in Bruins history to post a triple-double. Trent Perry also had 12 points and Eric Dailey Jr. added 10 for UCLA (22-10). The Bruins will face third-seeded and eighth-ranked Michigan State in the quarterfinals on Friday. Lino Mark put up 17 points as the lone double-digit scorer for the Scarlet Knights (14-19), who had a two-game winning streak halted. No. 23 Wisconsin 85, Washington 82 John Blackwell made six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 34 points as the fifth-seeded Badgers eliminated the 12th-seeded Huskies. Nick Boyd added 23 points and nine assists for the Badgers (23-9), who advanced to a quarterfinal matchup on Friday with fourth-seeded and ninth-ranked Illinois. Wisconsin shot 15 of 39 (38.5%) from 3-point range while Washington hit just 7 of 23 (30.4%) from long distance. Freshman Hannes Steinbach scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his 22nd double-double for the Huskies (16-17). Washington’s Zoom Diallo added 24 points and seven assists. No. 18 Purdue 81, Northwestern 68 Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff each scored 19 points and Cluff pulled down 10 rebounds as the seventh-seeded Boilermakers eliminated the 15th-seeded Wildcats. Braden Smith set a Big Ten tournament single-game record with 16 assists for Purdue (24-8), which produced a 38-18 advantage on points in the paint. The Boilermakers, who never trailed, advanced to a quarterfinal showdown against Nebraska. Nick Martinelli scored a game-high 25 points while Jayden Reid contributed 19 points and nine assists for Northwestern (15-19). Ohio State 72, Iowa 69 Bruce Thornton scored 17 of his 24 points after halftime and Christoph Tilly added 16 points to help the Buckeyes edge the Hawkeyes. Eighth-seeded Ohio State (21-11) withstood a series of late charges from ninth-seeded Iowa (21-12) after leading by 16 in the second half to advance to a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded rival Michigan. The Hawkeyes miss a pair of missed would-be game-tying 3-point shots in the final four seconds. Bennett Stirtz paced Iowa with 17 points while Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks had nine each. Amare Bynum added 11 points for the Buckeyes. Thornton matched Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras with a game-best six rebounds. BIG 12 TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: ARIZONA CRUSHES UCF TO MOVE INTO SEMIS Brayden Burries scored 21 points and top-seeded Arizona never trailed while cruising to an 81-59 victory over eighth-seeded UCF on Thursday afternoon in Kansas City to reach the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament. Tobe Awaka had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the quarterfinal matchup and Koa Peat also scored 12 points for the Wildcats (30-2). Ivan Kharchenkov added 10 points for Arizona. Themus Fulks scored 14 points for the Knights (21-11), who are expected to receive an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. Jordan Burks and Chris Johnson added 10 points apiece for UCF. Arizona will face fifth-seeded Iowa State in Friday night’s first semifinal. No. 5 Houston 73, BYU 66 Kingston Flemings led four players in double figures to help Houston pull away from BYU. Emanuel Sharp added 13 points, Joseph Tugler tallied 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds and Chris Cenac Jr. notched 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting for second-seeded Houston (27-5), which won its fourth straight game to return to the Big 12 semifinals for the third time in as many years in the league. Freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa racked up a game-high 26 points — his 13th straight game with 20-plus points — and Robert Wright III scored 15 and a game-high five assists for 10th-seeded BYU (23-11). No. 7 Iowa State 75, No. 16 Texas Tech 53 Tamin Lipsey scored 20 points to help the fifth-seeded Cyclones trample the fourth-seeded Red Raiders. Joshua Jefferson added 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as the Cyclones overcame an early 12-point deficit in the quarterfinal clash. Dominykas Pleta added 11 points off the bench as Iowa State (27-6) notched its second big performance in two days. LeJuan Watts had 12 points and seven rebounds and Christian Anderson scored 10 points for Texas Tech (22-10). The Red Raiders dropped to 3-3 since losing star big man J.T. Toppin to a season-ending ACL injury. No. 14 Kansas 78, TCU 73 Darryn Peterson scored 16 of his 24 points after halftime to help the Jayhawks survive with a hard-fought win over the Horned Frogs. Peterson was an inefficient 5-for-17 from the floor but made up for it by making 13 of 16 free throws in 37 minutes of action. He added eight rebounds and three steals for third-seeded Kansas (23-9), which will face second-seeded and fifth-ranked Houston in the late semifinal on Friday. David Punch led sixth-seeded TCU (22-11) with 24 points — 18 of which came in the second half — and 10 rebounds. Liutauras Lelevicius added 14 points and Jayden Pierre tallied 11 with a team-high three 3-pointers for the Horned Frogs, whose six-game winning streak was snapped. SEC TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: GEORGIA LATEST VICTIM OF UPSET-MINDED OLE MISS A.J. Storr scored 19 points, Malik Dia added 17 and 15th-seeded Ole Miss weathered a scare for its second straight wire-to-wire upset with a 76-72 victory over Georgia in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville on Thursday. Travis Perry had 16 points and four 3-pointers and Ilias Kamardine had eight points, four assists and four steals for the Rebels (14-19), who led 55-32 with 13 minutes remaining and lost all but two points of that edge before holding on. Seventh-seeded Georgia used a full-court press and a 22-2 run to get within 57-54 with 7:35 remaining, and the Bulldogs crept within two on Kanon Catchings’ layup to make it 60-58 moments later but never were closer. The Bulldogs (22-10) had won three in a row and five out of six and are considered a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss, which had lost 12 of 13 to close the regular season, never trailed in a 76-66 victory over Texas in the first round. Next up is a quarterfinal matchup against No. 15 and second-seeded Alabama on Friday. Oklahoma 83, Texas A&M 63 Nijel Pack had 20 points and four 3-pointers before leaving with an injury and the 11th-seeded Sooners continued a late push for an NCAA Tournament bid with a blowout victory over the sixth-seeded Aggies. Xzayvier Brown had 16 points and six rebounds, Derrion Reid had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Tae Davis had 14 points for the 11th-seeded Sooners (19-14), who led by 22 points at halftime to take their sixth straight win. The Sooners will face No. 17 and third-seeded Arkansas (23-8) in the quarterfinals Friday. The Razorbacks won the regular-season meeting 83-79 on Jan. 27, when Pack scored 22. Rashaun Agee had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Rylan Griffen scored 13 for the Aggies (21-11). Kentucky 78, Missouri 72 Otega Oweh’s 21 points and big plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch helped the ninth-seeded Wildcats to a win over the eighth-seeded Tigers. Denzel Aberdeen (16 points, seven assists) and Collin Chandler (15 points, three steals) also came up big for the Wildcats (21-12), who survived a 32-point, seven-rebound performance from Missouri’s Mark Mitchell. Mitchell scored 23 in the second half as Missouri (20-12), the eighth seed, briefly overcame a 16-point deficit. Kentucky will face No. 4 and top-seeded Florida in the first of four games on Friday. No. 25 Tennessee 72, Auburn 62 Nate Ament led the Volunteers in points (27), rebounds (eight), assists (four) and blocks (three) in his return to action as the Volunteers’ late 20-0 run earned them a win over the Tigers. Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 15 points and a team-leading three steals for No. 5 seed Tennessee (22-10), which got Ament back after he missed the prior two games with a leg injury. Next up is No. 22 and fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals on Friday. Tahaad Pettiford scored 28 points but also committed five turnovers for the 12th-seeded Tigers (17-16). With 10 points, Keyshawn Hall was the only other Auburn player to score in double figures. ACC TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: NO. 1 DUKE BARELY HOLDS OFF FLORIDA STATE Isaiah Evans scored a career-high 32 points as top-seeded Duke held off eighth-seeded Florida State’s upset bid to win 80-79 Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte. The Blue Devils (30-2) move on to a semifinal against Clemson and are eyeing what would be their third ACC title in four seasons under Jon Scheyer. Freshman phenom Cameron Boozer added 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Duke, which was playing without injured starters Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster. Florida State (18-15) was powered by 28 points from Lajae Jones and Robert McCray V’s 25 points. Chauncey Wiggins chipped in 13 points. Duke was up by one with 37.8 seconds left. The Blue Devils drained the clock down on their next possession before taking a shot, but Boozer’s 14-foot attempt was stuffed by Alex Steen. The Seminoles charged down the court but settled for a 3-point attempt from McCray that missed the mark just before the buzzer sounded. No. 10 Virginia 81, North Carolina State 74 Malik Thomas provided clutch late-game production to finish with 16 points and Thijs De Ridder scored 15 points as the Cavaliers fended off the Wolfpack. Reserve Jacari White posted 13 points and Sam Lewis delivered all 12 of his points on 3-pointers for the second-seeded Cavaliers (28-4), who meet Miami in the semifinals. Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso’s eight blocked shots matched the second most in a game in the league tournament’s history. Virginia defeated NC State in three matchups this season, but this was by far the closest encounter. Paul McNeil Jr. drilled six 3-pointers on the way to 26 points for seventh-seeded NC State (20-13). Ven-Allen Lubin contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds. Clemson 80, No. 19 North Carolina 79 Nick Davidson posted 17 points and 11 rebounds as the fifth-seeded Tigers held on to upset the fourth-seeded Tar Heels. Derek Dixon’s 3-pointer on a Seth Trimble dish trimmed Clemson’s lead to one with 2.9 seconds to play, capping the Tar Heels’ late 21-7 late surge. North Carolina had a chance to win on the game’s final possession, but Jarin Stevenson’s heave from halfcourt was short. Davidson was one of six players Clemson to score in double figures for Clemson (24-9). North Carolina (24-8) was carried by Henri Veesaar’s career-high 28 points and 17 rebounds, while Dixon scored 16 points. Miami 78, No. 24 Louisville 73 Malik Reneau poured in 24 points and made key plays in the second half as the Hurricanes knocked off the Cardinals in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals in Charlotte. Tru Washington came off the Miami bench for 17 points and Tre Donaldson provided 14 points and six assists for the third-seeded Hurricanes (25-7), who avenged a loss from the weekend as the teams met for the second time in six days. Ryan Conwell scored 22 points for sixth-seeded Louisville (23-10), but his 1-for-10 mark on 3-point attempts contributed to the team’s 25% accuracy (6-for-24) from beyond the arc. J’Vonne Hadley racked up 19 points. BIG EAST TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: GEORGETOWN STUNS VILLANOVA, GETS UCONN NEXT Julius Halaifonua collected 21 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for his first career double-double as 11th-seeded Georgetown pulled away late in the second half for a decisive 78-64 victory over third-seeded Villanova on Thursday in the Big East tournament quarterfinals. The Hoyas (16-17) advanced to the semifinals for the first time since their surprise run to the 2021 title as an No. 8 seed. Georgetown will face second-seeded and sixth-ranked UConn, which rolled to a 93-68 rout of Xavier earlier in the day. Jeremiah Williams added 14 points and Kayvaun Mulready also scored 14, including eight straight Hoyas points when they surged to a double-digit lead late in the second half. Malik Mack scored 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting but hit a tying 3-pointer with 76 seconds left in the first half. Villanova (24-8) failed in a bid to reach the semifinals for the first time since winning the title in 2022 during coach Jay Wright’s final season. Duke Brennan led the Wildcats with 14 points and six rebounds. Tyler Perkins added 13 points and Bryce Lindsay chipped in 11, but star freshman Acaden Lewis and sixth man Devin Askew combined for 12 points on 5-of-21 shooting. UConn 93, Xavier 68 Solo Ball scored 19 points as the second-seeded Huskies led by double digits most of the way and cruised to a wire-to-wire rout of the 10th-seeded Musketeers in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. The Huskies (28-4), who will face Georgetown in the semifinals, led by double digits for the final 28:35 and advanced to the semifinals for the sixth straight season since rejoining the Big East for the 2020-21 season. Tarris Reed collected 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for his 10th double-double this season. Filip Borovicanin led Xavier with a career-high 22 points, but the Musketeers lost the three meetings with UConn by a combined 80 points. Roddie Anderson III added 15 and Tre Carroll struggled and shot 2 of 10 in a 12-point showing. St. John’s 85, Providence 72 Zuby Ejiofor compiled 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and No. 13 St. John’s sailed to a win over Providence in the Big East tournament quarterfinals in New York. The Big East Player of the Year, Ejiofor made 9 of 14 shots and added three blocks while three teammates finished with 14 points: Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins and Ian Jackson. The top-seeded Red Storm (26-6) will face Seton Hall in the semifinals. St. John’s dominated ninth-seeded Providence 51-30 on the glass, including 18-4 on offensive rebounds. Hopkins, an ex-Friar, had 13 rebounds, including six on offense. Seton Hall 72, Creighton 61 Adam “Budd” Clark tallied 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Jacob Dar had an enormous second half to lift the fourth-seeded Pirates to a victory over the fifth-seeded Bluejays in the Big East tournament quarterfinals in New York. Dar did not play in the first half before exploding for a season-high 16 points and five rebounds in 15 second-half minutes. The Pirates (21-11) kept their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive but must face top-seeded St. John’s in Friday’s first semifinal game. Creighton (15-17) finished below .500 for the first time since 2014-15 and will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Josh Dix led all scorers with 22 points, Nik Graves had 15 points and five assists and Austin Swartz added 10 points for the Bluejays. ====================================================================== NBA NBA ROUNDUP: SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER BREAKS WILT’S MARK IN THUNDER WIN Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, setting the NBA record for consecutive games with 20-plus points while lifting the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 home win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. The reigning MVP put up at least 20 points for the 127th consecutive time, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 63-year-old NBA record. In a tie game, Chet Holmgren made both free throws with 0.8 seconds left, and Payton Pritchard’s long 3-point try at the buzzer came up short to give Oklahoma City the win, its seventh in a row. The Celtics and Jaylen Brown (34 points, seven assists, six rebounds) didn’t make it easy for the Thunder, though. Boston was playing short-handed. Jayson Tatum missed the game due to injury management after recently returning from a 10-month absence caused by an Achilles tear, and Derrick White sat out because of a right knee contusion. In the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his dribble just inside the arc, guarded by Baylor Scheierman. As Scheierman reacted, Gilgeous-Alexander moved the ball from side to side before pulling up and draining a 20-foot jumper to tie the game, set the record and get a hearty cheer from the home crowd. Nuggets 136, Spurs 131 Jamal Murray poured in 39 points and Nikola Jokic amassed a 31-point, 20-rebound, 12-assist triple-double as visiting Denver rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat short-handed San Antonio. The Spurs played without Victor Wembanyama, who sat out with right ankle soreness. It was the first game Wembanyama has missed since Jan. 3. San Antonio is 10-5 without him this season. Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to produce his third career triple-double. The weary Nuggets, playing the second game of a home-road back-to-back, did not arrive until the wee hours of Thursday but were ultimately the stronger team in the fourth quarter, outscoring San Antonio 42-25. Lakers 142, Bulls 130 Luka Doncic scored 51 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished nine assists, Austin Reaves added 30 points and Los Angeles beat visiting Chicago for its fourth consecutive win. Deandre Ayton produced 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers won their sixth consecutive home game while moving into third place in the Western Conference. Doncic logged his eighth career game of at least 50 points and first as a member of the Lakers. Josh Giddey amassed 27 points and 15 assists and Matas Buzelis added 22 points as the Bulls dropped to 3-3 following an 11-game losing streak. Suns 123, Pacers 108 Devin Booker scored 43 points and Jalen Green added 36 as Phoenix extended its winning streak to four games with a victory over Indiana in Indianapolis. Royce O’Neale had 15 points for Phoenix, which led by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter and moved a season-high 12 games over .500 after winning for the sixth time in its last seven games. Indiana lost its 11th straight game and owns the NBA’s worst record at 15-51. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points, while Jarace Walker added 12. Ethan Thompson scored 11 points, Jay Huff and Ben Sheppard had 10 apiece, and Jalen Slawson recorded career highs with 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Pistons 131, 76ers 109 Duncan Robinson led seven players in double figures with 19 points as host Detroit manhandled depleted Philadelphia. Javonte Green had 17 points, while Tobias Harris and Ronald Holland tossed in 15 apiece for the Eastern Conference leaders. Jalen Duren had 14 points with 10 rebounds and Isaiah Stewart supplied 13 points. All-Star Cade Cunningham added eight points and doled out 13 assists. The Sixers also had seven players in double figures, topped by MarJon Beauchamp with 17 points. Jabari Walker contributed 16 and Cameron Payne had 15. Quentin Grimes added 14 points, but rookie VJ Edgecombe was limited to 10 on 3-of-14 shooting. Magic 136, Wizards 131 (OT) Jalen Suggs capped a 28-point performance with a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:27 to go in overtime, Tristan da Silva chipped in with a career-best 26, and Orlando withstood a fourth-quarter flurry by visiting Washington for a victory. Desmond Bane contributed 22 points, while Wendell Carter Jr. had 19 and Paolo Banchero 18 as part of double-doubles for the Magic, who won their sixth in a row. Bilal Coulibaly was the game’s leading scorer with a career-high 29 points for the Wizards, who never led until overtime, were 17 down in the first minute of the final period before Coulibaly forced the extra session with a game-tying 26-footer with 5.8 seconds left. Heat 112, Bucks 105 Pelle Larsson scored a career-high 28 points and added six rebounds and six assists as host Miami won its season-high seventh straight game, defeating Milwaukee. Miami’s Bam Adebayo, who posted 83 points Tuesday, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history, had just eight points through three quarters before finishing with 21. Rookie Kasparas Jakucionis had a strong game for the Heat, scoring 18 points while shooting 5-for-11 on 3-point attempts. The Bucks never led en route to their third loss in a row and seventh in eight games. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with a game-high 31 points, and Bobby Portis came off the bench to score 19. Hawks 108, Nets 97 Jalen Johnson had 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help lead Atlanta to its eighth straight victory, beating visiting Brooklyn. Zaccharie Risacher added 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Atlanta, which notched the franchise’s longest win streak since an eight-game stretch in March 2021. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 points, CJ McCollum totaled 14 and Onyeka Okongwu finished with 13 for the Hawks, who briefly trailed in the fourth quarter. Josh Minott’s 24 points off the bench led Brooklyn, followed by Drake Powell’s 11. Ben Saraf and Noah Clowney chipped in 10 apiece for the Nets, who dropped their 12th game in 14 tries. Mavericks 120, Grizzlies 112 Khris Middleton scored 22 of his season-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and Daniel Gafford added 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead visiting Dallas over Memphis to snap an eight-game losing streak. Cooper Flagg contributed 13 points and seven assists for the Mavs and Max Christie also had 13 points. Playing the final game of a six-game road trip, Dallas had lost 18 of its previous 20 games and the previous three matchups against Memphis. Jaylen Wells led the Grizzlies with 23 points, GG Jackson scored 20 and Javon Small finished with 19 points and nine assists. ====================================================================== WNBA WNBA AND ITS PLAYERS’ UNION MEET FOR THIRD STRAIGHT DAY TRYING TO COME TO AGREEMENT ON NEW CBA NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and its players’ union met for a third consecutive day Thursday hoping to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. They have had two marathon bargaining sessions over the last two days that both ended late at night. Union president Nneka Ogwumike said Wednesday night that players are “feeling movement.” “At the end of the day, we want a season,” she said. “We want to play. We’ve heard that from the other side as well. We need to see a more robust demonstration of that as we continue on in these negotiations.” The two sides started Thursday’s discussions around 11 a.m. EDT. The main sticking point is still revenue sharing. Eight proposals had been exchanged over the first two days and in the latest proposal, the league has increased its salary cap offer for the first year to $6.2 million — up from $5.75 million in previous negotiations, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions. “Our proposal on the table is a real historic and transformational deal for these players,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Huge gains and salaries, benefits, everything you’re seeing, but beyond that when you see the whole thing, huge, huge benefits. … We’re proud of the deal we have on the table. I think it’s, again, huge gains for the players, while again, balancing that with the health of the league.” Last year, the salary cap for each team was $1.5 million. Average player salaries were $120,000, and that figure stands to increase fourfold to $570,000 the first year and $850,000 by the sixth year, according to the person. The maximum salary in the first year would be more than $1.3 million and nearly $2 million by the final year. The league had said that at least a handshake agreement on a labor deal would need to be done by Tuesday to start the season as scheduled. Ogwumike said the union never saw the deadline from two days ago as a real thing. “We haven’t ever really considered that as a timeline that’s been something to prioritize on our side, because we have always been negotiating in good faith,” she said. When a deal is reached in principle, the league has said it would need a few weeks to finish off the CBA. After that work is done, the expansion draft for new franchises in Portland and Toronto would be held sometime between April 1-6, according to a timetable obtained by the AP. Free agent qualifying offers, including franchise player tags, would be sent out April 7-8. Teams would then have three days to negotiate with the more than 80% of players who are free agents. The signing period would take place from April 12-18. Training camps would open the next day and the season would be able to start on May 8. But for any of that to happen, the two sides have to figure out a revenue sharing model. The union’s proposal from a week ago had asked for an average of 26% of the gross revenue — revenue before expenses — over the course of the CBA. That would include only 25% in the first year. The league has said that number was unrealistic. The WNBA’s last few proposals have offered more than 70% of net revenue, with that number going up as the league continues to grow. ================================================================== BASEBALL MLB TEAMS AREN’T RUSHING TO COPY TORONTO’S CONTACT-HITTING BLUEPRINT DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Teams aren’t rushing to copy contact, the Toronto Blue Jays’ blueprint for a revival that nearly resulted in a World Series title. Toronto had a .265 team batting average last year and nearly became the first World Series champion since the 2018 Boston Red Sox to lead the major leagues in batting. “We train to be able to do anything in the batter’s box,” said Bo Bichette, who finished second in the major leagues in batting average, then left Toronto as a free agent to sign with the New York Mets. “It’s not perfect all the time, but we train to be able to move a runner over, get a big hit when we need to, get the ball in the air, hit with two strikes, whatever the situation may call for. So I don’t think this is by accident. We’ve worked really hard for it.” Toronto came within two outs of its first World Series title since 1993 before losing Game 7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings. The Dodgers were sixth in batting average at .253 but were second in OPS at .768, trailing only the New York Yankees’ .787 Four Blue Jays were among the top 25 qualified batters in average, with Bichette joined by George Springer at .309 (fourth), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at .292 (12th) and Alejandro Kirk at .282 (24th). Toronto’s batting average was seven points ahead of second-best Philadelphia. “We have always felt that contact would turn into more damage,” sad Ross Atkins, who became the Blue Jays’ general manager before the 2016 season. Toronto also led the major leagues in hitting in 2022 and was second in 2021. “The ability that they had to make contact and drive the baseball, really rare to be able to do that,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “Something that I think all hitters are always working on is finding that ability to blend the hitting ability with the power.” Toronto was tied for 11th in home runs last year but third in OPS at .761 behind the Yankees and Dodgers. “Look, they made more contact. They also hit the crap out of the ball,” Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “If you don’t strike out and you’re impacting the ball for extra bases the way they were, that’s a really special combination.” John Schneider, starting his fourth full season as Blue Jays manager and 18th working for the organization, said a dual focus on contact and clobbering is the goal. “You don’t want to just, I always call it like just playing ping-pong,” he explained during the World Series. “We say all the time: What club do you take out of your bag? I think last year we had a lot of guys just hanging out with like a 7-iron the entire time. So when to use that, when to use a driver, and knowing that they can make contact is kind of a little safety net for ’em.” A high batting average rarely correlates with titles in 21st century baseball emphasizing power and tolerating strikeouts. Since 2002, the only World Series champions to top the majors in batting average were the 2018 Red Sox and 2017 Houston Astros. Detroit led in batting average from 2013-15, losing in the AL Championship Series, the Division Series and then failing to reach the playoffs. And hitting for average has become more difficult as power pitching increasingly dominates. The average four-seam fastball velocity was 94.5 mph last year, increasing for the seventh straight season and up from 91.9 mph when tracking started in 2008. Major League Baseball’s overall batting average hasn’t reached .250 since 2019 and .260 since 2009. “One of the things we talked about going into last year was reducing our chase,” Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “It’s tougher and tougher to make contact all the time with the pitching that’s out there.” ROUND-UP: EARLY HRS OFF JUSTIN VERLANDER LEAD YANKEES PAST TIGERS Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander gave up back-to-back home runs to Jasson Dominguez and J.C. Escarra in the first inning and the New York Yankees came away with a 4-3 victory at Lakeland, Fla. In his second start of the spring, Verlander allowed three solo home runs in 3 1/3 innings (61 pitches). The 43-year old, who has returned to Detroit after spending parts of nine seasons pitching for the Houston Astros, the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants since departing, had five strikeouts. He has allowed five runs with nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings this spring. Yankees right-hander Will Warren continued his outstanding spring, allowing two runs on twi hits over six innings with no walks. He gave up a home run to the Tigers’ Zach McKinstry to shave the Yankees’ lead to 3-2 in the fifth inning. Detroit tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a Jude Warwick sacrifice fly, but a bases-loaded walk to Yankees minor leaguer Joshua Moylan pushed across the game-winning run in the top of the ninth. Seth Brown also homered off Verlander with one out in the second inning. Cardinals 3, Mets 1 Nelson Velazquez hit a two-run home run off New York starter Sean Manaea in the bottom of the first inning as St. Louis edged the Mets in Jupiter, Fla. New Mets infielder Jorge Polanco greeted Cardinals starter Michael McGreevey by launching a solo home run as the second batter of the game. it was the only run allowed by McGreevey, who gave up four hits and one walk with three strikeouts in five innings. St. Louis first baseman Alec Burleson added an RBI single in the second inning. Nolan Gorman doubled and tripled off Manaea, but was stranded on both occasions. Phillies 8, Blue Jays 5, 8 innings Philadelphia roughed up a pair of Toronto minor league pitchers, scoring eight runs over the first three innings for the victory in Clearwater, Fla. Phillies’ All-Star shortstop Trea Turner contributed a two-run RBI double to right in the second inning and Alec Bohm blasted a 422-foot solo home run in a four-run third. Philadelphia starter Jesus Luzardo, who just signed a five-year contract extension worth $135 million on Tuesday, gave up a first-inning home run to Blue Jays’ backup catcher Tyler Heineman and allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings. Heineman reached base three times, with two hits and a walk and scored three runs. Twins 8, Red Sox 5 Rayne Doncon hit a three-run triple with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 5-5 tie as Minnesota prevailed over Boston in a battle of teams based in Fort Myers, Fla. After Twins infielder Orlando Arcia hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 4-3 lead, the Red Sox pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to retake the lead. The lead changed hands four times over the final four innings. Boston shortstop Trevor Story went 3-for-4, scored a run and increased his spring average to .400. Twins’ starter Bailey Ober, who is trying to rebound from an injury-plagued 2025 season, continued his slow ramp-up to the regular season by throwing 2 1/3 innings and allowing one run on five hits. Ober had two strikeouts with one walk in 53 pitches during his second outing of the spring. Ryan Jeffers was one of four Twins with two hits and drove in runs in the first and third innings. AARON JUDGE BASEBALL CARD SELLS FOR MODERN-DAY RECORD $5.2M New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s value on the field extends to his baseball cards, with a unique 2013 card breaking the modern-day record by selling for $5.2 million. Fanatics Collect announced Thursday that it had brokered the private sale of a 2013 Judge Bowman Chrome Draft Superfractor card that is signed and is one of one. The buyer and seller requested to remain private. “We’re incredibly honored to have brokered this record-breaking deal and to be part of such a momentous moment in hobby history,” Fanatics Collect said in a statement. The previous record for the publicly known sale of a modern-day baseball card was the 2020 purchase price of $3.936 million for a one-of-one card — the 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor — signed by Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout. A Shohei Ohtani card featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar slugger and pitcher sold for $3 million in December. The Judge card — released four years before his official rookie cards — rocketed in value since it was last sold for $324,000 through a Fanatics Premier auction in 2022. The Yankees selected Judge in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft. Judge, 33, made his major league debut in August 2016. He became the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year, a three-time AL MVP (2022, 2024, 2025) and a seven-time All-Star. Last season, he led the majors with a .331 batting average, .457 on-base percentage and .668 slugging percentage and drew an AL-best 124 walks. According to Card Ladder, the largest sale of all time was $12.9 million for a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant dual NBA Logoman patch autograph card, also one of one, on Aug. 23, 2025 through Heritage auction. The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle SGC 9.5 grade, sold for $12.6 million on Aug. 28, 2022, is second overall as the top baseball card on the list. The Judge card, tied for seventh overall, might not hold the honor of most expensive modern-day card for long. Fanatics Collect currently is auctioning the 2025 Topps Chrome Dual MVP Ohtani & Judge Gold MLB Logoman Auto 1/1. The auction closes March 19 and bids already have exceeded seven figures. ==================================================================== NHL NHL ROUNDUP: STARS STOMP OILERS, RUN POINT STREAK TO 14 Jason Robertson had two goals and two assists to lead red-hot Dallas to a 7-2 win over the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, extending the Stars’ point streak to 14 games (13-0-1). The club record is a 15-game point streak. Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston had a goal and two assists, and Miro Heiskanen had three assists. Jamie Benn scored two goals, Sam Steel and Matt Duchene each recorded a goal and an assist, and Jake Oettinger made 30 saves. The Oilers fell to 4-7-0 in their past 11 games. Evan Bouchard and Jason Dickinson scored Edmonton’s goals, and Tristan Jarry stopped only 20 of 27 Dallas shots. Capitals 2, Sabres 1 Jakob Chychrun scored the go-ahead goal with 1:33 left in the third period and Washington ended the Sabres’ eight-game winning streak with a win in Buffalo. Ryan Leonard scored in his third straight game for the Capitals, who have won two of the past three. Charlie Lindgren made 29 saves for Washington. Sam Carrick scored for the Sabres, who had outscored opponents 36-20 during their winning streak. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 20 saves. Lightning 4, Red Wings 1 Gage Goncalves and Jake Guentzel each scored two goals as Tampa Bay collected just its win since the Winter Olympics break, beating visiting Detroit. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov had two assists and recorded his 1,100th career point. Goncalves set a career high for goals in a season with 10 as the Lightning moved to 3-6-0 since the festivities in Milan. Brayden Point posted two helpers for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 shots. J.T. Compher scored while John Gibson stopped 24 shots as the Red Wings slipped to 4-7-2 in the past 13 games. Rangers 6, Jets 3 Alexis Lafreniere, Gabe Perreault and Tye Kartye each had a goal and an assist as New York won its third in a row for the first time since late November, outlasting the Jets in Winnipeg. Adam Fox, Adam Edstrom and Noah Laba also scored for New York. Braden Schneider and Vincent Trocheck both had two assists. Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves. Winnipeg’s Isak Rosen, Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi scored, and Connor Hellebuyck made 11 stops. Flyers 3, Wild 2 (SO) Travis Konecny scored the winning goal in the shootout to give Philadelphia a win over Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minn. Emil Andrae and Owen Tippett scored in regulation for the Flyers, who won for the second time in as many nights and have won six of their past eight. Dan Vladar stopped 21 of 23 shots, and he turned aside Matt Boldy’s shootout attempt moments before Konecny sealed the win. Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov scored a goal and Quinn Hughes assisted on both for the Wild, who have a five-game point streak (3-0-2). Jesper Wallstedt gave up two goals on 26 shots. He stopped the first two Philadelphia attempts in the shootout before allowing the winning goal. Blues 3, Hurricanes 1 Jimmy Snuggerud added to his sizzling stretch with two goals as St. Louis won its fifth consecutive road game, defeating Carolina in Raleigh, N.C. Snuggerud’s go-ahead goal came with 4:48 remaining and Pavel Buchnevich added an empty-net goal in the final minute. Snuggerud has five goals and four assists across a four-game stretch. Dylan Holloway notched two assists, and Jordan Binnington made 31 saves. The Hurricanes had their home-ice point streak end at 12 games (11-0-1) despite Mark Jankowski’s goal. Rookie goalie Brandon Bussi, who stopped 14 shots, has absorbed losses in consecutive games for the first time, with his record dipping to 25-5-1. Panthers 2, Blue Jackets 1 (OT) Sam Reinhart’s power-play goal 2:20 into overtime gave Florida a come-from-behind win over Columbus in Sunrise, Fla. Sam Bennett recorded the other goal for the Panthers, who won their third straight. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots. Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who stretched their point streak to eight games (4-0-4) despite the loss. Elvis Merzlikins made 19 saves. Avalanche 5, Kraken 1 Nathan MacKinnon scored his NHL-leading 44th goal of the season and added three assists as visiting Colorado swept away Seattle. Martin Necas had a goal and an assist while Nicolas Roy, Nazem Kadri and Joel Kiviranta also scored for the league-leading Avalanche, who have won six of their past seven games. Devon Toews added two assists, and Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves. Ryker Evans scored for the Kraken, who lost their fourth in a row. Joey Daccord was pulled after allowing three goals on 15 shots in the first period, with Philipp Grubauer stopping nine of the 11 shots he faced the rest of the way. Sharks 4, Bruins 2 Massachusetts native Collin Graf scored the eventual game-winning goal while short-handed, propelling San Jose to a win at Boston. Michael Misa, Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund each logged a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who improved to 4-1-2 in their past seven games and swept the season series. Alex Nedeljkovic had 39 saves in the win. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, Fraser Minten also scored and Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who took their first regulation loss in a four-game span (2-0-1). Boston also had its 13-game home win streak end. Flames 5, Devils 4 Mikael Backlund scored a key third-period goal for his 600th point and John Beecher had two goals as Calgary held on for a win over New Jersey in Newark, N.J. Backlund, who has played his entire 18-year career in Calgary, scored 4:10 into the third for his milestone point that made it a 5-2 game in favor of the Flames, who also got goals from ex-Devils Kevin Bahl and Yegor Sharangovich. Backlund’s score proved vital as Jack Hughes notched a goal around the midway point of the third and brother Luke scored via a 6-on-4 scenario in the final seconds for the Devils, who have lost two straight after winning four in a row. The brothers also each had an assist, while Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov both scored. Maple Leafs 6, Ducks 4 Matthew Knies recorded a goal and three assists as Toronto defeated visiting Anaheim but lost captain Auston Matthews to a lower-body injury. Matias Maccelli logged a goal and two assists while William Nylander and John Tavares had one goal and one assist apiece for the Maple Leafs, who ended an eight-game skid (0-6-2). Matthews and Benoit-Olivier Groulx also scored. Joseph Woll made 36 saves in the Leafs’ first home win since Jan. 10, ending an 0-6-2 home skid. Cutter Gauthier, Ian Moore, Pavel Mintyukov and Alex Killorn scored for the Ducks, who have lost two of three. Jeffrey Viel notched two assists, and Lukas Dostal stopped 22 shots. Blackhawks 3, Mammoth 2 (OT) Connor Bedard scored with 1:03 left in overtime for Chicago, which beat Utah in Salt Lake City for its second win over the Central Division rival this week. Bedard also added an assist as the Blackhawks swept the four-game season series with the Mammoth. Frank Nazar extended his points streak to five games with a goal and an assist. Spencer Knight made 29 saves and ended a personal four-game losing streak (0-3-1). Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka scored for the Mammoth. Karel Vejmelka stopped 20 shots for Utah, which lost its third straight but is 3-1-2 in its past six. Canucks 4, Predators 3 (SO) Jake DeBrusk scored the only goal of the shootout as Vancouver rallied to beat visiting Nashville. Marco Rossi had a goal and two assists while Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek had a goal and an assist each for the Canucks, who snapped a five-game skid (0-3-2) on home ice. Vancouver goalie Nikita Tolopilo wasn’t beaten in the shootout after finishing with 16 saves through regulation and overtime. Tyson Jost scored two goals, Matthew Wood added a goal and Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators, who are 3-4-3 in their past 10 games. Golden Knights 6, Penguins 2 Pavel Dorofeyev scored two goals and also had an assist as Vegas snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Pittsburgh in Las Vegas. Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel each had a goal and an assist, Colton Sissons and Brayden McNabb also scored and Braeden Bowman had two assists for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill made 24 saves in the win. Rickard Rakell and Ben Kindel scored goals and Ryan Shea had two assists for the Penguins, who took their fifth loss in six games (1-3-2). Arturs Silovs finished with 11 saves. ====================================================================== GOLF MAVERICK MCNEALY, SEPP STRAKA AMONG 5 TIED FOR THE PLAYERS LEAD PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sahith Theegala and Sepp Straka formed a tie for the lead in Thursday’s weather-hit opening round of The Players Championship when play was suspended in fading light. Surprise package Austin Smotherman, one of four players yet to complete the opening round, has a chance to seize the outright lead when play resumes on Friday as he faces a 15-foot birdie putt on his final hole — the par-5 ninth. Smotherman was at 5 under after mixing four birdies with a lone bogey on his back nine, but he regretted playing a chip shot from 40 yards out before deciding to mark his ball on the green and return the following morning to complete his round. “It was just getting so dark,” said Smotherman, a three-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour who was a runner-up at last month’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. “Greens are getting — I mean, the rain softened them enough to where spike marks, footprints, all that stuff’s kind of adding up. “So a 15-, 16-footer, whatever I have. I mean, it’s not worth it right now (and he will) get fresh greens in the morning, which is the benefit of that. Do I wish I hit the chip in the morning as well? Went back and forth. The fact I was even questioning it, I probably should have maybe backed off.” McNealy, Hodges, Theegala and Straka fired matching 5-under-par 67s on a day of mixed weather conditions at TPC Sawgrass, where the course was relatively firm in the morning before being softened by early afternoon thunderstorms. Former world No. 1 amateur McNealy, who teed off in the morning wave, reeled off five birdies in his first 12 holes on his way to an early one-shot lead. He was then caught late in the day by fellow American Hodges, who birdied two of his last three holes, and Austrian Straka, who eagled the par-5 16th with a chip-in from 50 feet. “It was a very straightforward chip,” said Straka, who has won four times on the PGA Tour with his most recent victory coming at last year’s Truist Championship. “It was just off the green, upslope in the first cut. It was about as easy as they come, and I was able to take advantage of it.” American Theegala made it a four-way tie at the top after covering his back nine in 3 under, highlighted by a hole-out eagle at the par-4 12th where he hit a stunning 99-yard approach from the right fairway, his ball bouncing sharply to the left off the fringe before disappearing into the cup. “I hit it a little skinny and just came out a little right,” said Theegala, whose only PGA Tour victory came at the 2023 Fortinet Championship. “Got a nice bounce … it was probably going to spin left off that slope, was probably going to go like 20, 25 feet down that slope, just straight left of the hole. So for it to crash into the pin and go in is pretty cool. It’s a nice bonus.” World No. 6 Russell Henley and fellow American Justin Thomas, who won this event in 2021 and is making his second PGA Tour start of the year after undergoing back surgery in November, were among a group of four players who opened with 68s on a tightly bunched leaderboard. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, bidding for a rare third victory at The Players Championship, produced a mixed bag as he opened with an even-par 72. He birdied his final hole, the par-5 ninth, following consecutive bogeys. “I did some good things, changing weather out there, but overall I felt like I gave away some shots,” said Scheffler, who clinched his 20th career victory on the PGA Tour at The American Express in January. “Hoping to clean it up a little bit the next few days. “It can get very challenging when you get some high winds like we had this morning. It can get even more challenging when you’re playing from the rough, which I felt like I was doing a bit too much of today … I struck it better on the back nine. Just made a few mental errors and just need to be a little bit sharper the next few days.” World No. 2 and defending champion Rory McIlroy, looking to shrug off a back injury that led to his withdrawal from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, experienced a frustrating day as he battled to a 74. Often wayward off the tee, he mixed three bogeys with a lone birdie to finish seven strokes off the pace. “I would say the most discomfort was like when the ball was below my feet or with chipping,” McIlroy replied when asked if his back had posed any problems. “Just like getting down a little bit to it. Honestly, overall it was fine. Got a little bit tired at the end of the day, but yeah, it was actually all pretty good.” The elite Players Championship field is one of the strongest in the game with the top 10 golfers in the world rankings — and 47 of the top 50 — assembled at TPC Sawgrass for the tournament’s 52nd edition. However, World No. 4 Collin Morikawa withdrew from the tournament due to a back injury after playing just one hole on Thursday. After teeing off on the 10th hole and making a par, he experienced some discomfort while taking a practice swing on the 11th tee box. BRYSON DECHAMBEAU, JON RAHM AMONG LEADERS AT LIV SINGAPORE Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm are among four players tied for the lead at 4-under par following the opening round of LIV Golf Singapore on Thursday, but the leaders should feel far from comfortable. Lee Westwood of England and Canadian Richard Lee, an LIV wild card, also shot first-round 68s, giving the group a one-stroke lead over seven players tied for fifth place and 10 more who are two back and tied for 12th. The golfers had to contend with hot and windy conditions at the Sentosa Golf Club, and DeChambeau said a primary goal is “staying competitive with that leaderboard. It’s about hitting better iron shots, better drivers and making sure I’m on those uncomfortable holes comfortable.” Despite the number of players under par — 30 — the course was made tougher by the wind. Only two golfers played a bogey-free round. “There’s a lot of trouble out there,” Westwood said. “You don’t have to get much out of position for it to become tricky. Obviously you do get it in the rough, the rough is not that long, but it is flying rough. You lose a lot of control over the golf ball. “But the golf course is in incredible condition. The greens are some of, if not the best I’ve ever seen, certainly in Asia but anywhere, really. There’s no excuse for missing putts on these greens. You start them on line, they really do hold the line and stay true.” He was pleased with his no-bogey round. “I started last week with no bogeys the first round. It’s a good habit to get into, really, first round with no bogeys,” he said. “But this week feels better because the golf course is so demanding.” Rahm, who had five birdies and a bogey for his round of 68, said putting and accuracy will be the keys this week. “This golf course is not easy. The greens are firm. They’re very, very good. They’re rolling great,” Rahm said. “So if you’re feeling good with the putter, you can have a lot of good chances. But it’s not easy. You’ve got to hit fairways and be really accurate with the mid-irons.” Lee won LIV Promotions in January to earn one of three wild-card spots in the league this season. The best finish ever by a wild card is a T12. “That could possibly change this week,” he said. “I mean, I’ve played this course so many times on the Asian Tour, and I think I have a bit of an advantage on this course knowing where the slopes are and where to miss it. I think it’s going to be a great week.” The group that stands one shot back after rounds of 69 includes South African Louis Oosthuizen, Tyrrell Hatton of England and Charles Howell III. Joaquin Niemann of Chile posted a five-stroke win last season in the Singapore event. On Thursday, he shot a 70 to finish in the group of 10 golfers who are two shots off the lead. Others in the group include Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland, Cameron Smith of Australia and Anthony Kim, who won LIV Golf Australia last month. In the team competition, Rahm’s Legion XIII is at 11-under, based on his play as well as the scores of McKibbin and Hatton. DeChambeau’s Crushers GC is six strokes back at 5-under. ====================================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES INDIANA PACERS PHOENIX 123 INDIANA 108 Behind a season-high 43 points by All-Star guard Devin Booker and 36 from wing Jalen Green, the rising Phoenix Suns dealt the Indiana Pacers a 123-108 loss on Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Suns (38-27) held the Pacers (15-50) to just 20 points in the fourth quarter and outscored Indiana by 11 in the second half to sweep their regular-season series over the Blue & Gold. Indiana has now lost 11 straight games, while the Suns are riding a four-game winning streak. Pacers point guard Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points in 17 minutes, scoring all of them in the first half and not playing in the second half. While Indiana has struggled to stay healthy this season, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle delivered some major injury news pregame. Ivica Zubac, who Indiana acquired via a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 5, was available Thursday after missing more than a month with a left ankle sprain. Zubac accounted for eight points, six rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes of action in the first half before sitting out the second half. “Very good. The numbers translate to a double-double [over a full game],” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Zubac’s debut. “He was a big factor in the inside, his passing was a factor, his finishing around the basket was a factor. And his physicality is something that’s unique really in the entire league. A lot of good things. And look, it’s the first time that he’s played in a month. When you consider that, it’s pretty impressive.” Outside of Nembhard and Zubac, Jarace Walker scored 12 points, Ethan Thompson had 11 points, and Jay Huff, Ben Sheppard, and Jalen Slawson scored 10 points apiece for the Pacers. After Booker and Green, Royce O’Neale was the only double-digit scorer for the Suns with 15 points. Phoenix outshot Indiana 52.3 to 45.1 percent, won the rebounding battle 40-36 and the turnover margin 16-12. Seven Pacers players didn’t play against the Suns, including Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin. Phoenix outshot Indiana 56.8 to 52.5 percent in the first half to lead 67-61. Nembhard had 23 points on 86 percent shooting, while Booker recorded 21 points on 62 percent shooting in the half. The Pacers shot 58.3 percent in the first quarter, and the Suns were 56.5 percent from the field as the teams tied at 36. Nembhard carried Indiana’s offense with 11 points, while Booker had 15 for the Suns. Indiana could hardly miss to open the game, as the Pacers started 9-for-10 shooting, with Nembhard accounting for eight points on 4-for-5 shooting, to lead 20-18 midway through the period. Zubac’s first points as a Pacer came on an alley-oop slam off a feed from Ethan Thompson. While an 11-3 Suns run put the visitors in front momentarily, the Pacers closed the final 1:22 of the opening quarter on a 6-2 run to re-tie the game at 36. Neither team could get much separation early in the second quarter until the Suns mustered a 20-4 run, behind five different scorers, to lead 60-46 with 4:10 left in the first half. Nembhard then drilled a pair of 3-pointers and hit five free throws in the final 3:41 of the half to cut the deficit to 67-61. Booker scored 19 points in the third quarter to help the Suns go in front 96-88 heading into the final frame. The Pacers chipped away at the deficit early in the third quarter, using a 9-2 run — where Sheppard scored five points — to make it 81-77 with 5:03 on the clock. Indiana then continued to battle, pulling within a possession at 86-84, but in the final 1:55 Booker scored nine points during an 11-4 scoring stretch to put the Suns ahead by eight points. The Suns constructed a 14-6 run to open the fourth quarter, with Green scoring eight points, to put Phoenix ahead 110-94. Six straight points by Thompson and free throws from Potter and Slawson made it 115-106 with 3:53 remaining, but the Pacers never got any closer the rest of the way. The Pacers will complete their home back-to-back Friday against the New York Knicks. Inside the Numbers There were 10 ties and seven lead changes in the game, all coming in the first half. Jalen Slawson, who is currently on a two-way contract with the Pacers, scored his first career NBA points on Thursday. He finished with multiple career highs in just his second NBA game, posting 10 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Andrew Nembhard shot 6-for-7 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line for 23 points in the first half. Zubac accounted for six of the Pacers’ 14 rebounds in the first half. At the free throw line, the Pacers shot 22-for-25 and the Suns made 18 of 22. The Pacers assisted on 24 of 37 made baskets Both teams scored 46 points int he paint. GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS KNICKS The Pacers (15-51) will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night for a playoff rematch against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks (42-25). Indiana will be on the second night of a back-to-back after falling 123-108 to Phoenix on Thursday night. The Knicks were already in Indianapolis last night after a 134-117 win on Wednesday in Utah. Indiana has dropped 11 straight contests, but the Pacers got a nice lift on Thursday as 7-foot center Ivica Zubac made his long-awaited Pacers debut. Zubac — acquired from the Clippers at the trade deadline on Feb. 5 — only played 16 minutes in the first half as he eases his way back after missing the last several weeks to rehab a sprained ankle. But he made a major impact. Zubac tallied eight points, six rebounds, and two assists while going 4-for-6 from the field. His physical screens also opened up more space for point guard Andrew Nembhard to operate. Nembhard scored 23 points in the first half — the most points he’s scored in a half in his career. “He was a big factor in the inside, his passing was a factor, his finishing around the basket was a factor,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Zubac’s debut. “And his physicality is something that’s unique really in the entire league. A lot of good things. And look, it’s the first time that he’s played in a month. When you consider that, it’s pretty impressive.” The Knicks are in third place in the East and trying to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Brunson leads the attack, averaging 26.2 points and 6.5 assists per game, while All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns contributes 20 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest. This will be the first of two games in five days between the Pacers and the Knicks. They will meet again on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Projected Starters Pacers: G – Andrew Nembhard, G – Ethan Thompson, F – Kobe Brown, F – Jarace Walker, C – Ivica Zubac Knicks: G – Jalen Brunson, G – Landry Shamet, F – Mikal Bridges, F – OG Anunoby, C – Karl-Anthony Towns Injury Report Pacers: T.J. McConnell – questionable (sore right hamstring), Andrew Nembhard – questionable (sore lower back/neck), Aaron Nesmith – questionable (right ankle injury management), Obi Toppin – questionable (right foot injury management), Ivica Zubac – questionable (left ankle sprain), Quenton Jackson – out (sore right calf), Pascal Siakam – out (right knee sprain), Johnny Furphy – out (right ACL tear), Tyrese Haliburton – out (right Achilles tendon tear) Knicks: Josh Hart – questionable (sore left knee), Karl-Anthony Towns – questionable (bi-lateral knee soreness), Miles McBride – out (pelvic core muscle surgery) Last Meeting Feb. 10, 2026: The Pacers didn’t think they would need overtime to beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. But after a last-second foul call allowed New York to extend the game, Indiana dominated the start of the extra session, scoring the first nine points in overtime and holding the Knicks without a point for the first 4:20 of overtime. It got interesting from there, but in the end, the Pacers walked away with a 137-134 win over a New York team that entered the night tied for second place in the Eastern Conference. The first four quarters featured 16 ties and 39 lead changes — the most lead changes in an NBA game this season. The Pacers led from the 3:38 mark of regulation until the final 0.2 seconds, when Karl-Anthony Towns made two free throws to force overtime. Undeterred, the Pacers quickly surged ahead in the extra session, taking a 128-124 lead following back-to-back baskets by Pascal Siakam and Quenton Jackson. The defense locked the Knicks down, with Jackson providing what felt like the dagger by knocking down his fourth three of the night with 1:33 remaining. Siakam scored 30 points to lead eight Pacers in double figures, while Andrew Nembhard recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists. Making his 10th start of the season, Jackson went 4-for-6 from 3-point range while tallying 19 points and six rebounds. Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 40 points on 15-of-31 shooting (4-of-14 from 3-point range) and also dished out eight assists. Towns added 22 points and 14 boards, but fouled out in overtime. Noteworthy The season series between the Pacers and the Knicks is tied 1-1, with the road team winning each of the first two contests. Indiana and New York have met nine times in the playoffs. The Pacers are 6-3 in those series, including wins over New York in the second round in 2024 and the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers are 3-7 on the season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back and 2-3 when playing on the second night of a back-to-back at home. Broadcast Information (Where to Watch and Listen to Pacers Games >>) TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host) Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host) ====================================================================== INDY IGNITE NO. 1 IGNITE MAKE MORE HISTORY WITH LATEST VICTORY FISHERS, Ind. (March 12, 2026) – Each night they play in 2026, the first place Indy Ignite seem to set new standards. Toppling defending Major League Volleyball champion Orlando in straight sets tonight at Fishers Event Center extended the Ignite’s win streak to eight, the third longest in league annals. It also pushed Indy’s overall record to 14-2—the best start in MLV history. Another explosive attack, particularly late in each set, launched the Ignite to victory by scores of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-17. Indy compiled a sensational 49.5% hitting percentage and 38.1% kill efficiency, both season highs. Four players scored in double figures, another well-rounded effort coordinated by setter Mia Tuaniga’s 43 assists (a sizzling 14.3 per set average) as the Ignite closed out their fifth sweep of the year. “We had great composure today, I thought,” Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci said. “It was a difficult game. They changed their lineups a lot, they did a few things pretty good, they served really well. We had a little bit of trouble there, but we were very composed and we were able to play our game around that.” “Very happy with that 50% kill,” Bertolacci added. “I would like to see that more often. It was a really great attacking game from the whole team. If we can keep that offensive pressure up and it’s not always going to be easy to get that 50%, but we’re definitely aiming to keep it high and win games.” The relentless Indy attack drew praise from Orlando coach Amy Pauly, whose team lost to the Ignite for the third straight time in 2026 and fell to 8-9 this season. “What the Ignite do so well is that there’s not just one player,” Pauly said. “They have weapons everywhere on the floor, so you have to be really aggressive from the service line to try to get them out of their rhythm and try to make Tuaniga run around a lot and make it hard for her to set the offense. “With Indy specifically, we wanted to shut Lydia Martyn down,” Pauly continued. “We think when Lydia gets shut down, it makes things harder for everybody else. And she had a fantastic night. After that, it was just, can we serve tough and get them out of rhythm, which I think we did exceptionally well in the second set and then just couldn’t close out for us.” Indy’s attack wore down Orlando in each set. The opening frame was tied at 17 until the Ignite went on an 8-3 run to close it out, keyed by two kills and a block from opposite hitter Camryn Hannah. Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh paced the Ignite with six kills and a block in the set, with middle blocker Martyn a perfect 4-for-4 in kill attempts. The Valkyries marched to an 18-14 lead in the second set, forcing Bertolacci to use a timeout. She inserted opposite hitter Azhani Tealer into the lineup at that point and the 2025 All-MLV First Team selection responded to the task, igniting her team by scoring four of Indy’s next six points during an 8-1 run. A pair of Martyn kills terminated the set and put Indy ahead 2-0. “When you haven’t played for a second and you’re on the bench, you kind of realize how fun it is to be out there,” said Tealer, whose playing time was limited the past six matches as she recovers from an ankle injury. “I just wanted to have fun because I missed being out there, so just going in there and having a little fun and changing the energy and hopefully going back and winning the set. So, we did that.” The third set followed a similar pattern. The teams were locked at 15 when the Ignite tide swept the Valkyries away with a 10-2 outburst for game, set and match. Five Indy players – Tuaniga, Martyn, Tealer, Member-Meneh and outside hitter Anna DeBeer – each contributed to the run as all 10 points were generated by the Ignite offense. DeBeer wound up the leading match scorer with 14 points (11 kills, three blocks). Member-Meneh added 13 points (12 kills, one block) and Tealer had 11 points (10 kills, one block) in just 1.5 sets of action. Martyn scored all 10 of her points on kills, using just 13 attempts in an error-free night (76.9% kill percentage and efficiency). “It felt great,” Martyn said. “We’ve been really working hard in the gym, just to clean up a little technique stuff, and it’s slowly getting there. … To be honest, this (kills percentage) number, it’s very surprising because I never really look at these, but I am proud of myself for that.” The Ignite head to Omaha for a match with the Supernovas at 8 p.m. ET Saturday that airs on the Roku Sports Channel. Indy’s next home match is March 19 against Columbus. For ticket information, visit IndyIgniteVB.com. ==================================================================== INDIANA BASEBALL BASEBALL CENTRAL: OREGON BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the first time in program history, the Indiana Baseball team (7-9, 1-2 B1G) heads to Eugene for a three-game set with Oregon. The two sides will play the first weekend set as conference rivals beginning on Friday (March 13) at PK Park. IU holds a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series entering the week. It is the final of the four new west coast programs that the Hoosiers will meet in Big Ten action. The first two games of the series will be carried on B1G+ before Big Ten Network picks up Sunday’s finale (March 15, 3:30 p.m. ET). Oregon is the first of five road series that IU will play in the league this year. The Hoosiers are riding the big bat of sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley into a big weekend matchup in Eugene. The Mason, Ohio native is hitting .344 in his second season of college baseball with three home runs and 15 RBIs. He has five doubles and has walked eight times. He has found his groove as of late which features a .450 batting average in the last 10 contests. The top five hitters in IU’s lineup, by batting average, are all sophomores. All of them are hitting at least .300 this year and have combined for 63 RBIs. Sophomore third baseman Will Moore has been on a tear in the month of March, hitting .471 (8-17) in five games since the calendar turned. He has an on-base percentage of .625 over the past week’s contests. With spring break beginning this weekend, IU will spend six days on the road between a series at Oregon (March 13-15) and a midweek contest at Vanderbilt (March 17). It’s an important swing of the season as the Hoosiers look to pick up some resume-building victories. First stop is Eugene on Friday evening for a first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET. Gameday Info at Oregon (Friday, March 13th – 7:05 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/4sE1d0y Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j at Oregon (Saturday, March 14th – 5:05 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/4sC49e9 Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j at Oregon (Sunday, March 15th – 3:30 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/3Pds0Cw Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j Probable Starters Indiana at Oregon • Friday: RHP Reagan Rivera, Gr. (0-2, 13.50 ERA) • Saturday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (1-1, 1.96 ERA) • Sunday: LHP Brayton Thomas, So. (1-1, 3.12 ERA) (subject to change with any weather changes) Leading Off MOORE’S BIG DAY: Sophomore third baseman Will Moore had a career effort to beat Wright State on Tuesday. He recorded a career high four hits and reached base safely in all six plate appearances. On the season, he’s worked his batting average to .333 and his on-base percentage to .485. BIG SWINGS: When sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie produces runs, he does it in bunches. He had five RBIs on Tuesday. In his collegiate career, he has more games with four-plus RBIs (three) than he does with just one RBI (one). The win over Wright State was also the second three-hit day of his career. GETTING ON BASE: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny has an active reached-base streak of 22 games, dating back to last year. If he reaches safely in all three games against Oregon, he will be the eighth player in the Jeff Mercer era with a streak of 25 games-or-longer. BIG TIME TONY: Graduate student southpaw Tony Neubeck has been a revelation for IU this season. He’s got a 1.96 ERA over 18.1 innings of action entering the weekend. In his last two starts he’s combined for 14 strikeouts and zero walks over 11.1 innings. STEALING BAGS: Redshirt junior outfielder Ayden Crouse has swiped nine bags in the early portion of the season this year. He’s only been thrown out on two occasions. The most steals by a player in the Jeff Mercer era was Bobby Whalen (22) in 2022. Crouse has a chance to break that this year. THROUGH THE B1G: This weekend will feature the first series against Oregon in program history. It will be the last team, currently in the league, that IU will take on in a conference weekend. IU is still searching for a series victory over a new west coast program. The Hoosiers are 1-0 all-time against the Ducks. HANLEY HEATING UP: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley is starting to do exactly what people thought he would: hit. The Ohio native is hitting .450 (18-40) over his last 10 games. In that stretch, he’s recorded five walks and only struck out six times. He’s slugging .700 in that timeframe. STEADY SEEBOLD: Graduate right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold has been the high-leverage arm for IU this season. He still hasn’t allowed a run over five appearances and 13.2 innings on the year. He is first out of the bullpen in a potential win situation. BALANCED OFFENSE: Entering the weekend, IU has gotten production from all over the order. Six different IU players have at least 10 RBIs on the season. Those same athletes have all homered at least once. Eight Hoosiers have double-digit base knocks. NEED WINS: IU missed a handful of opportunities for marquee wins early in the season. Now, a four-game stretch against Oregon (3) and Vanderbilt will provide more chances. If IU has at-large aspirations, it starts by winning some games over its spring break trip. Scouting the Opponent Oregon • The defending Big Ten Champions are off to a great start once again and have hopes of repeating a top the league in 2026. The Ducks are 14-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play after winning a series at Purdue last weekend. Oregon already owns wins over Vanderbilt and Arizona. • Oregon’s offense is hitting .312 on the year. It plays in a hitter-friendly stadium at PK Park and can put up runs quickly. Drew Smith is leading the way with a .472 batting average (25-53). Angel Laya and Jax Gimenez are both hitting above .350. The Ducks have slugged 33 home runs in 17 games and have driven in 142 runs. • There are no weaknesses on the mound where Oregon is pitching to the tune of a 3.26 ERA. Friday ace Will Sanford has allowed just two earned runs over 19.2 innings and has a 3-0 record. Collin Clarke has already pitched 24.2 innings in just four starts. Each of Oregon’s weekend starters has a 2.55 ERA or better. Inside the Series Oregon • This will be the first weekend matchup against Oregon in program history. It is the last of the current Big Ten programs that IU hasn’t played in a three-game conference set. The Hoosiers are still looking for their first win in a weekend series against a new west coast program. • These two sides have played just once (1979) in program history. Oregon disbanded its program between 1980 and 2008 before restarting it again in 2009. This is the Ducks’ second season in the Big Ten. ==================================================================== INDIANA MEN’S GOLF INDIANA TO PLAY IN 46TH ANNUAL SCHENKEL INVITATIONAL BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana men’s golf program will return to competition at the Schenkel Invitational. The 15-team, three-day event is scheduled for March 13-15 at the Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro. TOURNAMENT INFORMATION Schenkel Invitational • Statesboro, Ga. Forest Heights Country Club Par 72 • 7,123 yards Live Scoring via Scoreboard TEAMS COMPETING (15) Army, Augusta, Georgia Southern, Indiana, Maryland, Miami (Ohio), Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Marquette, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Yale INDIANA LINEUP 1. Nick Piesen 2. Cole Starnes 3. Bradley Chill Jr 4. Neri Checcucci 5. Alec Cesare TOURNAMENT NOTES • The tournament field is headlined by No. 23 Notre Dame. Utah (No. 26), West Virginia (53), Georgia Southern (55), Mississippi State (57), and Marquette (76) rank inside the top 100 of the most recent Scoreboard rankings powered Clippd. The Hoosiers ranked No. 94 in the poll that was updated on March 11. • Indiana will be paired with Maryland and West Virginia in the first round. The field will be re-paired prior to the second and third rounds. • The first two rounds, played on Friday and Saturday, respectively, will tee off at 9 a.m. ET. Sunday’s final round will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET. • Now in its 46th year, the Schenkel Invitational is one of the most prestigious tournaments in collegiate golf. =================================================================== PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL KAUFMAN-RENN TABBED A FINALIST FOR THE MALONE AWARD WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue senior Trey Kaufman-Renn has been named a finalist for the Karl Malone Award given to the nation’s top power forward, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today. Kaufman-Renn is a finalist for the first time and is joined by Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and Connecticut’s Alex Karaban. Kaufman-Renn enters the postseason averaging 13.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 56.4 percent from the field and boasting a 1.76 assist-to-turnover ratio (79 / 45). In conference games, he is averaging 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists with a 1.88 (60 / 32) assist-to-turnover ratio. Kaufman-Renn is one of four players nationally to average at least 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting at least 55.0 percent from the field (Boozer, St. Bonaventure’s Frank Mitchell and Lindenwood’s Jadis Jones). Kaufman-Renn has been at his best entering the postseason, averaging 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists over the last six games. He needs five assists to become the sixth player in Purdue history with 1,500 career points, 700 rebounds and 225 assists. Kaufman-Renn and the Boilermakers face Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament third round tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET, at the United Center. #18 PURDUE STARTS FAST TO ROLL PAST NORTHWESTERN INTO BIG TEN QUARTERS #18 Purdue 81, Northwestern 68 (Postgame Notes) 18 Purdue never trailed in topping Northwestern 81-68 in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night in Chicago. The win improves Purdue to 24-8 overall and into Friday’s quarterfinal round against No. 11 Nebraska. Purdue has now played in the quarterfinals in every Big Ten Tournament since 2015. Purdue is the only team to have won at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament in each of the last five seasons (since the 2022 tournament). Purdue’s eight wins in the Big Ten Tournament since 2021-22 are the most in the conference, posting an 8-3 record in the event. Wisconsin is next with seven victories. Matt Painter improved to 19-17 in the Big Ten Tournament. His 19 tournament victories are the fourth most in tournament history. Purdue has won four straight games played in the United Center, winning the tournament title the last time it was played here (2023). Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer have tied a school record for most wins in a Big Ten Tournament with six. Purdue improved to 12-3 in games played away from Mackey Arena, with seven of the wins coming by at least 10 points. Purdue recorded 25 assists on 30 made field goals against just seven turnovers in the win over Northwestern. The Boilermakers now have a 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season, a current NCAA record. Purdue’s senior class has now won 111 games, the second most by a senior class in Purdue history. Purdue improved to 170-17 under Matt Painter when winning both the rebound and turnover battles in a game. Braden Smith tied a career high with 16 assists, the second most in a game in Purdue history. The other time he had 16 assists in a game came on Jan. 31, 2024, against Northwestern. The 16 assists are a Big Ten Tournament single-game record and his 66 career assists in Big Ten Tournament play are the most in league history. Smith moved into second place past Ed Cota and Chris Corchiani into second place on the NCAA career assists list with 1,045. He needs 32 assists to surpass Bobby Hurley for the record. Smith’s five games of 15 or more assists are the most in league history by three games (Jeremy Fears Jr., Isaiah Hawkins – 2). Smith’s 287 assists this season are now the fourth most in a season in Big Ten history. Smith owns the top (313 – 2025) and second-ranked (292 – 2024) marks. Oscar Cluff recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. When Cluff has a double-double, Purdue is 7-0. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 19 points with six rebounds and two assists. Kaufman-Renn went 8-of-9 from the field. In his last three games in the Big Ten Tournament, Kaufman-Renn is averaging 24.3 points per game, dating to last season. CHICAGO (AP) — Braden Smith had 16 assists to climb into second on the NCAA career list, and No. 18 Purdue outmuscled Northwestern for an 81-68 victory on Thursday that moved the Boilermakers into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff each scored 19 points for Purdue (24-8), and Cluff also grabbed 10 rebounds. The Boilermakers outrebounded the Wildcats 35-23 and enjoyed a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint. Smith is up to 1,045 assists in 142 career games, passing Ed Cota (1,030) and Chris Corchiani (1,038) with another smooth performance for the Boilermakers. Bobby Hurley is No. 1 with 1,076 assists in 140 games for Duke from 1989-93. Next up for Purdue is No. 11 Nebraska on Friday. The second-seeded Cornhuskers had a bye through the first three rounds. Nick Martinelli had 25 points for Northwestern (15-19), which advanced with wins over Penn State and Indiana on the first two days of the tournament. Jayden Reid finished with 19 points and nine assists. Northwestern played without Arrinten Page, a 6-foot-11 forward who missed his fourth consecutive game because of an illness. And the Wildcats definitely missed the junior’s size and physicality as the Boilermakers dominated inside. Purdue went on a 15-3 run to open a 38-15 lead with 5:47 left in the first half. Kaufman-Renn started the decisive stretch with a jumper in the paint, and Omer Mayer capped the surge with a fast-break layup off a Northwestern turnover. Another Kaufman-Renn basket helped Purdue to a 45-21 advantage at the break. The Boilermakers outscored the Wildcats 22-6 in the paint in the first half. It was a much better start for Purdue than the one it had in the regular-season meeting between the schools. Purdue trailed 34-25 at halftime before rallying for a 70-66 victory at Northwestern on March 4. =================================================================== PURDUE SOFTBALL PURDUE HOSTS OHIO STATE AT BITTINGER STADIUM WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Hot on an eleven-game win streak, the Boilers are set to host Ohio State for the beginning of Big Ten Play. After going 5-0 at the Boilermaker Classic, Purdue fought to continue the streak, earning a walk-off victory in the bottom of the tenth against Indiana State on Wednesday. The Boilers have continued to make their mark nationally, coming in at an RPI of 37 in the first rankings of the year. Junior, Moriah Polar, is the national leader in hits, and second in batting average, while leading the Big Ten in both categories. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS The Buckeyes come into the weekend series 8-13 on the season, and 2-1 in Big Ten play. Ohio State took the series win over Iowa, only losing the first game to the Hawkeyes. In their most recent game, Ohio State fell to Western Michigan in a high-scoring 11-10 game in Columbus. The Buckeyes lost all five games in their final preseason tournament before Big Ten play falling to Duke, Boston University, and fellow Big Ten foe, Northwestern. SERIES HISTORY Purdue and Ohio State have met 51 times in their histories, with the most recent matchup coming a year ago at Bittinger Stadium during the Big Ten Softball Tournament. The Boilers upset the Buckeyes who were the No. 21 team in the country and the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Prior to their postseason matchup, the Boilers were swept by Ohio State in Columbus during the regular season. The Buckeyes lead the overall series 27-24. PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE Friday, Mar. 13 – Military Appreciation Day, Pickleball Paddle Giveaway Saturday, Mar. 14 – Pi Day, Bark in the Park Sunday, Mar. 15 – Hammer Down Cancer ===================================================================== PURDUE BASEBALL PURDUE SET FOR FIRST SERIES VS MARYLAND SINCE 2023 GAMEDAY INFORMATION Purdue (10-5, 1-2 Big Ten) at Maryland (10-6, 0-0 Big Ten) March 13-15 / Stream B1G+ Series Opener: Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. ET Middle Game: Saturday, March 14 at 2 p.m. ET Series Finale: Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m. ET Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium / College Park, Md. PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS Friday: Cole Van Assen (Jr, RHP) vs. UMD’s Lance Williams (So, RHP) Saturday: Zach Erdman (Sr, LHP) vs. Evan Smith (R-So, LHP) Sunday: Jarvis Evans (Sr, LHP) vs. UMD’s Jake Yeager (So, RHP) SERIES HISTORY All-Time: Maryland leads 14-5 All-Time in College Park: Maryland leads 7-5 Purdue Under Greg Goff vs. UMD: Maryland leads 7-1 Last Series: Maryland won 2 of 3 (April 2023 in College Park) Purdue’s Last Series Win: Purdue swept a 3-game set (April 2018 in College Park) First Meeting: Maryland 11, Purdue 1 (February 2012 in Greenville, N.C.) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball alternates home series and weekend road trips throughout Big Ten Conference play this season and weekend No. 2 of the league schedule takes the Boilermakers east for their first series with Maryland since April 2023. First pitch at Turtle Smith Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The Terrapins are beginning their conference schedule Friday after being among the seven teams to have their open weekends in the league schedule during the first weekend of March. The Boilermakers’ open weekend in Big Ten play is not until the first weekend of May when they host Murray State at Alexander Field. This spring marks the 10-year anniversary of Purdue’s first trip to the East Coast for Big Ten play. Since the league’s East Coast expansion in time for the 2014-15 school year, 12 of the 18 meetings with Maryland have been played in College Park. Besides the four West Coast teams that joined the league last year, UMD’s five games in West Lafayette are the fewest of any Big Ten team since 2015. Excluding league newcomer USC, Maryland is the only Big Ten team the Boilers have not played since the start of the 2024 campaign. PURDUE’S BIG TEN TRIPS TO THE EAST COAST Maryland & Rutgers joined the conference during the 2014-15 school year • April 2016: Lost 2 of 3 at Maryland (won on Friday) • April 2017: Lost 2 of 3 at Rutgers (won on Friday) • April 2018: Swept a 3-game series at Maryland • April 2019: Lost 2 of 3 at Rutgers (won on Saturday) • May 2021: Lost all 3 games of a series at Maryland • April 2023: Lost 2 of 3 at Maryland (won on Friday) • April 2024: Swept a 3-game series at Rutgers Combined Record: 10-11 Purdue is 0-4 in East Coast rubber games since 2016, the primary reason why its combined road record vs. Maryland and Rutgers is a game under .500. But the Boilermakers have also enjoyed a pair of East Coast series sweeps – both coming in even-numbered years and featuring memorable extra-innings victories. Both sweeps also helped ignite notable win streaks. The 2018 team’s program-record 13-game win streak began with a sweep at Maryland. Six years later, victories two, three and four of the 2024 team’s program-record 11-game win streak in Big Ten play were as part of an sweep at Rutgers. Even while dropping two of three in its last visit to College Park in April 2023, Purdue’s series-opening victory was the first on a Friday by a visiting team at Turtle Smith Stadium since May 2019. However, none of the current Boilermakers have previously played against Maryland (in a Purdue uniform at least) or at Turtle Smith Stadium. Cole Van Assen is Purdue’s longest-tenured player and his freshman season was 2024. Turtle Smith Stadium is regarded as a very hitter friendly ballpark while featuring among the smallest dimensions in the Big Ten. The Terps have outscored the opposition 77-40 while winning their first five home games, posting a double-figure run total in every game. Maryland also has series wins on the road at UNC Wilmington and Troy, both opponents winning at least 34 games last season. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello, a transfer from LSU, has powered the offense with nine home runs and 27 RBI while having more walks than strikeouts in 66 at-bats. He has accounted for 35% of UMD’s 26 home runs over the first 16 games, ranking second in the Big Ten. Ty Kaunas joined Purdue’s Westin Boyle as freshmen on the Brooks Wallace Award watch list (shortstop of the year award). WEEKEND #2 OF BIG TEN PLAY • Purdue (1-2) at Maryland (0-0) • Oregon (2-1) at Indiana (1-2) • Ohio State (0-3) at Washington (2-1) • Michigan (0-0) at UCLA (3-0) • USC (3-0) at Northwestern (0-0) • Iowa (0-0) at Penn State (0-0) • Minnesota (0-0) at Illinois (0-3) • Michigan State (0-3) at Rutgers (0-0) • Maine at Nebraska (3-0) – Non-Conference ACTIVE STREAKS • Brandon Rogers: 9-game on-base; 8-game on-base in Big Ten play (since April 27, 2025) • Aaron Manias: 6-game on-base • Zach Erdman: At least 5 strikeouts in 4 straight starts ALL IN THE SAME WEEKEND (March 6-8 vs. Oregon) • Friday: Pinch hit 3-run homer in Jimmy Dionne’s first career at-bat at Alexander Field …Purdue’s first pinch hit home run since May 2025 & just the second since St. Patrick’s Day 2023 • Saturday: Purdue won when the opposing pitcher threw a complete game …First time since March 2019 & first time at Alexander since April 2017 • Sunday: Inside-the-park 3-run homer from Sam Flores …Purdue’s first inside-the-parker since May 2018 & first at home since April 2014 ERDMAN IN PURDUE’S 2-1 WINS Aaron Manias delivered the 2-run single in both victories • Feb. 14 vs Portland: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K • March 7 vs Oregon: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 7 K • Combined: 13 IP, 8 H, 0 R, BB, 14 K PURDUE’S PINCH HIT HOME RUNS (since 2012) • March 6, 2026: Jimmy Dionne 3-run HR in 6th inning vs Oregon at Alexander Field • May 3, 2025: Keenan Spence solo HR in 7th inning vs Northwestern at Alexander Field • March 4, 2023: Mike Bolton Jr. solo HR in 8th inning vs Akron in Holly Springs, N.C. • March 2, 2022: Jake Jarvis solo HR in 9th inning at Charlotte • May 15, 2018: Evan Kennedy 2-run HR in 8th inning vs Oral Roberts at Alexander Field • May 15, 2012: Sean McHugh solo HR in 9th inning vs Indiana State at Lambert Field ======================================================================= NOTRE DAME MEN’S GOLF MEN’S GOLF OPENS SPRING BREAK TRIP WITH 6TH PLACE FINISH AT JOHNNIE-O AT SEA ISLAND ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team completed their second tournament of the spring season in Georgia this week at the Sea Island Resort with a sixth-place overall team finish and a score of 829 (-35) at the annual Johnnie-O at Sea Island event. Nate Stevens highlighted the weekend for the Irish, finishing the tourney 12 strokes under par. Through the two day tournament, Stevens finished the tournament with a final score of 204 (-12). Opening the first round with five birdies and a scorecard of 67 (-5) the senior ended the second round of the day with a score of 71 (-1). Finishing the final 18 holes with six birdies, three on each nine, Stevens’ 66 (-6) for a team best sixth-place finish as he jumped up 10 spots in the individual rankings on the final day. Jacob Modleski tallied a ninth-place finish to claim second best for the Irish to start the week. The junior opened the tournament with a round of 67 (-5) through the first 18 holes and in the second round tallied two eagles on the back nine to end with a score of 65 (-7). Hitting the links for the third and final round, Modleski wrapped up his tournament with three birdies to notch a third score of 73 (+1). Liam Pasternak finished the early spring break tournament with a score of 212 (-4), tied for 39th overall in the field. The freshman posted an opening round bulletin of 73 (+1) with three birdies on the back nine. Pasternak improved as the tournament progressed posting scores of 70 (-2) and 69 (-3) across the final 36 holes. Mike Qiu tied for 45th in the tournament posting a score of 214 (-2). The sophomore posted an opening round of 71 (-1) with four birdies across the front and back nines of the Plantation course at Sea Island Resort. Qiu then shot a 72 (E) and 71 (-1), respectively ,across the second and third rounds of the tournament for the minus-two finish. Calen Sanderson rounded out the field of Irish golfers in Georgia. The senior posted an overall score of 217 (+1) at the annual event. His first round was a 68 (-4) with four birdies before following it up with a second round score of 71 (-1) to close out the first two rounds. Sanderson’s final scorecard of the tournament was a 78 (+6) to close out things for Notre Dame in Georgia. The Irish hit the links again on March 13-15 as they are slated to compete at the Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia hosted by Georgia Southern. =================================================================== NOTRE DAME BASEBALL IRISH SQUARE OFF AGAINST CARDINALS IN ACC SERIES SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball closes out their spring break stint with an ACC series at Louisville. The three-game series begins Friday night with a 6:00 p.m. opener. DateTime (ET)OpponentLocationProbable StartersBroadcastMar. 13.6:00 PMLouisvilleJim Patterson StadiumRHP Jack Radel vs. LHP Ethan EberleACCNXMar. 146:00 PMLouisvilleJim Patterson StadiumLHP Caden Crowell vs. LHP Wyatt DanilowiczACCNMar. 151:00 PMLouisvilleJim Patterson StadiumRHP Ty Uber vs. RHP Jake BeanACCNX THE MATCHUP The Irish trail in the all-time series 13-41. The Irish are coming off an 11-6 midweek win against Queens. The Cardinals Cardinals won a pair of midweek contests against Marshall. LAST TIME OUT Notre Dame scored five unanswered runs in the eighth and ninth innings to take an 11-6 win over the Royals. Mark Quatrani went 4-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored. Jamie Zee scored three times and had a solo home run for the Irish. Oisin Lee went 1.1 on the bump and took the win in relief. TOP TALENT The Irish have six players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position. Sophomore Bino Watters was the 17th ranked first baseman. Junior Jack Radel was 29th on the starting pitchers list. Junior Mark Quatrani was 49th on the catchers list. Graduate student Drew Berkland was 63rd on the outfielders report. Sophomore Oisin Lee came in at 74th on the relief pitchers list. Junior Davis Johnson was listed at 132nd in the outfielder rankings. Additionally, Notre Dame had representation on the D1Baseball Impact Freshman List as Caden Crowell came in at No. 9 on the ranking. ====================================================================== NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL IRISH SET FOR WEEKEND SERIES AT NO. 19/20 STANFORD SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team concludes its California spring break trip this weekend when the Irish head to No. 19/20 Stanford for a three-game conference series at the brand new Stanford Softball Stadium. Notre Dame plays the Cardinal Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT. All games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. Notes: The Irish are coming off an 8-6 comeback win over UC Santa Barbara Wednesday. Notre Dame scored three in the seventh courtesy of RBI doubles from Rebecca Eckart and Olivia Levitt to take the lead. Brianne Weiss shut the door, striking out six in 3.1 scoreless frames to pick up the win.The Irish will look to pick up their first conference win of the season. Notre Dame is 0-3 so far in ACC action. The Irish are looking for their first ever win against the Cardinal. Notre Dame is 0-6 historically against Stanford and 0-2 all-time on the road In last year’s series, Eckart hit her first career homer in the series finale on March 23, 2025 10 players on the Notre Dame roster are from the state of California ===================================================================== BUTLER FOOTBALL BUTLER ADDS TWO COACHES TO 2026 FOOTBALL STAFF INDIANAPOLIS – Head Football Coach Kevin Lynch has announced the hiring of Jordan Grimes and Sam Costantino to the 2026 coaching staff. Grimes and Costantino bring a plethora of experience and knowledge to the program. “I’m excited to welcome Sam and Jordan to the staff,” said Head Coach Kevin Lynch. “Both bring great energy and enthusiasm to the program and will be great additions to the Bulldog family. They stood out throughout the hiring process with their attention to detail and passion for what they do.” Grimes joins the Butler staff as the cornerbacks coach. A native of Indianapolis and a graduate of Lawrence Central High School, Grimes returns to his hometown after serving as a defensive assistant and cornerbacks coach at his alma mater, the University of Findlay, in 2025. During his time at Findlay, Grimes was instrumental in developing one of the premier secondary units in the G-MAC. In 2023, he helped lead a defense that featured ball-hawking play, as the team tied for the conference lead in interceptions. Under his guidance, the Oilers’ defensive backs consistently ranked among the top of the league in pass breakups and forced turnovers, establishing a high standard of play for the cornerbacks group. As a student-athlete, Grimes was a standout defensive back at both Wittenberg University and the University of Findlay. In his final season at Findlay in 2023, he was named Second Team All-G-MAC after appearing in 11 games and recording 40 tackles, including 4.0 tackles-for-loss. He tied for the conference lead with five interceptions, returning them for 137 yards, and added five pass breakups to his career totals. His performance was highlighted by an impressive streak of recording interceptions in three consecutive games against Thomas More, Walsh, and Ohio Dominican. Prior to his collegiate career, Grimes was a high-impact player at Lawrence Central, where he was ranked among the top 50 in Division 6A for total tackles during his senior season. He finished his final high school campaign with 71 tackles and was a key leader for the Bears’ defense in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC). Grimes earned his degree from the University of Findlay. Costantino joins the Butler coaching staff as the wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator. A native of Middlesex, N.J., Costantino arrives at Butler after successful stints at Bucknell University and his alma mater, the University of Dayton. During his coaching tenure at Dayton, Costantino served as the wide receivers coach, recruiting coordinator, and co-special teams coordinator. He was instrumental in developing one of the most productive receiving corps in the Pioneer Football League, coaching four all-conference players and a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in the FCS. In 2024, his impact extended to special teams, where he oversaw a unit that ranked first in the conference in punt return average and fifth nationally in PFF’s special teams rankings. Costantino’s coaching journey began shortly after his playing days, with stops as a graduate assistant at Ball State and an offensive quality control coach at Eastern Illinois. Constantino worked with Coach Lynch at Ball state during his time with the Cardinals early in his career. He also gained valuable experience as a cornerbacks coach and co-special teams coordinator at Westminster College. As a student-athlete, Costantino was a standout wide receiver at the University of Dayton from 2016 to 2019. A four-time member of the PFL Academic Honor Roll, he was part of a 2019 Flyers squad that finished the season with the No. 1 scoring offense in the FCS, averaging 42.5 points per game. Before his collegiate career, he was a New Jersey Top-50 wide receiver at Immaculata High School. Costantino graduated from Dayton with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in marketing with a concentration in sales management. ===================================================================== BUTLER SOFTBALL PREVIEW: BIG EAST COMPETITION BEGINS AT VILLANOVA DATE: Friday, March 13 – Sunday, March 15 LOCATION: Villanova, Pa. / Villanova Softball Complex LIVE STATS: butlersports.com (statbroadcast) LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ The Butler softball team opens conference play this weekend, traveling to Villanova for a three-game BIG EAST series. The Bulldogs (7-9, 0-0 BIG EAST) are coming of a weekend in the Nashville, Tenn., area where they picked up wins over Western Michigan and Lipscomb. The Wildcats (5-19, 2-1 BIG EAST) went 2-1 last weekend in a conference series at DePaul and most recently defeated Monmouth in a midweek contest. Bulldog Bits at the Maynard Invitational Makena Alexander earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition after slashing .545/.647/.909 and generating nine RBIs over four games. Olivia Robards cracked five doubles in the doubleheader at Lipscomb on Sunday — three in game one and a pair in the nightcap. Alyx Johnson picked up the first two wins of her career — vs. Western Michigan and vs. Lipscomb. BIG EAST coaches ranked Butler 6th in the 2026 Preseason Poll. The St. John’s Red Storm was voted preseason favorite behind six first place votes and a league-best 62 points. Creighton and UConn followed, in the tie for the second spot, with 51 points each. Villanova (50) ranked fourth, and Providence (32) came in fifth. With 31 points, Butler landed in the sixth spot. Series History Butler leads: 15-14 Butler won a 13-10 game in last season’s BIG EAST Tournament. Butler won two of three in last season’s BIG EAST series in Indianapolis. Butler won two of three in 2024, but Villanova won two of three in 2023. Butler has won six of the last 10 contests. SCOUTING VILLANOVA (5-19, 2-1 BIG EAST) BIG EAST series: 2-1 at DePaul Villanova has a pair of wins over Bucknell and another over Monmouth. Losses for the Wildcats include Michigan (2), Virginia Tech (2), Georgia Tech (2), Alabama (2), East Carolina (2), Charlotte, Michigan State, Virginia, Kansas, Florida Atlantic, and USI. 2026 Villanova stats* compared to (Butler) Ave. .246, (.314), Runs 86 (113), Hits 143 (137), RBI 79 (106), SB 9 (34), ERA 6.77 (7.02) ==================================================================== BUTLER BASEBALL WICHITA, Kan. – Butler fell to Wichita State 27-3 on Thursday evening. With the loss, Butler slides to 4-13 on the season and the Shockers improve to 12-6. BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS Matthew Rhoades hit his sixth homer in the last five games. David Ayers and Chris Lewis each recorded a hit. Will White tallied a hit and a run scored. Caiden Brezinski and Easton Moore both tallied a hit. HOW IT HAPPENED Butler got on the board first in the top of the first courtesy of Rhoades’ sixth home run in the last five games. The Shockers plated two of their own in the bottom half of the frame as the Dawgs trailed 2-1 heading to the second. A walk and a leadoff single put runners on the corners for Butler with no outs. A ground out and a single plated two runs for the Dawgs as BU took the 3-2 lead into the bottom half of the inning. Wichita State responded with three runs on three hits and an error as the home side took the two-run advantage into the third. Behind six walks and four hits, the Shockers exploded for 11 runs in the bottom of the third as Butler trailed 16-3 after three innings of action. The Shockers tacked on two more in the fourth and seven in the fifth as the Dawgs trailed 25-3 heading into the sixth. Wichita State added two more in the sixth before the game ended in seven frames with the home side securing the 27-3 win. UP NEXT The Bulldogs will return to action tomorrow for game two of the series with Wichita State. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET / 3:05 p.m. CT. A link to live stats and a live stream are available on Butlersports.com. ====================================================================== IU INDY SOFTBALL IU INDY DROPS MIDWEEK GAME AT BELLARMINE, 7-4 LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The IU Indy softball team dropped a 7-4 decision to Bellarmine on Wednesday afternoon at Knights Field. The Jaguars (3-20) outhit the Knights 10-9 but were unable to overcome a four-run sixth inning by Bellarmine (7-16). IU Indy struck first in the second inning when Reese Rosenbaum delivered an RBI single to score Kalilah Dela Cruz and give the Jags a 1-0 lead. Bellarmine answered with a two-run double in the bottom half to take a 2-1 advantage. The Jaguars evened the score in the third in exciting fashion as Mae Munson stole home as part of a double steal with Paige McPhearson, tying the game at 2-2. IU Indy regained the lead in the fourth when Adeline Blackwell singled to center to bring home Rosenbaum and make it 3-2. Bellarmine responded with a run in the fourth to knot the game at 3-3 before breaking through in the sixth. A three-run home run highlighted the four-run frame that put the Knights ahead 7-3. IU Indy mounted a final push in the seventh. After a pair of base runners reached, Pallas Dominion singled to right to score Molly Kable and cut the deficit to 7-4. However, the Jaguars were unable to bring the tying run to the plate. Rosenbaum led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance and an RBI, while McPhearson added two hits, including a double. Lily Roush (1-6) took the loss in the circle for IU Indy. The Jaguars will return home for their home opener on Sunday, March 15, hosting Valparaiso for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. =================================================================== BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL MVB OVERTAKES THE BUCKEYES FOR 12TH-STRAIGHT WIN AT WORTHEN MUNCIE, Ind. – The 10th-ranked Ball State men’s volleyball team handed No. 16 Ohio State its fifth-straight loss in a hard-fought four-set victory (25-20, 26-28, 25-18, 25-23) inside Worthen Arena Thursday evening. The Cardinals (17-3, 8-2 MIVA) maintained its hold on second place in the conference standings while improving its home record to an unblemished 12-0. The victory also avenged a straight-set loss to the Buckeyes (9-9, 4-6 MIVA) from earlier this season (Feb. 19). Patrick Rogers led the charge once again for Ball State with a match-high 16 kills, hitting .419, along with a team-high five digs and three blocks. Ryan Louis added 11 kills, hitting .364 with five digs and four blocks. Braydon Savitski-Lynde tallied seven kills, two digs, and three blocks. Setter Lucas Machado orchestrated a Ball State offense that hit .440 for the match, recording 44 assists. Machado also totaled five kills and digs while capturing a career-high four aces. Middle blocker Daniel Günther led the Cardinals with five blocks, anchoring a defensive effort that out-blocked the Buckeyes 10.0-5.0. The Cardinals came out firing in the opening set, hitting .500 as a team. After an early 5-1 run sparked by a Machado ace, Ball State never trailed, eventually taking the frame 25-20 on an Ohio state service error. The second set was a marathon featuring eight tied scores. The Cardinals had the chance to go up two sets to none with a set point at 25-24, but the Buckeyes rallied with three of the final four points to steal the game. Ball State regrouped in the third, putting on an efficient offensive performance with a .600 team clip. A 4-0 run midway through the set, highlighted by blocks from Basilio and Günther, pushed the lead to 15-9. Rogers finished the set with five kills in just five attempts. The fourth set held a similar competitive tone with nine tied scores and a lead change. The Buckeyes erased a three-point Cardinal lead to tie it at 21-21, but a clutch kill by Günther followed by a match-ending kill from Machado at 24-23 sealed the victory for the men’s squad. The Cardinals enjoy a nine-day break from competition before heading just up the road to round out the regular season series against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 21 at 7 p.m. =================================================================== BALL STATE SWIMMING SWIMMING SENDS FIVE TO FINALS ON DAY ONE OF 2026 CSCAA NIC OCALA, Fla. – Ball State opened the 2026 CSCAA National Invitational Championships with two medals Thursday evening at the FAST (Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training) Facility. Junior Aidan Biddle stamped a third-place finish in the 50 breaststroke (24.26), shaving .46 off his prelim time of 24.26, to capture bronze in the event. Biddle also joined the 400 medley relay team of William Raches, AJ Friend and George Patterson to combine for an eighth-place time of 3:13.92 – the third-fastest time in program history. Friend and Patterson both made it to the finals action on day one, with Friend placing seventh in the 50 butterfly (21.45) and Patterson taking seventh in the 200 individual medley (1:48.54). On the women’s side, sophomore Anna Keen turned in a bronze-winning finish in the 50 butterfly, claiming third with a time of 23.84. Keen also aided the 200 freestyle relay team of Ava Butterfield, Addie Beasley and Addy Czarnecki which claimed 20th (1:33.86). Freshman Addie Beasley made a finals appearance in her first trip to the NIC, advancing to the consolation heat of the 50 breaststroke and placing 10th with a time of 28.72. The Cardinals continue competition Friday at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships, with prelims beginning at 9:30 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. Thursday NIC Results – MEN THURSDAY EVENING FINALS 200 Freestyle Relay | Program Record – 1:18.88 by Chaye, Garberick, Siewers and Pheifer in 2024 DQ – Aidan Biddle, Ike Ruszkowski, Malcolm Slater, Henry Ko 50 Butterfly 7th – AJ Friend – 21.45 200 Individual Medley | Program Record – 1:46.30 by George Patterson in 2026 7th – George Patterson – 1:48.54 50 Breaststroke 3rd – Aidan Biddle – 24.26 400 Medley Relay | Program Record – 3:10.53 by Pheifer, Garberick, Handshoe and Chaye in 2024 8th – William Raches, Aidan Biddle, AJ Friend, George Patterson – 3:13.92 THURSDAY MORNING PRELIMS 50 Backstroke 38th – William Raches – 23.33 500 Freestyle | Program Record – 4:27.13 by George Patterson in 2026 28th – Malcolm Slater – 4:41.41 50 Butterfly 7th – AJ Friend – 21.55 200 Individual Medley | Program Record – 1:46.30 by George Patterson in 2026 5th – George Patterson – 1:48.40 27th – Ike Ruszkowski – 1:52.31 50 Breaststroke 7th – Aidan Biddle – 24.72 50 Freestyle | Program Record – 19.87 by AJ Friend in 2026 29th – AJ Friend – 20.52 Thursday NIC Results – WOMEN THURSDAY EVENING FINALS 200 Freestyle Relay | Program Record – 1:30.42 by Keen, Zoeller, Butterfield, Kelly in 2026 20th – Anna Keen, Ava Butterfield, Addie Beasley, Addy Czarnecki – 1:33.86 50 Butterfly 3rd – Anna Keen – 23.84 50 Breaststroke 10th – Addie Beasley – 28.72 400 Medley Relay | Program Record – 3:37.07 by Butterfield, Beasley, Keen and Kelly in 2026 22nd – Ava Butterfield, Addie Beasley, Alexa Von Holtz, Addy Czarnecki – 3:46.48 THURSDAY MORNING PRELIMS 50 Backstroke 34th – Ava Butterfield – 25.87 500 Freestyle | Program Record – 4:48.37 by Marcella Ribeiro in 2021 31st – Addy Czarnecki – 4:58.59 39th – Callie Tuma – 5:01.41 50 Butterfly 7th – Anna Keen – 24.30 200 Individual Medley | Program Record – 2:00.85 by Alexa Von Holtz in 2023 46th – Alexa Von Holtz – 2:05.79 50 Breaststroke 9th – Addie Beasley – 28.52 22nd – Anna Keen – 28.94 ====================================================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL BASEBALL HOSTING EASTERN MICHIGAN FOR THREE GAMES STARTING FRIDAY AFTERNOON The Ball State baseball team prepares for its second home and Mid-American Conference series of the year starting Friday afternoon against Eastern Michigan. The series opener at Shebek Stadium is slated for a 3 p.m. start time followed by 1 p.m. first pitches on Saturday and Sunday. Each game will be broadcast on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and the WMUN app, while a video stream will be played on the WMUN Facebook page. Links to the broadcasts and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page. Ball State (7-8) fell 10-3 at No. 25 Kentucky on Tuesday night after a series win against Central Michigan last weekend that featured comebacks on Saturday and Sunday to help the Cardinals prevail over the Chippewas. Eastern Michigan (4-13) hosted Michigan State Tuesday afternoon and lost 13-5 to the Spartans after opening conference play getting swept in three games at Miami. The Eagles have lost six games in a row and have yet to play a common opponent with the Cardinals. Trevor Beerman has stepped in as the interim head coach for EMU, a program that was picked to finish ninth in the 12-team MAC preseason coaches poll. The Eagles are 11th in the league in team ERA (8.45) and runs per game (4.5) but have hit the fourth-most homers (18) and drawn the third-most walks (84) in the MAC so far this year. Seniors Devan Zirwas (six home runs, 15 RBI) and Ty Stecko (five homers, 11 RBI) have the power bats for the Eagles, while fellow senior TJ Williams paces EMU in steals (seven) and is tied for first in hits (15). Ball State’s next scheduled game after this weekend is Tuesday afternoon at Valparaiso. GRIFFITHS GETS GOING: Senior shortstop Brett Griffiths collected game-winning hits both Saturday and Sunday against Central Michigan to help Ball State win the series against the Chippewas. A walk-off two-run double to left center finished off an 11-10 comeback win for the Cardinals on Sunday a day after Griffiths blasted a go-ahead solo homer in an 11-6 victory on Saturday. The senior tallied five hits including a double, triple and home run and five RBI during the weekend set. COMEBACK CARDINALS: Ball State came back from a four-run deficit on Saturday and a seven-run hole on Sunday to post back-to-back comeback wins over Central Michigan. The Cardinals trailed 6-2 after the top of the sixth inning Saturday but scored four times in the sixth, three in the seventh and twice in the eighth for the final nine runs of the game. Central led 7-0 Sunday after a seven-run fourth frame, 10-4 after the top of the eighth inning and 10-5 going into the ninth, but Ball State rallied for six runs to capture the win. GARZA GOES THE DISTANCE: Sophomore Brendan Garza surrendered only two hits and two walk and didn’t allow a runner to advance past first base, in a complete game shutout in Ball State’s 1-0 win at Hawaii on Feb. 27. The right-handed pitcher worked 1-2-3 innings five times, as he retired the final 12 batters of the game following a leadoff walk in the sixth. Garza was named the Mid-American Conference pitcher of the week for the performance. This was Ball State’s first complete game since Merritt Beeker allowed one run in 9.0 frames in May 2024 against Toledo at the Mid-American Conference Tournament and first nine-inning shutout in five years (John Baker against Western Michigan in a 2-0 win on March 19, 2021). GETTING THE GREAT LAKES STATE OVER WITH: Ball State plays each of the three Mid-American Conference schools from Michigan in the first three series of conference play. After playing Central Michigan last weekend to begin MAC play, the Cardinals host Eastern this weekend and play at Western next. Following the series with the Broncos, Ball State will have 19 games remaining against teams from Ohio, seven from Indiana and three each from Illinois and Massachusetts. BALIUS BATS AND RUNS: Senior Gavin Balius collected a hit in each game against the Chippewas in addition to one Tuesday night at Kentucky and leads the Cardinals in stolen bases (13) while ranking third in hits (18) and second in batting average (.316) through the first 15 games of the season. The Flushing, Mich., native has collected multiple hits in three games and multiple steals in four games so far this year. Balius leads the league and ranks 15th in Division I entering the weeken with the 13 steals. PITCHERS PUTTING IN WORK: Led by Garza (3.70 ERA, 21 strikeouts in 24.1 innings), Owen Quinn (1.98 ERA, 11 strikeouts in 12.2 frames), and John Chambers (3.29 ERA, 16 strikeouts in 13.2 frames), the Ball State pitching staff has been one of the best in the league to start the year. The Cardinals rank fourth in the MAC in ERA (5.82), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (9.35) and WHIP (1.54) as a group. =================================================================== BALL STATE SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SET TO HOST AKRON FRIDAY & SATURDAY » THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team opens the home and Mid-American Conference portions of its 2026 season this weekend when it hosts Akron for three games the Ball State Softball Stadium … First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, while the teams will also play a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. » THIS WEEK’S PROMOTIONS: – PICNIC AT THE PARK – With limited concessions availability due to construction at the Ball State Softball Stadium, fans may feel free to bring either a soft-sided cooler, picnic baskets or reusable bags to hold any outside food, non-alcoholic beverages and sealed water bottles … Prohibited items inside the stadium include alcoholic beverages, glass containers, hard-sided coolers, grills, heating elements and cooking equipment. – MARCH 13 / SUPPORT STAFF APPRECIATION DAY – Members of the Ball State softball team’s support staff will participate in a ceremonial first pitch as part of the in-game recognition experience. – MARCH 14 / YOUTH DAY – Local youth teams will be in attendance at the games, with a select group running out with the Ball State Cardinals during introductions … There will also be a poster autograph session at the conclusion of the doubleheader. » THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the Cardinal Classic with a 1221-1196-4 (.505) overall record dating back to the 1975 season … The Cardinals finished the 2025 campaign with a 33-18 record to reach the 30-win mark for the 17th time in program history and the 12th time in the past 18 seasons. » A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: OFFENSE: Senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck has made quite the impact in her first season at Ball State, leading the MAC and ranking 26th nationally with a .491 batting average … DeRoeck also ranks second in the MAC and 69th nationally with eight doubles, while her .545 on base percentage is second in the league and 62nd nationally … Senior pitcher / designated player Ella Whitney has been just as solid, boasting a .411 average … Whitney leads the league and ranks 66th nationally with a .857 slugging percentage and is second in the league and 89th nationally with 26 RBIs. PITCHING: On the pitching front, junior Brinkley Kita owns a team-best 1.25 ERA over 22.1 innings of work and has held opponents to a .221 average … She is 3-0 on the season and has allowed just one multiple base hit … Whitney leads the squad with a 4-0 record over 35.0 innings of work, including wins at Louisville (March 6) and versus Illinois (March 8), last weekend … Overall, Ball State’s pitching staff owns a 3.28 ERA and is holding opposing batters to a .281 average. DEFENSE: Ball State ranks third in the MAC and 80th nationally with a .968 fielding percentage … The Cardinals have committed just 16 errors on the season, while turning eight double plays. » VERSUS AKRON: Ball State owns a 51-26 advantage in the all-time series versus Akron, including a 4-1 mark versus the Zips last season … The Cardinals won the 2025 regular season series played at Akron, with a 6-1 win in the opener (March 14) and a 7-2 victory in the series finale (March 15) … The Zips won the middle game by a score of 12-4 (5) … Ball State also picked up a pair of wins over Akron in the MAC Softball Championships by scores of 9-1 (6) on May 7 and 5-4 on May 9 at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio … The Cardinals own a 22-12 edge in games played in Muncie, including back-to-back victories to take the 2024 series at the Ball State Softball Stadium. BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES: » WELCOME BACK: One of Ball State softball’s all-time greats will be back in Muncie this weekend, as two-time All-American and former assistant coach Jenny Gilbert will be the color analyst for the three ESPN+ broadcasts … Gilbert played for the Cardinals from 2011-2014 and helped guide the Cardinals to three MAC Regular Season Championships (2012, 2013 & 2014) … She also finished her career as the only three-time MAC Player of the Year (2012, 2013 & 2014) and was one of only 11 players in NCAA Division I history to earn her respective conference player of the year award three times … Gilbert finished her collegiate career as the MAC’s record holder in runs batted in (246), runs scored (215), home runs (75), doubles (62) and slugging percentage (.810) … Her 75 home runs ranked eighth in NCAA Division I history at the conclusion of her career, and she was the NCAA’s career home run leader among Canadian-born players … She was the volunteer coach for the 2015 squad which earn. » WELCOME BACK PART 2: Another Ball State softball legend will be making his second appearance back at the Ball State Softball Stadium since the conclusion of the 2013 campaign when Akron head coach Craig Nicholson steps into the visitor’s dugout Friday … In seven seasons as Ball State’s head coach from 2007-2013, Nicholson guided the Cardinals to a 241-162 (.598) overall record and 100-47 (.680) league ledger … He coached the Cardinals to the first four MAC regular season titles in program history (2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013), the 2010 MAC Tournament title and a berth into the 2010 NCAA Regionals. » MORE NATIONAL HONORS FOR WHITNEY: After her solid play on both offense and in the circle at the Cardinal Classic, Ella Whitney was named the D1Softball Mid-Major National Player of the Week … She helped guide the Cardinals to a 4-1 record at the event by driving in 12 RBIs and blasting three home runs, while earning a 2-0 record and 1.85 ERA in the circle … She also finished the tournament with a .471 batting average and four runs scored, while diving in what proved to be the game-winning run versus Bellarmine (March 6) with her second grand slam of the season … She registered a 1.235 slugging percentage and a 1.735 OPS, adding two doubles and one triple to her stat line for 21 total bases … Whitney entered the 2026 season ranked as the No. 9 Pitcher/Utility Player in D1Softball’s Preseason Player Position Rankings … In addition, she was the 49th-ranked player in the D1Softball Preseason Mid-Major D100 Player Rankings. » MORE ON WHITNEY: Including her two seasons at FIU, Whitney owns 28 pitching wins, a 3.60 ERA and 133 strikeouts … She is also a .314 career batter with 125 hits, including 26 doubles, two triples and 21 home runs … Her 100th career hit was an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run in a 3-0 shutout over Central Michigan in the 2025 regular season finale … Her 100th career RBI came courtesy of her solo home run in the 15-1 (5) victory over Bellarmine last Friday. » CLIMBING THE BALL STATE CHARTS: Junior Maia Pietrzak enters the weekend ranked 15th in program history with a .331 (90-for-272) career batting average … She is Ball State’s active career leader with 90 career runs scored, with her 60 runs in 2025 ranking as the third-best total in a season in program history … Pietrzak also currently ranks seventh in program history with a .439 on base percentage … In addition, Pietrzak enters the Akron series tied as the nation’s toughest batter to strike out, being one of only 10 players in the country to meet the NCAA minimum at bat requirements not to strike out … In fact, Pietrzak has only stuck out 12 times in her collegiate career. » TAKING THE HIT: A pride point for the offense under the leadership of third-year associate head coach Matt Burns, Ball State batters have been hit by a pitch 17 times so far this season to rank third in the MAC and 71st nationally … Last season, the Cardinals lead the nation by being hit 91 times, which was a BSU single season record topping the previous mark of 55 set in 2015 … The next closest team was St. John’s, which was hit 69 times over 57 games, six more than the 51 the Cardinals played … Under Burns’ offensive guidance Ball State batters have been hit by 160 pitches over the past two-plus seasons. » WALK THIS WAY: The Cardinals have drawn 85 total walks so far this season, including tying the program’s single game record with 14 walks in the 9-5 victory over Southern Indiana (Feb. 13) … Ball State previously drew 14 walks in a 15-7 (6) victory over Kent State on April 4, 2018 … The team’s 85 walks currently rank fourth in the MAC and 73rd nationally, led by 11 apiece from junior third baseman Mandy Lauth and senior outfielder Ashley Lovett. ====================================================================== INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL SYCAMORES RETURN HOME TO FACE UIC FLAMES TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State Softball returns home this weekend, as the Sycamores host the UIC Flames for a three-game series on March 13th-14th. ISU and the Flames will open the series with a doubleheader on Friday before concluding the matchup with a single game on Saturday. This series marks Indiana State’s second conference matchup and will look to carry momentum from last weekend’s successful series against Bradley and strong performance against Purdue. The Sycamores showcased strong defensive play and hitting throughout their first Conference series. In their first win over the Braves, ISU exploded with a 10-2 win highlighted by three home runs by freshmen Mallory Chavez and Addie Burns, and junior Lauren Marsicek, as well as a six-run fifth inning rally. The Sycamores claimed the series with Sunday’s 8-4 win thanks to a four-run fourth inning highlighted by a Bradley error allowing three Indiana State runs to score. Mallory Chavez added a two-run triple in the inning to secure the series win. Against Purdue, Indiana State battled a ten-inning game where a 2-2 scoreboard remained unchanged for eight innings. A double from Claire Connelly and a single from Morgan Goodrich helped Sycamores Madison Poulson and Brailey Mills score. In the circle, Lauren Sackett led Sycamores’ pitching efforts over the last four games. The redshirt senior pitched all ten innings against Purdue, recording a career-high 12 strikeouts against the Boilermakers. She enters the series with a 2.88 ERA. UIC enters the contest with an 11-12-1 record, and the Sycamores will look to continue building momentum as the season ramps up. The first pitch for Friday’s match is set for 1 p.m. ET at Price Field. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SYCAMORES SHUT DOWN SALUKIS, ADVANCE TO MVC QUARTERFINALS CORALVILLE, Iowa – Tierney Kelsey paced a trio of Indiana State players in double-figures with 24 Thursday afternoon, leading the Sycamores to an 81-69 win over Southern Illinois in the first round of the MVC Tournament. Kennedy Claybrooks added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Amerie Flowers tacked on 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Indiana State was the aggressor from the start, with Kelsey, Flowers and Claybrooks combining for 20 points in the first quarter as the Trees led by two after the first 10 minutes. The Sycamore defense limited Southern Illinois to just six points in the second and took a 38-29 lead into the half. Southern Illinois responded with a run to pull within three after three quarters, but the Sycamores never trailed in the second half. A 13-2 fourth quarter run for the Sycamores put the game out of reach and sent Indiana State into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. First Half Flowers and Kelsey got the scoring started for the Sycamores with baskets in the paint, with Kelsey later adding a trey to put the Blue and White ahead 12-10. SIU went on a 10-2 run to take a six-point lead, but the Sycamores responded with a run of their own. Jayci Allen’s layup with three minutes left in the quarter started an 11-3 run for the Blue and White, as Claybrooks knocked down a three-ball and Flowers and Kelsey both converted on free throws. Flowers added a putback basket just before the horn to give Indiana State a 25-23 lead after one. Indiana State put the clamps on in the second, limiting Southern Illinois to a 2-for-17 shooting performance in the quarter. Layups from Flowers and Kelsey, the latter’s being a three-point play, put the Trees ahead 32-27 at the midway point of the period. Kelsey added a pair of layups late, and found Da’Naria Washington for one more with just over a minute remaining in the quarter as Indiana State took a 38-29 lead to the intermission. Second Half Free throws from Claybrooks and another basket from Flowers pushed Indiana State’s lead to 13 less than a minute into the third. Baskets from Flowers and Kelsey kept the Sycamore lead in double-digits, before SIU made a run in the back half of the quarter. The Salukis went on a 9-1 run to pull within a pair, before free throws from Claybrooks and a second chance basket from Allen gave the Trees breathing room. Despite the late run from Southern Illinois, Indiana State maintained a 57-54 lead after three quarters. Southern Illinois cut Indiana State’s lead down to a point less than 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, but the Sycamores never relinquished their lead. Baskets from Washington and Kayla Smith ignited a 13-2 run for the Sycamores, with a Clemisha Prackett three-point play pushing Indiana State’s lead back into double-digits. Claybrooks and Prackett added late layups, while Indiana State went 4-for-5 from the line down the stretch to extend its stay in the MVC Tournament at the expense of Southern Illinois, 81-69. News and Notes: Head coach Marc Mitchell earned his first conference tournament win at Indiana State. Thursday’s win was Indiana State’s first conference tournament since 2024. The Sycamores last two conference tournament wins have both come against Southern Illinois (66-54 in 2024, 81-69 in 2026). Indiana State reached double-digit wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons with Thursday’s win. Tierney Kelsey recorded her team-leading sixth 20-point game of the season, finishing with 24. Amerie Flowers’ 14 rebounds were her most since the season opener against IU Indy. Flowers had a double-double in the first half, with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first 20 minutes of play. Kennedy Claybrooks was a game-high plus-16 in Thursday’s game, with the senior guard going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in the win. Indiana State finished with an advantage in points off turnovers (10-8), points in the paint (44-24), second chance points (15-8), fastbreak points (13-6) and bench points (16-11). Indiana State led for more than 33 minutes in Thursday’s game, including the entirety of the second half. Indiana State imposed its will down low with a 44-24 advantage in points in the paint. The Sycamores also more than doubled Southern Illinois in free throws, going 23-for-33 from the line in Thursday’s game. Southern Illinois’ six points in the second quarter were the fewest by an Indiana State opponent in a quarter this season. The Salukis were 2-for-17 from the floor in the frame. Each of Indiana State’s nine players who saw the floor finished with a positive or zero plus-minus rating. Indiana State improved to 4-1 this season when scoring 80-plus points and 6-1 when holding opponents below 70 points. The Sycamores moved to 10-4 when holding opponents below 40 percent from the field. Southern Illinois shot 28-for-71 (39.4 percent) against the Sycamores, including a 2-for-13 clip (15.4 percent) from 3-point range. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE SWIMMING BOLES SETS NEW 50 FLY RECORD, RIEBELING IN THE 500 FREE A-FINALS TO HIGHLIGHT FIRST DAY OF CSCAA NIC OCALA, Fla. – Raine Boles set a new Indiana State record in the 50-yard Fly, while Maria Saldana Riebeling competed in the 500-yard Freestyle A-Finals to highlight the Sycamores’ efforts on the first day at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships held at the FAST Center. Boles set a new Sycamore record of 24.67 in the 50-yard Fly in the morning prelims session to break the previous mark of 24.76 set by Marni Gray at the 2023 CSCAA NIC. Boles nearly matched her time in the finals with a mark of 24.68 to secure the top two times in Indiana State program history in the event. Riebeling set a new personal record in the 500-yard Freestyle in the A-Finals on Thursday night as the sophomore touched the wall in 4:51.22. It topped her previous career best and was the 16th-fastest swim in program history in the event to highlight the lone Sycamore in the A-Finals on the opening day of the meet. Thursday Evening Recap Indiana State opened the evening session with the 200-yard Freestyle Relay with the Sycamores placing 15th overall in the field. The team of Raine Boles, Erin Cummins, Addison Johnson, and Kalli Agapios touched the wall in 1:33.42. Maria Saldana Riebeling set a new personal record in the 500-yard Freestyle as the sophomore went out in 4:51.22 to place 10th overall in the evening’s A-Finals. Claire Parsons placed 10th in the B-Finals to round out the group after finishing in 4:57.97. Raine Boles nearly matched her Indiana State record-setting pace in the 50-yard Fly on Thursday evening as the senior went out in 24.68. She finished .01off her morning pace to place fourth in the B-Finals and 14th overall in the field. Ali Pearson shaved six-hundredths of a second off her preliminary time to place 13th overall in the field in the 50-yard Breaststroke. Pearson touched the wall in 28.66 to pace third in the B-Finals. Anna Asplund, Ali Pearson, Raine Boles, and Erin Cummins rounded out the night placing 15th overall in the field in the 400-yard Medley Relay with a time of 3:44.27. Thursday Evening Finals 200-yard Freestyle Relay: Raine Boles, Erin Cummins, Addison Johnson, Kalli Agapios (1:33.42, 15th) 500-yard Freestyle: A-Finals – Maria Saldana Riebeling (4:51.22, 10th); B-Finals – Claire Parsons (4:57.97, 10th); 50-yard Fly: B-Final – Raine Boles (24.68, 4th); 50-yard Breast: B-Final – Ali Pearson (28.72); 400-yard Medley Relay: Anna Asplund, Ali Pearson, Raine Boles, Erin Cummins (3:44.27, 15th) Thursday Morning Recap Maria Saldana Riebeling and Claire Parsons both advanced out of the 500-yard Freestyle preliminaries on Thursday morning to open up the CSCAA NIC this week in Ocala, Fla. Riebeling nearly matched her personal-best with a time of 4:51.90 to place 10th overall in the field and advance to the A-Finals, while Claire Parsons posted a 4:55.27 to place 19th and advanced to the B-Finals. Erin Cummins took on the field finishing 30th overall in 4:58.24. Raine Boles set Indiana State’s first record of the week as the senior posted a 24.67 to break the previous mark set by Marni Gray (24.76) back in 2023 at the CSCAA NIC. Boles’ time put her 11th overall in the field to advance to the evening’s B-Finals. Ali Pearson made it four Sycamores to advance to the evening’s finals as the graduate student posted a time of 28.72 to place 14th overall in the field and qualified for the B-Finals. Thursday Morning Qualifiers 500-yard Freestyle: A-Finals – Maria Saldana Riebeling (4:51.90); B-Finals – Claire Parsons (4:55.27); Erin Cummins (4:58.24); 50-yard Fly: B-Final – Raine Boles (24.67, New Indiana State Record); 50-yard Breast: B-Final – Ali Pearson (28.72); Thursday Time Trials 50-yard Backstroke: Kalli Agapios (27.48); 200-yard IM: Gemma Dilks (2:07.56); 200-yard Freestyle: Addison Johnson (1:53.59); ================================================================== EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ACES HOLD OFF UIC TO ADVANCE IN MVC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CORALVILLE, Iowa – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team picked up their first MVC Tournament win since 2017 on Thursday night, holding off 7th-seeded UIC 76-71. Evansville advances to Friday’s quarterfinal round and will take on 2nd-seeded Belmont at 6 PM at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) led the Aces with 16 points while dishing out five assists. Sydney Huber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mount Vernon) had a strong showing in her home state, putting up 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting from three-point range. In the frontcourt, Georgia Cox (Ballarat, Australia/Eastern Illinois) and Georgia Ferguson (Waterloo, Ontario/Cairine Wilson Secondary School) both scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Kylee Norkus (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) led the Aces on the glass with nine rebounds. Evansville grabbed the lead in the first quarter, jumping in front 14-8 on a pair of triples by Huber and two baskets by Ferguson. The Aces opened their lead up to nine points on a triple by Runner at the 2:40 mark before going into the second quarter with a 21-14 lead. UIC battled back in the second quarter, cutting the Evansville to two with 3:50 remaining in the half. With Evansville still in front by two, the Flames knocked down a jump shot at the halftime buzzer to tie it up at 32 going into halftime. After UIC took the lead coming out of halftime, Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) and Runner buried threes on back-to-back possessions to put the Aces back up by four. With 5:19 remaining in the quarter, Huber knocked down her third three of the night to extend the lead to seven. The Aces maintained their lead for the rest of the quarter, but a Flames three-pointer to end the quarter made it 55-51 heading into the fourth. UIC continued to chip away in the fourth quarter, evening the score at 55 with 7:47 remaining. However, Cox steadied the ship for Evansville, scoring on a layup before converting on an and-one to put the Aces back up by five. After UIC tied the score once again, BreAunna Ward (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School), Norkus and Runer combined to go 5-for-6 at the free throw line on consecutive possessions to help Evansville go back up by four. With under two minutes to play, the Aces saw Ward step up, scoring on back-to-back possessions to give Evansville a 71-66 lead. Following a steal by Mireia Mustaros (Barcelona, Spain/Odessa College) Runner all but sealed it for the Aces, getting to the basket for a layup to make it 73-66 in favor of the Purple Aces. UIC made things interesting in the final 30 seconds, cutting the Evansville lead to four, but the Aces went 3-for-4 from the charity stripe to seal the 76-71 win. Evansville advances to the quarterfinal round of the MVC Tournament on Friday, battling 2nd-seeded Belmont at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Tip-off is set for 6 PM. =================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL EAGLES HIT THE ROAD FOR OVC SERIES AGAINST LEATHERNECKS EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball goes on the road for the first time in Ohio Valley Conference play this week when the Screaming Eagles head to Western Illinois University for a three-game set on Friday and Saturday from Macomb, Illinois. The series was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but it was moved up a day due to rain in the Sunday forecast. Friday’s series opener is slated for 2 p.m., while Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for a Noon start. USI Softball (6-14, 3-0 OVC) is looking to build on a strong start in Ohio Valley Conference play, while Western Illinois (5-13, 0-2 OVC) enters the OVC series on a six-game losing streak. Western Illinois leads the all-time series against USI, 5-3. The Leathernecks took two of three games at USI last season. USI is coming off a series sweep against Tennessee State University to open OVC play last week. The Screaming Eagles won 10-4 in the opener, 6-5 in nine innings in the middle game, and 6-1 in the series finale. In last week’s home sweep of the Tigers, junior outfielder Kate Satkoski led the USI offense by hitting .500 with two runs and two RBIs. Six Screaming Eagles had multiple RBIs in the series. Freshman infielder Abbey Booher had three RBIs, including the walk-off game-winner in the 6-5 nine-inning victory. USI’s pitching staff had a strong series, posting a collective 1.52 ERA with 20 combined strikeouts. On the season, freshman outfielder Katelyn Marx qualifies as the leading hitter for USI with a .333 batting average and is second with 12 runs scored. Freshman infielder Jadyn Tinsley has been on the uptick as of late, batting her way up to a .346 average. Junior infielder Sydney Long leads the squad with nine RBIs. On the pitching side, freshman Anna Kemp tops the team with a 4.06 ERA, 50 innings pitched, and 40 strikeouts. Western Illinois began the conference season with a pair of setbacks against Southeast Missouri State University last Monday, falling 4-3 and 14-2. The series opener was canceled, and the series was forced to move to Marion, Illinois. The Leathernecks are hitting nearly .300 as a team, with freshman utility Angie Ortiz pacing the squad with a .417 batting average. Ortiz also has 11 RBIs. Junior infielder Payton Brown is batting .375 with a team-best four home runs and 19 RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Libby Spaulding (3-6) headlines the pitching staff with a 3.74 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched. The three-game series between USI and Western Illinois can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com. ==================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL USI CONTINUES THE ROAD SWING AT SIU, BELLARMINE EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball hopes to get back on track as it continues its five-game road swing this weekend with a visit to Southern Illinois for a three-game set at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. The first pitch Friday is slated for 6 p.m. before continuing Saturday at 2 p.m. and concluding Sunday at 1 p.m. The Screaming Eagles’ (12-5) final stop on the road swing is March 17 at Bellarmine in Louisville, Kentucky. The USI-Bellarmine matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CDT). Fans are encouraged to watch social media and USIScreamingEagles.com for any schedule changes due to the forecast of rain this weekend. Links to follow the Screaming Eagles during 2026 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and the USI Baseball Schedule. USI Baseball Notes: Screaming Eagles bitten by Tigers Tuesday. The USI Screaming Eagles were bitten by the Missouri Tigers, 14-6 Tuesday in Columbia, Missouri. USI was led by junior infielder Parker Martin, who had three hits, and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan, who had three RBIs on a three-run home run. USI off to best start since 1996. The Screaming Eagles were of to its best start since 1996 at 12-4 and before the visit to Missouri. USI, which also is off to its best start in the Division I era, started 1996 with a 13-4 mark. USI swept homestand. The Screaming Eagles swept their four-game homestand last week, taking the opener from Illinois State and all three versus Youngstown State. The Screaming Eagles averaged 7.75 runs per game and batted .268 (34-127), while posting a team ERA of 2.25 and holding the opposing hitters to a .194 average (24-124). USI’s homestand leaders. Junior second baseman Zion Stephens led the Screaming Eagles by hitting .400 (4-10), while senior first baseman Patrick McLellan had a team-best five RBIs in the homestand. Junior right-hander Abdriel Figueroa had USI’s best appearance on the mound last week with a scoreless six innings and struck out five in the game one win over Youngstown State. The three-game set with Youngstown State. USI battled through three games with Youngstown State, winning 5-2 Friday and sweeping a doubleheader 10-1 and 4-1 Sunday. The Screaming Eagles batted only .231 (21-91), but the hurlers had a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings of work to get the sweep. USI opened week, homestand with win. The Screaming Eagles opened the four-game homestand this week with a 12-5 win over Illinois State at the USI Baseball Field. Junior third baseman Parker Martin and junior outfielder Noah Foster had three RBIs each, while senior first baseman Patrick McLellan had a pair. Multi-hit games. Senior shortstop Clayton Slack has eight multi-hit games this year and four three-hit contests in 17 games. Junior outfielder Noah Foster and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan follow with six multi-hit contests this year. Holiday, McLellan are the run makers. USI graduate centerfielder Khi Holiday and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan have been generating the offense for the Screaming Eagles this season. The duo leads USI and the OVC with 24 runs scored each this season. Doing it at the plate. USI is putting runs on the scoreboard at an incredible rate. USI leads the OVC with 9.2 runs per game this season (156). The Screaming Eagles also rank second in the OVC with a .313 team batting average. SIU in 2026. Southern Illinois is 6-9 after falling at SIU Edwardsville, 16-6. The Salukis are 5-2 after starting the year 1-7. USI vs. SIU. SIU leads the all-time series with USI, 6-1, after winning both meetings last season. The Salukis defeated USI in Carbondale last year, 16-12 and 7-0, and have won the last five meetings since the Screaming Eagles made the jump to Division I. USI’s lone victory over SIU came in 1989, 6-2, in Carbondale. Bellarine in 2026. Bellarmine is 4-11 overall in 2026 and hosts a three-game set with Austin Peay State March 13-15 before USI makes the trip to Louisville, Kentucky. The Knights enter the weekend on a high note, winning their last two games and snapping a nine-game losing streak. USI vs. Bellarmine. USI leads the all-time series with Bellarmine, 89-78, after splitting two games last season. Bellarmine won the meeting, 10-2, in Louisville, Kentucky, while USI took the second matchup, 10-9, at the USI Baseball Field. ===================================================================== VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON COMES TO CLOSE WITH MVC TOURNAMENT LOSS TO DRAKE The 2025-26 campaign came to a close for the Valpo women’s basketball team Thursday evening at the Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Coralville, Iowa, as the 11th-seeded Beacons fell in opening-round action to sixth-seeded Drake, 81-55. How It Happened Valpo held a one-point edge on three occasions in the opening quarter, including after Drake had pulled out to four and five-point leads to stay within striking distance. The Bulldogs got a putback in the final seconds of the first period to lead 16-15 after 10 minutes. The Beacons were still within two points at 22-20 with 6:47 to play in the first half after a triple from Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]). Drake scored the next seven points, starting a longer 21-7 stretch to end the half as the Bulldogs carried a 43-27 lead into halftime. A 3-pointer by Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy) and a Connolly drive and finish gave Valpo five straight to start the second half, cutting the Drake advantage to 43-32 just 80 seconds into the half. The Bulldogs answered with nine of the next 12 points to push their lead to 52-35 with 6:21 to play in the third quarter. Valpo held Drake without a point for the next four minutes, but was unable to make significant headway into the deficit, scoring just four points of its own in that same stretch. The Bulldogs busted their slump with eight points in a three-possession span to pull away. Drake led 60-41 at the end of the third quarter, and Valpo got no closer than 17 points in the final period. Inside the Game Connolly paced Valpo with 14 points, her 20th double-digit scoring effort this season and the 13th time she led the Beacons. Milana Nenadic (Kitchener, Ontario/Cameron Heights [Idaho State/Maine]) added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, her 13th game with at least 10 points this year. von Schlegell came up just short of joining the aforementioned duo in double figures, finishing with nine points. She closed the season with 358 points, third-most by a freshman in Valpo program history. The rookie also connected on both her free throws Thursday to finish the year 64-of-74 (.865). While her 74 attempts are one shy of the minimum required to qualify for Valpo’s single-season chart, if you count that one additional attempt as a miss, von Schlegell ranks sixth on the single-season chart. Playing her final career game, Mikayla Huffine (Rockford, Ill./Rockford [Quincy/Iowa Western C.C.]) scored eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. One of the nation’s top rebounders per 40 minutes, Kamryn Winch (Bonne Terre, Mo./North County [Maryville]) led Valpo on Thursday with seven rebounds in her 19 minutes of action — the 12th time this year she paced the Beacons on the glass. Valpo shot at a 32.8% clip from the floor and was just 7-for-31 from 3-point range, while Drake hit 41.5% from the field and was 8-for-27 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs were a +13 at the foul line, going 19-for-22 at the stripe while the Beacons were a perfect 6-for-6. Inside the Careers Three Valpo players appeared in their final collegiate game Thursday. Connolly played her first two seasons at La Salle before closing her career with two years at Valpo. She averaged a team-high 12.7 points/game this season — a 9.2 point/game improvement over her first year as a Beacon — and finished her career with 552 points, 231 rebounds, 167 assists and 86 steals. Bella Swedlund (Winner, S.D./Winner [Toledo/Kansas]) appeared in her 24th collegiate game Thursday — all of which came in her two years at Valpo. She finished her career with eight points and 11 rebounds. Huffine started all 32 games this season in her first season at Valpo and led the Beacons in assists, after spending the last two years alongside head coach Courtney Boyd at Quincy following her freshman year at Iowa Western C.C. In her three seasons at four-year institutions, Huffine racked up 403 points, 183 rebounds and 216 assists. ===================================================================== UINDY SWIMMING DII RECORD CAPS DAY 3 AT NCAA DII SWIM/DIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Day 3 of the 2026 NCAA DII Swimming & Diving Championships wrapped up Thursday night, with the Greyhounds earning two more event titles and 11 additional All-America accolades. Junior Jeremias Pock won the 400 IM before later swimming the breaststroke leg in record-breaking 400 medley performance. In the team standings, UIndy moved up the third in a tight men’s field, while the Greyhound women sit in fifth. See below for the current standings (top five only). CURRENT STANDINGS WOMEN PTS MEN PTS 1. Nova S’Eastern 265 1. Drury 253 2. Tampa 209.5 2. Tampa 244 3. Colorado Mesa 160.5 3. UIndy 228 4. Drury 158 4. Colorado Mesa 214 5. UIndy 153 5. McKendree 151.5 Held at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Ind., the meet continues tomorrow with morning prelims at 11 a.m. ET, followed by diving at 2 p.m. and evening finals at 6:30 p.m. The relay team of Camille Trinquesse, Pock, Elias Noe and Zachary Anthony made history Thursday evening. With a time of 3:06.12, the quartet swam the fastest 400 medley relay in Division II history. They held off GLVC-rival Drury by just .38 seconds on the way to winning the UIndy men’s team’s first national title in the event. Earlier in the evening, Pock claimed his second individual event championship in as many days, winning the 400 IM with a time of 3:42.95. Teammate Nico Basten joined him on the podium after his best 400 IM swim of the year placed him fourth in the grueling event. Celina Schmidt earned runner-up status in the women’s 400 IM, with her 4:16.20 representing a personal best. A Greyhound has now finished first or second in the women’s 400 IM in five of the last six year. The Greyhounds also combined to win three consolation finals on the evening, including a particularly memorable 100 fly swim by Noe. The junior out of Holbaek, Denmark crushed the field by posting the first sub-46 time in program history in the event (45.43). Junior diver Megan Sunderman earned her third straight All-America Honorable Mention nod on the 3-meter board. She qualified for the finals and racked up 382.55 to claim 16th place among the nation’s best. OTHER NOTABLES 9th- Silas Buessing, men’s 400 IM 9th- Jan Schmidt, men’s 200 free 11th- Swann Plaza, men’s 200 free ==================================================================== UINDY TRACK AND FIELD HOUNDS NAB 13 ALL-REGION HONORS NEW ORLEANS— Nine members from the University of Indianapolis track and field squad were named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) Midwest All-Region teams. The top-five individuals in each event from each region earn All-Region honors, in addition to each of the members of a top-three ranked relay team. Josue Le Cadre earned All-Region accolades in the 800m, with his top ranking in the nation in the event, and the Distance Medley Relay, along with Yanis Le Mouillour, Lateef Mustafaa and Felix Rivet. Like Le Cadre, Le Mouillour was also named All-Region in the 800m while Rivet earned the honor in the 3k. Joining the DMR squad on the All-Region team, Alex Meyer received recognition for his performance in the long jump. On the women’s side, Francesca Maurino earned the All-Region nod in both the high jump and triple jump. She is joined by Jorjia Ferguson, who earns her first All-Region nod in the pentathlon. Vivian Osagie was named to the All-Region team after breaking the GLVC Indoor Championship meet record to take first place in the event. GLVC Freshman of the Year Amaiah Rhodes’ performance in the 400 at the conference meet also earned her a spot on the All-Region team. ===================================================================== MARIAN WOMEN’S LAX MARIAN FALLS TO TOP-RANKED BENEDICTINE 19-3 INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s lacrosse team dropped its second top-10 matchup of the season on Thursday night, as the Knights fell at home to No. 1 Benedictine 19-3. Marian drops to 2-2 overall on the season. Marian would strike first in the game’s opening 91 seconds, as Ruby Mason was able to slam home the first goal after Ella Grace Giedd found her fellow senior. Benedictine answered the goal with three unanswered scores, but the streak was stopped as Giedd scored Marian’s second goal with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter. The goal from Giedd would be the last highlight play in the first half, as Benedictine flexed its top-ranking as the defending NAIA champions rattled off nine unanswered goals, scoring two before the end of the first quarter and six in the second quarter, taking a one-sided 11-2 lead into halftime. Benedictine scored the first goal in the second half to cap it’s 9-0 run, as Kiera Russell made the contest a 12-2 game. Marian would stop the run with a goal from Allyson Cissell, but the goal with 9:46 to play in period three would not be enough to stop the Ravens, as Benedictine scored back-to-back goals to end the third quarter. The Ravens led 14-3 after three quarters of play, and scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter, closing out a 19-3 win. Mason and Giedd each took four shots in the loss, scoring one goal each. Delaney Koles had an assist and took four shots for Marian. In goal, Aniyah Jones recovered a team-high seven ground balls, and made nine saves in the loss. Alex Dean won a team-high five draw controls. The Knights will stay at home for their next contest, opening WHAC play on Saturday afternoon when they host Aquinas at 1:00 p.m. ====================================================================== SMALL INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/ MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/ INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/ EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/ WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/ FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/ ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/ ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/ DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/ HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/ MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/ HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/ OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/ IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/ IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/ PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/ INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/ ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/ GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/ HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/ VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index ========================================================= “SPORTS EXTRA” TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY 1915 “Help me, Lads, I’m covered with my own blood!” – WILBERT ROBINSON, reacting to the fluid dripping down from his chest before quickly realizing it’s only grapefruit juice. Dodger manager Wilbert Robinson, thinking he would catch a baseball dropped from a plane, is surprised and splattered when the sphere turns out to be a grapefruit. Although legend has it that Casey Stengel is behind the prank, the pilot, Ruth Law, a pioneer in American aviation, substituted part of her lunch when she realized she forgot to bring a baseball. 1944 It’s True, Cy Young’s middle name is not Tecumseh, as sometimes listed, but the initial T stands for True. The Hall of Fame right-hander’s middle-name mixup may stem from his teammates calling him ‘The Chief,’ the English name for Tecumseh. 1953 On the day that will become known as ‘Black Friday’ in Boston, Lou Perini announces he will seek permission from the National League to move his franchise to Milwaukee, home of the team’s top minor-league affiliate. The Braves owner cites low attendance as the reason for relocating the club after it had been in the New England city for 82 years. 1954 During an exhibition game against the Yankees, recently acquired Brave Bobby Thomson breaks his ankle in three places, sidelining him until July 14. The ’51 National League playoff hero is replaced in the Braves’ lineup by a promising prospect named Hank Aaron. 1960 Much to the chagrin of other owners and most of his players, Bill Veeck’s White Sox will become the first team to put players’ names on the back of their jerseys, unveiling the new look on their road uniforms in an exhibition game against Cincinnati in Tampa. After the rest of the league’s clubs protest the Chicago owner’s innovation, the commissioner’s office will rule that, in addition to displaying traditional numbers, each team will have the option to use monikered uniforms. 1979 The Tigers and Mets swap relievers, with Detroit sending Ed Glynn to the Big Apple in exchange for Mardie Cornejo, who, after posting a 4-2 record as a rookie last season, will never play in another major league game. The latest addition to the New York bullpen will make 84 appearances, compiling an ERA of 3.53 during the two years with his new club. 1986 Designated hitter Hal McRae, 39, and Brian, his 18-year-old second baseman son, play in a Royals preseason game against the Phillies at Terry Field to become the first father and son combination to appear as major league teammates. Kansas City manager Dick Howser refers to the pair as a ‘Big Mac Attack.’ 1987 The Phillies sign Tiger free-agent catcher Lance Parrish to a one-year deal worth $800,000, plus another $200,000 if the 31-year-old has no problems with his chronic back. The former six-time All-Star backstop, a winner of five Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Glove Awards playing for the Tigers, is a bust in Philadelphia, batting .230 in his two seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. 1997 In their first-ever minor league spring training game, the Rays defeated Philadelphia, 6-0. John Kaufman, Tom Bergan, Matt Williams, and Jamie Ybarra combine to throw a no-hitter in the exhibition contest against the major league team. 2001 Rick Ankiel makes his first appearance since last year’s playoffs, throwing 22 strikes out of 29 pitches while tossing two innings of shutout ball in his surprise start against the Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. The 21-year-old southpaw starter lost his control at the end of last season, throwing nine wild pitches in three postseason appearances last year. 2006 Three pitches into the top of the seventh inning, the stadium lights at Tradition Field partially fail. With fifty percent of the lighting not functioning, the exhibition game ends after a 15-minute delay, with the Mets leading the Nationals, 10-4. 2008 Joining Garth Brooks and Tom Selleck as celebrities who have appeared in a spring exhibition game, Billy Crystal strikes out in the first inning as the Yankees’ leadoff batter. The comedian, who signed a one-day contract with the Bronx Bombers, wears the number sixty to honor his 60th birthday tomorrow. 2008 The pitching-poor Cardinals bolster their rotation by agreeing to a preliminary one-year deal with Kyle Lohse (9-12, 4.62). The 29-year-old right-hander, who pitched for the Reds and Phillies last season, will make $4.25 million hurling for the Redbirds. 2009 “Through good times and bad, I never doubted the support that all of you had for my teammates and me…I hope to see you in October.” – PAT BURRELL, former Phillies outfielder, thanking the Philadelphia fans. Pat Burrell takes out ads in two of Philadelphia’s largest newspapers, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, to thank Phillies fans for their support during his nine years with the team. The 32-year-old slugging ‘Pat the Bat’ signed a free-agent deal in the off-season with the Rays, the club the Phils beat in last season’s World Series. ========================================================= TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY On March 13 in … 1878 – Oxford defeats Cambridge in their first golf match. 1894 – J L Johnstone of England invents horse racing starting gate. 1911 – Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators beat Galt (Ontario), 7-4. 1912 – Stanley Cup: Québec Bulldogs sweep Moncton Victorias (New Brunswick) in two games. 1915 – Brooklyn Dodgers’ manager Wilbert Robinson tries to catch a baseball dropped from an airplane, but the pilot substituted a grapefruit. 1918 – First NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens beat Toronto Arenas, outscoring them 10-7 in a two game set. 1922 – NHL Championship: Ottawa Senators outscore Toronto Saint Patricks, 5 to 4, in two games. 1925 – NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens sweep Toronto Arenas in two games. 1929 – Donald Bradman scores 123 Australia versus England at Melbourne Cricket Ground, his second Test Cricket ton. 1943 – Baseball approves official ball (with cork and balata). 1943 – Frank Dixon wins Knights of Columbus mile (4:09.6). 1948 – 10th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Baylor 58-42. 1949 – US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Yvonne C Sherman. 1949 – US Men’s Figure Skating Championship won by Richard Button. 1954 – Milwaukee Braves’ Bobby Thomson breaks his ankle, he is replaced by Hank Aaron. 1955 – Patty Berg wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. 1956 – New Zealand bowls out West Indies for 77 at Eden Park to score their first Test Cricket win. 1960 – Fay Crocker wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. 1960 – NFL’s Chicago Cardinals move to Saint Louis. 1960 – Chicago White Sox unveil new road uniforms with players’ names above number. 1961 – Floyd Patterson knocks out Ingemar Johansson in six rounds to retain heavyweight boxing title. 1966 – Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Lagunita Golf Invitational. 1974 – Glenn Turner scores twin tons for New Zealand’s first win against Australia. 1977 – Dennis Lillee takes 6-26, England all out 95 in Centenary Test. 1979 – New York Islanders’ Mike Bossy’s 5th career hat trick. 1980 – Eric Heiden skates world record 1000 metre (1:13.60). 1981 – NCAA Saint Joseph’s upsets top seed DePaul. 1982 – World Ice Dance Championship in Copenhagen won by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean (Great Britain). 1982 – World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Copenhagen won by Sabine Baess and Tassilo Thierbach (German Democratic Republic). 1982 – World Ladies Figure Skate Championship in Copenhagen won by Elaine Zayak (USA). 1982 – World Men’s Figure Skating Championship in Copenhagen won by Scott Hamilton (USA). 1983 – First USFL overtime game-Birmingham Stallions beat Oakland Invaders 20-14. 1984 – Western Australia beats Queensland by four wickets to win the Sheffield Shield. 1984 – Last day of first-class cricket for G Chappell, R Marsh, B Laird. 1985 – Football Association Cup match at Luton stadium between Millwall and Kenilworth Road; riot, 47 injured, 31 arrested. 1986 – Irish racemare Dawn Run wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham, England, becoming the first racehorse to complete the Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham Gold Cup double. 1987 – Washington Capitals score five goals against Toronto Blue Jays in 3 minutes and 3 seconds. 1994 – Donna Andrews wins LPGA Ping Welch’s Golf Championship. 1996 – Sri Lanka beats India in World Cup semi-final as riots stop play. 2007 – (to April 28) The 2007 Cricket World Cup is held in the West Indies. 2010 – (to March 22) The 10th Winter Paralympic Games take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Over 500 athletes from 44 countries participate in five events. 2022 – NFL quarterback Tom Brady announces return from retirement. 2022 – At crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA, NHL regular season game: Los Angeles Kings beats Florida Panthers by score 3-2. 2022 – At Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, NHL regular season game: Tampa Bay Lightning beats Vancouver Canucks by score 2-1. 2022 – At Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, USA, NHL regular season game: Colorado Avalanche beats Calgary Flames by score 3-0. 2022 – At UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, USA, NHL regular season game: New York Islanders beats Anaheim Ducks by score 4-3. 2022 – At Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, NHL regular season game: Nashville Predators beats Minnesota Wild by score 6-2. 2022 – At Enterprise Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, NHL regular season game: Winnipeg Jets beats Saint Louis Blues by score 4-3. 2022 – At Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, USA, NHL regular season game: Columbus Blue Jackets beats Vegas Golden Knights by score 6-4. 2022 – At Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, NHL regular season game: Montreal Canadiens beats Philadelphia Flyers by score 4-3. 2022 – At Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, NHL regular season game: Buffalo Sabres beats Toronto Maple Leafs by score 5-2. 2022 – At PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, NHL regular season game: Pittsburgh Penguins beats Carolina Hurricanes by score 4-2. Births of sports figures on March 13 1859 – Birth of Ivo Bligh; cricket player [Lord Darnley] England captain versus Australia 1882-83. 1886 – Birth of John “Home Run” Baker; hall of famer (hit two homeruns in 1911 World Series). 1897 – Birth of William Herald in Australia; swimmer (Olympics-1920). 1918 – Birth of George McAfee; NFL halfback (Chicago Bears). 1921 – Birth of Cyril Poole; cricket player (England batsman against India 1951-52). 1922 – Birth of Brun Smith; cricket player (New Zealand right-handed batsman of late 1940s). 1925 – Birth of Bertha Tickey in Dinuba, California, USA; softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1973). 1930 – Birth of Doug Harvey; hockey star (3 time James Norris winner). 1938 – Birth of Joseph Bellino; football player (1960 Heisman Trophy). 1950 – Birth of Bernard Julien; cricket player (West Indies left-arm pace all-rounder mid-1970s). 1950 – Birth of Joe Bugner; Hungarian/British/Australian boxer (European Champion 1971). 1953 – Birth of Andy Bean in Lafayette, Georgia, USA; PGA golfer (Western 1978, Kemper 1978). 1955 – Birth of Olga Rukavishnikova in the USSR; pentathlete (Olympics-silver-1980). 1959 – Birth of Dirk Wellham; cricket player (century on New South Wales debut and Australian debut). 1961 – Birth of Cor Lems; soccer player (ADO The Hague/Dordrecht 1990). 1962 – Birth of Liane Tooth in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; field hockey forward (Olympics-1996). 1963 – Birth of Mariano Duncan S P de Macoris in Dominican Republic; infielder (New York Yankees). 1963 – Birth of Vance Johnson; NFL wide receiver (Denver Broncos). 1964 – Birth of Will Clark in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; infielder (Texas Rangers). 1966 – Birth of Akira Nogami; wrestler (NJPW). 1967 – Birth of Colleen Rosensteel in South Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA; heavyweight judoka (Olympics-1996). 1967 – Birth of Satu Huotari; ice hockey defenseman (Finland, Olympics-1998). 1969 – Birth of Chris Zorich; NFL defensive tackle (Chicago Bears). 1969 – Birth of Kevin Kaminski in Churchbridge, Saskatchewan, Canada; NHL center (Washington Capitals). 1971 – Birth of Curtis Conway; NFL wide receiver/kick returner (Chicago Bears). 1971 – Birth of Li Chen in Changsha, China; tennis star (1995 Futures-Austin Texas). 1971 – Birth of Paul Henderson; Australian 100 metre/200 metre (Olympics-1996). 1971 – Birth of Ralf Kleinmann; WLAF kicker/punter (Frankfurt Galaxy). 1971 – Birth of Robert Samuels, cricket player (West Indies Test opening batsman versus New Zealand 1996). 1971 – Birth of Ryan Hayden in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; 400 metre hurdler. 1971 – Birth of Tony Vinson; NFL running back (Atlanta Falcons, London Monarchs, Baltimore Ravens). 1972 – Birth of Avrom Smith; WLAF running back (London Monarchs). 1972 – Birth of Brian Saxton; NFL tight end (New York Giants). 1972 – Birth of Rickey Brady; NFL tight end (New Orleans Saints). 1972 – Birth of Ryan McCoy; WLAF linebacker (London Monarchs). 1972 – Birth of Trent Dilfer; NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). 1973 – Birth of Bobby Jackson; NBA guard (Denver Nuggets). 1973 – Birth of Dan Wilkinson; NFL defensive tackle (Cincinnati Bengals). 1973 – Birth of Edgar Davids; Dutch soccer player (Ajax, AC Milan). 1973 – Birth of Trezelle Jenkins; NFL tackle (Kansas City Chiefs). 1974 – Birth of André Batista Santos “Vampeta”; (Brazilian) soccer player (PSV). 1974 – Birth of Corinna Broiz in Garberville, Colorado; lightweight judoka (Olympics-1996). 1974 – Birth of Thomas Enqvist in Stockholm, Sweden; tennis star (1991 Wimbledon junior boys). 1975 – Birth of Landon Wilson in Saint Louis; NHL right wing (Colorado Avalanche). 1987 – Birth of Marco Andretti; IRL driver. Deaths of sports figures on March 13 1967 – Frank Worrell, West Indian cricket player, dies. 1978 – Ghulam Mustafa Guard, cricket player (3 wickets in two Tests for India), dies. 1983 – Louison Bobet, French cyclist (Tour de France 1953-55), dies at age 58. 1984 – Dick Whitington, journalist/cricket player (South Australia and AIF bat), dies. 1995 – Leon Day, baseball pitcher (Negro Leagues), dies of heart failure at 78 (born 1916). 1998 – Death of Risen Star, American racehorse (born 1985). 2007 – Death of Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler (born 1925). ========================================================== TV SPORTS TODAY Friday, 3/13/2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC PLAYOFFSTIME ETTVWBBC Quarterfinals: Korea vs Dominican Republic6:30pmFS2WBBC Quarterfinals: United States vs Canada8:00pmFOXMLB SPRING TRAININGTIME ETTVNew York Yankees vs Atlanta Braves1:05pmMLBNSan Diego Padres vs Athletics4:05pmMLBNHouston Astros vs St. Louis Cardinals6:05pmMLBNArizona Diamondbacks vs Kansas City Royals9:05pmMLBNNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVPhoenix Suns vs Toronto Raptors7:30 PMAFSNSNNew York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers7:30pmMSGFanDuel Sports INDMemphis Grizzlies vs Detroit Pistons7:30pmFanDuel Sports DETFanDuel Sports MEMCleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks7:30pmKFAAFanDuel Sports OhioNew Orleans Pelicans vs Houston Rockets8:00pmGCSNSCHNUtah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers10:00pmKJZZRip CityMinnesota Timberwolves vs Golden State Warriors10:00pmPrimeNBCS-BAYFanDuel Sports NorthChicago Bulls vs Los Angeles Clippers10:30pmCHSNFanDuel Sports SoCalNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVLos Angeles Kings vs New York Islanders7:00pmFanDuel Sports WestMSGSNEdmonton Oilers vs St. Louis Blues8:00pmHuluESPN+MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVAtlantic 10 Quarterfinal11:30amUSABig Ten Quarterfinal12:00pmBTNConference USA Semifinal12:30pmCBSSNSEC Quarterfinal1:00pmESPNAmerican Quarterfinal1:00pmESPN2Atlantic 10 Quarterfinal2:00pmUSASWAC Semifinal2:00pmESPN+Big Ten Quarterfinal2:30pmBTNConference USA Semifinal3:00pmCBSSNSEC Quarterfinal3:30pmESPNAmerican Quarterfinal3:30pmESPN2Atlantic 10 Quarterfinal5:00pmUSAMAC Semifinal5:00pmCBSSNBig East Semifinal5:30pmFOXMEAC Semifinal6:00pmESPN+Big Ten Quarterfinal6:30pmBTNACC Semifinal7:00pmESPN/2Big 12 Semifinal7:00pmESPN/2SEC Quarterfinal7:00pmSECNAtlantic 10 Quarterfinal7:30pmCNBCMAC Semifinal7:30pmCBSSNBig East Semifinal8:00pmFS1MEAC Semifinal8:30pmESPN+SWAC Semifinal8:30pmESPN+Big Ten Quarterfinal9:00pmBTNWAC Semifinal9:00pmESPN+Big West Semifinal9:00pmESPN+ACC Semifinal9:30pmESPN/2Big 12 Semifinal9:30pmESPN/2SEC Quarterfinal9:30pmSECNMountain West Semifinal9:30pmCBSSNBig West Semifinal11:30pmESPN2WAC Semifinal11:30pmESPN+Mountain West Semifinal11:59pmCBSSNGOLFTIME ETTVPGA Tour: Players Championship1:00pmGOLFSOCCERTIME ETTVBundesliga: Borussia M’gladbach vs St. Pauli2:30pmESPN+Ligue 1: Olympique Marseille vs Auxerre2:45pmbeIN SportsfuboTVSerie A: Torino vs Parma2:45pmParamount+La Liga: Deportivo Alavés vs Villarreal3:00pmESPN+Liga MX: Tigres UANL vs Querétaro9:00pmfuboTVLiga MX: Puebla vs Necaxa9:00pmVIXLiga MX: Juárez vs Monterrey11:00pmfuboTV Saturday, 3/14/26 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC PLAYOFFSTIME ETTVWBBC Quarterfinals: Puerto Rico vs Italy3:00pmFS1WBBC Quarterfinals: Venezuela vs Japan9:00pmFOXMLB SPRING TRAININGTIME ETTVDetroit Tigers vs Toronto Blue Jays1:07pmMLBNArizona Diamondbacks vs San Francisco Giants4:05pmMLBNHouston Astros vs New York Mets6:05pmMLBNNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVBrooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers1:00pmYESNBCS-PHIMilwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks3:00pmFanDuel Sports ATLFanDuel Sports MILCharlotte Hornets vs San Antonio Spurs3:30pmPrimeFanDuel Sports CHAFanDuel Sports SWWashington Wizards vs Boston Celtics6:00pmNBATVMNMTNBCS-BOSOrlando Magic vs Miami Heat8:00pmFanDuel Sports FLFanDuel Sports SunDenver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers8:30pmABCESPN UnlimitedSacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Clippers10:30pmESPNESPN UnlimitedNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVAnaheim Ducks vs Ottawa Senators1:00 PMVictory+SNBoston Bruins vs Washington Capitals3:00pmABCESPN UnlimitedColorado Avalanche vs Winnipeg Jets4:00pmALTSNNew York Rangers vs Minnesota Wild6:00pmMSGFanDuel Sports NorthToronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres7:00pmNHLNMSG-BUFSNSan Jose Sharks vs Montreal Canadiens7:00pmNBCS-CASNCarolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning7:00pmFanDuel Sports WestMSGSNLos Angeles Kings vs New Jersey Devils7:00pmFanDuel Sports WestMSGSNCalgary Flames vs New York Islanders7:00pmMSGSN2SNColumbus Blue Jackets vs Philadelphia Flyers7:30pmFanDuel Sports OhioNBCS-PHIDetroit Red Wings vs Dallas Stars8:00pmFanDuel Sports DETVictory+Pittsburgh Penguins vs Utah Mammoth9:00pmATTSN-PITUtah16Chicago Blackhawks vs Vegas Golden Knights10:00pmScrippsCHSNSeattle Kraken vs Vancouver Canucks10:00pmKONGSNMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVAmerica East Championship11:00amESPN2Ivy League Semifinal11:00amESPNUBig Ten Semifinal1:00pmCBSSEC Semifinal1:00pmESPNMEAC Championship1:00pmESPN2Atlantic 10 Semifinal1:00pmCBS Sports NetworkIvy League Semifinal2:00pmESPNEWSAmerican Semifinal3:00pmESPN2Big Ten Semifinal3:30pmCBSSEC Semifinal3:30pmESPNAtlantic 10 Semifinal3:30pmCBSSNAmerican Semifinal5:30pmESPN2Mountain West Championship6:00pmCBSBig 12 Championship6:00pmESPNBig East Championship6:30pmFOXSWAC Championship7:30pmESPNUMAC Championship8:00pmESPN2Conference USA Championship8:30pmCBSSNACC Championship8:30pmESPNBig West Championship10:00pmESPN2WAC Championship11:59pmESPN2MOTORSPORTSTIME ETTVXfinity: The LiUNA!5:30pmCWGOLFTIME ETTVPGA Tour: Players Championship2:00pmNBCSOCCERTIME ETTVLa Liga: Girona vs Athletic Club8:00amESPN+Serie A: Internazionale vs Atalanta9:00amParamount+Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern München9:30amESPN+Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg9:30amESPN+Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt vs Heidenheim9:30amESPN+Bundesliga: Hoffenheim vs Wolfsburg9:30amESPN+EPL: Burnley vs AFC Bournemouth10:00amPeacockEPL: Sunderland vs Brighton & Hove Albion10:00amPeacockLa Liga: Atlético Madrid vs Getafe10:15amESPN+Ligue 1: Lorient vs Lens11:00ambeIN SportsfuboTVSerie A: Napoli vs Lecce12:00pmParamount+EPL: Arsenal vs Everton12:30pmPeacockEPL: Chelsea vs Newcastle United12:30pmPeacockBundesliga: Hamburger SV vs Köln12:30pmESPN+La Liga: Real Oviedo vs Valencia12:30pmESPN+MLS: Toronto FC vs New York RB1:00pmMLS Season PassLigue 1: Angers SCO vs Nice1:00pmbeIN SportsfuboTVSerie A: Udinese vs Juventus2:45pmParamount+EPL: West Ham United vs Manchester City3:00pmPeacockMLS: Atlanta United vs Philadelphia Union3:00pmFOXMLS Season PassLa Liga: Real Madrid vs Elche3:00pmESPN+Ligue 1: Monaco vs Brest3:05pmbeIN SportsfuboTVMLS: Columbus Crew vs Nashville SC6:00pmFS1MLS Season PassMLS: DC United vs Inter Miami4:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: Atlético San Luis vs Pachuca7:00pmVIXMLS: Charlotte vs Inter Miami7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: New York City vs Colorado Rapids7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Orlando City SC vs CF Montréal7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Chicago Fire vs DC United8:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Dallas vs San Diego8:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Houston Dynamo vs Portland Timbers8:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: León vs Tijuana9:00pmVIXMLS: LA Galaxy vs Sporting KC9:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Real Salt Lake vs Austin9:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Portland Los Angeles FC vs St. Louis City10:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: Pumas UNAM vs Cruz Azul11:00pmVIXCOLLEGE BASEBALLTIME ETTVMississippi St. at Arkansas2:00pmSECNTennessee at Georgia5:00pmSECNNotre Dame at Louisville6:00pmACCNLSU at Vanderbilt8:00pmSECNCOLLEGE SOFTBALLTIME ETTVFlorida at Kentucky12:00pmSECNVirginia Tech at Duke2:00pmACCN About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 12 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 13, 2026
